Reviving Zeke (Project DEEP Book 4)

by Becca Jameson

  He pressed his thigh against her sex and pinched her nipple.

  She moaned.

  “That sound.”

  “Zeke…” He was killing her.

  “And that sound too. My name on your lips.” He gave her nipple a slight twist, watching her face.

  She arched.

  “Too much?”

  “No. Just right.” She had no idea how she was able to communicate, but somehow she managed, knowing he needed her words.

  After squeezing her breast in his hand, he flattened his palm on her belly and smoothed it down toward her sex. He was still watching her face, unnerving in his intensity. When his middle finger reached her clit and stroked across it, her mouth fell open and she cried out.

  “Oh, yeah. That sound is even better.”

  She licked her lips, but couldn’t speak. Her eyes rolled back, but she could still feel his gaze.

  He slid his fingers lower, stroked two of them through her folds, and spread her wetness over her clit.

  She squeezed his arm. “I’m gonna come.”

  “That’s the idea.”

  She rolled her head to one side, slightly embarrassed. She had never felt this raw. Exposed. Mostly because no man had ever made her feel like this before.

  When he slid one finger inside her, she pursed her lips against the urge to scream and braced her body to keep from coming.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t stop it. I want to watch you come undone.”

  She released her breath while he stroked in and out of her, pressing his palm against her clit. In seconds, she was on the edge and then she fell over.

  She wasn’t sure what sound she made, but it didn’t seem human or hers.

  He continued to stroke in and out as the pulsing subsided, leaning in to kiss her lips gently. “Beautiful. I had no idea…”

  She tried to focus, licking her dry lips, finding her voice as his hand stilled. “No idea about what?”

  “About what a woman looked like when she really let go and enjoyed herself.”

  “But…”

  He shook his head. “Apparently not all women do that, or let themselves, or find me attractive, or whatever.”

  She cringed. “She’s a fool.”

  “That’s been well established.”

  “I’m not her.”

  “Also well established.”

  She slid her hand down to meet his, pressing his palm against her deliciously. “Please, Zeke. Don’t make me wait any longer.”

  “You’re sure? I don’t want you to feel pressured.”

  She smiled. “Never been more certain of anything.”

  He climbed between her legs, his elbow shaking slightly. “This is going to last two seconds.”

  She ran her hands up and down his waist. “That’s okay. In fact, it will make me feel powerful knowing I’m the cause.”

  He smiled, shaking his head. “You’re excellent for my ego.”

  “That’s the plan.” She reached between them and wrapped her hand around his length, stroking up and down slowly.

  He moaned. “Michelle…”

  She gripped his back with her free hand and lined him up with her entrance. “Now.”

  He pursed his lips and closed his eyes as he slid into her.

  It was tight. It had been so long. But she didn’t make a sound for fear she would freak him out more than he already was.

  When he was fully seated, he blew out a breath and opened his eyes. “Jesus.”

  “Nope. Still Michelle.”

  He grinned. “Woman…”

  “Now, that’s correct.” She lifted her hips against him. “Do it again.”

  He pulled almost out and then thrust back in. The next time, he moaned. “Oh, God.” His words were low and breathy. After two more strokes, he groaned loudly and held himself deep inside her.

  His entire body quivered with his orgasm as he set his forehead on the bed next to her. She swore she could feel every pulse coming from him until he finally settled part of his weight over her, still gasping for air. “Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.

  She giggled. “Okay, you don’t have to thank me for having sex with you. It’s my pleasure.”

  He lifted his face. “I’m thanking you for taking a chance on me. For caring enough to pursue me. For pushing me. For being who you are.”

  She swallowed the emotion that bubbled up inside her, unable to respond.

  He slid out of her, settled at her side, and stroked his fingers up and down her arm and then across her chest. When he found her hand and brought her fingers to his lips to kiss them reverently, she felt a tear slide out. She left it, hoping he wouldn’t notice her silly emotional reaction.

  Suddenly, he jerked his head up, concern etched across his face. “I didn’t use a condom.”

  She patted his arm. “I’m on the pill.”

  He exhaled. “Jesus, I’m sorry. That was stupid of me.”

  “Not a problem. I assume after fourteen years, you’re clean. And I am too.”

  “Of course, but I still should have been more thoughtful.”

  She slid her hand up to his cheek. “You’re far more thoughtful than you give yourself credit for. Stop being so hard on yourself. No one else is.”

  He held her gaze. “You continue to amaze me.”

  “I could say the same.”

  “Give me five minutes and I’ll do it again, better this time.”

  “Three minutes, and you have a deal,” she said as she squirmed against him. Already her body was craving more.

  He chuckled, the sound vibrating through her body. It was the best feeling in the world.

  She prayed to God he didn’t get cold feet again and back out because of his self-doubts.

  Chapter 11

  When Michelle woke up, she was alone. A glance at the clock told her it was early. The sun wasn’t up. The bed was warm next to her. Zeke must have left recently.

  She rolled over to find a note on the pillow.

  I went to the gym. Tried not to wake you. See you in a few hours.

  He added a smiley face. She laughed. A smiley face. From Zeke.

  Michelle dragged herself out of bed, knowing sleep would not return. Besides, she had slept fantastically for the approximately six hours since they had turned out the lights. Considering she had never slept with anyone before, she was surprised at how well she rested. She had even snuggled into his side for a while until she got too hot.

  She felt lighter and more relaxed as she showered and dressed. A half hour later, she was in the cafeteria grabbing a bagel. Kate and Emily were sitting together across the room, and she joined them. As she slid into the seat next to Kate, she said, “You two can stop dancing around me. Zeke and I worked things out.”

  Emily’s face lit up across from her. “You did?”

  Michelle nodded.

  Kate gave a strained smile. “So happy for you.”

  Michelle remembered yesterday had been the day Graham Wentz had been moved from the reanimation chamber to a room. He would spend the next four weeks in an induced coma with the other three people in his group. But Kate might be preoccupied over the transfer. “Did everything go okay yesterday?” she asked.

  Kate nodded. “Yes. All four of the latest patients were successfully moved. The last two people on our team started the process earlier this morning.”

  There were four chambers now. Twenty of the twenty-two preserved people had been through that stage. Only two remaining souls needed to be revived. It would relieve a lot of stress when this process was over.

  Michelle grabbed her hand and gave a brief squeeze. “He’ll be fine.”

  Kate chuckled lightly. “I’m not sure why it matters. I’m being ridiculous. He didn’t know who I was before we were preserved. Why would he now?”

  Emily set down her fork. “He knew who you were. He’s just shy or something. And we were busy. And then we were all dying.”

  “True.”

  Michelle shuddered. “Some
days I feel like I’ve slipped into another dimension. Half the people I live and work with were technically dead for the last decade. I’m starting to forget which ones are which.” Not really, but it was getting confusing.

  “Ladies.” Ryan slid into the chair next to Emily with a tray of food. Damon took the seat next to him.

  Emily leaned around Ryan to speak to Damon. “Everything okay with the last two patients?”

  “Yes. We moved them into the reanimation chambers earlier. It’s a relief in a way.”

  “It’s also probably a letdown,” Ryan pointed out.

  Michelle had to imagine he was right. Reviving the twenty-two souls had been Damon’s entire reason for existing for years. Now his work was almost done. “What will you do next? After these last two are reanimated, I mean.” she asked him. She had personally worked with him for over two years.

  Damon sighed. “I’ve already been reassigned.”

  Everyone stiffened. Obviously it was news to them all.

  “Where?” Ryan asked.

  “Another bunker,” he stated, giving them almost no information.

  “Holy shit. I knew there was talk of transferring some of us, but I didn’t visualize it happening so fast.” Emily’s eyes were wide.

  Michelle took a breath. “I’m not surprised. There are a number of government bunkers all over the country. We’ve all known for a while there were other locations under the Project DEEP group. We just haven’t been connected. I’ve often wondered what the heck they’re working on. Sometimes I suspect they could be working on the same things as us in order to see if more than one location comes up with the same solutions to problems.”

  Emily shuddered across from her. “That gives me the chills.”

  Ryan nodded. “Yeah, but it explains how Temple has other locations to send us to.”

  Damon didn’t look thrilled. Understandable. This was his team.

  “You have details yet?” Ryan asked him.

  He shook his head. “No, but if I did, I’m sure I wouldn’t be at liberty to tell you. I suspect they won’t tell me where I’m going until I’m there.”

  Michelle swallowed. She didn’t want to see Damon transferred. She didn’t want to see any of them transferred, and yet it seemed like their days were numbered. It was inevitable. Clearly Temple didn’t realize the importance of them staying connected, or she felt that splitting them up would be more beneficial.

  Michelle was still grappling with this news when Zeke slid into the chair next to her, across from Damon. “Everyone okay? You all look like you just heard bad news.” He set his hand on Michelle’s thigh under the table and gave a quick squeeze before removing it to set his elbows on the table. His gaze met hers, brows drawn together in concern.

  “The last two people went into the reanimations chambers today. Damon is getting transferred soon,” Michelle informed him.

  Kate and Emily were moving food around on their plates with their forks.

  Zeke turned to face Damon across from him and groaned.

  After spending a fantastic night with Zeke, this morning was taking a serious nosedive. Michelle wanted to escape reality, return to her room, and crawl back into her bed with Zeke by her side. For the first time in her life, she had relaxed and let her guard down with a man. It had been amazing.

  She knew the future held no guarantees. Their lives were up in the air. If Damon could get transferred, any of them could. In a heartbeat. There was unrest. Now was a terrible time to start a relationship.

  Nevertheless, Michelle wanted to feel every ounce of what she’d felt with Zeke again tonight. She wanted a repeat performance. As many of them as she could get before the floor fell out from under them. No way was she going to allow another wasted day to go by without seizing her opportunities. They might still have differences, but these early days of a new relationship were invigorating. They breathed life into her.

  She glanced at Zeke and swore she could read the same thing she felt on his face.

  Good.

  “Guess we better get to work,” she said, shoving from the table and grabbing her tray. The sooner she got her day job done, the sooner she could find her way back into Zeke’s arms.

  Ten hours later Zeke leaned over Michelle’s shoulder, knowing his proximity would get her attention. “Your fancy beige suite or mine?”

  She smiled at the same question he’d posed to her a few weeks ago. “Yours,” she responded.

  “Meet you there in ten?” She hadn’t been to his room yet, but then again, it didn’t make any difference. The suites were identical with the exception of whatever people had added to make them more personal. Zeke hadn’t added anything. He’d only been awake two months. He hadn’t left the bunker.

  Ten minutes later, he found himself smiling as he opened the door to Michelle. He wasn’t even the same man he’d been two months ago, or fourteen years ago for that matter. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders at the prospect of something normal in the midst of all the chaos around them.

  Granted, there were no guarantees. But there never were in life. He and Michelle hadn’t spoken about many important topics. So far, all they’d basically done was trade growling for fucking. And he was okay with that. For now.

  Based on the way she grabbed his waist and backed him up until he found himself in the bedroom, he had to believe she was on the same page of the same book.

  “Guess we’re going to skip the chit chat.” He chuckled as she reached for the hem of his scrubs and pulled the shirt over his head.

  “We’re going to skip the foreplay too.” Her hand landed on his erection next, her fingers wrapping around it through the thin material of his scrubs.

  He moaned, and then he wrenched free of her grasp by jerking to one side and grabbing her wrist. He spun her around and shoved her onto the mattress.

  She fell with a light bounce, giggling. Without him saying another word, she pulled her shirt over her head and then wiggled out of her pants. Her bra and panties went next, and then she was naked. On his bed. In his suite.

  She was so damn gorgeous.

  He was afraid to blink in case this was a figment of his imagination. He kicked off his shoes and stepped out of his pants, and then he climbed onto the bed, hovering over her.

  Last night it had taken him two rounds before he could make love to her properly without coming prematurely. He wasn’t sure tonight was going to be any different. Already his length was reaching for her.

  When he had his hands planted at her sides, his knees between her legs, she reached for him. Her small palm stroked up and down his length, so lightly he had to grit his teeth.

  His erection strained into her touch.

  “I want to taste you,” she whispered.

  He jerked his gaze from where her hand held him to her face. If she wrapped her lips around him, he would come way way way too fast. “Someday,” he promised.

  She shook her head. “Today.” She released him and shoved onto her elbows. “Roll onto your back.”

  He stopped breathing. He’d gone his entire life without experiencing a blow job. His ex had never even suggested such a thing, and he had never been the sort of guy who would pressure a woman to suck him off.

  But Michelle was pushing on his shoulders now, squirming out from under him.

  His arms were shaking as he flipped onto his back. He cupped her face. “You don’t have to do this.”

  She tipped her head so that her lips found his palm and gently kissed him before flicking her tongue there. “I know. I want to.” She leaned forward to kiss his lips and then nibbled a path down his chin, neck, and chest. As she teased his skin with her mouth, she crawled down his body.

  His erection bobbed in anticipation. He threaded his fingers in her hair. “Michelle, I’m going to come too fast for this.”

  She lifted her face, and both brows rose. “It’ll be good for my ego. I’ve never done this before.”

  He swallowed. “Well, I’ve never had this
done to me before either.”

  She smiled. “Perfect. Then neither of us will know if we do it wrong.”

  “Baby, there can’t possibly be a wrong as long as your teeth don’t get involved.”

  She giggled against his length as she flattened her body along his legs and wrapped her hand around the base. When her tongue darted out to lick the tip, he nearly shot off the bed. He had to plant his hands at his sides and fist the comforter to ground himself.

  When she slid her tongue down his entire length, he held his breath. He had seriously been missing out. She didn’t even need to take him into her mouth for him to come. He was certain of it. Precome leaked from the tip already. His erection was pulsing.

  Nevertheless, Michelle wrapped her lips around the head and gently sucked him into her mouth.

  He moaned. Holy shit. Last night had been the best night of his life. Tonight was looking to top it already.

  As she lifted back off until just the tip was in her mouth, she swirled her tongue around and around it, driving him mad with the desire for her to suck him back into her warmth.

  He lifted his head to watch her, his neck straining at the sight of her breasts bouncing on his thigh, her small hand wrapped around the base of his length, and her lips swollen and eager on the head.

  His neck couldn’t support him any longer when every ounce of his blood seemed to flow to his erection. He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling.

  Michelle sucked him into her mouth again, deeper this time. And then she bobbed up and down several times, increasing the pressure.

  His fingers strained to fist the comforter, but he couldn’t manage to send any messages to any parts of his body.

  Heaven enveloped him. Sheer bliss.

  A moment later, she added her hand to the actions of her mouth, drawing her palm up and down his length simultaneously.

  That was the last straw. He opened his mouth to warn her, but no sound came out. As the first juts of his come hit the back of her throat, she lowered her mouth and sucked him harder.

  Pulse after pulse of his orgasm was forced out of him while Michelle swallowed. Finally, he was spent, and she let his still semi-erect length slide from her lips.