“You seem to be getting around quite well,” Luke said when Camry swiped his bag of corn chips. “How’s the ankle feeling?”

“Ready to run a marathon,” she said, stuffing her mouth with chips.

“Are you going to waste time eating, or can we go straight to the necking part of this morning’s entertainment? They’ll only be gone an hour.”

She looked over at him, blinking her pretty green eyes, and Luke realized there had been an edge in his voice. He grinned. “Or we can skip the necking and just kick things up a notch. But I suggest we use your bed, because the spare really isn’t large enough for the two of us—as you found out this morning, when I gallantly saved you from falling out on your sexy little . . . behind.”

She blinked at him again.

Okay, so maybe direct wasn’t the best approach after all. He threw his arm over the back of the couch behind her, drove his other hand into the bag of chips, and munched away while he waited for her to make the first move.

Assuming she made it in five minutes. He figured he needed at least forty-five minutes in the bedroom, and that gave him only ten minutes’ leeway in case Fiona walked fast today.

Camry attacked him in three.

The bag of junk food suddenly went flying and she scrambled onto his lap; before he’d even finishing swallowing, she cupped his face in her delicate hands and kissed him. Quickly recovering from the surprising assault, Luke wrapped his arms around her and let her have her wicked way with him, because . . .

Well, because just as soon as she got herself worked into a really good frenzy, he was hopefully going to use two of the three condoms in his pocket.

And once she was so exhausted she couldn’t speak, and hopefully too mellow to care, then he would casually mention who he actually was.

Then he’d tell her what he’d done to Podly.

And then he would very nicely ask her to help him find the little satellite so they could bring it back to her mother, and the three of them could lock themselves in Gù Brath’s lab until they had a viable propulsion system to present to the world.

Realizing he was about to pop the zipper on his jeans, and seeing how Camry had his shirt unbuttoned and was doing wickedly delightful things to his nipples with her tongue, Luke cupped her backside, stood up, and headed toward her bedroom.

She didn’t even notice the sudden change of venue, she was so busy working herself into a frenzy. And when he laid her on the bed, settled his sexually frustrated body beside her, and started undoing her blouse, she very kindly helped.

Surprised he even had the sense of mind to glance at the clock on the nightstand, Luke gave himself five minutes to get her naked.

Only she had him naked in two. And herself naked in one.

Luke began to wonder who was seducing whom.

“Beautiful,” he murmured, his mouth trailing down her throat on its way to her lovely breasts, and his hands . . . hell, he simply touched her everywhere, since every damn square inch of her turned him on.

Though he thought she had already worked herself into quite a frenzy, Luke discovered she was only getting started. Camry turned so suddenly wild and urgently aggressive, she reminded him of the blizzard that had all but immobilized him for two entire days with its intensity.

She didn’t waste time exploring any parts of his body that didn’t seem immensely interesting. Her hands went straight to his groin, and Luke pretty near bucked them off the bed when she wrapped her fingers around him.

Where in hell had she thrown his pants with the condoms?

Alarmed to see her head dipping in the same direction as her hands, and fearing four days of building frustration would be over in three seconds if he didn’t get her under control, Luke took hold of her shoulders and hauled her up beside him.

But then he had to pin her hands over her head and throw his leg over hers to keep her from bucking them off the bed.

“Slow down,” he rasped, trying to catch his breath.

She was also panting, as if she really had run a marathon, and Luke worried that if just getting naked left them both winded, full-blown sex might actually kill them.

He slid his free hand down her ribs to her pelvis, and found her moist and hot and definitely ready for him.

Where in hell were his pants!

She made a ragged sound of pleasure and arched into his touch. Luke increased the pressure and slid a finger inside her, retreated, and repeated the intoxicating dance. She tightened around him, her body humming with building tension as she strained against his hold on her wrists. Her climax was as sudden and gloriously breathtaking as an exploding nova.

And it didn’t slow her down one damn bit.

So caught up in the wave of pleasure he was witnessing, Luke didn’t realize he’d slackened his grip. And before he knew it, Camry’s hands were back at his groin, doing gloriously breathtaking things to him.

And just as suddenly as she had, he made an utter disgrace of himself.

He flopped back on the bed beside her with a groan and stared up at the ceiling, trying to catch his breath as he wondered what had just happened.

Little Miss Exploding Nova, also panting raggedly, rolled over and snuggled against him with a sigh. She patted his chest. “Thanks. I really needed that.”

Chapter Eight

Luke pulled the unused condoms out of his pants pocket two mornings later and tossed them in his ditty bag with a derisive snort. He’d just experienced two days of the best sex of his life, and he hadn’t even gotten to use one of the damn things. He still couldn’t figure out how he could be so sexually sated without technically having sex, or how Camry MacKeage had managed to fool him into believing he was.

Dammit, what sort of perverted game was she playing? They’d done it every way but standing on their heads, but they hadn’t actually done it!

Luke suddenly reached in the ditty bag, pulled out one of the condoms, and stuffed it back in his pocket. He was on to her now, by God, and he’d be damned if he was going to be used as some convenient boy toy to stave off her boredom.

The very next time they got naked together he was calling her bluff, and either she could put out for real, or he was taking the next flight back to France. To hell with her and this whole damn mess. He’d been deluding himself long enough, holding out hope there was anything left of that damn satellite worth salvaging. And being in lust with a woman was one thing, but deliberately being used by her was . . . it was . . .

Dammit, he actually felt violated!

Fired up with righteous indignation and no small amount of wounded pride, Luke stormed out of the bathroom in search of the green-eyed siren.

Only finding the house was empty, he stood in the living room, nonplussed. Fiona must have taken the dogs out for their walk early, and Camry must have gone with her. Dammit to hell! Had she grown bored with him already?

But wait. She couldn’t stay out the entire hour; her ankle still wasn’t that strong. Luke grabbed his jacket, fully intending to sit on the steps and ambush her when she returned. Only he nearly fell over her when he rushed out the porch door, because Camry was sitting on the top step. She didn’t even bother looking up when he bumped into her, but simply continued to stare down at something in her hand.

Immediately sensing something was wrong, Luke silently sat down beside her. It was then he noticed she was holding open a card. And though he couldn’t quite read it, the handwriting looked eerily familiar. When Camry still didn’t acknowledge he was there, he glanced around for Fiona, even standing up to see the beach, looking in both directions for the girl.