Oh God, oh God, oh God. Adrenaline surged. She scuttled backward, sand flying. The snake hissed, coiling its body.
Strong hands reached under her arms and shoved her away. Unable to help herself, she turned and saw the snake had struck where she’d been sprawled.
“Move.” John yanked her up and they ran.
Eve ran, and kept running until the adrenaline had dissipated. She collapsed on the ground, chest heaving. Her ankle throbbed dully.
“Eve?”
“Thanks…I…” Everything inside her coalesced into a tight little ball of pain and fear. She felt something wet on her face. She swiped at it.
“Are you crying?” John crouched in front of her. “After everything you’ve been through, everything you’ve survived, a snake makes you cry?”
She sniffed. “I don’t cry.” She wiped madly at the falling tears. “I hate snakes.”
“Everybody does.” He pulled her into his lap, rocking a little. “It’s okay. Cry if you need to.”
She turned her face against his warm neck and sobbed. She wanted so much more from her life than being someone’s lab rat. She wanted to matter more as a human being than just for her stupid powers.
John was silent as he held her. She liked that he didn’t offer empty platitudes. Slowly, one strong hand started to stroke her back. After a few minutes, her tears dried up.
She wasn’t ashamed. She’d learned long ago to just be herself. “Sorry for blubbering all over you. I’ll pay for the dry cleaning.”
He eyed his torn shirt. “I’ll hold you to that.”
She managed a watery smile. “Thanks. For the snake. And for the chest to cry on. It’s been a hell of a day.” Hell of a life.
“Anytime.” He stared at her like he could peel back all her layers and see a truth even she didn’t know.
Crazy. She pushed away from him. “Shall we go? Don’t want to miss our lunch reservations.”
“How’s the ankle?”
She tested it. “Nothing to worry about.”
The building turned out to be an abandoned shack. It was made of corrugated iron now rusted through in many spots. The building had given way to elements a long time ago. A spindly, barbed-wire fence poked up valiantly from the sand in places.
“Who the hell would want to live out here?” she asked.
John picked his way through the tiny building. There was nothing inside. “I think it’s an old prospector’s shack. Loads of them came this way looking for gold. There’s a legend of a lost gold reef in the desert. Lasseter’s Reef, it’s called.”
“All the gold in the world wouldn’t convince me to spend any time here.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “I thought all women loved gold.”
She shook her head. “I’ll take silver any day. The funkier the jewelry, the better.”
He headed toward the rotting back door, staring out across the desert. Then he straightened, like he’d been stung by something. He stepped outside and disappeared from view.
“Hey, what is it?” Eve hurried after him.
He stood beside the tiny shack. He grabbed a rusted piece of metal affixed to a pipe and started pumping.
Water gushed from the pipe.
“Oh, my God.” She stared at it, her chest expanding. “How?”
“The prospectors drilled bores to access the underground water basin.” John shot her a smile. “We have water.”
But the excitement over water dulled at the sight of his smile. It made Eve realize that she hadn’t seen him smile before. It made him look younger.
They drank their fill. Eve drank so much she expected her belly to bow out like she’d swallowed a basketball. But as she looked down at herself, she realized she’d lost a fair bit of weight in the lab. If they made it out of here—no, when they made it out—she was going to access her secret bank account and book a suite at some expensive hotel. Somewhere by the ocean. Then she was going to order McDonald’s cheeseburgers. A whole mountain of them.
Until then, there were other things to think about. “There’s enough water to wash, right? And clean our clothes?”
“Sure. Why don’t you clean up first?” he said.
“I have a better idea.” She shot him a smile. “Why don’t we clean up together?”
***
Eve’s smile was all temptation.
John stared at her. How could he be on the run, lost in the middle of a god-forsaken desert, and be unable to think about anything but this woman?
One brave, fearless woman who refused to shed a tear in that hellhole of a lab but was brought to tears by the sight of a snake.
She slipped out of her vest, shrugging her shoulders so it dropped to the ground. Her bra followed, baring her small, high breasts to him, her nipples a rosy pink.
She undid the buttons on her jeans with a few exaggerated flicks. Then bending over, she slid them, along with her panties, down in long, slow glide that exposed her lean form. Naked, she cocked a hip and shot him a smile that went straight to his cock.
Then she worked the pump until water flowed freely and she cupped her hands under it, splashing the water over herself. Her long moan made him harden more. Rivulets sluiced down her chest, over her breasts and arrowed to the thatch of dark hair between her thighs. She splashed more water, uncaring that he watched her bathe.
“Your turn,” she said, voice husky.
He dropped the scrap of his shirt and quickly shucked his trousers. Her hungry gaze was all over his cock as it arched up toward his belly. He moved closer, cupping his hands under the water and then did as she’d done.
He cleaned his chest, under his arms, poured more water over his belly and felt it, surprisingly cool, running down his legs.
“You are very well made, John Brown.” A hand smoothed over his butt.
His muscles clenched and blood pounded under his skin. He splashed the water again, hoping it might cool some of the need raging inside him. He wanted her skin against his again—to feel connected, a part of something more than just himself.
Her fingers traced over the ridges of his belly and he sucked in a breath. Then her hands circled his cock. She pumped her hand up and down.
“Now this is very well made.”
His eyes rolled back and drifted closed. The sensations were indescribable. She worked him hard and when she stopped, his eyes snapped open. To see her sliding to her knees on top of her jeans.
Her mouth enveloped him and it was like time had stopped, though neither of them were stealing it.
“God.” His hands went to her hair.
She licked at him, found the most sensitive spots. She sucked and slurped and he knew she was loving every minute of driving him wild.
“Not going to last.” The words were torn from him.
“So don’t.”
No. He wanted more. Needed more.
He grabbed her shoulders and urged her up. In a swift move, driven by pure desire, he yanked her into his arms and slid inside her in one large thrust.
Her mouth opened in a wide O. Her eyes glittered. “So full.” She licked her lips. “Perfect. You’re perfect.”
Something broke inside John. He pumped forcefully inside her, reaching for the release that threatened. Her legs wrapped around him, tight and snug. Just like her body as he powered inside her.
Soon she was squirming against him, her face flushed. “I’m close, John. So close.”
He managed to slide a hand between their slick bodies. He felt where his cock stretched her, found the tiny nub he was looking for. A few flicks, another hard thrust and she shattered. On the next thrust he followed her and at the same time, sank his teeth into the firm skin of her neck.
Chapter Five
“I’m not eating those.”
John poked at the fat ants. “They’re sweet. You’ll like them.”
Eve sat cross-legged inside the shack, her back to the wall. “I want a cheeseburger.” No way could she stomach those things, even if she was st
arving.
“We need to keep our energy up. And honeypot ants are all we have on the menu” He gripped one ant and held it up. Its abdomen was huge. “I was lucky to find this little colony near the bore. They store food in their belly, that’s why they’re swollen like this. You just eat the sweet end.” He nipped it off and swallowed.
Eva grimaced. The sun was high overhead and the air was so hot. The slight shade offered by the shack helped, but instead she dreamed of the cool slide of sparkling blue waters against her skin. She’d like to see John power through the water, then grab her and make love to her in the waves.
She blinked. Whoa, what a daydream. She focused on the ants instead and winced. Reality was a bitch.
“Come on, I thought you were fearless,” he said.
Damn him. She snatched one up, bit off the swollen belly. The instant her teeth sank into its flesh, she grimaced. But through sheer force of will, she chewed on it. Sweetness burst over her tongue. She swallowed.
“Well?”
“They don’t taste like chicken. But you’re right, they are sweet.”
The two of them managed to finish off the honeypot ants. They sat side-by-side. The heat made Eve drowsy, that and the fact they hadn’t slept the night before. God, she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in forever.
“When we get back to civilization, I want a huge bubble bath, a giant steak and some cheeseburgers. And sleep, in a big, soft bed.” She turned her head. “Somewhere near the water. Lots of water.”
He shot her a small grin. “Sounds pretty good. I think you’d like Haven. Nice beaches, great diving on the Great Barrier Reef, if you’re into that. And I can grill a good steak, probably a cheeseburger as well.”
Eve stilled, watching as he looked away, gazing out a rusted hole in the wall. Was that some color in his cheeks? “You inviting me to come stay with you?”
He shrugged. “I think you should come to Haven. Try it out. You’ll be safe.”
Safe. She’d never wanted safe, just free. But she was coming to see that they might just be the same thing. “Maybe I’ll give it a try. But I want the steak, and the cheeseburgers.” She tilted her head. “You’re really happy there, digging in the dirt?”
“Yeah. I never thought gardening was my thing.” A small laugh. “But there’s something so real and meaningful about sinking your hands into fresh soil, watching things grow. Things you’ve planted and cultivated. And everything I grow is used on the island.”
It made him feel connected, she realized. A part of the anomalies. She wondered what it felt like to be a part of something. “I had a garden once.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. At my parents’ house. I used to grow roses.” She skimmed a hand over her arms. “Red ones. I used to love to keep the little name tags and make sure each plant was labeled. They had such great names. Black Velvet, Hot Chocolate, La Passionata. They were special, unique, beautiful.” She wondered whatever happened to that patch of garden after the last huge fight that had sent her running.
“I don’t remember my childhood.”
She saw his fingers curl, his jaw tighten.
“But I have nightmares.” He dragged in a breath. “My father killed my mother.”
Eve pushed to her knees. “John—”
“He’s just a big, black shadow in my dreams. I often wonder if I look like him. People have told me…I had become like him. Power-hungry, mean, evil.”
She grabbed his hands. Big, scarred hands that liked to tend plants. “I don’t know much about you. We’ve only had one crazy day together running for our lives, but I think what we’ve been through, it strips us back to who we really are. You aren’t evil, John Brown. Just the opposite.”
“I got a second chance, but I’m not sure if that cancels out what I did before. I hurt so many people. I was a criminal, Eve. Does it really matter how much I try to help now with so much black to my name?”
“You don’t think you deserve a second chance.” She heard in his voice.
“I don’t think I deserve anything.”
Anger sparked. “There are people out there unable to live the lives they want. Whether they’re sick or poor or chained up in some psycho’s lab. You have a chance to live and make the most of the life you have now. You shouldn’t waste it wallowing in guilt about things you can’t even remember.”
He blinked. “Your nails are sharp.”
She looked down and saw the tiny crescent shapes she’d dug into his palms. She loosened her hold. “I’m not sorry.”
“Your tongue’s pretty sharp as well.”
She couldn’t control her smile. “A lifelong problem of mine.”
“I like it.”
Her smile widened. “That I speak my mind or my tongue?”
“Both.”
She smacked him on the shoulder. “You just liked that I gave you a—”
He tumbled her into his lap, his hands tangling in her hair. He dragged her face up to his. “Yes, I did. But I also like that sharp mind of yours.” He rubbed a thumb along her cheekbone, his eyes turning serious. “I’ll think about what you said.”
Her heart thumped. “Good.”
His lips brushed gently over hers. She stayed still, her eyes open, watching him. This wasn’t adrenaline-fueled lust, or pounding desire. This was something she didn’t recognize.
This kiss was slow, a simmer rather than a blaze. She gripped his shoulders, kissing him back. Long, lazy samplings of each other’s mouths.
When they broke apart, Eve felt like she might shatter into a hundred pieces. Pieces that could only be put back together again if a part of him was included.
“We should try and get some sleep,” he said. “Soon as the sun’s down, we’ll need to get moving.”
She nodded. “You think we’ll find civilization?”
“We’ll keep heading north until we do.” He stretched out on the hard floor and pulled her down beside him.
Eve rested her head on his shoulder. She drifted off, feeling secure. His heartbeat was a reassuring beat beneath her ear.
But it felt like only seconds later she was jerked awake, the hot sun still high in the sky.
Cruel fingers circled her wrists, digging in hard enough to bruise. A big body held her down and harsh breathing blew against her cheek.
She struggled. They’d been found.
Then she glanced into her attacker’s face.
“John?”
She stilled, staring into his dark eyes. They were open, but it was like there was no light in them. His face seemed different, harder, harsher.
“You have the power I need.” The voice that came from him had changed. More cultured but cutting. Colder.
“John, what are you do—”
“Be quiet.” He shook her. “You are my greatest creation. The most powerful anomaly in existence. All three powers packed into your body. With you in my army, I’ll control the world.”
This man wasn’t John. This man was someone very different. “What are you talking about?”
“Control and power. The only way to ensure that you have everything you want, that no one can get close enough to hurt you.”
Her heart clenched. “Your father hurt you, didn’t he?”
She didn’t see the slap. John struck her cheek hard, turning her face with the force of it. Her cheek stung.
“Don’t mention him.” A harsh whisper. “He’s gone. He has no power over me. I am stronger than him now.” John pushed to his feet, pacing in the tight space. “You’ll do as I say. Kill who I want killed, change the thoughts of those I bring to you and when I need you to steal time, you’ll do it.”
Eve got her knees. “No. I’m a woman. A human being, not a weapon. Not a thing to be used.”
He spun. “You aren’t human. You’re nothing. A freak mutation of a gene mixed with some science. And I can do whatever I want to you.”
He flew across the room so fast she couldn’t react in time. His hand circled her neck, li
fted her off her feet and slammed her into the wall.
She struggled for air. “John? John, please come back to me.”
His dark gaze bored into her. He’d become a man so lost in his nightmares, he was going to kill her. Fear brushed against her nerve endings. She had to do something.
“John?” Eve didn’t think, just followed her instincts.
She pressed her lips to his.
***
John blinked. The edges of his vision were shadowed. Like he was staring down a long, dark tunnel. He felt lips move against his.
He pulled back and saw Eve. And the strong fingers curled around her neck.
His fingers.
He snatched his hand back. She slid down against the wall and automatically he caught her.
“Eve?” He settled her on the ground. “What hap—”
Then he saw the red marks on her neck. Marks he suspected would bruise. One of her cheeks was flaming red—in the shape of his hand.
He jerked back and fell on his butt. He stared, horror dawning.
Eve held out a hand. “John, it’s okay. You were having a nightmare.”
And the evil inside him had risen up. He shook his head. “I hurt you.”
“I’m okay.” She fingered her cheek. “This? This is nothing.”
She’d been hurt so many times she was trying to convince him it was nothing? He dropped his head into his hands. Jesus. Was the man lurking beneath his skin just biding his time, waiting to resurface?
He sensed Eve in front of him. Sensed her hesitation before her hand drifted to his shoulder. “I want a chance to make the life that I want for myself. I have to believe that no matter how broken, how twisted, we all deserve that chance.”
“You don’t know everything I did before,” he said. “The things I—”
“Shh.” She pressed a finger to his lips. “I don’t want to know. I just want to get to know John Brown better. Not the man you were a long time ago.”
“Jesus, Eve. How have you survived so long being so trusting?” He cupped her face. Traced her cheek with the gentlest of fingers.
“Because I go with my gut.”
Amazing. His lips quirked. “And your gut likes me?”
She shot him a bright smile. “Well, it might be being led a little astray by some other parts of my body.” She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and rested her forehead against his. “But yeah, it tells me I can trust you.”
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