by Anna Hackett
All because of one woman. As he watched the survivors all looking around, some smiling, others laughing, something in his chest eased.
Chapter Ten
Liberty enjoyed the smiles of the survivors, the wonder on their faces. But she liked the shock on Adam and Marcus’ faces more.
Adam grabbed her shoulders and pulled her around to look at him. “You are a miracle worker.”
Damn, she liked hearing that. “We strung up some lights.”
“No, it’s more than that.”
Elle Milton appeared and snuggled into Marcus’ side. “Wow. This looks amazing. Like we’re in a fairy grotto.” She bumped her hip against Marcus. “When you told me we were having a party and to dress up, I wasn’t expecting this.”
Elle was wearing a skirt, something Liberty rarely saw the woman do. She was usually in worn fatigues, ready to support her squad at the sound of the evac siren. But now, she wore a pretty blue skirt and simple top. It had to be a far cry from what the former socialite was used to.
Yet, as she leaned into the big man beside her, the woman looked happy. Loved.
Liberty’s chest got tight. Elle had found it, that elusive thing, and she’d found it in the worst of possible circumstances. Liberty knew she wasn’t built for love, but it didn’t stop her from being envious of people who found it.
“Party hasn’t started yet.” Marcus’ voice was the grittiest Liberty had ever heard. The soldier took in a deep breath, then tugged Elle out into the center of the room, where the lanterns cordoned off the makeshift dance floor.
Uncertain what was going on, Liberty watched, conscious that Adam was still and focused beside her.
Marcus cleared his throat. People turned to look and Elle looked bemused. “I have something to say—”
When the big man fell silent, a hushed anticipation filled the air. Marcus stared at the ground and Liberty wondered if he was actually going to finish whatever the hell this was.
Then she saw Hell Squad appear, standing close to him and Elle. Gabe, Reed, Cruz, Shaw and Claudia. They stood in a solid row, their gazes on the man they trusted to lead them into battle every day.
“Come on, amigo,” Cruz called out. “This is far easier than taking on raptors.”
Marcus mumbled something at his best friend, then heaved in a breath.
“Marcus, what’s wrong?” Elle went up on her toes and touched his face. “Talk to me.”
Marcus shook his head, like a dog shaking off water, then cleared his throat.
“Elle, every day I go out and fight. I wade through the muck, I see the worst of what has happened to our world—”
People around them murmured.
Hmm. Liberty wasn’t sure this is what Adam had been after.
Marcus grabbed Elle’s hand. “But it is so easy for me to put on my armor and pick up my carbine knowing I’m fighting for you.”
Elle’s face softened.
“Even before we got together, I was fighting for you. You are my light in the darkness. I don’t know what I did to deserve your love, but it is the thing I look for every night and the thing I look for every morning when I wake up.”
There were quiet oohs and sighs from the crowd.
Liberty felt her own heart swelling. Marcus wasn’t a man prone to talking a lot or baring his feelings to the world.
Elle’s lips trembled. “Marcus—”
He shook his head, breaking off her murmur. “No, let me finish…or I might not get the words out.” He fumbled in his pocket. “I know the world has gone to hell, and I don’t have anything to offer but myself…” He went down on one knee.
Elle’s free hand flew to her mouth, and the crowd gasped. Liberty saw faces alive with curiosity, wonder, and excitement. A hushed anticipation filled the space.
“You share my bed every night. You tend my wounds. Every damn day, you are on the end of the comms line, leading me out of trouble. Whatever happens in this world, I just don’t care, as long as you’re by my side.” He held up a small box. Liberty wasn’t close enough to see the ring, but the light sparkled and glinted off something she was sure was pretty. “Elle Milton, will you marry me and be mine forever?”
Elle cupped his face. “I’m already yours, Marcus. I always have been. But yes, I would love to be your wife.”
Marcus heaved out a breath and in one swift move was back on his feet. He swept Elle into his arms. Liberty watched them kiss, a deep embrace that edged on rough. No sweet, proper kisses for Marcus Steele. But it was so easy to see it was fueled by love and an intense desire that made her heart tap against her breastbone.
All around, the convoy survivors cheered. A few people were hugging and kissing. But most importantly, on every face, she saw happiness and hope. She even spotted Mrs. Marinos sitting with some others, her face wreathed in smiles. Marcus and Elle were Hell Squad, and Hell Squad was another part of the glue holding this rag-tag group together.
After Marcus let Elle up for air, he slipped the ring onto her finger. The other members of Hell Squad moved forward, slapping Marcus on the back and tugging Elle in for kisses. Shaw took his time giving Elle a kiss, earning a growl from Marcus and a slap on the back of his head from Claudia. Then the charming sniper spun, yanked Claudia into his arms and laid a really long, deep kiss on her.
It was fascinating to see such a tough and capable woman melt under the impact.
“Well done, Adam.” Liberty glanced sideways at the man who’d orchestrated this all. “You did it.”
His gaze hit hers. “It was your idea.”
“Yes, it was. In fact, I think you owe me a dance for that.”
He frowned. “I don’t dance.”
She pressed a hand to his arm, squeezed. “You will tonight.” With that, she spun and raised her voice. “Everyone, there is food to celebrate. The culinary wizards in the kitchen truck have outdone themselves tonight.” She waved at the food tables. “Go. Enjoy.”
At that moment, the band started up again.
People drifted to the food table, others to the dance floor. Some just stayed sitting together, laughing and talking, smiling at the festivities.
It was perfect.
It didn’t matter that the walls were rock, or the floor compacted dirt, or that they were tired and on the run.
Many of them were still watching Elle and Marcus. Elle had coaxed her soldier onto the dance floor. He was barely moving, but he had his arms around her as she danced, his gaze glued to her face.
“A part of me still can’t believe we’re doing this,” Adam muttered.
She raised a brow.
“On the run, aliens hunting us down, and we’re having an engagement party.” He shook his head. “Just a bit crazy.”
She nudged him with her hip. “It makes us human. You think the Gizzida are out there enjoying themselves, laughing, loving? Nope. And it will be their downfall.” She grabbed his hand. “Come on, General Holmes, I’m claiming my dance.”
With great reluctance, he headed out with her onto the dance floor.
A few people hooted and called out.
They swung together, and Liberty got a hint of that body that had driven her wild. She wanted that deep well of focus on her again. She felt a little like an addict, with this craving. It was so different, compared to all her past encounters with men.
Adam swayed to the beat, his arms closing around her. Liberty pressed into him. It was a jaunty, fun song, made for dancing. “See. It doesn’t hurt.”
“I didn’t say I couldn’t dance,” he grumbled. “Just that I don’t. It isn’t right for a general, a leader, to be out fraternizing.”
She rolled her eyes. “I am going to break you of this habit of keeping yourself separate from everyone if it kills me.”
His hands tightened on her, his grip almost painful. “Don’t talk about dying.”
The intensity in his eyes made her breath catch. “You’re right. Tonight is all about living.”
As Liberty let herself fall i
nto the music and the faint musk of Adam, she realized he was still tense. Like he just didn’t know how to let go and relax.
Her general might not be aware of it, but Liberty had just secretly declared war on him.
Tonight, he’d let go, relax, and feel pleasure…and she was planning to win this private war.
***
Around Adam, people bopped and jived. Shaw and Claudia were dancing with Selena. The alien woman was concentrating hard on learning the dance steps, but she was smiling. But Marcus wasn’t jiving…and neither was Gabe Jackson. Doc Emerson had dragged her man out onto the dance floor. He was barely moving, but the doc was bumping and grinding beside him. The big man’s face said he wasn’t that upset about the situation.
Adam wasn’t either. As he moved with Liberty, letting the Latin music soak into his system, he felt his muscles relaxing, one by one.
Every now and then, Liberty would look up and laugh, pure joy on her face. He resisted the urge to pull her in closer.
Liberty Lawler wasn’t for him. She was too full of life, too much fun. She’d be bored with him before too long. Hell, Diane—who’d been staid, sensible, and conservative—had gotten bored with him.
But he was going to enjoy this moment, this dance. He’d soak up all the good bits and pull them out when he needed them. On those dark nights, alone, when the whispers of the dead haunted him.
Adam swallowed. He felt the dark thoughts pressing against him even now.
He looked at his people. Laughing, eating, dancing.
It was worth it. He shouldered the darkness, so they didn’t have to. So they didn’t have more stains on their souls and extra hardship to deal with.
“Hey.” A hand on his cheek. “Where have you gone?” Liberty’s blue eyes were on him.
“Sorry.” He shook his head, picking up the music again.
“General.” Roth Masters and his partner, Avery, brushed past, and Roth pushed a glass into Adam’s hand.
An honest-to-God crystal tumbler—a rarity in these days of plastic from the kitchen truck. The glass held an amber liquid. “What’s this?”
“Liberty ordered it for you.” With a wink, Roth grabbed Avery and twirled her into the dancing crowd.
Liberty was grinning. “Try it.”
Adam took a sip and groaned. “Single malt Scotch Whiskey. Where the hell did you get this, and how did you know it was my favorite?”
She moved closer, her hands on his chest. “I told you, I have my ways. Enjoy.”
He did. He enjoyed the smooth, strong burn of the whiskey as he sipped it, and the pleasure of her curves pressed against him. As she swayed to the beat, her breasts brushed his chest, her thighs rubbing against his.
Adam took a hasty last sip of his drink. It did nothing to ease the raw desire clawing at his gut.
Liberty whisked the empty glass away, handing it off to somebody. The music changed, turned more sultry, sexier. A beat that made you think of hot, sweaty bodies and raw, primal sex.
Cruz wasn’t on the guitar any more. Instead, he had a good hold on his partner, Santha, and they were moving smoothly to the beat, dancing the salsa. Cruz was leading, clearly the more experienced dancer, but Santha was following his lead. They’d swing out, then back in, their bodies fitted together like two pieces of a puzzle. They ground against each other, Cruz leaning her back, sweeping her upper body around in a half circle.
“Damn, they look sexy,” Liberty said.
“You like the salsa?” Adam asked.
She laughed. “I like the look of it, but I don’t know how to do it.”
He didn’t let himself think. He grabbed her and pulled her close, his thigh sliding between hers.
Her eyes widened. That same look she’d had on her face that night in his truck when she’d taken his clothes off. “You know how to salsa?”
“I took dance lessons as a kid. My mother was hoping I’d learn the waltz. They threw in a few other dances I never told her about.”
He pushed her out, moving his hips to the beat. She laughed again, looking at her feet.
Adam pulled her close again. “No. Watch my face. And follow my lead.”
“I have been…for a year and a half. You’ve never steered me wrong.”
Her words seeped under his skin, along with the sexy music and the feel of this woman.
He pulled her into the dance, thigh brushing against thigh, his arms tight around her. He pushed her back, running his hand from her slim neck down the delicious center of her. Dimly, he was aware of people cheering and calling out.
The desire in his gut burned hot, twisting tighter. This need, this burn for her was driving him out of his mind.
When the music ended, he pulled her hard up against his chest. They were both breathing hard, a fine sheen of perspiration on their skin.
“Wow.” She licked her lips. “That’s all I can manage.” She lowered her voice. “Better take a bow.”
She pulled away and did a grand bow. The crowd cheered again. Adam managed a nod, hoping no one noticed the tight bulge in his pants.
The next song started. This was something slower, but still sexy, sensual.
Instantly, Liberty leaned back into him, pressing her face to his chest. She breathed deeply, like she couldn’t get enough of his scent. His cock twitched. Helpless against the pull of her, he wrapped his arms around her again.
One last dance. He’d let himself have that before he escaped to his truck.
As they gently swayed, she made a humming noise in her throat.
Around them, people returned to their small groups, chatting and eating. Others found partners, and suddenly, the dance floor was packed.
Adam pressed his face to Liberty’s hair. It smelled faintly of strawberries. He breathed it in. Memorizing it.
The song ended, and Adam dredged up his control. “I have to go.”
“What?” She lifted her head.
“I’ve had a great time. You were right, I needed this just as much as everyone else…but I have work to do—”
She frowned. “Brooding to do, you mean.”
Adam gritted his teeth and gently, but firmly, pushed her away. “I can’t do this, Liberty.”
She thrust her hands on her hips. “Adam, you need to have something to live for, too. You have to balance out the hard with some good.”
“I’m doing fine—”
“Bullshit. Everyone who knows you knows you’re balanced on a very fine edge. Just let yourself feel!”
“I do.” The words snapped out of him. He lowered his tone. “I feel the guilt, the pressure, the remorse, the grief. I fucking drown in it every day.”
Emotions flickered over her face. “That only proves my point.” The heat of anger was gone. “Those emotions will break you in time. You need hope and happiness, as well as pleasure.”
Air sawed in and out of Adam’s chest. He couldn’t form the right words to tell her that he didn’t deserve any of that.
She stared at him, her blue eyes taking him in. Then she reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Come with me,” she said quietly.
He was so torn…between what he should do, and what he wanted so desperately he could barely breathe.
When she pulled him off the dance floor, he followed.
Chapter Eleven
Adam didn’t let himself think.
He just followed Liberty as she led him down a side tunnel.
“No one is allowed to wander into the tunnels—”
She shot him a glance over her shoulder. “Well, looks like you’ll get the chance to be a little naughty, General.” She smiled. “We aren’t going far.”
She turned and Adam saw the glow of light ahead. She turned again and pulled him into a small alcove located off the side of the tunnel.
He sucked in a breath. It had obviously been used to store items when the mine was active. There was still a stack of metal pipes against the back wall, resting on a wooden pallet.
But it wa
s what Liberty had done that took his breath away.
There were candles everywhere. They lined the base of the rock walls, and sat across the top of the pipes. The flames flickered like crazy, giving the small space a warm glow. In the center of the alcove was a nest of blankets and pillows. Off to the side sat a half-full bottle of Scotch, the amber liquid glowing in the light, and two crystal glasses beside it.
“When…how…?” His heart was pumping hard.
Liberty pulled her shirt over her head. Her skin was golden in the candlelight.
“Just stop fighting, Adam.”
His hands curled into fists. The torment was huge. He should be back in his truck, doing…something important. Something to benefit the convoy. Not indulging himself with a woman who was his every desire and sin personified.
She shucked off her jeans and stood there in two tiny scraps of emerald lace. “I want you.”
Those quiet, honest words broke him.
Adam fell to his knees, wrapping his arms around her. He pressed his face to her belly, slipping his hands up her smooth back.
Her hands tangled in his hair.
“Stop thinking,” she murmured. “Just feel.”
He was going to show her just how much he wanted her. How much he admired every part of her. Not just her curvy, gorgeous body, but her love of life, her relentless and quiet need to take care of others, and her confidence to enjoy all the things she loved.
He reached behind her for the clasp of her bra and undid it, the garment falling to the ground.
Adam cupped her breasts, enjoying the breathy sound she made. He kneaded the full curves, watching her face for what she liked best.
He pressed a kiss to her soft belly. God, her skin, the feel of her…perfect.
He dragged his hands down, stroking, caressing. She stood still, trembling a little, a flush on her face.
Then he gripped the edge of her lace panties and pushed them to the side. He could already smell her arousal, feel a tremble running through her.
It thrilled him. He knew she was a woman comfortable with finding her own pleasure, experienced with sex, but still she responded to him in a way that made it clear she was as lost in this moment as he was.
