HeatedMatch (15 page)

Dammit. He swallowed down the pity party threatening to make
a pansy out of him. He had his job and his team. They should be enough. Life
was full of things you wanted and didn’t get. Just ask his mom or dad. Oh wait,
you couldn’t ask his mom. She was dead. The doctors called it cancer, but he
knew it had been her broken heart that killed. She simply hadn’t had enough
fight left in her to conquer the cancer.

Even though he wanted Loren more than he wanted his next
breath, he’d never use her like that. She had a life outside this compound. He
refused to drag her into a life of waiting and worrying for her man to come
home. Look how upset she was over Chase’s injuries.

Besides, his DNA was damaged goods. Who knew if he could
even have healthy, whole offspring? His family had proven deficient before.
He’d make a crap candidate to reproduce. He knew Doctor Wise and Shep didn’t
see him that way, and he couldn’t figure out why not. Why would they take a
risk on him? Loren deserved more than that.

A soft hand landed on his, shaking him out of his reverie.
More like misery.

“Adam, he’s going to be okay. Chase is strong, right?” Her
sympathetic smile reassured him more than he deserved.

“I know that.” His voice came out rough as sandpaper over
wood.

“You looked worried and withdrawn now,” Loren said.

“I’m fine.”

She raised an eyebrow, but didn’t probe further into his
mental state. “Will you send someone else to the fertility clinic?”

Chase had barely been coherent to debrief. All he knew so
far was that Chase had been attacked from behind in the airport parking lot
from someone who knew his name. It was the shit hitting the fan. Unease settled
on those in the know, because someone on the inside was a leak and needed to be
plugged. Now.

He crossed his legs then uncrossed them. He shifted in his
seat, looking for a comfortable position, but no matter how he adjusted, his
shoulders twitched and his legs itched with the need to move. He rose from his
seat and extended a hand toward Loren. “Let’s get out of here. I need to run or
swim or just…go.”

She gave a last worried look at Chase, but rose to her feet
and followed him out the room.

“He’s drugged and will be sleeping it off for a few hours.
There are doctors and nurses on staff. We’ll be back in an hour at most, I need
to move. Do you want to run or swim?” Adam asked.

* * * * *

Keel’s carefully constructed world was falling apart. First
Loren Stanton showed up, and now Chase returned to campus bruised and battered.
He’d dialed Paulson’s number repeatedly, but no answer. Damn it. He slammed the
phone on the cushion of his couch and focused on his plans.

If they hadn’t come to question him yet then either Chase
was not coherent or Paulson hadn’t ratted him out. Nothing he could do except
stay cool and act as shocked as everyone that Chase had been ambushed. They
weren’t stupid. Especially Adam. He had to know now someone had blabbed that
Chase was investigating the fertility clinic.

And as for Loren, she didn’t seem to be the threat he’d
originally feared. After all, she’d known very little about her parents’
history when he grilled her at lunch today.

He sat in his favorite lounger in his living room and stared
out the window. It had been difficult to hear about Robert’s marriage to Julia
from their daughter. Sure, he’d known they’d married, but it was one thing to
hear about it through the grapevine. It was entirely another matter to hear the
resulting child of the marriage talk about her parents as a loving unit. Even
after all these years his temper flared when hearing his former lover’s name
linked with the bastard who stole her.

Loren hadn’t noticed anything amiss when he mentioned Julia
or that he’d introduced her parents. It had taken all his composure not to rail
against Robert, but that would’ve ruined any chance of her trusting him. And
she seemed to.

But what if she ever spoke about him to her mother? Would
her mother speak against him? Turn her daughter against her former lover? Or
even worse, if Loren’s trust turned to suspicion of him, more than his job was
at stake. His reputation, his life was in jeopardy.

Finally, his cell phone rang. Once glance at the caller ID
had his stomach jumping and sweat pooling under his armpits.

“Where the hell have you been?” he hissed into the phone.
“Why is Chase hurt? I thought you would grab a hair sample or something.”

“Keel.” The voice on the other end laughed. “Relax. You need
to be more careful about calling me. Are you alone?”

“Yes.”

“Good, now…”

“What happened to Chase?” Keel burst out again, unable to
contain his fears. “I thought you said he’d be unharmed and have no memory of
it.”

“Chase’s beating was an unfortunate incident. He did not
take well to my request to leave the airport. If he had only come quietly, my
men wouldn’t have had to beat him.”

“Did you at least get what you need?”

“Sadly, no. We’ll need another specimen.”

Code word for a living, breathing human. “I won’t. I can’t.
I already risked a lot to give you Chase’s information.”

“Keel.” Paulson tsked into the phone. “I’m afraid I’ve lost
your bank account number. I’m sure it’ll turn up once I have what I need. When
Shep sends someone else to investigate Chase’s beating, let me know who it is.
All I need is a name and flight info.”

Rage embroiled him at being used foully, but what was he to
do? He wanted the money. “Fine. I’ll contact you when I learn who’s going. But
I want a million. Especially if my men are getting beaten.”

“Done.”

He hung up, unwilling to stay on a second longer than
necessary. Who knew what technology trackers Gavin had in place. With a lump in
his throat, he stood to slip on his shoes and head up the hill to Shep’s
office. He needed to be in the thick of planning if he were going to earn his
money.

* * * * *

“Let’s run,” Loren decided, a frisson of excitement crackled
in her. She’d watched Adam work out for the past few days, but this was the
first time she’d been invited to participate. He probably doubted she could
keep up. He was in for a surprise. She’d run high school and college track, and
could keep up. Probably. Maybe.

They walked back to Adam’s apartment in companionable
silence, Loren lost in thoughts of her brother and mystery attackers. They
arrived at his room and she reached out to him, her anchor in the storm of
mixed emotion. She felt adrift after learning her father had abandoned his
first family but had remained a part of the Program, a cause her father had
lived and died for. One she was now working for.

Knowing now what she did,
could
she go back to
blithely researching local events or even national stories? The knowledge that
two almost entirely different types of humans lived in the world among the
masses, and she was one of them, made this her fight, her mission too.

“What are you thinking about?” Adam asked, yanking his shirt
up over his head to change into an UnderArmour athletic shirt for running.

All thoughts of national security policy and scientific
advances fled as Loren’s mouth went dry at the sight of his tan, glorious torso
staring at her.

“You,” she whispered, pushing her troubling thoughts to the
very back of her mind.

A palpable silence fell in the room. Adam froze at her
words.

Nothing had happened between them since their interlude in
her apartment, but she had felt his stare whenever they were together. She’d
had trouble keeping her hands and eyes to herself whenever he was in the
vicinity, especially when she caught glimpses when he was training or working
out.

The tension had been building for days, and she was done
looking. She needed touching. Now.

She wasn’t sure who moved first, but she found herself
pressed against his bare chest, his arms tightly wrapped around her. She
stepped back a moment, breaking free of his grasp to pull her t-shirt off. As
soon as she stood in her bra, he yanked her to him again and she luxuriated in
the hard muscles of his chest brushing her hardened nipples.

She reached up and pulled his face down to her lips, her
hands firmly against his nape. But he surprised her and avoided her lips,
pressing tiny kisses instead along her temple and lower down to her neck. His
hands unclasped her bra and gently rubbed her back where the strap had been.
Loren moaned softly as his hands moved from her back around to her front to
fondle her curves.

“Mmm.” She pressed kisses to his jaw and bit his stubbled
chin gently. “More.”

“Wanted this for days…could barely keep my hands to myself.”

She lowered her arms to reach around him and pull his tight
body into hers. His erection pressing against her was heaven, and her body
responded, turning molten, preparing her for the ultimate slide of skin on
skin.

Loren boldly lowered her hand to cradle his erection through
his pants.

His groan reverberated through her, raising her arousal to a
fever. His alluring scent filled her nostrils, making her want to press her
face to his torso and breathe him in.

She rose up on tiptoes to press her lips against his and
slide her tongue into his mouth. Their earlier kisses had nothing on this one.

Loren moved her hands around his front to unbutton the worn
khakis he favored. She slid one hand down the front, finding the hot flesh she
wanted badly. Her other hand went back to his shoulder to find balance as she
stroked him.

The slit between her legs dampened and the pulsing pressure
yearned to be released. Loren wanted him. Now. In his bed, on the floor, up
against the wall. Any way she could get him.

Suddenly, without warning, he pulled away. Her hand was cold
without his warm length. “What’s wrong? Why are you pulling away?”

“Loren, we shouldn’t do this.”

“Why are you fighting this so hard?”

“I have to,” he said. “I want you even though I know we
shouldn’t. I have my reasons not to be with you.”

She was gratified to hear the hitch in his breath. At least
she hadn’t been the only one affected. Still, hurt and shame washed through her
at his sudden retreat. She wrapped her arms around her chest, hiding her
swollen nipples. “I can’t do this, Adam. My body wants you and even my heart is
starting to, but you keep pulling away. Why won’t you trust me? Can’t you tell
me?”

“The problem is…” He raked a hand through his hair, sending
curls spiraling haphazardly. “Dammit. Let’s go for that run.”

Loren sat on the rough navy comforter and ignored her
near-naked state. “No. I want to know what the problem is. You kissed me back
and a minute later you’re rejecting me. Again.”

Adam opened his mouth to speak, but she was done. Through.
Fed up. The frustration her body felt at being denied its pleasure fueled her
words.

“You know what? No. Forget it. I’m going to Commander
Shepard to request to leave. I refuse to waste a second more lusting after
someone who doesn’t want me.” She reached onto the floor, grabbed her t-shirt
and yanked it over her head, nearly tearing her ear off with the force.

When she jumped up, fully prepared to storm out, Adam froze
her in her tracks with his next comment and a firm hand on her shoulder.

“You know I want you. I just can’t be with you.”

Loren pivoted by inches toward him, though it felt that the
room spun, not her. “Screw you.” As soon as the harsh words exited her mouth,
fury roiled through her. How dare he jerk her around like a yo-yo? Life was too
short to get yanked around by a guy no matter how hot or smart or…hot he was.
Damn it, he had her so flustered she’d run out of adjectives.

“I can’t be with you,” Adam said again.

“You keep saying it like there’s some mystery. Shep thinks
you should be with me. Even your own father thinks so. Why don’t you?” she
asked, not really expecting much of an answer and too hurt to care what he
said. She stared at him, breathing hard, daring him to answer.

He met her stare with an unhappy expression. “I’m damaged
goods.”

Frustration and confusion assaulted her. “Adam, what the
hell are you talking about?”

Before he could answer, his cell phone blared, jerking both
of them out of the conversation.

“Don’t get that,” she ordered when he glanced at the caller
ID.

“I have to. It’s my brother.” He turned away from her and
spoke in low tones into his small handset.

Loren collapsed onto her back onto the bed, hands over her
eyes. It was a circus, an asylum. Truly. The worst part was she was starting to
feel like its most necessary resident. He had a brother? Why had he never mentioned
him before? She couldn’t wait for him to hang up and clear her confusion.

Adam snapped his phone shut within a minute and tossed it
onto the comforter next to her. “Get up. We’re leaving.”

She remained on the bed, one eye opened and focused on Adam.
“No,
we’re
not. If you think I’m going anywhere with you, you’re
insane.”

“And you’re crazy if you think I’m leaving you after that
conversation. I know you’d be gone when I got back.”

“Damn straight I’d be gone! See? Listen to me shouting. I
never shout. I am always calm and rational. But you’ve got me twisted up in
knots. This needs to end.”

A shadow passed over Adam’s face. A memory? Anger? She
didn’t know. She didn’t expect him to suddenly start reminiscing.

“My friend’s parents used to argue like this. I vaguely
remember it. They’d shout then kiss and leave the room.”

She raised an eyebrow at his out-of-left-field statement,
and waited for him to say something, anything relevant. When silence was
forthcoming, she pressed for more. “Can you tell me why you think you’re
defective and more about this mysterious brother who was on the phone?”