by Anna Hackett
She swallowed. “Cruz—”
“No, Santha, be quiet.” He yanked her into his arms and lay back with her snuggled tight into his side. Shit, he didn’t mind snuggling with a beautiful woman, but it had never felt this good. “Don’t ruin the moment by overanalyzing.” He stroked her hair, enjoying the scent of her mixed with the musk of their sex.
“Okay,” she murmured, pressed her face to his shoulder.
When he felt her mouth moving over his tats, he vowed to himself that he was going to get more. Maybe he’d get her name inked on his chest.
He tangled his hand in her hair. “I mean it. It wasn’t just a fuck. If I have to make love to you every day for the next year to prove it to you, I will.”
She snorted out a laugh. “How noble of you to make that sacrifice.”
He smiled against her hair. “Yeah, that’s me, noble.” Inside, he wondered why the hell he wasn’t freaked out. He’d never made love to a woman. He fucked, he had sex—good sex, hot sex, flirty sex…but not the emotion-filled, loving kind. He cleared his throat. “I should have mentioned it before, but I have a contraceptive implant. All the soldiers do. And I haven’t been with anyone since my last checkup, which I passed with flying colors.”
“You are noble.” She smiled. “Thanks for letting me know. And I don’t know what this—” she waved a hand between them “—is, but for now it doesn’t need a name.” She slowly stroked a hand down the center of his chest.
Miraculously, he felt his nerve endings fire and his cock twitch.
She nipped his shoulder. “I think you should show me again the difference between fucking and what we just did.”
Cruz stood up, reached down and pulled her up. He grabbed at their clothes which were spread all over the mat.
She watched him. “Where are we going?”
“Back to my quarters. I’m going to make love to you in my bed.” Oh, yeah, he couldn’t wait to see her in his bed, on his sheets.
She licked her lips. “Okay.”
“And after that, I’m going to fuck you in the shower. Hard, rough and fast.” He grinned. “Then you’ll know the difference.”
Chapter Eleven
Oh God, she was going to come.
Santha’s palms pressed into the hard tile of the shower. Behind her, Cruz’s hard hands dug into her buttocks as he slammed his cock into her. She threw her head back, felt a fiery, hot knot tying up low in her belly. He was so big, his thick cock sliding against all her nerve endings, stretching her with a pleasure-pain that was addictive.
“Fuck, this is the best view I’ve seen in a long time.” One of his hands slid onto her lower back. “You are so damned gorgeous. I love this dark-golden skin of yours.”
No one had ever called her gorgeous. Santha had always been the strong one, the athletic one.
“I’m going to come, Santha.” Cruz growled the words. “But you have to come first.”
She was so close, skating along the edge. But even as his heavy thrusts rocked into her, she couldn’t quite go over.
He gripped her hips, his thrusts turning rougher. “Come for me, Santha. Come on my cock. Let me feel you milking me.”
She made a noise in her throat. “I can’t.”
“You can.” He slapped a hand against her ass. “Touch yourself.”
Helpless to ignore his sexy voice and dirty commands, she slid one hand down between her legs, going lower and lower until she felt the thick root of him where he was sawing in and out of her body. God, it was so sexy to feel herself stretched around him. Then she slid her fingers up until she found her clit, swollen and hot, and oh, so sensitive.
She rubbed her finger against the tiny nub, and a mewling sound escaped from her. She kept rubbing, imagining what Cruz looked like as he hammered into her.
“That’s my girl,” he murmured. “I can feel you tightening around me. Let it come, mi reina.”
Another flick and another hard thrust from Cruz and her orgasm knocked into her like an avalanche. Her moans echoed in the shower and seconds later, she heard Cruz’s groan as he emptied himself inside her.
Santha’s legs gave out, but he was there, holding her up. She let him lift her into his arms. God, it was so sexy. No one had ever carried her around—she was too tall and heavy for most men. But he didn’t seem to have a problem. Well, with all those hard, roped muscles, she shouldn’t be surprised.
He flicked off the shower and set her on her feet outside the stall, before wrapping her in a towel. He swiped another towel over his chest, then hitched it around her hips. After that, he tugged her into his room, sat on the edge of an armchair and pulled her over to stand between his open thighs. Taking the towel, he set to work drying her.
He was maddeningly thorough. She really thought it would be impossible to feel desire after the orgasms he’d just given her. But the feel of the fabric sliding between her legs and his hot hands sliding over skin, sparked a faint stirring in her belly.
He took his time drying her legs, his gaze tracing over her thighs. He skimmed over her flat belly and then he stopped at her breasts, rubbing the towel over her nipples until they tightened into hard peaks.
She moaned. “How are you doing this to me?”
“This is the ‘not fucking’ part, Santha.” He leaned forward and replaced the towel with his mouth. He sucked at her nipple and gently raked it with his teeth.
She caught her hands in his hair, partly to feel the silk of it and partly to find an anchor.
“I don’t catch fire like this.” Her voice was breathy. “Sex is just easy fun, not this…this…” All-consuming.
“Good. I like knowing only I can do this to you.” Definite male satisfaction in his voice.
A laugh escaped her. “Arrogant man.”
“You bet.” He pressed a kiss between her breasts, then tucked the towel around her. “Come on, I have plans for that long, lovely body of yours.”
God. She wouldn’t last the night. He’d make her melt into a puddle of lust.
He smiled his trademark sexy grin. “Food, Santha. I’m going to feed you.”
Her shoulders sank. “Oh.”
He grabbed her hands and tugged her over to the table near a tiny kitchenette. He grasped her hair in one hand and gave a gentle, teasing tug. “Don’t worry. After you eat, I’m going to have you again on my bed, my desk, on the floor. Maybe not in that order, but regardless, you’re going to lose count of all the orgasms you’re going to have.”
Her breath caught in her chest. Yep, puddle of lust.
***
Cruz woke in the darkness. It took only a second to realize he was alone in the bed.
The only light in his dark room was the glow from his clock, casting the simple furniture in shadows. The narrow bunk beside him was empty and he distinctly remembered the pleasure of falling asleep with Santha in his arms. He turned on his side and scanned the room.
Saw the shadow of her on the couch.
He rose, naked, and walked over to her.
She was sitting, wrapped in a sheet, her cheek pressed to her upraised knee.
“Bed feels empty without you, mi reina.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you,” she said quietly.
He sat beside her. “You’re thinking of the lab.”
“What else?” She heaved in a breath. “Every time I close my eyes, it’s all I can think about. That little girl…” Santha shook her head. “It makes me so angry. I want to kill all those bastard aliens who think they have the right to come here and take something that isn’t theirs. And then to make it worse, they think they can do…those atrocities to our people.”
“We’ll get them out.”
“We both know they’ll never be the same.” A vicious shake of her head. “I want to kill every raptor on the planet. But I’m going to start with the commander.”
He stared at her shadowed face. “It won’t bring your sister back.”
“I know that, Cruz. But it’ll help.” Her gaze caug
ht his. “It has to help.”
He saw she needed to believe that. Like he had to believe that fighting, protecting what was left of humanity, helped atone for his past.
“We’ll get them out and we’ll kill the commander.” He reached for her hand and when her fingers twined with his, he felt like he’d won a prize.
They sat quietly for a moment, cloaked by the shadows and the darkness of their thoughts.
“Sometimes I don’t know who I am anymore.”
The emptiness in her voice made him ache. “You’re Santha Kade.” He slid his arm across her shoulders and tucked her in close to his side. “And you’re mine.” He tipped her head back and kissed her.
This kiss wasn’t a battle. Wasn’t fueled by lust or pain or anger.
It was slow, gentle, tender.
He pulled back and heard her sigh. Then he felt something deep in his belly, something he hadn’t felt for a long time. Following his instinct, he rose and grabbed his battered guitar from where it leaned against the wall.
He sat back down, strummed a little, then closed his eyes and played. The song made him think of Santha. Of sex, of strength and courage…of love for a woman. A specific, particular woman. He felt something inside him, something tight and hurting, ease.
When he finished, he raised his head.
She was staring at him. “That was amazing. You play so well.”
He shrugged a shoulder and set the guitar aside. “I haven’t felt the music for months. You must have inspired my muse.” He rose and tugged her with him. “And you’ve inspired something else.” He nipped at her lips. “Come back to bed.”
She went with him wordlessly. She followed him down on the bed, dropping the sheet to leave her naked. He’d never get enough of that body or the expressions on her face when he touched her, or of the little sounds she made when she came.
He rolled her under him and started to caress her, slow and steady. Making love, not tearing at each other, not rushing. He ran his lips over her eyelids, her cheekbones, her jaw. He’d worship her and show her how much more there was to life.
As he slid inside her and started to move, he felt her heart beating in time with his. He’d set out to show her what love could be like…and ended up taking the plunge himself.
***
“The Hawks will drop the squad off here.” Marcus stood in the middle of the Ops Area with a giant map projection hanging in the air in front of him. He waved a gloved hand and it marked the location. “Roth, your team will land here—” another hand movement and a glowing red mark appeared “—and come in this way from behind the base.”
Roth nodded. “Got it.”
Santha studied the man. For all his relaxed stance, leaning against the wall, she recognized a warrior. His hawkish face held that intensity, and he had the body of a fighter.
“Hell Squad will go in here.” Marcus moved his hands through the air, tracing a path leading in the front of the raptor base. “We’ll head straight to the lab.” His gaze moved over them, Santha included.
Her hands curled into fists. We’re coming, hold on.
A woman pushed her way into the room. Santha instantly recognized Doc Emerson.
She thrust her hands on her hips, emphasizing her tightly packed curves. “I’m coming with you.”
Gabe shot to his feet. “No. It’s too dangerous.”
The doctor straightened. “I’m aware of that, but those people need me—”
“You’re too valuable.”
Santha didn’t think she’d heard the usually silent Gabe say that many words all at once before.
Emerson’s mouth firmed into a hard line. “Those people have been injured. Moving them without a medical assessment could kill them. That’s dangerous.”
Marcus’ gaze shifted between the two. “Last time I checked, I was in charge of this squad.” He speared Gabe with a look. “That means I give the orders.” He swung around to face the doctor. “And Doc, that means I decide who goes on a mission.”
“Marcus—”
He held up a hand to cut her off. “I agree with you.” He looked back at Gabe. “The doc is coming.”
Gabe’s face turned hard as granite, but he dropped back into his chair and folded his arms.
Emerson stepped forward until the projection caught her, casting shadows over her face. “I’ll have a medical team on standby. If there are too many injured for me to deal with, we can call them in. When it’s safe, of course.”
Marcus nodded.
Roth cleared his throat. “You haven’t filled your empty squad spot.”
Gabe went still as a statue. Santha knew he’d must be thinking of his brother and her heart went out to the hard, silent man. He didn’t look like he needed sympathy, but losing Kareena meant she knew what kind of pain it left inside. And from what Cruz had told her, Gabe and his twin brother had been close.
Marcus scowled. “No. None of our recruits have survived their trial runs.”
Claudia snorted from the back where she slouched in a chair. “They’ve all gotten themselves shot, or they’ve run away as soon as we’ve gotten back to base.” She grinned. “Can’t imagine why.”
“Might be your prickly personality scaring them off,” Shaw said from beside Claudia.
The woman scowled at the sniper. “Fuck you, Shaw.”
“You wish, Frost.”
“Enough,” Marcus said, his gaze on Roth. “You have someone in mind?”
“Yeah. Guy called Reed. He came in about two weeks ago with a bunch of survivors who’d travelled down from the north. He was a UC Navy SEAL, apparently on leave doing some diving on the Great Barrier Reef when the raptors attacked. He’s good in the water and magic with explosives. He’s been with Squad Eight, but he’s wasted there.”
Cruz leaned forward. “We need someone who’ll last. We can’t keep taking these green recruits out there. Next one’s going to end up dead.”
From what Santha knew of the SEAL training, you had to be pretty tough to survive it. “We’re going to need a good distraction to get into the raptor base. Explosives could do the trick.”
Cruz grinned at her. “Lure the raptors out.” He winked at her. “I know someone else who’s pretty handy with explosives.”
“I’m not staying back to blow things up.” She needed to be the one going into that lab.
“We’ll take this Reed,” Marcus said.
Roth nodded. “I’ll let Eight know. They’ll be sorry to lose him, but since he’s going to Hell Squad, they’ll get over it.”
Marcus eyed Santha. “You going to follow orders?”
She stiffened. Shit, she felt like she was in her captain’s office getting a dressing-down. “I’ll do what I think is right.”
Marcus shook his head. “Not good enough. You have to follow orders or you don’t come.”
She gritted her teeth. “Fine.”
Beside her, Cruz gripped her arm and squeezed.
Marcus made a closed fist with his hand and the map projection closed. “Everyone suit up. We’ll meet at the landing pads in one hour.”
Chapter Twelve
Cruz felt the familiar vibration of the Hawk beneath his feet. He gripped an overhead hand hold and watched the rest of Hell Squad as they went through their familiar pre-mission rituals.
Claudia checked her weapons, three times. Shaw was cleaning his sniper rifle. Gabe sat, still and silent, at the back of the quadcopter. Marcus stood near the cockpit, talking quietly with the pilot. Cruz knew their fearless leader would be running scenarios in his head, mapping out every step of the mission.
Doc Emerson was also aboard. She looked wrong dressed in armor and not in her usual lab coat. She wore a streamlined black backpack that contained her medical supplies. Her face was set and she looked ready for anything.
Santha was at the side of the copter, staring out the window at the ruined city below. She was silent but he sensed the edginess radiating off her.
She was ready for this missi
on.
There was also one new addition to the squad.
Reed MacKinnon was tall and had the lean build of a swimmer. Cruz guessed from the man’s tanned skin and sun-bleached brown hair that he liked the outdoors. So far, he hadn’t said much, but he seemed relaxed and focused all at once. A good sign. He’d also brought his own modified carbine called a mayhem—with a lightweight missile launcher attached.
Cruz moved closer to Santha and followed her gaze out the window. The ravaged city spread as far as he could see. It was far too easy to only see death and destruction. To mourn what was lost and know that nothing would ever be the same. Too many had died. Too much of what had once been “normal” life would never return.
That was what he’d seen the last few months, all he’d been able to see.
But now there were patches of vibrant green below, where plant life was flourishing. A flock of birds soared and dipped with the wind.
Life was fighting to survive.
His gaze moved to Santha’s set face, with her high cheekbones and lush lips. It was what he wanted for her. She could have her revenge, see if the blood of the raptor commander would fill that gaping hole inside her, but Cruz wanted her to live.
He’d had her now. Tasted her. She was in his blood.
She turned her head and caught his gaze. She smiled at him.
Something in his chest loosened.
“We’ll be landing in three minutes,” Marcus called out. “Everybody hang on.”
“Ready?” Cruz asked her.
“Ready.”
They landed on the roof of an office building not far from the school. Marcus slid the Hawk door open. “Hell Squad, let’s move.”
Moments later, Hell Squad was pounding down the stairs and heading in the direction of the raptor base.
They moved into a light jog. Gabe was on point, his gun up, and Claudia brought up the rear. The team made sure Emerson was protected in the center. Cruz kept half of his attention on Reed. The man held his mayhem with practiced ease and moved with a fluid confidence. So far, so good.
They reached a building several hundred meters back from the one Cruz and Santha had used on their recon mission. The squad moved into position on the roof, and Marcus crouched and lifted his binocs.
