He shrugged and gave her a boyish grin. “Thought maybe you wanted to get me alone. Have your wicked way with me.”
“Don’t tempt me.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, Rain wanted to slap herself silly. What was wrong with her? She wanted to sink through the ground in embarrassment. She probably would have if she hadn’t seen the heat in Micah’s eyes.
“Now there’s an idea.” His voice was low and husky.
Rain swallowed hard. It wasn’t like she was a stranger to sex. In the world she lived in, people were encouraged to sleep with multiple partners from a fairly young age, at least until they started having children. Babies meant the human race had half a chance of surviving. Puritanical views about sex and marriage meant the human race would die. Simple as that.
Still, she’d never once felt about anyone the way she felt about Micah Caine. Suddenly it was about more than just sex. And suddenly it was really important that he felt the same way.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” her voice came out a little breathless. “The Marines...”
“They’re up there and we’re down here. They’re not going to find us.” He peered into her eyes. His own had gone sapphire blue. “I know you want to. So do I. Since the minute I woke up it’s been all I can think about. Me. You. What it would be like.”
He trailed a finger down her cheek, and she shuddered at the sensation. “Are you crazy?” she whispered. “We’re in mortal danger here and all you’re thinking about is sex?”
“Can you think of a better time to think about it?”
Frankly, she couldn’t. They were safe enough for now. And this was the first time they’d had any real privacy since he’d arrived at the compound weeks ago. She shook her head. Slowly.
He tucked a strand of dark blond hair behind her ear. He was just a breath away now. “Can you think of a better time to do something about it?”
Her mouth felt dry as dust and butterflies the size of drags were going crazy in her stomach. She shook her head again.
“Good.”
Then he kissed her.
His lips were warm and velvet soft. He urged her mouth open and his tongue was hot and wet as it danced over hers. Heat rushed to pool between her thighs. Every bit of her ached for him to touch, to taste.
She buried her fingers in the thick silk of his hair. The ink-black strands no longer shaved to his scalp showed the promise of a slight curl.
His hands, rough from years of wielding his sword fighting the dragons, skimmed the soft skin of her belly under her shirt and up toward her breasts. She made a sound against his mouth, half begging, half demanding.
She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, leveraging her body closer to his. The heat of him wrapped itself around her. She wanted him so much.
“Rain? Rain are you in there?” Joey’s young voice piped from up the tunnel.
“Shit.” Rain shoved Micah back, scrambling off his lap. Disappointment speared through her. Disappointment mirrored on his face, but the last thing she needed was Joey Turrow finding them doing ... stuff.
Joey’s head popped around the corner, his pale blond hair shining in the lantern light. “Padre Pedro said it’s safe to come out now.”
“Right behind you, Joe.”
Micah’s voice was remarkably steady, but Rain wasn’t stupid. She could tell he was still a little breathless. Joey gave them both an odd look, then shrugged his shoulders and headed back up the tunnel.
“Oh, great.”
Micah stood up and pulled her back against him. “What’s wrong?”
Rain pressed her face against his chest for a moment, then leaned back in his arms. “He knows what we were doing.”
“And what were we doing?” There was a teasing edge to his voice. It made her smile.
“You know what we were doing, Micah Caine.”
He nuzzled her temple and her heart did a funny little flip flop. Micah Caine affected her like no other man before. It was weird. Scary and exciting all at the same time.
“Who cares if he knows? What’s the big deal?”
She shrugged at that. “Well, nothing, except the entire compound will know in less than five minutes.”
“Good.” He had that macho, manly look in his eyes. Marking his territory.
“Men.” She rolled her eyes at him and stomped after Joey. Even the good ones were idiots.
Micah’s belly laugh followed her all the way up the tunnel.
Chapter 15
“RAIN, WE NEED TO TALK.” Elan wasn’t exactly sober, but he was closer to it than he had been in weeks.
“Fine. Talk.” It had been a couple days since the raid and Rain was overseeing the moving of the armory. The Marines had come too close to finding it for comfort.
“I think...” He hesitated. “Listen, Rain, it’s time you and Caine found somewhere else. To live.”
“Excuse me?” Rain whirled on him. “What the fuck, Elan?”
He winced a bit at her tone and held up a hand. “I’m sorry. I don’t want you to leave. You know I don’t. I love you like a sister. But it’s for the best.”
Her expression hardened. “After all I’ve done for you and for Sanctuary? You’re going to throw me out of the compound like some sort of ... criminal?”
Being thrown out of a compound was the ultimate punishment. In a world dominated by drags, it was tantamount to a death sentence.
He closed his eyes, pain written on every line of his dark face. A face so heartbreakingly like Sutter’s. “You know it isn’t like that Rain. The Marines, they were after you. And Caine. You saw what they did to the place. What they did to our people.”
She had. They’d torn up over half Padre Pedro’s gardens. It would be a wonder if he could salvage even a few of the plants. Shortsighted idiots. They’d discovered one of the secret storerooms
