What had she said? They used the laboratory as a disposal site. His bayou. They were killing children in his bayou. The walls around him expanded and contracted and he breathed away the anger.

He could tell by her breathing that Pepper had finally drifted off to sleep. He stretched out on the other side of the bed, exhaustion suddenly hitting him. It wouldn’t hurt anything to close his eyes. Just for a minute.

Wyatt didn’t remember stripping, although he’d never liked wearing clothes to bed, but he was stark-naked when her hands began to slide over his body. Her hair was free of the intricate braid and sweeping over his chest as she moved over him. Her body was warm and soft and all curves. His hands came up to catch her waist, to slide down over her exquisite hips to her perfect butt.

She slid her leg over him, straddling his thighs, leaning down to lick at him like a cat. Her tongue felt like a velvet rasp, teasing at his body, promising him so much more. She made soft little sounds, purring like a cat, the vibration riding through his cock and spreading through his body. He cupped her breasts in his palms, the sweet weight, his thumbs teasing her nipples into hard peaks.

“I’m not a gentle lover,” he warned her softly. “You start this, I’ll be finishin’ it.”

“Be as rough as you like, Wyatt,” she replied softly. “I’m all for rough. Anyway you want me.”

He caught her hair in both fists and pushed her head toward his aching cock. He needed her mouth around him. Right. Now. Pepper gasped. Moaned. Writhed. He tightened his hold on her hair. Aching. Needing. Desperate.

“Damn it, woman, get your mouth on me right now.” The command came out more of a growl. His cat reacted, wanting to hold her down, sink his teeth into her, force her submission once he had the control.

His fists tightened and he felt his blunt nails driving into his palm. His eyes opened and he found his hands holding nothing at all. He had a savage erection – his cock nearly bursting out of the front of his jeans, stretching the material beyond endurance, but there was no woman crawling over him.

Swearing in his native language, beads of sweat running down his body, he forced himself to roll to the side, away from her. He needed to get up. To take a cold shower. To stop the erotic images playing in his head like some crazy porn flick. It was only then that he became aware of her breathing, the rush from her lungs, the gasping pants.

“Oh, hell,” he whispered softly, grateful they were surrounded by the dark. Either he’d shared his dream with her or she’d shared hers with him, but the results were the same – both bodies were in a desperate state of arousal. At least she had drugs to get her through. He could only grit his teeth and hang on.

Wyatt sat up slowly, carefully, making certain he didn’t break any important parts. Very slowly he turned his head to look at her. He knew, before he did it, that it would be a mistake, but he couldn’t resist the compulsion.

He didn’t understand how she could look so beautiful to him when she had gone through so much. Her body had to be able to repair itself at a rapid rate. Ezekiel and Malichai as well as every other member of their team were able to heal quickly, but he’d never seen anything quite like the way Pepper’s body fought against the venom. It was no wonder she hadn’t been on a termination list. Her body would be a gold mine for a pharmaceutical company, or at least a secret weapon for the enhanced soldiers.

He leaned over and brushed back the wild strands of hair that had come out of her braid, just as he’d wanted to do all night. Her skin was warm and soft, her breathing rapid, breasts rising and falling. Beneath the thin material of her shirt, her nipples had peaked, pushing through the lace of her bra in response to her dream.

He’d sworn off women, and here he was, breaking his vow, because this particular woman interested him as no other ever had. He was going to get more than heartbreak if he insisted on pursuing her. Other men would covet her the moment she opened her mouth, or looked sideways at them. Worse, she was more than just that sexual lure – she had to be lethal.

Wyatt didn’t care if the man overseeing the project was someone named Thomas Braden. Pepper was one of Dr. Whitney’s experiments, and that meant she was meant to be a soldier. She had killer instincts and the ability to kill silently and swiftly just like any other GhostWalker.

Her breathing calmed. So did her body. And that made him think he was the instigator of the dreams – not Pepper. That didn’t make him happy. He’d always been sexual. Hell, every one of his brothers was as well. He was a true son of the bayou. Sultry nights and beautiful Cajun women just plain put such thoughts in a man’s head.

“Don’t.” She said it softly, her tone drowsy from the painkiller. “Don’t think about sex anymore. I’m having enough trouble with the bite this time.”

“I’m sorry. You’re… potent. I don’ know what it is, woman, but you’ve got me tied up in knots.” And harder than a damned rock. His sense of humor was beginning to kick in and that could be fatal. “Before we go any further in our relationship, you might tell me just what other weapons you have available to you besides sex. Just in case we should argue or somethin’.” Deliberately he drawled the question.

Her eyelashes fluttered. Her mouth curved into a smile. “Our relationship? I’m not certain what that means, bayou man.”

“That means you and me. Together. You’ve got that knife, and the men in our family are really fond of women who carry knives. Which reminds me, I forgot to return Nonny’s to her. One of the guards at the laboratory stole it from her.”