Caught in Amber (18 page)

He’d make sure she stayed clean. If she was hell-bent on going back to amber, there wasn’t much he could do—she’d find a way to get the stuff—but he’d be damned if he’d give her up without a fight.

* * *

“Sleep well?” Guy asked as Sasha sat down across from him.

The L-shaped nook off the main dining room was only large enough for a table for two, four if you didn’t mind being close to your companions. Morning was Guy’s preferred private time. Just as she’d stepped out of the shower earlier, her comm had trilled with an invitation to join him. An honor, in his mind.

Sasha rubbed still-gritty eyes. “Not great. Kylie was restless. She woke up a few times sick or thrashing.”

Guy made some sympathetic sounds as he spread a linen napkin over his lap. He was dressed in a navy suit, likely made of the same pulser-resistant material he favored for most of his clothing, freshly shaved and almost glowing in the multi-spectrum light overhead. She wore her clothes from the day before and felt like an unmade bed.

He poured them each a cup of coffee then slid a small, white pitcher toward her side of the table. “Is she going to be all right?”

Sasha added a dollop of cream to her cup and sipped before responding. The rich aroma and just-the-right-amount-of-bitter flavor made her sigh with pleasure, even if the company wasn’t choice. “I think so. She’s sleeping more soundly now.”

“Good.” He took a sip, staring at her over the rim. “Did you get a chance to talk to her?”

“Not yet, but I will.” She wrapped her hands around the delicate cup. Warmth seeped into her skin, surprising Sasha with how cold the rest of her felt. “Guy, I’d like to help her.”

She should have helped by flushing the chunk of amber in the marble box, but Sasha couldn’t bring herself to touch it. Besides, taking it from Kylie at this point would serve only to make the girl distrust her. Sasha hated leaving the drug in the bedroom but had little choice if she wanted to cultivate a friendship.

His eyebrows rose. “Help her do what? Quit amber?”

The doubt in his voice raised her hackles, and she had to take her hands away from the cup or risk cracking it. “Is that so hard to believe?”

“Of course not.” He reached across the table and laid his hand over hers. His skin was warm and dry, like the Bidarki python she’d petted during a school trip to the zoo. He smiled. “Of course not, but you have to admit, it will be a challenge.”

She slid her hand out from under his, and his smile faltered. “I know, but better to try now before she gets too caught up in it to resist without help.” She touched the side of her neck, over the chip. “She likes being here, working for you, but she doesn’t need to be on amber.”

Most of Guy’s staff and employees were clean, Sasha was sure. His house and business wouldn’t be able to function if they were high. It was just a few, mostly the younger people making up his entourage, who succumbed.

Guy leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers around his coffee cup. “What do you suggest?”

Damn, she’d done it again. Gotten him torqued. He’d said he admired her spirit—and she’d shown it to him more than once since she’d met with him at The Morrissey—but she didn’t need his patronizing tone, either. Taking a deep breath, she attempted to be more tactful.

“Since you and I are going to be working together...” She paused then smiled with relief when he nodded. Good. She hadn’t completely blown it. “I figure I could stay here and help keep her out of trouble at the same time we’re working on the Kettrick deal.”

His brows rose again. “Here?”

“Will that be a problem?”

Not with Guy, she guessed, but Sterling was going to blow a gasket. He’d been fuming when he left the warehouse last night. This was going to cause a riot. But as she laid down next to Kylie, waking with her to get her to the lav to puke, cleaning her up and getting her into fresh clothes, Sasha realized she couldn’t bear to leave the girl for any longer than necessary. Kylie probably wouldn’t like the idea of having a mother hen constantly hovering, but it wouldn’t be for long. She’d find a way to get them out of Guy’s house for good before the week was up.

Guy’s face nearly split from his grin. “Not a problem at all, sweetness. I admire your take-charge attitude.”

Sasha swallowed hard and licked her lips. “I just don’t want her to go through what I went through.”

“Neither do I,” he said. The sincerity of his words and expression startled her. He really didn’t want to see Kylie caught in amber, or worse. “It’s settled then. I’ll have a room readied for you this morning.”

“I’ll need to go back to my flat for some things.” Clothes, toiletries and the chance to talk to Sterling without fear of being overheard.

“I have a meeting, but I’ll have Jake take you over right after breakfast.” He was still smiling like a little boy who’d opened a much-desired present.

It sent a chill up her spine.

* * *

As Jake settled the black and silver air car in front of her building, Sasha told him he could leave. She’d call a taxi later.

“Mr. Christiansen said I should wait for you.” His dark eyes held a bit of fear. “He won’t like it much if I take off.”

“You can tell Guy I insisted. I’ll take the heat for you.” She shut the door and waved at him while clutching her coat at the throat. The wind was relentless this morning, and the metallic tang of impending snow bit at the back of her throat with each breath.

Jake shook his head, either not believing she would be able to protect him or at her folly of defying Guy. The anti-grav lifters engaged with the slightest of whines. The air car rose smoothly then glided back over the city.

Relieved she wouldn’t have to worry about a babysitter practically at her front door, Sasha hurried inside and up the stairs. Like the street, the building was quiet; most of her neighbors worked regular jobs. She crossed the hall to her flat and pressed her palm to the admit box. Soft rustling sounds from behind made her turn, hands fisted, ready to strike.

“Sasha.” Sterling stepped out of the elevator alcove. His blue eyes burned as if with fever, his hair mussed. Dark blond whiskers shaded his jaw, made him seem thinner. Hungry. He didn’t just look at her—his gaze bore into her. “Are you all right?”

His voice was a low growl that made her shiver. Not with fear, with something else. Something delicious and unattainable. Caught between backing away yet wanting him closer, she couldn’t move.

Heart thrumming against her breastbone, Sasha nodded. “Sterling, what are you—”

In two strides, he closed the distance between them and grabbed her arms. His mouth came toward hers, cutting off her question and answering it at the same time.

Chapter Thirteen

Sasha’s back hit the door as Sterling’s chest crushed against hers. Her lips parted. To allow him in, or to protest? He stopped millimeters from pressing their mouths together, their breath mingling, hot and fast. From the corner of his vision, he saw her eyes wide and dark with...fear? Desire?

Heart pounding, Sterling forced himself away from her and immediately regretted the loss of her body against his. He searched her face, but as usual, it was difficult to distinguish what, exactly, she was feeling.

“Are you all right?” he asked again, words rasping in his throat.

Sasha licked her lips, sending an electric pulse to his groin as he focused on her glistening mouth. “I’m fine.” Her eyes found his. “W-what are you doing here?”

He relaxed his grip on her arms, but didn’t let go. “I needed to make sure you were safe. That you hadn’t been hurt.” The mere thought of Christiansen or Delhomme or any of their ilk coming near her, touching her, made Sterling shake with rage.

“I’m okay.” She pushed his coat open and laid her palms on his chest. “Are
you
all right? Your heart is racing.”

The heat from her hands sank into his skin, and he groaned. “Last night,” he said, his voice low and rough, “I couldn’t stand knowing you were there.”

“I sent you a message. I was with Kylie.” Her breathing quickened as her hands curled in his shirt. “Guy wasn’t around. I was okay.”

“Went back to my room. Tried to sleep. Couldn’t. Figured I’d catch you here this morning. About oh-three hundred, I came over here and parked around the corner. And waited.”

It was well after nine hundred now.

“You must have been freezing,” Sasha said.

Sterling smiled. “Barely felt a thing.” His gaze drifted from her eyes to her mouth. “Kept thinking I shouldn’t have gotten you into this.” He did what had to be done. He just hadn’t expected to care so damn much about
her
when all this began. “Kept thinking how amazing you are for going back into Christiansen’s world for someone you don’t even know.”

“I like Kylie. I want to help.”

Did she realize what that meant to him?

“If anything ever happened to you, if he ever...” Sterling squeezed his eyes closed, felt his mouth curl into a feral snarl. After a moment, his features relaxed and he opened his eyes. Sasha stared up at him, gray eyes full of questions. “I won’t let anyone do anything to hurt you. Ever.”

He bent his head, his lips near her ear. Her scent filled him and he twisted his fingers in the material of her coat. “Open the door.”

“What—”

“Not here.” He nipped her neck just below the ear, obliterating any protest or question she might have had as she sucked in a breath. “Open the door before I kick it in.”

She felt for the lever and slapped it down. Their combined weight pushed the door in, and Sasha stumbled backward into her flat. Sterling held her up against his body. He maneuvered her inside, against the wall, and kicked the door closed as his mouth found hers. He shifted his mouth to her cheek, her jaw. The day-old stubble on his chin scraped her skin, and she trembled beneath him.

He kissed his way down her throat, pushing aside the top of her sweater as he slid his hands under the hem at her waist. He dipped his head and kissed her just below her collar bone. Sasha’s heart pounded beneath his lips. He kept his hands at her lower ribs, aching to continue up to her breasts.

She wasn’t responding, neither fighting him off nor accepting his advance. Had he insulted her? Scared her? Were things moving too fast? Everything that had passed between them over the last few days suggested she was as attracted to him as he was to her. Had that changed?

He lifted his head, not sure what to expect. He was never sure what to expect from her. The unpredictability was both arousing and frustrating.

Her gaze burned into him like a laser. But it wasn’t anger in her eyes. It was more like bewilderment. “Why?” she asked.

He leaned in and touched his warm lips to hers, determined to show her how he felt. “Because you’re important to me.”

She let him move her arms from around his neck to slide her coat off, dropping it to the floor. His coat followed, and he enveloped her in his arms again. Sterling nuzzled her neck, gliding his fingers down her back. Her hands grasped the back of his shirt, but she didn’t pull him closer or push him away.

“You feel guilty because you brought me in,” she said, her words a harsh whisper. “And...
this
...will prove you care, is that it?”

Sterling stopped kissing her neck and lifted his head. Her face contorted with anguish, she pushed him away. He caught her wrists and waited. Eye to eye, both of them breathed hard, but neither moved.

When she didn’t to try to break free, he stepped closer, raised her hands to his lips and kissed her fingers. “I do feel guilty,” he said, “but it doesn’t change the fact that I’ll do anything and everything in my power to keep you as safe as I possibly can.” He pressed her palms to his chest again and bent his head until his mouth was at her ear. His lips grazed her skin. “It doesn’t change the fact,” he whispered, “that I care what happens to you right now and what might happen to you when this is all over. That once we save Kylie and get that damn chip deactivated, I want to be there to make sure you’re all right. Safe.”

He kissed her just below her ear and felt her trembling. “Protected.”

He scraped his teeth along her jaw then soothed the spot with a flick of his tongue. He touched his lips to hers. “Happy.”

Sasha opened her eyes and tilted her head to see his face. “Why do you care if I’m safe and happy?” The pain and sadness in her voice made his heart break. “I’ll help get Kylie out, and when my chip’s deactivated you’ll never see me again. I’m leaving Nevarro so I don’t have to think about
any
of this for the rest of my life.” A tear trailed from the corner of her eye.

The idea of her leaving the planet squeezed his chest until he could barely breathe. Until she said it out loud, it was a possibility, but not a reality.

“I don’t want you to go.”

* * *

The cynical bitch in her tried to scoff, tried to tell herself Nathan Sterling couldn’t possibly feel anything so strong for her. But she couldn’t get the sound out. Couldn’t muster the emotional wall necessary to put him off. Because she saw he wanted to be there for her. To help her once her chip was deactivated. At least for the short term. She knew his desire was only temporary, whatever he might say otherwise.

But damn the void, she’d take temporary, the momentary illusion of happiness. It was better than nothing, wasn’t it?

“How would you stop me?” she asked, the words coming out in a husky breath.

Sterling’s eyes darkened with obvious desire. He slid his arms around her, under her bottom, and hoisted her up as he kissed her, his mouth hard on hers. Taking her. Possessing her.

Sasha locked her arms around his neck and parted her lips, accepting his argument on thoughts of her leaving. Their tongues tangled. Her legs gripped his waist and he carried her to the bedroom. He bent over, lowering her to the bed.

They kissed, breaking contact only to pull her sweater over her head. Sasha toed off her boots. She drew his shirt out of his trousers and unbuttoned it slowly. He nuzzled her neck, his scent growing, filling her, with every centi of his skin being exposed. Fine golden hair covered his broad chest. Sasha ran a finger along the faded pink scar that crossed his left pectoral. She shifted beneath him to let her tongue follow the same path until it came to the nipple. Sweet and salty, he tasted like the finest treat in a candy store. His flat nipple grew taut.

He dug his fingers into her hips, only her trousers protecting her from severe bruising. “Sasha,” he growled.

“Nathan.” She kissed across his chest to the other nipple and drew him closer with her legs.

His erection pressed against her, the fabric of their trousers too thin to conceal the heat she felt between her legs yet too thick to offer anything but delicious, frustrating friction.

“I’m on standard prophos.” He took her lower lip between his teeth and flicked his tongue against it in time with his rocking hips. “Are you...”

“Yes. Don’t stop. Yes.”

She appreciated his sense of responsibility, and for once, the intrusiveness of the Corrections Department. Offenders were given standard prophylactics, as well as tested for disease. Considering her history, Sasha had been relieved when she’d tested negative.

He wedged his hands between their bodies and unfastened the closure of her trousers. In a heartbeat he was lifting her bottom while stripping the garment off her. His mouth came down on hers, rubbing himself against her with one less layer of clothing in the way. Legs around his hips and ankles hooked, she arched her back, aching to get him closer. Nathan’s rough hands were at her bra, not deftly undoing the closure but yanking the lacy fabric apart. The tearing sound made her smile for some reason.

“God, you’re beautiful.” He lowered his mouth to her nipple, taking it between his teeth to simultaneously nip and tease it with his tongue and lips. Electric pulses shot through her belly and between her legs. His hand cupped the other breast, his thumb stroking the nipple to a pleasant twinge.

“Nathan.” She threaded her fingers through his short, sweaty hair and lifted his face from her breasts. She immediately missed his mouth on her body, but she needed to have his attention for a moment. His blue eyes burned with desire. For her. Sasha tugged on his hair to bring his mouth closer to hers. “I need you,” she whispered as she rotated her hips, brushing herself against him. “I need you inside me.”

His mouth crushed down on hers as his hips jerked hard. Sasha’s inner muscles spasmed and she gasped into his mouth. She stroked the front of his trousers, searching for the closure. If it weren’t for his pants... He grabbed her fingers, stopping her attempt to get him naked, and eased her hand aside. She moaned in frustration.

“Soon,” he said. She was about to protest when one of his hands slipped between their bodies and stroked between her legs. Sasha’s world went bright white. One, then two of his fingers entered her, collected moisture that he massaged against her.

He lifted himself off her and Sasha nearly cried at the loss, but he kept his hand at her mons, fingers retreating then delving inside. He kissed her mouth, down her throat to her breasts. He caressed her, tenderly at first, then with increased speed and pressure. Sasha’s hips rocked against his hand, her need building until she felt ready to launch off the bed.

She slid her hand over his chest and down to the front of his trousers. Her fingers found the closure, worked it open, shoved the trousers down as far as she could to stroke him. “Now, Nathan. Please.”

His mouth was on hers again while he used one hand to strip off the pants. Rolling on top of her, Nathan nudged her legs apart with his knees. She felt him just touch her—close, so close—and she wrapped her legs around his hips again, desperate to have him. He hesitated, his body trembling above her, his hands braced on either side of her. He searched her face, as if he wanted to say something, to ask her something.

Sasha knocked one of his arms away. He grunted his surprise, and she levered herself over, amazed she could push him onto his back. Strength in desperation, she mused as she rolled on top of him.

Eyes locked and her knees on either side of his hips, she reached between their bodies and guided him inside her with a quick thrust. Searing, delightful pain burned through her and she gasped. Nathan’s hands encircled her hips and pulled her down against him.

“God help me.” He thrust upward, driving himself deeper. “I can’t hold back anymore.”

“Then don’t.” Sasha threw her head back, her hands behind her, grasping his muscular thighs, eyes closed. Her groin felt heavy, thick and tingling. Pressure built inside her.

“Sasha,” he moaned. He thrust faster and harder, his fingers dug into her hips.

She tightened around him, feeling his release as black and white lights flashed behind her eyelids and bone-shaking convulsions ripped through her.

They stayed like that for several minutes, connected in the most intimate way, their deep breaths the only sound in the room. Slowly, Sasha opened her eyes and leaned forward as Nathan stroked down her thighs then back up her sides.

She touched her lips to his. “That was nice.”

Nathan’s eyes widened. “Nice?”

Before she knew what was happening, Sasha found herself flipped onto her back on the bed, Nathan above her. A playful glint lit his eyes, and he smiled. He had a wonderful smile, for a lawman.

“I’ll show you nice.” He nuzzled her breast and pushed her legs farther apart with his knees. Sweat-slick skin against sweat-slick skin, Nathan rubbed his body against her. His mouth traveled from her chest to her neck. Kisses hot as a brand, he claimed her as his and entered her with a hard stroke that arched her back and stole her breath.

Oh, this was better than nice. Much, much better.

* * *

Sterling woke up from a doze, blinking at the late-morning light streaming into the bedroom. Rolling onto his side, he propped his head on his hand and gazed down at Sasha. She lay on her back with one arm across her middle and the other bent over her head, her face half turned away. Sweat plastered strands of red hair across her forehead, covering one closed eye. Was she asleep? Hell, even when she faced him, eyes wide open, he couldn’t read her. But seeing her relaxed now, having felt the passion explode from her as they came together earlier and knowing he was partially responsible, made him smile.

Sasha frowned and whimpered softly then her eyes blinked open. She gazed up at him as if she hadn’t expected him to be there.

“You okay?” he asked.

She pushed the hair out of her eyes. “Just a dream.”

He ran his free hand over the blanket along her hip and thigh. “Bad?”

“My parents.”

The admission startled both of them. He hadn’t expected her to tell him anything, let alone the contents of her subconscious. And by the look on her face, she hadn’t intended to share it. It pleased him, though, that she trusted him, whether she meant to or not.