HeatedMatch (25 page)

The little boy turned his face to peer at Adam. “I don’t
know,” he whispered.

“Did they sleep here a lot of nights or just a few?” Xander
asked.

“I don’t know,” Luca whispered again.

Loren could see Adam’s frustration level rising, and she
felt it too. How she had hoped they’d find all the missing children and play
hero returning them to the frantic parents. Now it seemed their worst fear had
been realized and the babies were in the hands of terror groups. Groups so well
hidden in hostile countries, it would take an army to find them.

Adam and Xander exchanged a long look then resigned
themselves to reality. There was nothing more to find in the clinic. They’d
come for Adam, and found both him and Christenson’s baby, but lost Paulson and
the other children.

“Adam,” she said, as he started heading to the exit with
Christenson’s baby. “Adam,” she repeated.

“What?”

“Shouldn’t we call the police?”

He froze and spun to face her. “What? Why?” He spoke over
the cries of the now-awake baby.

“You’re not officially on the case. We need to call the
authorities. They need to know about this place and shut it down,” she said.
“But we also need to think of the logistics of taking the baby. We have no
diapers or food for him on a long flight home. I wouldn’t even know what to
buy.”

“I would know what to buy,” the doctor said, “but I’d prefer
not to go near any official police. I want Luca out of here, and if the
authorities get involved, I’ll be here forever giving statements.”

“We’ve got to get the hell out of here is what we’ve got to
do.” Rowan and Xander grunted assent at Adam’s statement.

“And we will,” Loren said. “But I still think we need to
call the police and maybe even give the baby to the officials so they can
return it to Christenson.” The identical defiant scowls on Adam’s and Xander’s
faces told her she wasn’t winning this argument. She tried for a compromise.
“How about we call the local police and leave the moment they get here. No
questions or red tape.”

Adam frowned. “But we’re taking the baby with us. We’ll get
him home to Christenson a hell of a lot faster than leaving him here for the
police to deal with.”

She nodded. “Fine.”

Xander pulled out his phone and dialed. He spoke to the
operator on call, giving the details and address of the clinic.

“Tell the police about the janitor closet,” she suggested.
“We need to make sure they see the entire facility, including this nursery.”

Adam shifted his grip on the baby to pat her shoulder.
“Xander’s giving them full details. Now, can anyone figure out how to get this
kid to stop shrieking?”

“He’s still tired,” the doctor said. “Rock him in your arms
to get him back to sleep.”

Adam threw her a dubious look, but kept his hold on the baby
and awkwardly turned him in his arms and rocked him. After a few moments, the
cries ceased and a look of wonder covered Adam’s face. “Holy shit,” he
whispered. “It worked.” He grinned at Loren. “He’s kind of cute isn’t he?”

“Yes,” she agreed, but she wasn’t talking about the baby.
Seeing Adam holding a baby was powerful stuff and made her want a future in
which she could see him hold their own child. It made her want to stop fighting
the genetic bond and embrace the inevitability of them as a couple. But there
was no time to ponder that today. They had to get out of here and get back to
the States.

“Grab some diapers and see if there are any other supplies,”
the doctor suggested.

Loren and Emma scanned the room and discovered a shelf of
baby supplies. Emma dashed back to the closet for a plastic bucket. Together,
they filled it with diapers, wipes, a baby bottle and some jars of baby food.

“Let’s go.”

Adam carefully carried the sleeping baby in one arm and
looked him over for a minute, making sure he stayed sleeping. Xander bent to
slap zip ties on the passed-out nanny’s wrists then shackled her to the rocking
chair, careful to kick the knitting needles out of reach. The group made their
way back out the cleaning supplies closet with Luca pelting everyone with a
zillion questions a second. He didn’t let go of his mother’s hand as he skipped
alongside her asking things, seemingly at random.

“Where’s your arm?” he asked Rowan. “Did the bad guys cut it
off?”

Loren instinctively squeezed Adam’s hand as they waited for
Rowan to answer. He’d latched on to her as they entered the hallway and didn’t
seem as if he was letting go anytime soon, judging from how tightly he held
her. She was surprised he still held the baby in his other arm and had half
expected him to pass it off as soon as possible. He probably felt as if the
baby was his direct responsibility. After all, it had been kidnapped on his watch.

“The tooth fairy took it by mistake,” Rowan replied. “I
forgot to leave my nightlight on, and I guess she got confused.”

There was a shocked silence and then Luca giggled. To her
surprise, Adam laughed out loud. Rowan stopped walking and bent to Luca’s
height. “The truth is, I was born without it, but I get on pretty well. I can
still toss a football with you.”

Luca’s eyes grew wide. “Can we go play now?”

“Not now, sweetie, but maybe when we get to America,” his
mom said.

“Mommy, you’re a doctor. Can you glue a new arm on him?”

Rowan and the doctor exchanged a long look, and then he bent
to Luca again. “What arm would she glue? Maybe we can take yours.” He pretended
to karate chop the little boy’s arm off, which resulted in pretend squeals of
fear combined with giggles. The doctor picked up her son and wrapped his small
legs around her hips while he looped his arms around her shoulders.

Now that they weren’t keeping to a four-year-old’s stride,
the pace picked up and they were soon out of the building without running into
any of the other innocent clinic staff. Although Loren had a feeling Xander and
Rowan had removed any threat from other clinic employees.

The formal black sedan they’d rented was parked near the
entrance and they all piled in. Loren started to ask about car seats for the
children then realized the futility of it. This was a life-and-death escape
situation. At least Adam sat in the back, sheltering the baby in his strong
arms. Emma squeezed between Xander and Rowan in the front seat.

Xander drove them across the street where they could see the
entrance of the clinic, and they waited less than three minutes for wailing
sirens to come into earshot and official law enforcement cars to squeal into
the parking lot. As soon as Xander was satisfied the local police force had
infiltrated the building, he slid into traffic and shot off toward the airport.

Chapter Thirteen

“Don’t come near me.” Adam practically hissed at Doctor
Samara Jones who had tucked Luca in for a nap in a window seat and was now
pacing the private plane carrying them back to Beltsville. According to Shep,
whom they’d called upon arriving at Heathrow’s private plane tarmac, the doctor
was to be protected but treated with possible suspicion as a spy for Paulson
until proven innocent.

Adam had personal reasons for not wanting her in his
breathing space. She may have been following orders to save her son, but it
didn’t change his memory of her hands on him trying to get his semen. He wanted
to throw up every time he thought about it. He planned on blocking the memory,
which was difficult, considering his eidetic memory and they were trapped
together in a small aluminum tube thirty thousand feet up.

“I wanted to see if I could help you,” she said. “I know
they beat you pretty badly. Are you having trouble breathing?” She paused and
bit her lip. “There’s something I have to tell you.”

“I’m fine,” he said shortly. “And there’s nothing I need to
know from you.” At his terse reply, Loren looked up from the front of the plane
where she sat chatting with Emma. It seemed Emma was a journalism major and the
two were getting chummy.

There was another memory he wanted to erase forever. When
they’d dragged him from his cell into the exam room and Loren had been lying on
the bed, it had been the scariest thing he’d ever seen, and he’d seen a lot.
He’d been too weak to protect her, and it had done something to his psyche to
think of her being hurt.

He forced a smile to make Loren turn back to her
conversation and so he could freely observe her. The last forty-eight hours had
shaken him to his core. He realized how much she mattered to him, and it scared
the shit out of him. It rendered him near powerless, especially when she was
placed in danger. He’d been insensible with rage and fear, but impotent to stop
it. It would be worse if they had a kid together. One more person to protect
and possibly fail.

God, look at her sitting there, cuddled up to
Christenson’s baby.
She was so gorgeous, his eyes hurt. It was crystal
clear to him he wanted her to be his end game. There’d never be another woman
who’d hold a candle to her. He shifted in the luxurious airline seat and cursed
under his breath. His damn ribs were killing him, and the hike through the
clinic to find Christenson’s kid hadn’t helped. He needed sleep. Xander was
staying awake, keeping an eye on the doctor. Not that she could do much from
the plane, especially with her beloved child on board.

Rowan was across the aisle already sleeping. He watched his
brother sleep for a few boring minutes until it claimed him. He didn’t wake
until the wheels touched down at Dulles.

The small private craft taxied into the small hangar the
international airport used for private planes and came to a stop. Everyone on
the small jet stood and waited as a rolling staircase was moved into place. He
could see Shep and his father waiting about fifty feet away through the tiny
round window, standing in front of two black Suburbans. A silver luxury
Mercedes squealed up, and Ambassador Christenson’s wife jumped out the second the
car stopped. She ran to the bottom of the stairs, looking expectantly at the
door to the plane.

Adam pushed past Xander and Rowan and took the baby out of
Emma’s arms. “I’ll take him.” She passed the precious bundle over. The pilot
came out of the flight deck after logging his flight notes and opened the
pressurized door. Adam carefully stepped out onto the metal stairs. The baby’s
mother met him on the third step down, where she snatched the baby out of his
arms. Tears streamed down her face.

“Thank you. Thank you for finding him.” And then she
couldn’t speak anymore and buried her face in her child’s soft body.

He continued down the stairs, holding the woman steady and
escorted her to her husband who had tears in his eyes. Adam nodded to him and
continued on to greet his father and Shep.

“Welcome home, son,” his father said, clapping him on the
shoulder. Adam winced and stumbled. “What’s wrong?”

“Ribs,” he muttered. “I’m pretty beat up.”

“Get in the car,” his father said and opened the door for
him. Adam slid onto the black leather seats and reclined back. After a minute,
Loren and Rowan joined him. Xander and the rest of the crew, including Doctor
Jones and her son, went to the other car.

“How are you feeling?” Loren asked, putting a hand on his
thigh.

“Been better,” he said, and covered her hand with his. They
held hands for the long, mostly silent ride back to Beltsville. Shep drove with
William taking shotgun. He could tell both older men were dying to ask
questions, but were respectful of his injuries and let him rest on the ride.
There’d be a full debrief later. For now he was content to sit back, breathe
through the pain, and be close to his girl.

How are you feeling?
she’d asked. God, he should be
asking her that question. She was the one who’d had an injection of Ketamine
administered by an enemy and shaken it off to participate in a mission. He was
awed by her strength.

After an hour on the highway, Shep pulled into the Program
grounds. “You have two hours, and then I expect to see you in meeting room one.
All
of you.” He nodded to the assembled group. “Gavin, please see Doctor
Jones and her son to where they’ll be staying. Xander, can you see to Ms.
Harrison?”

Emma’s hesitant smile at Xander was met with a stony face.
Her smile faltered. Adam opened his mouth to offer his services. Emma deserved
a lot more than Xander’s brush-off, but then Xander surprised them all by
grabbing Emma’s hand and taking her to the singles dormitory. Adam followed.

“Where are you going?” he asked Loren, who’d fallen into step
next to him.

“With you.” As if it was the most obvious thing in the
world. Together they walked into the building and down the hall to his
apartment.

The moment the door closed, the tension in the room climbed.
They’d had no chance to talk on the plane and were due at Shep’s soon, where
she was sure she’d be lectured and questioned about her role in Adam’s escape
from the clinic. But for now her emotions were too raw and painful to speak.
They were home. They were alive. It was all she could manage for now. She
didn’t want to talk. She needed to grab hold of Adam and hang on for a while.

“I need you.” Slowly, she peeled off her shirt then bra
while Adam turned to stare at her.

“What are you doing?” he asked in a hollow voice. He looked
around the room, at anything other than Loren. “What is that?” He jerked his
head at a dusty shoebox on his dresser.

Loren turned her gaze to it also. “I’m not sure. Rowan gave
it to me for you. I think he said it’s a bunch of old letters.”

When he took a step toward it, she said, “Let’s get
undressed. We’re filthy.” Off went her panties. “Paulson’s guards had their
hands on me, and I want their stink off.”

He winced at her reminder, but turned a heated gaze to her,
instantly forgetting about a bunch of old, useless letters. “Keep going and I’m
going to be on you. But I shouldn’t. You had a rough day. You don’t need me
pawing at you.”

“Let me be the judge of what I need,” she said. “And you’re
the one with broken ribs.”

“I can handle it,” he said. “Can you? ‘Cause every time I
think about you in that place… God, Loren, what the
hell
were you
thinking? What was Shep thinking sending you?”

“Shep didn’t send me. I sent myself.” His anger was
palpable. Real. It grounded her and helped her work though the fear that had
been building for the last twenty-four hours since she’d been drugged and
paralyzed. She needed to feel his body in hers to block the memory of being at
Paulson’s mercy. “I don’t need gentle. I need you.” She tried for a joke. “I’m
pretty sure Shep is going to kill me and Rowan for going after you, so I’d like
to have sex before I die.”

He gave her a small smile as he yanked off Xander’s borrowed
black t-shirt then lowered his hands to his pants. He was still wearing the
green scrubs he’d taken from the clinic. Loren wanted them burned. He walked
into the bathroom to switch on the shower to a steamy flow. When he deemed it
hot enough, she limped inside and waited for him to finish stripping and follow
her in.

The moment he entered the small shower stall, she moved against
his body, trying to be mindful of his injuries.

“We’re quite a pair, huh?” She laughed, gesturing to his
scrapes and brightly colored bruises, but he didn’t respond and stared at her,
an intense light in his eyes.

“I should be in bed,” he said. But his body betrayed his
words. He was hard, ready to go. She gloried in him, running her hands up and
down his tanned chest then lower to his shaft, thrilled when his hoarse groan
escaped. She loved that she could make a man as strong as Adam whimper. When he
teased his fingers between her legs, she started to do some serious whimpering
herself.

She reached for the soap and lathered it up. His chest met
her hands and she gently cleaned off the dried blood and dirt covering his
skin. When he was clean to her satisfaction, she turned her back to him and
handed him the shampoo.

“Wash me?”

He didn’t respond, but a moment later, his large hands
massaged shampoo into her scalp. She tilted her head, feeling the wet slickness
of her hair down her back. He pulled her close, her rear to his chest, and
reached around to palm her breasts. Hot water streamed over their shoulders and
pooled at their feet.

His hand moved lower, to the curls at the juncture of her
thighs. Instinctively her leg started to lift to the ledge, but then she
lowered her leg back to the shower floor and turned to face him. “You’re hurt.
Let me do the work.” She got down on her knees and took his cock into her mouth
and wrapped her arms around his hips, digging her hands into his backside.

“Loren, it’s beyond good, but this should be about you. Let
me care for you.”

She shook her head, refusing to acquiesce. She gloried in
the strength she garnered with him in her mouth. “I want to be in control.”
Adam gritted his teeth, but allowed it, understanding that she needed to
control
something
after they’d come close to losing it all.

She sucked him deep and the grip of his hand on the back of
her head tightened. “So good.” His hitched breathing sent the lusty thrill of
power straight to her core. Her hands ran up his thighs and she cradled his
balls. He grunted as his cock buried to the hilt in the back of her throat.
Warm drops of water rained down on her head and shoulders, muted by his large
body blocking the full spray.

She felt his hand on the back of her head holding her steady
as she licked and tormented his cock into oblivion. Love for him overwhelmed
her as they stood under the shower spray lost in pleasure. She glanced upward
and caught a slight grimace on his face. It didn’t look like pleasure. She pulled
back and stood.

“Don’t stop, I’m close,” he said.

“You’re in pain. Are your ribs bothering you?”

A shrug. “I’ve had worse.”

“Yes, but not when I’ve been here to help. She leaned in to
turn off the shower and stepped out. She grabbed a faded blue towel and wrapped
it around her shoulders then handed him another towel.

With her eyes locked steadily on his, they walked to the
bed.

“Lie on your back,” she ordered.

“You’re beautiful.” He smiled up at her and she leaned down
for a deep kiss, tongues entwined for long moments.

“I’m a mess.” But her protest was cut off by his mouth. When
they came up for air, she moaned in bliss as he toyed with her nipples and
nibbled on her shoulder. She straddled his lap, his cock prodding right where
she wanted it. Together they lifted her hips and lowered her onto him until he
filled every inch of her damp, tight passage.

“Don’t move. I’ll do all the work.” Carefully, she sank down
on him, and the amazing friction caused them both to groan. Balanced on her
knees, she swiveled her hips, feeling him deep inside.

“Touch me,” she whispered and closed her eyes at the
pleasure as his fingers found her clit.

“Look at me,” he said, and she forced her eyes open to smile
at him in perfect harmony. The lazy bliss soon crashed into something more
urgent and they rode the wave together toward orgasm.

Her heart pounded furiously against her chest, and she lay
next to him, taking deep breaths to slow her heart rate down. She could feel
his heart racing against her ear. They rested together for a few minutes until
the chill of the air-conditioning on her wet body got to her. She snuggled in
closer to Adam for warmth. He turned his head for a kiss.

“Stay with me tonight,” he said. “Please? And tomorrow I’ll
bring you back home.”

And real life came crashing rudely into the tiny room. She
tried to ignore the hope and need in his voice and focus on his question.
“You’ll drive me home tomorrow? Just like that? Like I didn’t come rescue you
in London? Like we’re not a genetic match?” She sat up, wrapping her arms to
ward off the sudden brutal chill in the room.

“I want you to stay. Please. But no official matching and no
kids. Ever.”

She rolled off the bed and riffled through his dresser,
looking for a shirt.

“Loren.”

She tugged his plain gray jersey over her head. It fell to
the middle of her thighs.

“Loren,” he said again. “When Paulson had me, they…” He
broke off, unable to talk.

She sat at his side, soothing him with her touch, unable to
ignore his pain. “I’m here. Whatever you want to say. I’m here to listen.”

“They practically raped me,” he said in a hoarse voice.
“They wanted my semen and planned on fertilizing Emma’s eggs with it. And…”
Whatever he was going to say was gone. She could tell it was something too
private. “I have to let you go. Take you back to your Arlington apartment and
your precious job.” He raked a finger through his dripping hair.