He couldn’t help but grin, and the mood in the room eased. “No rats, bébé. But I can see in the dark. My instincts are acute, and I can pick up heat signatures. There’s no poisonous bite, though.”
“Did you get the tattoo in honor of the animal you merged with?” She skimmed her fingers over the head of the snake as it curved around his neck.
He hesitated with his answer. Once the rest of the story was out, there was no taking it back. She would never look at him as a normal man again. Would she see him as a freak? As repugnant? Would she still want him to touch her? He looked into her intense, intelligent gaze and took a deep breath. All or nothing. She had to know everything. They needed her. He needed her.
“I woke up with the tattoo, bébé.”
Her touch trembled against his skin. “It isn’t a tattoo, is it?”
“No.”
“Is it an impression of the animal you merged with? The remnants of the snake melted into you, like a brand?”
“No. It’s something else.”
A little pucker appeared between her brows as her quick mind raced over the information he gave her. She was getting ready to ask for an explanation, but there was no explaining this. This, he had to show her. Lifting her, he sat her on the chair beside him, and then stood. He reached for the bottom of his vest top.
“Be certain,” Mace warned.
Striker eyed the woman in front of him, considering what he was about to do. Her pale cheeks were flushed pink. Her eyes darted around as though following every thought zipping through her mind. Her hands shook, her breathing was rapid, but she didn’t run. There was no hysterics. No revulsion. No fear. Only shock, wonder, and curiosity. She was brave and vulnerable at the same time. She was beautiful.
“I’m sure.” He yanked off his shirt.
With his eyes still on Friday, he held his arms away from his body and called to the snake. He felt a tingling in his spine. Dull throbbing pain raced through his muscles, making them clench tight. Friday’s eyes widened, and she tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. She clenched her hands together tightly in her lap. Striker felt a wrenching sensation deep inside him, then the sharp pain of separation made him break out in a sweat. There was a snap, and his other half landed on the table beside him.
Friday gasped. She shot to her feet and backed away from the table. Striker lowered his arms. His eyes were on the woman instead of on the live diamondback curled in the middle of the dining room table.
She stared at him, then at the diamondback, then him again.
“Turn around.” Her demand was little more than a shaky whisper.
He did as she commanded and heard her sharp inhale when she saw his unblemished skin. There was no sign that there had ever been an image of a snake on his body.
“How?”
He felt her touch, ice cold and trembling as she traced over his shoulder where the snake had been. The diamondback on the table hissed at them. His other half wanted Friday’s attention, too. He felt her jerk away from him, which made the diamondback hiss louder. He turned to find Friday staring at the reptile.
“Is it real?” She reached a hand out toward the snake.
“Don’t!” Sandi took a step forward. “It will bite.”
Striker shook his head. His connection with the reptile was buzzing. The diamondback wouldn’t attack Friday. He had never been more certain of anything in his life.
“It won’t harm you. It wants to be petted.” A dull throb of agreement jangled through his mind.
“What are you doing?” Sandi snapped at him. “Are you trying to get her killed? I thought the whole point of this was to keep her alive.”
Confusion and indecision flitted across Friday’s face.
“The snake likes her,” he told his teammate. “It won’t attack. I’d bet my life on it.”
“But you aren’t,” Sandi snapped. “You’re betting hers.”
“Bébé.” He took a step toward Friday. He didn’t know why, but he felt it was of the utmost importance that she believed him. That she trusted him. That she accepted the diamondback the way she’d accepted the man. “I promise you. The snake won’t harm you.”
“Damn it!” Sandi threw up her hands. “What the hell, she’s already dying, right? What’s the difference if it happens now, or in a couple of days’ time?”
Friday looked up at him, those brilliant blue eyes of hers seeing past everything that was irrelevant. Seeing to the core of the man.
“I promise,” he whispered.
She swallowed hard and turned back to the snake, which had inched across the table toward her. Slowly, she reached out to touch the diamondback. The team held their breath. Her fingers trembled. As usual, she didn’t let her fear stop her, closing the distance between herself and the deadly predator. Striker felt the moment she made contact. The touch vibrated down his back, in the spot where the reptile normally lay.
Deep in his mind, he felt a smug preening. The snake was proud and showing off for Friday. It wanted her to like him. If the damn thing had been a cat it would have rolled to its back and offered its belly for a rub. Instead, it brushed against her hand, making her caress the length of it. Striker shivered at each touch as though she were caressing him.
The diamondback wriggled forward and wrapped itself around Friday’s arm. Slowly it worked its way up to her shoulder. She froze in place, her eyes wide with fear and wonder. Striker felt a giddy delight deep inside and knew it was the snake. It curled around her shoulders, snuggled its head into the crook of her neck and closed its eyes. Striker could have sworn he heard the damn thing sigh with contentment.
“What the hell?” Mace muttered.
Friday let out a nervous giggle. She was adorable, still frozen in place and trembling, yet delighted with that damn reptile.
“It likes you.” As did Striker, and those feelings were growing by the minute. Seemed that neither the man nor the beast could resist this woman.
Deep inside him he heard a whisper of a word. Mine. His eyes shot to Friday and watched as she stroked the long length of the snake. Another word whispered through his mind. Keep. His jaw dropped as he realized what he was watching. His reptile half had claimed her.
“What just happened?” Sandi said.
“Snake whisperer.” Gray was leaning against the cabinet, eating an apple and studying them. “An affinity for the creatures.”
“Maybe.” Doc stepped closer to Friday, earning a warning hiss from the diamondback. “Maybe the snake is picking up on signals from the man and doesn’t see her as a threat.”
“Or food,” Mace added helpfully.
“It’s warm,” Friday said in wonder, petting the reptile. “Look at its beautiful colors. It’s actually more vibrant when it’s off your body. Your dark skin tone dulls the colors somewhat. It’s so pretty.”
Inside his mind the damn reptile gloated. He could have sworn it was telling him that Friday liked the snake more than she liked the man. His life was getting weirder than usual. He was used to an instinctive connection with the reptile. One that meant they could communicate without words, but this was stronger, clearer. It was almost as though his connection with the snake was growing.
Which brought him right back to the reason he’d made his deal with the little scientist. Somebody needed to get to the bottom of their mutated DNA. Somebody had to give them some answers. Otherwise, they were walking into their new futures blind.
“How long can you two stay separate?” Friday asked, her hand still on the diamondback.
“Twelve, fourteen hours, at most, then the urge to merge is painful. I don’t know what would happen if we couldn’t get back together.” But he feared it would be the end of him and the reptile.
“Do you talk to each other? Telepathically?”
An inexplicable surge of pride went through him at her question. She was so damn smart. “We communicate instinctually, but recently”—very recently—“I’ve started to pick up words and emotion.”
“Who’s in charge in your partnership? You or the snake?” She nuzzled her cheek against the snake’s head, and he could practically feel the damn thing purr.
“Me. Definitely me.”
“Is it aware when it’s on your skin?”
“It’s sleeping, but aware.”
Her eyes went wide, her back snapped straight, and her lips parted. “We can never have sex!”
The room erupted with laughter, and she turned a deep shade of red. There was really no stopping the woman’s thoughts from coming right out of her mouth.
“Why can’t we have sex, bébé?” This he had to hear.
She peered at the team from the corner of her eye. “We’ll talk about it later.”
“I think you need to say it now. Everybody’s waiting to hear your reasoning.” Something nasty gripped at his emotions, making the diamondback raise its head and narrow its eyes at him. “Is it because I’m a freak?”
“What?” She stepped toward him, her hand up as though to touch, but she remembered they had an audience and stopped. “Don’t be an idiot. It’s because the snake would watch.”
Relief surged through him, followed closely by annoyance when his friends made no attempt to smother their amusement. Striker growled at Jeremiah, who was laughing hard enough to have tears rolling down his face.
“I meant to whisper that,” Friday mumbled.
He mentally nudged his other half and told it to get on home. There was a second of protest before it slithered off Friday’s shoulder, rubbing against her as though the snake was petting the woman, which made her squeak, then giggle. It climbed up Striker’s body, curled around him, and he clenched his teeth in pain as they merged once again.
Friday was on him in an instant. Her hands running over his back to trace the body of the snake.
“Unbelievable.” She was clearly awestruck. “Do it again!”
He put his hands on his hips and hung his head. This was not how he’d thought this would go.
“Can you make it wink at me while it’s on your body?” She prodded the head of the snake on his neck. “Can it hear me? When I touch it, do you feel it or does the snake?”
“I take it back,” Mace said. “She’s worth the hassle just for the entertainment.”
Friday ignored the comment. Striker wasn’t even sure she was still aware there were people in the room. Her focus was on his weird DNA, and the little scientist was beyond excited. “Is this why you wanted my brain? You want me to study your genetic mutation?” Her voice bubbled with enthusiasm. “I didn’t need to be blackmailed into this. I’d have done this for free. This is amazing. Scientists spend lifetimes waiting for an opportunity like this. This is a dream come true.”
She scanned the rest of the team. “What animals do you have? Wait! Does this mean you’re immune to the red mist? What about aging? Do you age at a normal rate? I know you were essentially frozen for a hundred years but has your aging changed since you woke up?” She beamed at their medic. “Can we go to the lab now? Do you have some samples I can look at? Can I read your data? I’ve already been sworn to secrecy. I’m totally trustworthy.” She looked up at Striker. “Tell him.”
It was clear from the hysteria in the room that he’d had lost control of the meeting. He wrapped his arms around Friday and lifted her up against him, high enough to make her feet dangle above the floor. Without saying a word to the assholes he called family, he strode toward the back of the cave.
“Wait!” She struggled to get free. “I want to see what everybody else has. Who’s got the bear? It’s Mace, isn’t it? He’s huge, and he couldn’t work the scanner. I hear bears are big and not that smart, so it would fit.”
He tuned out the new wave of laughter behind him as he stomped his way to his room. Friday thumped his shoulder—the one without the snake tattoo, no doubt because she was worried about hurting the reptile. Obviously, she wasn’t that worried about hurting the man.
“Take me back. I have questions that need answering. I want to get started on my research.”
“We’re going to bed.”
“I told you, I won’t have sex with the diamondback watching our every move. You promised we wouldn’t have an audience. I don’t care how attractive you are. Sex is off the table. I can’t do it with a snake watching me.”
He shook his head in wonder at the stuff that went on in her head. The team’s laughter followed them down the corridor, telling him they could still hear every word coming out of her mouth. He took her into what was essentially a private room. His private room.
The cavern wasn’t brightly lit like the communal area had been. Instead, it was filled with the dim yellow glow emitted by a low-beam industrial lamp. Furnishings were sparse and looked completely out of place against the rough stone of the walls. A set of metal shelves held his clothing, all neatly arranged, a habit left over from his army days. Against the wall nearest the entrance was a small table he used as a desk. On top of it sat a top-of-the-line computer console, the kind they used in the Coalition Countries because you didn’t need implants to work it. Hunter, their tech guy, had rigged an old-fashioned keyboard to the state-of-the-art machine, making it a fusion of old and new—much like him.
He walked over to his bed and sat Friday on the edge. Her mouth was open, and her eyes were wide. “You were serious? You really expect us to go to bed now?”
“Yeah.” He was so damned tired he could sleep standing, which meant they were definitely going to bed. But first he had to make sure Mace had taken care of their transport to La Paz and the paperwork they needed to get into the closed city. “Get ready. I’ll be back in a minute. If you need the facilities, turn right out of this cavern and you’ll see them farther down the tunnel on the left.”
“I know where the facilities are.” Her nose wrinkled in disgust. “What I don’t know is why you’re using something called a chemical toilet.”
Man, she was cute, but these conversations tended to go on forever and he needed some shut-eye. “Bébé, this is a cave. The best we can do for plumbing is to heat the water that runs through it. The toilets are chemical because that’s what works in here. Do you really want to discuss the toilets?”
“No.” She sat up straight. “I want to talk about the animals. Have they changed your personalities?”
“Tomorrow.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We both need sleep. Get yourself sorted and get into bed.”
The color drained from her face. “I thought there would be more kissing and stuff first.”
An alarm sounded in his mind. He was missing something here and needed to backtrack fast to find out what it was. “First, before what? Before sleep?”
She blinked up at him. “Before sex. Isn’t that why you want me to get ready?”
“Bébé.” He let out a sigh. “I already told you. Sex isn’t part of our deal. You don’t need to worry about it. Right now, we’re exhausted and need to catch some sleep.”
About a million different emotions seemed to race across her face—relief, confusion, disappointment, acceptance. And with that last disheartened look, he knew she’d come to the wrong conclusion.
Wide blue eyes looked up at him. “Don’t you want to have sex with me?” Her words were like a punch to his gut. If the woman knew the effect she had with her vulnerably honest questions, she’d be dangerous.
“Chère, if you believe anything, believe this: I definitely want you.”
She didn’t look convinced, making him close the distance between them to crouch in front of her. “You’ve turned me into
a desperate man, Friday Jones. It’s been a long time since I wanted a woman as much as I want you. I want to strip you naked and lay you down on cool cotton sheets, then take my time exploring every inch of that smooth, creamy skin of yours.” Her full pink lips parted with a little hiss of air that made him want to taste, and touch, and indulge. When they had time. “I want to tease you with my lips and teeth and listen to those little gasps and groans you’ll make when I drive you crazy with need. And then, when you’re begging me to take you, because you can’t stand the pleasure no more, I’m gonna cover you with my body and slide into your warm, wet heat. Then, mon amour, I’m gonna take us both to paradise. Over. And. Over. Again. Until you can’t think from wanting me. Because I can’t think from wanting you.” He stroked his thumb over her bottom lip. “Does that sound like a man who doesn’t want you?”
She leaned into his touch, her eyes dark, her cheeks flushed. A perfect picture of pure temptation. “It can really be like that?”
“Yeah, it can really be like that. But, with you, I think it’s gonna be something more. I’m not sure we’re gonna survive that much passion.” He gave her a slow, promising smile. “But I sure am willing to try.”
She let out a shaky little breath. “I didn’t know…”
No, from her reaction, he didn’t think any man had taken proper care of her in bed. He’d change that. When they had time.
With deep regret, he forced himself to stand and move away from her. “Trust me, there’s gonna be way more kissing in your future, but not right now. We’re exhausted, and we need to get in some sleep before we head out again.”
“Okay,” she whispered, but she didn’t sound convinced. “Maybe we could have sex then sleep?”
She was too damn tempting. And he couldn’t resist. He leaned over, clasped her face, and kissed those soft lips of hers. He took his time, making it last, letting her feel the need he wanted to unleash, but couldn’t. When he pulled away from her, she was dazed and swaying, her cheeks pink, her lips red. Beautiful.
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