* * * * *
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he was already on the edge. rourke felt the surge of emotion hit him as loren’s scent drifted away on the afternoon breeze. he tightened his grip on his control as he battled against the danger of making snap judgments.
he had a dead man. the gunshot wound made it a direct result of someone on the mountain. adding murder to the current level of stress promised an explosion if discipline wasn’t absolute.
rourke faced his men with deadly focus. they snapped to attention as he moved to stand over the body. it was a clean shot. it was also a common round of ammunition that had made the wound. any of his men could have fired the round. any other person on the mountain could have gained access to their weapon’s lockers.
“burn the body, sergeant. immediately.”
“sir?”
“you heard me. that blood could be infected. the quarantine orders stand.”
“yes, sir.”
rourke considered the hard looks of his men as they backed away from their comrade. “search the area for any weapons. if you find something, don’t touch it.”
their replies of “yes, sir” betrayed their hunger to uncover some incriminating evidence. rourke didn’t wait. there wouldn’t be anything to find. the accuracy of the
hit betrayed the shooter’s skill. he’d cover his tracks, rourke would bet his oak leaves on it. that left them to suspect each other of the deed.
it left him with exactly one barrier left standing in front of claiming loren. rourke cursed under his breath as he considered the obstacle. it would be so damn easy to reach into her mind and make sure. the subconscious only held the truth. when he sank into another person’s mind, deception coated his own mind like tar.
toby stood on the top step of his house with his hands pushed into his pants pockets all the way to his forearms. it was strange to see the youth standing so completely still. his eyes were lifted to the forest where a thin taper of black smoke was just beginning to rise above the treetops.
rourke cleared his throat as he considered the task of telling the boy that his father was dead.
“gramps told me. i just wanted to make sure it was true.” toby’s face was twisted with an angry grin that made rourke stop. the kid wasn’t sorry his father was dead. resentment shone in his eyes as he watched the smoke rise. guilt crept up his own spine as rourke considered just how little sympathy he had for man in question. an officer cared about each and every man under his command. but the flat truth was rourke didn’t care this time. chris had finally pushed someone too far. the harshest part of it was rourke had been getting dangerously close to the line himself.
letting his eyes drift over toby again, rourke looked at the young man loren had raised. he was a good kid. parents passed their weaknesses on to their children. it was
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a cycle that few people ever rose above. loren had. the proof stood there in the firm set
of her son’s shoulders as he refused to hide from life’s harsh realities. toby was too honest to fake grief for a father he’d never known. even to get attention. most adults couldn’t resist the need to be the center of attention, even if it was for the wrong reason.
loren’s appeal became hypnotic. there was a pull radiating from her that snaked out to clutch his body. rourke curled his lips back and enjoyed the rush of sensation. it traveled along his skin as the nerve endings pulsed with sharp sensation.
there was nothing in his way.
it was a potent drug. rourke felt his sex rise into painful stiffness.
morality didn’t intrude with another man’s name because being a widow meant she was fair game. instead, rourke considered the afternoon sun and just exactly how many seconds there were until dark.
duty still clung to his shoulders. abruptly turning away from his house, rourke headed toward the weapons bunker. he was in charge until nightfall. the duty rotation applied to every single man on the mountain. including himself.
the urges inside him collided with civilization’s boundaries. he wanted to drag her
off to his bed and he didn’t much care what the rest of the world thought about that. rourke shook his shoulders as he felt his erection swelling painfully inside his pants. his skin screamed for freedom. just as the male inside him demanded satisfaction, the need to mate pulsed through his blood as he considered the approaching night.
“i’m gonna get some sleep, mom.”
* * * * *
loren swung around in a split second. her son reserved that phrase for when he was ready to drop from exhaustion. his brain would drive him for days on end. toby didn’t seem to be able to shut it down enough to sleep. he’d work straight through ‘til his body dropped from fatigue. sometimes he simply slumped over his keyboard.
toby shuffled his large feet as he headed toward the room he was sleeping in. his sneakers squeaked on the hardwood of the hallway because he didn’t have the strength
to lift his feet into steps any more. loren followed him and watched his body with a critical eye. she’d caught him more than once as his body simply collapsed before he found a bed.
“night, mom. i love you, ya know.”
loren didn’t say anything as she stood in the doorway. the bed sent up a groan as
toby fell onto it. he rolled onto his side as his lungs began the deep breathing of sleep.
a silly smile lifted her lips as she closed the door behind her. neither of them grieved for chris and he was the one who lost in the equation. freedom settled onto her shoulders making her feel as light as a ballet dancer on her toes.
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her eyes fell on the closed door of the master bedroom. temptation was thick and swift as she moved toward that doorway. loren let her fingers trail over the polished surface of the door while her mind offered up detailed images of the room’s master.
she shifted away as heat snaked up her belly. darkness invaded the house.
loren
let her fingers travel down the surface of the hallway wall as her eyes tried to adjust to the absence of light. she searched for the light switch.
instead of the cool plastic face of the light control, her fingers found the soft fabric
of clothing. it was warm from its wearer. her fingertips registered even the deep rhythm of rourke’s heart.
she knew it was him. he floated around her and across her mind in a blanket of sensation that she was woven into. his fingers stroked her face, making goose bumps race down the side of her neck. the touch was intensely hot as her eyes caught only the barest of shadows to mark his position.
details didn’t matter so much anymore. rourke wouldn’t be near her if he really thought she was a killer. beyond that, nothing mattered but the needs clawing at her body and the fact that she was free to feed her cravings.
those fingers brushed along the column of her throat as she raised her head to offer the tender skin to his touch. his hand traveled onto the fabric of her top and she groaned as they were separated by the barrier. her skin screamed for bare contact but sensation still gathered under his touch as he brushed his fingers across her collarbone and lower to the swell of her breast. the nipple lifted beneath her top, beading into a hard nub that raised the fabric toward his fingers.
a tiny gasp escaped her lips as he caught her nipple between his thumb and finger. rourke absorbed the sound as he rolled the point. she was frozen in her steps as she considered her options. curling his hand around the globe of her breast, rourke gently squeezed it. her scent drifted up as her body heated. his penis hardened in response to the musky smell of her sex.
it escaped through the layers of her clothing making his nostrils flare in primitive reaction.
“did he make it to the bedroom?”
the concern in his voice made her shift away from his touch.
she’d always been alone in the role of parent. the fact that rourke took notice of toby made her nervous. there was a depth of intimacy there that she’d never shared before. “don’t.” loren tossed the word out like a barrier.
rourke drifted across her mind in a steady glow of heat as he surrounded her in the small confines of the hallway. his fingers curled around her chin to raise it up. her eyes didn’t show her anything but blackness, but she could feel him along every inch of her skin. there was the soft sound of his breathing but she felt his eyes touching her face.
“i’m sorry, loren.”
her chin was suddenly free. somehow he was able to see in the pitch blackness. rourke captured her wrist in a solid grip before walking by her. he pulled her behind
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him as he shouldered the door to his room open and spun her through it with strength that made her tumble forward.
“sorry about what?” loren snapped her question. her heart was lodged in her throat as she eyed the shadowed outline of the master bed.
she turned abruptly to face rourke as he slowly closed the gap between their bodies.
there was a tremor in her voice that made rourke pause. she shifted her weight from one foot to the other as she eyed him with slightly large eyes. starlight poured in from the ceiling, bathing her in its silvery light. he pulled a deep breath into his lungs and savored the heavy scent of her.
she was a widow. toby was sleeping and rourke flatly didn’t care what anyone thought about it. his body pulsed with the need to claim her.
the waistband of his jeans was painfully snug across his swollen penis.
“that i’m not giving you any more time.”
“you don’t look sorry.” he looked hungry. loren felt it in the deepest part of her belly. her womb twisted into a knot as she felt the slick glide of fluid inside her passage. she gasped with the acute sensation. he hadn’t even kissed her. but her body was desperate for his.
his lips curled back to show his teeth. “you’re right, honey. i don’t give a damn about what anyone thinks. i didn’t on that beach and i still don’t.”
but he did care about her. loren sensed it as he stood his ground instead of rushing her. overpowering her body would be simple for a man his size.
instead he seemed to
be waiting for her to adjust to his presence. loren unconsciously rubbed her bare arms.
gooseflesh had risen along them as she watched the flare of heat in his eyes. she felt so cornered but what made her wary was the burning enjoyment that rose up in response
to his possessiveness.
“i’m not on any birth control.” loren blurted it out like a shield. the smile disappeared off his face right before rourke captured her. his arms closed around her, trapping her against his powerful chest. his mouth dropped onto hers with ruthless demand as he thrust his tongue inside to taste her. his hands cupped her bottom, lifting her to fit against the bulge in his pants. loren whimpered as she fought the urge to wrap her thighs around his lean hips and cradle that hard flesh right in the center of her body.
“take your clothes off, unless you don’t care what i do to them.” rourke whispered
his words against her ear. she shivered in response. he nipped the soft skin of her neck before lowering her feet to the floor. her hands were twisted around his shoulders and trailed over his chest as he let her down.
she didn’t want to stop touching him. loren let her fingers rest on his chest as she tried to remember why she needed to pull her hands away from his body. all she could think about was the way his skin smelled. just the deep heady scent of him and the way
he felt under her hands. she didn’t care anymore. she found a button on his shirt and pushed it through its hole. hair sprung up from his bare chest as she moved to the next
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button and freed it. loren smiled with satisfaction as the shirt fell away under her deft fingers. she pulled on the open sides of the garment to free it from his pants. a deep rumble of approval shook his chest as she rose on her toes to push the open shirt down
his shoulders.
he smelled so incredibly strong. loren threaded her fingers through the mat of dark hair exposed to her. it was springy and full.
she found his flat nipples and rolled them between her fingers exactly the same way he’d handled her own. her breasts swelled with the memory as she felt her nipples tighten even further.
she was unbearably hot. her shirt scratched her skin. rourke’s hands smoothed over her neck making her lift her chin with delight. the contact of bare skin to bare skin was pure pleasure. a tiny purr vibrated up her throat as his large hands stroked down her neck.
rourke ripped the garment off her. his hands hooked into the neckline and jerked. the buttons gave loud pops as they scattered and fell to the floor.
loren gasped at the abruptness of the motion. rourke’s control over his strength was amazing. he knew exactly how to apply it. she let her arms fall away from his chest as he stripped the shirt down her arms. his hands went after her bra.
“i’ll do it.” loren sprang out of his grip as she fumbled with the hooks on the undergarment. it was the only one she had. parading around the male population of the mountain without one made her protective of the garment.
his eyes watched her. loren grasped the bra to her breasts as she watched the intensity of his eyes. his fingers flexed as she slowly lowered the bra a millimeter at a time. feminine power flooded her as she watched his teeth bare in response to her teasing. the fabric caught on her nipples making them tighten with sharp sensation.
“drop it.”
rourke growled as he watched the scrap of lace flutter away from her body.
desire was raw as it pulsed through his body. her nipples were swollen tight with invitation. pulling a deep breath into his lungs, rourke caught the smell of her sex. the two steps she’d retreated were too far. he reached for her waist and lifted her ‘til her breasts swayed in his face. clamping his lips around one tight bud, rourke pulled it into his mouth to taste.
his lips were scorching. loren moaned as the tip of his tongue flicked across her nipple. pleasure traveled in a direct line to her belly making her passage clench with need. she felt so empty. her body was incomplete. he held her by her waist as he released her breast and sought out its twin. tasting and licking, his arms didn’t even tremble as he held her up for his pleasure.
rourke growled deeply as he licked her nipple a final time.
moving forward, he didn’t lower her body until his bed was waiting to catch her. moonlight spilled in through his windows and onto her body. rourke reached for her waistband and pulled the snap open before he grabbed the bottom of the garment and stripped it off her body.
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the crotch of her panties was dark with moisture. rourke stared at the stain as he worked the buttons on his fly open.
loren felt her eyes grow round. she clamped her teeth together as he dropped his pants to the floor and stood proudly before her. he was magnificently bare and completely sculpted to perfection. his sex stood forward in a swollen rod that looked impossibly large. but the walls of her passage ached with the need to grasp his length.
his fingers twisted in the thin scrape of fabric that shielded her from his eyes. rourke pulled the panties down her legs as he watched her face struggle with temptation. need and desire mixed together as she dropped her eyes back to his erection. but she rose up onto her elbows as his body made her wary. it was a reaction he was used to. he’d polished his exterior for years but under the exterior was the
hunter he’d been trained to be. when he mated, he captured, and he intended to take
loren.
a tiny curl of fear hit her as loren watched rourke’s face. need was pulsing with desperation through her blood, but the raw hunger reflected from his face made her wary. she rolled away from him. the bed bounced as he came down across it. a solid arm clamped her in place as his body pressed along her back. the contact of bare skin was intense.
she could smell the heated aggression radiating from him. firm lips landed on her neck making her whimper as her nerve endings erupted into sensation.
“shh…”
enjoying his touch was a bad idea. loren knew it but she couldn’t stop herself from arching her neck. rourke trailed tiny bites down her neck as she heard her own throat release a moan of approval. his body felt so incredibly solid behind her. secure and warm in a way she couldn’t remember feeling before. his hands turned her ‘til she lay flat on the bed again. lifting her eyelashes, loren stared into rourke’s face as he propped himself up on an elbow.
she raised her hand to trace the hard angle of his jaw. the skin was tough and slightly rough with a day’s growth of beard. hunger rushed into her as she used her entire hand to smooth over his face again.
this was a man. in the deepest part of her she recognized his superiority as a mate. the female inside her craved him with stunning force.
a deep groan rumbled out of his chest as loren yielded to him.
rourke couldn’t think beyond the need anymore. she pressed toward him as her hips lifted with invitation. the scent of arousal flooded his senses as her thighs gently parted. cradling her head in his hand, he took a deep taste of her mouth. her tongue thrust hesitantly toward his as she followed his lead.
later, he’d taste every inch of her. need pulsed across his brain reducing him to the most basic of levels. he rolled over her as he caught the strands of her hair in his grip.
he still controlled his strength. loren felt the tremors shaking his limbs as he kept
his needs from turning brutal. his hips pushed her open. spreading her flesh as the tip
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of his weapon probed for entry. the hard thrust of his body made her cry.
her passage stung as it stretched to admit him.
“you can take me, honey. relax.” elation swept through rourke as he listened to her moan. pulling his hips back he thrust forward into her depths ‘til her flesh gripped
his entire length. her passage pulsed around him as she shifted beneath his body. she
was as tight as a virgin. it pleased the hell out of him even as he battled against the raging need to pummel her body ‘til he erupted inside her.
reaching between their bodies, rourke found the soft folds of her sex. he spread them ‘til her center was open to his thrusts. she gasped as his movements rubbed the sensitive bundle of nerve endings.
loren felt the pain vanish with a single thrust from his hips. he pulled back and she shoved her pelvis up to capture his staff. pleasure spiked through her as he buried his hardness inside her. everything fell away as she matched his rhythm and clung to his shoulders.