by Anna Hackett
Chrissy licked the pre-come off the tip, then dragged her tongue down his long length. She traced a thick vein, then followed it back up. She opened her mouth and wrapped her lips around his cock.
“Goddamn.” Levi’s hips jerked up.
She sucked harder, taking him deeper. His tortured groans spurred her on, and she felt a rush of dampness between her thighs. She looked at his face and saw his gaze locked on her lips. Pulling off, she licked around his swollen head, finding a sensitive spot that made him curse. With a smile, she slipped her mouth over him again.
Oh, yes, she loved having Levi King at her mercy.
His fingers slipped into her hair, but he didn’t try to take over. He tugged on her hair, hard enough to have a pleasurable sting shoot across her scalp. She moaned.
“I’m going to come soon, Spitfire.”
She sucked harder, her cheeks going hollow.
Another curse and this time he angled her head so more of his cock slipped into her mouth. His hips bumped up and then he grabbed her under her arms and yanked her up onto his chest.
She was about to protest, when he spun her, and she found herself facing that big cock again. She circled her fingers around him, just as he spread her thighs with his hands and his mouth landed between her legs.
Chrissy cried out. No. She wasn’t coming again before he did.
She sucked his cock deep into her mouth, bobbing her head. He lapped at her, using his teeth and tongue.
Oh, God, she was going to come. She tightened her belly, trying to hold back. She sucked harder, locked in this sexy battle.
“Fuck, Chrissy.” His hips bumped up and she felt him spurt in her mouth as he came. She swallowed as fast as she could and a millisecond later, her own orgasm rocketed through her. Lights burst in front of her eyes.
Levi’s cock slid from her mouth and she threw her head back. “Levi.”
She collapsed against him, air sawing in and out of her lungs. He was breathing heavily too, and she smiled.
“Damn, you know how to wreck a man.” A big hand palmed her ass. “I will not forget that anytime soon.”
Little waves of pleasure still shivered through her. All the chaotic emotions raced back in. He kept stroking her and she told herself to just enjoy it. Fun and orgasms.
But instead of feeling in control, she felt like she was on some wild rollercoaster…and the only way off was to jump.
She moved quickly, standing up and grabbing her towel. She wrapped it around her naked body.
“Where are you going?”
She tried to keep her face blank as she looked up at him. He was watching her with narrowed eyes. Just sex, Chrissy. You can do this.
“I have work to do. My guys took some control parts off the trike that we can’t figure out. I’m going to take them back to my room and work on them. I need to get a better understanding of what makes that vehicle tick, before we risk taking it out into the field.” Especially underwater, in the heart of alien territory.
His mouth pressed into a line. “Just like that?” He straightened, tucking that magnificent cock back into his jeans. “My come is still dripping down your thighs and you’re rushing off?”
God, that dirty mouth of his. She pressed the aforementioned—and sticky—thighs together. “I’m pretty sure you’ve fucked a lot of women, biker man. I thought you’d be used to this.”
He lifted his chin. “Yeah, used to them being hot for the next round and clinging for more.”
“Well, I’m not clinging.”
She saw something dark cross his face.
“Wham-bam, and you’re done, is it?” His voice was gritty.
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve wham-bammed half the Enclave, Levi. What do you care?”
He scowled at her.
Chrissy pushed her hopelessly tangled hair back. She needed to get out of there, and get away from him. Maybe without him and his biker badass sexiness in her face, she could think straight. “I’ve got better things to do.”
Levi straightened, his expression turning as hard as a rock. “Better things. Right.”
Chrissy stilled. She couldn’t quite read his face, but her words seem to have struck deep. There was something pained buried in his eyes, and she didn’t like it. “Levi—”
“You got your fucking orgasm, so go.” He turned away, grabbing his shirt and thrusting his arms through it. “I need a fucking drink.”
The harsh tone of his voice made her belly clench. “Levi—”
He turned, his gaze moving right through her. “Forget it. Come find me if you need another fuck.”
He strode out of the pool room with that loose-hipped stride of his, and Chrissy stood there, not exactly sure what had happened.
She didn’t know what she’d done, but she knew it wasn’t good.
Chapter Twelve
Levi stormed into the rec room. He scanned the space and spotted Griff, Dom, and Manu sitting in some chairs on the far side of the room. Manu was big and hard to miss.
Stopping at the bar, Levi grabbed a bottle of bourbon and poured himself a glass. Most of the alcohol these days was homebrewed, but the Enclave still had a pretty decent stock of the good stuff.
When he dropped into a chair with the guys, he felt them all looking at him.
“Rough night?” Griff asked.
Levi sank back and lifted his glass. “Something like that. Women.”
Manu let out a booming laugh. “Women. Can’t live with them, can’t live without them.”
Taking a large sip of his drink, Levi savored the burn. I’ve got better things to do. Chrissy’s words kept repeating in his head, but they kept morphing into a deeper, harsher tone. His father’s voice.
I got better things to do. You’re good for nothing, boy.
He took another sip.
“A good woman is worth some bumps in the road,” Dom said quietly.
“How would you know?” Griff said. “You don’t have a woman.”
When Dom just raised one dark brow, Levi wondered if the man was holding out on them. If anyone could keep a secret, it was Dom Santora.
Manu lifted his beer. “Are you sure your woman isn’t off having a similar conversation about you being an asshole?”
Levi shrugged. “She thinks I’m an asshole even when she likes me.” He remembered the confused look on her face as he’d left the pool room. Shit, he’d overreacted to her words.
He closed his eyes and took another sip of his drink. He knew she hadn’t meant anything by it. She wanted to work on the alien parts to help the mission. Still, she didn’t need to go from hot and sweet, to racing off like he was something she needed to scrape off her shoe.
He blew out a breath. “I’m feeling better already.” He stretched his legs out, crossing them at the ankles. His friends were all smiling at him…at his expense. “What, none of you ever have woman trouble?”
“I stay clear,” Griff said. “Had a woman once. Was engaged to her. As soon as I went to prison, she walked, even when I told her I wasn’t guilty. She didn’t trust me, and she sure as hell didn’t know me.” Griff stared intently at his glass. “She was supposed to love me and have my back.”
Levi stared at the tiny bit of amber liquid left in his glass. Chrissy was fierce when she was protecting something she cared about. If she was his, she’d have his back, no matter what.
He straightened, ice clinking in his glass. His? Shit. Except for his disastrous, short-lived marriage, he’d never tied himself to a woman. Hadn’t thought he’d want to again.
“What about you, Dom?” he asked.
The dark-haired man shrugged his shoulders. “My previous…employment was dangerous work. Women didn’t hang around long, and the ones that did weren’t the ones I wanted.”
Levi read between the lines. When you worked for the Mafia, it was hard to meet the right woman. And when you were dangerous and intense, and scared men, not just women, it made it even harder.
“I want class, beauty,
and grace,” Dom said. “It’s a hard combination to find.”
Levi got that. For the first time in his life, he really got that. Chrissy was his kind of beauty—sexy, sassy, confident.
He glanced at Manu. “Manu? You got any more advice?”
“Bide your time, my friend. Get the lay of the land, evaluate, and have all the info you need before you make your move.”
Levi snorted. “I’m not planning to go to war.”
Manu sipped his beer. “Love is war, Levi.”
Levi didn’t know the first thing about love, but he knew that he needed to see Chrissy.
There was something hot and explosive between them, and it was sure as hell more than just the sex she wanted to pretend it was. Besides, he owed her an explanation for him storming off.
He studied his empty glass. First, he needed another drink, because he sucked at apologies.
* * *
Chrissy walked down the corridor with an armload of alien parts. They’d all been scanned—twice—to make sure they were safe to take out of the hangar. The last thing she needed was for some alien nasty to pop out of one of them and run amok around everyone’s personal quarters.
Once she reached her room, she bumped her hip against her door and moved inside. Hurrying over to the table, she dumped the parts. Next, she grabbed her small toolkit and set it down on the table.
She was still feeling a bit ragged from her encounter with Levi. She needed something to smooth out her mood. Grabbing her candles, she lit a few. Yum, her favorites—mango and vanilla.
Sitting down, she felt an ache between her thighs. Where Levi had been. Her belly clenched. The best kind of sore.
Instantly, she was back in the pool room, imagining his mouth between her legs, her back arched as her orgasm hit her. Remembering his cock powering inside her. Or her lips wrapped around him as she used her mouth on him.
Shit. It was too easy to remember the pleasure, and it was also too easy to remember the way his face had changed before he’d left.
She’d…hurt him.
He’d taken care of her on the mission, and shown her glimpses of another side of him. Instead of being honest with him, she’d hidden behind sex and protecting herself.
The fact was, he scared the hell out of her.
She brushed her hair out of her face and shook her head. She picked up her electro-driver. For now, she needed to focus on her work, not sexy bikers. After some sleep, she’d work out what to say to Levi.
Pulling the parts closer, she set to work. She pulled several things apart, marveling at the sinew holding things together, and the tough, bone-like substance the raptors had used. She picked up a small, black box and set it aside. It looked a little like the alien energy cubes the tech team had collected and used, but smaller. It hadn’t given off any sort of signature on the scanner, so she didn’t think this was a power source.
She pried a small panel open and got some sticky goo on her fingers. She wrinkled her nose. It was gross, but amazing. She tapped her tool on the table and wondered if there was any way she could incorporate some of this into the Hunters’ engines. There were some places where the wear and tear issues were huge, and some of this sinew-type stuff could really help with the engine integrity.
Breathing deep, she pulled in the sweet scent of her candles. She had quite a little collection now. She glanced around her room, once again thankful to have her own space, and not be stuck in a cage.
Suddenly, a red light blinked on the top of the small box.
Curious, she picked it up, holding it up to her eyes. She tried to open it, but there was no obvious way to do it. She frowned. What do you do?
As she turned it over, she saw the flames on her candles flicker and enlarge.
What the hell? She dropped the cube and it bounced on the table. When she looked back at her candles, the flames looked fine.
She shook her head. The stress of the mission, followed by multiple orgasms, had clearly left her exhausted.
But instead of heading for bed, she picked up the cube again and grabbed her electro-driver. She tried to pry the edge of the box open.
All of a sudden, the box made a small, harsh beep and started to emit some warmth.
She stilled, staring at it. Then the thing started to heat up in her hand. It also began to glow—yellow slowly turned to orange.
She stood, her belly hardening. What the hell?
Something wasn’t right.
The glow intensified, changing to bright red, and now the cube was becoming painfully hot. Shit. She dropped it and it clattered off the table. She heard it hit the floor on the other side.
She took a step back toward the door. She needed to tell someone. Maybe Noah, or someone from the tech team.
Chrissy had taken one more step when she heard a roar of sound, followed by a brilliant flash of light.
A wall of heat slammed into her, and then she was flying. A second wave of heat washed over her and she smelled something burning.
Her body crashed into something and then everything went black.
Chapter Thirteen
Levi sipped his second drink, watching Manu and Griff fighting it out at the pool table.
Suddenly, a massive explosion of noise roared through the rec room, shaking the walls. Levi dropped into a crouch, and saw his friends do the same. He heard glasses fall and shatter, followed by screams.
Fuck.
“What the hell?” Griff yelled, gripping the pool table.
“Explosion,” Manu said.
Levi leaped up. “That was inside the Enclave.” He raced for the door.
People were shouting and screaming.
“Help these people, Manu.” Levi tore through the door, Griff and Dom right behind him.
When they broke into the corridor, he smelled smoke. They turned a corner and he saw Marcus sprinting down the hall.
“Stay in your rooms,” Marcus yelled at the people peering out of doorways. “Stay calm.”
“What happened?” Levi asked.
“Don’t know yet,” Marcus said in a gritty voice.
“Gizzida?” Griff said.
The head of Hell Squad shook his head. “There’s been no breach in security. The explosion was down in the accommodation area.”
Accommodation area? Levi frowned, as he, Griff, and Dom fell in behind Marcus. They jogged down the ramp to the lower level.
Ahead, smoke was billowing in the corridor. In the gloom, he spied the compact form of Kate Scott. The woman and her team all had fire extinguishers, and were putting out the last of the flames.
“Need any help?” Marcus yelled.
The woman shook her head, her bluntly cut hair brushing her jaw. “The blaze is under control. Thankfully, the explosion was localized.”
Levi scanned the corridor. A twisted metal door lay on the ground, along with the remnants of what looked like a table. Worried people were gathered at the end of the corridor, looking on. Then he took in the now-destroyed room. The wall and door had been blown out, and the contents were now all charred, blackened remains.
“Whose room?” he asked.
Marcus shook his head. “Don’t know.”
Something tickled along Levi’s senses. “Whose room is this?” he called to Kate.
She glanced back with a frown. “Chrissy Hagan, one of the Hunter mechanics.”
Levi felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. Like he’d just taken knuckledusters to the gut. He locked the shock down, trying to make sense of the situation.
“Where is she? Was she inside?”
“I don’t have time for this—”
“Where is she?” he roared.
Kate’s gaze flickered with understanding. “We’re searching for her. No one can say if she was here.”
Levi pressed his hands to the back of his neck. No. She couldn’t have been in there. “Saw her about an hour ago. She was coming back here to work on some alien vehicle parts…”
Sympathy washed
over Kate’s tough face. “There’s no sign anyone survived this explosion.”
“Levi?” Griff moved up beside him, watching him intently. Dom did the same on the other side.
He knew what they were doing. They’d lock him down if he lost his shit.
“You find a body?” His voice cracked.
Kate cleared her throat. “The blaze was too hot for—”
“Did. You. Find. A. Body.”
She flinched at his tone. “No. But there is unlikely to be one.” Pity in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Suddenly, Levi felt lightheaded and pressed a hand to the wall.
He could hear Griff talking, but to Levi, the words were muffled. His gaze went back to the ruined room and he couldn’t look away.
Chrissy couldn’t be gone. She couldn’t.
But a mocking voice inside his head laughed. He’d never gotten to keep anything good in his life. Of course, he couldn’t hold onto her. The voice sounded a lot like his father’s.
“Levi.”
Ash’s voice broke through the haze. The one person who’d been there for him all his life. Ash gripped Levi’s shoulder and squeezed.
A massive, horrible feeling clawed at Levi like a wild animal. It welled inside him and he threw his head back and let out a vicious, pained roar.
* * *
Chrissy wandered down the corridor, dazed, her ears ringing.
She wasn’t quite sure what had happened. She’d woken up in the corridor with her table on top of her. All she’d known was that she needed to get away.
Frowning, she pressed her hand to her sore head, and winced. Her hands hurt, too. She looked at them, and then her bare feet. Both were burned and blistered.
What happened? She bit her lip. She couldn’t think. She couldn’t remember. She stumbled roughly into the wall. She wasn’t sure which way to go.
Something had exploded. Max. She had to get to Max. He’d worry, and she didn’t want him to worry.
She rounded a corner, and bumped into a hard body headed in the opposite direction. Big hands steadied her, and she looked up into Hemi’s bearded face.
