Reviving Zeke (Project DEEP Book 4)

by Becca Jameson

  When the tip pressed against her clit again, her mouth fell open, and she let the first orgasm wash through her immediately. It was hard to believe the odd-sounding moan filling the room came from her, but she knew it did.

  “That is so hot,” he whispered into her ear as he slid the vibrator lower and then eased it into her tight channel.

  She gripped at it, holding it tight.

  He held it deep inside her with a few fingers and used his thumb to stroke over her clit again.

  Too much sensation. So good.

  Her brain scrambled, and her knees shook.

  When he pulled the vibrator out a few inches and tipped it so that it pressed against her G-spot, she gasped and didn’t take another breath.

  He pressed his thumb against her clit and then flicked it over and over. “Come again for me, Michelle.”

  She held her breath a bit longer until she couldn’t stop the wash of her second orgasm as it plowed forward and drove straight off the tracks. On a long moan, legs shaking, hands fisted in the sheet under her, she came again. There was no doubt he could feel the pulsing because she could feel it all the way up her body.

  Before the last tremors subsided, he tossed the vibrator to the side, climbed between her legs, and thrust into her.

  She screamed. It felt that good. So much better than the toy. So much fuller. So might tighter.

  That second orgasm morphed into a third as she grabbed his ass and held on to him.

  He slid in and out of her faster and harder, his elbows planted at her sides, his face dipped to one side of her head so that she could hear every difficult breath he took.

  Never had she experienced sex like this. Never had she imagined it could even exist outside of romance novels.

  She was ruined for all other men.

  Totally ruined.

  Chapter 15

  When Zeke could once again command his body to move, he slid out of her and to the side, leaving his leg between hers, his thigh pressed against her warm center.

  He eased his free hand up to cup her face and turn her toward him so he could take her lips. The vibrator was still buzzing behind his head somewhere, so he eventually broke free of her lips to reach over and turn it off.

  Nothing about the last hour had been in the plan. He’d come to her suite hoping to talk and figure out what steps they wanted to take next in their relationship, if any at all.

  He’d feared she might turn him down and send him away out of frustration with him. And he wouldn’t have blamed her. Part of him would have been in total agreement a few weeks ago.

  Now?

  Now, he had a new problem. He knew definitively nothing about this relationship was a fluke. They weren’t just two people who had gone through a long dry spell and were desperate to fuck. Nope. She rocked his world in a way he’d never imagined possible.

  As he tried to slow his breathing, he worried about several things. Namely that they still hadn’t talked. Outside of work, they had spent several evenings scratching each other’s itch only to realize it couldn’t be completely sated.

  Would she agree with his assessment?

  He had to assume she would. But that didn’t help matters at all. They had a few huge hurdles in front of them, and he had no idea how they could or should proceed.

  Stroking a hand up and down her arm, he was glad when her breathing evened out, leaving her in a calmer place than earlier. There had been no guarantee she wouldn’t resume her full-blown freak out when her brain returned to earth.

  “We haven’t talked,” she pointed out finally.

  “Yeah. I can’t figure out where to start.”

  She pulled his palm up to her mouth and kissed it, smiling against his skin. “Me neither.”

  “The way I figure it, our relationship so far has gone from growling at each other to ignoring each other to a collegial respect to hot sex.”

  She swatted at his chest. “You’re were the one growling.”

  “True. Fair point. Oh, and I left out the media coverage. And the fact that apparently reanimated people wake up with a libido that can’t be stopped.”

  She giggled, the sound making him smile. “I like it when you smile,” she whispered.

  “How do you know I’m smiling?”

  “I can feel it in every muscle of your face against my neck and shoulder.”

  “Though I thoroughly enjoyed this plunge into total darkness, I do prefer to see your face when you come.” He nibbled her neck until she squirmed.

  “Stop it. I don’t have another orgasm in me. You’re making me horny again.”

  “Did you just challenge me?”

  She pushed against his shoulder in a half-assed attempt to shove him away. “Not a chance.”

  “Oh, I think you did.” He grinned again, the expression foreign but growing on him. “How many was that? Three?”

  She groaned, a mock sound that she forced out. “The last one didn’t count. The challenge was with the vibrator.”

  He lifted onto his elbow. He had no idea how he was going to find the energy to come again, but somehow he would. Because damn, she was pushing him. “Did you really just say that?”

  She shoved at him again. “I need clothes.” She tried to wiggle out of his grasp.

  “Oh, no. No, you don’t. Not a chance.” He pinned her down with his leg pressing between her thighs and his hand on the mattress on her other side. “Which vibrator was that one? The pink or the purple?” He had no doubt she could identify it without seeing it. The other one had been more slender with a flat part on the tip. He got hard just imagining the specific intended use for that one.

  “Zeke…”

  “Tell me. Pink or purple.”

  She groaned. “Why does it matter?”

  “Because I want to know. Either tell me now, or I’m going to flip the light on and look before I grab the other one and give it a try.”

  “You can’t turn on the light. You’ll ruin the perfect ambiance we have going here.”

  He started to reach over her for the lamp on the nightstand, but she stopped him with a grasp on his forearm. “Pink. It was pink.”

  He detoured to the drawer and grabbed the other one before she could stop him. “So this is the purple one, then.”

  “Zeke, seriously, you broke the record. You don’t have anything else to prove.”

  “You’re the one who said the last orgasm didn’t count. You started this,” he teased, palming the new toy in his hand to familiarize himself with where the buttons were located.

  Her voice rose. “Still, the total was two, which is more than one. So you already won.” She wiggled against him, squeezing her legs together against his thigh.

  “Two is a terrible number to break a record. I need to get at least a few more out of you in order to have bragging rights. No one goes around bragging they broke a record of one with two,” he joked.

  She grabbed his wrist. “If you brag to even one person that you know I even own a vibrator, I will personally kill you.” She gasped, her body freezing.

  “What? Michelle?”

  Her voice dipped. “I can’t believe we’re discussing this out loud in my bedroom after everything we’ve been through today. I was already in full freak-out mode worrying about people listening in on my conversations. I don’t give a shit that someone came in here and declared the place clean. I don’t trust a living soul right now. That tech guy could have planted two more mics and six cameras instead for all I know.”

  Zeke lowered the vibrator to the side of her head and released it to draw her body closer to him. He kissed her forehead and stroked her face. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

  She was breathing heavily again. “I’m being ridiculous. I know. I just can’t get the thought completely out of my mind. It makes me want to vomit to think anyone would ever know about my private sex life. Or lack thereof.”

  He held her, feeling like an idiot. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated. “You’re not being ridic
ulous. It’s understandable. And I know you don’t trust anyone, but I hope that doesn’t include me. I would never talk to anyone about us.”

  She nodded, but he could feel the tremble in her body. She was on the edge of tears.

  He stroked her cheek with his thumb and lowered his face to her side again. He feared she would never feel safe inside this bunker again. If he could just get her out of this claustrophobic hole in the ground, maybe she could breathe freely.

  A knock sounded at the door to the suite, making Zeke jerk to sitting. It was just a knock, but Michelle wasn’t the only one on edge.

  She let out a short screech. “Jesus.” He could feel her heart pounding under the hand he settled on her chest.

  The knock sounded again. “Michelle? Zeke?” The voice belonged to Ryan.

  Zeke blew out a breath. “It’s just Ryan. Hang on. I’ll get rid of him.” He climbed over her and stood, realizing he wasn’t going to be able to locate a stitch of clothing in the dark.

  Michelle slid to the floor next to him and rushed naked through the room to lean out the bedroom door. “Just a minute,” she said loud enough to keep Ryan from pounding again. She hurried past Zeke again and flipped on the bathroom light.

  He squinted as she tossed him his clothes on her way back by. Two seconds later he was in his scrubs and she had on a pair of leggings and a long T-shirt. She was smoothing down her hair as she headed for the bathroom, muttering under her breath. He caught the gist of her words. Something about being mortified beyond belief and it being only seven in the evening.

  Zeke headed for the entrance to the suite as Michelle shut herself in the bathroom. When he opened the main door, he found Ryan and Emily in the hallway. They looked chagrined.

  “Sorry, man. Really sorry. This is important. Can we come in?” Ryan’s face was pale.

  A glance at Emily showed she mirrored the same expression.

  “Of course. Come in. Michelle is just in the bathroom,” he lamely said as an excuse. Not that it wasn’t true, but he felt awkward. More for her than himself. But still. He had never once in his life been caught in bed with a woman. Granted, he was a grown single man who could sleep with whomever he wanted, but he still wasn’t accustomed to being caught naked.

  Michelle emerged from the bedroom while they were still standing in the entrance staring at each other. “Sorry. I was…” She waved a hand behind her. “Whatever. What’s up?”

  Where Ryan and Emily looked pale, Michelle’s cheeks were bright red. She had put her hair back up into the messy bun that had fallen out while he ravaged her, but she looked like she’d been fucked. There was no way to hide it.

  He reached for her and was relieved she took his hand and let him lead her to the couch. “Sit. What’s going on?” The silence was starting to wear on him.

  Ryan pointed at the armchair where Emily lowered herself, and then he grabbed one of the kitchen chairs and spun it around to face the rest of them. He met Zeke’s gaze and held it. “Can’t be helped. I’m going to have to say this out loud in front of Michelle.” He winced and then glanced around. “You’re sure this room is secure?”

  That was when Zeke realized this visit had something to do with Dade. Fuck.

  Michelle sat straighter, her head whipping around the room. “What’s going on?”

  Zeke grabbed her hand again and squeezed it. “We kept a secret from you.”

  Her eyes widened, and she slowly shook her head. “I swear to God, Zeke, I can’t take any more today.” She jerked her gaze to Ryan. “Unless someone is dead, I think you should keep your damn secret. I’m fresh out of steam.” She was shaking.

  Zeke wanted to run the clock back several days and tell her about Dade before now. But he hadn’t had permission to do that, and it hadn’t come to his mind since he’d started sleeping with her. Besides, it wasn’t that huge a secret to keep from Michelle, in particular. There was a chance she had never even met Dade.

  Ryan nodded. “I’m so sorry, for a lot of things, but you’re not too far off base. Someone is actually not dead. Same difference.”

  “Pardon?” Her spine was so rigid, Zeke feared she would literally get hysterical in a moment.

  He turned to face her. “Michelle, look at me.”

  Her eyes were wild. Her pupils huge. She was shaking her head.

  He kept speaking. “He’s talking about Dade.”

  “What about Dade?” Her eyes went wider. “God, did you hear from Blair? Did he pass?”

  Zeke paused, mouth hanging open, realizing she had never actually known Dade was dead. She’d only known he would die. This was the story everyone believed. Did that make things better?

  Zeke shook his head. “No. He didn’t die. He’s not going to die. He was never going to die.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean?” Her gaze switched to Ryan and then Emily. “He’s going to make it?” She looked relieved, but confused at the same time.

  Emily cleared her throat. “The stem cell transplant he received actually worked. The three of us have known this for a while. We just didn’t tell anyone.”

  Michelle blinked. “Why?”

  Ryan spoke next. “Because no matter how you slice it, there’s still a mole. I didn’t want anyone to know. Zeke was in the lab with me late one night when I was looking at the blood sample Dade sent me. Temple walked in as I realized the transplant had worked. He was getting better. I flat-out lied to her and told her he wasn’t going to make it.”

  Michelle jerked her hand free of Zeke and jumped to her feet to step away from all of them. “You lied to Temple?” Her hands hung at her sides, fisted.

  Zeke prayed to God they could get her to see reason.

  Emily nodded. “Yes. He had to.”

  “But my God, this is Temple we’re talking about. Our boss.” She put her hands on her head. “There’s no way in hell she’s the leak. You can’t possibly believe that.”

  Zeke shook his head. “No one thinks she’s the mole, Michelle. But she feeds information to her boss and on up the chain of command. There’s no telling who above her might be the real problem. With the exception of our relationship getting out, the three of us have never been convinced the leak and all the other mishaps are internal. It could be coming from a higher up person.”

  She stared at him, not blinking.

  He needed to keep going, convince her. “I mean, think about it: Who the hell do you know who would rat us out like that? We’re scientists and doctors. Our life’s goal is to preserve and protect life. Cure diseases. Reanimate the preserved. Most of us have been dedicated to research since we were kids.”

  She still stared.

  “Surely you’ve looked around the lab more than once and wondered who might be feeding detailed information to the media.”

  Finally, she licked her lips and nodded, lowering her hands. “Yes, but God Almighty, it isn’t Temple.”

  Ryan jumped in. “And none of us believe it is, but we needed her to tell her superiors Dade wouldn’t make it so that his life wouldn’t be at risk.”

  She nodded again. “Where is he? Isn’t anyone tracking him? What about credit cards and bills and stuff?”

  Every one of the revived had a tracking device. She was quick to remember that. Ryan winced. “I cut it out of his arm, and he left it at the first hotel they came to.”

  Michelle inhaled slowly. “You thought of everything. Even before he left. Even before you knew what the outcome would be.”

  “Yes. If his blood work proved he wasn’t going to make it, I didn’t want anyone to hound him in his last weeks. I wanted him to enjoy himself. I gave him and Blair new identities and set up Dade’s inheritance so they could access it. It was substantial. They could live for years off it if they’re careful.”

  “My God,” she said again. “But he made it. Now what?”

  Ryan smiled. “Now he’s digging around behind the scenes, helping us. With Blair’s assistance, of course.”

  “Shit.” She was tremblin
g again.

  “Come here.” Zeke held out a hand.

  She stumbled back toward him and nearly fell onto her butt at his side. “How did Zeke find out?” She glanced at him as she asked Ryan the question.

  “Like Ryan said, I was in the lab at the time. Coincidence. When Temple left, I looked at the cells in the microscope and then met Ryan’s wide eyes as he covered his lips to keep me from saying a word. We went outside. He filled me in. Dade is my best friend. I might have killed Ryan if he’d kept this from me.” He forced a wan smile.

  “And I couldn’t keep something like this from Emily,” Ryan said. “She also worked with Dade. She was mourning his loss.”

  Michelle nodded. “I can imagine. I didn’t know him. But I don’t like to lose anyone. It was especially hard after all he’s been through to find out he wasn’t going to make it. I felt horrible for him and for Blair. I’ve known Blair for years.”

  He put an arm around her and pulled her to his side.

  “Which brings us to tonight,” Emily said. “We spoke to Dade right before we came to find you.”

  Right. Shit. They hadn’t even gotten to the reason for the visit. “What did he say?” It must have been important for Emily and Ryan to track him down and also take the risk of letting Michelle in on the secret.

  “He and Blair have been trailing Meredith’s actions.”

  Zeke flinched. “Jesus. Can I not get that raving lunatic out of my life?”

  Ryan shrugged. “Apparently not. Dade was suspicious of her coming to the bunker in the first place, so he’s been trailing her ever since that day. She placed the bug in the conference room.”

  Zeke groaned. “My God. Seriously?”

  “I’m afraid so. Someone paid her to come here with that sob story and try to get you back. I doubt she ever expected you to actually consent. That wasn’t the goal. The job was to plant the bug and look around so that she could give an accurate description of the bunker. She reported back, collected her money, and took off for a vacation in the Bahamas.”

  Zeke rolled his eyes. “Sounds like Meredith. They must have paid her well.”