Illicit Mate (Abducted 4)

“That you and I are soul-mates,” she said softly.

The sight of her luminous eyes, filled with a loving glow, shook him to the very core.

Deep in his heart, he knew that he wanted this woman to love him. And, somewhere in the shadows of his soul, he thought… just maybe he loved her.

His whole body tensed. But if he loved her… and he loved Casey… that would mean that the three of them might all be bonded. His stomach clenched.

The urge to flee rushed through him, but then her finger glided over his lips. Her delicate touch unnerved him. His gaze locked on her lovely face, glowing with an ethereal light.

“I know you feel it, too,” she said. “I can see it in your eyes.”

She leaned in closer, her soft body brushing against his.

“I’m suffering this painful need that I know only you can satisfy.”

As she gazed at him with wide eyes, looking so vulnerable, he felt his barriers crumble.

Gattra, how could he resist her?

He grasped her arms and pulled her against him. Their lips met in a blaze of passion. Her tongue nudged delicately at his lips and he opened, then plunged his tongue into her mouth to taste her sweetness.

The ache inside him turned to an urgent need. To rip the dress from her and caress her luscious breasts. To dive between her legs and feast on the sweet slickness he knew he’d find there. To plunge his rigid, aching cock deep inside her until she screamed his name in ecstasy.

She melted against him with a soft sigh.

“Darrick?”

At the sound of Casey’s voice, Jenna felt Darrick stiffen, then pull away from her.

“Casey, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” he said.

Jenna’s gaze jerked to Casey’s and her stomach knotted at the look of betrayal in her eyes as she stared at Darrick.

Then Casey’s gaze shifted to Jenna and the haunting pain shimmering in the violet depths of her eyes froze Jenna to the spot.

Guilt pulsed through her. All she’d thought about were her own needs. Never once had she truly considered how Casey felt. She’d come all this way to meet her soul-mate, unsure if Jenna would return her feelings, especially since she didn’t share her belief system about soul-mates, then Jenna had essentially told her there was no chance she would ever love her.

Casey had been rejected by the one person she believed was meant to love her no matter what.

In Jenna’s shock and fear at finding herself here, she hadn’t considered how painful that must have been for Casey.

Now this. Discovering Jenna in someone else’s arms. In fact, a trusted friend of Casey’s.

Casey’s hands tightened into fists and she strode across the room in silence, then disappeared into the bedroom.

Jenna gazed at Darrick, her pulse pounding in her ears.

“I’ll go talk to her,” he said, but she caught his arm as he stood up.

“No, I think I should do it.”

She stood and strode to the bedroom door before she lost her nerve. When she stepped into the bedroom, Casey stood at the window staring out at the blackness of space.

“Casey, please don’t blame Darrick. It was all my fault.”

Casey turned. Her expression was guarded.

“Jenna, this isn’t about blame. I know that you have found yourself in a difficult situation. You’re overwhelmed, feeling that you’ve been stripped of the ability to master your own destiny. I understand that you are grasping for something to put you back in control of your life. I also know what Darrick has been struggling with.”