Tandem Unit Read online

  “Well, I…” To tell the truth, Sadie was pretty far gone. It was obviously wrong to be enjoying something that was simply a necessity but she couldn't quite seem to help herself.

  “Good for your cover,” Blakely explained reasonably, his hot breath blowing against her ear. When she turned to look at him, the indigo eyes were dark and intense and Sadie got the distinct feeling that he wanted his partner to do this with him. To share this with him for some reason. She wondered why but somehow it didn't seem important. He was right, after all—it was important that she look the part of a recently rented prostie and another love mark could only help that impression. She decided not to worry about it … for now.

  “Well, when you put it that way … I guess so,” she heard herself saying.

  With a low laugh, Blakely returned to the spot under her ear and then she felt another hot mouth, Holt's, kissing lightly along the heavy pulse on the other side of her throat until he stopped to suck gently at the sensitive place where her neck met her shoulder.

  At that moment, something strange happened. When Holt's mouth opened and his tongue touched her flesh it was as though the sensation from both sides had not just been doubled but infinitely multiplied. Sadie stiffened between them and then melted helplessly into the embrace. Her nipples felt like two hard pebbles at the tips of her breasts and she pressed her thighs together tightly, trying to deny the heat and moisture that was gathering between them. It was hard to believe that this simple act when the two men weren't touching her in any other way that was remotely sexual could make her respond so blatantly but her arousal was undeniable.

  “Goddess…” she breathed softly, drowning in the hot sensation of both mouths tasting her, sucking her, marking her. Involuntarily she reached out and gripped their legs, one in each hand, feeling the bunching of heavy thigh muscles under her palms as she did. Both men were excited, as excited as herself if not more so; she could feel it in the tension that thrummed through the big bodies on either side of her like an electric current. And I'm the conductor between them, she thought faintly. The strange thought was enough to bring her back to herself and she pushed suddenly, convulsively away from them, using their legs as a prop to propel herself off the rickety bed.

  “I think that's enough, gentlemen.” Her voice shook as she stood in front of them and tried to catch her breath. She placed her hands on either side of her neck protectively, feeling how tender the flesh was.

  “I guess.” Blakely looked disappointed but Holt still looked amused.

  “You look fairly roughed up now, I would say,” the blond detective drawled, annoying Sadie even as he agreed with her.

  Sadie felt herself flush and forced herself to speak calmly. “Take me back to the common room now and I'll meet yo u with the injection the new prosties are receiving at the back of the far dome at eight tonight. Be sure you're on time.”

  “We'll be there, sweetheart,” Blakely assured her, rising from the rumpled bed and retrieving his jacket.

  “Wouldn't miss it.” Holt agreed.

  Chapter 3

  “I still say it's a bad idea. We may have to go all over the outer system to crack this case and it's federal business. The last thing we need is a nosy reporter hanging around us every step of the way.” Holt glared at his partner, knowing that it was too late to do anything about it now. He tried to pace but the inside of the boxy little landing craft was too cramped for his long strides.

  “Will ya shut up already, Holt? I think she's gonna be a real asset to the mission.” Blakely glared back at him and continued his surveillance of the nearest dome. A light methane mist was drizzling outside and it cut down on the visibility considerably.

  Just another beautiful day on Titan—at least it has an atmosphere, even if it is mostly nitrogen, Holt thought. He waited for his partner of seven years to continue his thought; he already knew how Blakely felt—the T-link between them made that a given.

  “'Sides,” the curly-haired detective said smugly. “You're just jealous 'cause she went for me more than yo u. Those blond good looks can't always getcha everything you want, ya know.”

  The blond detective snorted. “Oh please, she played us both for suckers, Blake. The minute she took off your jacket and stood up in that tiny little dress I knew exactly what she was doing.”

  “Yeah, so? Worked didn't it?” Blakely grinned. “Anyway, we turned the tables on her pretty quick. She wanted us to think she's used to this kinda thing but you can always tell. She's a nice girl, Holt. You see how she blushed after we … uh, roughed her up? She's not used to it but she liked it. And I know you felt the way the T-link opened when we both touched her. Who knows, she could even be the one, like Professor Klinefelder said.” He licked his lips thoughtfully. “She tasted like some kinda flowers, ya know?”

  “Oh come off it,” the blond detective protested. “Don't start that again.”

  “Start what?” Blakely sounded defensive. “You don't know—it could happen.” Indigo eyes narrowing, he resumed watching the dome. If everything went according to plan the newest addition to their team should be coming out the plexi-tube leading from the fat gray half-globe at any moment. Sadie didn't have a protective suit but their landing craft was nestled snugly against the tube's opening, locked tighter than a lover's embrace, so it didn't matter. “Any minute now,” he muttered to himself.

  Holt sighed and put a hand on the leather clad arm to get Blakely's attention. “Look, partner, it's not that I want to rain on your parade but you might as well face it, most women don't want what we have to offer. Even if they do, only one in a thousand can handle it. And the chances of us finding a perfect match … well, I don't have to tell you what the odds against that are. I'm sorry because I know what you want. Hell, I want the same thing—a girl who completes us and who can accept us for who and what we are. But you better face facts—it's probably not gonna happen.”

  “It might.” Blakely gave up watching the dome and turned to face his partner instead. The classical features of Holt's face were drawn into a dour expression. “She doesn't necessarily have to be a perfect match, ya know. There's bound to be somebody out there for us, Holt. The right girl, one who's got a high sensory tolerance. Understanding, beautiful…”

  “Both morally and physically flexible. Come on, Blake, get real,” the blond demanded.

  “If by get real you mean abandon hope, then you can shove it, pal.” Blakely shrugged his partner's hand off and poked him in the chest. “Ya know, I think you're still angry about Gillian and that was months ago. I'm sorry she couldn't handle it but I offered to do the de-tandemizing. Don't forget, you were the one who said no.”

  “Ah, buddy…” Holt sighed heavily and looked down at the accusing finger pointed at his chest until Blakely removed it. “You know I couldn't do that. It'd be easier to cut off my arm than lose you that way. How many years have we been together? How many times have we saved each other's asses? I couldn't let it all go just because Gillian couldn't handle the linking. I just … I hate to see you get your hopes up all over the place and then have them come crashing down on your head. You got too much heart, you know that?”

  “Yeah,” Blakely's mobile features softened and he grinned a little at his partner. “Well, somebody's gotta have it and you're always claimin' to be the brains of this outfit. Just don't let our new friend know it. We gonna keep up the act for her benefit? See how far she's willing to go?”

  Holt couldn't stop himself from laughing. His partner always knew how to cheer him up. “You're a mean son of a bitch.”

  Blakely grinned even wider. “And you were just sayin' I had too much heart. I'm not saying we should hurt her, ya know. I'm just sayin'…”

  “Call her bluff. Maybe teach her a lesson about trying to manipulate officers of the law. I'm up for it, I guess. Should be interesting to see her reaction to our good cop bad cop routine. Although in this case I guess we're both playing bad cop.”

  “The worst,” Blakely agreed. “H