Read Paired Objective: Matched Desire, Book 2 Online

Authors: Clare Murray

Tags: #ménage;aliens;m/f/m;sf;futuristic

Paired Objective: Matched Desire, Book 2 (7 page)

BOOK: Paired Objective: Matched Desire, Book 2
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“The Twins?”

“Yes. One of the top scientists majorly screwed up a mission and defected to the Shadow Feds. Maybe he was a traitor all this time—that’s the talk, anyway. The Twins involved in that mess nearly died. Afterward? The first thing the top brass addressed was the fact that those Twins had brought back a woman and were insisting on keeping her with them.”

“Nice priorities,” Abby said.

Privately, it sounded as if those so-called
top scientists
weren’t that much worse than the Shadow Feds who still labeled themselves senators.

“Yeah, I’ll say.” His fingers made a movement against her shirt that might have been a stilled caress.

Abby opened the door and headed out before she could dwell too much upon what seemed to be blossoming between them—between all
three
of them, she reminded herself. If she thought about it too much, it sounded too crazy.

But then, life itself was crazy these days.

Apart from the warehouses, there wasn’t much to the area. The vehicles were well-kept, but the people she saw were in poor shape. A pair of children ran past, carrying a worn ball as they cast suspicious glances at Abby and Russ over their shoulders. They scattered a small flock of chickens, who squawked indignantly before settling again. The birds seemed in good condition, at least, with bright eyes and shiny feathers.

It would behoove Uther to take care of his chickens, though, Abby thought cynically. They’d produce better eggs, which would provide more food for him. She sidled past a large hen and continued onward.

“Cam says we can go have a bite to eat in the kitchen,” Russ told her as they rounded a corner. “This way.”

The mention of food made her stomach grind almost painfully. She immediately adjusted her course, nearly bumping Cam as he emerged abruptly from a doorway. The Twin’s gaze was fixed upon his brother’s—why was he scowling? She sensed Russ’s tension from the way he stiffened, and his returning stare was equally as fierce. The Twins squared off silently.

Arguing mind-to-mind, she realized.

“You know it’s rude to exclude someone from a conversation, don’t you?” Abby stepped forward to slip her hand into the crook of Cam’s arm, effectively leading both men forward and breaking the moment. It took her eyes a moment to adjust to the relative gloom of the kitchen, but when she looked at the men, their scowls had lessened.

What had
that
been about?

Shaking her head, she walked between them toward a long wooden table. Given a bit of space, she would have chosen to sit across from the men, but they helped her swing her legs over a bench seat, sandwiching her in between them. It unnerved her that she couldn’t read these men. Couldn’t tell whether something was really wrong, or only mildly so. Ironic that, less than an hour ago, she’d practically begged them both to touch her. Now they were caging her in. Or protecting her, depending on the view.

Maybe they should have had a get-to-know-you chat before she’d let them bring her to almost-screaming orgasm.

A woman crossed the room to plonk three mugs in front of them while balancing a tray of food with her other hand. That deft handling of cutlery suggested she’d been a waitress in the pre-Invasion days; the hardness to her face told Abby the woman wasn’t someone to mess with. She flicked her blue eyes upward, meeting Abby’s gaze.

“Soup today, like it was yesterday and the day before.” She added something in a foreign language.

“Say what?” Abby asked. Next to her, Russ solicitously stirred her soup until she plucked the spoon out of his fingers.


Cabbage soup is my fare
. My Russian baba was fond of the saying.” The woman hooked a chair opposite them and took a seat. “I’m Katya.”

They introduced themselves around mouthfuls of soup and coarse bread. The soup wasn’t thick, but it was salty and decently full of vegetables. Drinks consisted of diluted powdered orange juice. Despite the poor repast, Abby felt much better by the time she put her spoon down.

“You sure walked in at a funny time.” Katya continued to regard them from across the table.

“Why’s that?” Russ asked.

“Everyone’s on edge, thinking Uther’s going to be challenged for leadership. So is it true? Is the government out to assassinate him?”

“Not through us.” Russ took a gulp from his mug. “Is that what Uther’s been saying?”

Some of the tension seemed to leave Katya, and she lounged more loosely against the wooden back of her chair. “There’s folk who say we need an Arthur rather than an Uther, so to speak. Long as you guys don’t fancy yourselves the two true kings, I think you’ll be fine.”

“Do you already have a designated Arthur?” Cam asked.

“Can’t answer that.” Katya shrugged, beginning to stack the empty dishes on the tray. “You know, though, you’re a pretty trusting bunch. If one of Uther’s bosom buddies had made this food, it might have been poisoned.”

She cocked her head, sending a chill down Abby’s spine.

“One step ahead of you there. This’ll detect all common poisons to the nearest particle.” Russ held up a small device. Abby’s heartbeat quit galloping and she nearly smiled. Russ hadn’t been smothering her by stirring her soup—he’d been testing for poison.

Katya flashed them a grin. “What about the uncommon ones?”

“Does Uther have access to polonium?”

“No.” She snorted. “He limits himself to ricin and arsenic.”

The tray rattled as Katya got to her feet, carrying the stack of dirty bowls to a sink across the room. Without overtly saying so, she’d established herself as anti-Uther. Abby reminded herself that anti-Uther didn’t necessarily equate to
trustworthy
, but she was inclined to support Katya if push came to shove. Still, she couldn’t help but needle the other woman.

“So why are you telling us all this?” Abby asked.

Katya looked across the room at the table, raking the Twins with a mercenary gaze. “Over the years, I learned to hedge my bets. But you two? You’re strong enough to put Uther in his place if he tries to pull a power play out of his hat tonight.”

“We’re not here for that kind of shit,” Russ told her.

“Neither am I, but that’s the breaks.” She turned back to the dishes, leaving them to finish the dregs of juice in their mugs.

Cam’s hand stroked a brief caress up Abby’s back, drawing her attention to the fact that both men were getting to their feet. Belatedly, she joined them. “Are we going back to our bedroom?”

Their sudden smiles nearly made her blush. She pulled herself together as Katya approached. The look on the other woman’s face instantly chilled the mood.

“Are you married?” she asked Abby.

“Nope.”

“Then you’re fair game for Uther or one of his henchmen. I’d suggest you stick to the guest shed.”

Abby raised her eyebrows. “It’s like that, is it?”

“Yes. Can’t think why people want change around here.” She fixed them with a long look, then snapped back into hostess mode. “Let me give you some bread and cheese for later—that’ll allow you to avoid having to eat with everyone else. Wish I could give you some meat, but Uther’s buddies get to pick through all the best parts before the hoi polloi are allowed to serve themselves.”

“Bread and cheese is fine. Thanks.” Abby took the packet of food Katya handed over.

“Watch yourselves,” was the woman’s parting shot as they left the kitchen.

Chapter Five

Lounging on the bottom bunk, Russ split his attention between his commtab and Abby, who was taking the opportunity for a late-afternoon nap. She was curled up on her side, head pillowed on her arm, one bare foot poking out through the slats of the top bunk. Not for the first time, Russ wished her head was pillowed on his chest.

She’d been so sweet in his arms, gasping out those needy cries as he and Cam had built her up. He’d been all set to resist her charms until she’d turned those eyes of hers upon him, all but begging him to join in. Russ’s nostrils flared.

“Is this going to be a problem for us?”

He shot the question at his Twin, unable to hold back any longer. On the double bed, Cam raised his head.

“You know I don’t want it to be, but I can’t help being jealous. It’s a stupid, knee-jerk reaction, I know, except…I’ve never felt this way before.”

“Neither have I.”

“Trust us to pick the best timing to jump into a relationship…”

Russ nearly cracked a smile.
“Yeah.”

“There’s a whole bunch of politics going on here. Uther’s strong, and a lot of people will roll with whoever has the most iron of fists. But Snake Eyes gave me the impression there’s a schism, and Katya all but told us there’d be some kind of a revolt soon.”

“It’ll go down tonight, most likely. We need to make sure the van’s ready to roll out. Worse comes to worst, we can survive the night outside the walls.”

Cam propped his head on his arms.
“One or both of us need to stick close to Abby too.”

That was a given. Even under safer circumstances, Russ wanted to keep her near. He had no idea how fast one was supposed to move with a woman. He wasn’t sure whether they’d done too much, too fast with her…but every fiber of him demanded more. And soon.

Abby woke a few minutes later, looking deliciously rumpled and ever so slightly aggrieved that she was no longer asleep. Russ’s delight that she looked at him first was tempered by the memory of his brother’s jealousy. They needed to play it fair for now. If that meant taking it slow and easy, then that was how it had to be.

On the other hand, Abby didn’t seem as if she was inclined to take a leisurely pace. After stumbling to the bathroom, she returned, taking a seat on the foot of the double bed and splitting a beseeching look between them. “Are either of you good at massages?”

“Cam is,” Russ said, volunteering his brother despite the fact that he was more than eager to touch her again.

“Where are you stiff?” Cam immediately sat up, scooting down the bed to sit behind Abby.

“Shoulders and calves.”

Russ let himself be drawn to her as well, moving across to the double bed. He lifted her legs, resting them across his as he began to knead the tight muscles above her ankles. He sensed her need to be touched, but he also knew she’d shy away if they moved too fast. For a second, insecurity stilled his hands.

“You’re not going to screw this up.”

Cam’s words were reassuring, but they didn’t completely mollify him. Even so, he continued his massage, working on a particularly tense area that made Abby gasp. Once he’d loosened her muscles, he let his movements become softer, more caressing, working his way up her thighs. Behind her, Cam’s shoulder massage lightened, and his hands drifted to her breasts.

Abby let out a soft sigh that seemed to brush against his very soul.

How long had he wanted this? Too damn long. Abby was one of the rare women who intrigued both of them. Russ had spent many a night questioning whether a woman like her could actually exist. Now that she was here in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to make her his.
Theirs.

His gaze flicked to the door, confirming it was locked. Not that the flimsy wood would hold up to a determined assault, but it would prevent someone bursting in on them unannounced. The sunlight coming in around the curtains was that of late afternoon, so presumably they’d have some time before Uther wanted to run those fights of his.

Russ lowered Abby’s bare foot to the floor so that her thighs were spread. She was wearing much-patched jeans and a formfitting blouse that revealed a glimpse of her bra strap. Her expression managed to strike a balance between hazy and wary, reminding him to go slow. But when Cam teased the blouse over her head, she raised her arms to help him. Her breasts spilled into his hands, turning Russ’s erection almost painfully hard.

“You okay with this, babe?” he asked as he slid her jeans down.

“Yes,” she whispered. “I…need this. They…”

Russ tensed at the same time his brother let out a snarl. “They raped you?”

She shook her head, curls flying. “Not rape. That happened there, but not to me. Still…they had their ways of messing around. A pat on my butt, a squeeze of my breast. Little dehumanizing touches. They did it to all of us. Guy or girl, black or white, everyone was subject to their sick little power games. On the last day I was there, one of the senators put his hand down my pants and…it was disgusting. He was going to rape me later. That was when I broke down their security.”

“And we caught you,” Russ murmured. He moved up to sandwich her in between them.

“I just want you to erase the memories,” Abby said.

He caught her jaw as she leaned toward him, gentling her desperate kiss. It was becoming more and more apparent that the pheromone attraction could work both ways, which was yet another fact the scientists had kept from them.

Behind Abby, Cam made a sound of encouragement, supporting her against him as Russ claimed her lips. Between them, they stripped her, then themselves, letting skin slide against bare skin in a way that drove Russ half-crazy.

Abby came up for air as they lowered her onto the mattress, her eyes hazed. “I’m not on birth control.”

“We are.” The sperm-suppressing shots were compulsory. Couldn’t have Twins breeding willy-nilly, not without the all-knowing scientists and government officials to oversee things.

Russ tensed as Abby’s fingers hooked into the waistband of his boxers, tugging them over his thighs. His cock jutted against her palm as she reached for it, sending a bolt of pleasure surging hard against his nerve-endings. Fuck, that was good.

This was encroaching on new territory for him. He’d never so much as taken his shirt off with a woman, let alone kissed anyone with so much passion. His previous encounters had been quick, lust-easing trysts—and he’d never bothered to go beyond a simple hand-job, never seen reason to linger leisurely over a woman after he’d pleasured her in return. Certainly he hadn’t bothered to do anything other than zip his fly and wish her a good day before leaving.

There had been plenty of women willing to see to him at the Complex, and he was vaguely aware some of them talked among themselves, spreading rumors that Russ was saving himself for someone special. Maybe he had been, though he’d initially scoffed at the idea.

“It wasn’t because of me, right?”

Cam felt guilty as hell about Russ’s virginity. Granted, it wasn’t easy when they were seeing different women. One brother’s orgasm meant the other Twin was hard-pressed not to follow suit, which generally meant a fast-and-hard hand job somewhere private, and deliberate plans not to be somewhere public when one Twin planned to mess around.

“No, not because of you. It never felt right until now.”

His brother’s relief was almost tangible. His Twin took the opportunity to bury himself between Abby’s legs, causing her grip to tighten on Russ’s cock. She slid her fingers upward as he straddled her chest. Between them, they shifted her toward the middle of the bed so that she was in no danger of falling off.

For a moment, his cock brushed against her chin. Then, incredibly, her lips pressed against his engorged head, sliding across his skin, all hot and velvety. Russ tensed, staying perfectly still as she got her bearings.

She let out a little moan as Cam’s head went back between her legs, the vibration tickling his erection almost unbearably. Then her mouth slid down Russ’s shaft. He braced himself, resisting the urge to pound into her. It had been so long—so damn long, and he was on the verge of simply coming down her throat.

Instead, he concentrated on memorizing her face, from her high cheekbones to the handful of freckles that dotted her light brown skin. Her hazel eyes were closed in passion but flew open briefly when he rolled one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, bringing it to a peak. Her tongue softened against him, flicking at the sensitive spot underneath his head, and Russ struggled to keep from losing it right then and there.

Abby lost it before him, however, with Cam sending him a quick mental warning as he felt her nearing an orgasm. Her lips clamped down on his cock, the barest hint of teeth grating against his skin, which was more than enough impetus for his own release.

Russ had only enough time to growl a warning, but she didn’t pull away. He cupped her face tenderly between his hands as her throat worked, swallowing all he gave her.

“Fuck.” He whispered the word almost reverently as she slumped against the pillows, breathing hard. Her chest rose and fell against his thighs, though he took care to keep his weight on the mattress instead of her.

Russ rolled to her side, feeling rather than seeing her reach down for Cam. His brother’s harsh breathing seemed to echo in the small room, followed by Abby’s slight gasp as Cam spilled his seed across her bare stomach.

Russ propped himself up, gathering Abby to him as his brother attended to the cleanup. “You okay, babe?”

“I like how I can tell you apart even when I’m not looking at you,” Abby murmured.

“How’s that?” Cam asked, halfway to the bathroom.

“Russ doesn’t say
fudge
instead of
fuck
.”

Cam laughed, and Russ’s chuckle started deep in his belly. It was a true, cleansing laugh, the likes of which he hadn’t experienced in far too long. He scooted over in the bed, making room for Cam, who wedged himself into the space. They’d have to get a king-size bed, Russ mused…

“Super-king-size,”
Cam corrected.

Or, Russ supposed, they could push together the two double beds in their Complex apartment.

“And risk losing Abby down the crack? No. The scientists and their government lackeys—or the other way around, whichever you prefer—can damn well source us a carpenter and a decent mattress. They can’t do a little thing like that? Then maybe we shouldn’t bother to live at the Complex and continue protecting them.”

“Some people might call that line of thinking treasonous
.

Russ stroked Abby’s curls, letting the hair slip between his fingers.

On the other side of her, Cam splayed his fingers against her stomach, palm covering her belly button.
“We have to be careful what we say, how we come across, but it’s
not
treason to ask for creature comforts. It’s not treason to move on if we feel undervalued, just as a pen-pusher was more than welcome to look for a better-paying job at a different company.”

“Like Slater and Arden did?”
Their departure had taken Complex morale down a notch. Nobody had been entirely sure where those Twins had gone, although the strongest rumors had placed them in Shadow Fed territory. Abby had confirmed that earlier.

“Not to the Shadow Feds, no
.
Never them
.

Good, they were on the same page there. Russ let himself relax, savoring the moment and the weight of the woman against his shoulder. Even so, he was hyper-aware of the slant of sunlight through the curtains, his mind keeping track of time instinctually and accurately. Soon, aliens would emerge from their hiding places. And it wouldn’t be long before one of Uther’s men summoned them.

The dual threat sparked a restlessness deep down inside him. Yeah, he was ready for whatever Uther threw his way, as long as the man didn’t try to start shit with Abby. Given Katya’s earlier warning about Uther’s henchmen having their way with unmarried women, Russ might have to actively restrain himself from proactively punching any man who came close to Abby.

She chose that moment to stretch against his side, tilting her head up to peer out the window. “Ugh.”

“You all right?” Both Twins spoke as one, which seemed to amuse her.

“I’m fine. I hate this time of afternoon, though. I associate it with looking for shelter—or trying to shore up wherever we wound up for the day if we weren’t behind City walls.”

“Did you do a lot of traveling?” Russ asked.

“Not at first. When the Invasion happened, we lived in suburban Reno. My boyfriend was spending the night for the first time. Separate bedrooms and all, since we were fifteen. I guess that saved his life, because his parents’ house got cratered. So Callum, Mom and I were able to hunker down and survive. So did Grammie, of course. Pretty much everyone else we knew died.” The glib way she said it made Russ think she was used to saying it without letting herself feel accompanying emotion.

“Callum?” he asked.

“My fiancé. He’s dead.” Again with the lack of emotion.

“What about your dad?”

She shrugged against him, still looking out the window. “My parents were separated. I was living with Mom until I finished school. Dad was a mechanic for the new long-distance robotrucks, so he did a lot of riding from coast-to-coast, troubleshooting problems. He’d drop by when he could, but he must have been on the road when the Invasion happened. I never saw him again.”

Where were you when the Invasion happened?
was a popular question even a decade later.

“My mom liked scavenging,” Abby continued. “We made a pretty good living at it, even came back to visit Grammie a couple times in Scar City. She really wanted us to stay.”

“How come you didn’t?” Russ asked. He remembered Patrice as ornery and elderly, but the love she had for her granddaughter was fierce.

“Three of us living there would have been a burden on Grammie. And Mom couldn’t settle in one place anyway. So we kept heading out, mostly traveling by train. Sometimes we would find a car that still worked and drive that until it broke down past our ability to fix.” She laughed. “We got pretty good at fixing things, actually. Funny what you can learn when you’re under pressure.”

BOOK: Paired Objective: Matched Desire, Book 2
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