A Seacat's Love (Oceanan Trilogy Book 1) (22 page)

His thrust deepened. His surroundings vanished. He was oblivious to the young woman, who with a big smile on her face, watched them through her bedroom window. And of the man, who sat Indian style on the top of a nearby cliff, staring at them through his binoculars. Rick was also unaware of ten nails lengthening behind his back.

His complete focus was on his lioness. Rick felt she was drawing his life’s essence through her canal. He willed it to happen, for he wanted to possess her spiritually. His movements became more forceful. His control was slipping. The harder he thrust, the more he wanted her. The more he wanted her, the more frantic he became and the harder he thrust. So frenetic and out of control was
Rick’s need for Leonora, that he never heard her mental cries for more. However, his runaway passions made certain he complied.

Leonora’s muscles gripped him tightly as he rammed into her. Her eyes snapped open. They were glowing brighter. She released a loud roar, and her extended claws ripped into the flesh on Rick’s back as he carried her through a powerful climax. Rick cried out in pain. He would have instantly stopped if it were not for the gush of fluid that poured from her in three powerful eruptions.

“My God!” Rick closed his eyes and spurted into her seeking form.

It was the most powerful, urgent, painful, satisfying climax in history. It literally left him exhausted to the point that Rick McCall, also known as the Predator, passed out.

It took some time for Leonora’s soul to return to her body. By then the incoming waves had cooled her heated flesh. The intense pressure she felt on her chest helped to clear her head faster.

{Rick?} Rick was smothering her with his weight. {Rick!} She pushed at his chest as she struggled to breath. {Rick, you are crushing me.}

Rick was not moving. Leonora gathered her strength and pushed him off her, expelling him from her body. She flipped him onto his back. Leaning over him, she saw why he did not answer. She started to laugh. She placed tender kisses on his face and lightly tapped his cheek.

Rick refused to wake up. His soul had been freed from its casing and was soaring within a bright light. It filled him with happiness, peace, and tranquility. He did not want it to end. Alas, the light began to dim. Someone was taking that blessed light away from him.

No!
He shouted.
I won’t let you take it from me! I won’t let you have it. It belongs to me now! It’s mine!
He tried to stop it from leaving, but the light grew dimmer and dimmer until it vanished.
No!

His eyes snapped opened. He immediately thought he was dead. Only a dead man felt so restful. He spotted Leonora gazing at him with the most beautiful glow upon her face that only angels
could possess. “I must’ve died and gone to heaven,” he murmured with a starry-eyed expression.

“No, actually, you passed out,” she replied between chuckles.

“That’s impossible. I’ve never passed out a day in my life.”

She laughed. “A first time for everything.”

“Why the bloody hell for?” He did not like having someone laugh at him, but Rick allowed it when it came to Carol Ann, and now, Leonora.

Leonora shrugged her shoulders. “How should I know? I am new to all this, remember?”

“New?” Rick rose onto his right elbow. His gaze traveled over her body, then his own. “Did we just…” he could not finish. The thought ignited that all-consuming flame inside him.

“We sure did.”

He saw her satisfied smile. “That’s impossible. We couldn’t have.”

“Why not? Are you all right?”

“Because no one…
no one
is that wonderful in bed."

She giggled. “We are not in bed.”

A wave rolled in. The water splashed around their bodies. Rick’s head whipped from side to side. His features expressed shock as if noticing for the first time where they were. His sights skimmed Leonora’s figure once more. The mist in his head lifted, and he began to remember what happened.

He rose onto his knees. “Come here.” He made Leonora straddle his thighs. “I want to know if what I remember is true.” Pushing his fingers through her wet hair, Rick lowered her head and passionately kissed her until she melted in his arms.

Leonora’s kiss was better than he remembered it. Her aura was again pulling him toward her, filling him with a need that he refused to fulfill just yet. He wanted to go slow this time. He wanted to familiarize himself with her beautiful body.

Leaving her lips, Rick’s mouth and tongue created a sizzling trail down her neck to the valley between her tawny breasts. Rick grabbed her shoulders and bent her over backward, so his kisses could continue traveling to her belly and upward again.

Rick paused to get a firmer grip on his passions. They refused to remain under his control. He had an excellent view of his little kitten. Her features faced the noon sky. Her beautiful physique appeared to have been chiseled from solid steel. Only by touching her did he know she was made of baby-soft skin. Her gaze returned to his. Her eyes sparkled. The way she looked with her mussed, damp hair and lips swollen from his kisses made his heart fail.

“You’re a goddess.” A mischievous glint flashed in her eyes. She shifted her body, and their passions melted together. A red-hot need sliced through Rick. “Dear God, woman, possess me!” He lifted her up by her hips and brought her down hard, impaling her thoroughly with his staff. The world around him started to spin. “Nora.” He clung to her waistline for dear life. “Nora!”

Rick lifted then lowered Leonora until she understood. He was grateful she was a fast learner, for he had a difficult time keeping his hands restricted to her waist. He kissed, molded, and caressed every inch of her. It did not take long for Leonora to reach climax.

“Oh God, yes!” Rick exclaimed at the downpour of her juices over his erection. There was so much fluid it sent him over the edge. He released another loud groan as he surged into her.

Afterward, Rick lay back onto the arriving waves. He refused to release Leonora, leaving her no choice but to lie on top of his body. He had a peaceful look on his face. Leonora had a satisfied one on hers.

{I never dreamt that mating could be so wonderful.}

Hearing Leonora’s voice in his head made Rick feel as if she were inside his body with him. He no longer feared it. It no longer felt odd. It felt incredibly intimate. He grinned. “Neither did I.”

She looked at him. {What do you mean? You have mated before. So how could
you
have not known?}

“Very simple. I’ve never made love to
you
. So naturally, I’ve never felt these feelings before,” he stated matter-of-factly. “Not even with my wife.”

“Wife!” Leonora leapt off him. “You are paired!”

Rick sat upright. “Not anymore. Relax, I’m a widower.”

Her eyelids shielded the panic in her eyes. “Oh, thank Onssa.”

“What?”

“I mean, I am sorry.”

Rick smiled and shook his head. “You’re a bad actress.”

Leonora cupped his cheek. “Thank you.” She placed a tender kiss on his lips.

That innocent kiss tugged at Rick’s loins. Leonora shot to her feet and ran into the water before he could grab her.

“Come on in, the water is beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.” He watched her play from where he sat. “I thought cats didn’t like the water?”

“Not all cats. I
love
the water.” She dove underneath an incoming wave.

And I love you. God, how am I going to let you go?
He blinked rapidly to erase the tears that gathered in his eyes. He decided to finish taking off his clothes and enjoy the time he had with his little kitten.

The two splashed and played like children. Having decided she had enough, Leonora wrapped her limbs around Rick and began to nibble on his neck. An animal’s roar drew Rick’s attention away from the sensual strokes of her tongue. He scanned the beach and spotted an enraged tiger running toward him with teeth and claws bared and eyes aglow. Rick barely had enough time to throw Leonora out of harm’s way before Tigif reached him and pulled him under.

Leonora emerged spitting seawater from her mouth. She angrily searched around her. Rick was nowhere in sight. Just then, he came up from beneath the water, gasping for air.

“Rick, what is wrong with you?”

Once Rick caught his breath, he ordered, “Get out of the water. NOW!”

Tigif emerged behind Rick.

Leonora gasped. “Tigif, no!” she yelled, alerting Rick to the cat’s location.

Rick whirled around and caught Tigif’s hand, keeping those sharp claws from making contact. The two men struggled with each other. Repeatedly, they went under and came up for air. Rick
overheard Leonora ordering them to stop. He ignored her. He made a fist and took aim at the orange face with glowing eyes. Rick heard a loud popping sound, like a firecracker, followed immediately by Tigif’s howl. He hesitated with his punch and saw Tigif grabbing his right arm. Crimson blood oozed through his claws, down his arm, onto the water’s moving surface.

“Stop exactly where you are and come out of the water,” came a male’s calm order from the beach.

All three sought the face behind the familiar voice.

“Is this the way you play with your pets, McCall?” Lance Blaisdale stood with his smoking gun aimed in their direction.

Carol Ann was beside him with her gun pointing to the ground. Tigif chose to ignore Lance’s warning and made a move for Rick. Lance fired another shot. This time into the water between the men.

“The next one will be right between your eyes.” He leveled his aim. “I’m not going to give you a third warning.”

They all realized Lance was not kidding. Glaring at Rick and Lance, Tigif grudgingly left the water. He stood where Lance ordered him to stand.

Leonora rushed into Rick’s arms. “Are you okay?” He hugged her.

“Me? I am not the one who was attacked. Are you all right?” She passed her hands over his chest, arms, and stomach, searching for injuries.

“I’m okay, baby. Just stay behind me and use my body as a shield, okay.”

She nodded.

Carol Ann and Lance gave their backs to the naked couple. Rick noticed Tigif remained glaring at him. He showed no signs of being polite. Lance had to brandish his gun to make him turn around.

Once the couple covered up, Rick asked Carol Ann if she would mind patching Tigif up. At first, she said yes. He pressed the issue and she unwillingly gave in, leading the way back into the house. Leonora and Tigif followed next. Rick and Lance fell behind. They spoke low so no one could hear them.

Lance returned his gun to its holster. “What the hell were you doing back there? Have you lost your mind?”

“That’s none of your bloody business.”

“The hell it isn’t.”

“The bloody hell it is!” Rick hissed back at him. He was upset, not only with being caught off guard by Tigif, but also with Lance’s sudden change in values. They had always been on the same side, not anymore.

For weeks, Rick had agonized over possibly losing his brother. He had thought of many plausible arguments to lure Lance back to the good side. None made sense to him.

He blamed Lance for his involvement with the aliens, for his career being on the line, for everything that had happened thus far. His pride and his ego were hurt. Lance was not where he had always been—by Rick’s side ready to support and back him up. This hurt and angered him.

“What the bloody hell do you want, Control?”

“I want you to stop and think. Is all of this worth your career? After all, you worked extremely hard to get to the level you’re on. So is it really, really worth it?”

Rick stared at Lance. Was Lance genuinely concerned about his career? Did Lance still care about him? Lance was never one to put into words how he felt. Rick had to learn to read between the lines to uncover the truth behind Lance’s words and mannerism a long time ago. Was this one of those times he had to guess at Lance’s meaning?

Rick glanced at the house. Lance did also. Leonora passed through the glass doors, wearing only Rick’s shirt and carrying her wet pants and blouse in her arms. Rick’s heart swelled with love.

He fixed his gaze on his commanding officer. “Yes!”

Lance shook his head and sighed. Rick feared what he would say next. Were they going to remain the best of friends? Was he going to arrest Rick and give away their location to the government? Was he going to lose his brother because of the woman he loved?

“So what’s next?” Lance asked.

Rick hesitated. He scrutinized Lance’s features. They gave nothing away. His worries grew. “What do you mean ‘what’s next’?”

“What are we going to do about the aliens?”

“
We?
What are
we
going to do about the aliens? Since when have
you
been interested in their welfare?”

Lance shrugged his shoulders indifferently. His lower lip pouted slightly. “Since I first found out what our government intended to do with them.”

Rick stared sideways at Lance while they climbed the deck stairs. He digested Lance’s words. He studied Lance’s mannerisms. Calm. Innocent. Realization struck and his anger rose.

“You son of a bitch!” He jumped in front of Lance and grabbed him by the shirt collar. “You set me up! You knew damn well I wasn’t going to be able to let the government kill those aliens, didn’t you?” Lance’s answer was a self-satisfied smile. “You let me rattle my brains out, trying to decide on the right thing to do, when all along you could’ve…” Rick closed his eyes and took a deep breath to regain his composure. “Why the bloody hell didn’t you just tell me what to do?”

Lance answered with his usual sarcasm. “I can’t tell you what to do, Rick; you know that.” His smiled broadened.

“You could have ordered me.”

“Would you have listened?”

Rick’s eyes narrowed. “If you were so damn concerned about those aliens, then why didn’t you do something yourself?”

“With the type of security they have in that complex, do you really think that anyone other than the Predator could’ve gotten in and out of there without getting caught?”

Rick released him. He passed his hands over his wet hair. Though he was upset at being tricked, he was extremely relieved that his best friend was still on the right side.
His
side.