Forgotten (32 page)

“
Wait a minute…” Rone ran
a hand through his hair. “I think we’re forgetting what Madam
Shadow said again.”

“
Oh,
right
.” Kate’s eyes widened. “She
said we wouldn’t be able to sit unless we were
touching.”

“
Want to try it again?”
Rone held out a hand to her.

“
Sure, I guess.” Shyly,
she took his hand and Rone interlaced their fingers. They went to
stand in front of the couch again and looked at each
other.

“
On three,” Rone told her.
“One…two…”

“
Three,” Kate said with
him.

This time, Rone sat down with much more
confidence, certain they had solved their problematic seating
arrangements.

But once more, he fell through the couch and
Kate fell with him, uttering a little scream as she did so.

“
Here!” Rone grabbed for
her and managed to catch her in his lap at the last minute, keeping
her from hitting the ground a second time. “Are you okay, baby?” he
asked anxiously, looking at her flushed face and tousled
hair.

“
I
think
so,” she said cautiously. “I
think…oh! Oh, Rone, I’m stuck—look!”

Once again they had landed in front of the
couch only this time Kate was in his lap instead of on the ground.
But when he looked to where she was pointing, Rone saw that her
left leg was caught in the couch. Not just wedged between the
cushions though—actually, physically caught in the frame of the
couch as though she was growing out of the dark blue fabric of the
small piece of furniture.

“
Gods!” he exclaimed.
“What…how…?”

“
I don’t know but I’m
completely stuck—I can’t move an inch. Quick—put me off your
lap!”

Rone did as she asked. As soon as they
stopped touching, Kate was able to pull her leg free.

“
Whew!” She breathed a
sigh of relief. “That is so
weird.”

“
It’s one of the strangest
things I’ve ever seen and I’ve been all over the universe,” Rone
admitted.

“
Well…” She shifted
uncomfortably. “I, uh, guess we know what we’ll have to do if we
want to sit here and watch anything.”

“
We do?” He raised an
eyebrow at her.

“
Uh-huh. Clearly holding
hands isn’t enough. I guess I have to be literally sitting on your
lap for this stupid thing to support us.”

Rone frowned. “You could be right. Do you
want to try one more time?”

Kate shrugged. “Why not? We’ve already
landed on our asses twice. Might as well go for three.”

“
No, you only landed on
your ass
once—
the
other time you landed on
me,”
Rone pointed out, smiling at her.

She giggled. “Sorry if I crushed you.”

“
As tiny as you are? You
couldn’t crush me with your sweet, curvy body if you tried.”
Grinning he stood and swung her up into his arms. He loved holding
her like this, cradling her close to his chest.

“
Oh—Rone!” she gasped.
“Put me down!”

“
Not until we figure this
out,” he said firmly. “Just relax,
Lalli.
You know even if we fall,
I’ll catch you.”

“
You…you will?” Suddenly
they were looking into each other’s eyes and Rone realized that she
was close enough to kiss. Gods, how he wanted to taste her lush,
sweet mouth again! He couldn’t help remembering the long, slow,
passionate kisses they’d shared while they were joined together in
the Breeding Chair. When his cock slid slowly in and out of her
wet, willing pussy and her sweet little tongue explored his mouth
at the same time. Penetrating and being penetrated…joined together
as one…

“
You know I will. I’ll
always catch you,” he murmured. Kate’s mouth came even closer and
for a moment he was certain they were going to kiss. He could
almost taste her sweet lips when she suddenly turned her face
away.

“
Come on—let’s see if we
can figure this out,” she said with a forced sounding laugh. “And
then I want to check out the fridge again—I really
am
starving, you
know.”

“
Okay.” With an inward
sigh, Rone sank down to the couch.

He was waiting to fall through at any minute
but, to his surprise, as long as he was holding Kate, the blue
cushions supported him firmly. In fact, he thought he’d never felt
a more sturdy piece of furniture—it barely even creaked when he
lowered his full weight onto it. Which was saying something
considering he was even bigger than most Kindred were.

“
Oh…” Kate looked down in
surprise. “It worked!”

“
It worked,” Rone echoed
but he had eyes only for her. He loved having her on his lap but it
was a kind of sweet torture. He could feel her little panty-clad
bottom resting right against his aching shaft through the thin
material of his sleep trousers and it felt so damn
good.
Her sweet, fresh
scent filled his senses and his mouth watered to taste her. Though
his erection had gone down after the pratfalls they’d taken while
trying to get seated on the couch, he could feel it swelling now in
response to her nearness. Gods, how he wanted her back—all the way
back the way they used to be…

“
Um…” Clearly Kate could
feel his shaft swelling as well because she shifted uncomfortably
in his lap, which only made the situation worse.

“
Yeah, baby?” Rone’s voice
was a soft growl and he couldn’t help the need in it.

“
Well, I guess now we know
what works,” she said weakly. “Maybe…maybe I should go check the
fridge now and see if I can make us some supper.”

“
Maybe.” Rone said, but he
didn’t release his hold on her. She felt too good in his arms—he
wanted to keep her close just a little while longer.

“
I…um…” Kate’s hands were
resting lightly on his shoulders and she was looking into his eyes,
seemingly unable to look away.

“
Kate,” he murmured softly
and pulled her gently down for the kiss he needed so
desperately.

“
Oh,” she said softly but
she didn’t resist when he took her mouth with his.

Rone was gentle at first, not wanting to
scare her. He pressed his lips to hers with infinite tenderness,
tilting his head so that their mouths met at just the right angle.
Then he felt Kate wind her arms around his neck and he deepened the
kiss, parting his lips and pulling her closer, wanting so damn
badly to taste her again he could barely breathe.

Kate seemed hesitant at first but then she
kissed him back, pressing even closer so that he could feel the
warm crush of her full breasts and tight pink nipples against his
bare chest.

Rone groaned and ran his hands up and down
her sides. He could feel her curves beneath the thin white gown,
could feel the rapid beat of her heart as she pressed herself
against him.

Then Kate shifted on his lap. She’d been
sitting with both legs to one side and leaning in to kiss him. Now
she readjusted so that she was straddling his hips, the better to
face him and kiss him more deeply.

Rone heard a strangled sound rise in his
throat when he felt the press of her warm, soft pussy against his
aching shaft. Deep inside, he felt his Beast stir restlessly.

Mine,
it growled.
She should be mine!
Now!

Rone felt it stretching, trying to get free.
It wanted Kate—wanted to taste her sweet pussy, wanted to push the
thin, barely-there strip of fabric away from her luscious mound and
sink deep inside her tight little cunt. Wanted to—

This isn’t safe,
he told himself, feeling the Beast rise even
more.
We need to stop—this isn’t
safe!

Mine…MINE!

No!
Though it hurt to do it, he somehow managed to break the kiss
and push Kate gently but firmly off his lap.

“
Rone? What—?” She began
but the moment they stopped making physical contact, the couch gave
way again and Rone felt himself falling.

Kate overbalanced and fell too, giving a
little scream as they both hit the floor.

“
Ouch!” She gave him a
look that was wounded and uncertain. “Why did you do
that?”

“
I’m sorry.” Rone put his
head in his hands, trying to calm the Beast raging inside him. “So
sorry, I just…I couldn’t anymore.”

“
Couldn’t what? I thought
you wanted to…to kiss me.” She was panting. “I mean, you started
it.”

“
I know,” Rone said
harshly. “But I shouldn’t have.”

Still trying to get control of himself, he
rose and shook his head. Calm, he had to be calm and controlled and
centered. He had to put the Beast back in its box and not let it
out again…

“
I guess I shouldn’t have
either. I’m sorry,” Kate said softly.

Looking down, he saw the hurt expression on
her face.

“
Kate, it’s not what you
think,” he said, feeling horrible. “It’s just
that…that…”

But how could he explain to her? How could
he let her know she was in danger every time they got too close,
too sexual? It wouldn’t have been a problem if her memory had come
back and they were truly together again. He’d had these times in
the past when the Beast tried to force its way out—usually during
the time of the full moons’ convergence back on his home
planet.

For some reason the lunar
cycle affected his Beast, increasing its power greatly. But all he
had to do was tell Kate that the
hunger
was growing and affecting him
strongly and she would stop what she was doing and find a place for
them to be alone. Only when he had his face buried between her
thighs and was lapping her sweet cunt, driving her towards orgasm
would Rone feel the Beast retreat, satiated by the pleasure of his
mate.

But now he had no way to
tame it—no way to slake the
hunger
that grew and grew. No way to leash the Beast
that roared and raged inside him.

“
Just that
what?”
Kate demanded,
looking up at him.

“
Just that I’m sorry.”
Rone shook his head. “So sorry, baby.”

Then he turned away. Maybe
some time spent alone in the fresher would help calm him down. But
how much longer could they go on this way? How much longer could he
let the
hunger
build before the Beast broke free of its prison and did
something Rone would regret forever?

* * * * *

Kate watched him go, not certain what to
think. What had happened just now? She’d been doing something she
probably shouldn’t—letting herself kiss him. But it wasn’t the same
as letting him touch her in the shower, she argued with herself.
And she hadn’t heard that strange voice in her head, urging her on.
It had just been an impulse to give in to the kiss and it had been
one of the most amazing kisses she’d ever had. It seemed Rone was
into it too—so why had the big Kindred pushed her away?

It’s just as well,
she told herself. The Knowing had given her a
clear warning earlier that she was in danger so it was better to
stay alert. But in danger from what? Surely not from Rone himself.
He’d saved her life over and over and searched the universe for her
obsessively until he found her when she’d been taken from him.
Surely he wouldn’t hurt her. Would he?

Then where was the danger
coming from? Was it because they had gone into the shadow instead
of staying in the light as the Knowing had warned her to do? Did
the danger have something to do with Flame and Frost? Or was it
some outside influence that was being exerted over both of them?
Kate had no idea. She only knew she was achy and unfulfilled and
very,
very
unhappy.

I don’t understand. I don’t understand any
of this!

She got off the floor and dusted herself
off. She wasn’t very hungry anymore and would have liked to roll
into a ball on the couch and just watch something mindless on the
viewscreen but she couldn’t. Couldn’t do anything without Rone in
this stupid bubble apartment, apparently. And now it seemed like he
didn’t want anything to do with her.

For lack of anything better to do, she went
to the kitchen area anyway and started looking through the fridge.
It was stocked with all kinds of things but Kate didn’t really feel
like cooking something elaborate. What she was really in the mood
for was comfort food.

“
Grilled ham and cheese
sandwiches it is,” she muttered, pulling out some lunch meat,
butter, and sliced cheese. “Now if there was only some bread…”
Turning around she saw a loaf of bread sitting on the kitchen
counter where there had been nothing before. Kate frowned. “Huh.”
Experimentally, she said aloud, “Now if only I could have a pair of
jeans and a t-shirt and a bra…”

Nothing happened. Kate even went to look in
the closet, thinking that what she wished for might pop up there
instead. But there was nothing but the other two outfits she’d
rejected for being too sexy to wear.

Sighing, she went back to the kitchen area
and found a frying pan. Rone had said he wasn’t hungry but she made
him a sandwich anyway. Maybe when he cooled down some, he would
feel more like eating.