Dating Outside Your DNA

Karen Kelley

Dating Outside Your DNA

KAREN K ELLEY

KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

www.kensingtonbooks.com

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To Trevor Chase Wheeler

Dreams do come true

Always believe in yours

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Contents

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30

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Chapter 1

R
oan Hendrix couldn't believe his ears. What the hell was Joe

trying to pull? His frown deepened. "You want me to do what?"

"Train her," Joe Beacon said, leaning forward in his chair. With

one finger, he pushed his glasses a little higher up the bridge of his  nose. "One-on-one," he repeated.

When Joe called him to his office, Roan had hoped his boss  was going to let him return to active duty. The total opposite had  happened, and he wasn't happy about it.

"I don't do one -on-one. At least, not at work," Roan said.

At home was another story. Like Michelle last night. She was  having a little R & R between flights. He really liked her idea of rest  and relaxation.

Not that they'd rested that much, but he'd damn sure felt relaxed this morning when he rolled out of bed. Who knew his day would start off so good, only to turn to crap by late afternoon.

What Joe was asking was different from the way he normally trained agents. Roan didn't work on a personal level with anyone, especially Nerakians. They were a strange breed, to say the least, and he still hadn't gotten used to them.

Hell, he didn't think they were that good in the first place, but they were given preferential treatment because of their so-called special abilities. He'd take a street cop with a dose of good old -

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fashioned gut instinct over a Nerakian any day.

"Lyraka is different."

Roan crossed his legs. "I've heard that crap before."

"She's not full- blooded Nerakian. Her father is an earthling."

He raised an eyebrow. Okay, Joe had his attention. "I didn't

know there were any half-breeds old enough to train, but it makes

sense they would mate. The ones I've run across make no bones that

they like a good roll in the hay."

"Now you're being crude," Joe admonished.

"Just stating facts. Chocolate and sex are the only things they

seem to care about."

"That's not true and you know it."

Yeah, he did, but he'd been in a particularly foul mood since

Joe told Roan that he wanted him to stay at the training center a little

longer. Now Joe was giving him this new assignment. Roan wanted

to get back into field work and out of training. He was starting to feel

trapped, and that didn't set well with him.

A leg injury he'd sustained a few months ago had kept him on

the sidelines. The doc still wouldn't release him for full duty even

though Roan felt fine. He had a feeling Joe was behind some of it.

"Train her, and I'll get you the release you've been wanting,"

Joe said.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

"She must mean a lot to you. Is she that good?"

"You can't imagine." Joe handed Roan a manila envelope. "This  is everything I have on her. I know it's not much, but read it tonight."

Roan was still skeptical, but believed Joe when he said he  would get him the release. Hell, he'd do just about anything to get  back to active duty. He believed there was more to training this chick,  though. "What's the catch? There has to be something wrong with  her."

Joe shrugged, a little too casually, if you asked Roan.

"Li ke I said, her abilities are different, stronger than the average

Nerakian, but she needs to learn discipline and control."

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She was half Nerakian and half earthling, how strong could she be? He assumed she was a warrior so he wouldn't have to actually do  that much. A few weeks of his time and he'd be back getting his hands dirty. He could handle that.

"Okay, it's a deal. When do I get to meet her?" He'd known Joe for quite a few years. At one time, Joe had been a kick-ass agent, but when the elite force was formed, Joe had taken over recruiting people who had the potential to be the best of the best. Roan knew it took a lot to impress Joe. So yeah, he was curious.

Joe beamed. "You get to meet her right now." He pushed a button on his intercom. "Go get Lyraka and ask her to come in."

A few minutes passed before the door opened. Roan didn't move from his chair. Nerakian women were beautiful, but it hadn't taken him long to realize they had strange ideas about things.

And they took everything literally. He  didn't have that much patience when it came to explaining every little detail. Women from  Earth were more to his liking. They knew the score. He slowly turned in his chair, expecting to see a beautiful woman.

There were very few times in his life he'd eve r felt as though the wind had been knocked out of him. This just happened to be one of them. She didn't look like most Nerakians. Warriors were darker--dark

hair, dark eyes, dark clothes. Healers had long blond hair and usually  wore green flowing robes, and man, were they a pain in the ass. He'd  only met one, but that one had been more than enough. Each  Nerakian had a different look that immediately said what their role on  Nerak had been.

But this woman was different. God, was she different. His heart

had  already begun to pound, and the palms of his hands to sweat just

looking at her. She was a walking, talking billboard of every man's

sexual fantasy-- him included.

How the hell was he going to train her? She'd be nothing but a

distraction to any team that  she was on.

Crap, he felt as though Joe had sucker punched him. No

wonder he'd wanted one-on-one training for her. Roan glared at him.

Joe met his gaze head on, then gave a slight shake of his head.

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Yeah, Roan knew what Joe was trying to say-- not here, not now.

Why the hell hadn't he explained everything before she came in the room? Easy, because he'd known Roan wouldn't have agreed to train her--too much distraction. She was the kind of woman that got men killed.

Man, this assignment was going to be a pain in the butt. Roan could see that already, but he slowly uncurled his body from the chair and came to his feet. He might be an asshole sometimes, but he was still a gentleman. He nodded his head. The gesture wasn't that friendly, but hell, he was still  in shock. And pissed at Joe because he could've warned Roan before the woman came in the room.

"Lyraka, sorry to keep you waiting. Please, have a seat," Joe  said as he also stood. "This is Roan. He'll be your instructor."

She glanced Roan's way, then qui ckly sat in the other chair.

Yeah, she was different all right. He studied her. There was  nothing specific to pinpoint what she was supposed to do in life. She  didn't carry herself with the self-assuredness of most Nerakians,  either. Not that she came across as afraid, only wary, as though she  didn't easily trust.

She had the darkness of a warrior, like she tanned at the beach  every weekend. Her hair was short and black. Her body lean, but with  curves in all the right places.

It was her eyes that drew a  man in and kept him from looking  away. They were pale blue-- hypnotic, and fringed with long, thick  lashes. Bedroom eyes. The kind of eyes that conjured visions of two  people in bed, naked bodies pressed against each other.

Roan quickly cleared his throat, and the images in his mind. He  needed to stay focused on the matter at hand.

Joe had said Lyraka was only half Nerakian so that would  explain why she didn't look like other warriors. But did she have the  skills of a warrior? If he had to start from scratch, it would mean he  was stuck at the training center longer than he wanted.

He mentally shook his head. Of course she had skills. Joe  wouldn't send someone to him who didn't at least know the basics.

Lyraka glanced in Roan's direction. How could she not when his

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presence filled the room. He was the tallest man she'd ever been  around. Not that she'd been around that many. Her mother, Aasera,  had seen to that.

She guessed him to be at least six-four. His hair was as dark as hers, but his eyes were a clear, penetrating green and they seemed to look into her very soul. That was unnerving in itself. But it was more than that. He was the sexiest man she'd ever seen.

And he was going to be her instructor? This wasn't good. Not at all. Was Mr. Beacon unaware of a Nerakian's need for sex? Sure, she was only half Nerakian, but she'd noticed the impulses were getting stronger every day.

Nervously, she looked away, and then forced herself to smile at  Mr. Beacon as she crossed her legs.

It didn't help. She could still feel the body heat radiating from  Roan. This wasn't going to work. How in the world was she going to learn anything from him when all she wanted to do was drool all over him? All her life she'd been around artistic types--writers, painters and poets. They always wore dreamy expressions, lost in their own world. But Roan was...was...muscle, and hard planes and...

No, she wouldn't go down that path. She wasn't here for sex.  Excitement, adventure--that was what she craved. She had a feeling  Roan didn't sit idly by and watch the world pass. She imagined he would be the type of man who lived his dreams and adventures. She took a deep, steadying breath. Everything would work out just fine.  She would be on a team so it wasn't as though she would be alone with  him.