Passionate Desire (22 page)

“The information you just loaded is this section here.” He pointed to one side of the screen.

“And what is all of that?” She pointed to another set of data.

“DNA information.” He pulled it forward so it was the most dominating item on the screen. “This is what I have learned about the egg. It shows this one is sterile.” He pointed to one of the files. “This one shows all the different tests I ran on it.”

“And the real egg?”

“I’ve just started the same tests on it. So far it looks like I’m getting the same information.”

“That one is sterile too? Then how did Heather get pregnant?”

“That I don’t know. If all the tests turn out the same as the clone then that’s something I’ll have to look at.” He sat back. “These tests will take some time to run. Maybe we could try taking that walk again?”

“Sure.”

He offered her his hand and led her out into the bright sunshine. “I’ve wanted to talk to you without interruption.”

“And you’re not afraid of him overhearing?”

“No. What can I say that would worry him?”

“True, but he thinks the Vespians got to us.”

“I know.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “But he’ll just have to trust me.”

Once they were far enough away from the cameras he spoke again. “Why did you leave the room on Vespia?”

She took a deep breath. “I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself.”

“Why? Did I say or do something to upset you?”

“No.” She paused as she chose her words. “I was reminded of my obligations and it upset me.”

“Camera.” He didn’t point but gave her a playful nudge.

“How long will your tests take?” She gave him a bright smile but he could see a slight spark of fear in her eyes. Had she said too much?

“It should be done in a moment or two.” He gave her a curious look. “Why?”

“No reason. Was just thinking about those memories we were reliving earlier.” She didn’t make eye contact. “Thought maybe we could make a few more.”

“Now?”

She nodded.

“I would love to.” He changed his hold on her so their bodies touched as he held her in an intimate embrace. Their mouths met, and their tongues danced. She melted in his arms. He moved his lips to a cheek before he found the tender flesh of an ear.

She tasted so good to him.

He worked on the seam of her dress, opening it up so his lips could explore her some more. They were both breathing hard when he spoke again. “He has cameras everywhere here. Unless you don’t mind putting on a show for Al I suggest we move to our room and finish this.”

“I don’t really care right now, I want you so badly.” She licked her lips. Her hands slipped into the top of his trousers so she could wrap her fingers around his hard length. “I can’t wait for us to make it back to our room, can you?”

“Not when you do something like that.” He spotted a nice little copse of trees nearby. Picking her up, he took them to the shaded area as fast as his legs would allow. By the time they made it she had freed him from his pants and wrapped herself around him. Just as they reached the trees he felt himself enter her. She meant it when she said she couldn’t wait. He almost dropped to his knees as her sheath gripped him. It took a nearby tree to steady him enough to maintain his feet.

“Oh, much better,” she murmured in his ear. He felt her teeth graze his collar bone before she nipped and bit him.

“So you paying me back for tying you up earlier?” He backed her to one of the smoother trees. “You keep this up and I just might have a small seizure. My heart is already pounding in my chest.”

“I’m sorry. I can’t help myself right now.” She tightened against him. “I need you. Please.”

The frankness of her words spurred him on. He braced her back as he started to drive into her. Finesse wasn’t part of the equation. She didn’t care about tenderness at this point, she just needed to feel her release and he wanted it to be a heart stopping one. Each time he pounded in a little deeper. Her breath hitched and her head dropped onto his shoulder. She shook as the constant in and out motion built the friction between them. He felt her nails on his back as he pushed her harder and faster, then her muscles tightened around him like a vise and she hit her orgasm. He felt it milk him, it was so powerful.

He followed her over the edge. If their releases were always going to be like this he might not be able to walk away from her when this was all said and done.

He stood there deep inside, holding her close while he waited for her to come back to him. He heard another sigh escape her before she blinked and looked at him.

“You are beautiful.” He eased her to her feet.

“I am so sorry.” She had a problem making eye contact with him.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.” He put a finger under her chin so she would look at him.

“I seem to be a bit aggressive when it comes to you.” She brushed her fingers against his collar bone. “I bit you for goodness sake.”

He laughed. “I know and I found it very arousing.”

She buried her face in his neck.

“You don’t strike me as a woman who second guesses the way she does things, why are you suddenly doing that?”

She patted his chest before she lifted her head and looked at him. “You make me lose control. I’ve never done that before.”

Chapter 11

Storm growled when the scene jumped.

“You are the worst.” Heather had her eyes closed. He thought she was asleep until she spoke. “Why can’t you give your sister a break?”

“Because there is something between them. I can see it from here.”

“You didn’t have to send him.” She lifted her head to look at him. “You could have gone and gotten your sister back.”

He growled again. “Sending the doctor made more sense at the time.”

“So I’m right.”

“You are walking a fine line, woman.”

“I know, but I’m good at it.” She sat up and turned to face him. “You were able to find your mate, why can’t she?”

“I’ve already explained that.” He was trying to keep his patience.

“Yes. A stupid argument.”

He growled as he pinned her to the chair. “Why do you push?”

His domineering attitude might frighten other people, but she knew his heart and he would never hurt her. His anger wasn’t always the most pleasant thing to deal with but she had faced it many times and had survived. “If I didn’t who would?”

“Be glad you’re my heart.”

“I am, every day. Every moment I’m awake.” She pressed a soft kiss to his lips.

He gazed at her intently for a minute or two before he captured her lips with his. He controlled the kiss, drawing her tongue with his. She remained docile, letting him control, understanding his need to dominate.

The video continued. Heather half listened as her brother and Toki walked back to the area where they were working earlier, while Storm nibbled on her neck. If she had to choose between sex and Storm’s anger, sex would win every time.

“I was right,” her brother said.

“What do you mean?” asked Toki.

“This egg is just as sterile as the clones.”

“How is that possible?” asked Storm. He lifted his head to look at her.

“The computer told us you have a catalyst in you that fertilizes my eggs.” Heather looked up at him.

“Yeah, but it hasn’t explained what that catalyst is.” He watched the screen intently, his anger forgotten.

“Then how did Heather get pregnant so fast?” asked Toki.

“I can’t answer that yet. According to my readings she shouldn’t have. Perhaps they went to a specialist.”

“They don’t strike me as people who would do that.” Toki stood next to him as she looked at the readings he had just gone through. “They had just started their life together and they were just as surprised about her pregnancy. Didn’t they mention they were both sterile yet she is now with child? That was why they wanted you in the first place.”

“True.” He took the egg and duplicated it.

“Now what are you doing?”

“Making my own clone. This way I’ll know no mistakes were made and I can see if I can duplicate what Heather and Storm have done.” He had his cloned egg and moved it to another container. “I’m not sure what we’ll do with it if I can duplicate their situation but I need to try.”

“What DNA are you going to use?”

“Good question.”

****

“Is he out of his mind?” Storm screamed at the screen, his anger back.

“Storm, relax.” She knew he wouldn’t like the next thing she would say to him. “Kuarto mentioned this when he was here. He wanted a DNA sample from you to see what made you so special and I made sure he had one.”

“What?” He glared at her. She was still pinned beneath him or she’d be trying to put some distance between them. “You went behind my back?”

“No.” She felt her anger start to boil. “Why is this all about you? That is my egg, not yours. It was my body it was stolen from, not yours. I have a say in this and no amount of posturing from you is going to make me back down.”

He remained quiet but the glare didn’t disappear.

“You two made plans to send him to rescue your sister. Did you think through what would be expected of him once he got there? Because I did,” she snapped. “Al would want him to fertilize that egg and I wanted to be sure that if he was successful I had a hand in whose DNA was used. Do you want him to use Al’s DNA? Or some total stranger?”

“No.” He realized then why she did what she did. “So how did you get a sample?”

“Left that up to the computer.”

****

“I’m not sure what Al wants me to use but I have a few DNA samples in my bag. We can try those first and see what happens.” He pointed to the bag he had leaned against a table leg. The one he had kept with him most of the time. “Let’s use four samples and see what takes.”

“If you are sure.”

He nodded. The DNA he had gathered was from several races, including one of the guards in the elder’s hall. The one Heather had given him from Storm would be the last one he would use because he was positive it would fertilize the egg and he didn’t want to give his hand too soon.

He took the bag she handed him and got to work. If he was right, Al or the Heather android should be showing up at any moment.

Kuarto took the cloned egg and made four more. He inserted the DNA into the first egg and waited to see what would happen. This DNA was from a human he had met a few months ago. The man was pretty normal and as he suspected it didn’t take.

“Nothing?”

“Nope.” He moved the egg aside. “Didn’t think it would either. I have another sample from that same donor and I’m going to try to add an enzyme to work as a catalyst to see if it would make a difference.”

****

“Please tell me he hasn’t had time to study my sample.”

“I don’t think so.” She shook her head.

“You don’t think so? Heather, what kind of answer is that?” His temper started to rise again.

“I trust my brother to do what we need him to do. I didn’t babysit him so I’m not sure if he ran any kind of tests before he left here.”

“He did not.” The computer answered for them. “There was no data on his scanner when I erased the information requested.”

“Thank you, computer.” Heather glared at her mate, waiting for him to say something she would make him regret. He had the potential.

“I would be one hundred percent happier if our siblings were here instead of there. His research could be compromised where he is now.”

“And he’s smart enough to keep that research to himself.” She didn’t like this any more than he did. “You have to trust him. I know you don’t like it when you’re not in control but you have to let him do the job you sent him to do and you have to trust he will do the job right.”

“I know.” He still had her pinned beneath him. “I thought he would be able to get in, get my sister and your egg and get back out again.”

“And the fact that it hasn’t worked out that way upsets you.”

“I understand that things don’t always work out the way you plan and you have to go with contingency plans.” He brushed one of her stray hairs back into place. “But now there are people I care about involved. That changes everything.”

“I am right here, my heart. Safe in your arms.” She pressed her hand to his heart. “Your sister can take care of herself and you know that. You trained her like you trained me.”

“And what if Al decides to change the rules again and use her as leverage once more?” He shifted his weight so he could place his hand on top of hers.

“Then we’ll have to deal with that, but I don’t think he will.” She twined her fingers with his. “He needs Kuarto too much.”

“He is suspect of his time here on Vespia. If I were in his shoes I would be too. I don’t think he trusts Kuarto and is just waiting for him to make a mistake.”

“Which my brother is aware of. You can tell by the way he speaks to your sister. He has yet to let her in on the plan because he knows Al is watching.”

“And my sister can be as stubborn as my mate and cause problems because she isn’t focusing on what is going on around her.” He shifted again, this time taking her into his arms and settling back in the chair with her.

“Your sister isn’t here where she feels safe and wants to annoy either one of us. She knows she could be in danger if she isn’t careful.” Heather snuggled against him. “And I think your sister is as stubborn as her brother, not your mate.”

“Really? I’m not sure about that one. My mate likes to argue with me. I keep waiting for her to do it in front of people when she knows she shouldn’t, but that hasn’t happened yet.”

“That’s because she’s very smart. Something I’m not sure you give her credit for.”

“Oh I do. She is my mate after all. That was probably the smartest thing she’s done.” He bent his head and nibbled on her neck.

“Oh.” She smiled as she tilted her head. “You sure you don’t mean her mate? I think taking her as his mate was probably his smartest move.”

“Sounds like something we’ll have to discuss at length.” His lips worked their way down her throat to the collar of her dress. “You know this thing gets in my way so often.”