by Anna Hackett
Ash stared at the floor, images of Marin running through his head. Her laughing, her concentrating, her crying his name in pleasure. Once again, life had given him a taste of sweet and good, and now it was going to tear it away from him. In the most bloody and painful way possible.
He lifted his head, and saw the rest of his squad standing nearby as silent support.
“Can I see her?” he asked Emerson.
The doctor nodded.
When Ash stepped inside the surgical room, Tane and Levi followed him. He stared at the bed. He felt hollow inside, but there was also a horrible mass of emotion hiding inside him, wanting to get loose and devour him.
She looked so small and pale. She had blood in her curls, and lots of wires crisscrossed from her skin to a machine beeping steadily beside her bed.
“I should never have touched her. I’m fucking cursed.”
“This isn’t your fault,” Levi said.
“I was supposed to keep her safe. God, I’m crazy in love with her. Every bit of her. From the wild curls and sharp mind, to her fucking pretty toes. I love every inch of her.” Ash reached out and gripped her hand. It was limp, but warm.
“I’ll give you some time.” Emerson swallowed, her eyes haunted. “We’ll need to decide when to turn the machine off.” The doctor’s shoes were soundless as she walked away.
Ash made a pained, animal sound. The thought of turning off the machine keeping Marin’s chest rising and falling almost killed Ash. Every muscle in his body was tense, and a part of him wanted to scream.
He’d just found her. This wasn’t fucking fair.
But he knew better than most that life was never fair. No one promised you fair.
He heard a small gasp and looked up. A pale-skinned woman stood in the doorway. Selena was an alien woman, an enemy of the Gizzida who’d been abducted by them. Hell Squad had rescued her, and she’d found sanctuary at the Enclave. Her silver-white hair was loose around her shoulders, and she was holding a basket of fruit.
“Selena.” Tane was watching her intently. “What are you doing in here?”
She looked up and stared at the squad leader. “I bring fresh fruit and flowers from the Garden for the patients.” Her gaze went back to Marin. “Is she okay?”
Ash swallowed the lump in his throat. “No. No, she’s not.”
Selena moved over to Marin’s bed. “I’m sorry she was hurt. She spent some time with me showing me a game on the comp.”
Ash felt a spear of pain. “Pre-Emptive Strike.”
Selena nodded. “I was terrible at it, but she never gave up.”
“She can be pretty stubborn when it suits her.” His voice broke.
“You love her?” Selena tilted her head, studying him.
“Yeah. Completely.”
“We don’t have a concept of romantic love on my planet. To us, everything is connected and intertwined. To have only two people belong to each other is a foreign concept.” She reached out and placed her hand on Marin’s chest. “I see what love does to you, and I’m not sure if it is such a good thing.”
“It’s the best thing in the world, Selena,” Ash said quietly. “Even when it hurts.” He stroked Marin’s hand. “Even knowing I’m going to lose her, I’d do it all again for the chance to love her, even just for a few days.”
All of a sudden, he felt Marin’s fingers flex on his. He frowned. Her skin was getting warmer.
He looked up and saw the alien woman’s skin was glowing. “Selena?”
A rush of energy filled the room, lifting the hairs on Ash’s arms.
“Selena.” Tane’s deep voice. He moved up behind the alien woman.
“I want to…” Selena’s bright green eyes flashed.
Marin jerked up, gasping. Her eyes flew open, and the machine beside her started beeping madly.
Selena released Marin and stumbled backward. As she collapsed, Tane caught her before she hit the floor. Her green eyes fluttered closed, and her face was impossibly pale and drawn, her skin pulled tight over her cheekbones. Tane scooped her up into his arms.
“Selena,” he growled.
Emerson slammed in. “What the hell is going on?” Her gaze landed on her patient. “Marin?”
Marin frowned. “Where am I? What happened?” She gripped Ash’s hand. “We were fighting the raptors and trying to contain the virus—”
Ash just stared at her. Her face was glowing pink, her eyes alert.
His chest swelled. Unable to form any words, he climbed into the bed and pulled her into his arms.
She gripped him. “Ash?”
His hands tugged at the surgical gown she was wearing, tearing it open.
“Hey.” She slapped at his hand, frowning.
Her wound was fully healed. There was just a faint pink scar beneath her breasts.
Emerson leaned over. “Oh, my God.” She swiveled her head to look at Selena.
“Selena healed her,” Ash said.
The alien woman was passed out, her body limp in Tane’s arms.
“Doc?” Tane said.
Emerson hurried over, pressing a hand to Selena’s neck. “Pulse is strong. She’s fine. It looks like she expended a lot of energy to help Marin.”
“What the hell did she just do?” Tane asked.
“I have no idea,” Emerson replied. “She needs some rest. Let’s find her a bed, and I’ll give her a thorough check-up.”
Tane frowned and pulled the woman’s body closer. He followed the doc.
Ash pressed his face against Marin’s curls, his chest tight. He could feel the steady beat of her heart against his chest. Alive. He still couldn’t believe it.
He looked up and caught Levi’s gaze. His best friend lifted his chin at Ash and then slipped out of the room.
Ash pulled back to look at Marin’s face. “You’re really okay?”
“I am. I think I could run a marathon,” Marin said. “Maybe even take on a few more raptors.”
He smiled at her. “I just saw that twitch beside your mouth.”
She smiled back tiredly, snuggling into him. “Actually, I feel exhausted. I wouldn’t mind a nap.”
“I love you, Marin.”
Her eyes went wide. “Really?”
“Really.” His body was shaking and he pulled her closer. “All of you, Marin. Your sexy body, your cute face, your brilliant brain. I love that crease you get on your brow when you’re working. The way you blink when you take off your glasses. Your sweet grin. I know you’re too good for me, but I’m never letting you go.”
Marin scrambled up onto her knees. “Do not put yourself down. Of course, you deserve me. You’re brave and loyal and handsome.”
He smiled at her. “Yes, ma’am. Anything else you want to tell me?”
She nodded and cupped his cheeks. “I love you, Ash Connors.”
Oh, yeah. This hit of sweet felt really good. Then he saw her eyes were drooping.
“Tired,” she murmured. “Will you hold me, SuperSoldier?”
Ash pulled her tighter against his chest. “Just try and get me to let you go.”
Levi
Shit. Levi strode down the corridor leading away from the infirmary. Seeing his friend so torn up had left him feeling shaken. He was glad as hell that Marin was going to be okay.
That meant Ash was going to be okay, too.
There was no better man than Ash Connors. The guy deserved love, a pretty woman, a sweet, easy life. He deserved it all.
God, it was something else to see his best buddy in love with a woman. Levi wouldn’t have picked Marin for Ash, but he’d have been wrong. She really suited him. Opened up things in Ash that he’d ignored or kept choked off for a long time.
Levi stopped and leaned against the wall. Thankfully, the corridor was empty.
Levi had been married once. He’d made the tragic error of mistaking hot sex with a gorgeous biker babe for…more. Tiffany had been fun, and they’d burned up the sheets. Things had been sweet for a while.
&
nbsp; Then things had gotten tough at the Iron Kings, and Levi had needed to focus on pulling the club over from the wrong fucking side of the law.
She’d resented the time he’d devoted to his club, had been jealous of Ash and his other brothers. She’d started plowing through his money, partying all the damn time, and then she’d started snorting shit up her nose.
God, the bitch had gotten nasty after that, and the fact that Levi had a temper and not a whole lot of patience for bullshit hadn’t helped. He’d put up with her far longer than he should have…until all her scratching and snarling had made him hate her.
With a shake of his head, he headed down the tunnel. It had been a full-on day, and he didn’t need to add the shit from the past to it. He needed a drink and something to take his mind off things.
He rounded the corner and slammed into someone heading the opposite direction.
Someone with auburn-red hair.
Chrissy stepped back and rolled her eyes. “You’re like a bad smell.”
“Not in the mood, Spitfire.”
Her gaze skated over him, taking in his blood-stained, gore-splattered fatigues. Her face changed. “You were fighting the raptors. Are you okay?”
“I’m alive. Nothing a drink and a blow job won’t fix.”
Her mouth turned pinched. “You’re such an asshole.”
God, that sassy mouth of hers tempted him. His gaze dropped to her full lips. She had some sort of gloss on them, a faint pink color. All too easily, he could picture that mouth on his cock, her pretty lips stretched wide. She wouldn’t get on her knees. She’d be above him, swallowing him deep, and letting him taste that pretty, little—
“Hey.” She snapped her fingers in front of his face. “You in there, biker man?”
He blinked. “Yeah.”
“You might want to shower before you proposition a woman to suck your cock. You really don’t smell so good.”
He arched a brow, his gut going tight. “You volunteering?”
She made a big show of looking both directions up and down the corridor.
“What are you looking for?” he asked.
“Nope. No flying pigs today.” She smiled sweetly. “Guess you’re out of luck. Sorry.”
“I see the way you look at me, Spitfire.” He stepped closer, expecting her to step back.
But Chrissy didn’t back up. She held her ground until they were pressed together.
“I look at lots of things that I know aren’t good for me,” she said. “But I have this funny thing called self-control.”
He touched a strand of her auburn hair. It was soft and shiny. “I’ll give you a ride you won’t forget.”
“God, you are a grade-A asshole. Sorry, I like a little civilized wooing before I drop my panties.”
The thought of her shimmying her panties down her long legs had his cock surging against his trousers. He leaned down. “I bet I could have you begging for my cock in just a few minutes.”
Something flashed through her eyes. Then she shocked him by reaching out and grabbing his cock through his trousers.
Shit. Levi swallowed a groan. Instantly, he hardened.
She fondled him, then tilted her head. “Nope. I don’t think this is worth begging for.” She released him and stepped back. “Besides, I’ve had a better offer.”
Levi narrowed his gaze. He rarely chased a woman. He had no need to. But something about this one set him aflame.
Suddenly, a small voice spoke from behind him. “Hey, Chrissy. You ready?”
Levi looked over his shoulder and saw a young boy watching them, curiosity in his eyes.
“Hey, Max.” Chrissy hurried over to the boy and leaned down to give him a hug. “You okay after the attack?”
He nodded. “It was scary. Ruby, my foster sister, cried, but I didn’t. I was brave and gave her a cuddle.”
Chrissy stood, sliding an arm around him. “I’m proud of you. It’s normal to be afraid, but to help someone else, that’s being a true hero.” Her gaze met Levi’s over the boy’s head.
Max looked at Levi, his gaze dropping to Levi’s tattoos. “You’re a berserker.”
“Yeah.” Levi lifted his chin.
“I saw the berserkers fighting when Chrissy and me were rescued from the aliens.”
Chrissy shifted. “Max, remember that it’s—”
“Chrissy and I,” the boy said with exaggerated patience. He looked up at the woman. “She kept me safe, and I kept her safe.”
She squeezed the boy. “We sure did.”
“The berserkers are heroes, too.”
A poorly-hidden grimace crossed Chrissy’s face. “All the squads are heroes. Come on, let’s go get that ice cream I promised you.”
She turned the boy and they headed down the corridor. She didn’t look back at Levi.
Levi blew out a breath. He really needed that drink. As for the blow job…it appeared that there was only one set of lips that he wanted, now.
And one specific shade of hair that he wanted spread out on his pillow.
Marin worked her wireless controller, tapping the buttons. “These monsters are going down!” Then she frowned. “Ash, your character is walking into a wall.” She looked over her shoulder.
She was sitting in the center of his bed, while he was sitting up against the headboard. His gaze was currently on her ass.
Marin was only wearing his Harley Davidson T-shirt and nothing else. In her excitement, she’d been bouncing up and down. “Ash?”
“Enjoying the view, Princess.”
“You’re going to wreck our high score.” She dropped her controller and crawled toward him.
“I don’t give a fuck.”
She didn’t either. She got close to him, breathing in his sexy, dark scent.
He dragged her into his lap and kissed her. Marin slid her tongue in to tangle with his, moaning into his mouth. She shifted closer, straddling one of his hard thighs. Oh, that felt so good. She rubbed against him, sensations rocketing through her.
Ash pulled his mouth from hers. “Hell, you fry my brain. Unfortunately, we don’t have time for this right now.”
She ground against his leg again. “Yes, we do.”
He groaned. “No, we have somewhere we need to be.”
She frowned at him. She’d spent the last few days recovering from her injury, although she’d felt fine. Ash had confined her to his bed, mostly naked. That had translated into a lot of lazing around, playing Pre-Emptive Strike, having Ash bring her food, and having his clever mouth all over her. “Where?”
“It’s a surprise.” He patted her ass. “Get dressed and you’ll see.”
Marin pulled on her clothes, and took a second to try and tame her mass of curls.
“Leave ’em, Princess,” he called out. “I like them wild.”
Since Ash had shown her, in about a hundred different ways, how much he liked her curls, she dropped her hands and smiled. He especially liked tangling his hand in them when he was watching her suck his cock. A shiver of desire moved through her.
“Do we really have to go out?” she called out to him.
“Yes.” He appeared out of the bathroom, wearing a clean set of jeans, and a crisp, white dress shirt.
She blinked at him. That shirt looked so good on him. Instantly, she imagined peeling it off.
“Marin, quit looking at me like that.” He gripped her hips and steered her toward the door. “Out of here. Now. Had no idea when I fell for a cute, sexy geek, that she’d be wild in bed and insatiable.”
Marin Mitchell was wild in bed. She grinned. He held her hand as they walked, and she soon realized they were heading toward the tech lab. Her pulse leaped. She hadn’t been allowed back to work yet, and she had to admit, she was feeling a bit twitchy. She was ready to get back to it.
“I talked with Doc Emerson,” Ash said.
Marin looked up at him. “Oh?”
“She’s going to give me some advanced courses. I already had medic training that
I kept up at the Iron Kings, but she’s keen to put some courses together, for the future, for any kids who want to study medicine. She needs to pass the knowledge on.”
Warmth burst inside Marin. “You’re going to be her guinea pig.”
He nodded. “I’m not leaving the squad. I like the squad and do good work there, too. But in my free time, I’ll work with the doc.”
“Doctor Ash Connors.” Marin winked at him. “I can help. You can practice on me, and we can play doctor and patient.”
He laughed, swatting her butt.
They reached the tech lab, and Ash pushed open the door and ushered her inside. They were met with a crowd of people.
“Surprise!”
Marin stared at everyone. She saw the tech team, Hell squad, Squad Nine, and the berserkers.
“What’s this?” she asked. The tech benches, usually covered in tools and electronics, were loaded with food.
Shaw sauntered forward and put a homemade party hat on her head. “This is a ‘Thanks for saving us’ party.”
From beside the sniper, Claudia winked. “Nice work, Curls.”
At the back of the room, an entire bank of comp screens had been set up.
Levi cracked his knuckles. “We’re having a Pre-Emptive Strike party. Geeks versus squads.”
“Prepare to lose, soldier boy,” Eric called out.
Levi spun and eyed the man.
Eric shrank back, holding his hands up. “Or not. Whatever works for you.”
Laughter broke out around them. When Ash went to pour Marin a drink, Noah appeared. He was scowling.
“I need you back at work,” he said. “If you can escape from your berserker. We still can’t decrypt everything we managed to get from the data hub before we had to shut down the connection. Holmes had Elle holed up translating what we have so far, until Marcus threatened bodily harm and dragged her off.”
“I’m ready to get back to work.” Marin sighed. “I’m bummed that the aliens hacked us back and we couldn’t keep the link open.”
“We got data. It’ll help. And none of us guessed the Gizzida would try what they did.”
“How much damage did we sustain?” Ash had refused to discuss it with her.
