She continued her trail of kisses and touches and bites down his body until she reached the rampant length of his erection. His entire body was tense, held still as she studied him, taking in the sight of his need for her. She'd never before thought that the male body was all that attractive, but to her, David's naked arousal was beautiful.

She reached out a slim finger and touched him where the proof of his need glistened in the lamplight.

David pulled in a strangled breath, and his hips bucked up off the floor.

"You liked that," she whispered, watching as she spread that drop of moisture over the tip of his erection.

He was past actual words, but the grunt he gave conveyed his agreement as eloquently as if he'd started spouting poetry.

She wrapped her hand around his length, marveling at the smoothness of his skin. Soft, like baby skin, over iron hardness. The contrast was arousing, compelling.

David's fingers slid through her hair along her scalp. His arms were shaking, as if he was struggling against the need to pull her head toward him. Noelle needed no encouragement. She wanted to taste all of him.

Without warning, she took him into her mouth, feeling the smooth slide of his flesh against her tongue, the salty taste and scent of his arousal filling her senses.

David moaned and his fingers clenched along her skull as his hips shifted in a chaotic motion. Noelle had never done this before, but apparently, her inexperience didn't matter.

He said he'd take enthusiasm over experience any day, and Noelle had enthusiasm to spare. She took her time enjoying him, figuring out what pleased him. He made these deep, husky moans of approval that made her blood sing with pleasure. Making him feel good like this was wickedly delightful, something she could definitely get used to.

His moans became more urgent, and she felt him tugging at her hair, trying to pull her away. Noelle released him from her mouth and looked up into his face. She could feel her lips, hot and swollen, knew that her enjoyment was showing plainly on her face.

"So beautiful," he murmured.

Noelle smiled, her newfound power giving her mouth a naughty slant. "So are you."

He wrapped his hands around her biceps and pulled her up his body until he could kiss her mouth. She sensed his fierce need for release straining his control, but his kisses were gentle, soothing, drugging.

Noelle gave in to her need to be swept away by feeling, closed her eyes and reveled in the way he made her body heat and her soul sing. He was her man, at least for right now, and she wanted to possess him, be possessed by him.

David pulled away from her mouth and lifted her up so he could sweep his hot tongue over the tip of her breast.

Electric sensations zinged along her nerves, sizzling her blood and pooling low in her belly. Noelle pulled in a shocked breath, then let it out in a groan of raw need.

The short beard stubble along his jaw rasped over her breasts in a rough caress. He drew her hard into his mouth, using his tongue and teeth in a way that had her quivering on the knife-edge between pleasure and pain. It was too much sensation and still not enough.

Noelle used all her strength to pull away, scrambling to setde her eager body over the tip of his erection. She needed him inside her. Now. There was no longer time for slow, lazy loving. She needed him, hot and deep and hard. Her ache was too harsh to be appeased by anything gentle.

Without any help, Noelle shifted her weight and sank down on him, feeling the sweet pressure of being filled inch by hot inch. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she panted while she adjusted to the sensation of being stretched.

David's hands held her hips in place, refusing to let her move. He, too, was breathing hard, and she could feel the tension of his body drawn tight beneath her.

"I'm never going to get enough of you," he said in a thick voice. "So damn good."

Noelle couldn't speak. It took all her concentration just to bold herself still. The urge to move was killing her, but if she fought his grip, she'd never have the strength to finish what she'd started. And she wanted that too much to let it go.

Slowly, his hands loosened, and he swept his palms up her body to cup her breasts. His thumbs rasped over her nipples and Noelle whimpered as those electric currents shot through her to where she was filled by David.

She braced her hands on his chest and started to move, slowly, carefully, feeling every slick inch of him against her sensitized sheath. Her balance was awkward, but she quickly learned how to ride him and let go of every remaining inhibition she had.

David helped her move, guided her body in ways she wouldn't have known would please her. When she thought he was seated in her as deeply as he could go, he'd pin her hips and rotate his, showing her that she had been wrong. He pressed his thumb against her clitoris, increasing the pressure with every stroke until Noelle could no longer Contain herself. She gave in to her orgasm, letting it sweep through her in a relentless series of waves, one after another, while her body convulsed around David.

She felt him watching her but didn't care. There was no space left in her for embarrassment. This was pure pleasure and she gave in to every shimmer of sensation. The intensity of her climax waned, continuing in little ripples of her internal muscles. Beneath her, David groaned and tensed, pulling her to him in an unbreakable bond. "Noelle" he shouted, and the first pulse of his orgasm filled her. He held her to him, gritting his teeth as his heat pumped into her.

Noelle draped her body over his, resting her head on his chest. She could feel his heart beating inside her, fast and in time with her own. She could hear it thud beneath her ear, a frantic pace that left her grinning in satisfaction. She was no seductress, but she'd made him feel good. That was all she really wanted.

David cradled her body in his big hands, smoothing his palms over her back and bottom. Even his calluses felt good against her skin. Between his warmth and caresses and the languid relief of their lovemaking, Noelle couldn't help but close her eyes and drift.

David shifted, and she realized that she'd fallen asleep. He rolled over, leaving her lying on one sleeping bag while he opened the second to make a bed. Noelle scooted over to where he patted the sleeping bag and he covered her with the second.

His expression was warm and tender when he tucked her in. He was such an easy man to love, the way he cared for her. She wished they had more time together, but she knew that wasn't going to happen.

Her body was sated and so tired from physical strain and mental pressure. Part of her wanted him again, but the rest of her was just too tired. "Are you going to sleep with me?" she asked him.

"Yes, but that's all. You need your rest." He blew out the lantern flame and padded back across the cabin, crawling in bed with her. "Give me your glasses."

Noelle handed them over, trusting him to put them somewhere safe where they wouldn't be stepped on. She needed to wash up, but couldn't find the strength to care that she was slick and messy from their lovemaking. Knowing him, even if she did wash, she'd end up messy again by morning.

He rolled onto his side and pulled her up against him so her back was cradled by his chest. "It's so good to be warm again," she said.

"I'll warm you up like that anytime you want, honey."

Noelle knew it wasn't a promise for the future, but part of her wished it could be. Rather than being sad over the knowledge that they would separate soon, she decided to enjoy her remaining time with David.

She snuggled up against him, smiling into the dark when she felt his penis harden against her bottom. "I thought you said you wanted to sleep."

"I didn't say I wanted to, I said you needed to. And you do. Just close your eyes and pretend that you don't feel that."

Noelle laughed. "Yeah, right." She wiggled some more, experimenting with her newfound powers of seduction.

David's erection became less easy to ignore. For both of them.

"Stop that," he commanded.

Noelle disobeyed with delight.

With a growl, David rolled her under him and slid into her in one powerful thrust. He didn't give her time to warm up to her orgasm. He pulled it from her with a series of expert movements of his hips and wicked, knowing fingers and tongue.

Noelle had nowhere to hide from his demand, and by the time he climaxed deep inside her body, she was whimpering from a mixture of fatigue and pleasure.

She felt his satisfied smile against her temple. "You'll sleep now, I'll bet."

Noelle was out before she could find the strength to agree with him.

David held her for a long time before his limbs quit shaking. He slipped from the warm cocoon of sleeping bags to retrieve a washcloth. He wet it and held it over the stove until it was nice and warm. He'd made a mess of Noelle's sweet body, and she was too tired to clean herself up, so he did it for her.

She was so deeply asleep that she didn't even twitch. Poor thing. She'd been pushing too hard. He was glad she was getting a decent night's sleep tonight.

And she would. David was going to stay right by her side all night, holding her, making sure she stayed where he wanted her to. The fact that she was so soft and feminine and naked didn't make his task a sucky one. This was one job he was going to enjoy.

David pulled her back into his embrace, pillowing her head on his chest. Her warm breath swept out over him in a sleepy sigh of contentment.

He had no idea what he was going to do after this assignment was over, but he knew he didn't want to let Noelle go.

Maybe it was just the fact that she was the first woman he'd been with since Mary; but then again, maybe it was something more. David wasn't sure, but he knew one thing. He wasn't letting Noelle go until he knew whether what he felt for her was as real as he feared it might be. Hoped it might be.

He'd lost one woman he loved, and he'd die before he lost another.

Just before dawn, Owen approached Brian where he slept at the base of a large tree. He had one more job for the boy.

One final mission.

Before Brian could stir, Owen injected him with a heavy sedative. As soon as Brian felt the sting of the needle, his eyes flew open wide, but his awareness only lasted a second before the drug kicked in.

Owen lifted Brian onto his shoulder and shifted the boy's gangly weight to a more comfortable position. He had bait, now all he needed to do was to set the trap.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Grant and Caleb had just left to patrol the perimeter one more time before running into town for supplies. There wasn't enough food to last for more than a day the way those two ate. David leaned against the counter in the kitchen, just watching Noelle. Since he'd woken her with his mouth early this morning to make love to her, she hadn't said more than a handful of words to him—most of those were really more grunts than words.

David grinned. She was so damn pretty when she was concentrating on her work. Her red curls kept spilling out from the knot she'd stuffed them into at the top of her head. She had some ink smudged on one cheek, but they were a healthy pink color rather than unnaturally pale. She kept frowning at her computer screen, then spouted out gibberish about simultaneous equations and vector analysis. She probably didn't even realize she was talking to herself.

David just lounged there, content to watch her. For the first time in years, the hollow, dead spots around his heart were coming back to life. It wasn't exactly a comfortable process, but it was better than he'd felt in a long time.