Unleashing the Storm (30 page)

He
waited to hear her call him
Tommy.
When she didn’t, a vague sense of
disappointment washed over him, one he couldn’t shake even as he entered her
fast and hard enough to make him forget his own goddamned name.

Pleasure
wracked his body, his legs shook as his cock danced in her heat and she was
still so tight, so freaking perfect, that he saw stars.

She
clawed at his back through his shirt as if she were trying to make sure there
wasn’t an ounce of space between them as she bucked her hips against his. He
heard his shirt rip, and yanked what was left of it over his head.

“Mmmmm,
skin on skin,” she murmured. “Love the way that feels.”

Yeah,
he did too, but still, no
Tommy,
dammit.

He
held her hips firm so he could get a better angle to thrust into her, watched
as she began to lose control. The sink creaked from the effort, the mirror on
the wall shook and he didn’t give a shit if the whole place came tumbling down.

She
threw her head back, her mouth opened soundlessly as her orgasm overtook her.

He
came in short, hot spurts, while her sex contracted around him, as if demanding
every last drop. His knees were weak and he wondered if he’d have time to eat
something before he took her over to meet the rest of the ACRO team.

He
needed meat, but after what she’d told him, he wasn’t sure if he’d be able to
stomach it well.

She
was still nuzzling his neck—he could’ve sworn she was actually giving him small
licks with her tongue, and it felt good. But he pulled back anyway.

“Why
didn’t you say my name?” he asked, before he could stop himself. Fuck.

“What
are you talking about?”

“It’s
just…you always say my name when you come.”

She
blinked, and it was obvious she was still in her post-orgasmic state. And then
she smiled at him. “I was trying to stay quiet. I mean, you work here—I didn’t
think you’d want to have people talking about the time there was a woman
screaming your name in the bathroom.”

He
nodded, like it didn’t matter. He bent down to retrieve her bottoms and
T-shirt, handed them to her before he buttoned his own pants. “Hurry up and get
dressed. We’re late.”

“Was
this it, Tommy?” she asked, and fuck—
now
she had to say his name?

“End
of the line,” he said. He turned away as she washed up, checked his watch and
forced himself not to reset the alarm he’d had at the ready every four hours.

Someone
else would have to set their alarm for Kira now.

Squinting
in the bright morning sunlight, Kira grabbed Tom’s elbow and pulled him to a
halt as they exited the dog kennels. “How far is it?”

“The
other side of the park.” He gestured across the street at a large expanse of
grass and flowers dotted with picnic tables. “We’ll be there in a minute.”

Through
the trees scattered around the park, she could see buildings, all too close,
and her stomach bottomed out.

“Can
we take the long way?” His long pause prompted her to add a quiet “Please?”

Several
agonizing heartbeats later, he relented with a brisk nod. They crossed the
street and walked in silence along a trail that appeared to circle the park. A
half-dozen people greeted them in passing, some in the black military-style
uniforms, others in civilian clothing and ACRO badges, and none gave her more than
a curious glance. She hadn’t known what to expect, but normal, seemingly
cheerful people wasn’t it.

“Do
ACRO employees use the park much?”

“The
MWR department puts on a lot of functions here. Picnics, concerts…not my thing,
but everyone else seems to have fun.”

“MWR?”

“Morale,
Welfare and Recreation. I think there’s all of one person in that department.”

“So
you never attend?”

“Nope.”

“Do
you ever socialize with these people?”

“Nope.”

She’d
guessed he maintained a lonely existence, but she figured he at least hung out
with people who understood him. Heck, that seemed like one of the greatest
perks to working in a place like this. She’d spent her entire life watching the
world have fun while she stood on the sidelines for fear of getting hurt.

“So I
guess I won’t see you at the company Christmas party, huh?”

“Does
that mean you’ve decided to sign on?”

“Not
even close.” She stopped to sniff some purple flowers growing along the trail.
“It was a joke, Mr. Talkative.”

He
kept walking as though he hadn’t heard her. His odd mood bothered her. Was he
as upset about leaving her as she was about leaving him?

Yeah,
right.
No doubt he’d be thrilled to
have his life to himself again, to not have to babysit her and tend to her
needs every four hours.

She,
on the other hand, would miss how he tended her. How he smelled of sun-warmed
skin and grass, how his gaze heated when he looked in her direction. She’d miss
the way he acted all tough and gruff but would take the time to scratch a cat
behind the ears. Most of all, though, she’d miss the way he made her feel when
he was inside her, like she was the most important person in his life, if just
for a few moments.

They
rounded a bend, and when they emerged from behind a small group of trees and
bushes, she grinned at the sight of a gazebo overlooking a football field–sized
pond.

“Ducks!”

She
ignored Tom’s tolerant sigh and hurried to the edge of the water. Tiny waves
lapped at her pink boots as she reached out mentally to the mallards. Their
contentment wrapped around her, lessening her anxiety about the facility.
Granted, ducks were pretty happy as long as they had food, water and freedom,
but here no one hunted them, they didn’t worry about predators and they had
more than enough people feeding them bread crusts on a regular basis.

“You’re
stalling.”

Tom’s
voice shattered her inner peace, leaving her stomach in turmoil once more. “I
guess I am.” She looked up at him, hoping he’d see what she didn’t want to
admit, and pull her into his arms. When he didn’t, she whispered, “I’m scared.”

“There’s
nothing to be afraid of.”

Yeah,
he’d said as much a hundred times, but he wasn’t the one facing God-knew-what.
“I don’t trust them.”

“And
they don’t trust you.” He jammed his hands in his pockets and looked out over
the pond, his handsome, angular profile giving away none of his thoughts. “They
aren’t going to torture you, or cut you open to see how you work. I won’t lie
to you, though. They will push you to the limit. Past your breaking point. They
want to know what you’re capable of, and their goal is to develop your gift as
far as it will go. But you’ll be treated well.”

“Great.”

He
started walking again, and she followed, noted that his pace slowed as they
approached a squat brick building ahead. Her gut rolled, and a wave of
dizziness washed over her as he reached for the door handle.

“Tom…”

“It’s
okay. Come on.”

They
stepped inside some sort of small lobby, and instantly, the air-conditioned
breeze eased some of her nausea, but did nothing for her nerves. Her knees
trembled, her teeth chattered and her mouth had gone so dry she could hardly
swallow.

Two
men in black BDUs entered the room from a side hallway that sloped downward. As
they approached, she inched closer to Tom, so close she could smell her scent
on his skin.

“You
must be Kira.” The speaker’s badge identified him as a trainer named Brad.

Tom
stepped forward, to get away from her or to intimidate the other men with his
greater height, she didn’t know. “I spoke with the training supervisor. She was
to have female trainers. It’s not a good idea to have males near her right
now.”

Not a
good idea at all, as evidenced by the fact that her pheromones were already
affecting the two trainers. Their arousal permeated the air, and she didn’t
need to look to know they sported erections.

“We’re
only here to help Kira settle in and get started with some paperwork. Janice
and Annika are on the way.”

“Annika?
Fuck.”

“Is
that bad?” Kira shot panicked glances at Tom and the trainers. “Tom?”

He
didn’t take his eyes off Brad, as though the other man was responsible for
whatever had pissed Tom off. “Annika can scent weakness a mile off. Don’t let
her catch wind of yours.”

“We
can take it from here, Ender.” Brad’s smile was probably meant to soothe her,
but it only made her once again inch toward Tom—or Ender, as Brad had called
him. “When did you last have intercourse?”

The
only sound that came out of her mouth was a strangled squeak.

Tom
angled his body just enough to hide her face, and she could have kissed him for
that. “Half hour ago. You’ve got about three and a half hours. Don’t go over.”

“With
all due respect, this is our field. We’ve got it covered.”

“She’ll
die if she doesn’t get what she needs,” Tom snapped. “You know that, right?
Have you made arrangements?”

“Assembling
volunteers wasn’t difficult. We’ve got three donors on standby.”

Donors?
Like sperm donors? The other trainer, James, probably thought his announcement
reassured her, but it had done the opposite. Panic reached up like a fist and
squeezed until she could barely breathe.

“No.”
She stumbled backward. “No. I can’t do this.”

Tom
held up his hand to stop the trainers from coming after her. “Give us a
minute.” He took her by the elbow and led her to a chair in one corner, but she
didn’t sit. “You said you would give this a shot.”

“I
changed my mind. I can’t.” He was so close, and it would be so easy to climb up
him, wrap herself around him and hold on forever. Or at least until her fever
ended. “Take me with you. Just until my heat is over.”

“Kira—”

“Please.”
She grasped his hand and held so tight he winced. “You’re the only man who has
ever known the truth about me. You don’t judge me. You’ve kept me safe and
alive.” Tears welled in her eyes, and she blinked to hold them back. “No one
has ever accepted who I am like you have. I finally have someone I don’t have
to lie to and hide from. I’m scared and alone and all I have in the whole world
is this backpack and you.” She took a deep breath, tried to rid her voice of
the tremors. “Tommy, don’t make me beg.”

For a
moment, she thought she’d gotten through to him. He stood there, his throat
working on a swallow, his gaze soft and sympathetic. He closed his eyes, and
her pulse skittered madly as she waited, but when she felt him stiffen, her
heart seized.

His
eyes opened, and her heart plummeted to the pit of her stomach. Gone was the
man who had protected her, had held her tenderly, had listened to her like she
mattered. In his place was the professional, efficient agent who had killed
Derek and hunted down bad guys in the woods. This Tom’s eyes were ice, his
expression hard, and she knew in an instant that the man standing before her
was capable of things she couldn’t even comprehend.

“You
don’t get it, do you, Kira? You aren’t my problem anymore. The second you
crossed the threshold to this building, you became theirs, thank God.”

“But…”
Problem? She had no idea how to finish the sentence she’d begun. Shock had
stolen her thoughts.

He
dropped her hand and wheeled away, putting a mile of distance in the three-foot
span of tile. “I don’t have time for this. I have other jobs waiting.”

“Other
jobs.
” Knowing she’d been nothing but an assignment was one thing;
hearing it in his own words was another. Pain shot through her, and she nearly
doubled over with the hurt that seared her insides. “More people to kill and
other women to screw, is that right?”

“Whatever
it takes to complete a mission.” He gestured to the two men who had stopped
pretending to chat and now watched intently. “Go. It’s best for everyone.”

Damn
him. The air grew thick and still as Tom and the trainers waited for her
reaction. She had no idea what any of them would do if she told them to go to
hell and then ran out the door, but she guessed they wouldn’t let her get far.
Tom had warned her that once she stepped foot on ACRO property, she wouldn’t be
allowed to leave until her training was completed, whether or not she signed on
at the end.

She
looked up at him, searched for even a hint of the Tommy she’d fallen for, but
he was gone. The stranger in front of her had taken over, and that bastard
would not see her cry or beg again.

Lifting
her chin and squaring her shoulders, she turned away. The trainers flanked her
and guided her down the sloping hallway. A strange pulling sensation tugged at
her, like an invisible rope stretched between Tom and her, and as the distance
between them increased, the more uncomfortable the pull became. The man
standing in the lobby might not be her Tommy, might be the cold killer people
here called Ender, but her body didn’t know the difference, and it wanted him
back.