He still felt it. Her lips firmed. He wasn’t indifferent to the suffering. Everything he saw still hurt him.
Dom Santora was a fraud.
He was just as haunted by his demons as she was, and he used them like a shield to keep people at bay.
He turned back to her and his gaze dropped to her sketchbook. “Are you going to draw?”
She nodded. She didn’t let herself think, and suddenly the words were tumbling out of her mouth. “Will you pose for me?”
He stilled. She was sure he was going to say no.
“You owe me,” she said. “For being an asshole this morning.”
“People have called me far worse.” He looked at the grass, his voice lowering to a whisper. “I am sorry I hurt you.”
Arden suspected that Dom hadn’t apologized to many people before. She laid out her blanket. “You can lie on that.”
Then she pulled back a few meters and dropped down onto the grass, tucking her skirt beneath her. She flicked open her sketchbook.
Dom set his knives down, then knelt on the blanket.
“Take your shirt off,” she ordered.
He glanced over at her. In the shadows, the stark lines of his face were even more severe. He looked darker and more dangerous than usual.
His hands lifted and he unbuttoned his shirt. Yes. Arden fought back a little smile. With each inch of bronze skin he uncovered, desire unfurled in her.
The shocking warmth of the sensation started to melt away the ice the mission had left inside her.
Dom dropped his shirt on the grass, then he lay back on the blanket. He propped himself up on one elbow.
He was gorgeous. A dark knight at rest. All that lean muscle was delectable, and she studied the dark ink on his hip. She wanted to ask him what it was, but she was too afraid to ruin the moment.
Arden snatched up her charcoal and started drawing. The desperate urge to capture the moment, to capture him, welled up. As her hand moved, her tense muscles started to relax. Even as her hand moved faster, she felt calmer, smoother.
“Lean back more,” she ordered. “You’ve just returned from battle and you’re taking a well-deserved break.”
He eyed her for a beat, then leaned back. The hard muscles in his abdomen flexed.
She blew out a breath. It still wasn’t quite right. Could she—?
Arden lifted her head, and took a chance. “Can you take the rest of your clothes off?”
Her words fell into silence. He just stared at her, his face unreadable.
She swallowed against her dry throat and stared back at him.
Then he pushed himself up and rose. With slow, methodical movements, he unfastened his trousers. Her breath hitched. In one quick move, he shucked his pants and black boxers off.
Her chest went solid. He sank back down and reclined on the blanket again.
Oh. God.
Every inch of him was perfection. As he lay there, she sketched his sleek flank and the one hard cheek of his ass that she could see. His legs were powerful and muscled.
She let herself look at the faint shadow of his cock.
She bent her head over her paper, sketching fast. He was pure, masculine beauty and she had to capture it all.
“Turn a little more toward me,” she said.
He shifted. And now she had a perfect view of his cock. She swallowed. He was hard, his cock, thick and full.
Arden felt a rush of wet between her legs. She clenched her thighs, her pulse throbbing under her skin.
She kept sketching.
The dark knight had survived the fight. Now, he was home, his body raging with need.
As she studied the image on her paper, filling in some detail with her charcoal, she sensed him move.
She lifted her head and the air rushed out of her.
He’d curled one strong hand around his cock, giving it one hard pump. Her belly clenched and she sucked in a harsh breath.
“Watch, Arden.” His voice was a harsh growl as he stroked his cock. “Watch what you do to me.”
* * *
Cazzo. Dom stroked himself. His cock was as hard as steel. He could feel Arden watching him, and desire was coiling at the base of his spine, waiting to strike.
He looked at her face. Her lips were parted, her gaze on his cock. Her body was shifting restlessly on the grass.
“You are so beautiful,” she breathed.
He blinked. No one had ever called him beautiful before. “Not as beautiful as you.”
Her eyelashes fluttered. “I’ve heard pretty and attractive, but no one’s ever called me beautiful, either.”
It was more than just her looks. It was the inner sense of calm and caring that emanated from inside her. Dom had learned at a very young age to know when a pretty face hid kindness, or rot. If someone would help you, or hurt you.
He stroked again, a groan tearing out of him. He heard her breathing hitch.
“How do you feel?” he asked.
“Hot,” she confessed, shifting again.
“Pull up you skirt, Arden.”
She shivered, then tentatively, reached down. Her fingers slid over her skirt and wadded the fabric. Dom’s pulse jumped. She started pulling the material up slowly, baring slender legs inch by inch.
Her skin gleamed in the moonlight. She pulled the fabric up to her thighs.
“Bella. See what you do to me.” He canted his hips forward.
Her gaze was glued to his hard cock.
“Touch yourself,” he murmured.
She swallowed. With the hand not stained with charcoal, she reached under the hem of her skirt. She made a small sound that made heat break out over his skin.
“Slide your panties aside. Stroke yourself.”
She obeyed, her head falling back like it was too heavy for her neck.
“That’s it. You’re gorgeous.” His cock throbbed intensely. It wouldn’t be long before he was spilling all over himself.
Her legs shifted, and he watched her hand move faster.
“How do you feel?” he asked. “Are you wet?”
She nodded. “Yes. So wet.”
Her eyes locked with his. She kept stroking. Both of them stroking together.
“That’s it, Arden.”
“Oh. Oh—” Her eyes widened.
“Let go, bella.”
Suddenly, she cried out, the noise echoing through the trees. It took all of Dom’s control not to rush over to her. To push her down on the grass, to taste her, touch her, and cover her body with his.
Her head fell forward and she was panting.
“Beautiful,” he said.
She lifted her head, looking at him. He was stroking his cock faster now.
Then she moved, launching herself forward and crawling across the grass to him.
He stiffened. “Arden—”
Slender hands touched his, surrounding his cock. At the brush of her skin, he groaned, his hips pushing upward.
“You’re beautiful, too.” Her voice was husky.
They stroked his cock together, and he felt his orgasm bearing down like a hunter with the scent.
And then before he knew what she had planned, she ducked her head toward his lap. He sucked in a sharp breath, and then she wrapped her mouth around the swollen head of his cock.
Dom’s groan was ripped violently out of him. The hot feel of her mouth combined with the suction almost made him come, then and there. He looked down, and seeing her hair spilling over his thighs almost finished him off.
She licked him and then sucked him deep.
“Arden… Wait…” He sank a hand in her hair, but kept his grip gentle. He never wanted to hurt her or scare her.
She sucked harder, pulling him deeper into her mouth.
Sensations exploded inside him.
With a roar, Dom came. Arden swallowed him down, her fingers digging into his hips. Lights blinked behind his eyes, and pleasure tore him apart and put him back together.
When he could think a
gain, his lungs were working like bellows. He tried to scrounge up some control. Arden pulled back, licking her lips. Her face was flushed.
He growled. All thoughts flew out of his head and he reached for her. She let out a small cry, hands clinging to his shoulders.
He pushed her back on to the blanket, his hands twisting in her skirt.
“Dom—”
“Quiet.”
His growl had her stilling. He wrenched her skirt up to her waist and she gasped.
“My turn,” he said.
She shook her head. “I won’t come again—”
“You will.”
He lowered his head and kissed her thigh. She jumped.
Then he shoved the soaked gusset of her panties aside. His tongue was on her, and she moaned.
Her hands clamped into his hair hard enough to hurt, but he didn’t care. He stabbed his tongue inside her, savoring the taste of her.
“Dom!”
He worshiped her. He had Arden under his mouth, her taste in his senses. Arden. Sweet Arden. She writhed beneath his lips.
He used his tongue, lips, and teeth to pleasure her. Every cry, he felt deep in his body. He circled her clit and she moaned. She tasted like heaven. He kept licking and sucking.
“Dom. Dom.” Her voice broke.
Then she arched and cried out his name. Her body shook wildly as she came again.
His. Dom had never in his life owned anything. Never had anything that was solely his. Never had anything worth keeping.
But his name on Arden’s lips, her body shaking from the pleasure he could give her—he wanted that. Forever.
He pulled her into his arms, curled his body around hers, and held her tight.
Chapter Eight
The sunshine woke Arden. She blinked and realized her nose was pressed to a hard chest covered in warm skin.
Her eyes popped open.
God, she was wrapped around Dom. They were still lying on the blanket, and his trousers were back on, but he was shirtless. There was so much glorious bronze skin on display.
Memories of what they’d done the night before filtered through her head and she trembled.
Dark eyes opened.
“Good morning.” His voice was a deep rumble.
“Morning.” She instantly felt heat in her cheeks.
He lifted a hand and touched her hair. Then he moved his head, pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was slow, soft.
Just as she was reaching for him, a loudspeaker blared.
“Attention Enclave residents.” General Holmes’ voice came through the speaker.
Dom cursed, his arms tightening on her. Then he sat up, pulling her with him.
“This is General Holmes. All adults are to attend a meeting in the dining room now. I repeat, all adults to the dining room now. Thank you.”
Arden’s hands clenched on Dom’s skin. This couldn’t be good.
“Come on.” He rose, pulling her up to stand beside him.
Arden straightened her skirt and tried to smooth the wrinkles in her shirt. They were both rumpled. Dom turned and for the first time, she got a clear view of his back. Her belly clenched. There were a few old scars, but what drew her gaze was his tattoo. On his upper back, along his spine, was a beautiful dagger done in stark black ink.
She wanted to touch it. Her hands twisted in her skirt. She wanted to sketch it.
Then he pulled on his shirt and buttoned it, the tattoo out of view.
“Here.” He reached up and plucked something from her hair. “You had some grass there.”
“Thanks.”
She scooped up the blanket and her sketchbook. When she straightened, Dom cupped her cheek, his thumb sliding across her cheekbone.
Her insides melted. “Dom—”
“We’ll talk later, bella.”
She nodded. He took her hand, leading her to her shoes, then he tugged her out the door.
“What do you think the general’s going to say?” she asked.
Dom frowned. “I guess that they’ve had a chance to analyze the data from your drone. They must have more information on the bomb.”
A cold shiver skittered down her spine. They made a quick detour so Arden could drop off her things. By the time they made it to the dining room, the large space was packed.
Even Gaz’da was present. Their resident Gizzida—one who’d defected and managed to turn away from his Gizzida programming—was a useful ally. He’d helped them out numerous times, and usually stayed to himself. He spent most of his time with Laura and her team in the interrogation area.
Still, looking at the alien made Arden uneasy. She knew he was a victim as well, but her memories of the invasion and all the times her squad had fought the raptors were too twisted up in her head.
General Holmes was standing at the front of the room. He grabbed a chair and stepped up onto a table.
“Okay, quiet, please.” Holmes scanned the room. “Yesterday, the raptors detonated a test bomb.” He took a deep breath. “We collected samples and data, and questioned the lone survivor.”
Tension filled the room and Arden heard fearful whispers.
“Our witness overheard some of what the Gizzida had to say before she hid. The bomb was filled with Gizzida genetic material. They’ve found a way to spread the genetic material through the air.”
A few sharp cries and murmurs rippled through the survivors.
Arden grabbed Dom’s hand.
Holmes held up a palm. “We all know they have a larger bomb. From our questioning, combined with intel from other bases, we now know that there are three bombs.”
Arden’s chest tightened. Three.
“Also, from what we’ve learned, they need to be detonated together,” Holmes added.
Now rumbles filled the room, coming mostly from the soldiers.
“Where are the other two?” Marcus asked.
“We don’t know yet,” the general answered.
More muttering.
“We’re all going to die,” someone called out.
“We don’t know that.” The general’s voice was firm. “From day one, we’ve been outnumbered and outgunned. But here we are, two years later, alive, and fighting back. Through our sheer grit, persistence, and resilience, we’re still here. We’ve suffered losses, terrible losses, but we cling to hope. Other bases around the world are doing the same. We will not give up.”
Around the room, Arden watched people stand a little straighter, their faces filled with determination. Adam Holmes had the innate ability to inspire.
“All the squads will be tasked to find these bombs,” Holmes said. “All our Enclave support teams will be working to find ways to destroy the bombs. We will not go down without a fight. We will stand together, no matter what happens.”
Cheers exploded around the room.
The general nodded. “All squads, please report to the Command Center.”
Dom turned to Arden. “I need to go.”
“Me too.” She swallowed. “Dom…” She wasn’t sure what to say, but she wanted to say something.
He touched her jaw. “I won’t let the Gizzida turn us into scaly aliens.”
She smiled. “Are you going to stop them all by yourself?”
“No. We’ll all need to work together. But I won’t stop fighting.” He stroked the underside of her jaw, making her tremble. “I will not let this soft skin be sullied by the Gizzida.”
His thumb brushed her lips, and then he turned and left, pushing through the crowd.
* * *
Dom strode toward the small conference room assigned to the berserkers.
He paused as he eyed the sketch taped on the door. It showed a muscle-bound, bearded berserker, with a tall, female soldier beside him, threatening to hit him with a frypan.
His lips quirked and he stepped into the room.
“Nice of you to show up, Santora,” Levi called out.
Tane nodded at him.
Hemi pointed. “You see that picture
?” Hemi grinned. “Gotta make a copy for Cam. Wish I knew who our mystery artist was.”
Griff straightened, his brow creasing. “You sleep in those clothes, Santora?”
Spotting a pot of coffee on the side table, Dom stayed quiet and focused on pouring himself a mug. When he turned, he saw the speculation in his friend’s eyes.
“Listen up,” Tane said. “We got our assignment.”
“Yeah, we need to save the world,” Levi said.
“Fuck yeah,” Hemi added. “I got a gorgeous woman, and I want to still be sleeping beside her when we’re both old, gray, and wrinkly.”
For a second, Dom imagined Arden as an elegant, silver-haired woman. She’d be just as beautiful, just as tempting. He knew he’d still want her, however old they were.
“I’ve seen your ass, Rahia.” Levi winked. “You aren’t far away from old, gray, and wrinkly.”
Hemi shot the man the finger.
Tane ignored the banter. “There are three bombs. Our squad has been tasked with focusing on searching for the large octagon bomb that we saw in Katoomba.”
“What about the other two bombs?” Ash asked. “Are they even in Australia?”
“We don’t know yet. Other teams are working on locating them, and the general is liaising with the other bases around the world. We’ll find ‘em.”
“So, what’s our plan?” Levi asked.
Tane waved at the portable comps resting on the table. “We’ll start by searching drone footage.”
Groans filled the room. Dom knew how everyone felt. They were soldiers, men of action, and sitting at computer screens for hours on end was not their idea of fun.
Tane held up a hand. “If we can narrow down some particular search areas, we’ll do some recon missions into the mountains.” He raised a dark brow. “Recon only. We do not engage the aliens. The bomb is our priority.”
The grumbles settled down. The berserkers poured more coffee and got to work. Soon, they were all sitting, searching the footage.
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.
Dom: Hell Squad #18 Page 7