Beyond the Edge (7 page)

She licked her bottom lip. “How long am I…when will you take off…”

He didn’t answer. She already knew that he would keep her in the exquisite chain until
he
decided it was time to release her. And she suspected nothing she said would alter her situation. She would enjoy the caresses until he decided otherwise.

“Bend over. And spread your legs wider. I need to make sure every ring is attached precisely where it will do the most good.”

The most good?

Oh…she…could barely hold still. The cool chain on her hot flesh made her feel wicked and vulnerable. Talk about yanking her chain. She couldn’t wait for him to do so.

He knelt again and she closed her eyes as she imagined him looking at her bottom and between her now practically hairless legs. As if he were bent on making her squirm even more, he demanded, “Look at yourself in the mirror. And think about how you are letting me chain you because you want me to.”

She forced her eyes open, wondering how he’d known that she’d closed them. He was between her legs, seeing everything, attaching the chain to…“Ah…oh…not…there,” she whispered.

“Tell me you want this chain.”

She hesitated and he tugged the chain. Pure sensation arched across her most sensitive places. And so help her, she did want this.

“Say it.”

“I want the chain.”

“For how long?” He was testing her.

“For as long as you want me to wear it.”

He laughed and drew the chain between her legs, up between her buttocks, the contact points of her sensitive flesh already sizzling. The chain split and formed a vee over her hips and he hooked it back around the front to her nipples.

He straightened as she looked in the mirror. Her eyes were too big, her mouth lush and wanton. She looked as if she’d just tumbled out of bed all satisfied. Only she’d had no satisfaction. The damn man had yet to touch her. But his every breath kindled embers and jangled and reverberated through her. She could think of nothing but her breasts aching for his touch, of the ring that tugged her clit and sparked her desire.

“I will dry you now.”

She began to straighten and stand.

He swatted her bottom. “I didn’t tell you to move.” The sting of his palm was nothing compared to the tug of the chain on the rings. It was if he’d plucked them all at once and the electric tension elicited a soft moan from the back of her throat. She’d never felt anything so absolutely delicious in her life.

She wanted him to swat her again. Instead he took the towel and began to dry her. Never once did he let his hand touch her flesh, careful to keep the thick terry between them. But every single smoothing of her flesh jarred the chains and she shivered uncontrollably.

She told herself that when she stood, the chain would go slack and the sensations wouldn’t be so stimulating. However, as he dried her bottom and between her legs, she raised up her toes and arched her spine. When she realized what she was doing, she groaned.

If she didn’t get a grip, he’d soon have her begging. Just as she was beginning to think that she’d allowed him too much control over her, he rubbed the towel between her legs. And she exploded, the orgasm so powerful, she spasmed and gyrated, which caused tugging on her nipples and clit and the sensitive skin between her cheeks. Without even one moment to take a breath, she came again. Pleasure such as she’d never known rolled over her.

No way could she hold still. But Kane had stood,
placed his feet between hers, preventing her from closing her legs. And as she exploded, he kept caressing her with the towel, tugging the chain.

Powerful orgasms kept roaring through her, crashing over her. She thrashed and tried to buck and still he held her firm, cradling her with one arm, his breath in her ear, her chain wringing her dry.

And when she collapsed, he lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed. She would not faint. She wanted to remember him holding her tenderly in his arms. She wanted to remember pressing her cheek to his chest and the feel of his solid heartbeat by her ear. She wanted to remember every detail of the entire lusty experience. Refusing to give in to the roaring in her ears or the narrowing of her vision, she fought to remain conscious with all her willpower.

And inch by inch she took back a measure of control. Slowly her breathing returned to normal. “I didn’t know it was possible to experience so much pleasure.”

“You have much to learn.” As he spoke, the chain slid, tightening, taking up the slack from when she’d been bent over. But Kane hadn’t touched her.

She looked from him to the chain at her breasts and back to him. “Did you make them do that?”

“I programmed them.”

“They can readjust themselves?”

“The body buffs will detach the necessary sections whenever you use the bathroom, then reattach afterwards, of course.”

He meant to keep her in the chain. However, re
calling the pleasure she’d just experienced, she wasn’t exactly upset. She eyed him across the pillow. “The buffs can attach the chain?”

“Didn’t I just say so?”

She eyed his lips quirking with laughter and recalled him kneeling between her legs. “Then why did
you
attach them?”

“I couldn’t deny myself.”

So her shower had affected him after all. She couldn’t have been more pleased by his admission. While he seemed in charge, he couldn’t remain as collected as he pretended. She would keep working on him and sooner or later he was bound to give in. Meanwhile she fully intended to enjoy herself.

T
HE MORE TIME
Kane spent with Fallon, the harder it was not to hold back. He wanted to tell her who he was and why he was here, but he wouldn’t break his silence without a better reason than to protect himself from her. Besides, if she knew that there could never be anything between them beyond these few days, he doubted she would open herself so fully to being with him. Of course, even if he could be with her longer, he had no use for deeper emotions. As the phrase in this time went,
Been there. Done that.

Nothing ate away at him like his mistake of falling hard for Cassandra during a mission. Never again would he allow a woman to interfere with an assignment. Cassandra! Even now he carried the short time they’d spent together locked in his heart. Lying to her
through every day they’d spent together had almost killed him.

He refused to repeat the same mistake with Fallon. So Kane would continue to give her what he could during the time they would have together, but he would hold back any profound emotions. Because he was going to leave her. Their time together was limited by the length of his mission—as soon as he captured Nigel, he would return home.

However, he still intended to fulfill his promise. Fallon deserved a break from her responsibilities. He’d been monitoring her phone calls and already her sister had called twice, her mother and father once each and her secretary had three emergencies that someone else would have to handle. Fallon was incommunicado until he deemed otherwise, and that wouldn’t be unless there was a life-threatening emergency. Her family had to learn to stand on their own.

He’d told himself he wouldn’t become involved. Only he liked her. He liked her courage. He liked the way she looked him in the eye when she was shaking with raw need and allowed him to see how much she wanted him. And he liked the way she smelled.

No matter how many times he told himself he was heading for trouble, he couldn’t seem to stop provoking her, especially when her every response was so delicious. Knowing better, knowing he’d been burned and would be again, couldn’t keep him away from the heat of her flame. She simply burned too brightly for him to resist.

Knowing how much he would suffer after he de
parted didn’t seem to be much of a deterrent. So he would enjoy their short time together. Make the most of every second, because eventually he would have to leave, and she must stay.

If he could have walked away from Fallon, he would have. But he couldn’t make her that ill. It was no fault of hers that she’d become trapped with him in the stasis bubble for the duration of his mission. Yet, nevertheless, they had to deal with the fact that the bubble would collapse and eventually disintegrate and then shoot him back home. Before that happened, he had to stop Nigel from changing history.

Kane supposed the sooner he caught Nigel, the better for both Fallon and himself. And yet he was enjoying her company so much that he yearned to linger here.

But the laws of physics could not be changed. If he was going to catch Nigel, it must be soon.

However, they had time to eat and Kane ordered a huge breakfast that room service delivered to the suite. After they’d eaten croissants slathered in honey butter and topped with strawberry preserves, scrambled eggs with crisp bacon and fresh cantaloupe with raspberries, and washed the huge meal down with a pot of black coffee, Fallon reached across him for the phone.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She raised a haughty brow. “Still don’t trust me?”

“Answer the question.”

“If we’re attending the auction, I’ll need to order some clothes.”

“You will wear the chain.”

She swept crumbs from the sheet across her chest and frowned at him. “I’ll be arrested.”

“Go stand in front of the mirror.”

She sighed, but climbed out of bed and stepped in front of the full-length mirror. “All right. I’m here.”

He focused for a moment on the body buff, sending directions how he wanted her dressed. “This is what you will wear.”

Her lower jaw dropped. She appeared to be wearing a multicolored short dress and matching ankle boots.

“How—oh…my…” She spun around and glared at him. “My every move pulls on the chain.”

He chuckled. “You’re going to have a very interesting day.”

“I won’t be able to sit,” she complained. “The chain is too tight.”

“Sure you will. The body buff will adjust the chain to your needs.”

“You forgot my panties.”

“I didn’t forget.” He enjoyed her look of outrage and the sparkle of anticipation in her eyes. She might be protesting, but she was simply testing him.

“These auctions can go on for hours.”

“Then I suggest you use your connections to arrange that the item you’re going to buy for me is auctioned at the beginning of the sale.”

“I don’t have that kind of clout, and besides, who said I was buying anything for you?”

“What? You don’t love me anymore?”

“Love you?” She glared at him. “I’m not even sure I like you.”

“It doesn’t matter as long as you want my hands on you,” he teased. In truth, he didn’t require her money. If she hadn’t been caught in the stasis bubble with him for the duration of the mission, he would have made other arrangements to make the purchases he required. But the less unfamiliar technology she saw, the better. Kane was good at making use of what was available and that made him a valuable employee. The less material—and that included cash—he had to import from home, the less chance of his doing damage while he was here. Besides, Fallon had more money than she’d need in a hundred lifetimes. He grinned, watching her irritation turn to wonder as the buffs vibrated in all the right places.

“You don’t play…fair.” But there was no venom in her tone. In fact she was smiling as she tried not to squirm. But she couldn’t help it. And as the vibrations aroused her, she moved, causing the chain to tug and her lips parted in a gasp.

He laughed, enjoying her pleasure. “Don’t worry. I figure we can buy what I want for less than twenty-five million.”

“Twenty-five…million?”

He adjusted the vibrations to work in tandem. Both nipples got attention, then her lower half, then her nipples once again. “That won’t even put a dent in your net worth.”

She sucked in her breath as she dealt with the sensations coursing through her. He had to give her credit: she was doing her damnedest to focus on the conversation. “What exactly am I buying?”

Though what he had to tell her would grab her attention, she wouldn’t be able to ignore what was happening to her for long. She’d deprived herself of pleasure for so long that even the tiniest stimulation caused her pulse to increase and her eyes to dilate. Oh, yeah. This was going to be a very interesting day.

And he didn’t know what he enjoyed more, surprising her with the technology or giving her an orgasm at the same time he delivered an answer. “We’re buying a gadget that makes things invisible.”

F
ALLON GASPED
as a sizzling orgasm ripped through her. If Kane hadn’t steadied her, she might have collapsed, climbed back into bed and dragged him with her. Instead she wobbled, and had barely recovered before he’d popped them over to Kendals in another of his mind-numbing instantaneous transporting moves.

His technology stunned her. She’d love to get her hands on a gadget that made objects invisible, but what really struck her were the infinite possibilities presented by the ability to travel at the speed of light. In a world where oil polluted and cost billions, securing the technology would allow nations to spend more money on health care and education.

The gadgets he’d attached to her body had their uses as well. Although she’d just enjoyed a fabulous orgasm, every step she took now tugged, stroked and stimulated, until she was certain she’d be ready for another very soon. She struggled to get control as they left the private alcove at Kendals. Kane had dressed himself in a white shirt, suit and tie that did wonders to make him appear sophisticated and he easily fit in with the wealthy crowd.

Kendals held their auctions in an enormous ballroom and Fallon had worked with the firm many times to raise money for the Hanover Institute. Even her wealth could not solely fund the research required to find the cure for cancer. As a previous customer she recognized the raised stage with video cameras and large-screen monitors, which would show off everything from diamonds to art to the people who sat in the very last row of chairs in the audience. Although she’d been here before, Fallon didn’t often come to Kendals in person. She lacked the time and usually skimmed the catalogue ahead of time and either bid anonymously by phone or instructed one of her executive assistants to bid for her.

However, this auction was a bit different than most. Silent and anonymous bids weren’t being accepted, and the items today weren’t the usual rare art, silk carpets or estate items such as antiques or jewelry. Today was all about technology. Patents, prototypes of innumerable gadgets, computer slide presentations and all sorts of catalogues were displayed along the room’s perimeter in booths.

She and Kane strolled along the displays. While most items didn’t interest her, she admired a pair of prototype sunglasses that required no wires to run the built-in cell phone and MP3 technology. Another item she thought had merit was a quartz kitchen countertop with antibacterial properties.

However, concentrating on the displays in the booths was almost impossible. Kane’s buffs kept distracting her. And those rings and the chain rip
pling across her skin had her anxious to sit before she worked herself up again. Although she’d nodded hello and kissed the air next to a few women’s faces, she’d avoided conversation as much as possible. While she was aware of speculation about Kane, she didn’t stop to chat or introduce him. He seemed too bent on finding the display he wanted to notice a number of women sizing him up.

Several times they got separated when acquaintances stopped her and he moved on, but each time, she felt an inner tug that told her the distance between them was becoming too great. And she hadn’t forgotten if she didn’t stay close by, she would become ill again. Still, it was her nature to test her limits so she experimented to discover exactly how far away she could safely go from him. She was disturbed to find, just as Kane had predicted, her margin of safety from illness was about one third less distance than when she’d tried to run away from him in the parking garage.

Not only was she aware of her proximity to Kane, she was very aware of him as a man. Although women admired him and several introduced themselves, he moved on quickly. She never saw Kane speak to anyone with real interest and she found herself pleased. She wanted him all to herself. He seemed focused solely on the job right now, though, completely unaware of her—until she caught him glance across the room and catch her eye.

The zing of that connection startled her. Kane was a man on a mission and yet, he’d found time to
make sure he kept up his end of the bargain. And she found herself wondering for the first time what he thought of her. Was he enjoying their little games? Did he want to make love to her as much as she wanted him to?

She’d seen physical evidence of his desire for her, but clearly, he was holding back physically and emotionally. And although she’d thought a fling would satisfy her, she now admitted to herself that she wanted so much more. While the orgasms were terrific, she wanted to know about Kane. The mystery surrounding him, which she’d found exciting and provoking, was now stopping them from moving into a deeper relationship.

She recognized that lurking beneath the surface was a growing emotional connection between them. Even in this crowded room, she was so aware of him—and not just physically. At a shared glance, she could tell that right now business was on his mind.

When Dan Mitchell, Kendals’ chief auctioneer welcomed her and asked what she might be interested in today, she glanced across the room to see Kane in deep conversation with a man she recognized—Logan Kincaid, head of the Shey Group, an ultrasecret group of ex-CIA, FBI and military specialists who took on high-risk missions for the U.S. government, private corporations and individuals for very large sums of money.

Kane’s discussion with Kincaid immediately aroused her curiosity and she quickly ended her con
versation with Mitchell and approached Kane. She gritted her teeth as the chains tugged and aroused, strolling as quickly as she dared toward the two men, wondering if Kane could possibly work for the Shey Group. She hoped so. Logan Kincaid was a patriot who’d risked his life many times over for his country. He’d been with NSA and helped write the code for the antimissile defense system. There were rumors he had a direct line into the White House as well as the Kremlin and since he possessed close ties to the CIA, she wondered if he could check out Kane for her on an unofficial basis.

As she joined the two men, both men acknowledged her presence, Kane by placing a possessive hand on her waist, an action that yanked the chain. She had to bite back a gasp of pleasure as she nodded a greeting to Kincaid.

Kane’s tone was respectful, yet jocular. “So Fallon’s trustworthy?”

She’d been thinking about asking Kincaid the same question about Kane. To find the two men discussing her loyalty unnerved her. What the hell was going on?

Kincaid didn’t break a smile, but intelligent eyes revealed his amusement that Kane would question her loyalty right in front of her. “Fallon’s proven her worth and her allegiance many times over.”

Fallon didn’t know if the men were talking in code or pulling her leg. But her devotion to her country and the Agency had never been questioned and the fact that Kane was doing so right in front of her was not
only irritating and outrageous, but revealing. As much as she wanted to slap Kane upside the head, she found the camaraderie between these two men reassuring.

If Kane was up to no good, Kincaid would likely be aware of it. She wondered how much he knew about Kane’s mission and why they were here today.

Kane tightened his grip on her waist. “So I’m free to tell her my secrets?”

Kane had phrased his question casually, yet she sensed he was asking permission. Again she wondered if he worked for Kincaid or his organization, but she kept her lips pressed firmly together. Now was not the time. Too many people around them could eavesdrop.

Logan Kincaid clapped Kane on the back and laughed. “I’d say that’s up to you. But any man who tells a woman all his secrets is either a fool or in love.” The smile never left his face, but his tone changed. “You aren’t a fool and you cannot afford to fall in love.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Kane nodded and together Fallon and he ambled away from Kincaid.

“You two know one another?” she asked as they stopped in front of a blueprint of a robot that could iron clothes. After glancing at the prototype’s five-million dollar price tag, Fallon moved on. Interesting idea, but at that high a price, the robot wouldn’t replace dry cleaning anytime soon.

“We’re related. Didn’t I mention my last name is Kincaid?”

“No. You didn’t.” The two men shared dark hair and both had broad shoulders and fit bodies. But their features were nothing alike. “How are you related?”

“He’s my great-great-grandfather.”

“What?” That was impossible. She stopped. His hand tugged but she ignored the chain dancing along her nerve endings. “Logan Kincaid can’t be more than thirty-five.”

“He’s thirty-seven.”

Fallon’s thoughts swam through what seemed like a sea of mud. Kane had already told her he’d fallen in love with a woman who’d gone on to become a grandmother. If he wasn’t lying, and after the technology she’d seen, she didn’t think he was, then he had to be from the future. And obviously Logan Kincaid knew it. Perhaps that’s why he’d come by today, since he hadn’t remained to bid.

Was time travel possible? Could people in the future come back in time? Fallon’s mind swirled at the possibility. She had dozens of questions, but Kane was making a beeline to one of the booths. He must have found what he was looking for.

At first so many people stood close by that she couldn’t see the technology that made objects turn invisible. But as the line moved slowly forward, between two security guards she glimpsed a glowing round crystal cylinder. When a man pressed a switch, a vase with flowers disappeared and the crystal’s glow dimmed. Around her people marveled, oohed and aahed.

One man told his wife he wasn’t buying an elaborate magic trick. Several men asked to see the paperwork and the security guard told them the engineering would be sold with the product. Fallon had no idea if this was standard procedure but she applauded Kendals’ precautions.

She could imagine many military applications and shuddered. An enemy could make invisible bombs and leave them anywhere. The U.S. would have few defenses against what couldn’t be seen, and she wondered why her government was allowing this auction to take place.

“How large an item can be made invisible?” she asked Kane.

“A crystal that size could make me invisible for a year.” He kept his voice low and turned her toward the seats. “We have to win the bid.”

Fallon didn’t like the idea of spending her money on a gadget that could be turned into a weapon. And yet, better the CIA had it than fanatical enemies. Ever since Kane’s conversation with Logan Kincaid, she’d suppressed the dozens of questions she had about Kane and his mission, but she didn’t like being kept in the dark. If she was going to purchase such an expensive and dangerous item, she wanted to be fully briefed. She wanted all her brain cells to focus on the task at hand.

As she realized that she wanted to concentrate on business, not pleasure, she noted that the buffs were no longer stimulating her. The chain was still attached to her skin, but so loose it no longer distracted
her. So Kane had told her the truth. The body buffs would only do what she welcomed. And when she truly didn’t want to be aroused, they deactivated.

She may not have caught Kane in even one tiny lie, but she knew he was holding out on her. She couldn’t make good decisions when he kept her in the dark.

As she took a seat beside him, she caught the glances of several people who seemed more than casually interested in Kane—and they weren’t all women. One was a man with blond hair, green eyes and an icy stare.

She nudged Kane. “See that blond man to your right?” Just as she spoke the blonde ducked out of the room.

“Who?”

“Never mind.” She shook her head. “The guy seemed to be taking too much interest in you.”

Kane opened his shirt pocket and plucked out a 3-D picture. “This him?”

She studied the image. Never had she seen such crisp detail, clearer than her high-definition television set—only it wasn’t a flat image, but a hologram. In the image, the man possessed the same cold green eyes, but his hair was short and black. And he wore a beard.

“I think it’s the same guy, but I’m not certain. Is this Nigel?”

“Yes. First we’ll purchase the technology and then I’ll catch him.”

Kane made the statement as if there was no
chance of failure, no other way his mission could finish. If she hadn’t seen Nigel’s eyes, she wouldn’t have had so many doubts. But the lack of humanity in his soulless stare made her shiver.

“Cold?”

“It doesn’t bother you that Nigel knows you’re here?”

“He knew I would come after him. Now he can’t run again until he sells the technology.”

“Why not?”

“He needs the money.”

Kane’s thinking was simple—too simple—and she felt obligated to point out his mistake. “Nigel can have the money transferred by wire. He needn’t stick around to collect. By the time we purchase and finish with the paperwork, he could zap himself to China.”

“There’s no place he can go that we cannot follow.”

If Kane had meant to reassure her, he hadn’t. His plan made no sense to her. Either he didn’t understand all the ways Nigel could disappear or Kane was holding back information again. She suspected the latter.

They really needed to talk. But with the seats around them filling in and the auctioneer starting the bidding, now was not the time. Fallon bid on the innovative sunglasses and won, then lost out when she dropped out of the bidding on the quartz countertops.

Although she kept out a sharp eye for Nigel, she
didn’t see him again. Not even when the crystal that turned objects invisible went up for sale. The auctioneer explained that only the winning bidder would see the plans, the patent and the engineering. If the winner wasn’t completely satisfied, he or she would have twenty-four hours to return the item and it would go to today’s second-highest bidder.

The bidding began at five million and quickly escalated to twelve. Fallon had yet to raise the paddle with her bid number on it. She never jumped in too early, getting a feel for the other bidders and the rhythm of the sale. Next to her, Kane didn’t flinch a muscle or change expression, but then it wasn’t his money they were spending.

The bidding slowed at fifteen million. Daron Levenger, a financial analyst from Price Dunstreet kept up a steady conversation with someone on his cell phone while Daisy Malone, a European investor whose fortune originated in Swiss banks, hesitated to raise her bid. While she deliberated, Fallon finally jumped her bid straight to twenty million, hoping the other two bidders would drop out.