Passionate Desire (8 page)

“Just how far away is this mind link coming from?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t been able to get a whole lot from my counterparts while we’re connected. I do know they are mates. There’s an intimacy between them that goes beyond casual sex and I’m connected to the woman but I feel both.” It felt good to finally tell someone.

“Both? Really?” She seemed fascinated by it. “So she must have a bond with her mate and somehow you got sucked into it all?”

“That’s the best I can come up with.”

“Interesting.” She climbed out of her side of the truck, walked around the front, and opened his door. “Get out. I’m driving.”

“What?”

“You just said you never know when it’s going to happen. What if they’re just taking a breather?” She held onto the door and waited for him to move.

He wanted to argue with her but he knew she was right. What she had said had happened at least once before. It took him a moment or two before he slid out of the seat. “Only because I don’t want you or my truck…what happened?” He stopped when he spotted the damage, rubbing his hands against the scratched fender.

“Unconscious man behind the wheel with a scared to death woman trying to steer from the other side of the vehicle. Be glad that was all that happened.” She slammed the door shut and started the engine back up. “Where to?”

“We can go back.”

“These people are expecting you and as long as you’re not doing some sort of surgery I should be able to cover for you if it happens again. Let’s go.”

****

The sun was setting by the time they made it back to his home. He fixed a quick meal with her help and they were ready for their guests.

She was quiet while they waited.

“You okay?”

“Yes.” She smiled at him. “Sorry, I was just wondering what it would be like to have the problem you do. You feel their release right?”

“Oh, yeah.” He felt uncomfortable talking about was happening to him. His desire for her would be magnified when he tried to explain the mind meld. Even now it was making him think about sex with her.

“Do you have one as well?”

He didn’t want to answer.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.” She walked to the window and looked out, not saying anything else.

He knew it was only natural curiosity. If anyone else had found out he would have been hit with a whole lot more questions. “No. I get the erection, but then I’m stuck with it until I can do something about it or it finally goes away.”

“I have seen no evidence of a woman here.” She turned from the window.

“That’s because I have been celibate since I moved here. That’s one of the reasons this has become a problem for me.” He saw the flash just before it entered the room. He dove for her, pulling her down and away from the window.

She glared up at him, his weight pressing her down into the floor.

“Stay put.” He inched to a small panel near the door. He pressed one button and heard a satisfying yelp. Kuarto knew he should have had the force field on before but Toki distracted him. “We should be fine now.”

He stood and walked out the door. She could hear him shouting at whoever took a shot at them. He was positive it was Guapo by his tone. Kuarto came in with a smile on his face. “Don’t think he’ll do that again.”

“You don’t seem upset.”

“That man is an idiot and a bad shot. He’s also tried this before, not with me,” he added when she looked at him in shock. “But he has a history of trying to frighten people when he doesn’t get his way and is never successful.”

“What about the family you asked to visit. Is it safe for them to come?”

“Guapo’s already long gone. He isn’t known for sticking around once he has been found out. The force field I activated will keep him at a safe distance if he tries again.” He pressed a few keys on the panel he had accessed earlier. “But to be safe I have programmed our guests’ DNA into the system so they can pass through where that bane in my side can’t.”

Toki thought about his erection. If they weren’t going to have guests any minute she would offer herself. He was a wonderful lover and had enjoyed being with her last night yet she knew he would never press the issue again because of his celibacy. She would always have to be the aggressor.

Knowing he could possibly always have a hard on could really work in her favor. She felt the thrill of the hunt race through her. Now all she had to do was get past any defenses he might throw up to get in her way.

The young girl and her parents arrived and Toki sat and played with the child while Kuarto spoke to the parents. It took him some time to convince them to see what danger they were putting her in and agree to try to keep her out of the area, or make sure she had an environmental suit on if she was to work there.

He offered them some of the meal they had made, but they begged off and headed back home.

“Do they know of your problem?” she asked as they left.

“What?” He looked at her. “No.”

“They sure flew out of here like they did. Or they knew something was about to happen.” Her eyes widened when she realized she recognized the pattern. Another tiny part of her brain unlocked.

“I have my perimeter defenses on. We should be fine.”

“Do you have a safe room just in case?”

“Yes. It’s under the garage.” He handed her a satchel. “Fill it with all the medical supplies you can. From those cabinets there.” He had one as well. They cleared out the cabinets quickly and stacked the bags against the wall. He had a few more things he wanted moved before they snuck out the back and down into the garage and opened the door. He turned on the light and headed to another door. They walked down a set of narrow stairs that were cut out of the rock the house sat on.

Toki found herself standing in a small underground hanger.

“This looks more like a ship.” She touched the hull to be sure she wasn’t imagining it.

“It is. Mine. One of the reasons I bought this place. The opening is about a mile back so no one knows it’s there. I was able to hide this baby here undetected.” He went to the side of the ship and pressed a panel that allowed it to open. Once she was inside, he secured the door. “I came here to get away from it all, but sometimes my past still finds me, so I knew I needed to be able to get away at a moment’s notice and this ship gives me that chance.”

There was a loud boom and the ground shook. He raced to a row of screens and activated one. A grin spread across his face when he saw someone, probably male, dancing around on fire. “Stupid Guapo. Serves him right.”

“Guapo, the creepy one from last night?”

“One and the same.” He turned on other screens so he could see what was going on all around them. His house still stood, which was good because he’d go after whoever tried to destroy it. It didn’t look like much but it had all the state of the art security equipment and it had taken him some time to load it. “That man who was here today with the file. He wasn’t happy to see you so I’m thinking he hired Guapo to come after you. Which is why he’s being tenacious.”

“He could just want your little bride.” She leaned on a console and stared at the screen.

“True, but he would just try to steal you, not kill us both.” He watched as Guapo looked around. “Damn, the fire is going out.”

“Aren’t you afraid it will kill him?”

“We’re not that lucky.” Kuarto turned from the screen to look at her. “Guapo’s from a planet where it takes a fire from a much hotter flame to do any permanent harm to him. He won’t look pretty for a while, but he’ll be fine.” He pulled the chip out of his pocket and sat it on the table. “So I guess the mystery man doesn’t want to hire me.”

“What are you going to do with it?” She picked it up and started to play with it.

“Throw it away.”

“Why? Aren’t you curious about what is on it?”

“Already looked at everything important when I opened it up the first time. I have a photographic memory.”

“Must be nice.” She placed the chip back on his table.

“All the information also loaded into my mainframe the moment I opened the file.” He pulled up the file so she could see it.

“You strike me as a brilliant man, why are you hiding here on this desolate planet instead of being out there making a difference?”

“I did do that for a while. I was the most sought after doctor in the quadrant because of my research.” He sat at the table. “I was a little too good at my job.”

“And what was your job?”

“I was studying DNA. I had come up with a way to correct any errors in the DNA strain of any race while it was still an embryo. I could cure everyone with the insertion of a simple chemical I created. But the research had other applications.”

“Military ones.”

“Of course. My research could make the perfect soldier. The government could alter anyone’s DNA and they would be able to fit into society undetected, only to have that enhanced soldier part activate when it is needed, then they would be able to switch back to a normal citizen of society. The thought that they could turn anyone into an assassin is what made me leave with all my research. I made sure that research is safe and they have no way of duplicating it.”

“And that is why that man wants you.”

“Yes. He knew an awful lot about me. I’m pretty sure he wants me to fertilize that egg. To create something to his liking.” He turned the monitor with the research off and looked at her.

“Do you think it’s to make a perfect soldier too?”

“I don’t know. The fact that he found me worries me. If he can find me, anyone can. I might have to find another hole in the wall to hide in.”

“Why not ask for protection from one of the planets you feel you can trust. Surely one of them would be able to protect you.”

“I don’t feel I can trust any of them.” He went to one of the bags. “You didn’t get a chance to eat anything earlier, did you?”

“Not really.”

“I grabbed what I could of our meal. We do have some entertainment to watch so why don’t we enjoy our meal and watch the show.”

Chapter 4

Heather rested her head against Storm’s chest as they waited for the doctor to finish his mission. As much as she would have liked to have gone with the doctor she knew better than to ask. Knowing there was a chance she could have gotten hurt would have kept her at Storm’s side.

Storm had finally accepted the fact that she was only trying to help, but he still felt she needed to be punished.

She grinned as she thought about how he had punished her so far and she hoped he wasn’t done. He could punish her like that all the time.

“Why are you smiling? It makes me think you got your way again.”

How he could see her smile was beyond her, until she noticed the mirror like surface nearby. “I was thinking about my punishment. You think you could punish me like that again?”

“You’re not supposed to enjoy your punishment.”

“Oh? And how am I supposed to hate it when you bring me to such heights of joy?” She lifted her head so she could face him. “If I were to punish you the same way you’d beg for more.”

“You’re right.” The intercom system beeped. Storm answered. The doctor appeared on the screen. “Done, doctor?”

“Yes, sir.” He smiled. “Everyone is fine on the ship. The breach has been sealed and one of their other ships is on the way to help them. I truly appreciate you allowing us to do this. The people on the ship turned out to be from Earth.”

“What were they doing so far from home?” His jaw tightened just a little. That anger at giving in was back.

“They say they are a research ship exploring the area. Security downloaded a copy of their system to see if they are telling the truth. That information should be in your computer in the next minute or two.”

“Thank you, doctor.” The screen went blank and he sat back in the chair. Knowing he didn’t like giving in had Heather shifting her weight, wanting to at least give herself some space so she would have a chance to fight before he pounced on her but his hand held her in place. “You are not going anywhere.”

She sighed, and she had just gotten permission to put her uniform back on.

“You were right.”

That got her attention. She sat up and looked at him. “Excuse me?”

“If we had ignored that ship Earth would have been up in arms about it. And my mother would be displeased with me even though I was just following policy.” He frowned at the grin on her face. “But that doesn’t mean I’m happy about it.”

“Of course not.” She tried to wipe the grin off but she was too happy to know he actually saw her side this time. “So what is my punishment this time?” Her hands went to the seals on her uniform.

His hands stopped hers from moving. “As much as I would love to bring you joy again I have work to do and you’re looking tired.” He gently touched the dark circles under her eyes. “The doctor will not be pleased with either of us if I don’t let you get some sleep.”

“Really?” She couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice. She was as bad as he was when it came to sex. “I’m not really tired.”

“Doesn’t matter.” He stood and picked her up off his lap and placed her next to the chair. Using his foot, he pressed another lever. “This thing has a sleeping position too. It will give you a chance to rest while I work my way through those files.”

The back of the chair reclined, bringing the foot rest up. He pointed, letting her know where he expected her to go.

“You’re not going to join me?” She didn’t move.

“Not right now.” He placed her on the seat and kissed her softly on the lips. “Dim the lights.”

The cabin darkened.

“I’ll wake you when we get to the planet.”

She really didn’t think she needed a nap, but arguing with her mate wasn’t a smart idea in the wake of his confession, so she rested her head against the headrest and closed her eyes. Anything to keep him happy.

Storm started pouring through the information the security force beamed over. He looked behind him to make sure his mate had dozed off, and wondered what was going on with his sister and why she hadn’t contacted them.