by Anna Hackett
Dom combed through footage from the Gizzida graveyard at Lake Lyell. Memories of the suckers made his lip curl.
“So, is no one going to mention that Dom is wearing last night’s clothes?” Hemi said.
Dom raised his head. Hemi was leaning back in his chair, his boots resting on the table.
Griff nodded. “I knocked on his door this morning before Holmes’ meeting. He wasn’t in.”
“So, whose bed did you sleep in, Santora?” Levi asked.
“No one’s.” It wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Wherever you were, I think you were wrapped up with some pretty, young thing.” Hemi gave him a knowing wink.
“What will it take for you to drop this?” Dom asked.
“I’m not open to bribes,” Hemi lied. “Take your teasing like a man. You guys gave me hell when I was courting Cam.”
“Courting?” Levi broke out in laughter.
“Hey, I won her over.”
“It took you months,” Ash said. “Most of the time, you just drove her crazy.”
Hemi grinned unrepentantly. “She still fell head over heels for me. Now—” his gaze locked on Dom “—I want details, my man.”
Dom looked back at the comp screen. “I worked for the Mafia. There’s nothing you can do to me that’ll make me talk.”
Hemi let out a sigh. “Damn, you’re probably right.”
There were good-natured laughs all around, and finally they all got back to work.
But a minute later, Griff leaned in close. “You be careful with her. She’s been through a lot. She and Indy are close.”
Dom looked at his friend, unsurprised that the former cop had worked it out. “Does Indy—?”
Griff shook his head. “But it won’t take my girl long to connect the dots, and I won’t lie to her.”
“Arden’s tougher than she looks,” Dom murmured.
Griff gave him a faint smile. “Women always are.”
“I’d die for her.”
Griff blinked. “Shit, Dom. I didn’t realize it was that serious.”
“I should never have gone near her, but I wouldn’t have without it being serious. I’ve watched her for a long time.”
Griff leaned back in his chair.
“I want to protect her from everything,” Dom said. “I want to make her happy, give her pleasure, see her smile.”
“That’s good. You both deserve it.”
Dom shook his head. “I should stay away from her.”
Griff cursed. “Why?”
“You know better than anyone what I am.” Griff had been a cop once.
Griff gripped Dom’s shoulder. “Yeah, I do. You are a man who was born into a shitty life. A man who survived the best he could, and then found a way out. You’re a man who fights to protect, who risks his life for others. You’re also a good friend and a good man.”
Blinking, Dom stared at his friend’s face, not quite believing what he’d said. He realized that Griff was pissed. For him.
A strange sensation moved through Dom, and he pulled in a breath. “I—”
“I’m not finished,” Griff said. “It’s time you quit using your past like a barrier between you and life.”
Dom blinked again. “You finished now?”
“Yep, so get back to work.” Griff swiped at his comp screen. “We have a bomb to find.”
Chapter Nine
Arden looked at the footage. Again. She rubbed her blurry eyes.
The rest of her squad had gone to bed. As he’d left to find his partner Avery, Roth had threatened Arden with bodily harm if she didn’t take a break and get some rest.
But she needed to stay. She needed to keep working. She needed to help.
Those poor kids… Arden sat back in a chair and stretched her stiff neck. She knew her emotions were mixed up with the loss of Beth and Emmett. She was okay with that. She was using it to fuel her need to take the Gizzida down.
She wished for the millionth time that she had a photo of Jason and her kids. In those early days, it had tortured her that she had nothing of theirs to hold on to. But now, she realized she had all the important things. Every time she closed her eyes, it was easy to remember Jason bending her over his arm for a kiss, and the snuggles, the giggles, the endless stories her kids would tell her. It was the small things she kept locked in her heart. Jason making his world-famous, homemade pizza, Emmett’s bright coloring, Beth’s hard hugs. Her husband had been a wonderful father, and her kids had always known they were loved.
Arden opened her eyes, staring blankly at the drone footage on the screen. For her family, for those kids at Mount Wilson, for the survivors at the Enclave, and dammit, for herself, she was going to find this damn bomb.
She wanted to live.
Memories of her hands on Dom, her mouth on him… Arden shivered. She wanted more.
Shaking her head, she concentrated on the screen again.
She’d been over the footage of the town over and over, but she forced herself to study every detail—the bodies, the scales, the claws, the mutations. Her hands clamped onto the edge of the conference room table and she breathed in deeply.
They would find this bomb. She wouldn’t let the aliens take any more than they already had.
Then she tilted her head, staring at an image of the remnants of the detonated test bomb.
What was that? There was something in the shadows of one of the drag marks gouged into the mud.
Tapping the screen with a frown, she zoomed in on the image.
There. There were lots of deep tracks in the mud from where the Gizzida had dragged the bomb into place. And in one track, hidden in the shadows, she saw a faint neon glow.
Even zoomed in, she couldn’t quite tell what it was. It looked like a strand of lights.
What was it?
“Bella?”
His deep voice shivered through her and she looked over her shoulder.
Dom stood in the doorway, wearing his black, carbon-fiber armor, with his carbine slung on one shoulder
“You should be in bed,” he said.
“I wanted to look at a few more images.”
He walked inside, stopping beside her chair. His gloved fingers brushed her cheek. “You look tired.”
She nodded. “You have patrol?”
“I took a shift from Morales from Squad Eight.”
She noticed that he was always taking extra shifts, especially from the married or partnered-up soldiers. “I heard his foster son has been sick. You need to rest, too.”
Unsurprisingly, he ignored her comment and glanced at her computer screen. “Any luck?”
She shook her head, frustration skating on her nerves. “Not really.”
“Maybe you need fresh eyes. You’ll do better after some sleep.”
Arden nodded again, but she felt the ticking clock. “They could detonate that bomb at any time, Dom.”
“We don’t know that.” He rubbed his thumb across her lips. “Rest now. I’ll check on you when I get back from patrol.”
Warmth bloomed inside her. It had been a long time since she’d had someone to check on her. “Okay.”
His dark gaze narrowed on her. “You should tell me to stay away.”
Arden lifted her chin. “It’s my choice who I spend time with. And you’re the first choice I’ve made in a long time.”
He stared at her, dark eyes unreadable.
“I want to touch you again,” she murmured. “Taste you again.”
He sucked in a breath. “Code me into the lock on your door. Now, go.”
She stood and he ushered her out of the conference room and through the Command Center. As she walked down the hallway, she could feel him watching her.
She glanced back over her shoulder. He stood there, dark and deadly. He lifted his chin, a chunk of thick, black hair falling over his forehead. Then she blinked, and he was gone.
Back in her quarters, Arden quickly showered and changed. As she dropped onto her bed, she was sure
she’d toss and turn, worried about the bomb.
Instead, her thoughts were of touching Dom, stroking bronze skin. She dozed off, thinking of him, and dropped into a deep, dreamless sleep.
Arden jerked awake, feeling lips on her collarbone in a gentle, teasing caress.
His scent—soap and freshly-showered skin—washed over her. Desire coiled in her belly and she moaned.
As a strong hand cupped one of her breasts, she shook off the last remnants of sleep. Faint light was spilling from a lamp on the other side of the room. She pulled in a sharp breath, drawing more of Dom’s scent into her senses.
Liquid heat ran through her body. She lifted a hand, touching damp hair. His lips moved to her neck, teeth and stubble scraping over her skin. She arched into him, and a strong hand moved down, then pushed the hem of her sleep shirt up.
He pushed it over her belly, over her breasts. Then he lowered his dark head.
“Oh.” It felt so good. As his tongue moved over her skin, she looked down. Her belly jumped. The sight of that dark head nestled between her breasts was so sexy.
He tugged on one of her nipples, and she couldn’t hold back her moan. He took his time, exploring, tasting, plumping her breasts together with his hands as he sucked and licked them.
Then his head moved lower. His lips traveled across her belly.
“So much beauty,” he murmured against her skin.
He glanced up at her and her breath caught. This man looked at her like she was precious. Like he couldn’t quite believe she was real.
No one had ever looked at her like that before.
He pushed her thighs apart and moved lower. Anticipation and nerves made her jumpy, like she was going to slip out of her skin.
Then his mouth was on her.
“Dom!” Arden pushed her hips against that clever mouth. His tongue stabbed inside her. Desire spilled through her—hot and demanding—making it hard to breathe.
“I love your taste,” he said. “I’m drunk on you, Arden.”
Then he didn’t say anything else, just kept torturing her with his mouth.
Her last shred of control slipped. She tried to say something, but the pleasure was too big. As sensation crashed over her, her scream echoed in the shadows.
Dom lifted his head, desire pumping through him.
He was usually always intensely aware of his surroundings. He’d grown up knowing he had to always watch his back.
But with Arden, his focus was only on her.
Aliens could storm the room and he wouldn’t notice. And the way she was looking at him right now…
There was need and want mixed in her beautiful, violet-blue eyes. She shifted, pushing herself upright, and jumped on him.
Dom grunted, catching her. Her mouth collided with his, and the kiss was wild, hungry. She straddled him, and he slid one hand into her silky hair. He moved his other hand down to cup her ass.
“Bella.”
“I want you, Dom. Now. Inside me, please.”
He’d never make his woman beg. Whatever she needed, he’d give it to her. He yanked the loose shirt she wore over her head. Their eyes locked.
Dom moved one hand between their bodies. Her hips shifted and when his fingers brushed her belly, he felt her suck in a breath.
“I have a contraceptive implant,” she panted.
He gripped the base of his throbbing cock and she lifted her hips. The swollen head of him rubbed against her, where she was slick and warm. She bit down on her bottom lip. She shifted again, and his cock lodged against the folds between her legs.
She gasped, he hissed.
Then, with a primal urgency, she gripped his shoulders and lowered herself down.
Intense pleasure. His cock slid inside her and he felt her body give, taking him in. He watched her face, the emotions that flowed through her eyes, the need stamped on her delicate features.
“Dom—”
“Take me, bella,” he said between gritted teeth.
He saw a flicker of pain on her face, and stilled. He knew it had been a long time for her. But her fingers dug into his skin, and she kept lowering her hips. Determination glinted on her face.
“Bella, take your time—”
“No.” She kept pushing down. “It stings a little.” She made a small, husky sound. “You stretch me.”
He growled, his entire body shaking. He wanted to move, to shove completely inside her. To possess.
But he stayed still and let her lead.
Then, finally, he was lodged deep inside. He groaned.
She cupped his cheeks. “It feels so good.”
“Bella.” He kissed her.
She started to rise and fall. As she found her rhythm, her face flushed, and he’d never seen her look more beautiful.
Arden started to move faster, husky sounds coming from her throat. She was taking her pleasure, riding him, using him. And he loved it.
“Yes, Arden.”
“Oh, God, Dom!”
He moved his hand between their surging bodies and touched her clit. He thumbed it, rolling it between his fingers.
Her movements turned jerky. “I…oh, oh…”
He gripped her hip with his free hand, keeping her moving. His cock felt ready to burst.
Suddenly, she exploded, her release coming fast and hard. She cried out.
Dom’s entire body was on fire. As her body clamped down on his, rippling around his hard cock, he shifted. He shoved her onto her back on the bed.
He felt possessed. He drove into her. Her nails dug into his shoulders.
“Take what you need, my knight.”
Her husky murmur made him growl. He thrust inside her over and over. It wasn’t gentle or slow, and he needed more. He hitched one slim leg up around his hip, giving him deeper access.
Fast and hard, he hammered inside her. With each thrust, a grunt was torn from him. He wanted to mark her, possess her. He felt like a beast in rut.
Arden moaned beneath him, her arms and legs clinging to him. “Dom!”
“Mine, bella.” It was a deep, barely intelligible growl.
“Yes!”
And with that final word, Dom’s release roared through him. He came, his back arching as he thrust to the root, and he groaned through his orgasm.
Chapter Ten
Arden pressed her hands to the tiles in her shower.
“I can’t hold on,” she panted.
“Don’t come,” Dom growled from behind her.
His thick cock was thrusting inside her, his hands clamped on her hips. She pressed her palms harder against the tiles, trying to stop from splintering apart.
Then he covered her body with his, his chest pressed to her back. His teeth bit into her shoulder, and she moaned.
There was too much sensation. She was sensitive and swollen between her legs, and that made his cock feel even bigger. The warm water was rushing over her, his hard body pressed against hers, his stubble rasping on her skin. It was all too much, too good, and she didn’t want it to stop.
She felt fingers slide over her hip and down between her legs. His thrusts increased and his thumb brushed her clit.
“Now get there,” he ordered.
He was being rough with her. He didn’t treat her like glass, or like she was something broken. Her release hit in a blinding rush and her cries echoed off the tiles.
Dom thrust again and stayed lodged deep. He groaned, his big body shaking.
In the aftermath, they both held each other under the warm pulse of the shower. It took a while, but finally Arden’s heartbeat slowed and her breathing evened out. As he soaped them up, she made him turn, and she finally indulged herself tracing his knife tattoo.
“I like this,” she said.
“I got it a few years ago. Had the artist sketch up the design.”
“It’s perfect for you.”
He worked shampoo into her hair, massaging her scalp, and she made a moaning sound.
“That’s two nights I’ve
spent in your arms,” he murmured.
She made a humming sound, nuzzling her face against his chest. One of his hands was resting on her belly, and she liked the way his skin was shades darker than hers.
“I’ve never slept overnight with a woman before.”
Arden stilled and looked up at his face. “Never?”
“Never. I never wanted to and never trusted anyone enough.”
He reached past her and turned off the water. He gently pushed her out of the shower stall, and then wrapped a towel around her. She liked the way he looked after her.
He tied a towel around his waist. “My mother was a Mafia prostitute.”
His words made Arden freeze.
“She worked for Salvatore Denaro. He was the head of the Ndrangheta.” He paused. “One of the largest Mafia groups in Europe. My mother was passed around his men. I have no idea who my father was.”
Dom grabbed Arden’s hand and pulled her out into her quarters. Processing his words took a second, but it was the tone of his voice that got to her. So blank, so empty.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, hitching her towel up higher. “That had to be tough.”
He sank into an armchair nearby, resting his hands between his knees.
“She died of a drug overdose when I was seven.”
Sympathy for a tiny, neglected boy rushed through Arden.
“The Ndrangheta controlled the largest supply of cocaine in Europe, and a few decades ago, they’d moved into Zenith.”
Arden recognized the name of the designer drug. It had become popular about fifty years ago.
“After my mother died, Salvatore kept me around.” Dom sat still and straight. “I became his errand boy. He gave me a bunk in the back room of one of his warehouses.” Dom paused. “When I was old enough, he trained me to fight. Turned out I was good with knives. I had to fight for my food.”
A tremor went through Arden. She wanted to touch him but she wasn’t sure he’d welcome it. She tucked a strand of wet hair behind her ear. “That’s cruel. And it’s no life for a child.”
“I owed him.”
No, screw this. She moved over to Dom, kneeling at his feet. She gripped his leg. “You didn’t owe him anything. He was a criminal.”
