Red Awakening (Red Zone)

by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

  And there was the other reason Keiko didn’t see sex in her immediate future—her wingman had to be the most introverted woman on the planet.

  “You really didn’t need to take me out for my birthday,” Keiko said again. “I would have been more than happy to hang out with you and the kittens in your apartment.”

  “No.” Abigail shook her head determinedly, even though her eyes were wide with terror. “Every conversation we’ve had for months has revolved around you needing to let your hair down. All I’ve heard about is your need to get laid. So we’re going to get you laid. Even if it kills me.”

  Keiko burst out laughing. “As romantic as that sounds, I’m honestly fine. Let’s go home and eat cake. There aren’t any Vikings here, anyway.”

  Abigail tried to hide her relief, and Keiko loved her all the more for it. “You and your Vikings—really you just want some caveman to throw you over his shoulder and run off with you.”

  “Without talking my ears off while he did it,” Keiko agreed as she surveyed the room, seeing exactly what she’d expected to see—delicate, designer men. “I might as well face facts. I’m living in the wrong age.”

  Sensitive, educated men were the norm in her world. Most modern women didn’t want a Neanderthal throwback. And they had a point—feminism had won the battle of the sexes. Equality ruled, just as it should. But there were times when equality sucked, and between the sheets was one of them. In Keiko’s opinion, anyway.

  “I’m not sure Houston’s the best place to look for the kind of man you want,” Abigail said.

  “I need to push for CommTECH to hold a press conference in Alaska. I’m sure I’d have better luck there.”

  Abigail shook her head. “CommTECH doesn’t have any facilities in Alaska. Trust me, if they did, I’d ask for a transfer. Way less people there.”

  “Sounds like it’s time to campaign for a new research facility in Juno. It could solve both our problems—I’d get a hulking throwback of a man, and you’d get the isolation you need to come up with new tech ideas. Perfect. Now, let’s quit torturing ourselves and go home. I love you so much for suffering through this for me, but it’s time for kittens and cake.”

  “That sounds so wrong,” Abigail said with a giggle.

  Threading her arm through her friend’s, Keiko turned toward the exit. And that’s when she felt it. A hum throughout her body, a visceral awareness of something else in the room. No, not something—someone. Her skin tingled and her heart raced as she found herself turning around to see what had caused the strange sensation.

  And there he was.

  A Viking.

  Striding through the crowd. His eyes fixed on her.

  He had to be more than a foot taller than her, and that was with her in heels, and his shoulders made him three times wider. His charcoal gray suit fit like a second skin, skimming over muscles that rippled and flowed with power. Overgrown honey-blond hair fell across his forehead. It looked bedroom tousled, as though someone had run their fingers through it one too many times.

  As he came to a halt in front of her, she looked up to find a wide jaw sprinkled with stubble, a nose that had been broken and never set properly, and deep-set eyes that were the clearest blue she’d ever seen. He didn’t smile, and Keiko’s mouth went dry as her hand tightened on Abigail’s arm.

  “I’m Mace Armstrong,” he rumbled in a voice so deep it sent chills down her spine.

  It was only when Abigail cleared her throat that Keiko realized he was holding out his hand for her to take. She slid her hand into his, and something wild within her awakened.

  “Keiko Sato,” Abigail said when it became clear Keiko wasn’t going to respond. “She’s Keiko. And I’m Abigail.”

  Mace blinked once or twice before glancing at Abigail. “Pleased to meet you.” He didn’t offer his hand, which still held Keiko’s.

  “Could you excuse us for a second?” Abigail said as she yanked on Keiko’s arm and ripped her from Mace’s grasp.

  “Sure,” he said with a flash of impatience that he quickly covered with a smile.

  Abigail dragged her a few steps away and leaned in. “He’s a Viking!”

  Keiko tore her eyes from the man behind them. “He’s a businessman.” She could read the information stored on the club’s network just as easily as the next person. In fact, his details were scrolling across the lens in her eye as they talked.

  “A businessman with a broken nose. One he’s never had cosmetically adjusted. That has to count for something. He looks rough. Like. A. Viking.”

  Rough wasn’t the word Keiko would use. Sexy. Lickable. Hot. Huge… Yeah, there were definitely a lot more words.

  “You need to go for it,” Abigail hissed.

  “What?” Keiko jerked her attention back to her friend. “No. I can’t. We’re here together. I’m not leaving you alone.” For a start, she wasn’t sure Abigail would make it home without her. She had a reputation for turning around in the ladies’ restroom and not being able to find her way out. “But I will get his number.”

  “You’ll do more than that.” Abigail frowned. “Look, we both know I’m the worst wingman in the history of wingmen.”

  “Um…” There was no denying it. There were years of proof to back up that statement.

  “Don’t you see?” Abigail gave her a little shake. “This is my chance to turn that around. This could go down in wingman history. This is the most epic setup ever. I found you a Viking! I’m going to be a legend.”

  Yeah. Right. “Basically, you’re telling me I have to hook up with this guy to make your reputation. That this is all about you.”

  “Yes.” Abigail struggled not to laugh.

  “I really wonder about your IQ,” she said to the woman who’d made her name as a child prodigy in the world of scientific research.

  “I know.” Abigail beamed. “Now go get lucky.” She shoved Keiko toward Mace, who stood where they left him, his arms folded across his chest.

  Keiko wavered. “Maybe just one dance…”

  “Nope, not good enough,” Abigail said. “You’ve got the rest of the night. I’m going home.”

  “You can’t. I’m not even sure you remember where you live.”

  “Funny.” Abigail shot Mace a shy smile. “I sent a message to the car service while we were talking. They’ll pick me up and walk me to my door. How do you think I get around when you’re back in New York?”

  Keiko shrugged. “I just assumed you never went anywhere but your apartment and your lab.”

  Abigail narrowed her eyes. “That’s not the point. I can go other places if I have to. And I can get home on my own, too.”

  “Ladies.” Mace stepped closer. “Can I help?”

  “No,” they both replied at the same time.

  His lips twitched, the first sign of genuine humor. She liked it.

  “I’m going home,” Abigail told him. “Alone. She’s all yours.”

  “Abby,” Keiko hissed.

  But her friend was already backing up toward the exit, a grin on her face. “I won’t wait up,” she called as she disappeared into the crowd.

  “We should walk her to her car,” Mace said, that hint of a smile fading. “Make sure she gets home okay.”

  His concern for her friend made her melt a little. “Our car service will pick her up inside the front entrance of the club, and the driver will walk her to her apartment. It’s a company perk.”

  He focused in on her. “Are you okay with her leaving?”

  Was she? She looked up at the man beside her and felt her stomach flip as her fingers itched to touch him. He was the walking embodiment of her dream man. So yeah, she was more than okay with being alone with him.

  “Keiko?” he asked, making her aware that she was just standing and staring at him. “Are you okay being here without your friend?”

  “Yes.” The word came out a little breathier than she’d anticipated. But damn it, it was her birthday, and the guy was as close to her dream man
as she’d ever find in Houston.

  One corner of his lips quirked, and his eyes sparkled. “Guess it’s just you and me, then. Would you like to dance, Keiko Sato?”

  “Uh-huh.” She was mesmerized by the tiny scar that cut through the corner of his full lips and wanted to trace its trajectory with the tip of her tongue. “Is it getting hotter in here?”

  “I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna get a whole lot hotter,” he rumbled as he motioned for her to go before him.

  The chivalry sent a tingle of delight down her spine. Feeling dazed, she glanced up at him as she passed. “Please don’t turn into an asshole?” she said.

  A slow, sexy grin spread across his face, making her insides do somersaults. “I’ll try,” he said as he placed his hand on the small of her back and escorted her onto the dance floor. His touch, slight as it was, seared straight through her. She fought the urge to lean into him. Instead she enjoyed that heady feeling of anticipation, eager to see what happened next.

  He was almost too good to be true, and she should at least pretend to be civilized before she snapped and jumped him. So she took a deep breath and forced herself to make conversation.

  “Do you live in Houston?” she asked.

  His blue eyes sparkled at her. “Why don’t you tap into the club network and get your answers the same way everybody else does?”

  “I want you to tell me.” Although she’d already accessed his information, the way people talked about themselves told you more than the facts ever could.

  “I’m visiting town. On a business trip.”

  “No significant other waiting at home?”

  His eyes darkened. “I wouldn’t be in this club with you if there was.”

  Good answer. “What do you do for business?”

  “The kind of thing where if I told you, I’d have to kill you.”

  Keiko burst out laughing and took delight in his answering smile. “Don’t you want to know what I do for a living?” It was a test. Everyone knew who she was. Everyone.

  “I know what you do, Keiko. Unlike you, I don’t have a problem accessing the club’s database. Even if I hadn’t, I watch the news just like everyone else. But what we do isn’t who we are. Is it?”

  He gently drew her into his arms, engulfing her in his size and strength.

  “No,” she whispered. “It isn’t.”

  Mace’s wide hand flattened on the small of her back, tucking her tight against him. “We done talking?”

  That question was perfect, too. “Yeah.”

  And with that, she melted into his embrace, winding her arms around his neck and resting her cheek on his chest as they swayed to the music. His heartbeat was steady under her ear as his warmth surrounded her. He curled around her, filling her senses with his touch and scent as the darkness enveloped them. The mass of bodies swaying around them somehow made it easier to touch, to explore, to lose themselves in the moment.

  His hands trailed down the silk of her dress, curling over the curve of her hips, pulling her closer. Her fingers threaded into his hair at his nape, her fingernails trailing over his skin. She lost herself in the thrumming beat of the music and the pure masculinity of the man touching her. He leaned into her, nuzzling her temple. Glorious. And his scent. Heady. Heavenly. Addictive. She felt him breathe deep and imagined him taking her scent into him, letting it fill him up—exactly the way his scent filled her.

  Need flowed through her in rhythm to the blues swirling in the air around them. They swayed in time to Etta James singing “At Last,” floating away to the sound of violins and soulful singing. Keiko had heard the song many times in retro clubs in New York, but this time the music seemed to wend its way into her soul. Casting a spell on her. Making it hard to think clearly. All she wanted was to feel. To let the music take them away, to let the darkness swallow them, to lose herself in him. Just this once. Just for tonight.

  He tugged at her earlobe with his teeth. Keiko’s fingers tightened in his hair, and her breasts flattened against his chest as he pulled her even closer. It wasn’t close enough. His lips inched their way along her jaw. A tiny kiss pressed to the corner of her mouth made her shiver.

  Mace brushed his lips back and forth across hers. “Strawberry,” he murmured against her mouth before taking the kiss she so desperately wanted to give him.

  Her breath hitched before she sighed into his possession. Electric charges rushed over her skin, straight from her lips to every part of her body. Her skin was highly sensitized by her awareness of him. Even the gentlest, most fleeting of touches made her burn. She was delirious with wanting him. The taste, the feel, the power of him. His hand clasped her head, moving her where he needed her to be. And she went willingly. He tasted of long, hot summer nights spent taking all the time in the world to explore. The music faded to nothing. The people around them vanished. There was only Mace, holding her, kissing her, making her want so much more.

  Chapter Three

  He was losing his grip on the situation. Losing it fast. His desire for the woman in his arms was a tsunami, wiping out his reason. Making him forget why he was there and what he had to do. Making him drown in her. As their lips broke apart, gasping for air, foreheads pressed together, Mace fought for control. This was a mission. She was the target.

  But, fuck, he wanted her.

  Working independently of his brain, his mouth found hers again, and he willingly sank into the depths of craving she stirred within him. Soft, full lips teasing his, her tongue dancing with his, her teeth nibbling at him. He pulled her closer as every cell in his body demanded more. He wanted their clothes gone. The people gone. The mission gone.

  He just wanted Keiko.

  And he couldn’t have her.

  Because this was a mission. And she was the job.

  With a Herculean exercise of will, he broke their kiss. “We need to cool this down.” He forced out the words as his body raged at him. “We’re moving too fast.”

  Her lips found the curve of his throat. “Is that bad? It doesn’t feel bad. It feels good. Really, really good.”

  She was killing him. “I’m trying to do the right thing here, and you aren’t helping.”

  “I don’t want to help. Or stop.” She clasped his nape and pulled his lips back down to hers.

  He should have put up more of a fight. Maybe guided them off the dance floor, bought her a drink, talked to her a little. But all he wanted was to keep on touching her. Tasting her. Breathing her in. She was the last woman on the planet he should want, but there was no stopping it. Keiko Sato set him alight. And he was burning for her.

  “You’re doing great,” a voice said in his ear. “Now move it back to the hotel.”

  It took a second for him to register that his team leader was talking to him. That’s how far gone he was—he’d forgotten his team was listening.

  Damn it.

  He ripped his mouth from hers. “Let’s get a drink.”

  “But I like dancing with you,” Keiko said as she flowed against him, like satin over skin.

  Shaking his head to clear it, he fought to get his mind off his needs and onto his mission. “We could get to know each other a little better.”

  Huge, dark eyes looked up at him. “Let’s get to know each other right here.” She ran her hands up his chest, making his muscles clench with the need to return the gesture. “This is definitely working for me. Please tell me it’s working for you, too. I like touching you. I like how we feel together. Do we need to know anything else about each other?”

  There was no stopping the moan that escaped. “You have got to be the most perfect woman on the planet.”

  “Don’t lose sight of the mission, mon ami,” Striker said in his ear.

  Keiko’s smile was pure seduction. “I’m far from perfect, Mace. I’m just a woman who knows what she wants. And right now, I want you.” She trailed kisses along his jaw. “Why make this complicated? Let’s just give each other what we need.”

  “I think we shoul
d talk first. Get a drink, maybe. I’m thirsty. Are you thirsty?” He sounded like a babbling teen on his first date. It was humiliating, but he was desperate. His control was slipping fast, and he needed to get it back or he’d blow the op completely.

  “What are you doin’?” Striker demanded. “She’s giving you the perfect opening to get her out of there.”

  “I don’t have as much control as I’d like,” Mace said to Striker.

  “I like the idea of you being out of control,” Keiko answered, thinking his comments to his team leader were for her. “We just need to take it out of here. Because at this rate, we’re going to combust on the dance floor.” Reaching up, she angled his head down until her lips were against the ear that thankfully didn’t have a comm device in it. “In case I’m not being clear, I want you inside of me. I want you naked. And I want you now.”

  His answer was a pained groan before his lips hit hers again. The kiss was desperate. It was on fire, burning him alive. When they broke apart, she touched her fingers to kiss-swollen lips, and he felt a primitive satisfaction at the sight.

  “Damn.” He buried his face in her throat, his lips teasing her sensitive skin.

  She arched her neck for him. “Can we leave now?”

  “Yeah,” Mace said.

  Striker cursed. “About time.”

  She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Take me to your hotel.”

  “Okay.” He breathed the word as his arms tightened around her.

  Flashing a smile filled with promise, Keiko stepped back and took his hand in hers. And then it was her turn to lead him through the crowd. All Mace could do was follow as he tried to figure a way out of his predicament. The mission was turning into a disaster.

  “This isn’t going to plan,” Mace muttered into his comm unit as he followed Keiko through the throng. “We need to abort.”

  “Just bring her back to the hotel, and we’ll deal with it here.” Striker’s calm voice eased some of the burning tension within Mace. “All you need to do is get her out of there.”

  “Whatever you do, don’t have sex with her,” Friday added, ratcheting his tension straight back up. “It’s unethical.”