Fierce Predator, page 5
“Now you know my name, aren’t you going to tell me yours?”
If he didn’t know better, he’d have sworn she leaned in as she asked, as if she was daring him not to let her go.
“I wasn’t sure there was much point in telling you.” He towered over her, at least a foot taller and as their eyes met, he imagined sweeping her from her feet, yanking up her skirt, and impaling her. Trinity had been so fucking good. He wanted to devour her. “Looks like you’re about to walk away from me again.”
“You’re never going to let me forget that, are you?” She was only a few inches from him now. Close enough for her intoxicating breath to tease, the aroma of her drink almost as enticing as she was. “I said I was sorry.”
“And I heard you, but one word doesn’t rewrite the past. I’d hoped for more, and clearly, you didn’t feel the same way.”
“It’s not that.” Her gaze fell fleetingly between them. “Look, I was wrong.”
“Thank you.” His lips curled at her admission. “Now, please, don’t let me ruin your night.”
“We’re not done yet,” she insisted, her brows knitting with irritation.
“We’re not?”
Zak was having fun toying with her and sensing she was on the back foot. His arousal was heightening, the fantasy of screwing her right here and now, in front of all of them, bettered only by the thought of spanking her pert ass first.
“No.” Gripping the stem of her glass, she practically stamped her foot on the deck. “I’ll need your name first.”
“Gonna ask me out for a drink?”
“Maybe.” Her brow rose. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Don’t think for too long,” I taunted. “I won’t be on duty all night.”
“Somewhere better to be?”
His gaze stretched beyond her to the rhythmic pull of the waves. “Maybe.”
“How about a dance before you go?” She lifted her drink to her glossy lips, draining the contents. “As compensation for the way I treated you.”
“It’s a good start.” But you’re going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that. “Thank you, Trinity.”
“I’ll need your name first.”
She arched her eyebrow as if she thought she’d got the better of him. He chuckled at her naivety.
“My name is Zak, Ma’am.” Lifting his hand, he offered her a small salute. “At your service.”
“Nice to meet you properly, Zak.” Stepping away, she flashed him an alluring smile. “I look forward to later.”
He watched her sashay away, the curve of her ass goading him as she disappeared into the throng. He hadn’t been too excited about the prospect of this evening, but the night had taken an unexpected turn for the better.
“And who was that?” Nash’s snarl reverberated in his earpiece, and glancing up, Zak saw him staring from the upper deck.
“Just a friend.”
“Friend, my ass.” Nash’s dark laughter echoed around Zak’s head. “You’re boning her, or you want to.”
“You know your problem, Nash.” Touching his ear, Zak muttered the words as he wandered away. “You live your life between your legs.”
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” Nash replied. “Can’t say I blame you. She’s quite a catch.”
Zak turned back to peer into the salon, catching sight of Trinity being introduced to a line of VIPs.
“A word of advice, though.”
Zak sighed as Nash’s voice rattled on. “What?”
“A woman like that is gonna turn all the guy’s heads. You’re going to have to keep her on a very short leash.”
Grinning at his friend’s assessment, Zak laughed. For once, Nash had read his mind.
Chapter 7
Trinity
Trinity was being introduced to important people left and right. God, I hope there isn’t a quiz at the end of the evening. She tried several times to glance back over her shoulder but couldn’t catch even a glimpse of Zak. Maybe that was for the best. The man was unsettling, and he had seemed genuinely annoyed. So much for the fantasy of him treating me gently. Maybe it would be better to just let sleeping dogs lie.
Finally, Admiral Warrenton thrust a palm in her direction. “Dr. Dare, I’ve been following your career closely.”
“Not that closely, Admiral. I don’t have a doctorate, but thank you nonetheless.”
“I hadn’t noticed. Certainly, your treatise on Tiger Sharks and how divers can best survive an unexpected encounter.”
“Well, I know that, Admiral,” said a local politician with more money than brains. “You just use one of those bang sticks.”
Trinity shook her head. “Not with any of the bigger sharks, especially Great Whites, Tigers, and Bulls. You can usually ward off or stop an attack from a Mako or a White Tip, but the other three have too much mass. And I wouldn’t want to bet my life on fending off the latter two—they are incredibly fast, especially in short bursts. All you’re going to do is piss them off. You’re better off to stay out of their territory. Most people do more damage to themselves with a bang stick than whatever creature they’re trying to intimidate.”
A small group of people had gathered around.
“Their territory?” clarified the politician. He must have thought if he had an audience, he ought to pontificate.
“Yep. Their territory. Sharks and orcas are the apex predators of our oceans. Both deserving of our respect and care.”
“They are primitive creatures and need to be taught to fear us,” he argued, showing his stupidity.
“You’re an idiot.” Trinity shook her head with irritation. “Sharks had pretty much stopped evolving long before man even climbed out of the primordial soup. They haven’t polluted their environment; we have. Don’t even get me started on the practice of finning.”
She took a deep breath, trying to remember these people weren’t the enemy and that protecting sharks lay more in the area of education than anything else.
“What’s finning?” asked one of the onlookers.
“It’s an abominable practice where sharks are caught, and their fins are cut off, usually while the animal is still alive.” She tensed at her explanation. “The fins are stored, and the rest of the shark—that’s still alive—is tossed back to sink to the bottom of the ocean. It suffers a slow and agonizing death by suffocation, bleeding out or being eaten.”
“Sharks are fish. They can breathe underwater,” argued the politician. “They just swim away. Besides, they just grow the fins back—a renewable resource.”
“You’re wrong. Sharks can’t swim or float without their fins, which they cannot grow back.” Her jaw tensed. “Most have to be moving in order to breathe.”
Well, except for that Tiger the other day, which had to be a trick of the light or some kind of optical illusion. From the back of the crowd, Trinity spotted Zak moving through the small group like a predator on the prowl.
She took a breath, trying to calm her anger. “Finning is a disgrace. It is cruel and wasteful. Many countries have banned the practice, but not all. If you ever come across a shark that is dying or has died because of it, you will never be the same.”
“Here now, let’s everybody try to rein in their tempers,” said the Admiral, looking pointedly at Trinity.
“I apologize, Admiral, if I embarrassed you, but I’m a marine biologist, an environmentalist by nature, and when someone is spouting misinformation, I believe it is my duty to educate them and anyone who might be listening to them. The fact is a diver in open water all by themselves is asking to become a tasty snack.”
“What about those in a shark cage?” It was Zak’s voice that replied, his tone provocative.
“Shark cages, especially those used by Oceanic Adventures, the company I work for, are designed to protect both humans and sea life. We are very careful to ensure that our guests are informed of the inherent risks. We don’t, as some do, chum the waters, and we ensure they keep all of their body parts inside the cage.”
“Aren’t you worried a shark would attack you or your guest?” A dark glint shone in his eyes.
“I worked with the company to design cages that had greater tensile strength than that of a saltwater crocodile, which has been found to have the greatest bite force. The Great White Shark comes in second, followed by the hippopotamus, jaguar, and gorilla. There isn’t another creature in the ocean that even makes the top ten.”
“I heard one of your cages got pretty banged up by a Tiger Shark.”
How the hell had he heard about that? Bewildered panic pinballed in her head. Time for a little damage control.
“It did, and we will do a thorough investigation why the Tiger was able to damage our cage in such a significant way. I can assure you that Oceanic Adventures spends a lot of time, money, and effort to ensure the safety of our guests. The Tiger that did the damage was enormous. In fact, he was the largest one I’ve ever seen by at least half. But still, he shouldn’t have been able to do what he did.” Time for a little levity. “He didn’t really seem aggressive, just mildly annoyed and amused I was in the water. I think after the first bite, he decided I wasn’t too tasty, so he used me as a bath toy instead.” The small crowd laughed. “At no time were our guests in danger. I took his warning to heart, and we moved to another location.”
Zak nodded in a kind of affirmation before turning away.
“Nice save,” Barry whispered in her ear.
“Well, I told you we had an expert on board,” said the Admiral, trying to smooth things over. “The beautiful yacht we are on is also owned by Oceanic Adventures. Why don’t we all get another drink, have some more hors d’oeuvres while they finish getting set up for dancing.”
As people disbursed, Trinity reached for the Admiral’s arm. “I apologize if I insulted your guest.”
“Blowhard politician who doesn’t know jack about anything.” He sounded amused. “Don’t give it another thought. I would like to talk to you about some of your research on sharks and your non-invasive methods of bettering your chances of surviving encounters with them.”
“As I said, I don’t have a doctorate.”
“Ms. Dare, I’d rather have someone with a good brain, better instincts, and lots of experience trying to help keep our men and women safe.”
Trinity inclined her head. “It would be an honor, sir.”
As they were speaking, Zak moved around the peripheral edge of the room, slipping between her body and the wall. It was all she could do to keep from jumping as she felt his hand slide across her backside in a firm caress before squeezing her left buttock. She swiveled her head to glare at him, and he smiled—a voracious smile that seemed all too familiar.
She should have been outraged, should have called him on his inappropriate groping. So why was it that all she could do was acknowledge the sharp spike in her arousal as it surged through her system? Trinity could feel her nipples tighten as a spark of desire swirled in her lower abdomen and her pussy softened. What the hell was it about this guy?
“Are you all right, Ms. Dare?” the Admiral’s aide asked.
“I’m fine. The air is a little close in here for me. I think I’ll step out on the deck.”
“Would you like me to get your wrap?”
“No, thank you.” She smiled. “I’ll be fine.”
“Please don’t be worried about the Admiral. He doesn’t have much use for idiots either.”
That made her smile widen. Why couldn’t she be attracted to someone like him? Nice, good manners, steady job at HQ, on a career track that could lead anywhere. No, she had to find the brooding hulk so much sexier and intriguing.
Outside, the wind had picked up, and it felt good against her face and blowing across her shoulders.
“And here I thought you were just passionate about anonymous sex,” Zak drawled.
Her pulse increased as the fire in her blood raced through her veins. Her nipples puckered into even tighter buds, and she was glad that she’d opted for no panty lines. Slowly, she turned around to face him and leaned back, resting her elbows on the railing, resulting in her breasts being pushed forward.
“I’m passionate about a lot of things. I really don’t see where you get off treating me like this. I told you at the Rusty Pelican, I wanted to get laid. We did the deed, and I left. Obviously, I damaged your fragile male ego, and even though I don’t understand it, I apologized. I can see by your reaction you felt rejected. That wasn’t my intention. I just wasn’t interested in pursuing anything more.”
He cocked his head and stared down at her mouth. “You know, Trinity, that bratty mouth of yours could be put to better use than mouthing off at me.”
If he thought he was going to intimidate her with his size and muscular physique, he was wrong. All he was doing was revving up her motor. She pushed off the rail, stepping into his space, turning her face up to his.
“Really? What did you have in mind, Zak?” she said, using his name deliberately.
He flashed her that predatory smile—where had she seen it before?—staring down and inhaling deeply. Instead of backing up as most men would have done, he stepped into her space, forcing her back against the rail and wheedling his thigh with its hard, pulsing length between her legs, snugging it up against her mons.
It was becoming difficult to breathe in an even steady rhythm. She had no place to go; he had her effectively pinned against the ship.
He reached up and tapped his earbud, “I’m taking a break.” She couldn’t hear what was said to him, but Zak grinned. “It’ll take as long as it takes.” He grasped the nape of her neck. “Let’s go.”
Later she would wish she could have said to herself that he’d dragged her, but he didn’t. He simply directed her to where he wanted her. Zak took her over to the side of the boat, into a dark alcove-like space, backing her into it and where his body would conceal her presence. Placing his hand on her head, he pressed her down to her knees.
His cock throbbed behind his fly. God, he was even bigger than she remembered. Her entire body trembled at the memory of that monstrous rod being shoved in and out of her over and over. This was insanity. She could lose her job, but her hunger for him had been set free, and it seemed he felt the same way.
Gently she unfastened the button and dragged the zipper down his fly, making sure it and her hand were in contact with the engorged bulge pressing against it. Trinity was a little taken aback when his cock sprang free.
“The commando likes to go commando, and rule one is you’ll do the same,” he said in a tone that was part growl and part croon.
Zak groaned when she ran her fingers down his length before slipping her hand underneath and cupping his balls. She had to admit, she’d missed this during their last encounter. She hid her grin. He wasn’t in as much control as he wanted her to think. His lips might lie, but his cock didn’t. There was a drop of precum just waiting to be licked up. Her tongue darted out and swept it into her mouth. She moaned. It had been too damn long, and he tasted too damn good.
Wrapping her hand around his shaft, she squeezed gently and pumped it before bringing the head to her mouth, allowing him to feel the heat from it. She lightly sucked him into her mouth and was inordinately satisfied when he groaned again. Her tongue found the underside of his cock and ran down its length. Swirling her tongue around hin, his hands came down to tangle in her hair, giving it a sharp tug when she hesitated.
“I don’t have all night, Trinity. So, we’re clear; this is just foreplay. When I get you into bed, I’m going to fuck you all night.”
Her tongue ran down his shaft, his skin silky and warm under her ministration. Trinity swallowed, drawing on him, forcing him down, and closing her mouth around him. Her hand came up to softly cup and massage his balls while she laved the underside of his cock with her tongue. He fisted her hair, his fingers flexing her black mane.
Zak directed her movements, moving her mouth back and forth as he thrust inside her. His cock was swelling, and she could feel his balls tightening. She didn’t offer any resistance when he held her steady and fucked her mouth. Not to let him have total control, she began a kind of humming noise that transferred the vibration directly to his cock.
“Let me have it, Zak. I want your cum,” she whispered over his flesh.
He fucked his way to the soft place at the back of her throat. She timed it so that on each occasion, she swallowed him down. Zak pressed his groin into her face, shooting his cum down her throat in a seemingly endless stream. When he released her hair, he groaned in the most satisfying way as he leaned against the wall behind her.
“Lick it clean,” he rumbled.
She did as he asked—no, commanded, licking up every drop. He helped her to her feet and pushed the material covering her breasts out of his way. One strong, calloused hand came up to palm her breast and then rolled the nipple between his thumb and his fingers at the same moment he dropped his head, enveloping her other stiffened tip into his mouth, suckling.
Trinity had to place her hands on his shoulders to hold herself steady. She could feel the desire that had been building inside her getting ready to explode. Just as she felt her body begin to slip over the abyss, he bit down on one nipple as he gave a hard pinch to the other. Pain replaced passion as it dragged her back from the edge, and she hissed.
“No way. You don’t get to come that easily. I want you primed and ready when I shove my cock up inside you, then I’m going to make you come again and again and again. You’ll beg me to flood your pussy. Now you behave for the rest of the evening,” he growled, adjusting her top, so she was covered. “Let’s get you back inside.”
“You go. I need to find a place to fix my hair.”
Zak cocked his head to one side. “It looks fine.”
“It looks like you were fisting it while I gave you a blow job.”
Again, with the predacious smile. “Like I said, it looks fine. I want you to stay inside where I can keep an eye on you. Stay close to the Admiral. If there’s trouble, he’ll be the one we get to safety first.” He paused, smirking at her. “Just so you know, if you disobey me again, I’ll spank your ass before I fuck it… and then I’ll get between your legs, shove my cock up your cunt and wallow in you.”
