"It's a room!" He called down to her. "We're safest here. I have enough water for three days and rations for two. Do you have any supplies?"
"I have two days worth of water and nutritional rations for a day."
"Lawton, after you get some sleep, we could move twenty miles out unless the passages are blocked further up. That's a good distance from the sweep range. And I seriously doubt they'd waste the man power to search hundreds of miles of old sewage pipes in the hopes of finding a few getaways." Connor surmised. "There is a lock on the other side of the door too, so it locks from the inside. It's only a concrete floor, but it's better than a firing squad."
"You've got a point." Lawton climbed the ladder and Connor offered his hand to steady her over the railing. She looked inside. It was really just a closet - there may have been enough room for five people to fit standing shoulder-to-shoulder. A control panel had been built into the wall and that was it.
Connor pulled a small flashlight off his utility belt, turned it on and set it on the floor pointing the beam of light to the ceiling. It illuminated everything softly. Both Connor and Lawton removed the night glasses and Connor bolt locked the door.
"Drink and eat something," Connor said.
"I'm not hungry," Lawton mumbled.
"You know it's not about hunger." He took out a canteen of water and a couple nutritional rations and set them before her.
"Then sit down with me,"
"Guess pacing in here isn't an option."
"No."
They sat, ate and drank. "You were right, I feel a little more stable."
"My leg would make a good pillow," Connor offered. "I'll keep watch - get some sleep."
Lawton looked in his eyes and decided she wouldn't try analyzing things right now. She curled onto the cold hard floor and rested her head on Connor's thigh. She was fast asleep before she could say thank you.
~ ~ ~
After Lawton woke, they shared more rations. The fear had calmed for both of them a bit as they had heard no pursuit.
"We won't just be able to find a vehicle and travel - nobody leaves their Selection." Connor formulated. "Unless we can get our hands on Sov uniforms."
"How do you propose we accomplish that wardrobe feat?" Lawton asked.
"I have an idea, but it's risky. I don't think we should try to do it, unless the opportunity presents itself."
"What is it?" She asked.
"Where is the nearest pocket of Rebels?" Connor asked.
"Pockets are scattered but the closest organized division is east from here in Old Detroit. They were going to come in as reinforcements - but they are a very small Division maybe two hundred strong and they have an even smaller civilian population — only like fifty. What's your idea?" Lawton finished.
"What have you got on under your uniform?" Connor inquired.
"White issued tank and running shorts - and thin armor. Why?" She answered.
"When we come out of the tunnels we can't be wearing uniforms - we'd be spotted a mile away. If we are in civvies, and get spotted at least they won't shoot on site - they will try to apprehend us for Selection defecting." Connor explained.
"And this helps us how?"
"We are trained soldiers with weapons - we take them down, strip them of their uniforms and get their vehicle in the process. Then we can at least get out of the area and go from there."
"It's not a bad plan, Connor." Lawton contemplated. "We'd have to travel southeast a little, then directly east with a bend north, and cross through Indiana and Michigan. I don't have a map - but I have paper and pen - I can draw the way the land moves."
She took out the paper and pen and did her best to draw a good makeshift map. "Do you think you can get us there with a compass?"
"I do. I also think we should stay down here another day and night. They'll be moving out soon up there, and when they do, they'll leave only a few sets of troops for patrol. We'll have a much better chance of the plan working." Connor informed.
"Okay," Lawton agreed.
They set a veering course southeast, and followed the pipes. They didn't speak much, but saved their strength for running. After about ten miles the tunnel they were following stopped with no break off tunnel. There was another blue door halfway up the wall and this time the ladder extended back up to another metal disk.
"Is that the way out?"
"Looks like the end of the line," Connor put in.
"I don't think I like the way you say that,"
"Me neither." Connor agreed. "I can still see bits of daylight through the holes in the disk - let's bunk up again in the control room and I'll set my watch for 5 am. We'll head out once we're rested and it's dark."
They climbed up and got into the room that was identical to the first. Connor set up the flashlight and they pooled their rations together. Before they ate, Lawton began removing her uniform.
"You don't need to do that yet."
"My clothes are soaked with sweat, smoke, and grime - I need to lay them out to dry and honestly, the armor isn't very comfortable either." Lawton unbuttoned her uniform over shirt shirt and shimmied out of her pants. "Hey look! There are a few nails in the wall. Perfect!"
Connor was already looking - in fact he was watching her mesmerized, but Lawton didn't seem to notice. She hung the pants and shirt on the nails then peeled off the thin under tank top and the form fitted running shorts. All she had left was the sleek black glued on armor that hugged her every curve.
"This is going to be difficult to remove - it requires a lot of pulling and tugging since it's so molded." Lawton struggled for a few minutes then asked with a shy expression. "Will you help me?"
Connor swallowed hard, "Yeah, okay." He tried to make it sound like it was no big deal.
They pulled down the sleeves inside out so it would come off her torso. Lawton had her back to him - the shy thing got worse when she remembered she never wore a bra under these things.
"You're not wearing anything under this are you?" Connor interrupted her thoughts as he began working the suit past her delightfully full hips.
"No soldier does. It sort of serves the purpose," she admitted.
"Uh-hun."
A moment later she was standing naked before him. Her back was supple and her spine curved beautifully from her slender neck to her perfectly formed ass. All too quick she pulled over the white thin tank top over her frame and the running shorts that hugged and held her hips where Connor thought he would love to put his hands.
She quickly dressed, and he forced himself to think about food for the two of them. He created a makeshift meal; she sat on the floor across from him and he opened the silver packets of rations. He looked up at her, wishing it could have been better - that she were completely safe, and that there was no more danger she had to face. He wasn't sure when the first moment was that he fell in love with her - but he had no doubt that he had.
"You should let your uniform dry too you know." Lawton suggested. "You have underclothes on right? I mean that was how your plan went."
"Yeah, okay." He felt extremely exposed. It wasn't the amount of clothes he'd be wearing; it was the fact that she was only wearing a thin white see-through top that draped over every line of flesh. He could see the dark outline of her nipples poking into the fabric and the curve of her thigh-leading straight into the hem of her shorts. He could only imagine what it would be like to touch her, to feel her, to be with her. And the looking was making him ache.
He did as she suggested and pulled off his outer gear. "There aren't anymore nails. Why don't I spread them out on the floor, that way you can lay on it so you'll be a little more comfortable when you sleep."
"And we could both fit."
He nodded, stripped down to his t-shirt and shorts and laid his clothes down on the floor. He thought about how much she had just gone through the past week and how tired she must have been.
"Come on," Connor said and offered his arm as a pillow. She lay down next to him and reste
d her head on his chest.
"You know what I wish I could do?" She asked.
"What?"
"Run away. Run away and never look back. Find someplace far away, deep in the woods and mountains where they could never find me. Live off the land - no fighting, no Selections, no Sov, no Rebels, no wars." Her voice sounded on the edge of desperation. "I've been fighting my entire life and I don't want to do it anymore. Could you imagine living under the clear sky, no tunnels and no ruins?"
"If you go, could I come with you?" He had no right to ask, but he heard the words slip from his mouth.
She looked into his sky blue eyes. "You would want to come with me?" Lawton was a confident soldier - she knew how to help others, fight and stay alive. She was a survivor, she always had been. But she had always been on her own.
"I've known you for seven days, Lawton, and yet now… I can't imagine being without you." Connor gently stroked her hair back.
"Would you say my name?"
"Rachel," he breathed.
He felt a cool drop of water touch his arm and he realized she was crying. "I'm sorry,"
"No, it's… I'm always trying to prove to the world that I'm strong - and I am… but sometimes I feel so vulnerable and small." Her voice shook.
"I know who you are. I've seen you, what you do, what you believe - you have given so much of yourself to others… I think you deserve something back." Connor held her closer.
"I haven't been in a relationship for several years… it's… easier not to feel." Rachel closed her eyes as she sank into the pressure of his body. "This could be my last night alive, and I realize I am hungry… hungrier than I have ever been in my life."
She sat up and looked in Connor's eyes expectantly. He pulled himself up next to her until they were face to face.
"Thank you for saving my life, Connor." She breathed as more tears streaked her face.
"You had just saved mine - and you didn't even know it." He wiped the tear from her cheek and let his hand rest there. "My name is Noah."
"Noah," she said. It sounded like music.
He pressed his mouth into hers, and their passion ignited. His fingers tangled into her hair to bring her even closer to him. Her hands trailed up his shaped arms, trailing the lines and cuts of his muscles.
His mouth moved to her ear. His lips breathed warm air over it and he whispered, "I am so in love with you, Rachel."
"Then make love to me," She said suddenly. "I have never belonged to anyone and I don't want to die without ever having known what it feels like. I don't want to spend the last night of my life horrified of tomorrow." She took his face into the palms of her hands. She wanted his expression, needed his eyes to speak to her. "I just want to melt into you. To experience that power, until I can't feel anything but you."
His mouth came down on hers with a fevered intensity. His lips caressed hers, felt the softness, the pressure, and the fit. Then his tongue flickered experimentally over her bottom lip. She opened her mouth for him and his tongue gently explored her and played with her tongue. The sensations kindled fire through both their bodies. A breathy moan escaped her sending further heat into Noah's mouth. He groaned softly in return.
He released her lips and began caressing her down the crescent of her neck with kisses. Electricity coursed through her. He stayed and lingered on her shoulder before trailing his mouth across her collarbone. He wanted to go farther. She could tell because his hands reached to the hem of her shirt and his fingers gripped the fabric. His eyes met hers for permission.
"I'm yours," Rachel breathed.
Both of Noah's hands, ever so gently, lifted her shirt over her head and dropped it to the floor, revealing her breasts.
Her breath hitched, "I've never… done this before."
"Neither have I," Noah admitted. "But, I think I know how to make it beautiful."
She wasn't exactly sure what he meant, but before she had a chance to respond, he kissed her softly down the center of her throat to her breast. Then he kissed her nipple savoring it as pulled it in between his lips and sucked the soft flesh into his mouth. Rachel gasped. He added pressure from her cue.
"Oh," escaped her lips and she felt him smile. She blushed. He brought his hand up and cupped her other breast fully into his palm as he continued sucking the first. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger. It hardened under his touch and he couldn't help moan with pleasure. Rachel's body caved at the sensations. She leaned herself back into the clothes and arched her back toward him, offering herself to him. He was carrying her away.
"You know," he said breathlessly. "It's almost like sculpting…" Noah's mouth counted down her ribs and moved slowly down her belly. "When you become one with the material…" His lips continued over her hip bone and lingered on her thigh.
"I didn't know… you were an artist," Rachel said between heavy breaths.
"I want to show you who I am, who I really am… and I want to know everything about you." He said as he carefully touched the sensitive flesh at her core. Tentatively at first, he just stroked his fingertips around the outside of her sex, exploring the area. Rachel realized she had squeezed her eyes shut. Deliberately, she opened them to watch Noah and his advance. He was watching his fingers as he pulled apart the delicate folds.
She thought her heart was pounding so loudly, he must hear it. His eyes rose to meet hers and he smiled again as if satisfied with her expression. He darted his tongue against the back of her knee and tasted salt. It tickled her wickedly. Then he kissed her there like he had kissed her on the mouth with his lips and tongue.
He loved every moment of this - it was as if she were pinned down and rendered motionless by his touch - she was so completely surrendered. He moved to kiss behind her opposite knee and created a path up her other thigh. Again he lingered, but this time his finger gently penetrated inside of her.
"Your center is so hot and wet." He smiled knowing he had made her that way. "Oh God, you are so beautiful!" Noah exclaimed. His eyes had become darkened and stormy with lust. He stared deep into Rachel's eyes as his tongue separated her center, plunging into her slit, climbing, licking, tasting and making a path to the bud at the top of her core.
Her breath caught and he smiled again, pleased with himself. With his tongue he painted swirls. She moaned as her hips rose to push herself into his mouth. Her motions and sounds were driving him fucking crazy! His cock was rock solid and he groaned into her core as he added a second finger.
His moaning on her clit powered strong vibrations through her while her stomach tightened and quivered as he brought his fingers in and back out again, exploring her tight cushioned walls. He was tender and full of love.
"Oh Noah," Rachel whimpered.
He closed his eyes and breathed out hot moist air onto her center. She couldn't take it any more! She reached down and held her hand on the top of his head. He could feel her swell under his tongue.
Just then, sensations rushed like fireworks from the bundle of nerves he had been so attentive to. She pushed up into his fingers and tongue and was thrown over the edge of her burning climax. Her body writhed and contorted losing all self-control. She cried out and crushed his mouth into her quaking flesh. Her legs clamped down on the sides of his head.
"Come here," Rachel cried as she pulled him on top of her.
His face was soaked. His lips were glistening wet. He smashed his mouth on hers - the taste of herself on him brought her even higher. "I want to feel you inside of me," she was breathless.
"Are you sure?" He asked panting too. He wanted her just as bad.
"I've never been so sure of anything in my life,"
He cradled her head in his strong arm. He worked his hand between them and onto the hardness of his shaft. He was overcome with powerful emotions and sensations he felt as he slid into her moisture. Slowly, he penetrated her. Noah groaned sending pulses though both of their bodies - both of them were undone.
Rachel crashed her needy pussy into him. A s
harp pain ripped through her, causing her to cry out. He stopped immediately and looked at her wide-eyed.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I forgot it would hurt."
"Do you want to stop? He asked with concern.
"No, please don't stop." She whimpered.
Noah carefully pushed into her and watched her face for a reaction. It took every ounce of control he could conjure.
Rachel's eyes rolled back, "It doesn't hurt anymore," she breathed. "Go faster again."
His hardness filled every inch of her and she became a pulsating mess. They each surrendered themselves to the other and their moment - as one human being, making love - strong, compassionate, and endless.
"Oh Rachel," his voice was husky. She loved hearing him say her name in his pleasured condition. "I never knew it would be like this."
She responded to his voice and words by contracting her core's muscles. Noah let out a breathy moan. His thrusting became harder, more urgent - faster. His lips rushed to meet hers - kissing her deeply. His sweat mingled with hers, his hard body covering her, filling her, claiming her.
He exploded. She could feel his shaft pulse against her walls. He stayed over her catching his breath. Once he did he began kissing her face, her neck, her ears - then stopped, closed his eyes and lovingly pressed his lips to her dampened forehead.
"You are the most incredible woman I have ever known - in every possible way."
Rachel reached up and tenderly held his jaw and thought running away with him might not be such a bad idea.
They laid close through the night and gave each other a part of their strength - as they had their souls.
CHAPTER 9
Venture
Noah woke up first. Before he opened his eyes, he wondered if it had all been a dream. But he felt her soft body curled up tight against him in his arms. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to stir her awake. He wished it were possible for the two of them to stay where they were - together and safe un dictated by everything and everyone around them.
Enemy Lines Page 5