Double Dose (Research & Desire)

by Katie Allen

  Before she could hit the ground, Benjy swung her up and over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. His pace barely faltered as he got her into position, and she was sure he was running even faster while carrying her than he had been without the hundred pounds of human he had draped over him. Sometimes, laboratory modifications had a handy side, although the guys seemed to be a little too willing to toss her over their shoulders.

  Daphne squeezed her eyes closed to stop the flow of random, not-that-helpful thoughts, and clutched two handfuls of the back of B’s coat. The alarm had stopped, and the only sounds were Benjy’s boots hitting the ground, followed by an occasional grunt from Daphne when her stomach hit against his shoulder especially hard. She could also hear her heartbeat pounding in her ears and air rushing in and out of her lungs, as if she were the one running through the trees.

  Benjy came to an abrupt stop, flipping her upright in the same motion. She struggled to find her feet and took a few staggering steps backward to catch her balance. While she stumbled, B stomped on the leaf-strewn ground. Before she even had time to wonder what the man was doing, a section of the earth lifted, making Daphne suck in a startled breath.

  Closed, the trapdoor appeared to be just another patch of frozen ground, but the underside was made of two-by-fours. They must have somehow attached dirt, leaves and other forest-floor-type items to the door, so that the processed wood underneath was hidden. A corner of her brain made a mental note to examine it more closely once whatever urgent situation they were in was over.

  Grabbing the edge of the raised section, Benjy swung the trapdoor open and stared expectantly at Daphne. She swallowed but obediently scrambled toward the hole in the ground. A ladder ran from just below the opening and disappeared into the darkness below. Pressing her lips together, she did not allow her mind to think about any disgusting or sharp-toothed thing that could be lurking in that blackness. With grim determination, she found a rung with her feet and started to descend.

  As soon as her hands were clear of the top rungs, Benjy swung onto the ladder and began to follow her downward trek, pulling the trapdoor closed above his head. When it fell into place with a thump, complete darkness surrounded them. With a startled inhale, Daphne froze in place on the ladder for a second before she forced herself to start moving again. She was slower than before, since she had to feel for each rung with a foot before lowering her weight onto it.

  Her muscles were so tight that she was practically vibrating, but she kept moving. One foot moved down a rung and then the other. She made sure both feet were secure before prying her hands loose enough to slide down to grip the new, lower spot. When her searching foot found a solid surface instead of another rung, it startled her. She hadn’t thought beyond getting down the ladder. Everything in the world had narrowed to her rung-by-rung progression.

  When both of her feet were on the ground, she made herself shuffle back a couple of feet—just far enough for Benjy to dismount the ladder without landing on her head. He was so quiet when he moved that Daphne didn’t even realize that he was next to her until he took her hand. To her shame, she yelped in surprise at the contact. Slamming her free hand over her mouth, she hoped she hadn’t given away their hiding spot. She wasn’t sure why they were hiding, but, from the way Benjy had run, she’d rather take her chances with B in a dark, underground hole than come face-to-face with pursuing strangers.

  Better the silent hottie of a kidnapper you know than some other possible bad guys, she thought, swallowing a snort of nervous laughter.

  Benjy tugged her forward, moving through the darkness with the speed of someone familiar with the space. Daphne, on the other hand, hung back, scuffing her feet forward along the ground and trying to anticipate any obstacles before she fell in a hole or ran face-first into a wall. An impatient tug on her hand yanked her forward a few steps. With an annoyed grunt, she returned to her cautious shuffle, hanging back against his grip as if his arm were a tow rope.

  He was obviously done with her hesitation, since he gave her another tug forward and, in one fluid motion, lifted her off the ground. Biting off another startled squeak, she clutched at him as he carried her, bride-style. By the way the cool, underground air rushed across her cheeks, she could tell he was moving quickly. Her brain left on another tangent, and she wondered if he knew his way around by familiarity or if one of his wonder-boy powers was that he could see in the dark.

  Before she could ponder that too long, he was setting her back on her feet. She heard the click of a door latch and then B was ushering her forward in front of him. Her boot caught on a slight rise in the flooring but she was moving slowly enough that she barely stumbled. She felt vindicated, glad she had kept her careful pace, despite Benjy’s impatience.

  Once she’d advanced several feet, a tug on the back of her coat brought her to a halt. Daphne heard the click of the door again, followed by a rush of light. Her hands flew to her eyes to block the sudden brightness. When she’d recovered from her initial blindness, she blinked and squinted, checking out the space as much as she could while her eyes adjusted.

  Rather than the cave that she’d expected, the area they were in was a small, industrial-looking room with block walls and a concrete floor. There were a couple of bunk beds along one wall and a row of metal cabinets against the other. Those sparse furnishings took up most of the space.

  “Nice...um, bunker you have here,” she said, then her eyes widened as she lowered her voice to a whisper. “It’s okay to talk now, right? Or should I be quiet?”

  Since Benjy looked more amused than annoyed, she took that as a sign that it was okay to speak. It was a relief to see his habitual smirk. She was glad that he’d lost that focused, intense look he’d had when he’d first heard the alarm.

  Daphne realized her legs were shaking. Now that the adrenaline was leaving her bloodstream, her stomach churned, and her muscles felt weak. Stepping closer to the lower bunk bed, she plopped down on the thin, blanket-covered mattress. It felt so good, the whole sitting thing, that she took it a step further and flopped onto her back, twisting so she was lying lengthwise on the bed. The narrow bunk wasn’t wide enough to lie on sideways without smacking her head against the very hard-looking wall.

  “So, what set off the alarm?” she asked, closing her eyes and not expecting an answer. It would’ve been nice to have a speech breakthrough with Benjy, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t going to happen right then. Her eyes popped open when she felt B stretch out next to her.

  “Something wrong with the top bunk?” she asked, although she couldn’t fake any real irritation. The contact felt reassuring and safe, especially during her adrenaline crash. Shifting to her side to give him more room, she allowed her eyes to close again. His arm wrapped around her waist and tugged her against him. She ended up partially on top of him with the rest of her body pressed to his side, her face tucked into his neck and one arm draped over his chest.

  It felt much too natural to cuddle with B. She should be raging and demanding answers, but it seemed silly when she knew she wouldn’t get a response. With sleep tugging at her brain, she just wanted to breathe in the tasty-smelling warmth of Benjy’s skin and allow unconsciousness to take her.

  So she did exactly that.

  * * *

  It was strange, waking up in the artificially lit room with no idea what time it was. It was nice and, oddly, not at all strange to be waking up tangled with Benjy. She did miss the heat of Ari behind her, though.

  When that thought registered, Daphne mentally scolded herself for being so cuddle-greedy.

  She tipped her head back to look at his face, not at all surprised to see that he was wide-awake. Although he gave the appearance of being relaxed, his muscles thrummed with energy. Stretching, Daphne sleepily enjoyed the movement of his clothed body against hers, not even considering the seductiveness of her actions until his arm clamped around her hip,
pulling her tight against him.

  Her eyes widened until she was sure she looked like a startled owl. She couldn’t help it, though, not when she could feel his erection through two layers of denim. The bulge pressed into the notch at the top of her thighs, and she made a sound filled with obvious desperate need. She flushed with embarrassment at the same time moisture trickled from her pussy.

  His eyelids were heavy, his cheeks almost as flushed as hers. He rolled her onto her back, his weight pressing her into the thin mattress. An always-practical corner of her brain was impressed with how easily he kept them from falling off the narrow bed. If she’d been sleeping on it by herself, she had no doubt that she’d have accidentally hurled herself onto the concrete floor five minutes after first lying down on the bunk.

  Benjy’s face was getting closer to hers, his lips almost touching her own, and even that ultra-logical portion of her brain was reduced to making a mental squee! sound. All reasonable thoughts were reduced to mush, and she could only wait, holding as still as possible, not even allowing herself to breathe.

  When his lips brushed hers in the lightest of kisses, all the air in her lungs flew out in a rush. His mouth found hers again, and she could feel his smile. The corners of her lips turned up in response. It was amazing, this smiling kiss. Her chest felt full and tight, all her emotions growing and multiplying until they pressed against her ribs and made them ache with the most wonderful pain. The lust he made her feel was one thing, one incredibly overwhelming and addictive thing, but the sheer happiness filling her was something else.

  He pulled back and studied her, his smile fading but still present. Although she was a little worried that she was doing her crazy-owl impersonation again, Daphne couldn’t look away until his head dipped down, and her eyes involuntarily closed.

  The next kiss was longer, starting light and heating in a slow burn until they were frantically clutching at each other. His tongue against hers made her moan and arch, grinding her hips into his belly. Somehow, he’d maneuvered his hand beneath the multiple layers that covered her top half, and his fingers were stroking the skin along her side.

  She groaned, her attention torn between the way his teeth were nipping at her bottom lip and the slide of his calloused hand across her ribs. When his fingers slipped under the elastic guarding the bottom of her bra, her entire body jolted. Her head jerked up, and her forehead connected with Benjy’s.

  Groaning again, from pain this time, Daphne flopped back down on the mattress, rubbing her head. She squinted at B. If she hadn’t been hurting so much, she would’ve laughed. He was her mirror image, from the hand massaging his forehead to the pained grimace twisting his face.

  Her expression must have shown some amusement, since he lifted an eyebrow.

  “Just...us,” she fumbled, wincing as she prodded at the lump already rising below her hairline. “We’re both...ow.”

  The eyebrow didn’t lower, but Benjy’s smirk returned. He caught her wrist and slowly pulled her hand away from her throbbing head. His fingers replaced hers, gently investigating the swollen area. Despite the pain, his careful touch made her swallow hard and flush.

  “I liked seeing stars when we were kissing better than seeing head-injury stars.” She bit her lip, a little embarrassed to have admitted that. Maybe it had just been an ordinary, everyday kiss to Benjy, and she’d gone a little nuts because her past was so good-kiss deficient.

  His smirk turned smug, and he dipped his head, brushing his lips across the bump on her forehead. She blushed, clearing her throat. She would’ve probably said something super embarrassing, but a low beep made her jump.

  Smile gone, Benjy heaved a silent sigh. He pushed himself off the bed and walked to one of the cabinets. After he pressed something into the keypad mounted next to the cabinet door latch, there was another beep and the door swung open, revealing a bank of electronics. Intrigued, Daphne sat up, propping herself on her hands. She watched as he flipped open a small laptop.

  Her view was partially blocked by B’s back, so she got up and stood next to him. On the laptop screen was a shot of the woods, with an annoyed-looking Ari standing in the center of the frame. His arms were crossed over his chest, as usual, and it appeared he was looking right at them.

  “Open up,” he said, his voice sounding tinny through the laptop’s speakers.

  Benjy reached over to one of the multiple black boxes and pushed a few buttons. On screen, the ground popped up next to Ari. Daphne watched, fascinated, as A climbed through the same trapdoor she and Benjy had used earlier. She figured Benjy must have locked it behind them, since Ari hadn’t been able open it on his own.

  After B tapped a code in yet another black device, there was a click from the door. Just a few seconds later, Ari shoved the door open and walked into their tiny room, making it feel even smaller than it already had.

  “All clear,” he said. “Shut everything down, and let’s head back to the lodge. We’re meeting for debriefing.”

  A tremble loosened Daphne’s knees, and she took a couple of steps back until she could sit on the lower bunk. She thought she’d been feeling fairly calm, but hearing that the crisis—whatever it had been—was over had taken all the stuffing out of her.

  Benjy shot him a questioning look, and Ari nodded. “Everyone’s fine. Pretty sure it was a false alarm. We’ll review the camera footage, though, to make sure.”

  As B powered down the electronics, Ari reached out and caught Daphne’s wrist. He tugged her to her feet and then kept pulling until her cheek was pressed to his chest. When his other hand rubbed her back through her coat, she blinked a few times. Ari being comforting was throwing her off balance.

  “Okay, Grace?” he asked.

  As usual, the nickname sent a surge of annoyance through her, giving her the strength to pull away a little. Her scowl only made him give a huff of laughter, until his gaze rose to her forehead. Frowning, he brushed his fingers across her bump, unknowingly echoing Benjy’s motion from just minutes before.

  “I’m fine,” she said with attempted coolness, irritated that her flustered blush gave her away. She just didn’t have enough experience with guys of their hotness level—or many guys at all, really, except for ass-hat Brett. Making a face at the thought, she didn’t realize she was playing with her charm bracelet until Ari’s hand closed over her fingers and gently pulled her hand away from her wrist.

  “What’s this?” He lifted her arm and tugged back her sleeve to get a better look. “You always look kind of disgusted when you’re messing with it. Why do you wear it if you don’t like it?”

  She shrugged, not really wanting to explain the whole Brett disaster. “I don’t know. I guess it reminds me not to be an idiot.”

  Ari gave an amused snort and glanced at B, who’d finished locking the cabinet and was watching them with interest. He stepped closer to look at her bracelet. Benjy’s fingers landed on a small key. It was Daphne’s least favorite of all the charms. It wasn’t even pretty or ornate—it was just a serviceable-looking, plain key. To make matters worse, it was just big enough to bang against her wrist bone when she gestured too emphatically.

  When B gave her a sharp questioning look, she shrugged again. Obviously, her humiliation was going to be in full view of these two gorgeous men, who’d most likely never been turned down by a woman, much less dumped by a fake fiancé.

  “He said I was the key to his heart,” she muttered, and both men’s gazes locked onto her. Her flush deepened. “I know it’s stupid. I mean, even before everything came out in the end, I knew it was cheesy, but I was caught up in the whole engagement thing, I guess.”

  “You’re engaged?” Ari’s voice was brittle.

  “Nope.” She tugged at her hand, but she was well and truly trapped. “It ended up he never wanted to marry me. He was stealing from his clients so he could run away with his real girlfriend
, the owner of a high-class escort service. The kind with the happy endings.” She grimaced. “I think that’s an oxymoron—’high-class escort service’—although that’s probably just me being judge-y.”

  Both men blinked at her. After a long moment, Ari broke the silence. “So why the hell are you still wearing jewelry the asshole bought you?”

  “Habit, I guess.” All three of them focused on the bracelet. “And it was true, what I told you. It’s a good reminder not to let down my guard around men, especially pretty ones.”

  That brought another few seconds of silence as the two men shared a look. “Good thing we’re not pretty then.”

  Before she could refute that ridiculous claim, Ari swung her around to face the door in a smooth movement. One of the two—she suspected Benjy—gave her a sharp smack on the butt.

  “Let’s go.” Ari nudged her forward, his voice impatient, as if she’d been the one who’d delayed their departure. “They’ll be waiting on us.”

  “I—” Her complaint about the abuse to her posterior was abruptly cut off by another slap on her ass. She whirled around to glare at both men, who were smirking while attempting to look innocent.

  “C’mon, Grace.” Ari did not sound at all remorseful. “Get a move on, or I’ll end up carrying you out of here, and Lauren will throw things at my head again.”

  Muttering words she usually didn’t say, she ignored the amused men behind her and stomped out into the corridor. Her dramatic exit was ruined when one of the guys turned off the light in the room behind them, plunging the whole area into darkness.

  With a startled peep, she stopped, blinking rapidly, as if she could force her eyes to adjust to the absolute blackness surrounding her. When male hands latched around her waist, the sound that came out of her throat was embarrassingly close to a squeal. He flipped her facedown over his shoulder, and Daphne recognized Ari.