Seconds after the blast, she could see a hulking form heading for her. Her heart clotted in her throat as she stared at the man, hoping it wasn’t one of the guardians. Her hands shook making the beam of light shiver in the murk. And then his features came into view and she could see it was Lucian running toward her. Behind him smoke and fire followed. His run was more of a gimp.
Her heart leaped into her throat and she was frozen in place.
“Run!” he shouted. “Run, Eve, damn it!”
She spun on her heel and bolted into the darkness. The beam from the flashlight bounced along the floor and walls. Her sprint disturbed the dust and she could see the particles floating in the shaft of light. One glance over her shoulder told her she shouldn’t have looked.
Lucian hurried as best he could but she could see he would soon be consumed by the ball of fire heading straight for him. She stopped, turned and ran back toward him. She didn’t know what she planned to do but she had to help him. She couldn’t let him die.
He halted and they stared at each other as she tried to close the distance between them as fast as she could. He fired off round after round into a grate in the wall then kicked it, making a wider opening. With one glance at her she knew what he meant to do. He plunged head first into the opening.
As she got closer to the makeshift opening, she could feel the heat of the fireball coming toward her.
She didn’t want to die. Not today.
She nose-dived into the opening as the fire consumed the corridor in which she’d been standing. She went headlong into Lucian who caught her in his arms, grunted and stumbled. He couldn’t maintain his footing, though, and they tumbled to the ground with a thud.
His back took the brunt of the fall. But his arms wrapped around her and he held her cradled against his chest. A nice warm chest. He didn’t move and she feared he may have hit his head and was knocked out.
“Lucian?”
“For a girl who doesn’t weigh very much you sure pack a punch.”
The giggle bubbled up her throat and turned into hysterical laughter before she could stop it. Tears leaked from her eyes. But she wasn’t sure if they were tears of laughter or fear. Everything had happened so fast she didn’t know how to process it all.
When she finally got control of herself, she wiped the tears away.
“Are you okay?” she asked. She flattened her palm against the muscles under her.
“I will be,” he said.
She didn’t want to move but she worried about the fire on the other side of the wall. She lifted her head and looked out. But the flames seemed to be dying.
“The fire?”
“The walls, ceiling and floor are fire retardant,” Lucian said. “The last thing Atlantis needs is a fire we can’t escape.”
“Oh.” She put her head back on his chest. She liked this way too much. “What happened back there?”
“I happened, that’s what.”
Holding her against him, he sat up. She fit in his lap as though she’d always belonged there. As though she were made to fit there. Her legs circled his waist as she looked up at him in the dimness. In her leap and crash, she’d lost the flashlight. It had skittered across the floor and spun, stopping to point at a wall. The shaft of light splashed on the dingy wall back at them, illuminating his face in soft light.
“I told you they wouldn’t stop looking for us,” he said.
She didn’t want to hear it. She pressed her fingertips against his lips to shush him. Her heart did a funny flip in her chest at the touch. She watched as his gaze landed on her lips for a long lingering moment. She couldn’t help it. She licked her lips.
She sat so close to him she could feel the jump of his heart. Her nipples hardened against the thin material of her bikini top. He pressed closer to her, aware of her reaction. Heat washed over her as her breasts brushed his chest. Her fingers slid from his lips to his face where she rested her palm along his roughened cheek.
“Are we safe here?” She whispered it as though speaking louder would conjure the men searching for them.
“For the moment. I killed them.” His gaze landed back on her lips.
He was torturing her.
“All of them?”
“Yes but there will be more.”
“How did you kill them?”
“I have mad skills.”
All she could think about was kissing him. Did he want to kiss her? Did it matter? She didn’t want to wait to find out. She pressed her body to his, her arms sliding around his neck, as she met his lips. Tenderly at first. Tentative. She was testing him to see if he’d play back.
When his hot mouth met hers, it was with a voracious appetite as though he couldn’t wait to devour her. The kiss was as demanding as she imagined it would be coming from a man like him and she relished it. The pleasure of it sung through her veins. And then his tongue parted her lips with a soul-searching intensity. The heady sensation of it all sent her mind reeling. She couldn’t think clearly. She didn’t want to think clearly.
When he pulled away, it left a hollowness inside her.
“We can’t stay here,” he said.
“Why not?” She still whispered.
“Because we’re in the old incinerator. Where we used to burn trash…and other things.”
“Ew.”
He set her off his lap. She only spent a second on the floor before she jumped to her feet. She’d never felt so dirty in her life. She brushed away the dust—because she refused to believe it was anything else or she’d vomit—from her hands and picked up the flashlight.
Her bare feet, though, still touched the floor and she could feel crumbles of…something crush between her toes. It made her stomach sour.
“Lucian?”
“Yes?”
“I’m barefoot.”
He looked her up and down as if seeing her for the first time and then reached for her. His arm wrapped around her slender waist like he did in the lab and he hoisted her into his arms.
“We need to find you some suitable clothing, though I confess I do enjoy this get up of yours.”
She was glad the darkness covered her blush.
Lucian stepped through the grate and into the hallway. She could see where the fire bomb, or whatever it was he’d released, had scorched the walls, floor and ceiling. Thankfully there was no one lying in wait for them.
“You can put me down out here,” she said.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes because I’m going to heal your leg.”
“No, Eve.”
“Yes, Lucian.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
“If you don’t let me do it then it’ll fester and get infected. And then you’ll be in more pain.”
He considered her words and then gave her a nod. “All right.”
“Do you have something I can wipe off my hands with?”
He untucked his shirt and offered her the tail. She blushed again. Damn but she wished she would stop doing that. She’d not been so close to a man as sexy as Lucian. Ever. She’d had boyfriends but none were hero material like Lucian. She liked hero material.
“All I got, sweetheart.”
It would have to do. She cleaned her hands the best she could with the end of his shirt leaving behind smudges of black. Oh, what she wouldn’t give for a bottle of hand sanitizer. She could swear she felt heat pouring off his body as her hands brushed his washboard abs.
She wondered what they felt like. What they looked like. If they were as sexy as she imagined. She fantasized about running her hands up his chest.
“Do I need to take off my pants again?” He gave her a wolfish grin.
“No,” she snapped, a little snippier than she intended.
He chuckled as he turned around. She dropped to her knees and was once again faced with his round perfect ass. She wanted to mold her hands over it to see if it really was as awesome as it looked.
Instead she placed her palm over the gauze of
his wound and pressed her hand into it as hard as she dared. He grunted with the pain. She closed her eyes and repeated the same thing as she did for his shoulder. Imaging the wound, taking the pain away, sucking it into her body. She tried not to whimper but the ache was massive. She nearly doubled over but kept her hand firmly in place. When she thought the worst of it was gone she sat back on her heels and examined her handiwork. She peeled away the bandage. The skin was healed with a slight pinkish color.
Lucian spun around and knelt. He took her by the shoulders to steady her. “I knew it would be too much for you. I shouldn’t have let you do it.”
“I’m…fine.”
“No.” He looked ahead, squinting, and then scooped her into his arms.
His warmth enveloped her. It made her drowsy. “Where are we going?”
“A place you can rest.”
It was the last thing she remembered before she passed out.
Chapter Six
When Eve woke, it took her several minutes to get her bearings. She couldn’t remember where she was at first and didn’t recognize her surroundings. The room was dimly lit with dingy walls. It took her a few minutes to remember everything that had happened.
It all came back to her in a flash. The kidnapping on the beach. Escaping the lab. Running with Lucian. Healing him.
Lucian.
She sat up to scan the room but she was alone. Had he left her? Abandoned her in this labyrinth? No. He wouldn’t have done that to her. Not after she’d healed him.
She swung her legs off the small bed, her bare feet touching the cold dusty floor. The room had the narrow bed and not much else. There was a gunmetal gray cabinet on the other side with the door ajar. She walked to it and pulled the door open to peer inside, hoping there would be something in there she could use. Like something to wear. The shelves were empty save for dust particles.
She sighed as she glanced down at herself and saw the mess she was. Dirt smudged her knees and legs. The opaque cover up she wore was dirty and ripped at the hem. The spandex bikini wasn’t exactly comfortable either. She wished she had real clothes. She was tired of traipsing around the bowels of Atlantis scantily clad.
“You’re awake.”
She jumped at the sound of Lucian’s voice. He stood in the doorway of the small room, filling up the entire space. The light was at his back, so his face was in shadow. She couldn’t make out his expression.
“I found some rations.” He stepped into the room holding pouches of food. He had something tucked under his arm. It looked like material. “It’s not much but it’ll keep us from starving.”
“I don’t suppose you found some clothes for me?” she asked, as he handed her one of the pouches.
“I did. I found some old jumpsuits in a locker.” He held the material he’d had under his arm to her. “I guessed your size. Petite, right?” He looked her up and down with a critical eye.
Ha. Wasn’t that cute? He was trying to flatter her. Well, she was flattered all right. Flattered enough to kiss him. She smiled with relief as she took the material. It was a navy jumpsuit that looked almost military. It zipped up the front and belted at the waist. “And shoes?”
“I found a pair of old boots. I’m not sure if they’ll fit you.”
“I’ll take anything,” she said.
“I thought you might want to clean up some too. The showers are up the way if you want to hose off. Come on. I’ll take you and then you can eat something.”
She smiled. “You’re my hero.”
He led her out of the room and into the hallway. “This part of old Atlantis used to be the soldier’s barracks.”
“That explains the jumpsuit,” she said.
“I was surprised to find it. I thought everything had been packed up when we moved out of this part of the city. Here are the showers. I already checked everything out to make sure it’d work.”
“No viperfish?” she asked, peering into the shower stalls. There were four lined up along one wall.
He chuckled. “No viperfish. I promise. When you’re done, you can use one of the dryers over there.” He pointed to something that looked like an oversized hand dryer. The kind in restrooms with no paper towel dispensers. “I couldn’t find any towels. Sorry.”
“That’s okay.” She was grateful for the shower. “I’ll make do.”
“I’ll be right outside.”
“Lucian?” He paused, gazing at her over his shoulder. She gave him a sheepish grin and held up the clothes. “Thank you.”
He gave her a smile and a “you’re welcome” nod and continued on his way.
Eve listened to his receding footsteps as she stared at the shower stalls. She hated the thought of them not being enclosed but she hated the thought of not being clean even more. She placed the jumpsuit on the ledge next to a sink so it wouldn’t get wet. And then she stripped out of her soiled clothes and left them in a pile on the floor.
Heavenly hot spray from the shower pelted her dirty skin. She stood under it as it hit her in the face and then turned to let it hit her back. After scrubbing as best she could with no soap, she cut off the water and headed to the dryer.
It felt strange to walk about naked but Lucian was being a perfect gentlemen. She hadn’t seen him at all since she entered the shower. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed by that.
The blower was strange and she hated it almost as much as she hated the hand dryers in public restrooms. They never quite got the skin dry and were never as good as using a hand towel. Or in this case a bath towel.
After standing under it for what seemed like forever, she pulled on the jumpsuit and zipped it up. The boots he’d found were a little too big but at least they didn’t flop on her feet when she walked. She tested them by taking several steps. She halted in front of the mirror.
One look at her face made her cringe. Remnants of mascara smudged under her eyelashes. Her partially dry auburn hair hung limply over her shoulders. She tried to fluff it but it was still damp and not cooperating. Using the edge of her sleeve, she wiped away the rest of the mascara. It was the best she could do. She wished she had a washcloth to scrub her face.
What was she so worried about? It wasn’t like she was trying to impress Lucian. Was she? She couldn’t care less what he thought of her. Did she? Never mind he was a big, hot man who made her warm and tingly when he looked at her. And she’d been up close and personal with that gorgeous ass of his. She flexed her fingers, wondering what it felt like under her palms. Wondering if it was as round and muscular as it looked. Wondering what it would feel like to slid her hands over each cheek as he pounded long and hard into her.
She snapped out of her fantasy. That was ridiculous. She was a captive here. She wasn’t getting out. She couldn’t allow her mind to conjure such silliness. Lucian wasn’t interested in her anyway.
Was he?
She stepped out of the shower area. Lucian leaned against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. His gaze raked her, inspecting her. Her stupid heart skipped a little beat. She straightened a little taller, pushed her boobs out a little farther. What was she doing? She was not flirting with him.
His mouth curled into a lazy smile.
“Feel better, sweetheart?”
Her blood tingled. She liked when he called her that. Even though she knew it was in jest. She couldn’t help but love the way it sounded when he said it, endearing him to her even further. “Yes. Thank you.”
Silence. She shifted from one foot to the other, grateful for the boots on her feet. She no longer had to walk the dusty halls barefoot.
“Thanks again for the clothes.” She didn’t know what else to say.
He kept looking at her with that expression she couldn’t read. She was never good at reading expressions. She was never good at flirting either. But here she was wracking her brain trying to come up with some sexy innuendo.
“Lucian, I—”
“You’re beautiful,” he said.
She blinked. He
r gaze fell to the floor. How could he think that? She wore no make-up. She scrubbed her face as clean as she could get it in the shower. Up until now she’d been gallivanting around here in that ridiculous bikini.
Maybe that’s why he thought she was beautiful.
“No, I’m not,” she sputtered softly. Yet she couldn’t stop the elation coursing through her. He thought she was beautiful. Even in this dingy old jumpsuit.
“Yes, you are,” he said, his voice firm.
His hand cupped her chin and tipped her face up to his. His warm hand. At the touch, it sent spirals of desire curling through her. She couldn’t stop her gaze meeting his. He looked like he was about to kiss her. Again. Oh, she’d love to kiss him again. And again.
She shouldn’t let him. But she wouldn’t stop him either.
His eyes lowered, landed on her lips and then back up again.
“I think I’d like to kiss you, Eve.”
“I think I’d like you to kiss me, Lucian.”
Her heart leapt into her throat, beating a wild tattoo. He bent and leaned in close, his lips brushing hers. Softly at first then he took her mouth in reckless abandon. His mouth tasted so good. So sweet. So soft. His tongue dove into the recess of her mouth, tasting her.
God, he was tall. So tall she had to stand on tiptoe to kiss him as thoroughly as she wanted to kiss him. Her body stretched as far as she could stretch so she could reach up and put her arms around his neck. She moaned against his mouth.
His arms wrapped around her waist as he pressed her closer. She lifted her legs, allowing him to pick her up off the floor and then she wrapped them around his waist as she snuggled against him.
Did he realize she was naked under this jumpsuit? Her heated core pressed against his warmth. He picked her up as though she weighed nothing. She loved that he could. She loved the way he held her. She loved the way he fired shots at that awful Dr. Brice while holding her against him.
He was big and strong and brawny. He was sweet and sensual and sexy. Despite the circumstances, she’d felt safe with him. Not once had she felt as though he’d put her at risk. In fact he’d come to her rescue.
Seducing Eve (Guardians of Atlantis) Page 5
