Chapter Three
Naomi bent her head and let the hot water pour over her.
After two months, she still hadn’t adjusted to regular hot water. After a year and a half of cold showers and sponge baths, she didn’t take a hot shower for granted.
But she was distracted. Seeing Dak go down, blood oozing out of him…
She hissed out a breath.
He was so strong, solid, tough. Unmovable. Even on the days he’d made her want to punch him, she’d never, ever thought of him being injured, or worse.
The woman in charge of Groom Lake, Major General Marshall, was the brains of the base, but Dak Vaughn was the backbone. He made people feel safe. She’d seen the way the survivors looked at him when he walked through the corridors. Like he could take on all the Gizzida himself and win. He’d made her feel safe even when he’d annoyed her.
But now he’d given her a glimpse under the titanium façade. She saw that he held himself apart, didn’t let anyone get close, so he could do his job. It had to be lonely.
Naomi pressed a hand to the tile. She got it. She’d done the same with the little group of survivors she’d helped lead.
Dak thought she was good at her job. And he was attracted to her.
She blew out a breath and warmth ignited in her belly. That man—with his rock-solid body, his will of steel, his dedication, and a voice like melted chocolate—wanted her.
She let her hand slide down her body and then stroked her skin. Heat flowed over her.
Dak had been whisked off to Medical as soon as they’d returned to the base. She’d already made a call down there and a nurse had let her know that he was fine. He’d been given a dose of nanomeds. The tiny, high-tech machines were injected into the blood and could heal just about anything.
I’ve imagined your hands on me a lot.
The memory of his voice made Naomi shiver. She let her hand drift lower, between her thighs, and she started to stroke herself. “Dak.”
Then she remembered that Ryan had regained consciousness when they’d entered the base. The thought of the other man was like a bucket of cold water. She flicked the water off. He’d demanded that drink she’d agreed to, and Dak had heard. His face had gone hard as rock, his gray eyes glittering, as they’d pushed him away on an iono-stretcher.
She got out of the shower, and dressed in jeans and a fitted, black tank top. She felt guilty—a drink with one guy, while she was fantasizing about another.
With quick strokes, she put on some light makeup—another Groom Lake extravagance that she wasn’t used to—when the door to her quarters chimed.
She frowned and glanced at her watch. She wasn’t meeting Ryan at the base bar for another twenty minutes.
Naomi yanked open the door and found Dak standing there.
She blinked. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
He was in jeans and a tight, gray T-shirt. His hair was damp, so she guessed he’d showered. Her gaze dropped to his stomach.
“How’s your injury? Are you all right?”
He remained silent, intensity throbbing off him.
Sensation prickled over her skin. “Dak?”
“I’m fine.” His voice was a low, smooth drawl. “Doctors gave me a shot of nanomeds.”
She frowned. “You should be in bed resting, then.”
A muscle ticked in his jaw. “I don’t want you going for a drink with Kaminski.”
Her mouth dropped open. “What?”
He took a step in, his gaze sliding over her bare shoulders. “You heard me.”
She tossed her head back. “That’s not for you to decide.”
“You were there, in the desert.”
The air pulsed between them, and she felt a mix of fear, need, excitement.
“You want me to touch you, Naomi?” he drawled.
His deep voice poured over her and she shivered, caught by his gaze. This was no easygoing man. He was alpha to the core.
“Tell me. Do you want me to stroke you, kiss you?”
His voice was a seduction all by itself. A small whimper escaped her lips.
“Do you want to touch me?” he asked.
God. “Yes.”
Dak closed the distance between them, slamming the door closed behind him. Then he swept her off her feet.
* * *
Dak had Naomi in his arms. She smelled fresh, like soap and flowers.
He strode to the bed and laid her down, then pinned her to the covers. Her legs wrapped around him and she moaned.
He ground against her. “You like me on top of you?”
“God, yes.” She gripped his arms and pressed her hips against him.
He shoved against her, pressing his cock against softness. “Feel that? That’s all your fault. You made me hard.”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
Their mouths collided. Fuck. She tasted better than all his fantasies. He nipped her neck, and they groped each other.
“More,” she panted.
“Where? Where can I touch you?”
“Anywhere.”
He cupped her breasts. “These taunt me in training.” He lowered his head and sucked one peak through her thin shirt.
She arched up. “Oh, yes.”
He growled and pushed her shirt up. She had gorgeous, golden skin and he moved lower, nipping at her belly. Then he unsnapped her jeans.
She sucked in a breath and he moved back, giving himself room to peel the denim off her. That left her in a pair of tiny, blue panties.
“You always wear silky, sexy things like this?” He toyed with the edge of her panties.
“I wear whatever I’ve scavenged or can get from the clothing stores. But yes, I have a lot of silky, sexy things.”
He groaned, running a hand up her toned thigh. “Lucky I didn’t know about that during training.” He stroked under the silk, finding her slick folds.
“Dak.”
Her saying his name like that—husky and needy—vibrated through him. He wanted to hear that every day, wanted to hear more of her pleasure.
He stroked under her panties and slid a finger inside her. A groan tore from his chest. “Is all this wetness for me?”
“Yes.” Her fingernails dug into his skin.
“So tight, Naomi. How will you feel on my cock?”
“Good. So good.”
Hell, yeah. He pushed up.
Suddenly, the communicator beside her bed pinged.
Dak froze, his finger still inside her.
She made an unhappy sound and slapped at the communicator. “Yes?” Her voice was low and husky.
“Hey, remember our drink?” Kaminski’s jovial voice blasted through the line.
Dak scowled. The thought of her flirting with the happy-go-lucky Kaminski left him on edge. He pressed his mouth to her ear. “Tell him you can’t make it.”
Her lips parted, her gaze on his face.
He shifted his fingers, thumbing her clit. She bit her lip to hide her moan.
“Tell him,” Dak murmured.
“Ryan, something came up.” Her voice was breathy.
“Shit,” the other man said. “Another time?”
“No,” Dak growled.
“What was that?” Ryan asked.
“I’ve got to go.” Naomi slapped the comm panel. “Dak.”
He slid down the bed and lowered his head, pulling her panties aside. Then he licked her.
“Oh, my fucking God,” she panted.
Her hips bucked and he lapped at her, using his tongue to tease and taunt. He moved up and sucked her clit.
“Yes, right there, Dak.”
“You like it?”
“I love it.”
The noises she made drove him crazy.
“I’m going to come,” she cried.
He licked her harder and then she tipped over the edge, crying out. Her tight, sexy body writhed beneath him.
He kissed her thigh, breathing in the scent of her as she came down. She turned on her side
on the bed, panting.
Dak had a perfect view of her silk-covered ass. He growled and cupped the sweet globes.
She looked back at him—her face flushed, her hair a tangled mess. His control snapped and he shoved her onto her belly.
She squeaked. “What—?”
He gripped her panties and tore them off her. As she sucked in a breath, he slid his fingers between her thighs again.
“This ass turns me on.” He used his other hand to knead her buttocks. He thrust two fingers inside her swollen folds. She moaned long and loud.
He needed to taste her again. He yanked her hips up, dropped down, and then licked her sweetness from behind.
“Oh…oh…”
“Again,” he growled.
“Dak…Dak.”
She pushed her body back against him, and soon she was coming again.
Finally, she collapsed on the bed. “I’m going to call you Captain Orgasm from now on.”
Dak barked out a laugh.
Naomi turned and smiled. “I’ve never heard you laugh. I like it.”
She rose up, her gaze dropping. She could hardly miss his cock pushing hard against his jeans.
“Looks like you’re carrying a sizable weapon, Captain.” She reached for him.
Dak’s communicator beeped loudly and they both froze.
“Captain Vaughn, please respond,” a crisp, female voice said.
Dak’s face twisted, then he slapped his communicator. “Vaughn.”
“Sir, we’ve been searching for you. Another patrol came under alien attack.”
Fuck. He’d known he should have headed straight for the Operations Center after he’d discharged himself from Medical. He’d thought he could steal an hour for himself, and the need to see Naomi had been too big.
“Everyone okay?” he asked.
“Sorry, sir. One of the security officers was killed. O’Brien.”
The blood in Dak’s veins froze. No. Fuck, no.
Every loss of one of his people was like a knife to the ribs.
“How?” he demanded.
“He was stomped on by a raptor,” the comms officer said in a solemn voice.
From beside Dak, Naomi gasped.
Damn, while Dak had been fooling around, his face buried between Naomi’s thighs, one of his people had been dying. Pushing off the bed, Dak straightened his clothes.
“Sir, there’s more,” the woman added. “The Intelligence Team has picked up some important intel. The major general needs you at the Ops Center now.”
Shit. Dak sucked in a breath. “Got it.” He looked at Naomi—sweet and flushed. Then he dredged up some of his control. “I’ll be at Ops in five minutes.”
He ended the call and turned.
“Dak.” Naomi reached for him.
He shrugged her hand away. “I have to go.”
“Dak,” she said in a sharp voice. “This is not your fault.”
“My team, my people.” He sent her a cool look. “I have to go.”
He saw a quick flash of hurt on her face before she covered it. Then she pulled the sheet over her naked body. “I understand. It’s important.”
Dak strode out, his gaze locked forward.
He needed to do his damn job.
Chapter Four
Dak strode into the Ops Center, barely sparing a glance at all the freestanding, clear comp screens, and the people working at them.
He’d been to check on his dead security officer. A bitter taste filled his mouth. O’Brien had been a good man, with a young wife who was now devastated.
The major general stood beside a light table and lifted her head. She nodded, her mouth pressed into a firm line.
Major General Michaela Marshall was an impressive woman. In her early fifties, she had a curvy body, dark skin, and black hair that she always ruthlessly styled into a bob around her strong face. She’d had a successful military career before taking control of Groom Lake Base in the confusion of the alien invasion, and relentlessly protected every human survivor she’d found.
Dak respected the hell out of her. Michaela’s kids were impressive too. Her son was in charge of Medical, and her daughter was an officer with the Intelligence Team.
“What have you got?” he asked.
“I’m sorry about the loss of your patrol officer, Dak.”
He dragged in a breath and managed a nod.
Dark eyes studied him. “How’s your injury?”
“It’s fine.”
The major general sighed. “It’s okay to have a reaction.”
“This base and its people don’t want to see us down and weak,” he said.
“Emotion isn’t a weakness, Dak. You care, and it’s okay to show it.”
“What have you got?” he repeated.
With a sigh, she turned. “Show us the images, please.”
The freestanding screen closest to them flashed and images appeared. Dak stepped closer. They were blurry, taken from a high altitude, but he saw water. A lake. He also saw a road with a rusted, overturned car on it. Some human had no doubt been chased by the aliens at some point.
Then he saw the Gizzida vehicles.
Big and rugged, the vehicles had spikes along them, making them look like dinosaurs. One was towing a long, black trailer.
He tensed. “Is that—?”
“Zoom in,” Michaela ordered.
The image zoomed in and Dak’s gut hardened. It wasn’t the best resolution, but he could make out the black octagon shape on the trailer.
“The bomb.” He looked at Michaela. “Where is this?”
“Near Lake Mead.”
“And the location of the device now?”
“We aren’t exactly sure. The drone team only found these images well after the aliens traveled through this point. This convoy was headed along this old road—”
“Where do you think they took it?”
The major general eyed him. “I think they took it to Hoover Dam. It looks like there’s a large contingent of aliens holed up in the dam.”
New drone footage flickered up on the screen.
The main dam wall was still intact. Dak knew that it had been engineered to last centuries, even without humans maintaining it. He suspected the turbines inside were no longer working, and in the images, he saw that the arch bridge across the Colorado River had been blown up. It was now just a broken ruin.
Lots of alien vehicles and equipment were parked by the dam buildings and at the old Visitor Center, and also across on top of the dam wall.
It burned him that the aliens were there, in that piece of iconic human engineering.
“We have some additional intel,” a man at the next comp screen said.
Dak turned to the older man. He had a solemn face, and his long, black hair pulled back in a ponytail at the base of his neck. Will Spears, part of the Paiute tribe, was a key member of the Intel team.
“We have numbers and movements of the raptors at the dam,” Will said. “They’ve increased raptor patrols in that area.”
“Then that’s likely where they took the bomb.” Dak crossed his arms over his chest. “We have to confirm that it’s there.”
Will frowned. “It’s impossible to get in there.”
“Have you got schematics? Anyone who’s been inside?”
Michaela shook her head. “We haven’t been able to find any recent schematics. There were extensive renovations to the structure about five years before the invasion. A few base residents have done the public tours there.”
Dak cursed. “We need someone who’s been behind the scenes, not just in the public areas.”
“Records show that we have someone in base who worked there,” Will said. “A newcomer who was a police officer in Las Vegas. She did a stint at the dam as part of her training.”
Dak’s gut curdled. There was only one person he could think of who fit that description. He could still taste her on his tongue.
Guilt was like a rusty knife. Guilt about O’Brien
, guilt for rushing out on Naomi.
“I asked her to join us,” Michaela said.
The doors to the Ops Center opened and Naomi walked in. She was dressed in jeans, her dark hair braided.
She glanced at him, then looked away. “Major General.”
Dak wanted her to look at him, but she kept her gaze firmly on Michaela.
“Thanks for coming, Ms. Silver.”
“Naomi, please.”
Michaela nodded. “We need your help. What we’re about to tell you is top secret.”
Naomi nodded.
The major general launched into an explanation about the octagon bombs, and Dak watched horror bloom on Naomi’s face.
“There are three of them?” she asked.
Michaela nodded. “Our allies in Australia have located one. And one had been spotted in the desert around here. We have finally spotted it again, and we believe the Gizzida are keeping it at Hoover Dam.”
Understanding flared in Naomi’s eyes. “I was stationed there. I know it inside and out.”
“Miss Silver is still in training,” Dak said. “Sending her out on a mission is risky.”
Michaela frowned. “But she’s a former police officer—”
“She’d only just graduated before the invasion.”
Naomi glared at him. “I can get into Hoover Dam and confirm that the bomb is there.”
No. Dak’s hands curled into fists. He didn’t want her out there, in danger.
“Good,” Michaela said. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
“She’s not going in alone,” Dak said, between gritted teeth.
The major general smiled, as though they’d all done exactly what she wanted. “I agree. You’ll both go in, infiltrate the dam, and find that bomb.”
* * *
Naomi stomped into the Groom Lake Armory. The place was super high-tech, and she usually loved being in there. Nearby, several soldiers were firing various weapons at laser targets.
But today, she was annoyed.
Dak Vaughn had her twisted up like a pretzel.
First, he’d worried her by getting injured. Then he’d kissed her and given her the best orgasms of her life. Then he’d hurt her, and now he was doubting her, and trying to get her off this mission.
Survivors: Hell Squad #19 Page 8
