Marie Harte - The Perfect Creation

Drekk shrugged, but Rafe thought he caught the man reddening.

“Are you blushing?” Rafe laughed long and hard, aware he’d never had a day quite like this one. “Talk about amazing. I mated with an incredible woman and scared a blush out of the infamous Disappearing Drekk. What are the odds?” Drekk scowled. “Pretty damned good I’m going to kick your ass if you keep it up. You’re not that cute, Mardu.”

“The hell I’m not. I got you off, didn’t I?” Rafe asked with real amusement. “Man, I can only imagine you having this same conversation with Gar. He’d be totally nuts by now.”

“I know.” Drekk sighed. “He’s really against Creations, Rafe. You can’t ever tell him about Erin.” Or me, went unsaid.

“I figured as much. But don’t worry. I’m not going to say one word to him about any of it.” Rafe explained the idea to use the prison ships as a cover for Erin and her family, and Drekk readily agreed.

“I know a few guys who make great identification tags.”

“Good. And while you’re at it, find us a techie to doctor Blue Rim’s files.”

“My pleasure.” The look in Drekk’s eyes made Rafe glad he and the large male were on the same side.

They talked more about Erin’s family, Rafe’s tentative plans and his missing brothers.

Then Erin shifted on the ground, distracting them. Rafe crouched down to stroke her back, wanting nothing more than to take care of her until she forgot all about her hellish upbringing. But that would have to wait.

“That’s my cue.” Drekk stood and stretched, pinning Rafe with his stare. “I’ll get you that laundry list of supplies for the mission and put out a quiet search for her family. But I don’t have to tell you we need to wait before accepting them into the fold. The sister sounds fine, but it’s Ryen that disturbs me. He sounds a lot like the trouble that started the Eryan War. But like I said, I’ll take care of the logistics on this. You have your hands full.” Rafe stared down at Erin. “Yeah, I do.” He’d never been so damned lucky in his life.

Drekk snickered, actually snickered , and Rafe wondered where this man had been hiding all these years. “Love brings another one down. First Catam, now you. A hundred beks says Sernal’s next.”

“You’re on.” Rafe shook his hand. “No way Sernal bites it before you do.”

“Me?” Drekk scoffed. “You’d have better luck turning back the moons from their orbits.

I’ll be waiting at the tower where you last bagged those rogue peacemakers. Be there in four day’s time or I’ll take on Blue Rim without you.” Rafe frowned. “Now wait a minute.”

“Four days. That’s plenty of time to fuck on the move.” Drekk shook his head. “Horny bastard. Then again, who could blame you…or her?” He grinned. “Best damned orgasm I’ve had in years, Rafe. Thanks.”

“Dick.”

“Whenever you want it, let me know.” Drekk laughed at the gesture Rafe shot him, then disappeared in an instant.

“Rafe?” Erin’s soft voice grabbed his attention. Shaking his head at Drekk’s antics, he smiled into his mate’s eyes, aware things were quickly coming to a head. But at least he had her now, and bonded for the foreseeable future.

“I’m here, baby. I’m right here.”

On their third day journeying back towards the edges of the Eron Forest, Erin stared quizzically at the back of Rafe’s head. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but things had definitely changed. A closeness existed between them that hadn’t been there before. And the tender glances of affection Rafe shot her when he didn’t think she was looking shook her very foundation.

She loved him. She knew it and accepted it. But she hadn’t expected Rafe to love her back. He knew she was a Creation. And as much as he talked about helping her out, she thought his desire to assist her stemmed more from his propensity to right wrongs than that he’d fallen in love with her. So why did each touch of his hand resonate through her very being? As if connected by electricity, whenever Rafe looked at her, she felt his gaze. When his fingers brushed her skin, her entire body lit like a lightning storm.

Had to be that last sexual marathon. He fucked me so good, so hard…so long ago. Erin blushed as she rubbed her ass, wondering how she could mistake pain for pleasure. After all that Synster and Canunn had done to make her life miserable, she’d never once orgasmed, had never experienced even a tenth of the depth of emotion for her Creator or Handler that she had for Rafe.

Confused, she nearly ploughed into Rafe when he stopped.

“Whoa. Why the rush?” he asked with a smirk. As if he didn’t know.

“Cut the crap. Let’s get back to ‘civilisation’ so we can blow Blue Rim sky high.” And forget this mission so you can fuck me again. The blasted man had addicted her to sex, damn his hide.

He raised a brow in that infuriating manner of his and crossed his arms, bringing attention to his powerful frame. Erin loved his strength, that she couldn’t push him around whenever she wanted to. And it was more than his physical power, but his mental acuity as well. Rafe used all of his assets to dominate the world around him, herself included. If only he’d relax enough to indulge in the carnal pursuits she couldn’t stop thinking about.

For three hellish days she’d gone without. He’d kept their pace deliberately slow, attentive to her needs, all except for the one to have him inside her again. Yet she saw the heated glances, the erections he tried to hide. And she didn’t understand why he avoided his need. He claimed he wanted her focused on the mission, and he said he refused to use her baser instincts to overwhelm her.

Since when had Rafe of Mardu found principles? Oh, she knew his peacemaker status required that he help others in need—a category she definitely fit into. But she didn’t want to be his project. She wanted her lover to push her around. This nice act was driving her insane.

Such solicitousness when they crossed a stream or encountered a ferocious animal.

Erin snorted. As if she couldn’t handle herself. Hell, she still thought she could take him in a fight, one on one. He’d explained he was Xema, an extremely rare, powerful race of Mardu warriors, and that he thought she might be as well. Yet Erin also possessed some Ragga and Zephyran genetics. With so many aggressive genes, surely she could best him hand to hand? She had once, no, twice before.

The problem, as she saw it, was that as soon as they touched she wanted to submit, to give him whatever he wanted. And she hadn’t felt that way before, even after sharing sex with him. She’d been fighting the need to give in to him whenever they brushed hands or bodies, and she found, to her relief, she was building resistance. But that didn’t mean they had to forego sex totally, did it? Because her body constantly craved Rafe, as much as her heart did.

Glaring at Rafe, Erin deliberately loosed her pheromones, baiting him.

Rafe stilled and stared down at her with a narrowed gaze. “Problem?”

“I want to stop. And you’re crowding me.” But not nearly enough.

“Feeling feisty, eh?” The sparkle in his golden eyes had her loins pooling with want.

“Maybe I’m tired of you taking charge. We’re nearly at the trading post, a day early.” And you have yet to make love to me again. “It was my idea to take out Blue Rim in the first place. Peacemaker or not, this is my mission. Not yours.” Rafe grinned, irritating her to no end. “Well, I can see you’re feeling much better, aren’t you?”

“I’ve been fine.”

“No, you’ve been depleted. You used too much energy to evade me in the jungle. And after, well, after our sensual encounter, I think I pushed you too hard. You needed time to recuperate.”