Garrick: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Earth Resistance Book 1)

by Theresa Beachman

  “Oh.” Pay attention, Anna.

  Anna took in the cold, smashed room. Her stomach sank at the thought of spending the night here. He must have seen her expression. “It’s not all bad. The police station is linked to the mortuary with its own solar back-up power supply. We can have a hot shower tonight.”

  “Really?” Her voice went up a few octaves in anticipation.

  He smiled. “Finally, someone’s cutting us a break.”

  Anna glanced down at her grubby hands encased in latex. Grime made her scalp itch, and her clothes chafed against her skin.

  She cracked a grin. “A shower is nearly worth dying for.”

  She risked a sideways glance as images of Garrick naked under a stream of hot steaming water sprang into her mind. Intense slate-grey eyes returned her gaze compelling her to swallow and shift her attention elsewhere.

  Anywhere but him, Anna.

  “Help me roll it onto its back,” she instructed, slightly gruffer than she intended.

  She reached out and placed her hands on the edges of the chest cavity. The chitin was not as firm as she expected and had a degree of flexibility, deforming slightly under pressure from her fingers.

  “No wonder it’s so resilient. It doesn’t crack, and it’s got built in elasticity. Brilliant. Okay, on the count of three.”

  They shoved in unison, struggling to shift it. Garrick grunted as he gave an extra thrust. “Bloody hell, how heavy is this?”

  Finally, it tipped, slamming onto its back.

  Its chest domed like a curved half-moon, jutting skywards. Garrick took a step back and wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

  “Ugly bastard,” he muttered.

  Anna dropped back to her knees with the largest scalpel from the implements in the drawer. Around her, the six legs of the Chittrix were half-contracted like the legs of a dead spider. She had to lean between the primary two pairs as if inside an organic cage made of body parts.

  She ran her fingers over the gritty, bumpy chitin she had noticed earlier, tapping it in points with the blade in her hand. “This. I’ve not seen this in any other specimens. Other substances are incorporated.” She peered closely. “It’s sparkly. Iron pyrites? I can’t tell without a proper analysis.”

  “Iron?” His face was full of questions.

  “Lots of species incorporate different materials into their exoskeletons. Some fish and turtles use dentine. Some molluscs and sea worms use calcium carbonate. It’s not unusual for native species here. But the few Chittrix I’ve examined previously all had smooth, regular shells, and their colour was uniformly black and grey. Recently, I’ve seen a few with yellow markings. I saw one at Magdon. And now this.” She paused.

  Garrick followed the path of her hand across the exoskeleton. His fingers ran over hers sending shards of hot sensation to her belly. She took a breath, composing herself before she continued.

  “This irregularity is new. I can’t be sure if this is a type I haven’t come across before or if it’s something far worse. Maybe they’re adapting to Earth, changing while they’re here, absorbing and becoming part of our eco-system.”

  “Adapting to our ecosystem?”

  She nodded. “Evolving. Insects are nothing if not adaptable.”

  Anna hesitated as the ramifications of what she was describing sank into her brain. If they adapt, they’ll be harder to kill. Hell, they’re already pretty bomb-proof.

  Sometimes, she wished she had done veterinary science instead of entomology at University.

  She slipped her fingers inside the chest cavity, gripping the edges of rough tissue. Garrick followed suit, his arms flexing on the other side. Anna pulled, straining with the exertion, wincing at the wet splintering of the protective chest plates cracking open.

  Her fingers traced bumpy ingrowths on the inside. She pointed for Garrick to see. “Apodemes. They’re attachment sites for muscles and ligaments,” she said, marvelling at the dense bundles of muscle and sinew that crisscrossed the chest cavity. “These are enormous, even given the increased size of this Chittrix. Relatively speaking, they’re far bigger than I’d expect for the size of the exoskeleton. It explains why their strength seems so great for their size.” She leaned forward, peering and tapping the surface. “These apodemes appear to be packed with the same mineral that’s infiltrated the exoskeleton.”

  “They’re getting stronger and faster because of what they’re absorbing from the environment?” He rocked back on his feet.

  Nodding, Anna began to slice through the white membrane that covered the organs of the chest cavity.

  “Let me help.” Garrick took his knife from his belt and cut the tissue on the other side, further exposing the internal organs.

  A ridged tube ran the length of the abdomen. It was rubbery and flexible in Anna’s hands. She pointed. “This is the heart.”

  “But it’s just a tube.” Garrick gestured with the tip of his knife.

  “It’s closer to our lymphatic system. It bathes their organs in this yellow fluid and pumps it through their bodies. Damaging one part won’t knock the whole thing out. This is why shooting them in the chest is so ineffective. You need to take out the whole damn torso.” She sagged backwards, resting on her haunches. “The level of evolution in these things is off the scale. I’d admire them if they hadn’t wiped out most of the world as we know it.”

  She leaned forward, moving meat and sinew with her fingers. Inky fluid stained her gloves to the wrists. She was going to need to shower for a week after this. As she delved further, she exposed a large yellow sac that rested under black tubules.

  Tiredness blunted the edges of her delicacy, and the point of her scalpel nicked the edge of the organ. She jerked backwards as steaming liquid ruptured through the tissue, dissolving flesh in an unstoppable process.

  Anna threw out her arm, pressing Garrick back from the gush of fluid.

  “Poison-gland reservoir,” she explained then dropped her hand from his chest.

  Exhaustion roared in her ears.

  “I should have known better. Sorry. Don’t know what I was thinking.” The scalpel fell from her fingers in sheer exhaustion, clattering onto the cold floor. “I think I’ve officially had enough now.”

  20

  Garrick made one final inspection outside the building after restarting the generator and getting the hot water running. It set up a comforting hum that reverberated through the lower floors of the building as it warmed, the heating activated along with the hot water.

  He jammed the broken double-doors back in place. Enough to stop anyone or anything from getting in without making a hell of a noise. Outside the street was still and quiet. There was no evidence of any Chittrix activity.

  Dusk left a watery pattern of light on the corridor floors as he jogged back to the stairs and the lower level of the police station where he’d left Anna. He slowed as he approached the changing rooms, noisy with the sound of running water.

  Steam billowed up against the ceiling, filled with the clean scent of soap. He came to a stop outside the door of the shower room, images of Anna naked in the shower flooding his mind. He’d be a liar if he said he hadn’t thought about her naked before now. But the sound of running water and the warm steam drifting out teased him. He imagined her there now, blonde hair in a straight sheath down her back while she bent to soap those long limbs, water streaming between her breasts, turning her skin pink and flushed with heat.

  He ran his palm cross his face, trying to distract himself, and took a slow breath. Shit, Garrick, pull it together, she’s been through hell and back. The last thing she needs is you pawing her. Your job is to escort her to a safe place in one piece.

  But the truth was, he wanted her. Wanted her more than he had ever wanted a woman. His cock woke as his mind continued to give sneak previews. He wanted to run his hands across her full breasts, pinch her rose-pink nipples and glide his hands into the slippery cleft between her legs. Taste the creamy skin at the
base of her throat, and make her breath quicken as he drove her body to the extremes of pleasure under his hands.

  He heard a muffled groan and realised it was his as he pressed a hand to the hot hardness in his crotch. Safe for the moment, locked away from the world gone to shit outside, he finally admitted to himself that he wanted to possess every inch of Anna. She was everything he had always avoided: smart, opinionated, and awkward. Yet he had wanted to cover her naked skin with his since the first moment he had seen her and that perfect mouth had given him cheek. He wanted to bite that lip, pull it between his teeth while his hands caressed every warm, smooth inch of her body.

  Fresh thoughts cut through him, unravelling him at his very core. What if he opened up and let go of the fear and doubt that consumed him? Through the grime and the exhaustion, he sensed something new and vulnerable within himself. Previously, sex had been mutually casual relationships. Quick, hot, happy sex for all concerned with no strings attached. He’d always been quite clear that was all that was on the cards. He’d never been interested in anything more.

  Yet.

  Yet, here I am, and I want more from Anna. For the first time in my life, and it scares the hell out of me.

  She understood what hardship was. She’d been alone her entire adult life and had locked herself away too. She was just as self-sufficient, maybe more so given how smart she was. He wanted to protect that. Protect everything about her. Cherish her, physically and emotionally.

  He rested his head against the smooth wood of the changing room wall. Counted his breathing in and out, trying to control the desire that raged through his veins.

  Dammit, Garrick, she’s hurt, and all you can think about is getting naked under the shower with her.

  Desire formed a blazing knot low in his belly. He struck the wall at the side of the door with the heel of his uninjured hand, pain shooting up his forearm, providing distraction from the turbulent anger and desire that threatened to overwhelm his body and mind.

  Fuck it.

  He pushed open the doors of the changing room. To his left were the showers. To his right, the staff quarters where he had already piled up chair-cushions and some grey wool blankets from the cell-block storage into a makeshift bed.

  The door to the staff lounge was open. He could walk right in there, sit down, and wait for her to come through.

  Yeah, right.

  A smashed dispenser on the wall caught his eye. Tiny plastic toothbrushes and condoms. He huffed out a long, low breath of want. If the Chittrix invasion had taught him anything, it was that life was too damn short. For the first time since forever, he felt something. Was consumed by it and didn’t want to walk away.

  He turned left and pushed open the door of the shower block, billows of steam rising against his skin. He took only one step before his legs pulled him up short.

  She was naked, her clothes already rinsed through and hanging neatly nearby on the radiator. She was standing with her back to him, hot water sluicing soap suds from her shoulders.

  A long, slow curl of heat and need rose up through his belly, his cock straining painfully at the confines of his cargo trousers. He was transfixed by her soft curves, the swell of her hip, and the dimples in the small of her back just above the globes of her backside.

  Desire consumed all rational thought in his mind. His breathing hitched in his chest. He wanted her so badly. Even his hands were trembling as he stood, soaking her all in.

  She peeked over her shoulder, her blue eyes meeting his. She turned, deliberately making no effort to cover her modesty. Her hands were relaxed, loose and delicate at her sides. Water continued to stream across the smooth curve of her belly and thighs.

  A tingle of anticipation spiralled deliciously down his spine.

  Just as perfect as I imagined.

  Her breasts teased him, full and rosy in the warm water. Delicate curls of blond hair at the juncture of her thighs hid all the secrets he wanted to taste.

  Garrick’s legs moved of their own accord. The primal part of his brain was consumed with a raging need for the woman in front of him, his cock aching with arousal as he strode purposefully into the hot, rushing water.

  He hesitated, suddenly concerned that lust was undermining his decision-making.

  But her eyes never left his, and she reached out with her small hand and pulled him under the rain of hot water.

  21

  Anna stood with her face tipped upwards, water cascading over her skin. She’d ran it as hot as she could bear while she scrubbed herself clean with a bar of soap she’d found in one of the lockers. The air was opaque with steam and the scent of lemon. The water soothed her aching limbs, hot and cleansing, washing away the blood and gore of the Chittrix. Her mind drifted, images of Garrick playing through it. His intense grey eyes, his broad chest, the silent way he moved like a jaguar.

  The way he takes care of me.

  He had insisted she shower first while he went off to do a final check on the building before they rested for the night. She had accepted, touched by his kindness and gallantry.

  His presence burned into her senses without warning.

  He’s watching me.

  Fierce heat bloomed instantly at the juncture of her thighs.

  She took her time turning to face him, unashamed of her nakedness, wanting him to observe her. He was in the doorway, legs apart, his hands in tight fists at his side. Even across the room, his eyes were dark with hunger as they devoured her naked body. Her lips parted as desire flared in her belly and her breath caught in her throat. She wanted those grey eyes on her body, was greedy for the heat of his hands on her bare skin like she had never wanted anyone before.

  She reached out to him and he was across the room and under the water with her in a few long strides. He stopped just in front of her, his eyes searching her face, looking for permission. She raised his right hand to her lips, turning it over and kissing his palm, tasting the saltiness of his skin. Blood washed from the wound on his arm. Her lips caressed the back of his wrist to his thumb. She opened her mouth and took his thumb inside, sucking hard. A low animal groan escaped him, and he pulled her into his arms, his hands slipping under her backside and raising her up as she reached for him and encircled his waist with her legs.

  They crashed into each other in the rain of steaming water, his mouth crushing hers, tasting her. She kissed him back hard, her tongue sliding against his, teasing and tasting him, desperate for his warmth inside her. Her fingers pressed into the dark hair of his nape, pulling him closer.

  She’d been alone forever, waiting for this moment to be here with him.

  His hands pressed on her waist while the hardness of his erection against her pelvis sent ripples of wanton desire through her body.

  He pulled back from the kiss, breathless against her.

  “Tell me you want this. That you want me.”

  She groaned, cradling his face between her palms.

  God, I want you so much.

  “Yes. I want you. All of you.” She was breathy with lust.

  He murmured her name and buried his mouth against her neck, nuzzling her skin, driving her to the limits of her control.

  I don’t lose control.

  But he wasn’t going to stop, and his touch continued to unravel the defences she’d so carefully constructed.

  She caught his face in the palm of her hand, forcing him to look at her. His eyes were trusting and dark with arousal.

  For me. He wants me. Knowledge encompassed her. Here with this man, she was safe, his need for her evident in his eyes. I’m not alone anymore.

  A small moan escaped her lips, urging him on. Garrick stepped forward, pressing her up against the tiled wall, his hands tracing down her flank, caressing the smooth curve of her hip. Her head tipped back as he devoured her throat with hot, ferocious kisses. Molten fire raged low in her belly, feeding the hollow ache between her legs that only he could fill.

  Her hands ran over his chest, tearing at the wet fa
bric of his t-shirt, desire and urgency making her fingers clumsy. Finally, she got the shirt over his head and pulled it from him, pressing herself against his hot skin and hard, ridged body. Her teeth grazed the line of his collarbone, claiming him as her own. Her breasts ached, full and heavy while his fingers gently twisted and pinched her nipples. His mouth continued to lick and suck down her neck, finally reaching her breasts and the softness of her areola.

  “God, the way you taste,” he growled against the soft mound of her breast before taking her nipple in his mouth, raking her flesh with his teeth. She gasped, arcing against him. He responded, pushing her harder against the wall. She opened her thighs to the hardness of his body, the rough fabric of his cargo trousers rasping pleasurably against the softness of her skin. She tipped her hips back to meet him, letting him know just how much she wanted him while his mouth teased her other breast, tracing a delicate pattern of kisses.

  He shifted her weight under his hands and placed her gently back on her feet, turning her away from him. Anna started to protest, but he silenced her with a firm kiss as he closed the distance between them. He lifted her hands in his and pressed them to the cool tile while his other hand roamed across her exposed breasts and her belly. Her legs trembled in anticipation.

  He slid the curtain of her hair aside, over her shoulder, his fingers tracing a delicate pattern over her collarbone, sending a blazing rush of anticipation to her belly. Teeth grazed against the back of her neck as he kissed and sucked on the sensitive skin. Anna tilted her head sideways, allowing him to move along the side of her throat, unable to do anything but respond to his touch. She twisted so her face rested against his cheek, inhaling the warm maleness of him, the prickle of the shadow on his chin perfectly rough against her neck. Fiery pleasure cascaded down her spine in waves. She was powerless under his caress and didn’t care.

  She tried to turn around, but he held her firm. The palms of his hands smoothed the flatness of her belly while his teeth and tongue continued to work their magic on her neck and shoulders. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, allowing the sensation to wash through her. The pads of his fingers danced across the hot skin of her thighs that craved his touch so much. His hand traced lower, and her breath hitched in anticipation of him touching her swollen flesh.