What Remains_Mutation (23 page)

Her head strained backward, opening her neck to Sully’s mouth. He nipped at her skin as his cock nudged her sex, slowly inching inside her.

“God. Yes. So good.”

Her voice sounded as edgy as she felt, but she didn’t care. She had nothing to hide from them, no secret she couldn’t divulge. They filled her, possessed her. And she knew she’d never feel complete without all three of them loving her.

Sully growled beneath her, his hands cupping her waist. “I gotta move, darling. I want to go slow, but…”

“You don’t have to go slow. Just love me.”

His head fell against the floor at her words, his grip tightening. He moved his hips, easing his cock back through her channel until just the head was lodged inside. Then he reclaimed the lost inches, grinding his groin against hers. Cogan went next, dragging his massive shaft through her sensitive flesh only to pump back in, this entrance harder than the last.

They worked in tandem, each one taking a turn until her fingers scratched at Sully’s chest as the sensations built to excruciating levels. She cried out, needing them to move, to ignite the fire swirling low in her core. She reached for Jake, his touch soothing some of the raw need as she waited on the edge, her body quivering with anticipation. Jake reached between her and Sully, pinching her nipple.

She broke. Exploded. All but died in their arms as heat prickled across her skin, stealing her breath as it consumed her, dragging her under. The men groaned, all rhythm lost as they pounded into her, Cogan shouting her name first. It bounced around in her head, the easy sound of it settling peacefully in her chest. He collapsed over her back, his chest pressing against her skin as his heartbeat thrummed through her. He stayed like that for what felt like hours before easing his shaft free of her ass and falling to the floor, spent.

Sully groaned beneath her, his cock still hard inside her, the head pulsing. “Damn, Jake, if you’re going to finish our girl off, you’d best hurry.”

Jake gave her a raise of his brow. She mouthed ‘hurry’, her body still spasming. He eased in behind her, the crown slipping inside her ass as he thrust forward, sending her over again.

Stars burst across her vision, dimming it at the edges as she climaxed a second time, this one darker, more intense than the first. The men kept moving, pumping into her, never allowing her to catch her breath, to recover as they kept her orgasm going, her body finally collapsing on Sully’s.

The man roared her name, the hot feel of his seed coating her sex unhinging her as Jake followed, filling her ass with his release. She let herself go, drifting between sleep and unconsciousness until a hand cupped her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. She pried one eyelid open, staring into deep-brown eyes.

Cogan smiled, lifting her hair off her brow. “You okay?”

She nodded, closing her eye again when he gave her another shake.

Irritation gnawed at her as she looked at him again. “What?”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m perfect.”

That sexy smile curved his lips. “Damn straight you are. We need to clean up.”

“Too tired.”

His eyes softened. “You rest. We’ll take care of you. And when you wake up, we can do it all over again if you need us to.”

A solitary tear blazed down her cheek, pooling on Sully’s chest. “Love you guys.”

“Ditto, sweetheart. Now sleep. We’ll be right here when you wake up.”

Harper closed her eyes, whispering her love one more time. But as the gray patches at the edge of her consciousness increased, she wasn’t quite sure if she’d spoken the words or only imagined them in her head.

Chapter Fourteen

One week later…

Harper stood in the room where her life had changed—where she’d foolishly agreed to venture back to the facility to get Lelin’s damn serum with three men she’d known were trouble from the start—and tried to remember why she’d ever resisted the idea of loving them? In hindsight, she’d been halfway there the moment they’d risked their lives to help her, and she knew she’d never regret letting them in.

Arms slipped around her waist, drawing her into Jake’s chest. She could tell by his scent, by the size of his body against hers. In what was arguably a short time, she’d come to know the three men better than she did herself. They were part of her. An extension of her soul.

“That scowl on your face suggests some pretty deep thinking. Anything I should know about?”

She elbowed him in the ribs. Gently. “I was just thinking how I’d never stood a chance against you three. It really wasn’t a fair fight.”

“We’ve seen you fight, love. There’s nothing fair about it, regardless of which side you’re on.”

She laughed, smiling at Cogan and Sully when they entered the room, heading straight for her. They each dropped a kiss on her lips, moving to stand on either side. She still hadn’t gotten accustomed to the easy acceptance of the compound. From the moment they’d returned and Cogan had announced the change in their status, no one had so much as batted an eye when all three men touched her. And she’d discovered that an audience didn’t seem to stem their need for constant contact. Whether it was holding her hand, or resting their fingers on her hip, they seldom stood apart, choosing to include her.

Choice. She’d been their choice and that one thought made everything else seem less important. After a life of never fitting in, she’d found three men who had embraced who and what she was. And that was three more than she’d ever expected to find.

Barrett cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. He turned his gaze on her, his blue eyes accessing every detail. “I realize you four have been back for a week, but there hasn’t been a chance to properly debrief. Though the intel you have on this new strain has proven indispensable. We never would have thought they’d shy away from fire. And we know you guys have run yourselves ragged keeping them burning all week long.”

Cogan shrugged. “Most of the other teams have gotten the hang of it. We should be able to catch up on some sleep now that we’re not worried Hunter’s going to burn the entire complex down.”

The man in question chuckled. “Hey, I told you guys I’d damn near blown myself up trying to light a barbecue. I’m a sniper, not a damn explosives expert.”

“Well, I wouldn’t quit your day job just yet, though you’ve come a long way.” Cogan nodded at Rhys. “Any word from Kace? Does the man’s absence mean good news?”

Rhys snorted. “What it means is that my little brother’s a workaholic. I finally had to send Emersyn into his lab in order to get him to take a break. I’ve found she can be quite…persuasive.” He ran a hand through his hair. “But it also means that Kace needs more time. The serum has proven more difficult to replicate than he’d originally thought. But the man’s brilliant. If we can keep the compound secure for a bit longer, I’m confident he’ll find the answer he’s looking for.”

“Which is?”

“A viable vaccine. One that’s permanent and targeted against this new strain. He thinks that once he’s got that under control, he’ll be able to use Lelin’s blueprints to create a similar vaccine for the original parasite using antibodies from my blood. At least, I think that’s what he said. The jackass speaks science geek half the time. It’s damn impossible to follow him.”

Sully took a step forward. “So what now?”

Barrett frowned, glancing at Darcy and Colby before crossing his arms on his chest. “You mean, since you’ve done all you can for Kace, what are we going to do about Gunner?”

“Unless you’re going to tell us his team sauntered back home while we were gone and have just conveniently avoided us for the past week.”

“Gunner hasn’t returned.”

“Then our course of action hasn’t changed, either.”

Barrett huffed, swinging his gaze to Harper. “I don’t suppose you can talk some sense into these boys? Convince them to wait until Kace can offer them some protection?”

“Considering they saved my ass on a mission to find Gunner, that might be difficult for me to justify. Besides, I agree with them. The man’s out of time. If he and his team are still alive, they need help now, not when it’s safe or convenient for us. That doesn’t exist.” She held up her hand, stopping him from interrupting. “Look. I’m sure Kace is as much of a genius as Lelin was. And the fact he’s not batshit crazy is definitely a bonus. But the hard truth is… There’s always a chance Lelin’s mind wasn’t intact. That in the end, there isn’t a cure. A solution. Whether Kace solves the riddle or not doesn’t change the fact some of your people are missing, and they deserve whatever chance we can give them.”

Barrett sighed. “That certainly didn’t go as I’d hoped.” He shook his head. “Fine. You three—”

“Four. There’re four of us now. And don’t even think about lecturing me on some bullshit about family units and active duty. I worked for the CIA. That means I’m incredibly stubborn and probably think my way’s the only way. It also means I’m part of the team. Period.”

Barrett glanced at the ceiling, his expression speaking volumes. “My mistake. You
four
can pack up a Hummer and go hunting…” He held up one finger. “As soon as you can confidently leave the overseeing of the fires with another group and not have anything go wrong in your absence. And we’re not saying that to stall you. We’ve said it before. Your knowledge in that department is immeasurable. I just want to make sure we’re not leaving the compound vulnerable before you venture off. Gunner would have my ass if you brought him back here and he discovered civilians had died in his place.”

Cogan glanced at Sully. “Agreed. It was never our intention to put the camp at risk. And I’d say we’re a day—two at most—from achieving that. Thankfully Rhys doesn’t share Hunter’s lack of grace with a lighter.”

Hunter scowled. “Now you’re just being mean.”

Cogan smiled at the man. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we can eventually look beyond your shortcomings.”

Barrett laughed. “Damn. Not sure I want to know the details of what happened out there, but you sure grew a new set of brass balls while you were away.” He nodded at Harper. “Or maybe your new member just brings out the alpha in you three.”

“Woman’s a tough benchmark to meet.”

“Can’t argue with that.” Barrett leaned against a counter. “Sounds like we have a compromise. Now why don’t you all get some sleep? We’ll man the security for a few hours. Darcy will organize some supplies so you’re ready as soon as you give the word.”

Cogan nodded his thanks, moving over to the door when Barrett called to him.

“Just do us a favor? When you are ready to leave, don’t do anything too heroic out there. I don’t want to exchange your lives for theirs.”

“I thought we were a sorry lot to look at?”

“You are.” He winked at them. “But Harper’s not.”

The man coughed when Abby punched him in the shoulder. Barrett grinned at her, taking her into his arms as Cogan shook his head, walking into the sunshine.

Harper trailed along behind them, not quite sure whether she should offer to do border patrols or follow them back to their barracks. Cogan had forbidden her from joining them at the fires, using some half-assed excuse about them needing her inside the walls to do sentry patrols. Some crap about her expertise. But she knew they were saving face for her. Keeping her fears to themselves. And that simple truth only made her love them more.

She walked into the main room, leaning against the doorframe as they headed for the bedroom. They’d rearranged the space as soon as they’d gotten back, shoving a number of mattresses together so they could sleep as a unit. They seemed to take turns snuggling beside her, though it didn’t appear as if it were anything they’d consciously planned. She just seemed to end up rotating between them as if it’d always been that way.

Jake held out his hand to her after shucking off his clothes, standing at the foot of the bed in nothing but his boxers. She smiled at the sight of him, quickly disrobing before clasping her fingers through his as she followed them onto the bed. Sully moved in behind her, wrapping one arm across her hip as he burrowed into the bed. Jake offered her his chest and she rested her head on his pecs, reaching out until Cogan snagged her hand. The tension eased from her body, and she closed her eyes, listening to the soft whisper of breath. She’d thought the boys would try to seduce her, but they’d been taking their lead from her. Letting her set the tone for any encounters. She suspected that they were merely giving her a chance to get comfortable in the compound. Get used to the sheer number of people. She wasn’t sure when seven people in a room had become a crowd to her, but after being alone with just Lelin for so long, it’d taken some getting used to.

She smiled, staying still until their breathing deepened before sitting up. She paused, waiting to see if she’d moved the bed too much but they didn’t stir, chests rising rhythmically. She eased Sully’s arm off her hip then slipped out of the bed, tiptoeing over to the closet, removing a small box she’d placed in there. The cardboard opened silently, the ends hanging limp at the sides. She reached in, pulling several silk ties from inside. She’d searched through more than a few containers of spare clothes in order to gather enough to properly bind the men to the bed. But today, it’d all be worth it.

Harper snuck back to the bed, looping the ends around the posts first, knowing the men would wake as soon as the cool fabric touched their skin. She’d do Cogan first then Sully, praying Jake would offer to go along if the other two woke him up. But just as she reached for Cogan’s hands, the man bolted up, grabbing her around the waist and rolling her over, pinning her arms over her head. She struggled against his hold, his sheer weight keeping her trapped beneath him as hands grasped her ankles.

She managed to shuffle over enough and glance down just as Jake tied one of the silk strands around her left leg as Sully bound her right. Then they moved to her arms, double-checking the knots before stepping back, fingers tapping their chins as they admired their work.