“I’m sorry I hurt you.” His fingers splayed across her stomach because he had to touch her, to see his hand on her skin, to feel how soft she was.
“Only for a second,” she assured. “Thank you for being so careful.” Nothing was ever going to be the same. She wasn’t ever going to be the same.
“I meant what I said, Saber.” His fingertips brushed the silky V between her legs, touched a tight curl. “I love you. I want you to stay with me.”
Just the feel of his fingers on her caused a ripple of intense pleasure, a rush of dampness. Beside her, his body was stirring to life and he allowed it, bending his head to a taut, inviting nipple. He would have all the time in the world to make love to her; he was not going to take chances on making her any more sore than she was already going to be. The excitement, the freedom to touch her was incredible.
He lifted his head, feeling her shiver again. “Come on, angel face, let’s get you into a hot bath. You’re going to catch cold lying here.” He leaned into her again to kiss the tip of her nose and then the corner of her mouth. “You’ll have to get my chair. It’s in the other room.” He hated saying that. Needing her to get it for him.
She frowned. “But you ran, Jess. I saw you. And you kicked that man in the garage. How could you do that if you need the wheelchair?”
“It’s a long story.” He was going to have admit to agreeing to the bionic operation-and that so far, it hadn’t worked all that well. This had been the first time he had had any degree of success. It gave him a measure of hope, but even now, instead of cramps and spasms and pinpricks, he felt no sensation at all.
She sighed. “One you’re going to tell me.”
“You won’t like it.”
“Probably not.” She caught his face and kissed him before getting to her feet.
Saber gathered up her clothes a little unsteadily, out of long habit putting her shirt on to cover her back. She left it open, liking the stark hunger in Jess’s eyes as his gaze dwelt on her creamy br**sts and tight, black curls. He made her feel sexy and beautiful.
When she came back with his chair, Jess wasn’t the least embarrassed to pull himself, totally naked, into it. Saber was looking at him with such a sensuous, tender look, it made him feel as if he were the greatest lover of all time.
She followed him into the master bathroom with its huge Jacuzzi. Jess could hardly drag his gaze from her body long enough to fill the tub. He got in first because it was easier to maneuver with more room.
Saber stepped into the hot, steamy water. “Just stand still,” Jess directed in a slightly husky voice. Very gently, using a soft cloth, he washed the blood and seed from between her legs. His hands were caressing, seductive, producing a rush of warmth, a curl of excitement.
She slid down into the water beside him, gasping a little as the jets swirled bubbles like a thousand tongues licking erotically at her sensitized body.
Jess pulled her to him, settling her between his legs, her small, rounded bottom pressed tightly against his fierce arousal. Her back fit neatly against his chest, his hands came up to caress her br**sts floating half submerged, half above the water line. His thumbs feathered gently over her erect ni**les, cupped creamy flesh into his palms, his mouth on the vulnerable side of her neck.
“I’ve wanted you forever,” he admitted, his teeth biting her shoulder teasingly. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were the one.”
“That was Whitney’s pheromones.”
He nuzzled the top of her head. “I don’t think his pheromones could make me feel this way about you, Saber. No, we were meant to be. Destined.”
Saber didn’t respond. His hands cupping the weight of her br**sts, his thumbs sliding in caresses over her taut ni**les were driving her crazy. Whatever it was that had brought them together didn’t matter anymore. She had committed her heart to him, and that terrified her.
Raging, he punched the wall over and over until his hands were bloody. Failed. It was easy, damn it. Easy. Kill the cripple and f**k her over really good. What was so hard about that? But no, they got the crap kicked out of them, and now they were in custody. He’d tried to follow so he could kill them before they could give out his description, but whoever had taken the idiots prisoner had lost him.
Now what was he going to do? What? What? What? He slammed his head hard against the wall, spittle flying from his mouth. He couldn’t get near the place, not with all the guards. He had to come up with another place, another location-the radio station. He punched the wall again, furious that his plans had to change.
Chapter 12
“Okay, now is the time, while I’m feeling all warm and fuzzy toward you, for you to tell me how you ran after me using your own two legs.” Saber tilted her head back to look up at him. She couldn’t talk about love. Not without feeling like her heart was going to be ripped out.
“It’s classified.”
“No kidding? What a shocker. You are classified, Jess. I’m classified. Of course whatever you’ve done to yourself this time is classified as well.”
“But technically, you aren’t in the military because you don’t exist.”
“You have my file,” she pointed out with a small sniff of disdain. “And so does your lady friend.”
“Lily. Lily Whitney-Miller.”
Saber turned away from him and stared down into the bubbling water. “The doctor’s daughter.”
“Don’t you start on Lily too. Lily gave the file to me, not the other way around. And she’s trying to find the other girls-women-that her father experimented on. She saved my life, Saber. I got to know her and I’m telling you, she isn’t in league with him.”
“How lucky for you that you’re so certain.”
His eyebrow shot up. “That was sarcasm.”
“You bet it was.”
“If it’s any consolation, she doesn’t trust you much either.”
Saber burst out laughing. “Actually, that does make me feel better. If she pretended to accept me immediately, I’d be alarmed.” She tipped her head back to rub against his shoulder. “What is she doing to you? Dr. Whitney’s daughter and the other one. What are they doing?”
“Dr. Eric Lambert,” he supplied. “Eric and Lily saved my life.”
“And?” she prompted.
He sighed, but really, if Whitney already knew about his legs, what did it matter? “I’m in an experimental program for bionics.”