Lie Close to Me

by Cynthia Eden

  She craned her head, trying to see below without making herself a target. At the same moment, she heard the crack of wood from downstairs. She knew the front door had just been smashed in.

  She wasn’t going to sit there while the men cornered her. She’d go face them. Luna slipped away from the window.

  “Fuck!” Maddox’s curse was strong and furious. “They’re taking something in. Get out, Luna, get—”

  But his words were cut off as more gunfire rang out. She had the fast impression of pain. Maddox’s pain.

  Then she heard a loud boom—one that came from downstairs. The whole cabin seemed to shake even as the scent of smoke and fire reached her. Eyes widening in horror, she ran from the bedroom and peered below. The lower level of the house was burning as flames spread far too rapidly.

  The fire totally blocked the stairs. She was trapped on the second level. To get out, she’d have to go through one of the upstairs windows. Going out the front windows wasn’t an option—that was where all of the “FBI guys” were. So she rushed to a rear bedroom. She shoved open the nearest window and jumped through it, clutching her gun tight on the way down.

  “Got her!” A high, cracking voice.

  Her knees didn’t buckle when she landed. She whirled toward the man’s voice. Saw the guy pointing his weapon right at her. “No, I’ve got you.” And she fired before he could, a lightning fast move that had the bullet tearing through his arm. He scrambled back, howling in pain, automatically clutching his wound…and also dropping his weapon.

  As she stared at him, another bullet blasted. This one came from behind her. Luna whirled, expecting to feel a bullet slamming into her body, but Maddox was there. He jumped in front of her. Maddox gave a rough grunt, then he was firing.

  She could hear more vehicles approaching in the distance, and the blaze was raging out of control, burning through the cabin like wildfire.

  “Fuck this…” Maddox sucked in a sharp breath. He whirled around, glared at the men in black vests who were closing in on him and Luna. “Drop.”

  She didn’t understand. Did he think they were just going to drop their weapons? Or—

  They dropped. The men literally dropped to the ground. She saw four fall, as if they’d just been knocked unconscious. And, of course, they had. Maddox’s power. He’d told her he could do that. He’d said he usually liked to touch his prey because it was easier to knock them out that way. When he attacked without touching, he’d warned her that he used too much energy. What had he said? Something about the crash after?

  “The crash afterwards is a real bitch.”

  Beside her, Maddox swayed. Her arm immediately wrapped around him, and when it did, she felt the wetness on his back. Blood.

  Oh, God. “Maddox?”

  His head turned. She could see him perfectly. She’d been able to see all of their attackers perfectly, even though darkness reigned outside. Was night vision another super soldier perk?

  “Get…SUV,” he rasped. “Not much…time.”

  Okay, there were lots of SUVs to choose from. Luna got them to the nearest SUV. The keys were even still inside because someone had been especially accommodating.

  “Drive…” Maddox whispered.

  She’d been able to figure out how to drive a motorcycle, she’d automatically been able to aim and fire a gun, so she could handle this ride, too, no problem. Had to be one of those procedural memory things he’d told her about.

  Maddox slumped into the passenger seat. “Get us…out of here.”

  His heartbeat sounded funny. The beat wasn’t fast and strong like it usually was. She cranked the vehicle, but didn’t rush away from the scene. Her hand reached out and touched his cheek. “Maddox?”

  “It will…only be for a little while…” He swallowed. “Don’t worry, I’ll…come back.”

  The scent of his blood was strong. Too strong. “Is the bullet still in you?”

  He didn’t speak.

  “Maddox?”

  Nothing. His heart was still beating, but it was so slow. Way too slow. She was afraid that he was dying.

  Footsteps rushed toward her. Her head whipped to the right. She saw a man there, tall, muscled, with tousled red hair. He had a gun pointed at her. She’d been so intent on Maddox that she’d forgotten everything else.

  I thought all of the guys were unconscious. Why isn’t he on the ground, too?

  Then the redhead fired his gun. She ducked, fast, and glass rained down on her. No way did she want a bullet to the brain. She threw the vehicle into reverse and slammed on the gas. The SUV immediately lurched back, then rammed into the vehicle that had been parked behind it. Dammit!

  “Luna!”

  That roar had come from the jerk who’d fired at her. She shifted gears and whipped the steering wheel around. Her foot shoved the gas pedal into the floorboard.

  The redhead saw her coming toward him, and the guy cursed. “I fucking saved you! You owe me!”

  He had to leap out of her way. And the guy could leap really, really well. Too well. Like super soldier well. But she didn’t stop to ask the man just where he’d gotten his super soldier bonuses. Instead, she kept the gas pedal pinned to the floorboard, and the SUV’s engine roared as she hurried away from the cabin. When she got to the main road, she could hear other vehicles coming from the left. The drivers weren’t close enough to see her, not yet, but they were coming in fast. Luna whipped the steering wheel toward the right.

  She flew down the road. She kept the SUV’s lights turned off, not wanting to alert anyone to her presence, and she hauled ass. Minutes ticked by in silence. The darkness stretched around her. Soon the only sounds she could hear were her racing heartbeat and her own ragged breathing.

  No one was following her. They’d gotten away clean.

  Finally, her shoulders sagged. “That was close.” She gave a little laugh. “You know what? I think I was kind of kick-ass.” She’d been like an action hero the way she’d jumped out of that window. She was…

  Her head turned toward Maddox. A very still and silent Maddox. Luna realized that she didn’t hear any sound at all coming from him. Not a whisper of a breath. Not the stutter of his heartbeat.

  She slammed on the brake pedal. “Maddox?” Her hand flew toward him.

  Then she screamed because Luna realized he was dead.

  ***

  Sonofabitch. Luna had been right there. Right the fuck there. And she’d gotten away.

  He holstered his weapon. Kicked one of the unconscious bodies of the absolutely useless guards who’d come with him to the cabin. Humans. Mercs that he’d hired to help out on his mission, and they couldn’t do jack. Maddox had blasted them with a psychic hit, and they’d all gone down like toy soldiers falling in battle.

  He’d even staggered. But, luckily, he’d been hiding in the woods, hanging back and watching the action from a safe distance. Maddox hadn’t even known he was there, so the prick hadn’t been able to focus his considerable power on the threat he hadn’t seen. Even though he’d been warned by his partner about what Maddox could do, seeing the guy up-close in action had been a whole new level of screwed-up.

  More vehicles were approaching. Back-up that would be useless. Sure, they could track the GPS in the SUV that Luna had stolen, but Maddox would have her ditching that ride at the first opportunity. The guy was smart and too damn strong by far.

  Of course, Maddox hadn’t been the target for tonight’s attack. Luna was. Luna was everything.

  If the others found out just what she could do, every super soldier out there would want a piece of her. They’d literally be fighting each other in order to get her.

  Too bad. I got to her first.

  But they didn’t know all of Luna’s secrets. Not yet. He did, though. I can track you, Luna.

  And that was why he had the advantage.

  Chapter Five

  “Don’t stay dead. Don’t stay dead.” Her voice reached him, soft and desperate. Then he felt her fingers, slidi
ng over his forehead. “Everything you told me has to be real. You can come back. Your brain is fine.” A ragged breath blew lightly over his face. “Don’t stay dead. Oh, please, God, don’t let him stay dead.”

  Hearing always came back first for him. Weird, but that was the way it was. Then he could feel things. Like her hand on his face. Such soft, silken fingers. And…

  His heart lurched in his chest. A hard surge and then his heart was racing.

  “I hear it!” Luna’s voice had gone high. “Your heart is beating again! You’re back!” Her body smashed against his. She was on top of him, hugging him fiercely, and he was…in a bed?

  Maddox opened his eyes. Luna’s face was inches from his. Her tousled hair tumbled over her shoulders. A wide grin curled her full lips, and her dark eyes gleamed.

  “I’m so happy,” she said. “I could just kiss you.”

  If that was what she wanted…

  His hands rose and sank into the thickness of her hair as he pulled her toward him. She was still smiling when his mouth pressed to hers. She was straddling him, her sex right over his rapidly swelling cock. When a guy woke up and found a damn goddess on top of him, he tended to react one very definite way.

  Arousal flooded through him. Wild, fierce hunger. Lust—dark need for her. His tongue swept into Luna’s mouth. He tasted her. He had her moaning. His chest was bare, and he wanted her shirt, gone, too. He wanted her naked. Wanted in her.

  He’d fucking wanted Luna for far too long.

  His hands went to the bottom of her shirt as he prepared to rip the thing out of his way.

  “Wait!” Luna jerked back. She sat up, and that movement had her sex automatically shoving down harder against his cock. A low growl escaped him.

  Her eyes widened. “You were just dead.”

  “Not any longer.” Definitely alive and ready.

  Her tongue swiped over her lower lip. She had one sexy little pink tongue. There were all kinds of things he’d like to do with her tongue.

  “I dug the bullet out.” Another swipe of her tongue. Was she trying to drive him crazy? “Then nothing happened. I-I got you into a motel room.”

  Ah, so they were in a motel? He spared a quick glance around him. A queen size bed—too small for him. A desk. Two chairs. An old TV. Some paintings of flowers hung on the walls.

  “I had to leave you while I ditched the SUV.” She exhaled on a long sigh. Her hands had flattened against his bare chest. “You feel really warm,” she murmured.

  She had no idea. But he was trying to hold back the lust, for the moment. “What did you do with the SUV?” Because he knew the vehicle probably had a tracker on it. If it was close by, then the jerks he’d left at the cabin could follow the signal and find them.

  “There was, an, um…guy. He was about five blocks from the motel, hitchhiking. I gave him the keys to the SUV and told him to drive fast.”

  Maddox blinked.

  “He was super happy to get the car.” Her fingers were sliding over his skin in a small caress. “I figured if the vehicle was still moving, then anyone following it would keep moving too.” Now she caught her lower lip between her teeth.

  Did she have any idea how much he wanted to bite right then? He’d used so much of his energy back at the cabin when he knocked out those assholes. Then he’d gotten shot. And coming back from a death was never easy. His control was at his weakest when he first rose. “Luna…”

  “They won’t hurt him, will they? I mean, the people who are after me…they won’t care about him.”

  “They aren’t interested in him,” Maddox muttered. But they’d question the guy. And they’d circle back to this area with the information he gave them. Especially if he’d just been five blocks away from the motel. So Maddox and Luna would have to get moving again. But first…

  He closed his eyes.

  “Uh, Maddox?” She leaned down toward him. He felt her hair slide over his chest.

  His cock shoved so hard against the front of his jeans that Maddox figured the zipper was leaving an impression on him.

  “Is everything okay?” Luna asked. The scent of flowers surrounded him.

  Things were not okay. “You need to get off me.”

  She didn’t move.

  His eyes opened. “Unless you want to get fucked right now.”

  He expected her to fly off him. She didn’t. Instead, Luna tilted her head to the side. She studied him as if she were seriously considering the matter.

  Oh, hell. She didn’t get the danger she was in. “My control…it’s weak when I rise.” And having his favorite temptation right in front of him was not helping matters. “So you need to move. Right now.”

  Her lashes lowered. “I was scared.”

  Why was the woman not moving? She had to feel his dick shoving against her.

  “You were gone for a long time. And I didn’t know what I’d do if you didn’t wake up.”

  He should say something reassuring. That was obviously what she needed right then. She—

  “I think I want to fuck you.”

  His hands flew up. Locked around her waist. “Luna.”

  “I want you. I felt the attraction the first time I saw you, even if I was terrified.” Now her long, thick lashes lifted, and she met his stare directly. “I don’t know who is after me or what will happen if those people get me. But I know I do want you. And I want to know what it’s like to be with you.”

  Did he look like he had to be told twice? “Luna.” Okay, he was still trying to warn her, though, because this first time... “My control…it’s shot. I won’t be slow or soft or—”

  She gave a light, nervous laugh. “I don’t have a point of comparison right now. So how about we just see what happens? Maybe I don’t like slow or soft.”

  Sweet hell. “I don’t have a point of comparison, either.” His voice had gone guttural.

  Her eyes widened.

  “Ever since I woke up in the Lazarus lab, you are the only woman I’ve wanted. No one else would fucking do.”

  Her lips curled once more. “That’s really sweet.”

  It was obsessed. But if she wanted to call it sweet, who was he to argue?

  She let out a slow breath, then her hands went to the hem of her sweater. She pulled it over her head and tossed it to floor.

  He didn’t breathe at all. His gaze was on her breasts. She wore a black bra that cradled her full breasts, and she slid her hands behind her, unhooking the bra, and tossing it aside, too, as—

  Maddox moved fast. He surged up, rolled their bodies, and pinned her beneath him on the bed. Then his mouth was on her breast. Tasting her sweet nipple. Laving it with his tongue. Licking. Sucking.

  She moaned and arched toward him. Her hands curled around his shoulders as she pulled him closer. “That feels good.” Her voice was a breathy temptation.

  If she thought that felt good…wait, baby. Just wait.

  His right hand slid between their bodies. He unhooked her jeans, slid down the zipper. He worked his hand between her legs, moving his fingers under the edge of silk that was her panties. He stroked her sex. Strummed her clit. Felt her get wet for him.

  Hell, yes.

  He heaved back. Yanked off her jeans and threw them. She wasn’t wearing shoes or socks. Luna was left just in the scrap of black silk that hid her sex.

  For a moment, he just stared at her. Luna’s nipples were tight. Dusky. The curve of her hips was sexy as all hell. Her legs were silken and perfect, and he wanted them wrapped around his hips. Or thrown over his shoulders. He wanted her moaning. He wanted her coming.

  He’d have all of that.

  The bed was too fucking small so he stood, moving to the side.

  Worry flashed on her face. “You’re stopping? But—”

  He caught her ankles. Kept his hold gentle with a fucking effort. Then he pulled her toward the edge of the bed. He pushed her legs apart. Let his fingers trail over the crotch of her panties. She arched toward him.

  “I li
ke that,” Luna gasped.

  Good. He wanted to learn every single thing that she enjoyed. And then he wanted to do those things to her over and over again.

  He knelt near the bed.

  “Maddox?”

  He tugged on the panties. Too hard. They tore. But he forgot them instantly because he was staring at her sex. Looking wasn’t enough, though. Time to taste.

  His mouth went to her. On her. She nearly came off the bed. He licked her. He stroked her with his fingers. He worked her clit until her moans were high and her hips were arching toward him in a frantic rhythm.

  She came against his mouth. Luna cried out his name, pleasure ringing in her voice, and that was just what Maddox had been waiting for. He surged to his feet. Yanked open his jeans. His heavy cock shoved toward her even as her body trembled with aftershocks of release. He drove into her. His fingers clamped around her hips as he lifted her up to meet him. Her sex was fucking tight and hot. He nearly went out of his damn mind.

  Her legs wrapped around his hips. Her nipples were tight and waiting, so he bent, licking her. He withdrew from her, thrust deep. Skin to skin. He was skin to skin with her. She was marking him, every single inch of him. Did Luna realize that?

  “Maddox!”

  Pleasure was hitting her again. Or maybe it had never stopped. Her cheeks flushed. Her gaze seemed to go blind, and it wasn’t enough for him. In that moment, he wanted to absolutely own her. He yanked her up, pulling her against his body. He held her in his arms, kissed her deep and hard even as he turned and pinned her body against the nearest wall. He plunged into her again and again, and her nails raked over his back. He loved the bite of pain. Loved every fucking thing.

  He had Luna. He’d wanted her for too long.

  Sometimes, it seemed as if he’d always wanted her.

  Withdraw, thrust. Withdraw.

  Her mouth was on his neck. Licking. And she bit him. Marked him.

  He exploded within her. The pleasure rolled through every cell of his body, and he held her, too tight, too hard—he held her as the climax nearly freaking destroyed him.

  He didn’t remember his lovers before Lazarus, but Maddox didn’t think sex had ever been this good. No way. No damn way.