Tara The Great [Nuworld 2] (26 page)

Tara looked over to watch Torgo as he leaned against the desk next to where the

Runner girl sat. She had opened a program, and he appeared to watch her as she

worked. Tara noticed Torgo seemed to stand very close to the girl as he pointed to her

screen and spoke quietly.

“Torgo,” Darius spoke with just the slightest sound of irritation.

Torgo met Darius’ gaze.

“I want you to take these and your landlinks and relocate to the garage for the

evening.” He handed papers to the boy, who looked at them with interest.

“These are exactly what we were looking for.” Torgo smiled at Tara, then looked at

Darius and frowned. “Why do I have to relocate to the garage?”

“Don’t question my orders,” Darius barked.

The teenage girl turned to look at the two Gothman males. Darius kept his gaze on

his younger brother.

“I am putting you in charge of assembling the gliders. There is already a team out

there. You shall supervise. I want at least a handful of them ready to go by dawn.”

Torgo’s mouth fell open as if he were ready to object, but one look at his brother

seemed to stifle whatever he was going to say. He turned to the Runner and told her to

begin disassembling the landlinks.

To Tara, Darius said in quiet, authoritative tones, “I’m going out to the garage for a

minute. Eat your supper. I’ll be right back.”

He left then, and Tara watched him walk out of the room. Instead of eating though,

she turned and helped Torgo prepare the landlinks for their relocation.

“We’ll be up all night preparing that many gliders,” he grumbled to her as she

helped stack the equipment into his arms.

“We have to do that sometimes.” Tara smiled reassuringly. “We’ll have Syra back

here all the sooner once we have those gliders.”

Tara glanced down at the Runner girl Torgo had been leaning over. She was on the

ground unplugging equipment from the wall. He straightened, glancing toward her.

Torgo didn’t seem to notice the look of concern Tara had in her eyes. Crator, please don’t

let him turn out like his brother. He pulled one of the computers forward, then worked to

free another. When she looked back up at Torgo’s face, she knew she worried for

nothing. He was intent on doing his task. He didn’t give the Runner another look, but

lifted the computer and stood.

“That’s incentive right there not to get sleepy.” He smiled back at her and headed

for the door. Torgo made sure the Runner didn’t have too much to carry, then watched

as she left the room.

When he turned to face Tara, she saw worry in his eyes.

“Tara,” he said quietly. “My brother will hurt you if you refuse him tonight.” His

voice sounded apologetic.

Tara looked at him surprised. Could he possibly have the entire house rigged with

listening devices? Her expression turned to questioning.

Torgo responded to the look. “At supper, he arranged for Patha, Reena and the

babies to stay out at the clan site for the evening, he did. Now he has us out of the

house. You two are the only ones who will be here, you are.” His voice faded with the

last sentence.

Tara got his meaning. “You better get moving.” She ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry. I

can take care of myself.”

“I know.” Torgo turned to leave but then looked back over his shoulder. “Just be

careful. If he wanted to, he could really—”

“Torgo, don’t worry.” Tara put her hands on the boy’s shoulders. “Nothing is going

to happen to me. I plan on a good night’s sleep and getting on one of those gliders in

the morning.”

Darius reached the top of the stairs and came down the hallway in time to hear

Tara’s words.

She ignored him, ruffled Torgo’s hair once again, and sent him off down the

hallway.

Darius stopped as Torgo approached him. “Everything is ready for you, it is.”

Torgo nodded and continued toward the stairs.

“Torgo.”

The boy looked up at his brother.

“Stay out of the house.”

Torgo’s eyes grew wider and he looked past his brother at Tara, but just for a

second before he quickly descended the stairs.

Tara returned to her desk, sat down at the landlink, and began nibbling on a piece

of cheese.

Darius was right behind her.

He turned her chair around quickly and straddled her legs, pinning her to her spot.

“I owe you quite a beating for the one you gave me this afternoon, I do.” His dark gray

eyes looked hungry.

“You had your chance this afternoon.” She responded with her mouth full, taking

care not to appear amused or threatened, simply indifferent. Her heart started beating

faster, however, and she felt a need to take larger breaths of air. Tara prayed she

sounded calmer than she felt. “You’re the one calling off the fight. I figured it was all

you could take.”

She shouldn’t have made that last comment. The passion left his expression and an

animal magnetism took over. He grabbed her under the arms and lifted her out of the

chair. She had little time to resist before he tossed her onto the now empty desk where

one of the landlinks had been.

“You can drop this little act any time now.” He growled and placed a large hand

over each of her thighs.

She placed her hands on his as if to remove them, but his grip tightened around her

legs. So she sat there, facing him.

“At first, I thought you’d lost all interest. I thought you no longer loved me. You

were cold and indifferent and, yes, I felt incredible pain, I did. I know now that was

your goal, to be certain. You wished me to suffer as you have. Well, my lady, I have.”

“Your crimes are unforgivable.” She tried to keep her face like stone, not letting

anything he said affect her. It would’ve worked too. But his hands on her upper thighs

were driving her crazy. She was good at telling this man “no” as long as she had no

physical contact with him. This afternoon, sparring in the backyard, had turned on

juices that, so far, had not turned off. “I doubt very much you’ve experienced as much

pain as I have.”

“I know I hurt you, and I’m truly sorry. I thought my pain was because you no

longer loved me.” He leaned closer now, his thumbs pushing farther up her inner

thighs. “Until this afternoon, that is.”

Something in her eyes must have betrayed her at that moment and he used it

against her.

“You’re a true warrior, and you can’t fight without passion. My lady, I think you

fought too much this afternoon.” And with that he kissed her. Gently, surprisingly so, a

brush across the lips. He pulled away before she expected him to. “And you fought too

well. Your actions and your eyes betrayed your little plan.” He grinned now, reached

up and pulled her head back, continually twining his hand through her hair. “I saw

your love and your lust. You are still mine, yes.”

She fought to control her senses and returned a cold gaze. “You do not control me.”

She struggled with her words.

He simply laughed. “Of course not, my lady.” And with that he grabbed her. He

pulled her off the desk and into his arms. One hand covered her rear end and slammed

her against his groin. His hardness stabbed her as he pressed her into him. The other

hand remained behind her head, so if she tried to turn her head in either direction, it

pulled her hair. He shoved his tongue so far down her throat that she gagged.

Yet before she could stop herself, she’d taken his tongue and wrapped her mouth

around it. She regained control after what seemed like hours and tried to pull away. But

her ability to resist him had disappeared. She groaned as her attempts to free herself

failed, and he pulled her even closer.

Darius wrapped her hair farther around his fingers and eventually pulled back her

head so he could see her eyes. He held a fast grip on her body as he looked into her

half-closed eyes and smiled. “I think it is bedtime for you.”

Tara focused on his dark gray eyes, so close to hers, and knew he could see her

inner soul. She no longer had the strength to fight him. “I hate you,” she whispered, her

eyes locked with his. She would have covered his mouth with hers, but he kept her

head several inches away.

“Of course you do, I’m sure.” He carried Tara into their bedroom and lowered her

until her feet touched the floor. After wrapping his powerful arms around her, he

kissed her, gently at first, then with a passion that would not be extinguished.

Tara slowly moved her hands up the rippling muscles of his back and allowed him

to crush her body into his. When Darius pulled her head back so he could see her face,

Tara’s mouth felt raw and numb. The tug on her hair stung, adding to the many

sensations assailing her body.

While holding her head in position with one hand, Darius unfastened the buttons of

her pants with his other. Instead of pulling down the garment, his hand slipped inside

and slid across her skin. He squeezed her rear end, pressing her against his hardness to

the point of pain. Then his hands moved to her waist, and he yanked down the material

to her thighs.

Moisture grew between Tara’s legs, making the pants material wet. She felt swollen,

and a pressure she had managed to keep at bay for a long time now attacked her senses

with such fury, she couldn’t focus her thoughts beyond her need to have that ache

satisfied.

“Step out of them,” he ordered.

Tara couldn’t respond fast enough. She lifted one leg, then the other, until her pants

were a pile on the floor beneath her.

Darius released her hair.

Tara’s head felt light with its sudden freedom. She licked her lips, which had gone

dry from her heavy breathing, and stared in the darkness at smoldering gray eyes that

looked more dangerous than a thunderhead.

The side of Darius’ mouth moved slightly, as if acknowledging her needful pain

and relishing it. He grabbed the bottom of her shirt and yanked it over her head, tossing

it behind him without taking his eyes from her.

Darius lifted her naked body and dropped her on the bed. He stood over her,

obviously enjoying the view, and she wondered for the first time since their foreplay

began, if she was breaking too soon. All she wanted was his respect and undivided