“I’d love to put something on,” he murmured, his voice lowering to hoarse and hot. Those eyes darkened to the color of the storm clouds outside, lit within from heat. A whole lot of heat.
A shiver wandered down her spine, and her thighs softened. She ignored her traitorous body and rolled her eyes. An impish part of her would love to take him by surprise and agree, but he’d no doubt meet her halfway, and then she’d be in a pickle. So she went for defensive, unable to keep her lips from twitching. “Knock it off.”
“I can’t seem to help it.” Good humor creased his cheek. Yet he sighed and turned to rummage through a cupboard near the fireplace. Seconds later, he’d wrapped a worn flowered blanket around his hips.
He should’ve looked ridiculous, yet the feminine cover-up just enhanced his wildness.
And something wild lived in Jory. There was no question.
A part of her, one that she’d tried to tame with logic and computer science, perked up. Temptation to meet his wildness with her own warmed her core and softened her thighs.
His gaze grew predatory, as if he sensed the battle waging inside her.
Her heart beat hard enough to speed up her breath. The storm raged outside, while the fire crackled inside. She swallowed, trying to control herself. Enough of this silliness. “Turn around.”
He turned around, once again revealing his warrior’s back.
The man embodied danger, and she had to keep that foremost in her mind. Most serial killers were sexy and charming, too.
He snorted.
Shit. She’d said that out loud. Her fingers cramped when she shoved off her wet clothes, hurriedly wrapping the rough blanket around her. Why did he make her feel like a bumbling innocent? “Um. Okay. I’m not a virgin for Pete’s sakes.” She mumbled the last.
He laughed again as he turned to face her.
She frowned. “You heard that?” How in the world? She’d mumbled so quietly she couldn’t even hear her voice, and yet he’d somehow heard her? Supersonic hearing wasn’t possible, was it?
“Yes. I’m not a virgin, either. Was that an invitation, by any chance?” Boyish hopefulness curved his lips.
Hell. There wasn’t anything boyish about the man standing strong and sure, the fire lighting him from behind. “No.” Her nipples hardened in pure denial to her words. “Not a chance.”
His gaze penetrated her, and a long shiver wound down her spine. His gaze darkened. Yeah. He’d seen the shiver. Damn it.
“Are you sure?” he rumbled.
Her voice trembled. “Yes.”
“Okay.” He reached for her discarded clothing to lay out near the fire.
His acquiescence sounded temporary somehow.
As she shoved away sexual desire, the cold took over. She tried to bite her lip to prevent her teeth from chattering. Tremors shook her shoulders, but her feet remained planted. To get nearer to the fire, she needed to get closer to Jory, and the safest spot for her right now was on the other side of the sofa.
Finished with his task, he turned to survey her, more heat in his gaze than from the fire. “You’re still cold.”
She shook her head. “Keep your clichéd ass on that side of the sofa.”
He smiled and reached over the back of the couch.
She couldn’t help her smirk. No way could he get the leverage to lift her. Nobody was that strong.
So when he wrapped strong hands around her arms, she didn’t struggle. Then he lifted her. She yelped as she all but flew over the back of the couch to impact his corded chest.
So much heat enfolded her, she forgot all about the cold. Her breath caught, and her body began to hum.
Turning, he dropped onto the sofa with her cradled in his arms.
She gaped. “That’s not normal strength.”
“You don’t weigh that much.” He settled her more comfortably on his lap.
“Hey.” She wanted to punch him, but so much warmth came from his fit body that she had to fight the urge to snuggle right in. Or turn and straddle him. Her mouth actually watered with the need to run her lips across his unbelievable neck. Strong cords tempted every taste bud she had.
The fire heated her other side, catching her between two infernos. With the storm outside, the fire’s glow inside added a surreal intimacy to the moment. If she forgot herself, if she let go of suspiciousness and reality, she could jump right into the heat.
He snuggled her closer, and her eyelids dropped to half-mast. Maybe she’d been more chilled than she’d feared, because she was completely losing control.
“Just relax, Piper. You’re safe.” His breath brushed her hair, and her body went on full alert. Full, sexy, sitting on a hard male alert.
Her lips almost touched his bronze skin. “This is unbelievable.”
“I like it.”
She breathed out. “I’m sure. Don’t tell me. You imagined us in a romantic cabin with a storm outside—both of us nude and warming up. You’re kidding me, right?”
“That’s not how I imagined us.” His lips barely grazed her forehead. The husky tenor of his voice caressed her, zinged right through her, and landed hard between her legs. Right where she wanted him to be.
She knew better. Yep. She totally knew better, but she asked anyway. “How did you imagine us?” Then she held her breath. God, she truly was a moron.
“Under the stars, you on your hands and knees, me taking you from behind.”
Her nervous system sparked alive, while her chest hitched. The image smashed into her brain, vividly alive and vibrant. Desire flushed through her to heat her sex. “I, ah, didn’t expect you to be graphic.”
“Sometimes honesty is graphic.” He shifted, the powerful muscles in his chest moving against her back.
“This can’t happen, Jory.” Sitting in his arms, warmed by the fire, it was difficult to keep a grasp on reality.
“I know.”
His easy acceptance spiked down her spine. “You kidnapped me, and you’re my father’s enemy.” Yet confusion swirled through her brain. Not her body, though. Her body was all in right now, hungering for the man holding her so tight. “I’m sorry.” Why did she apologize? Maybe because reality sucked, and she wished for a fantasy. With Jory. She so had to change the subject, and she had to uncover the truth. Any truth, because too much wasn’t adding up. “You said you have brothers. Are you the oldest?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I’m the youngest of four.”
She blinked. “If that were true, I’d be surprised. You’re so in control of everything.”
His laugh rumbled through her. “Then you should meet my oldest brother, Mattie. Talk about in control.”
She played with a loose string on the blanket still covering her. “You also said that my… the commander… raised you?”
“Yes. They created us and raised us as an experiment—as soldiers. My first kill happened when I was thirteen. A drug overlord in a jungle that doesn’t even exist any longer.”
Her chest hurt with the idea of his childhood—real or imagined. He sounded like he was telling the truth, but he was trained, right? Though how could she be this attracted to him otherwise? “Is that true?” she whispered.
“Yes.”
He sounded so truthful, but how could that be? “I don’t understand. The military doesn’t just create people.”
“I don’t think the commander has exactly worked within the military guidelines his whole life. He really is the one who had the chips implanted near our spines.” Jory let out a low groan when Piper wriggled to get her balance on his hard groin.
She stilled. “Um. Sorry.” How could he be telling the truth? “If they created you, why were you in a cell?” Even half turned on by the impossibly hard body surrounding her, she felt nausea spiraling through her stomach. Could it be true?
Jory brushed his lips across her forehead in a gesture far more comforting than she’d ever received from her father. “We escaped five years ago. Blew up the Tennessee compound and got loose??
?even went to Disneyland for a week.”
Her mind spun. “I can’t take all of this in. It doesn’t make sense.”
Jory’s large hand cupped her head and pressed her into his neck. “Try to get some sleep. I’ll head over and secure a cell phone from the fishing cabin in a couple of hours when the men there pass out.”
She lifted her head to face him. “I’m not sure whether or not to believe you.”
“I know.” He smoothed the hair from her face. “I don’t blame you.”
Then why did she feel so damn guilty? Her gaze dropped to his lips. Full and sensual, she already knew the kind of electricity they could generate.
“Piper?” he asked.
Damn. She leaned forward, pressing her mouth to his. Just for saving her from the river, just for being somebody she wished she could know better. Just to quench the fire crackling in her nerves.
He inhaled, going still.
Possessed by something unreal, she flattened her hand over his chest and molded her lips to his.
With a sound of torment, his mouth moved, and he took over. Completely. Cupping her head, he held her in place, going deep. His tongue played with hers, while his body enfolded her.
She kissed him back, fire lighting down her spine. So much need.
The kiss went on forever until she was writhing on his lap, needing more than anything to get closer. So much closer.
Finally, he broke the kiss, levering back to study her.
They both breathed heavily, and lust had turned his eyes a dangerous midnight-filled smoke. His cock pulsed full and hard right beneath her buttocks.
He licked his lips.
She groaned.
Then he shook his head. “This can’t happen.”
“I know.” Her voice came out breathy. More than anything, her body wanted this to happen. Her mind knew better. “I’m sorry.”
His grin was slow. “Don’t be. This just became one of my favorite memories.” At the sweet sentiment, he once again tucked her into his neck. “Go to sleep, Piper.”
She sighed into his heated skin and tried to relax. While her body’s need didn’t surprise her, the ache in her heart surely did. There was a lot more to Jory than she’d expected, and the fact that she wouldn’t be able to peel his layers hurt somewhere deep inside.
Not only had he kidnapped her, but she wasn’t sure whether or not to believe him. She wanted to, but honestly? Soldiers created in test tubes? Unbelievable. Even so, she kissed him on the jugular—a good-bye and sadness for what could never be.
He responded by tightening his hold and dropping his chin atop her head. “I know,” he whispered. “I know.”
CHAPTER
11
JORY KEPT HIS back to the cabin door, waiting. The rain continued to pummel the earth, while thunder bellowed and lightning struck like an angry child. As storms went, it was a master.
He’d tossed on wet clothes, run through the woods, and had easily confiscated a cell phone from the snoring fisherman to text a coded message to his brothers around dawn. Yet another day closer to the chips exploding—four days left on earth for him. More than anything, he’d wanted to call his family, to hear a familiar voice, but he knew better. The coded text would bring his brothers to him as soon as possible.
Man, he hoped they were all alive and well. Dr. Madison had lied to him before, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she’d lied again about their being alive. But in his heart, wouldn’t he know if something had happened to one of his brothers? Something deep in him, past his gut, would hurt. Bad.
Piper slept inside, sprawled on the couch, her slumber punctuated by restless movements. He’d waited until she’d fallen asleep before heading out for the cell phone. Yeah, he’d thought about tying her up to ensure she didn’t run again, but he just couldn’t bind her.
She’d trusted him completely in the river, and then she’d tried to save his life. In his book, that meant he worked with her instead of against her. If she wanted to run, he wouldn’t stop her.
Plus, the woman had been out.
Now, he waited. For nearly two hours, he’d been on high alert… waiting. For any sign, any sound, any damn vibration in the air around him.
He could see vibrations. Always could.
But the storm was fucking with his perception, causing his shoulders to tighten harder than rock. And even after running through the storm for the cell phone, his dick remained at full attention. Having Piper on his lap had nearly killed him, and letting her fall asleep, so warm and naked, had taken every ounce of control he possessed.
She’d been vulnerable, and he might have been able to seduce her. But while he hadn’t had a mama to teach him right from wrong, he knew the difference.
Piper should be protected at all costs. Even from him. Shit. Especially from him.
A vibration of a different frequency caught his attention.
The door opened inward behind him, and only his sure stance kept him from landing on his butt. “Go back inside, Piper.” He tried to keep his voice low and controlled while staring into the storm. Something was coming.
“No.” She slid to his side, her knuckles white on the blanket wrapped around her. Tentatively, she reached out to touch his arm. “Why are you standing outside?”
The pretty woman liked physical contact, and her touch was gentle. He shut his eyes to just feel. He’d been with women before, and he’d actually liked a couple of them. But this one had a softness to her, a natural way of touching that spoke to his heart. It was all Piper, and he wished he could know more of her. Know all of her.
“Jory?” she asked, still caressing his arm. She probably didn’t even know she did it, and that made the moment all the sweeter. “Come back inside. The storm is getting worse.”
She was a temptation, but he could hear a helicopter coming from a distance. Fast and flying low. The air shifted around him just enough that his eyelids flipped open. “Go back inside, beautiful.” Somebody was coming—either the commander or Jory’s brothers.
If the commander had intercepted the message, the bastard needed to believe Piper had been taken against her will. So she had to get inside and look like a prisoner.
If Jory’s brothers were coming, he wanted a chance to explain who she was before they started making plans.
More important, he wanted a moment alone with them.
“I’m staying,” she breathed.
A light flickered through the clouds. He settled his stance, gauging the forest for secured areas. Were his brothers coming, or would he need to run for cover?
If the commander had somehow intercepted his message, then he’d bring four soldiers on the copter, fully armed. Jory would need to incapacitate one soldier in order to confiscate a weapon. He’d need only one gun against the four soldiers. The commander had no clue as to his true killing abilities, and neither did the other soldiers.
If the commander had sent only one helicopter, he’d drastically fucked up.
Jory turned and set Piper inside, shutting the door before she could blink, much less protest. Then he crossed to the side of the cabin and crouched, ready to attack the first man to hit the ground.
He welcomed the sense of battle into his movements. For years, as a cadet, he’d spent time waiting. Always looking out windows. He banished all memories of being a frightened kid in the facility waiting for his brothers to return from war.
There was no fear, and his reality was war.
Helicopter blades whipped through the early morning. An unfamiliar Blackhawk dropped onto the ground, slowly going quiet.
He prepared himself to spring. His muscles tensed, vibrating with the urge to run and rip off the door of the helicopter.
The pilot’s door opened, and a figure stepped into the storm.
Emotion hit him like a bat to the gut. “Mattie,” he croaked. Then he was running. Hard and fast across uneven ground, through the pelting rain, straight for his oldest brother.
They impacted with the soun
d of muscle hitting muscle. Matt caught him in a hug that was hard, fierce, and definitely home.
Tears and rain ran down his face, and he truly didn’t give a shit.
He leaned back and took a shuddering breath. “Matt.”
Matt nodded, emotion swirling in his eyes. Fierce and strong, he’d gotten even bigger in the last two years, danger all but cascading off him like steam. “You okay?”
So much more than the mere words lived in the question. “Yeah.” Jory’s shoulders settled. “I’m good. You?”
“I am now.” Matt grabbed his arms and looked deep.
Jory nodded. The only thing Matt had ever asked of him was to stay alive, and he’d done it. “Yeah. I’m really okay now.”
Matt nodded, his chest visibly settling. “We left you all alone. I broke my promise.”
Ah. Their mantra from childhood. Never alone. “No, you didn’t. You trained me to survive, and I did. You made sure I was never alone, and here I am. Definitely not alone.”
Something eased in Matt’s eyes. Something haunted now cleared.
A side door slammed open. Rough hands whipped him away from Matt, and Nate had him tight, holding on. He laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “It’s you. It’s really you,” Nate said on an exhale, joy in the sound.
Jory smiled as he could actually feel tension drain from Nate. The middle brother had split his time between ensuring Matt stayed sane and trying to keep the younger brothers safe. Having a brother lost somewhere would’ve tortured him. “I’m fine, Nate. I missed you.”
“Missed you more, brother,” Nate croaked. He smiled at Matt, relief curving his lips.
“My turn.” Shane Dean yanked him close, hitting his back hard enough to bruise. “God. I knew you were alive. I knew it.”
As the youngest brothers, Jory and Shane had shared everything. He’d worried about Shane, who was often angry. Jory nodded and stepped back. “You okay?”
Shane wiped his eyes. “Yeah. Now.” He shook his head, his muscles visibly vibrating. “So many times everything got dark, and I thought we’d lost you. So fucking painful.”
Jory’s eyes filled again, and he hugged Shane one more time. “It’s all good. We’re together.”