Not far enough away, however.
The heel of his boot ground into my calf. My knees knocked together, buckled, and I propelled onto my face. Cool foam met hot flesh. I lost my cockiness.
He jumped on me, his chest pinning my face to the floor. His warm breath fanned my ear, my cheek. Everywhere his skin touched mine acted as a live wire, singeing me, making me ache—not in pain, but in lust. I had trouble drawing in a breath, but when I did, I inhaled the savageness of his scent. The wildness.
“What should you do in this position?” he said calmly.
I should place one palm against my cheek, then extend my other arm and roll myself over. But his long, thick fingers were surprisingly gentle as they slid down my arms, and I remained in place, doing nothing. His touch wasn’t like that of an enemy, but like that of a lover.
An unwanted wave of need and desire crested inside me, growing hotter, hotter still. It didn’t help that he had an erection. Thick. Hard. Hot.
He didn’t wantme, I knew. Not really. Men were simply turned on by physical contact. And we’d definitely gotten physical.
Knowing he would have desired any woman under him failed to diminish my own lust as it should have. Dark, dangerous fantasies sprang to life. Naked bodies, moans of surrender…Without thought, I arched my butt toward him, seeking more of his heat, craving deeper contact.
And that’s when a fragrant cloud of cinnamon and honey surrounded us. The moment I smelled it, my cheeks burned a bright red and I fought frantically for release. If Lucius knew anything about Rakas, he’d know we only emitted that scent when desperately aroused.
“Let me go,” I shouted. I couldn’t have erected a calm, cool mask if my life depended on it. “Let me go right now.” I extended my arm as I should have done earlier and tried to roll over.
He pressed me down with more of his weight, keeping me immobile.
“What’s wrong with you?” he barked. “Be still, woman. And when the hell did you put on that perfume?”
He didn’t know.
I immediately relaxed. It was one thing to desire him, but quite another for him to know about it. He seemed like the type of man who would use that against me, mock me.
“Get off me,” I said more calmly.
“What are you going to do if I don’t?” he asked. “I’ve got you pinned, and you know what? There’s not a damn thing you can do about it. So it looks like you’ve got yourself a bit of a problem.”
“You think so?” I replied, nearly breathless. I had to get him off of me before I did something stupid. Like whimper…or spread my legs.
“I do,” he said confidently. There was a pause, then, “Was I too rough?” he asked gruffly.
I forced myself not to struggle. “I happen to like it rough.”
“Liar.” His voice was now low and husky. Full of sexual energy. “I think you like it slow and tender.”
My God, if he kept talking to me like that, I was going to rip off his shorts and demand he take me right here. “Damn you. Don’t you want to teach me a lesson?”
“Maybe next time.” He paused. “When a man has you pinned like this, the best thing you can do is bite his arm and use the distraction to twist yourself around.” Before I could take his advice, he jumped off me and stood to his feet.
Feeling strangely bereft, I wrenched to my back and kicked, swiping his feet out from under him. Down, down he tumbled. I laughed when he hit. “To do something like that?” I asked him.
His laughter mingled with mine, the sound of it raw and genuine. He didn’t move to rise, but remained in place. “Good move.”
“Thank you.”
When our amusement died, he anchored one of his arms behind his neck and frowned. “I want that bastard EenLi killed. Not because it’s our assignment, but because he deserves to die.”
I glanced over at his profile; it was as harsh and savage a view as full frontal. “You make it sound personal.”
“Every mission is personal, but I’m sure Michael told you EenLi used to work here.”
“He did.”
“When he left, he killed several agents. Agents who were my friends.” Lucius turned to face me, the glint in his eyes feral, hard. “If at any time I think you’re holding me back, I swear to God I’ll kill you myself.”
My eyes narrowed. “I’m only going to say this once.” I held up one finger, just in case he needed a visual. “I’ll speak slowly so you understand. Ifyou hold me back, I’ll send you crying back to your mommy—cut up like a little girl.”
Another flash of amusement played at the corners of his lips. “Good with knives, are you?”
“Very,” I said with utter confidence.
“Fair enough. Warning received.” Quick as a snap, he rolled on top of me and pinned my shoulders to the mat with his knees.
I quickly brought my legs up behind him and wrapped my ankles around his neck. My thigh muscles ached when I jerked him backward. Down he went, up I went. The moment his back hit, I used the momentum to pull myself the rest of the way up and planted my elbow in his stomach.
His breath whooshed out. “That’s the second time you’ve elbowed me,” he panted.
“Has EenLi showed up anymore?” I asked, quickly pushing to my feet. Just for fun, I dropped and thrust my elbow into his lungs.
“Damn it!” When he caught his breath, Lucius said, “A few more times in New Dallas. We think he murdered a human female.”
“That’s not his usual MO. EenLi abducts, rapes, and tortures. He rarely kills. There’s no profit in a dead body.”
“I know. I think he’s desperate and made a mistake.” Lucius spun and lashed out, his foot slamming into my forearm. Into my wound.
I winced, but maintained my balance. My God, that hurt. He wanted me to cry “unfair,” but I didn’t give him the satisfaction. I leapt, whirling in the air, one fist cocked and ready. Contact. I nailed him in the temple.
His chin whipped to the side.
“It usually takes him months to round up the right slave candidates, since he only wants those that meet his buyers’ specifications,” I said. “Why act hastily now?”
“From what you told Michael,” he said, dancing to the side when I came at him again, causing me to miss him, “some of his last shipment died from some sort of sickness. His buyers wouldn’t have liked that. They asked for a certain number, I’m sure, so he has to supply that exact number. And don’t forget, you killed his top man, so he’s doing some of the dirty work himself now.”