by Imogene Nix
She laid her finger against his lips. “I want to. So much. But you tell me you want it to be perfect for me, and I don’t know how to do the same for you.” The words ended on a wail, and he grinned.
“There. That made it perfect for me. Because you want it to be right.” He crawled onto the bed beside her and gathered her close. “Just let me love you, Clarissa.”
With careful fingers, he pushed the shirt from her shoulders, gazing at the flesh he uncovered. Somewhere deep in her body, a coil of desire began to curl tight.
“I’m going to touch you now.” He did, sliding one hand from shoulder to breast, where he stilled, cupped her, his thumb toying gently with her nipple. Every move soft and gentle.
Once more she let go of her senses, allowed them to focus on how his caresses affected her, drugged her so that she slid into the maelstrom.
“I want…” She couldn’t form any coherent thought as he laid his lips against the supple flesh of her other breast. His tongue flicked lightly, leaving her breathless and hungry. When he opened his mouth and sucked the tip in she was sure she’d explode.
Clarissa gripped his hair, pushing him closer as he toyed with her, releasing his hold and allowing his hand to travel south. He found the band of her bottoms, wiggled his fingers as she moaned, then burrowed beneath the cotton.
Michael raised his head. “You like that.”
The guttural tones reminded her that he too had needs. The cool air teased her damp and highly aroused flesh.
“I’d rather you joined me in this voyage of discovery.” She hardly knew the husky voice as her own, but she’d heard that arousal affected every inch of a woman’s body. She gazed at his bare chest, and her mouth dried. “I…”
“I take it you like what you see?” His laughter echoed in the room, and she gulped, more than liking her current view.
He reached out, dragged her close, and she squeaked as their flesh mashed together, nerves jumping and quivering.
Between her legs an insistent throb grew, married with the increased heartbeat. Her stomach clenched. “I want you naked, and I want to be naked.” Clarissa winced at her bald request, and he laughed again.
“As my lady commands.” Michael eased away, and she gave a tiny groan. “I’m coming back.”
When she reached to tug down her pants, Michael shook his head.
“No, Clarissa. I’ll do that.”
The smile he gifted her was wolfish, and her breath caught in her throat as he shimmied out of his trousers, hooked his underwear with his thumbs and removed them too. Totally naked and adorned by moonlight, all Clarissa could do was stare at the man before her.
He slid back onto the bed and hauled her close, his mouth closing over hers. His tongue thrust between her lips as he ravaged her. His firm hands slid over her body, and she drowned in the sensations he evoked.
He dragged her bottoms down until they lay flesh to flesh. When he tugged away from the scorching kiss she heaved for breath. His fingers walked down her torso, across her belly, and it clenched involuntarily.
“I’m going to touch you, Clarissa. Slide my fingers deep inside you.” The dark and erotic whisper of his words played havoc with her mind as he did exactly that while every nerve ending quivered at his ministrations.
His fingers brushed against her skin, opened her wide and slid across, so that her legs splayed for his intimate contact. When they breached her, she whimpered and moaned, her hips undulating. “What…”
“Let it go, Clarissa. Enjoy the sensation and know that you’re beautiful.”
Michael kissed her collarbone, her jaw, then slid down to her stomach, where his mouth caressed her navel. Tongue dipping in and out in the parody of the sexual act. Her fingers curled in the sheets, holding onto the tiny thread of sanity as the world shook around her.
When his tongue grazed her mons she arched and cried out, eyes squeezed shut as shattering sensations crashed down. He urged her on, loving her in the most secret fashion until the quivering of her body ceased and she fluttered, little more than a leaf on the wind.
Her chest heaved. “I don’t…” Her wits were scattered, and forming a coherent sentence seemed beyond her.
“You enjoyed that.” The rasp of his voice betrayed his desire, and he rose up, like an avenging god, covering her body. “Now it’s our turn together.”
His lips tasted musky, the scent of sex redolent, and she gasped as he seated himself between her legs.
“Open for me, princess. Let me find my home.”
Instinctively, she wound her legs around him, and he moved, flexing his hips so that he slid a short way into her body. The unfamiliar sensations washed over her. It was the same as when his fingers… The thought died as he flexed once more and slid more deeply.
Her breath hitched. “I don’t…”
His lips found hers again, and this time his tongue slid within in time with the movement of his body seating himself. The pressure, unfamiliar and yet so erotic, thrust her back into the wild storm of passion, and he moved, hands gripping her hips and helping her to find the rhythm.
Movement. Sound. Scent. It all came together as she crested a peak she’d never known existed.
He twisted his mouth from hers. “Oh God. You feel so good.”
The words egged her on, and their wild dance sped up, became wilder until her body splintered.
“Michael?” She couldn’t help herself as she fell.
He stilled, clutching her close, and she felt the jerk and dance deep within her body as he came.
Stillness descended. Her arms around him. He clutched her close. They were still joined as they sucked in shuddering gulps of oxygen.
“It’s never been like that before.” His voice shook. “I love you, Clarissa.”
Chapter 17
Morning came, a muted light rising above the horizon, while Clarissa lay on the bed, considering the night just passed. Beside her, Michael slept, his body relaxed while her own continued to tingle in reaction to their wild lovemaking.
No one had ever told her that she’d feel so deeply after sex. Only, it hadn’t been just that. Her heart was fully engaged.
She’d fallen for Michael. But as damaged as he might be given the results of his actions, would it be fair to continue with this situation knowing how many demons she currently carried around in her mind?
She bit her lip and contemplated the sunrise.
“Was it so bad?” Michael spoke softly, and she started.
“What?”
“You’re frowning and have the sheet tucked up under your arm as if you’re either embarrassed or regretting last night.”
She stared at him, aware that he too was unsure of his ground. “I… No. I’m just wondering if there is any way we can be together, given I’m not exactly a prize.”
He scooted up in the bed and reached out. Clarissa ducked into his embrace. “Clarissa, you have to know I love you. I wouldn’t have stayed with you, or for that matter shared what we did, if my emotions weren’t clear. I don’t toy with women.”
“It’s not that, exactly. I just don’t know what it will take to find me again. You’ve got your problems, but mine seem bigger. Now, saying that out loud, I sound shallow, don’t I?”
“No. Just unsure. We’ll work it out together. However, as much as I want nothing more than to show you—just like last night—how much I want to be with you, we should shower and dress. Jonah and Franklin need to get home. David and Daniella are due to join us for breakfast, and there’s supposed to be a debriefing of the team who found you.”
She screwed up her face. “A debriefing?”
Michael laughed. “Yeah. We need to find out what more was discovered, what Jeremy was able to share and the results of all the various reports the government guys found in the clinics. Including the IVF one they held you in. And yes, he fessed up about that.”
“So the GPS tracker, that’s how you found me?” She needed to know how and why.
Michael
groaned. “You’re going to want to know it all, but table this discussion until breakfast. Now come on. Get up. It’s time for our shower.”
She pinked a little at his careless suggestion of ‘our’, meaning he’d be sharing with her.
“I, uh… My robe is…”
He swung her up into his arms. “You don’t need it.” Then he swiftly marched to the doorway to the ensuite before standing her on her feet. “I’ll start the water.”
She watched as he opened the door to the shower and engaged the water, his buttocks firm along with the acres of skin she’d touched. On a whim, she grazed her fingers over his back, and he hissed. She pulled away in time to see him turn, the desire from the night before clear on his features again.
“Do that again, and breakfast will take a lot longer.”
Understanding now that he was as affected by the hunger between them gave her a sense of power, and she grinned. “I might have to remember that.”
“Do. Because that won’t be the last time.”
* * * *
Michael watched Clarissa over breakfast, his gaze settling on her still slightly swollen lips. They hadn’t made it through their shower without an interlude, and while she claimed her body wasn’t a little sore, he’d noted the faint change in her gait. He’d have to be gentle next time. Ease her into the intimacy.
“How is Clarrie?” she asked.
Michael could tell she felt guilty taking this long to ask about the old man, and he reached out, clasping her hand in his. Luxuriating in the warmth of her touch.
“He’s fine. Been demanding regular updates on you. You’ll get an opportunity to talk to him later today. I’ll arrange a vid-link if you like. He’s going to the main ward tomorrow, but Sara will keep an eye on him for us.”
“I’m so pleased.” Clearly though, she labored under a heavy load of concern.
“That’s not all that’s bothering you, is it?”
“No. I’d like to help him out. You know, he’s got nowhere to live.” Sadness clouded her gaze.
“He has somewhere to stay. He’ll be staying here, unless that’s not what you want?”
“Oh, could he? I mean, if he wants to.” The hope in her eyes warmed the center of his soul.
“Yeah. I’d do anything for you, Clarissa.”
Her smile was like a ray of sunshine and for a moment he basked in it.
“I was going to see if I could find a unit for him, somewhere nearby. Of course, if he decides he wants to live by himself, we can do that too. But I’d like him to reconnect with his family. He only left them because he thought he was a burden. But now he knows he’s eligible for assistance…”
Her grin widened. She took a sip of her latte, the froth settling on her lips, and he licked it away.
His body tightened again, and he couldn’t control his grin at the memory of her taste and the way she responded. Her gaze widened, and for an instant, a flare of the flames that were never quite doused around her flickered hot, warming him through.
“You’re looking particularly pleased with yourself, brother dear.” Daniella slid into the seat on his right.
He scowled but brushed away her comment. “None of your business, Daniella.”
She sighed. “You do know a lot of things have changed since we found her, don’t you? The government is adamant that you both must be controlled.” He opened his mouth, and she lifted a hand. “I’ve tried to tell people that you’re not involved and she’s merely a pawn. They won’t listen to me.”
“Make them hear what you have to say then. We have done nothing wrong.”
Daniella sighed. “I know that. You know I am aware of the issues, but I’m a single senator. Even with me calling in every favor owed I’m between a rock and a hard place. However, President Yin owes me a couple of favors, and I called them in. The military had connections with Colvert. There was an agreement. I can’t totally circumvent it, but I can unravel the string a little.”
Daniella cleared her throat, and everyone at the table, including his brother, Jonah and Franklin, Clarissa, and the three agents at the end, stopped and waited.
“I have a directive from President Yin,” Daniella announced. “The situation is this. Colvert had an agreement with the military—or at least the more extreme factions—to investigate and enhance cybernetic implantation to create super-soldiers. The agreement is legal and must stand.”
Clarissa whimpered and David growled, but she stopped their reactions.
“Yin has given me the opportunity though to, shall we say, find and rehabilitate those who’ve been affected by Colvert’s treatments.”
Michael’s gaze narrowed on his sister’s face. “What does that mean?”
She scowled. “Agent Fairburn? Your findings from the clinic please.”
He blushed and shook his head. “They’re bad. We’ve found out that these experiments have been taking place for years. In fact, there are notations going back over ten years of implantations with an organic-based cybernetic growth hormone.”
Michael stared at the man, unsure if he understood correctly, because the implications were huge. “An organic-based cybernetic growth hormone? You mean he can grow children with cybernetic systems?” Revulsion slammed into Michael.
“Yeah. And what’s more. The first viable specimens were implanted nearly eleven years ago. The first crop of cyber-enhanced children were born ten years ago.”
Nausea and disorientation flared.
“Thank you, Agent Fairburn. This is not the only case of his experimentation. He was using the clinic to grow warriors as much as to fund his other experimentation. However, after reviewing Clarissa’s file, it is our belief that he was also hoping that those with cyber enhancements would be able to carry and deliver at full term another generation. In short, he was creating an entire new species. One that the military would ultimately employ. Or at least those pre-disposed factions.” Daniella shook her head and Michael sat watching, struck dumb by the far-reaching ramifications of her announcement.
Super-soldiers, home grown. With cybernetic implants. It made sense now the breadth of the implants Clarissa carried. He glanced at her, his gut churning at the whiteness of her face. He reached out to her, and she inhaled deeply.
“So, Daniella. What’s needed of me?”
Michael silently cheered, well aware of how much those words cost Clarissa.
Daniella blushed a deep crimson. “Actually, it’s both of you. And those of us here at the table.” She waved her hands at those assembled. “Yin wants a high-level team created to find these children and those who have engaged in this experimentation. He wants to rehabilitate the kids before it’s too late and those radical groups get their hands on them. He wants the experiments shutdown and the results contained. I’ve been tasked with heading this up at a political level. This is to be strictly off the books. Michael and Clarissa, you will spearhead it. You’re the only ones who understand the emotional and physical results. You’re also the only ones who could probably deal with the kids. Jonah and Franklin, you are being co-opted to the team. Officially you will be drafted to Yin’s personal protection squad but loaned to my staff. Agents Fairburn, McNally, and Sevres will be the investigators. David, I need you on hand as the senior officer. Resourcing will be discretionary.”
“What if we choose not to help?” Michael’s lips felt stiff as he watched Clarissa struggle with her emotions.
“Don’t, Michael. I have been instructed that should you choose not to cooperate then your status will be reviewed. Not my words, brother, but the threat and implication are something I don’t want to consider.”
He shoved away from the table. “I need time. So does Clarissa.”
Daniella watched him, her face grim. “I can give you twenty-four hours, but I need your answer tomorrow. Think hard, because you two aren’t the only ones affected.”
In that moment, he was sure he hated Daniella. Michael stalked around the table and reached out to Clarissa. “Let�
��s get out of here.” He steered her out the front door to the garage, where a sports car sat. “Time for a ride.” He ushered her in then got in and ignited the engine. As they roared out the gates of his house, he turned to her. “Where do you want to go?”
“I don’t care. So long as we’re together.”
The engine revved as they drove onto the road and far from the crowd.
* * * *
“We need to discuss it, Michael.” Clarissa cradled the warm drink in her hand as they gazed out at the city below.
“I know.”
“We can do a lot of good. I mean, I can’t easily get into teaching if there is danger, and until all these people are caught, there’ll be no rest for either of us.”
Looking at Michael was easy, she guessed. But the danger scared her. That she could lose him, and the hope and love she’d found could be stripped away, along with the chance of a shared future, left a hollow feeling in her stomach. It left her and them both with so few options.
“What if we wanted to, you know, have…” Her mouth dried, aware she might have read too much into his declarations.
“Kids? I do, with you. But they could be in danger if what Daniella said was correct. But it doesn’t feel right that because of an accident or something beyond our choice should be the reason we accept the role they demand us take on.”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not right. But neither is the situation the kids find themselves in. And Daniella is correct. There is no one else that understands what they’re up against except us.”
Michael ran his hands through his hair. She really did love him. It wasn’t some kind of momentary blip or because of last night, wonderful though it had been. They’d made a commitment. To each other. That had scared her but hadn’t stopped her. Neither should this.
He sighed. “You’re right.”
“We should go home then. Let them know what we’ve decided.” Clarissa started reaching for the seatbelt, but he placed his hand on hers.
“Wait. Before we do, I want to ask you something.” The tremor in his voice stilled her fingers and she swung back, their gazes colliding.
