The captain sat back in his chair and frowned. “Another agent cleared. This case has me stumped.”
“Yeah, me too, but we must be getting close. Someone at the STF field office placed a tracking device on my ship yesterday.”
“You told me about the tracker earlier, but you didn’t tell me it was implanted at headquarters.”
“I didn’t know until a few minutes ago. The device found on my ship was a Council design.”
“But it was the Fed that attacked you.”
“Exactly. Can you imagine the ramifications if the Federation has purchased the codes to our trackers and have access to our tracking information? They could locate any of our ships, at any time. We’d be sitting ducks.”
“Shit, Taylor.” Donnie shook his head. “If that’s true, this is a lot bigger than we thought. I’m going to assign someone to assist you in investigating the remaining agents in that field office. I don’t want to step on your toes, but it would make the work go twice as fast.”
Sable nodded and tried to hide her relief. If she’d been presented with that idea yesterday, she’d have been mad as hell. Today, however, she realized she was in over her head. She was proud, sure. But she wasn’t stupid. “Sure, Captain. I’m all for wrapping this up as soon as possible.”
“Good. Glad you’re not getting territorial about this.” Donnie arched a brow. “Really isn’t like you to concede so easily about a case that you’ve worked your ass off for.”
She shrugged and thought of Derek. He’d taken a leave of absence for her and she longed to do the same for him. “I’m tired, boss. I could use a little time away.”
“Soon, Taylor,” he agreed. “I’ll give you three months leave when this is over.”
“Great. Divide the remaining agents and leave a list of my assignments in the database for me to check in the morning.” She stretched and yawned. “I haven’t slept in days. I’m going back to my hotel to crash.”
The captain nodded sympathetically. “You do that. You look tired and for a vamp, that’s saying something.”
* * * * *
Sable woke slowly. Opening her eyes, she could tell by the dim light creeping in around the blackout drapes that it had to be late afternoon. She stretched, grinning as her leg brushed along Derek’s thigh. He slept like most vamps did, like the dead, his heavily muscled torso rising and falling with the measured breaths of deep sleep.
She brushed a hand along the rippled planes of his stomach and smiled as he groaned softly, the bed linens starting to rise with his erection. She stroked the heated length of him through the thin sheet, feeling him swell to rock hardness with a few deft squeezes of her hand.
Watching Derek as she built his desire, Sable took in the masculine beauty of his features—the full, sensual curve of his lips, the strong line of his jaw, the bold sweep of his raven brows. Just watching him so innocent and boyish in repose made her heart ache for him. He was physically beautiful, but also emotionally supportive, something she truly had never expected from him. The last two years she’d spent watching him and wishing she could have him, she’d never allowed herself to picture beyond the heartache she’d thought he would bring.
She grew wet and hot as her hands drifted with feather lightness over his satiny skin and the light matting of hair on his chest. She wanted him. Wanted to always wake to the sight of him, gorgeous and tousled and eagerly receptive to her sexual advances. She pushed aside the sheet and licked her lips at the sight of his massive cock, fully engorged and pointing straight in the air.
As the cool air of the room drifted over his skin, Derek turned instinctively toward her warmth. Sable tossed her leg over his hip and wiggled until the hot head of his erection pressed at the creamy opening of her cunt. He’d taken her often during those two days on his Starwing. More than once, she’d woken up to the awareness of her body tensing in orgasm, discovering Derek’s tongue or cock thrusting deep inside her.
It was time to pay him back.
She closed her eyes and, with a downward thrust of her hips, impaled herself on him with a tortured moan of pleasure. Shivering as needles of sensation swept over her skin and hardened her nipples, Sable set her hands on his broad shoulders and buried her face against his chest. She breathed him in, absorbing the luscious scent that drove her to distraction and hoped with all her heart that they could make a relationship work.
Unbearably aroused, she ground downward, massaging her clit with his pelvic bone. Her face rested just inches away from Derek’s and when she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into his shocked and passion-heavy gaze.
“Damn, baby,” he murmured in a sleep-raspy voice, sparkling erect fangs peeping out as he spoke. “A guy could get used to waking up like this.”
Sable rolled him gently onto his back, straddling his lean hips and forcing him deeper into her core. “Yeah? Well, a girl could get used to waking a guy up like this.” She raised slightly, the heavy weight of his cock slipping wetly from her, then she slid down around him again, gasping at the feel of his thickness boring deep.
Derek gripped the tops of her thighs, his expression intense. “You’ve got a deal.”
He lifted her and then thrust his hips upward to meet her downward drive. They both groaned.
She began to ride him with the same slow strokes that he liked to use on her. Torturous stokes that drove them both insane. Again and again, she rode his cock until she couldn’t tell where he ended and she began. Her back arched, her head fell forward and her fangs descended. With a quick hiss of warning, she bit into his throat.
Rich and heady, Derek’s blood was a nearly intoxicating delight. She reached out to his mind, feeling for the connection in the red haze of her overwhelming desire. She writhed over his body, her breasts rubbing across his chest, her stomach sticking to his with their mingled sweat, her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she held on to his bucking body with all of her strength. His tunneling cock stretched her deliciously and his warm hands firmly guided her hips while his deep voice purred encouragement in her ear. And then he was there, in her mind.
Sable, he growled. So damn good. Nothing has ever felt this good.
She sobbed almost desperately against his throat. It wasn’t what he said, but what he felt, her mind flooding with his affection and need. Her entire body began to contract in anticipation of her orgasm and he urged her to a faster pace.