Purity (Pure and Tainted) (19 page)

“Of course you don’t—no one does.” Boone didn’t know whether to
laugh or cry. “But you came to save me anyway, didn’t you, darlin’?” Pulling
back, he studied her face and then stroked her cheek gently. “You came even
though you were afraid.”

K blushed, her pale cheeks flushing deep red. She looked down, as
though unable to meet his eyes. “Of course I came.” Her voice was stern, as
though she was trying to purge the unwanted emotions that seemed to be flooding
her. “I came because…because…” She lifted her eyes.
“Because
no one is going to get the privilege of killing you but
me
.”

“Is that right?” Boone said softly.

“Yes, of course.” She frowned. “If you think that I came to save
you because of any kind of emotional attachment I might have to you, let me
assure you that—”

Boone shut her up with a kiss.

It was crossing the line and he knew it but somehow he couldn’t help
himself. Part of it was the cloud of pheromones still hanging heavily in the
air and part of it was his relief that she was alive and well. But mostly he’d
been wanting
to do this—even if he hadn’t admitted it to
himself—almost from the moment he’d first laid eyes on K. She was slender and
deadly and completely different from any female he’d ever been with—a strange
combination of child waiting to be awakened and adult who has already seen far
too much. And at that moment, Boone wanted her as he had never wanted any woman
before.

The moment his lips met hers, she went rigid in his arms. Her
slender body was as stiff as a board and for a moment Boone feared he had
overloaded her system and she was losing it because of the extreme level of
‘contamination’ he was putting her through. Then suddenly, to his surprise, she
slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him back.

The kiss lacked expertise—clearly it was her first, which Boone
had known anyway. But there was a hungry, almost desperate quality in the way
she kissed him which made him pull her even closer, eager to have as much of
her skin against his as possible.

Her mouth tasted sweet—as though she’d been sipping hot chocolate
before she came to save him and her body, so tense in his arms a moment before,
was suddenly as pliable as silk under his hands. Her fingers in his hair pulled
him closer, urging him to take more, to give more of the sweet sensation of
their mouths meshed together. Encouraged, Boone licked delicately at the seam
of her lips and to his
surprise,
she parted for him,
inviting him in.

“God, darlin’,” he groaned softly before slipping his tongue
inside her.

K stiffened anew at the feeling of his tongue invading her mouth,
then
she pulled him even closer, pressing up to offer more
as he explored and owned her gently but thoroughly.

Mine,
Boone thought deliriously, as he
held her tight and tasted those lush lips at last.
You’re mine now, K. I don’t care where you came from or where you’re
going because now that you’re here with me I’ll never, ever let you go…

“Well, well, well.
If it isn’t a case of the
horny heteros.”
Loki’s voice, tinged with amusement and disgust, cut
through the fog of pheromone-induced lust which seemed to have clouded Boone’s
brain.

“What?” He pulled back at once and K let go of him at the same
time.

“Boone?” The expression on her face was one of wonder and concern.
“What happened?” she asked. “What is that awful smell in the air? And why do I
feel so weak?
So…so strange?”

“That’s because you
are
fucking strange, Princess Paladin.” Loki smirked at her.
“And
awfully eager to play kissy-face with Boone here for a cold, emotionless
Purist, if I may say so.”

K flushed again, her cheeks going dull red. “I don’t know what
came over me.
I would never…have never
…”

“Of course you haven’t. It’s the pheromones.” Boone cursed himself
for a fool. No wonder she’d responded to him so eagerly. The hormone soup that
passed for air around the dead saurian would be enough to challenge even the
strongest moral conviction. K probably would have kissed Loki in this state—if
he’d wanted her to, that was.
Though from the look on his
face, that was the furthest thing from the Erian’s mind.

“Well, you’ve done it
now,
one kiss is
all it takes.” Loki was still smirking.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean? And what are you doing
here anyway?” Boone snarled as K hurriedly put some distance between them.
“From the way you were whining earlier I thought you’d be somewhere getting
your itch scratched.”

“Oh, don’t worry about little old
me.”
Loki batted his eyelashes and grinned. “I already got fucked
just a minute ago by that big, strapping young man over there.” He pointed to a
man who’d been in the crowd watching from the other side of the fence. Loki
waved at the man and he waved back uncertainly, a look of confusion on his
face. “I’m not
entirely
sure he knew
he was gay.” Loki gave his conquest a bright smile and turned back to Boone.
“But he sure as hell does now. What a
beastly
top. Love it!”

“Loki, can you be serious for once?” Mom had joined them and she
was giving the Erian a look of disapproval. “We all nearly died out here—you
and Boone especially. Instead of engaging in carnal activities, maybe you
should thank the Goddess you’re still among the living.”

“I
was
giving thanks,”
Loki snapped, putting a hand on his hip. “That’s the way we do things on Eros.
And apparently the way they do things on Athena, too.” He gave K a derisive
glance. “Boone and Princess Paladin were going at it pretty hot and heavy too
but I don’t see you lecturing
them.”

“I have never engaged in that type of…of activity before,” K protested,
wrapping her arms around herself. “It is
not
typical on Athena. I don’t know why I…I…” She put a hand to her head and her
eyelids fluttered. “I don’t…”

Suddenly she sank to the ground in a dead faint.

“K!” Boone scooped her up and ran for the RTV. “Hurry, we have to
get her back to the ship!”

He settled his large form gingerly in the passenger seat, still
cradling K’s limp body in his arms. Mom gunned the engine and he stared
anxiously at the Paladin’s pale features. What was wrong with her? Was it an
after-effect of using the powerful weapons to save him? Or had he overloaded
her system with his foolish, ill-conceived kiss? Had he killed her?

Please, no—let her be all right.
Let me be able to save her,
Boone prayed, crushing her to his chest.
Please don’t let me lose her now!

Chapter Thirteen

K woke up feeling very strange. No, not just strange…
wrong. There’s something the matter with me,
she thought and struggled to sit up.

“Whoa, darlin’, not so fast.”
A big, warm hand pushed her down
gently, forcing her to remain on the sleep platform.

“Boone?” K tried to make her eyes focus but it was difficult—her
eyelids felt like someone had tied lead weights to them. Not only that, her
whole body was burning and her skin felt hot to touch. “What…what happened to
me?” she asked, her voice sounding slurred in her own ears.

“I’m not sure.” Boone sounded worried. “You seem to have gotten
overloaded somehow. Don’t worry—you’re safe now. We’re aboard the ship.”

“Did we get the hyperdrive fixed?” K asked, wishing her voice
didn’t sound so weak. “Can we…go on now?”

“Ilesca is finishing it up—against Abrahams’ wishes.” He sounded
grim. “He seems to think we violated the terms of our agreement by killing Sweetie
instead of collaring her.”

“There was no choice.” K shook her head weakly. “Although I…regret
the way she died. I’ve never shot anything so big with my gauntlets before.
Normally the plasma vaporizes whatever it comes in contact with instantly. But
she was so huge…”

“It wasn’t your fault.” Boone stroked her forehead soothingly and
wiped her cheeks with a damp cloth. “Not your fault, darlin’. You did what you
had to do and I’m damn grateful you did. If you hadn’t, I’d be in the belly of
the beast right now—literally.”

“Couldn’t let her kill you.”
K closed her eyes again. The damp
cloth felt wonderful or maybe it was just his hand on her skin. It seemed to
reduce her fever though she still felt weak.
“Didn’t…want you
to die.
I know it’s wrong but…”

He chuckled softly. “Yeah, I know. You were just saving me so you
could kill me yourself.”

K frowned and opened her eyes again with effort. “I advise you not
to take my threats lightly, Boone. I still have every intention of killing
you.”

“I don’t take you lightly, K.” His deep voice was suddenly
serious. “I would never do that.” He leaned over her, his blue-green eyes
searching hers and for a moment she thought he was going to do that strange
mouth thing again—the lips pressed to lips which had made her feel faint and
dizzy and excited all at once.

K’s heart started to pound as she looked into his
Impure
eyes which were somehow so strangely beautiful. Did
she want to let that happen again? It was the worst kind of contamination.
Well, not quite the
worst
but almost.
The only thing more invasive and intimate would be if she let him actually—

No,
she thought, almost panicked by the
thought.
No, I would never. Sexual
reproduction is the lowest, the worst form of contamination. I would never let
him do
that,
never let him put his body within mine
for any reason.

But she’d let him slip his tongue into her mouth, hadn’t she? And
why did the memory of that moment, the taste of his tongue, the feel of his
lips on hers, make her chest ache and give her a strange, hot, throbbing
sensation between her legs? Why did the idea of his big body covering hers make
her heart beat so fast?

What in Purity was
wrong
with
her?

“Boone…” she whispered uncertainly.

“Yes, K?”
He was so close she could see the
flecks of gold in the depths of his blue-green eyes. So close she could have
reached up and guided him down with her fingertips to let their lips press
together again—if she wanted to.

Is he waiting for me to do that? Is
that what he wants? Is that what
I
want?
The moment stretched between them
like a sweet, fragile thread of honey and K felt she was drowning in a gold
flecked sea until—

“Boone?” The voice from the com shattered the strange spell which
seemed to have been cast over both of them.

Boone cleared his throat and sat back. “Uh, yes Mom? Is everything
all right?”

“It’s that cat-woman mechanic, Ilesca.” Mom’s voice sounded mildly
disapproving. “She says she’s finished with the ship but she wants to talk to
you—to
thank
you—before she goes. She
wanted
to come straight to your sleeping
quarters but I wouldn’t let her.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Boone sounded relieved. “I’ll come out and see her
instead. Just have her stay around the engine room and I’ll be there in a
minute.”

He started to get up from the side of the bed but K reached out to
touch his arm. “Wait.”

“What is it, darlin’?” Boone spoke softly, his eyes fixed on the
place where her fingers touched his bare skin.

“I don’t like you going out there alone.” K frowned, wishing she
felt stronger. “I want…want to come with you. I know what she probably has in
mind when she says she wants to
thank
you.”

He laughed. “There’s that green eyed monster again.”

“The green eyed monster?
What are you talking about?” K demanded.

Boone grinned and shook his head. “Never mind, it’s not important.
Listen, K, you have nothing to worry about. I’m not interested in Ilesca in the
least, I promise.”

“So you won’t…do anything with her?” K couldn’t help asking. “You
won’t…do that mouth-on-mouth thing with her?” She felt her face getting hot as
she spoke but she couldn’t seem to help it.

“You mean a kiss?” Boone
murmured,
his
eyes half-lidded as he looked at her. “You want me to promise not to kiss her?”

“I…yes.”
K’s cheeks were burning and it
wasn’t from fever this time. The tension between them was back and thicker than
ever. His gaze burned into her but somehow she couldn’t look away. “Will you
promise?” she whispered.

“If you’ll promise to let me kiss
you again instead.”

K’s eyes flew wide. “I don’t…we shouldn’t…”

“
Take
it easy, darlin’,” he said softly.
“A kiss doesn’t always have to be on the lips.”

“It…it doesn’t?” For some reason this idea sent K’s heart into
overdrive. “Then…where…?”

“Anywhere.
Anywhere at all.”
He smiled at her and nodded down to where her fingertips still brushed his arm.
“You realize this is the first time you’ve ever reached for me and touched me
on your own? Without me touching you first, without me holding you?”

“No.” K felt absurdly flustered. “I…I didn’t.”

“Well, it is.” Lifting her hand, he turned it over and pressed his
lips to the inside of her palm.

K had to bite back a gasp. His hot breath seemed to burn her and
his lips felt incredibly soft and gentle against her skin. Her heart was
thundering so loudly she felt sure he must hear it.
What’s wrong with me? Why am I reacting so strongly to something which
should make me recoil? Why do I want more?

“Boone…” she whispered in a trembling voice. “Boone, I…I can’t do
this. I don’t know how or why or—”

“Don’t worry about it, darlin’.” His voice was deliberately light
as he placed her hand back down on the coverlet. “See? Now I’ve had my kiss and
I promise to keep my mouth far away from Ilesca’s lips—not to mention her
whiskers.” He laughed.

“All…all right.”
K’s heart was still pounding too
hard—it made it difficult to think.
Stupid
emotions,
she thought, angry with herself for getting so flustered.
I shouldn’t feel this way—shouldn’t feel at
all!
But now that she had started, it seemed almost impossible to stop.

“Boone? She’s getting impatient.” Mom’s voice from the com sounded
impatient as well. “I think you’d better get out here.”

“Coming, Mom.” Boone gave K a little smile and stood with much
more grace than should have been possible in such a large man. “I’d better go
give Ilesca her meow-mix before she and Mom get into a cat fight. No pun
intended.”

And before K could say anything in reply, he went out the door and
was gone.

* * * * *

Boone cursed himself angrily as he strode down the ship’s narrow
silver corridors. What had gotten into him, treating K like that? She was sick,
for God’s sake. In fact, she’d been burning up until he started wiping her face
with the damp cloth. Then she’d seemed to come back to herself a little but
still, she was helpless and in no position to counter any kind of sexual proposition.

She’s a virgin,
he told himself.
Completely inexperienced.
Not to mention the fact that she’s repelled
by the idea of any kind of sexual contact.
But she hadn’t seemed repelled
when he kissed her palm. Her breathing had quickened and her pulse had been
going crazy, while her eyes, those lovely, black and white eyes in which the
black was receding daily, had been open wide with surprise and some other
emotion Boone couldn’t quite read. Could it have been desire?

Doesn’t matter if it was,
he told himself roughly.
This isn’t the life she wants for herself.
She needs to stay as she is, at least until I give her the suit back. Then she
can decide if she wants to go back or stay or what.

“Doctor Boone.” The purring voice of Ilesca, while not exactly
welcome, at least had the effect of shutting down his inner monologue of guilt.

“Ilesca.”
He nodded at the cat woman as she
came slinking toward him. “Mom said you’d finished the repairs?”

“I have.” She nodded and took a step toward him, as though to
repeat the intimate, cheek-rubbing welcome she’d given him when they first met.

Boone stepped hastily back. “I, uh, want to thank you for
finishing things up despite the…disagreement I had with your father.”

“No, Dr. Boone, it is I who must thank you.” She nodded gravely.
“My father was deluded in this matter. He thought he could save Sweetie,
turn
her into something calm and domesticated. But he was
wrong.” Her cat’s eyes turned hard. “She killed my lover, you know. He was her
first victim.”

“I’m so sorry.” Boone shook his head. “Abrahams said Sweetie
killed your brother too. To lose both of them in such a horrible way…”

“They were one and the same.”

“I’m sorry, what?” Boone was certain he’d misunderstood.

“I said,
My
lover
was
my brother.” Ilesca shrugged. “It’s not unusual among my
species. We are half animal, you know and animals never worry about such
things.”

“Oh, well…” Boone wasn’t sure what to say to that. He’d encountered
some strange customs on different planets but…

“I want to thank you for avenging him,” Ilesca continued. “My
father would never have seen the truth. He would have kept trying to save Sweetie
at the expense of everyone around him. He never wants to admit to failure—even
when it’s staring him in the face.”

“You’re welcome but I’m afraid I really can’t take any of the
credit,” Boone said. “It was K—if she hadn’t decided to ride to the rescue your
father would probably be looking for someone else to play pin the tail on the
saurian.”

Ilesca sighed. “It was the Erian DNA he used—it heightened her sex
cycle to abnormal and unstable limits. From the moment she became sexually
mature she was a danger to everyone around her.” She shook her head. “The
hormones made her savage.”

“Yeah, well I think the pheromones she was putting out brought out
the beast in all of us.” Boone rubbed the back of his neck, remembering that
one, sweet and completely forbidden kiss he’d shared with K. Would he have
kissed her if they hadn’t been breathing in the potent chemicals released by
the saurian? More to the point, would she have kissed him back without them? If
not for the tension filled conversation they’d just had in his sleeping
quarters he would have said no. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“…so I left some of my old outfits I thought might fit K.
Though they will probably be a bit loose in some…areas.”
Ilesca
threw out her ample chest and gave him a knowing wink.

Boone realized he’d been too busy reliving his kiss with K and had
missed something she had said. “Oh, uh…okay.” He nodded. “Thanks so much.”

“You’re welcome, Doctor Boone.” She gave him a slow, seductive
smile. “It’s too bad you have to leave so soon.”

“I’m afraid we do, though.” Boone tried to edge away from her
without being obvious about it. “I should probably find Loki and tell him to
get the engines going.”

“No need, I’ve already told him.” Ilesca laughed. “Don’t worry,
Dr. Boone, I won’t molest you. I can see you have eyes only for your Paladin.”

“K is under my protection. And—”

“And you care for her deeply” Ilesca finished for him. “I
understand and I wish you the best.
Safe journey, Doctor.”
Smiling she glided past him and left the ship.