Amelia pinched him so hard he was certain blood was welling under his skin.
Gabriel grinned. “Anyway, we’ve been together ever since. Inseparable, you might say.”
Molly squealed and clapped her hands in delight. “I knew it! I knew you were hiding something from me—and shame on you!” She openly ogled Gabriel. “Should have brought this one around a lot sooner.”
Amelia fought to extricate herself from his grasp and, because he was feeling generous, he set her free, but snagged her hand and twined their fingers together. “Well, like he said, I’ve been—ahem—held prisoner by—”
“—her lust,” Gabriel finished.
Which made Amelia’s jaw drop almost to the floor.
Molly’s eyes went wide. “Really?” She sounded disbelieving.
For some reason, Gabriel took offense at that. So he decided to lay it on even thicker. “You have no idea,” he said dramatically. “It’s a constant marathon with her. Bedroom, kitchen, lab, she’s always ordering me around.” He grinned. “Good thing I can keep up.”
“What? That’s not—”
“Hell, she even locked us in for a while. Man, that was fun. We tore that place up good. Feathers flying everywhere. I think I still have some of them stuck up my—”
“Anyway,” Amelia cut in, glaring daggers, while Molly watched them, looking more and more confused. “I’m here to purchase plants. Lots and lots of plants. Bulbs and seedlings are good, but I want something thick and fully grown, too.”
Gabriel leaned into her. “Just wait until we get back,” he said and cupped her ass.
She stomped on his foot with all her might. It barely registered past the feel of those luscious curves. He couldn’t make himself let go until she knocked his hand away with the wooden box. Amelia gave Molly a pained smile. “Sorry, we can’t stay and chat longer. Got lots to do.”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Molly said. “I got tons of new stuff today. Come on, it’s in the back. You can have your pick. You want the trees too, or just the ferns and flowers?”
Amelia shrugged. “You know me.”
Molly looked contemplative, almost disappointed when she met Amelia’s gaze. “No,” she said, “I really don’t think I do.” Then she flashed a quick look at Gabriel and turned to lead them back, not noticing how Amelia’s face fell at that pronouncement.
*
Amelia refused to look at Connors again while they were in the shop. She kept her attention on Molly and all the treasures the gardener was showcasing for her. She hadn’t been teasing about the ferns. There were giant bushes of lush green leaves; a single plant that came up to her waist and would hide her legs from sight completely if she stepped into the planter.
There were exotic palm trees that bore some kind of fruit, heady-scented flowers, and fast growing vines, too. Amelia bought them all, planning to lose herself in gardening for the next couple of days so she wouldn’t have to deal with her insufferable jailer.
What the hell had gotten into him? Weren’t they supposed to be not causing a scene?
She shook her head, listening to Molly explain how to care for all those plants. She would not be examining his motives for provoking her. Besides the fact he was a dead man walking, she didn’t care. Nope. Not one bit. Didn’t want to know why he wanted to act like her lover in front of her one and only friend in this colony. Didn’t care he grabbed her backside like it belonged to him—and she had not liked it!
Amelia was only flushing because it was hot in the green house, that was all.
Wait until we get back. She inwardly snorted. The only thing that would be happening when they got back was her closing herself in the half dome above the lab and locking the door while she played in the dirt.
She’d spent weeks haggling with contractors to carve out a little place for her Eden. No one had wanted to do it without a permit, though she owned the entire damn building and fully accepted the risks. And when they’d finally gotten it done, Hailey had had to go and…
Well, anyway, it was all ready for her to start planting now, and she wasn’t letting anything else stop her. She even had an irrigation system set up; she just had to program it to the right amount and frequency.
One day Amelia would have herself a real green house. Big enough to fit a rain forest in. Maybe a waterfall or two. There would be rocks that were really cooled cabinets for beverages, and curtains of vines would hide all artificial doors. It would be just her and nature. Lots and lots of nature. She might even get tropical birds to sing in there.
Amelia wrinkled her nose. Maybe not. Animals made messes she’d then have to clean up after them. Better to let the plants take over. She could always play birdsongs and nature sounds through the audio system.
Molly gave them a cart to transport the plants back to Amelia’s home. It was already programmed to go there, and would come back again on its own when the weight sensor registered no more load. Before Amelia knew what was what, they were saying good bye and Connors was ushering her out of the shop with a hand at the small of her back.
She would have kicked him, except this visit had left her feeling more than a little down.
“All right,” Connors said as soon as they were outside, “Spill. What are the plants for? Are you making human-tree shape shifters? Engineering sentient plants to can sniff out intruders?”
Amelia blinked up at him. “There’s science,” she said, “and then there’s science-fiction.”
“Right,” he retorted. “I’ll keep that in mind.” Two seconds later: “So what are they for?”
Amelia rolled her eyes. “I like greenery.”
“And…”
“And, nothing. That’s it. I like plants. I’m making myself a hothouse.”
Connors frowned.
“What?”
“Is everything okay?”
Hysterical laughter bubbled up inside her, but by the sheer force of self control she managed to tamper it down to a chuckle. “Are you seriously asking me that?”
“You just seem…”
“Tired? Frustrated? Irritated. No, I have it—”
“Sad.”
Amelia shut her mouth. “Just walk,” she said.
They went to two more shops before turning back toward home. Thunder was rumbling ominously and by the time they made it out of the international district, a few random drops of rain were already falling. Amelia steered them toward the edge of the sidewalk where overhangs provided some cover at regular intervals.
They were under one of those overhangs, still four blocks away from her building when the heavens opened and a deluge poured down. Amelia was ready to dash through it, but Connors held her back. “Just wait until it eases.”
As if to mock him, a bolt of lightning jagged across the sky right above them. He pulled her farther away from the edge to the wall, hunching over her like he wanted to shield her. Rain here wasn’t the romantic kind where people went out to dance in it. It was frigid cold and, though the air temperature was very comfortable, Amelia’s breath still misted before her, and she was glad for Connors’ closeness. After the green house and the stifling crowds, she was starting to feel chilled out in the open.
When she shivered, he leaned in closer to say, “Put your arms around me.”
Amelia shook her head.
He grasped her arms and did it himself, pulling her into the warmth of his chest. “Body warmth only,” he assured her.
She couldn’t make herself walk away. The longer the rain continued, the colder it got. Hail was coming down now, the pieces of ice drumming all over the overhang and ricocheting off the pavement. She winced every time a big one dropped, expecting it to punch through the overhang and onto her.
“Easy,” Connors soothed. The storm hit a crescendo and his arms closed around her, loosely at first, and then tighter. At one point it sounded like the overhang would buckle beneath the falling ice.
Finally, hail eased to rain again, but it was only a short reprieve. Amelia’s fing
ers were freezing at his back, but she unclenched them, releasing his shirt to take his hand. “Come on,” she said, teeth chattering, and pulled him into the rain.
They ran the final stretch. Amelia was soaked and frozen through by the time they got into the building and her lungs were burning from the run. She leaned back against the door, soaking in the warmth of the hallway.
Connors went straight to the lab, but came back out a minute later, as the climate control kicked into gear and the air started to warm up. “You’re cold,” he said, looking at her breasts. She didn’t have to check to know her nipples were beading against her top. He came to her as if he couldn’t stop himself. “You should go change.”
Asssstute asssessssmment. She was shivering again and her teeth were starting to chatter. Common sense said Go change. But Amelia was lacking in the self-control department at the moment, depending on the door behind her to stay upright. Her building was a study of evolution. The previous owner had repurposed a warehouse and renovated to incorporate newest advances in climate control, which included self-heating walls and floors, but he must have skimped on something because there were hot and cold spots all over the place. There was a hot spot five feet away in the ceiling, practically radiating heavenly warmth. Amelia lurched away from the door to stand underneath it for a moment. Just long enough for her legs to regain their ability to hold her up.
Because he was as soaked as she, Amelia waved Connors over.
He turned his face up to the ceiling and his chest heaved in a sigh. Amelia had to stop herself from reaching out to touch it. “Better than a fire,” he said.
Amelia followed suit, closing her eyes and soaking up the warmth on her face. She was already starting to regain feeling in her cheeks. A good sign.
When she opened her eyes again, Connors was watching her.
Her next breath hitched in a soft gasp at the sheer hunger in his eyes. He raised that big hand of his and brushed the back of it gently against her cheek, then down to her neck. Amelia was so cold, his touch burned, but she wanted more of his heat. It was the only thing in the world right now that could warm her.
His gaze drifted down to her lips and stuck there for long moments. Then he leaned down closer, slowly, giving her ample time to stop him. She didn’t. His kiss was as soft as his touch, a gentle brush of lips at first, a maddening hint of what he could give her. He made her want it; made her quiver for more than this.
Amelia rose a little on unsteady toes to increase the friction. Connors sucked in a breath. His hand cradled her nape and he crowded her against the wall, one arm snaking around her waist to lift her up a little. Just enough so they were on a more equal level.
And then he really kissed her. Amelia moaned at the delicious, bruising pressure. His tongue delved in deep, coaxed hers to play and she kissed him back, clutching at his shoulders while he mastered her mouth. She lost herself in the moment, gave herself free reign to feel. To touch and be touched and, Oh, my, he hadn’t been kidding! Her toes curled as he made love to her mouth.
It was an expert kiss, almost practiced, but quickly evolved into something wild and out of control. The more out of control he got, the more Amelia loved it, straining for it, nails digging into his shoulders, adoring the way it made him shudder.
Her feet touched the floor again and Connors released her, ending the kiss with a last lingering caress. Before she could pull him back, he put an arm’s length of distance between them, leaving her breathless and unsteady, leaning against the wall. “Not sorry I did that,” he said, backing up to the opposite wall.
Amelia couldn’t come up with an answer. With the hotspot heat wave still flowing over her, her lips throbbing and her legs unsteady, she felt almost dream like. This couldn’t be real, could it? And if it wasn’t, why shouldn’t she enjoy it for a little while.
“Ah, God, look at you,” he breathed. His hand reached out again, but he pulled it back and looked away. She could see a muscle jump in his jaw. “You need to change out of those wet clothes before you get sick.”
“Is that really what you want me to do?” She didn’t recognize her own voice.
“No,” he said, surprising her with the raw honesty. “I want you to come here so I can rip them off you and fill my hands with that sweet ass of yours. I want your hands on me again. I want my cock in you and have you scream my name when I make you come.”
Her sex clenched at his words. She could imagine that happening so easily. Wanted to see if it worked practically as well as in theory.
“So you need to go to your room now and lock the door,” he said, hands clenching into white knuckled fists at his sides. Those hands had been so gentle before, but now looked absolutely brutal, as a gladiator’s hands should be. The sight slowly pulled her out of her reverie.
“Why?”
Connors turned his dark gaze on her again, looking her straight in the eye. “Because once I start, angel, I won’t ever stop. I won’t ever let you go.”
Chapter 8
September 23rd, 3032
“There’s a messenger downstairs”
Amelia. On all fours. Digging in the dirt. Her back was to him, as it had been ever since she’d run to her room yesterday. Damn, the woman had an ass to die for. And any other time, Gabriel would have found some excuse to get up close with her like that.
But not today.
She wouldn’t face him; refused to look at him. Today she’d come to the lab for all of two minutes. She’d checked the computer readouts, informed him he was a “suitable candidate” and promptly retreated up here. Not once had she looked him in the eye. She didn’t say one word more than she had to.
“It’s something you need to sign for.”
Gabriel had told the truth last night. He wasn’t sorry he’d kissed her. He only wished Amelia would let him do it again. Should have kept my mouth shut. He’d scared her and now she was in full flight mode. Avoidance was the best form of defense. There was nothing he could do if she refused to confront him about this, and nothing he said or did made her rise to the bait. Dr. Chase had completely shut down.
“I’ll be right down,” she said absently while she carefully removed a bulb from the wooden box she’d bought last night at the shop of horrors and positioned it in the dirt. It was hot in here. Gabriel had found this room locked down tight while he’d been waiting for her to arrive. Hadn’t understood why she would lock an empty room. Now he could see the different levels for what they were—strategically placed platforms for planters. The room was its own micro-system, completely cut off from the rest of the building, air and water tight. As dry and cool as the lab was downstairs, so the room above it would be hot and humid.
“You need any help in here?”
“I got it,” she replied. She dusted off her hands but they were still covered with dirt by the time she came to the door. Which he was blocking.
She cleared her throat, silently demanding passage.
Gabriel didn’t budge.
“Move, please,” she said, looking somewhere in the vicinity of his chest, but she might as well have been staring off into space for all she saw. It bothered him enough that he wanted to snap her out of it.
“Look at me,” he said.
“What for?” Amelia shrugged a shoulder. “I already know what you look like.”
“That’s not very friendly of you.”
Her mouth tensed into a thin line, the first show of emotion he’d seen from her all day. “You’re here to get treatment. Not to be my friend.”
“But I could be, if you let me.”
She laughed and it was a bitter sound, completely lacking humor. “Oh, boy. You need to decide what the hell you want from me, and do it right quick. You threaten me, you flirt with me, you embarrass me in front of my friend, then you kiss me—”
“As I recall, you kissed me right back.”
Finally she looked up at him, her blue eyes flashing lightning, and Gabriel conceded he probably shouldn’t have reminded her of
that. “Then you chase me away,” she continued, clenching her teeth as her ire rose. “And now you want to be friends? Try to see where I might have an issue with your attitude. And move!”
He turned enough to let her squeeze through. Amelia shoved at him hard when she passed and marched down to the front door.
Gabriel followed close behind.
The messenger was a teenage girl with purple hair, dark eye shadow and a pierced lip. “Delivery for Dr. Chase?” she said, looking utterly bored.
“Yes, that’s me,” Amelia said. She pressed her thumb to the e-pad the girl gave her, signed her name, and took the sealed carrier, already ushering the girl out. “Looks like it’s time to get to work,” she said, taking the carrier to the lab.
“What is it?”
“The DNA samples I ordered.” She set it down on her desk and went to wash her hands and put on her lab coat.
Gabriel stared at the carrier. His future self was inside that thing. Either his salvation or his death. As Amelia was so fond of telling him, either would bring pain. He could handle pain. It meant he was still alive. Still had a life worth living.
Amelia came back all business again with a tray of dishes and instruments.
Decide what you want from her.
Gabriel watched her set up a work area near her fancy machines. She put on a pair of gloves and carefully opened the sealed carrier, pulling out frozen vials in bands of three. She checked each trio against her notes, and then set it down on an iced surface of her table.
Amelia became completely absorbed in whatever she did. Nothing jarred her concentration. Not even conversation. To be the subject of that focus; that kind of intensity…
The doc didn’t do anything by halves. Gabriel was beginning to realize this was what bothered her now. Since he’d met Amelia, he hadn’t finished anything when it came to her. It had to be frustrating that she couldn’t place him squarely in any one category because he kept changing the parameters.
Decide…
“Why so many samples?”
Blood Debts (The Blood Book 3) Page 7
