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“Fantastic, stupendous, mind-blowing,” she said through suddenly dry lips. It was ridiculous how badly she craved him.
“Best sex you’ve ever had?” His silvery gaze probed too deeply for the question to be frivolous.
She shifted uncomfortably under the piercing silver stare and tried for levity. “With your libidinous reputation, I wouldn’t think your ego would need any more stroking.”
Derek’s hands stilled and he frowned. “I don’t mind telling you how much I enjoy making love to you.”
Making love. Sable looked down, fighting the feeling of joy that wanted to well up within her. “You know I enjoy it,” she said softly.
“Enough to be with only me? No one else?”
Her gaze flew to his in surprise. Was he serious? Suddenly very nervous, she leaned her back against the cool shower wall trying to create some distance between them.
“What exactly are you asking me?”
“I want to try and make this work, Sable.” Derek stepped under the spray to rinse off. “You and me. No one else.”
Her eyes slid shut. He was serious. She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.
She knew what she should say, what her job demanded that she say. But she just couldn’t do it.
“I’d like that,” she whispered. Then she cried out in surprise as Derek pulled her against his chest and rewarded her with a quick, hard kiss.
“Thank God,” he muttered with touching relief.
“I’m not finished.”
He stiffened and pulled back to eye her warily.
Reaching up, she brushed his wet hair off his forehead with an affectionate caress.
He had such strong features with his aquiline nose, stubborn jaw and firm lips. She felt safe with him, knowing how prepared he was for everything. Her life had always been 43
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chaotic and she often faced ramifications for her rash choices long after they were made.
“I don’t want anyone else, Derek. But I can’t become involved with you right now.
There are some things I have to take care of first.”
“Like what?” His hands stroked the wet length of her spine possessively.
She tried to explain. “There are things you don’t know…”
“Then tell me.”
“I’m not supposed—”
“I don’t care.”
“You won’t like it.”
“I’ll get over it.”
She gave a rueful laugh at his dogged persistence. “Derek, can’t you just—”
“No.” His full lips thinned with determination. “Damn it. Do you want to be with me or not?”
“Yes, but—”
He shook his head. “No waiting. It’s been too fucking long as it is. Two years, Sable.
What’s holding you back? A husband you have stashed somewhere? A lover? Do you owe someone money?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
He shrugged. “Whatever it is, we’ll take care of it. Together.”
Sable reached behind him and shut off the water. “All right,” she conceded with a sigh. “I’m—”
An insistent beeping sound came from the cockpit. Derek growled in frustration at the interruption. “Ignore it.”
“The hyperdrive is recharged,” she said with a smile she knew didn’t hide her relief. She wasn’t ready to tell him yet. She didn’t want to take the chance of ruining what they had, whatever it was. There was no doubt in her mind that she’d be better off having a husband to hide, than admitting she worked for IAB. It was the unspoken 44
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code. Agents didn’t rat on agents. They protected their own. They didn’t hunt them down.
“It can wait,” he said obstinately. “Tell me.”
Sable tilted her head back and pressed her lips to his. It was the first time she’d ever made an advance toward him and when he shuddered, she realized just how much she really got to him. Her stomach fluttered. “That Federation ship might come back with reinforcements,” she reminded him against his lips.
He tugged her closer when she tried to step away. “Kiss me again, baby. And give it your all.”
Draping her arms atop his shoulders, Sable drew his mouth down to hers. She kissed him the way she’d always wanted to, with deep licks of her tongue along his until she felt the full, heavy prod of his erection against her belly. She laughed. “If we keep this up we’ll never get out of this Sector and I won’t be able to walk. I may be a vamp, but even I need a break.”
“Okay, okay,” he said with obvious reluctance. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
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Sylvia Day
Chapter Four
Derek rose from the copilot’s chair and winced as his muscles creaked in protest.
They’d been held in flight for over three hours, waiting for a docking port to open on Rashier 6. Sable had the ship well in hand, but he preferred sitting with her rather than occupying himself elsewhere. That thought had him smothering a wry laugh.
Everything she did fascinated him, even sitting in a chair cursing at the control tower.
“Who are we hunting now?” he asked.
Sable stood and stretched as well, her full breasts straining the front of her bio-suit as she arched her back. “Don’t you have to go back to work? And what about your ship? Your belongings? You don’t have any clothes beside your uniform.”
“Trying to get rid of me?”
“I didn’t say that, Derek.”
Reaching for her hand, he laced his fingers with hers. “I took a leave of absence and my ship is docked at the field office. It’ll be fine. I’ll buy what I need as soon we disembark and then I’ll get out of this.” He tugged on the front of his uniform with his free hand.
“I think you look sexy as hell in that uniform,” she said in a provocative purr that heated his blood.
He smiled. She’d softened toward him considerably since they’d gotten out of the shower.
She pressed a swift kiss to his mouth. “Thank you for taking the trouble to come after me, even if you did stow away to do it.”
He liked that. She was starting to reach out to him physically. Things were progressing between them and he felt a deep masculine satisfaction that their 46
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relationship had developed so much quicker than he’d anticipated. She’d been worth the wait.
Sable tugged her hand from his. “We can’t hold hands.”
Derek stared at her, agape. Maybe he hadn’t gotten that far after all. “Why the hell not?”
Her smile was almost… sympathetic. “We can’t make it obvious that we’re…that you and I are…” She winced.
“Dating? Fucking?” he suggested rudely. Damn it, it hurt that she wanted to hide him.
Her wince deepened. “Yeah.”
“Fine.” He walked away, his jaw clenched.
“Fine?”
He heard the wounded note in her question and smiled grimly. “Whatever you want, baby,” he said baldly.
Derek hit the release for the cargo door and exited into the bustling terminal. He felt Sable following him and reached out with his mind, using stealth so she remained unaware of his probing. Her sadness was deep and almost tangible. Derek’s chest tightened. He could deal with her anger—hell, he’d love a good screaming match right now—but her sadness ripped at his insides. That sharp flare of pain made him realize how much he cared for her.
Not that he was completely clueless. He’d known he liked her a great deal and wanted to spend some exclusive time to get to know her better, but he hadn’t quite understood that she had the power to wound him, as well as arouse him. It was a risk he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with.
He stopped at the maintenance counter and made arrangements for repairs to be done to the damaged Starwing. Then he continued on to the taxi terminal.
“I’m sorry,” Sable said in a whisper be
hind him. “I don’t want it to be like this.
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