Rough Edges (11 page)

The slick skin just inside her mouth contrasted by the sharp little edges of her teeth was a tactile treat. The way she gripped his arms like he was the only thing keeping her upright fueled his need for more of her. He'd wanted to savor this moment and ease her into the idea of having his mouth on hers, but all the plans he'd ever made had dissipated like a puff of smoke in the wind. All he could think about was claiming this space as his own. Leaving a mark on her she'd never be able to erase.

Anytime for the rest of her life that another man kissed her, he wanted her to think of this moment.

Some violent, territorial part of him rose up, taking over where his brain should have been. He'd kill another man for even thinking about kissing her. She was his now. He was keeping her.

Something about that line of thinking seemed wrong, but he didn't care what it was. Let the rest of the world sort itself out later. Right now, in this moment, there wasn't anything else he needed.

Her hips shifted against his, rubbing his erection. A low growl of approval rumbled in his chest. She shivered in reaction, telling him without words that she could handle a man who wasn't entirely civilized. Which was good, because right now, he felt feral and wild.

In a move that surprised even him, he swept her legs out from under her and controlled her fall to the ground. His body came over hers, pinning her in place while he feasted on her mouth.

She uttered some faint protest and pushed against his shoulders. His response was to tighten his hold on her and force her to take more of his weight. He wasn't done kissing her yet. Not even close.

After a couple of seconds, she abandoned her efforts to slow him down and simply gave in.

The uncivilized part of him approved and tipped her chin up so he could kiss her deeper. That seemed to set her off, sucking a sweet sigh of pleasure from her. She gave back as good as she got, thrusting her tongue against his, tasting him and teasing him with the sinuous glide of her wet mouth over his own.

He needed to devour her. Strip her bare. Fuck her right here on the hard ground.

He'd wanted her for too long to control the feelings that were flooding him in a wave too powerful to resist.

His hand tried to find her breast, but all he could reach were the hard edges of her tactical vest. He abandoned the search and moved south, needing to feel more of her skin under his palm.

He pushed her thighs apart wide enough that he could cup her mound. His fingertips met hot, damp fabric.

That was enough to send him past the edge of reason, all the way to the point where he felt he had the right to unfasten her pants and work his long fingers right up into her sweet pussy.

The second he reached under her vest to tug at the button of her waistband, she went stiff. Her hand circled around his wrist and squeezed. Hard.

Pain shot up his arm, clearing away some of the lust fogging his brain.

This was Bella. His boss. He couldn't fuck her here on the ground. Hell, he couldn't fuck her anywhere.

Victor rolled onto his back and breathed out his sexual frustration. His cock was throbbing, wetting the front of his pants with precome. He'd never been turned on like this before from just a single kiss, but that was Bella—a force of nature, tearing down walls and blowing up every defense he had without even trying.

He risked a glance in her direction. She was on her feet, weaving slightly from side to side. Her face was flushed, and her mouth was a dark, wet red.

It took every ounce of restraint he had not to charge her and tackle her right back to the ground where he could kiss her until she changed her mind about stripping out of those pants.

Just the idea of getting his mouth between her thighs was enough to make his cock lurch toward her in protest. He needed to taste her like he needed to breathe. And once he got his mouth on her, he knew there'd be no stopping him until he was balls deep inside her, driving them both toward sexual oblivion.

“I can't believe you did that,” she said, her voice too faint to be recognizable. If she hadn't been standing right there, if he hadn't been watching her mouth move, he never would have believed that shaky sound had come from a powerhouse like her.

The idea that he could do that to her made his head swell. Both of them.

“It was just a kiss,” he said, knowing every word was a lie. It had been a hell of a lot more than that. There was no way she couldn't know it, too.

“You don't kiss your boss.” The way she said it made it sound almost like a question, as if she wasn't completely sure of her statement.

“Apparently,
I
do. Are you going to fire me?”

“You know I can't, not when there's all that money attached to your continued employment.” She came to stand over him, her combat boots only inches from his head. “But if you ever do that again . . .”

“What, Bella?” He rose to his feet, trying to ignore the way his knees shook. “What will you do?”

She stared at his mouth. Swallowed hard. There was want in her gray eyes—the kind of want a man might see only once in his lifetime. If he was a lucky son of a bitch.

Her lips parted for her to speak, but nothing came out but the tip of her pink tongue. It wet the smooth surface he'd just explored, making him wish he could spend another year claiming the territory as his own.

She was not the kind of woman he would end up with. He knew that. She wasn't refined or well-bred or pedigreed. She didn't have any wealth to speak of, nor did her name carry any political clout. His parents would never approve. Victor was on the path that had been set out for him at birth. He was nearly done serving his time in the armed forces. After that, he'd begin his political career. Whether or not he ended up in the White House was anyone's guess, but he was almost sure to win a senate seat. His parents were expecting no less.

Bella would never make a good politician's wife. Not only did she have too many skeletons in her closet, she was as likely to stab a foreign dignitary in the eye as she was to offer him a drink. Her violent streak was far too wide for her to hide it under a cocktail dress and a string of pearls.

But even though Victor knew they weren't a good fit, he couldn't help but want her. He couldn't help but want to rip out the throat of any man who so much as looked at her.

He'd never felt that way about any woman. Ever. It scared him a little that he did now, that she stripped away his carefully cultivated civility.

“What will you do if I kiss you again?” he asked, his tone a challenge, his chin thrust out in defiance.

Her eyes roamed his face as if searching for the right answer—the one that would hold him at bay. What she didn't know was she'd never find that answer in him. He couldn't think of a single thing she could do or say that would keep him from her. Let her threaten him all she wanted. As long as she continued looking at him the way she did now—like she wanted to eat him for dessert—he wasn't going to let any silly rules stop him from having her.

Maybe once he got enough of her, he'd work her out of his system. He'd go on with his regularly scheduled life. So would she. They just had to get past this inconvenient sexual attraction, and the only way he could think to do that was to barrel right through it.

He felt a grin tug at his mouth. That was his answer: Stop fighting it. Take her. Let her take him. Once they scratched the itch, they could move on. Get back on track to their respective futures.

He ducked his head and kissed her again, softly this time. Somehow that allowed him to feel the smooth, hot contours of her mouth more keenly. A few more seconds of this, and they were going to be right back where they'd been a second ago, panting and desperate for more.

The beat of a chopper's blades in the distance told him there wasn't time for such things. They had several unconscious men to gather and take in for medical treatment.

When he pulled away, her eyes were still closed, her lips still parted. He wanted to devour her. Instead, he adjusted his pants over his erection and stepped back. “You should think of an answer, because I'm going to kiss you again, Bella. Soon.”

She blinked slowly a few times as if she hadn't quite understood his words.

“A man should know the consequences of his actions,” he said, stroking her bottom lip with the tip of his finger. “I'd like to know what all those kisses are going to cost me.”

He watched as she tried to shed her lust and shift back into boss mode. Her spine straightened, her mouth tightened, and she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, the haze of desire had faded. “More than you can afford.”

His grin widened at the thought of stripping away all that rigidity and making her limp and spent. No way would she be able to find boss mode after he'd made her come a few times. She'd be lucky if she could even stand. He could hardly wait to see if his hunch was true.

Victor bent his head as if he was going to kiss her again, but stopped short. He watched her pupils flare in eagerness and knew she was right there with him, twisting in need. “I have a feeling you're going to be worth it. Whatever the cost.”

J
ordyn waited until the guards changed shifts before she snuck into Gage's room. She'd disabled the audio feed from his microphone, but there was no way she could cut the video feed without alerting security. With Gage asleep, they wouldn't be expecting any sound to be coming from his room. A blank video screen would definitely be a red flag for them to come looking to see what was wrong.

There was only one blind spot in his room, and by the time the new shift of guards was in place, checking the video feed, both she and Gage needed to be in it.

She used a key card she'd programmed to open his door, held her breath, and slipped inside. A dim light set in the ceiling over his bed put off just enough of a glow to monitor his nighttime activities. The guards didn't put much effort into watching the test subjects sleep since they were all dosed at night with a sedative gas that kept them asleep and contained.

If Gage hadn't plugged the tube under his bed as she'd told him to do, his room would be filled with the gas and she'd pass out within a few seconds of entering. The staff bringing his breakfast tray would find her and she'd be in serious trouble.

The door shut behind her. Gage didn't so much as twitch in his bed.

A little wave of panic churned in her gut. Had he not seen her note? Had he ignored her instructions?

This was a horrible idea. What was she thinking coming here like this? She had nothing to gain by helping this man, and so very much to lose.

If Mother found out Jordyn was here, her punishment could kill her.

She turned to flee. Nothing was worth another trip to the White Room. Not even a man as compelling as Gage.

“I'm awake,” he whispered, the sound so faint she could hardly hear it over her panicked heartbeat.

Jordyn froze. It wasn't too late to turn back. The door was only a few feet away from where she hid in the blind corner. She could slip out and never be discovered.

But what would happen to Gage? What if Mother began subjecting him to her experiments? If he stayed here he would die.

Jordyn had given up her freedom so that she could mitigate the damage Mother caused. What good was she if she didn't act?

“We don't have much time before the next shift starts monitoring the cameras. I need you to shove this under your blankets so it looks like you're in bed. Then come join me.” She tossed a wad of rolled-up blankets across the room.

He caught it midair, did as she asked, and within a few seconds, he was on his feet and sliding silently her way into the darkened corner.

“They can't hear us right now,” she told him. “And they can't see us as long as we stay in the shadows of this corner. Blind spot.”

He glanced at the floor where the round pool of light from overhead hit the tile. There was less than two feet of clearance. “Not much room.”

“We'll have to make it work. Just for a few minutes.”

He moved into the shadow. The angular planes of his face and jaw darkened, but his faded blue eyes still caught and held the light. “I'll have to touch you.”

She knew that. Part of her had known that from the second she'd devised her plan to come see him. The thought of having a stranger within striking distance should have scared her, but it didn't. Not with Gage. He'd showed no signs of aggression since his arrival, nor had he mistreated the staff in any way.

Maybe that meant he was a good guy, unwilling to hurt anyone, or maybe it meant he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to strike. Either way, it was too late to turn back now. The shift change would have the guards walking down this hall sometime during the next fifteen minutes. She was trapped here until they passed.

Jordyn took a deep breath and nodded. “It's okay. I won't freak out and scream for help.” If she did the guards would find her and she'd be in the White Room by morning. Nothing Gage did to her could be half as bad as what Mother would do.

He moved without a sound, entering the depths of the shadow where she stood. There was a scant inch between them, but it was still too much. His heels were in the light, which meant he could be seen.

“Closer,” she said, making herself as small as possible so there was more room for his big body.

He slid one foot between hers, widening her stance. His calf grazed hers as he eased forward. Her knees parted to make room for his. By the time he was done moving, his thigh was between hers. His chest was pressed against her breasts. She was wedged in the corner, her nose at the same height as his throat, only two inches away.

The smell of his skin overcame her for a moment. He hadn't stepped one foot outside in weeks, but he still smelled like fresh air and freedom. She had the wildest urge to bury her nose in the crook of his neck and just breathe.

Hard, masculine curves fit against her softer ones. Her breasts flattened, except for her rebellious nipples, which hardened until they ached and tried to poke through her lab coat.

He tilted his head down to look her in the eyes. His pupils were huge, and there was something wild in his gaze she'd never seen before. It wasn't the kind of out-of-control anger or fear that so many of her mother's test subjects showed. It was quieter than that. Controlled. But no less powerful.

She wondered what it might mean as she stared up at him.

“Okay?” he asked.

She was better than okay with so much powerful male flesh plastered against her, but that only proved she was an idiot.

“Why did you come?” he asked.

“I needed to talk to you. Privately.”

“About?”

“Jake Staite. I tried to send his friend Roxanne a drug protocol that I designed to help reduce the effects of what was done to him. Do you know if it reached him? If it worked?”

Gage was silent for so long she wasn't sure he was going to answer. Finally he said, “He got it.”

Relief weakened her knees. She had to lock them to stay upright. She'd spent nearly a week in the White Room for bribing one of the lab techs to send that package for her. And while she'd prayed for death for days, what she'd endured was still better than her accomplice's punishment. His body would never be found. Mother made sure of that.

“Did it work?” she asked, trying to hide her desperation. “Were there any signs of his aggression and rage fading?”

“I don't know.”

Disappointment weighed her down. She'd had such high hopes for that serum. She'd spent every waking minute working on it for months. She'd gone over her research several times, praying that her work was clean and complete. She hadn't dared test the drug on anyone here for fear that Mother would learn what she'd done. It was bad enough that she thought Jordyn had mailed a letter. If she'd known what was really in that package, there was no telling what kind of damage she'd do in her desire to retain control over everything that happened in her underground labs.

“Do you at least know if he was still alive before you came here?” Jordyn asked. If her work had killed Jake, she knew she'd never forgive herself.

“He was.”

That was something at least. Not enough to help her sleep all night, but at least it might keep the nightmares at bay—the ones where she turned into her mother, experimenting on people like rats, not caring how much damage she did along the way, or how many lives she ruined.

Jordyn had to find a way to move on. There were more important tasks at hand now that Gage was here.

She refocused her attention, hoping she wasn't wrong about him. The risks were so high, she had to be sure he was as he seemed. “Everyone says you came here of your own free will, even though you knew it was dangerous. Is that true?”

“Does it matter?”

It did to her. If she was going to put her life on the line for a man, she wanted to know what kind of man he was. “Yes.”

He gave her a tiny nod of acceptance. “I came for Adam.”

“Your brother?” So the rumors were true. “Didn't you know what might happen to you if you came?”

He nodded again, never once taking his eyes off hers.

“Then why? Why come here at all?”

“Adam is happy.”

The simplicity of Gage's statement spoke volumes. His brother was happy, and he didn't want to ruin that, so he volunteered to take his place.

The kind of man who would do something like that was definitely worth whatever risk Jordyn might take.

She made her mind up right then and there. She was going to help free Gage, and this time, she was going to free herself as well.

“I'm going to help you escape,” she said.

“No.”

Of all the responses she'd imagined, that was not one that had ever come up.

“No? What do you mean? Don't you want to get out of here?”

“I go alone.”

“Why not let me help?”

“The risk. Stynger is a monster.”

Jordyn flinched. She knew his words were true, but that didn't make them hurt any less. She hated that she came from such a twisted, selfish creature. Maybe Mother hadn't always been as willing to hurt people as she was now, but the path she was on was so dark, Jordyn could hardly stand to think about it.

She lifted her chin. “I'm aware of the risk. Even coming here tonight meant taking my life into my own hands. If Mother finds out I was here—”

“Mother?” His expression darkened as dangerous intent clouded his eyes.

Jordyn wanted to bite her own tongue off. “Unfortunately, yes. Does that mean you don't trust me now?”

“Never did.”

“Then why risk putting yourself so close to me? For all you know, I could have a deadly dose of poison tucked in the syringe in my pocket.”

The tiny muscles around his eyes tightened at her comment. That was all that changed, but she could feel the shift in his demeanor from relaxed to vigilant.

“Reach for it,” he ordered.

Whether his command was a dare or a test, Jordyn wasn't sure, but something in his steady gaze told her she'd better do as he said. If she didn't, he'd take her for a coward—someone incapable of planning and executing a complicated escape.

Her hand lifted from her side toward her lab coat pocket.

His movement was fast and fluid. Before she'd shifted her hand more than an inch, his long fingers closed around her wrist, holding it in place with an unbreakable grip.

She should have been alarmed that she was no longer in control of her own hand, but instead all she could think about was the heat and strength of his grip. His palm was against her bare wrist, leaving no barrier between their skin. She could feel rougher patches along his fingers, the way they shackled her completely.

The strangest feeling swept up from some deep place she didn't even realize she had. It was like her whole body woke up and began to buzz with awareness. Her breathing sped. Her skin heated as it pulled warmth from his. She saw every little detail, from the rough shadow of his incoming beard, to the tiny scar on his chin, to the way his black eyelashes were so long they tangled.

There was something about this man that compelled her. Spoke to her. As if some part of him was all hers, just waiting for her to claim it as her own.

Her mouth was dry from nervousness and the strange power he had over her. She licked her lips to ease the dryness and his gaze tracked the sweep of her tongue.

His jaw clenched. “Go,” he ordered, his tone hard and final.

Had she done something wrong? Could he see her strange reaction to his proximity in her face? Whatever the case, it didn't matter. “I can't. Not until the shift change is finished. I'll be seen.”

He leaned into her, bracing one hand on the wall behind her. The other still held her wrist, making his next command impossible. “Go. Don't come back.”

She wasn't going to let him intimidate her. If she ran away like a frightened child, he'd never see her as a useful ally. “You'll never make it out of here without me.”

“I will.”

“No, you won't. Our security is too tight. You don't even know which way to go. You need me.”

“I'm smart.”

“Not as smart as I am. And even if you are, you won't be given an opportunity to escape. Mother knows your value. That has to be why she hasn't started altering you yet. No conditioning, no drugs, no implants.”

“Value?”

“She wants you for some reason I can't figure out.”

He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to decide what to say. Or perhaps whether to say anything. “I was already altered. Before birth. That's why she wants me.”

Jordyn suddenly recalled some files she'd read years ago about a pair of siblings that had their genetic codes tweaked. At the time she'd just learned that Mother had done the same to her before birth. Jordyn had wanted to know who her father was, but none of the research had given her a name. All she knew was she was different. The changes Mother had made to her were part of her genetic code. Unlike all the other subjects, she could pass her anomalies on to her offspring.

As far as she knew, there were only three genetically altered subjects who had survived.

“Do you know what she's going to do to you?” Jordyn asked.

“No idea. You?”

She shook her head. “I've searched your files. There's nothing in there about her plans. She's barely even touched you. Just taken some blood and that one DNA swab.”

“Swab?”

“You don't remember?”

He shook his head. “Must have been asleep. Thanks for the gum.”

“If they check your room they'll find it.”

“I won't say it was from you.”

“I'm not worried about that,” she lied. If that gum was found, chances were Jordyn would spend some serious time in the White Room. Still, she wasn't going to show fear to this man—not when she was trying to convince him she'd be a good partner. “But we do need to make our move soon. The longer we go before getting out of here, the greater the risk of discovery.” And of him having something horrible done to him.