The sarcastic tone was starting to really piss him off.

  “She’s been getting my DNA after all.”

  * * *

  Kara woke to buzzing.

  The noise pulled her out of fog, even as her mind tried to slip back into the warm nothingness.

  She opened her eyes to Tall, Dark and Gorgeous running a scanner over her, frowning thoughtfully over the readout. Her handcuffs were gone. Too bad she’d have to mess up that pretty face.

  “Relax, honey.” The voice, the deep lazy drawl of it, matched the rest of the package. “As much as I’d love to wrestle you, Duke would have my balls.”

  There was a quick sarcastic snort. On her other side, the blonde medTech studied another scanner.

  “Lil might fight you for me though.”

  The blonde ignored him. Stuck out a hand. “Lillian Oser. I go by Lil.”

  “Kara. Kara Dillon.” Surprised at the outstretched hand, Kara reached out her own. The palm that met hers was surprisingly strong.

  “I’m Trent.” Handsome stuck out his hand as well, held her palm just a few seconds, mischief dancing in his eyes.

  “If you’re done…” Lil’s voice was cool as she addressed him.

  “You want my attention, honey, you’ll have to do better than that.”

  Lil rolled her eyes again, shook her head. “Kara needs to rest. Get out of here.”

  He chuckled warmly. “If you want to get rid of me, just say so.” He stood. “Later, honey.” Kara wasn’t sure which honey he was talking to, but nodded just the same. He sauntered out.

  As soon as the door closed, Lil produced a fist-sized box.

  “I know about your needs.”

  That bastard was bragging about it? Embarrassment flushed Kara’s cheeks with heat. She would kill him. Slowly.

  Lil obviously read it on her face. “Relax. I read up on Tervian DNA.”

  Feeling foolish now, Kara nodded. “I’m half. I think.”

  That got her a sympathetic nod. “Men are generally assholes. Duke’s one too, but he is a good man --”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “I understand.” Lil shoved the box toward her. “The blood infusion helps, but it’s not quite the same.”

  “Oh. You know?”

  Lil just smiled. “Yes. You pissed him off good, if I may add.”

  Well, at least there was that.

  “And this is…”

  “You sound like him.” This was accompanied with another grin. “It’s a virtual reality module. I took the liberty of putting Duke’s body scan in there.”

  Stunned, Kara looked at her, expecting the punch line. “Why?”

  The grin was replaced by a sad little smile. “I know what it’s like to want what you can’t have.”

  * * *

  In the commandPost, Duke paced. “Can this wait?”

  “Lil and Trent are with her.”

  Brenner’s cool stare was starting to seriously get on his nerves. “Trent’s a medTech now?”

  “Since her blood can explode every system on this ship, sure.”

  Duke paced some more.

  “You want to tell me what’s going on?” Again that calm tone.

  “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

  “I would think regular sex would put you in a better mood.”

  Duke had had enough. “My sex life is not your concern.”

  Brenner’s lips firmed. “Absolutely. However, the health of a prisoner we are contracted to deliver is.”

  “She’s fine.” She was fine. Absolutely happily fine, while he couldn’t sleep with a hard-on from hell.

  “You realize you’re still in love with her?”

  The question was like a bullet through the silence. “What the hell gave you that idea?” He saw Brenner try to hide a smile. Fucker. “Playing matchmaker now?”

  “Just posing the question.”

  “She says she was interrogated for intel.” It spilled out before Duke could stem it. “She says they hurt her. Shattered her knees. Barely remembers it.”

  “You believe her?”

  “Would you?”

  “Again, posing a question.”

  “I don’t know. Lil did a scan -- there’s damage there. I…” Laughed at her, he realized. Fucking laughed at her and she was hurting. “I fucked it up.”

  Brenner just raised an eyebrow.

  “I don’t know if I believe her. Plenty of ways to interrogate without breaking bones. She’s a woman, for God’s sake.”

  “If she was raped, you’d believe it?”

  Duke clenched his fists at the thought. “That’s fucked up.”

  Brenner shrugged. “They shattered her knees. That’s fucked up too.”

  “You are willing to believe her.”

  Again, a shrug. “I saw the money in her account.”

  “Did you follow it?”

  “Tried. But --” Brenner tapped a series of keys on the console. Dinah’s face appeared on the central monitor. “Do a data dig for me?”

  “Yes, sir.” The “sir” was accompanied by a wide, wide grin.

  Duke rolled his eyes.

  “A significant number of credits were wired into a creditBank account on Orpheus. About a year ago -- Kara Dillon. I need you to trace it.”

  There was a slight pause. “You got it.”

  “Thanks.” Brenner ended transmission. “If you want to break the contract, I’m all for it.”

  Dinah must have softened his brain. “Since when?”

  “Just offering an option.”

  “And what, lose our rep along with the credits?”

  Brenner smiled. “I seem to remember you attempting something similar. The only rep that suffered was yours when Dinah flattened you.”

  Was that only a few months ago? Shit. “That was different. I faked it.”

  Brenner barked a laugh. “I’ll refrain from the obvious joke.”

  Chapter Eight

  Kara placed the vStraps under the suit, just in case Duke walked in. Not that he would anyway. The only time she saw him was when he brought her food and at night, when he asked in that coolly polite tone if she needed him. Hiding a smirk, she was sure of it. Well, she didn’t need anything, thank you.

  So stop thinking about him.

  She shoved on the goggles.

  The room blurred for a bit, then righted.

  She was on the same bed, with Duke, big, buff, gorgeously naked behind her, his chest at her back, his hands kneading her shoulders. No words, no smirks. Just gentle pressure, soft caresses with his big warm hands.

  This she could do. Quite nicely.

  Closing her eyes, Kara relaxed into him, let him smooth the tension from her muscles. When she felt his lips brush her neck she sighed, shivered a bit.

  With her eyes closed, she twisted, felt her lips captured by his, sweetly, tenderly. As his mouth played over hers, his fingers gently cupped her breasts, lifted them, and massaged the sensitive flesh. She arched into him, offering her breasts to his touch. His thumbs brushed gently across her nipples, causing them to peak.

  A breeze across her body surprised Kara enough to open her eyes, and there was Duke on his knees in front of her, looking at her sprawled body, just as the Duke behind her slid his palms over her nipples.

  “Enjoying yourself?” His voice was a purr.

  “Lil has some kinky fantasies,” she said. What the hell. She held out her arms to him.

  He came toward her, on his knees by her side, gloriously naked. Kara let herself touch him, finally touch him without holding back for fear he’d turn her away. She slid her palms along his chest, the hard ridges of his abdomen -- brushed against the hot tip of his cock.

  Duke pressed his lips to hers and she stroked him as Duke behind her kneaded her breasts, teased her budding nipples. She moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around him. Amazing how real this thing is.

  His kiss was drugging, the pleasure soft at first, then heating more as her lovers caressed her skin, a palm on her shoulder, a fingertip on her nipple, a quick nip on the sensitive spot under her ear.

  Duke pressed his lips over her cheeks, her eyes, her forehead, breaking away to nibble on her jaw, her neck, her ear. Moving lower, he reached for her breasts, palmed them, lifted them, then blew on the hard pink tips before sucking one into his mouth. Moaning softly, Kara arched toward him, needing more. He sucked harder now, his other hand plucking her free nipple, drawing it into a hardened berry.

  Behind her, Duke slid his hands along her belly, her thighs. Eagerly she parted her legs, let his exploring hands caress the sensitive skin of her inner thighs as Duke in front laved her other nipple with his tongue, sucked it into his mouth.

  She felt herself creaming, felt gentle fingers part her, dance delicately over hot, swollen flesh.

  “Delicious.” Duke in front of her fed her another kiss before scooting lower and settling himself between her legs. “Let’s see how this tastes.”

  Duke behind her reclaimed her breasts. In front of her, Duke lowered his head and inhaled deeply before parting her legs further and settling wide shoulders between them.

  She felt a kiss at the very top where her pussy lips met, felt his thumbs part her, sucked in a breath in preparation -- and gasped at the delicate swirl of air dancing over her swelling clit.

  “Like that, sweetheart?” The smile he gave her was pure male appreciation. She could only moan in return.

  Taking that as a yes, he repeated it, blowing lightly on her clit, causing it to swell beyond the hood of skin that hid it. Then his tongue, just the tip of it, trailed a path along the inside of her labia, stroking up on one side, down on the other.

  “Delicious,” he murmured again, and repeated the movement over and over, each thorough pass of his tongue stroking the side of her clit. Kara moaned, thrashing against his wide chest behind her, arching up from the pleasure of it.

  Then he closed his lips around her pulsing clit. Sucked. She screamed from the pleasure of it, so hot, so potent, that any thought of the real Duke coming in and putting an end to it was banished as she writhed from the onslaught of his mouth on her.

  Nips. Tiny licks. Long slow passes with a wet, gliding tongue. He drew out moans and screams as he pleasured her pussy, laved her clit, sucking it with exquisite gentleness. When he inserted a finger inside her wetness she almost clamped her thighs around his head from the intensity of it. Warm rough palms curled around her knees, jerked her hips up, spread her legs above her torso. His tongue returned to lick delicately around her clit, driving her crazy.

  “Come for me,” Kara heard a rough voice say in her ear. His finger pumped slowly inside her, his tongue firmer now, circling her clit, curling around it, laving it, licking faster, pumping faster and she clenched harder, the pleasure so intense she was shaking, bucking. “Come for me, sweetheart,” Duke whispered in her ear again.

  She tensed, muscles coiling as Duke closed his mouth around her clit and sucked hard this time. Two fingers inside her now, pumping fast, and she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t speak, just moaned, thrashing her head from side to side on his rock-solid chest.

  “You know…” that velvet voice in her ear only spurred her higher, “… the best part about eating pussy is fucking it after. So tight and wet.” The rough words made her spasm around the pumping fingers in her, Duke’s mouth drawing harder on her clit. “Just think how tight you’ll be when I fuck you,” Duke whispered, and she moaned again. “How creamy you’ll be for me.”

  Cream for him she did. She froze, drew in a breath. Splintered, shuddering, screaming, pulsing. He kept her in place, used his mouth, his fingers, drawing her tighter, faster, hotter, then leaving her limp, breathless, boneless.

  It took her a few minutes to even begin to think.

  “This is insane.” Kara barely managed even that, hearing her own heart thudding in her chest. “Remind me to thank the patent holder.”

  The grin Duke in front shot her was full of masculine satisfaction. She watched him rise, take his massive erection into his hand and knee her legs apart once more.

  “Time for round two.”

  “I can’t.” Regretting it, Kara tried to scoot up. Duke could be back any minute and she didn’t want to get caught. She found herself pressed against a strong male chest. His arms wrapped around her middle.

  She tried to untangle herself.

  Duke pushed her legs apart, his hands gentle yet firm. She frowned as she tried to squirm away. Even in VR he was a domineering asshole. At least in VR guilt wouldn’t make her a dishrag. She pressed her hands to her face just as virtual Duke filled her, so deep, so perfect, she arched up, moaned as his cock stretched her.

  Determination won. She tore the goggles off, only to stare up into Duke’s eyes of hot, molten steel. She cursed, tried to wiggle away from him, but only succeeded in grinding her pelvis against him, her engorged clit brushing against his pelvic bone, shooting more sparks of pleasure through her.

  She was on the bed. Naked. VStraps gone. When did he get her naked?

  Before she could speak, he captured both her wrists, raised them level with her head, pinned her. Nipped gently at her mouth.

  “I’ll stop if you ask me,” he rasped, intense eyes locked with hers. “Please don’t ask me.”

  The pleasure inside her was molten. Wordlessly, Kara wrapped her legs around him, and he moved, slowly at first, teasing, then deeper, harder, stroking firmly, his thick cock caressing the slick folds of her cunt as he filled her completely, withdrew, filled her again. Pleasure she’d thought sated built again, winding from her clit along her spine, coiling over her, building taut.

  He watched her face as he fucked her, his jaw clenched, his breathing ragged.

  Unable to stand the intensity of his gaze, Kara closed her eyes and turned her head, at least keeping some of her defenses. Except, then he stopped.

  She clenched around him, trying to force him deeper.

  “Look at me.” He pulled out, the head of his cock poised right at the entrance, teasing her swollen pussy.

  As if of their own accord, her eyes opened. Locked with his. He stroked in again, stretched her with his cock, so slow, so exquisitely torturously slow, she lifted her hips, trying to urge him deeper.

  “More?”

  “Yes, damn you,” she gasped.

  Sharply, Duke plunged. Withdrew.

  “Like this?” Another stroke, again hard.

  “Yes!”

  Large hands wrapped around her ankles, lifted them up, lined her legs together, and placed them against his right shoulder. He leaned in, trapped her knees between their bodies, stroked inside and the angle of it allowed him to go so deep, she gasped with it, feeling him tap her cervix.

  Kara felt him shift, rise a bit, and he was on his feet, squatting, his thighs over her, pressing so deep, so hard, she screamed from it as he fucked her. Strong, full and merciless until she shuddered around him, screamed his name and splintered into another orgasm, the grunts of his own climax echoing in her ears.

  She was still shuddering when thinking ability returned. Wet, sticky, she tried to unscramble what was left of her brain. The heavy arm gently curling around her was yet another shock. She was tugged against him, his front spooning her back. Deliciously warm, her body refused to move even as her mind sharply ordered it to get the hell away.

  “Sleep. You can yell at me later,” she heard him rumble in her ear. His breath tickled her ear. His skin was warm, damp. Duke’s cock -- still half hard -- pressed against her ass. His arm refused to let her budge.

  Resigned, she closed her eyes. And slept.

  Chapter Nine

  Kara made herself eat, concentrating fiercely on shoving food into her mouth. You can stay as long as you need me. Conceited, arrogant prick with his mild voice and sudden manners. So coolly polite she wanted to smack him just to see if he’d jump.

  It was his fault she needed him in the first place. If Duke hadn’t pumped his blood into her, he wouldn’t have to pump her… another way. Mentally she snorted. Even if he hadn’t, she would still want him. Without the biological need, without the heightened sense of his body, she would still want him. She would just manage to keep her dignity and not beg for it.

  She shoved soup in her mouth, more to keep herself occupied than from any real hunger.

  I’m breaking the contract.

  She was supposed to feel grateful. Ha.

  He’d forgotten the bonus feature. Or he didn’t know about it, and Lil hadn’t told him. The addiction worked both ways if one of the participants was emotionally involved. It was something that had evolved on Terva to ensure success of the species when there were too few females for all the males.

  After Orpheus, Duke had some of her DNA in him -- which explained why he didn’t choke on his tongue from the toxin. He obviously wasn’t addicted then. Or not enough to force him to seeking her out sooner.

  With dark glee, Kara really hoped all the inventive sex would add to the addiction. Just a bit. Just enough so she could laugh and smirk and tell him to go to hell.

  Bastard.

  She ate, ignored Duke, stared at the stars and planned for the future. Her transPod was useless. She had to find something else before going back to work. And not think about him. Ever.

  Dinah walked in, her hand engulfed by a large paw belonging to a tall military type. Probably Jack Brenner, commander of GrimJustin, who had been with Duke during the Kremlin stint, and he probably thought of her just as fondly. He didn’t look so intense, grinning like an idiot at the woman next to him.

  “I’m glad someone’s happy,” Duke grumbled beside her.

  She agreed wholeheartedly.

  Of course, they headed her way.

  Hastily, Kara swallowed a spoonful of soup, wiping her mouth as Military-man extended a hand.

  “Pilot Dillon.”

  She forced a smile. “Commander.”

  He nodded, his face a study of polite curiosity. She wondered what to make of it.

  “Were you able to trace it?” Duke’s voice was a study of nonchalance.

  “Yeah.” Dinah sighed now, the glow around her dimming just a bit. “Stops at… where you said. Nothing beyond it.”