Mary Wine (11 page)

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she should have been able to fall into an exhausted slumber. instead loren found herself lingering over her shower. her skin was sensitive. she frowned but raised her leg and ran the soap bar along its length before she applied a new razor to the skin. the two day’s growth of hair bothered her immensely tonight. she wanted to be smooth. raising her opposite leg, she applied the same sharp blade to it. steam rose from the water as she tossed her thoughts around her head.

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no, it didn’t make sense. reason wasn’t anywhere to be found, and well, common sense had dissipated the second she’d set eyes on rourke campbell.

taking a final rinse under the spray, loren turned it off and stepped out of the stall.

the night was cool. she should have been cold but she wasn’t. instead, the idea of donning clothing was somewhat unpleasant. she felt free. raising a brush to her hair, loren tried to untangle the strands.

at least sunset brought one soothing bit of information. no one had died today. with each day that passed the danger of further infection weakened. in another week, she’d be free to return to her life.

return? that was humorous. quite funny, really. she’d never be the same woman she’d been before meeting rourke campbell.

but that wasn’t a bad thing. life was about the journey, not the destination. surviving the last week was a test to her inner strength.

she wasn’t a prideful person by nature but being tenacious enough to not panic held true rewards for loren.

she’d become a quitter the day they buried her, not one second sooner.

grabbing a shirt, she buttoned it the bare amount to cover her breasts. she didn’t bother with a bra. she just wanted a cup of coffee.

stepping into her jeans, loren snapped them closed before wandering down the hallway.

the scent of coffee drifted to her nose making loren quicken her pace. she was cold now that she’d left the steam-filled bathroom behind her. the promise of something hot made her smile. but the kitchen counter was bare.

topped with white tile, there wasn’t

a speck on it and no coffeemaker either.

loren frowned and sniffed the air again. the scent of rich, dark, freshly brewed coffee was thick. she blinked her eyes and looked over the empty countertop again.

but the scent was there. turning about, loren considered the smell. she followed it back toward the master bedroom. the house was built in a square, meaning there were two hallways leading back to the bedrooms.

a third one ran across the back of the house. the kitchen took up one corner of the front and a living room took up the other.

the master bedroom occupied the entire right-hand back corner. there was a set of stairs that led to a second story but the door leading to those stairs was locked with a computerized lock. there was a set of stairs outside that led to the second story and the rangers climbed it to use the second floor as a sniper’s nest to protect the compound from. it was just another detail that set the house apart from normal life.

loren considered the hallway as her memory offered up a vivid picture of the night before.

clever, so very clever. rourke campbell knew her just a little too well.

loren shook her head. well, what did she expect? the man was a hunter. he’d taken the coffeemaker into the master suite just to see if she’d follow the trail and take the bait.

loren laughed. she was going to remember this. the guys at the local firehouse would be hooting with laughter. shaking her head again, loren turned back toward the kitchen. she could appreciate the joke but had no intention of becoming the brunt of it. but she still giggled as she enjoyed the playful hint of rourke’s charm. every now and 79

then he let the hard edge of manhood drop away to show her the little boy lurking inside him.

“it was worth a try.” rourke materialized from the darkness again. loren shrieked

as he wrapped a blanket of some sort around her. she frantically tried to avoid the trapping confinement of the fabric but he was deadly efficient as he bundled her into a tight cocoon.

“hey! what are you doing?”

rourke lifted her squirming body off the ground and gave the lower end of the blanket a sharp tug to trap her legs. only her feet escaped the confinement, but they weren’t any use to her with her legs bound together. rourke settled her body against his chest before he took the few steps between them and the master bedroom doorway.

“if the trap doesn’t work, go for the capture.” his voice was deep but playful. loren felt her lips twitch into a smile before she frowned as he deposited her on his bed. the coffeemaker was gurgling away in the bathroom making the room thick with the aroma of java.

“cute. very cute, young man. now unswaddle me.” he followed her down onto the bed. one large hand was twisted into the blanket to keep it closed. the moonlight spilled over his face giving her a glimpse of a boyish grin.

“do you surrender?”

“excuse me?”

“surrender. yield.” his voice dipped to a low rumble as he nuzzled her ear.

“submit to my authority.”

“like hell!”

“hmmm…” his teeth nipped her earlobe making her jump. sensation shot down her neck and into her stomach. warm lips gently wrapped around the sensitive area and sucked, making her squirm against the blanket’s hold.

“then you’re my prisoner.”

her breath escaped in a rush. loren sucked in a lungful as rourke’s lips began to kiss a trail down her neck. her skin sprang to life under his mouth as blood rushed into the tissues of her skin to help intensify the sensitivity of her nerve endings. his free hand cupped her head and turned it up to allow his lips to travel down to her collarbone. heat rushed up her body like a wave. loren shuddered as he nuzzled the collar of her shirt out of the way.

the confinement of the blanket and his grip combined inside her with wicked results. her body sprang to keen awareness as her imagination considered just what rourke might do with his…captive.

“a little overdramatic, don’t you think?” her voice was shaky. rourke raised his head to consider her eyes. there were several emotions drifting up from her. he let his own mind relax and merge with hers

in a light touch that was more intimate than anything they’d shared the night before.

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loren didn’t shy away from it. her eyes widened slightly but she never looked away. relief surged through him as rourke smiled down into her eyes.

just being accepted as

he was, hit him square in the chest with emotion that he couldn’t quite recognize. but it

felt amazingly good.

“law of the jungle. i caught you, i get to feast on you.” this time she shivered. rourke felt it with his hands as well as his mind.

she kicked against the blanket and he tightened his hold.

her heart was racing. loren finally listened to the frantic pounding of her body and smiled. hunger ran rampant between the two of them, only it wasn’t the hard pulse that they’d given in to the night before.

instead it was the steady increase in heat that melted her from the inside out. like a pair of coals, they were heating each other and glowing with the intensity of it.

a quick jerk and loren rolled away as he snapped that blanket free. she let her shoulders follow the motion he’d begun ‘til she rolled free of the constricting fabric and right over the edge of the bed. she landed on her feet and smiled. rourke campbell was one of the strongest men she’d ever encountered, but he still knew how to play. that was something that too many people lost sight of as maturity forged them into adults.

lifting her head, she looked across the surface of the bed to find him grinning like a little boy. he lifted his hand and crooked his finger at her.

her body leapt as she considered exactly what would happen if she went back onto the bed. the ideas were addictive just like the man who inspired them. her body clenched as she felt her breasts lift with arousal. her nostrils flared slightly as she caught the hint of male aggressiveness that mingled with the scent of coffee.

that coffee made her body leap again. he’d actually taken the time to lay a trap for her. maybe it was arrogant but the possessive nature of that action made her passage clench with need.

his body looked relaxed, but like any predator, he’d snap to attention in an instant

if he wanted to. loren stood up as she considered the power contained inside his body. his eyes were razor-sharp as they watched her. lifting her hands, she slowly worked the buttons of her shirt ‘til the garment hung on her shoulders.

the two sides dropped open to catch on her beaded nipples. all hint of playfulness evaporated from his face. in its place rose the harsh angle of aggression she knew lived inside him. loren studied his mouth as she rolled her shoulders ‘til the shirt dropped down her arms. his lips tightened as he rose up onto one hip.

“come here, loren.” his voice was deep and edged with steel.

instead, loren let her fingers play over her jeans button. his teeth appeared as his face tightened even further. feminine power was strong as it surged through her. she felt her lips lift into a grin as she noticed exactly how much fun she was having.

she’d never associated the word fun with lovemaking before. there were a wealth

of other emotions whispering along her body but she was also having just plain fun.

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and the jeans were making her crazy. the fabric scraped against her ultrasensitive skin making her tug the snap ‘til it popped open. a quick pull on the zipper and loren

let the unwanted clothing slip down her legs. her newly shaved legs felt amazingly

smooth as she let the night air flow over them.

loren watched his eyes travel over her. they were sharp and keen but she stood proudly before him. her body temperature rose as she noticed the thick bulge pressing against his pants. he was still lying on his side as his eyes traveled back up to her face.

some of her confidence fled as she faced the raw emotion blazing from those emerald deaths. playfulness had given way to pure intent. his body left the bed in a sharp move. he gained his feet in a silent motion that sent a chill through her body. he was so completely solid, each moment of his body precise. the way he moved drove home how efficient a hunter he was.

his boots didn’t seem to connect with the floor. he was just in front of her. a warm hand cupped her chin as his thumb lightly ran the length of her lips. sensation shot down her body, raising gooseflesh and drawing her nipples into tighter points. his eyes fastened onto those hard nubs. a second later the tip of his tongue flicked over her left nipple, making her jump. the touch was too hot, searing with intensity that made her belly clench with need.

her retreat didn’t please him. a low rumble came from his chest.

his eyes shot straight to her face as he judged her expression.

she felt the same brush of his mind against hers but this time the harsh edge of his need made her shift backwards.

but her own need was too great for fear to truly emerge. loren shifted again but didn’t retreat any further. her body was yearning for his in a primitive fashion. liquid heat flowed from her passage as she watched the way his eyes dropped to her breasts again. his large hands began a steady movement that had his clothing falling away in scant seconds. loren hung on his motions as she was rewarded with the sight of his firm shoulders.

“come here, honey. touch me like you did last night.” rourke could feel the warring emotions inside her. it ignited a dangerous reaction

in his brain. need was erupting with painful fullness inside his head. the smell of her sex drifted up, making his penis stand out, stiff and hard.

the scent from her passage made his nostrils flare. the single touch of hand to chest wasn’t enough. he needed to be closer to her, inside of her, body and mind. but first rourke intended to taste her. the hesitation drifting from her emotions made his body tense to capture her.

loren gasped as he lifted her. he did it so effortlessly. she knew firsthand what kind of upper body strength it took to lift another human being. rourke pulled her from her feet like a child.

the bed shifted as she felt it under her back. rourke came across her body in a solid movement that frightened her with its intensity. he was capturing her, securing her body. she felt the aggressive edge of his emotions radiating from his mind straight into 82

hers. it was overpowering, making her shift as she struggled to maintain some measure

of control.

“no.” his lips were a bare inch from her mouth as he growled the word. he cupped the back of her head before his lips engaged her mouth in a single motion of conquest. he thrust into her mouth and demanded a response.

it was a potent mixture of domination and intimacy. loren couldn’t separate the two. they shifted together like two different colors of light inside a crystal. she lifted her head to taste him. her body writhed under his as she strove to get closer. her thighs parted as her body begged for the deepest touch of male to female.

“not yet, honey. tonight, i’m going to taste you.” her head was suddenly free as rourke cupped both her breasts.

his hands held each one and raised the nipples for his tasting.

she shivered as he stayed settled between her spread thighs. it was such a controlling position but it made her shiver with need as well.

the moonlight spilled over him as he extended his tongue to lick the top of one nipple. she jerked as the flesh screamed out with the touch a second before his mouth closed over the beaded point. he sucked it strongly into his mouth as his finger gently massaged the globe of her breast.

“jesus! i wanted to suck these little nipples of yours.” it wasn’t a lewd comment. instead his voice was a deep rumble of appreciation that made loren sign. his mouth homed in on her opposite breast and he trailed light kisses across her chest to treat it to the same attention. loren lifted her hand to stroke the defined muscles of his arms. her fingertips became detailed receptors, transmitting each ripple of firm flesh to her brain.