by Clare Murray
Cam propped his head on his arms. “One or both of us need to stick close to Abby too.”
That was a given. Even under safer circumstances, Russ wanted to keep her near. He had no idea how fast one was supposed to move with a woman. He wasn’t sure whether they’d done too much, too fast with her…but every fiber of him demanded more. And soon.
Abby woke a few minutes later, looking deliciously rumpled and ever so slightly aggrieved that she was no longer asleep. Russ’s delight that she looked at him first was tempered by the memory of his brother’s jealousy. They needed to play it fair for now. If that meant taking it slow and easy, then that was how it had to be.
On the other hand, Abby didn’t seem as if she was inclined to take a leisurely pace. After stumbling to the bathroom, she returned, taking a seat on the foot of the double bed and splitting a beseeching look between them. “Are either of you good at massages?”
“Cam is,” Russ said, volunteering his brother despite the fact that he was more than eager to touch her again.
“Where are you stiff?” Cam immediately sat up, scooting down the bed to sit behind Abby.
“Shoulders and calves.”
Russ let himself be drawn to her as well, moving across to the double bed. He lifted her legs, resting them across his as he began to knead the tight muscles above her ankles. He sensed her need to be touched, but he also knew she’d shy away if they moved too fast. For a second, insecurity stilled his hands.
“You’re not going to screw this up.”
Cam’s words were reassuring, but they didn’t completely mollify him. Even so, he continued his massage, working on a particularly tense area that made Abby gasp. Once he’d loosened her muscles, he let his movements become softer, more caressing, working his way up her thighs. Behind her, Cam’s shoulder massage lightened, and his hands drifted to her breasts.
Abby let out a soft sigh that seemed to brush against his very soul.
How long had he wanted this? Too damn long. Abby was one of the rare women who intrigued both of them. Russ had spent many a night questioning whether a woman like her could actually exist. Now that she was here in his arms, he wanted nothing more than to make her his. Theirs.
His gaze flicked to the door, confirming it was locked. Not that the flimsy wood would hold up to a determined assault, but it would prevent someone bursting in on them unannounced. The sunlight coming in around the curtains was that of late afternoon, so presumably they’d have some time before Uther wanted to run those fights of his.
Russ lowered Abby’s bare foot to the floor so that her thighs were spread. She was wearing much-patched jeans and a formfitting blouse that revealed a glimpse of her bra strap. Her expression managed to strike a balance between hazy and wary, reminding him to go slow. But when Cam teased the blouse over her head, she raised her arms to help him. Her breasts spilled into his hands, turning Russ’s erection almost painfully hard.
“You okay with this, babe?” he asked as he slid her jeans down.
“Yes,” she whispered. “I…need this. They…”
Russ tensed at the same time his brother let out a snarl. “They raped you?”
She shook her head, curls flying. “Not rape. That happened there, but not to me. Still…they had their ways of messing around. A pat on my butt, a squeeze of my breast. Little dehumanizing touches. They did it to all of us. Guy or girl, black or white, everyone was subject to their sick little power games. On the last day I was there, one of the senators put his hand down my pants and…it was disgusting. He was going to rape me later. That was when I broke down their security.”
“And we caught you,” Russ murmured. He moved up to sandwich her in between them.
“I just want you to erase the memories,” Abby said.
He caught her jaw as she leaned toward him, gentling her desperate kiss. It was becoming more and more apparent that the pheromone attraction could work both ways, which was yet another fact the scientists had kept from them.
Behind Abby, Cam made a sound of encouragement, supporting her against him as Russ claimed her lips. Between them, they stripped her, then themselves, letting skin slide against bare skin in a way that drove Russ half-crazy.
Abby came up for air as they lowered her onto the mattress, her eyes hazed. “I’m not on birth control.”
“We are.” The sperm-suppressing shots were compulsory. Couldn’t have Twins breeding willy-nilly, not without the all-knowing scientists and government officials to oversee things.
Russ tensed as Abby’s fingers hooked into the waistband of his boxers, tugging them over his thighs. His cock jutted against her palm as she reached for it, sending a bolt of pleasure surging hard against his nerve-endings. Fuck, that was good.
This was encroaching on new territory for him. He’d never so much as taken his shirt off with a woman, let alone kissed anyone with so much passion. His previous encounters had been quick, lust-easing trysts—and he’d never bothered to go beyond a simple hand-job, never seen reason to linger leisurely over a woman after he’d pleasured her in return. Certainly he hadn’t bothered to do anything other than zip his fly and wish her a good day before leaving.
There had been plenty of women willing to see to him at the Complex, and he was vaguely aware some of them talked among themselves, spreading rumors that Russ was saving himself for someone special. Maybe he had been, though he’d initially scoffed at the idea.
“It wasn’t because of me, right?”
Cam felt guilty as hell about Russ’s virginity. Granted, it wasn’t easy when they were seeing different women. One brother’s orgasm meant the other Twin was hard-pressed not to follow suit, which generally meant a fast-and-hard hand job somewhere private, and deliberate plans not to be somewhere public when one Twin planned to mess around.
“No, not because of you. It never felt right until now.”
His brother’s relief was almost tangible. His Twin took the opportunity to bury himself between Abby’s legs, causing her grip to tighten on Russ’s cock. She slid her fingers upward as he straddled her chest. Between them, they shifted her toward the middle of the bed so that she was in no danger of falling off.
For a moment, his cock brushed against her chin. Then, incredibly, her lips pressed against his engorged head, sliding across his skin, all hot and velvety. Russ tensed, staying perfectly still as she got her bearings.
She let out a little moan as Cam’s head went back between her legs, the vibration tickling his erection almost unbearably. Then her mouth slid down Russ’s shaft. He braced himself, resisting the urge to pound into her. It had been so long—so damn long, and he was on the verge of simply coming down her throat.
Instead, he concentrated on memorizing her face, from her high cheekbones to the handful of freckles that dotted her light brown skin. Her hazel eyes were closed in passion but flew open briefly when he rolled one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger, bringing it to a peak. Her tongue softened against him, flicking at the sensitive spot underneath his head, and Russ struggled to keep from losing it right then and there.
Abby lost it before him, however, with Cam sending him a quick mental warning as he felt her nearing an orgasm. Her lips clamped down on his cock, the barest hint of teeth grating against his skin, which was more than enough impetus for his own release.
Russ had only enough time to growl a warning, but she didn’t pull away. He cupped her face tenderly between his hands as her throat worked, swallowing all he gave her.
“Fuck.” He whispered the word almost reverently as she slumped against the pillows, breathing hard. Her chest rose and fell against his thighs, though he took care to keep his weight on the mattress instead of her.
Russ rolled to her side, feeling rather than seeing her reach down for Cam. His brother’s harsh breathing seemed to echo in the small room, followed by Abby’s slight gasp as Cam spilled his
seed across her bare stomach.
Russ propped himself up, gathering Abby to him as his brother attended to the cleanup. “You okay, babe?”
“I like how I can tell you apart even when I’m not looking at you,” Abby murmured.
“How’s that?” Cam asked, halfway to the bathroom.
“Russ doesn’t say fudge instead of fuck.”
Cam laughed, and Russ’s chuckle started deep in his belly. It was a true, cleansing laugh, the likes of which he hadn’t experienced in far too long. He scooted over in the bed, making room for Cam, who wedged himself into the space. They’d have to get a king-size bed, Russ mused…
“Super-king-size,” Cam corrected.
Or, Russ supposed, they could push together the two double beds in their Complex apartment.
“And risk losing Abby down the crack? No. The scientists and their government lackeys—or the other way around, whichever you prefer—can damn well source us a carpenter and a decent mattress. They can’t do a little thing like that? Then maybe we shouldn’t bother to live at the Complex and continue protecting them.”
“Some people might call that line of thinking treasonous.” Russ stroked Abby’s curls, letting the hair slip between his fingers.
On the other side of her, Cam splayed his fingers against her stomach, palm covering her belly button. “We have to be careful what we say, how we come across, but it’s not treason to ask for creature comforts. It’s not treason to move on if we feel undervalued, just as a pen-pusher was more than welcome to look for a better-paying job at a different company.”
“Like Slater and Arden did?” Their departure had taken Complex morale down a notch. Nobody had been entirely sure where those Twins had gone, although the strongest rumors had placed them in Shadow Fed territory. Abby had confirmed that earlier.
“Not to the Shadow Feds, no. Never them.”
Good, they were on the same page there. Russ let himself relax, savoring the moment and the weight of the woman against his shoulder. Even so, he was hyper-aware of the slant of sunlight through the curtains, his mind keeping track of time instinctually and accurately. Soon, aliens would emerge from their hiding places. And it wouldn’t be long before one of Uther’s men summoned them.
The dual threat sparked a restlessness deep down inside him. Yeah, he was ready for whatever Uther threw his way, as long as the man didn’t try to start shit with Abby. Given Katya’s earlier warning about Uther’s henchmen having their way with unmarried women, Russ might have to actively restrain himself from proactively punching any man who came close to Abby.
She chose that moment to stretch against his side, tilting her head up to peer out the window. “Ugh.”
“You all right?” Both Twins spoke as one, which seemed to amuse her.
“I’m fine. I hate this time of afternoon, though. I associate it with looking for shelter—or trying to shore up wherever we wound up for the day if we weren’t behind City walls.”
“Did you do a lot of traveling?” Russ asked.
“Not at first. When the Invasion happened, we lived in suburban Reno. My boyfriend was spending the night for the first time. Separate bedrooms and all, since we were fifteen. I guess that saved his life, because his parents’ house got cratered. So Callum, Mom and I were able to hunker down and survive. So did Grammie, of course. Pretty much everyone else we knew died.” The glib way she said it made Russ think she was used to saying it without letting herself feel accompanying emotion.
“Callum?” he asked.
“My fiancé. He’s dead.” Again with the lack of emotion.
“What about your dad?”
She shrugged against him, still looking out the window. “My parents were separated. I was living with Mom until I finished school. Dad was a mechanic for the new long-distance robotrucks, so he did a lot of riding from coast-to-coast, troubleshooting problems. He’d drop by when he could, but he must have been on the road when the Invasion happened. I never saw him again.”
Where were you when the Invasion happened? was a popular question even a decade later.
“My mom liked scavenging,” Abby continued. “We made a pretty good living at it, even came back to visit Grammie a couple times in Scar City. She really wanted us to stay.”
“How come you didn’t?” Russ asked. He remembered Patrice as ornery and elderly, but the love she had for her granddaughter was fierce.
“Three of us living there would have been a burden on Grammie. And Mom couldn’t settle in one place anyway. So we kept heading out, mostly traveling by train. Sometimes we would find a car that still worked and drive that until it broke down past our ability to fix.” She laughed. “We got pretty good at fixing things, actually. Funny what you can learn when you’re under pressure.”
She went quiet for a minute while they waited her out. When she continued, her voice was quieter. “Then pickings got to be slim. We started to take more chances. Callum…died because of that.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to ask why. But Russ reminded himself they’d only known each other for a matter of days. If this worked out…
“It will.”
He ignored Cam’s interruption. If it worked out, she’d tell them more in her own time. He didn’t know much about dating or relationships, but he did know you didn’t spill everything on the first or even second date. Still, he couldn’t help but squeeze her close.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. It was a few years ago now. Ought to be over it by now. Anyway, Mom and I eventually stowed away aboard an eastbound cargo train. We leaped off in upstate New York.”
“No car?” Cam interjected.
“We hacked a moped, but it didn’t get us far. Besides, you could hear us coming from half a mile away since it had an old gas engine. So we mostly walked, sometimes hitched rides. We hadn’t lost our faith in humanity yet, and a few of the rural communities were pretty welcoming.” Abby hesitated. “That’s where Mom died, actually. In a barn on a bed of hay. Better than on the side of the road.”
“Hey, you don’t need to tell us this if it’s upsetting for you.” Russ bent to press a kiss onto her forehead, and she let out a shaky sigh.
“I know. It’s…just that if I don’t tell anyone, nobody will know. And if I die, the story dies with me.” She struggled to a sitting position, blinking tears away. “Nobody had the time to listen to each other back in Headquarters. Servants were discouraged from chatting.”
“Probably paranoid about you plotting an escape attempt,” Cam said.
“That, and discussing how messed up the conditions became.” Abby took a deep breath. “Anyway, after Mom died, I worked for the farmers in the area, helping them shore up their wall and get alien defenses in order. Once I’d helped plant the fields, though, I felt like moving on. Couldn’t stay there any longer, missing Mom. I needed new surroundings, and I really wanted to go back to Grammie. So I hitched a ride on a wagon in the direction of DC, figuring I’d get a train from around there.”
She paused, looking into the near distance as if to compose herself. With some effort, Russ held back from encouraging her to continue, knowing she needed time and space to process what had happened to her. Across the bed, he sensed Cam holding back too.
“Just outside the walls, I was offered a temporary job as a servant. It…wasn’t exactly the way I pictured touring the White House. Headquarters. Whatever they want to call it.” Abby made as if to shrug it off, sitting up and hugging her knees to her bare breasts. “I’d better get dressed.”
She was going to need to talk about what had happened to her. If not to them, to someone else. When Russ skimmed the top of his brother’s mind, he found Cam’s thoughts to be perfectly in accord with his. Well, there were therapists at the Complex, and Patrice could help. Now they just had to get there.
“I’m getting uneasy about the Shadow Feds
,” Russ sent. “We’ve been in one place for almost the entire day. I’d feel a whole lot better if we were on the move.”
“We’ll deal with Uther’s shit, then we can roll out in the morning,” was Cam’s reply.
His brother got out of Abby’s way, reaching for his clothes as he did so. Since it was such a small space, Russ waited until Cam was done before rising. He caught Abby’s gaze lingering upon his abs, and couldn’t resist flexing them ever so slightly. His super-sensitive hearing picked up the ragged edge of her breathing.
So she wasn’t sated, not yet. Satisfaction made his lips curve upward.
“We could always go back to bed,” Cam suggested.
“I’d like our first time to be somewhere other than here,” Russ replied dryly. He slipped his shirt on and double-checked the weapons he kept secreted about himself, including the UV-saber on his wrist. The saber wouldn’t do anything against humans…but night was coming.
Russ frowned as he remembered where Uther’s compound was located—right on the damn edge of Cleveland, jammed up against the wall itself. That had likely been a strategic move on the government’s part. Here, have this prime piece of land! Not that there’d been many attacks on Cleveland, but even a single Bark could rend a human from limb to limb if the alien caught someone unaware.
A knock on the door startled Abby backward. Russ caught her easily, propping her against him as Cam undid the latch and opened the door. Snake Eyes lounged on the other side, faux-casually, in a way that didn’t at all conceal the large knife that swung sheathed at his hip. The latent tension in the man’s body was cause for concern. If Russ read him right, Snake Eyes didn’t much care for his boss. Equally, however, Russ didn’t much care to be used as a pawn in whatever game this man was about to play.
“The fights are going to kick off,” Snake Eyes told them. His gaze flickered to each of them in turn, not lingering upon Abby this time. “Are you armed?”
