HeatedMatch

by Lynne Silver

  Why was he torturing her? “Please,” she begged. “I’m close. I need to come now.”

  His hand lowered to find her clitoris hidden in the neat triangle of hair and his fingers plucked the swollen nub in time with his strokes.

  She broke apart, shouting her pleasure.

  “I told you to hold it,” he said continuing his near violent plundering of her body. “Now you’re going to have to take it until I come.”

  “Are…are you close?” She wasn’t sure she could handle this for much longer. Her body didn’t even feel like her own anymore. It was an instrument owned and played by Adam.

  “I’m close every time I get near you,” he said in a harsh, low tone.

  Oh God, his words sent her desire spiraling back up. She felt the same about him. He heated up her insides and kept her tingling. His penis, buried deep in her, only brought that aching need to the forefront.

  “You’re close again, aren’t you?” he asked, and she could swear she knew he wore a sly grin, despite not being able to see his face.

  She nodded and released a gasp when he pulled out of her without warning, leaving her aching and cold. “What…?” But she didn’t have time to finish her question before he pulled her by the arms, turned her and pressed her back against the bathroom wall. His arms slid under her thighs and lifted her up, then down onto him. She wrapped her legs around his hips and trusted his strength to hold her up. She’d never done it like this before…had never met a man strong enough to hold her five-ten frame easily.

  Adam made it seem effortless as he rocked against her, letting her weight fall onto his thighs, speared by his cock. The dark curls on his nape slid through her fingers as she held on for the ride. She pulled him in closer, thinking to kiss him, but he turned his lips away at the last second.

  She was wide open to him in every sense of the word while he pressed his cock to her core and swung his hips in smooth, easy motions.

  “Are you close now?”

  She nodded frantically. “You?”

  He didn’t respond, but instead growled his pleasure, pushing his hips one final time and spurting his seed deep inside her. Her pussy responded to his hot come, squeezing and milking him as if it was eager for everything he had to give. She was helpless against the sensation flooding her. Rational thought had fled the room and pure animal instinct had taken its place.

  They stood entwined against the wall, coming off their pleasure high, until the muscles in her legs gave out and collapsed off his hips dangling in midair. By inches he allowed her to lower the rest of the way, holding her by her rear.

  “Go shower,” he said. “Clean your pussy. If I smell you again, I won’t be responsible for my actions.”

  She snorted. As if it was her fault his dick kept getting hard. Then again, she could blame him for her wanton condition. She nodded, needing a few minutes of alone time to catch her breath.

  *

  Adam sprawled naked and sweaty on the itchy, ancient couch in the tiny conference room listening to the spray of water and trying to ignore dirty thoughts of a naked Loren dripping wet. There was no denying it, she was his match. His foot tapped a rhythm on the thin carpet while he considered his options. How could he have missed it at first? He’d nearly ruined an operation for Loren’s sake. Would have abandoned Chase at the party to follow her. He’d practically kidnapped her for Christ’s sake. Literally threw her over his shoulder and brought her to his lair. Might as well have dragged her by the hair. Me, Adam. You, my woman.

  Christ. His body sang praises and hallelujahs, especially after their mind-blowing sex, but his mind ran the hundred-meter dash in the opposite direction. He’d been so busy dealing with the emotion of his orders to find a match and procreate, he’d nearly missed what was right in front of his nose. Loren was the one, his match. No wonder Shep and his dad had acted so cagey when he’d mentioned his reaction to Loren last night.

  Too bad he could never follow through with her. His mother had warned him repeatedly about the dangers of falling in love based on the Program’s scientific numbers game. He’d fall in love with his match, give her a damaged child and watch her abandon him over it. It would be history all over again, and he’d be damned if he’d be condemned to relive it.

  Denying she was his match was no longer a possibility. But…he sat up straighter. He didn’t have to claim her and marry her. He could enjoy the next eighteen or so hours with Loren and then send her packing.

  He glanced down at his semi-erect penis, which hadn’t truly softened since meeting Loren last night. How did married matched couples do this and get any work done? Any thoughts he’d had about the Christenson kidnapping were on hold while he thought with his dick. Currently there was only room for Loren and Loren’s body.

  The woman in question appeared in the doorway, pink and soft from the shower, looking way too delectable.

  “Hi,” she said softly.

  He nodded, not trusting himself to speak, fearing he’d order her to drop the white towel and come sit on his lap.

  She fiddled with the hemmed corner of the towel covering her hip. “How long do you think they’ll trap us in here?”

  He shrugged. “They’ve got the evidence they need. They should let us out soon.”

  “I’m getting sort of hungry. I skipped breakfast and it’s now past lunchtime.”

  Her words triggered some sort of caveman response in him. His woman was hungry. Where was a damn spear and wild animal when he needed them? “I’ll call Shep.” He gestured to the phone on a small table next to the sofa. As soon as he picked up the handset, Shep’s voice echoed through the room, leaving no doubt that every word taking place was being monitored. He assumed Shep never watched the video. That would be too weird. He left that fun, voyeuristic task for the science types.

  “Food will be delivered shortly. Ask Ms. Stanton if she’s a vegetarian or has any food allergies.”

  Loren stepped toward the speaker. “No, I like meat.” Then she blushed as her double entendre registered.

  “Do you?” He smiled wolfishly at her. Just one night with her, and then he had to give her up forever. He planned to use his time wisely. “Come here.” He patted his lap. “I’ve got meat for you.”

  *

  Approximately seventeen hours later, Adam blinked as light poured in through the now-open door to the hallway.

  “Shep?”

  His commanding officer stepped fully into the room with a shit-eating grin on his face.

  Adam shifted the naked, sleeping woman in his arms to hide her body from public viewing. “Is it over? Am I free to go?”

  Shep nodded. “Take a few minutes to get dressed then please bring Ms. Stanton to my office.” He swung an appraising glance over their tangled bodies on the sofa then stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

  “Adam?” Loren wriggled on him, causing his morning hard-on to thicken. The urge to fuck her was back but it was more manageable this morning. His body still desperately wanted Loren’s, but he wasn’t going to go berserk without her.

  “Good morning. Rise and shine, up and at ’em.”

  She sat up, rubbing her eyes and wincing as her muscles adjusted to a night of hard use. They’d continued screwing like bunnies until they’d literally passed out with him still thrusting inside her around dawn. “What time is it?”

  He glanced at the black rubber diver’s watch on his left wrist. “Around seven. Shep wants you in his office in five minutes.”

  Her arms stretched high above her head, causing her breasts to lift and squeeze together. “I need breakfast and coffee.” Her head fell back against the cushions. “Hello?” She waved an arm. “Adam, stop staring at my breasts. Do you see my clothes anywhere?”

  He surveyed the room and scooped up her blouse and pants, tossing them at her. “I think your panties are unsalvageable. Sorry.” He tried and failed to hide a grin.

  “Stop smiling and cover that up.” She pointed at his ever-hopeful but exhausted erectio
n.

  He slipped into the bathroom and yanked on his clothes. He shifted over to make room for a now fully clothed Loren who entered to splash some water on her face and brush her hair with her hands. The scent of the night’s sexual exertions lingered in the air, permeating their hair and skin. Would this craving and obsession for her end with time and distance? He didn’t know, but it was likely he’d strip her and take her against the sink again unless they went their separate ways in the next few seconds.

  “Ready?”

  She nodded and followed him out the door and down the hallway to Commander Shepard’s office.

  “Here she is, Shep.” He opened the door for her and inhaled her unique scent one final time before turning and heading out to his own room on campus.

  “Fifteen, Adam.” Shep’s voice echoed behind him.

  “What?” He turned back, pausing in the doorway.

  “You made it fifteen minutes before you caved, Blacker.”

  He wanted to tell Shep to shut the fuck up, but his ingrained habit of showing his senior officer respect was hard to overcome. “It means nothing. She may be my match, but I don’t want a partner.” He forced himself to stride away without a backward glance at Loren to see how she took his lie.

  Chapter Four

  The bastard actually left. She stared at the now-closed door where Adam had exited not two seconds ago without even a farewell kiss. Not that she’d had a hello kiss either. During the past twenty-plus hours of the most intense sex she’d ever experienced, they hadn’t kissed on the lips even once. They’d come close a few times, but one of them would pull back at the last second. It was too intimate, too personal for the animalistic sex they’d shared.

  He was gone, and she was fine with it. Really. She had a life to get back to. As soon as she interviewed Commander Shepard about the kidnapping, she’d be on her way.

  She turned back toward the commander and waited for him to speak. They sat and eyed each other for a few moments. Her cheeks warmed from fielding the intense stare from a man her mother’s age who knew how she’d spent the night. She tried to hold his gaze without blushing. She had nothing to be ashamed about. The whole situation was Shepard’s fault. If he hadn’t locked her in a room with Adam…

  The commander broke the silence first. “Ms. Stanton, I’m in a bit of a quandary here.”

  “How so?”

  “Normally, my soldiers volunteer to find their breeding partner.”

  “But Adam didn’t.”

  Shep shook his head with a grimace. “No, he didn’t, and he possibly never will. Too much family baggage. I thought once he met you and was intimate with you, he wouldn’t be able to refuse.”

  She glanced at the empty seat next to her. “Having second thoughts now?”

  If he was, he didn’t admit them to her. Only a slight wrinkle between his eyebrows told her things hadn’t gone exactly how he’d hoped.

  “I’m not ready to give up on Adam breeding and giving us his children for the next generation yet. If you’re amenable, I’d like you to stick around for a bit,” he said.

  “My children.”

  “Excuse me?”

  Loren leaned forward, ignoring her aching sex-sore muscles. “You said Adam would give you his children. They’d be my children also.”

  Shep looked surprised at the distinction. “Oh, of course. So, will you stay?”

  She shook her head and squelched the tiny part of her brain screaming to stay within a one-mile radius of Adam, her perfect match. “No, I’m afraid I can’t stay. I have a job, a life outside of here. If you’ll be kind enough to answer a few questions about the kidnapping, I’ll be out of your hair.”

  Shep nodded and stared at a distant point on the wall for a long minute. “Before you run off, would you take a look at this?” He picked up a small picture frame from his desk and flipped it around, handing it to her.

  She nearly dropped it in shock. Staring back at her from the plain, pewter frame was a much younger, black-haired Commander Shepard with his arm around a woman. Standing next to the happy couple was a man who looked like Loren’s dead father. Loren would stake her next year of paychecks that the man was her father.

  What. The. Hell?

  Why was her father in a picture with Commander Shepard? Her father had been a journalist, an award-winning journalist. So dedicated, he’d died covering a story in Iraq when she was ten years old. TIME Magazine had sent a letter recognizing his contributions to their publication. She remembered Mom clutching the letter nightly, tears dripping down onto the soggy, worn paper.

  The narrow office chair welcomed her as she sank back into it with shaky legs and a roiling stomach. She replaced the frame gently back on the desk with unsteady hands. Her first attempt failed, and she shook as she flipped the frame right side up again. This was her father. She deserved to know why he was connected with a formerly secret military branch of the government. If only her purse hadn’t been taken from her, she could call Mom and grill her about a Commander Shepard.

  Well that was bullshit. She’d worshipped her father, and had become a journalist to follow in his footsteps. If he’d had a secret, she wanted to know. Now.

  “Why do you have a picture of my father?”

  “Because he was my best friend. He was one of us.” Shep sat back in his chair and pursed his lips with a meaningful stare.

  “I don’t… I don’t understand. How could he be part of this? He lived in Virginia with us.”

  Shep ignored her confused mutterings. “You have a brother. A half brother,” he corrected.

  She couldn’t take it in. It was too much to process.

  “Do you want to meet him?” he asked almost kindly.

  Her head bobbed up and down, and she felt tears brimming but was unable to speak.

  “Here.” Shep had risen and circled his desk to press a tissue into her hand. Then he squatted down to look her in the eye. “I’ll introduce you to your brother and answer every question about your father on one condition.”

  She swallowed her tears to meet his gaze.

  “Stay on campus for a few weeks. Get in Adam’s personal space.”

  Her teeth nibbled on her lower lip as she tried to sort through the ramifications of Commander Shepard’s not-so-generous offer. It was a huge risk. Her compulsion to be with Adam had been strong. It would take everything she had to fight it for two weeks. Would she even want to? What happened if she accepted the match but Adam remained obstinate?

  A broken heart, that’s what. It was a lot to consider. But he was offering her the truth about her father and a real-life brother. There was no decision to be made. She nodded. “I’ll stay, but I want my own room. No locking me in with anyone. And I’m not making any promises about being with Adam. We may have slept together and we may be a match, but it doesn’t mean I’m setting up house with him anytime soon.” Now that she wasn’t naked, breathing the same air as Adam, her need and craving for him dissipated to a degree. Her other priorities came rushing back.

  Shep smiled and helped her to her feet. “Fine. No promises necessary. If you stay on campus, you won’t be able to stay away from each other. Now let’s go find your brother.”

  “I’m not finished yet.” She straightened her shoulders under his scrutiny. “If I stay for two weeks,” she held up a hand to quell Shep’s protest, “then I want an interview with you. A real one, not the evasive baloney you’ve been feeding the press.”

  Shep smiled. “Deal, but I warn you, Ms. Stanton. After two weeks on campus, you won’t want to write about me. You’ll be one of us and just as protective of our secrets.”

  “I’ll believe it when I see it. Now, you mentioned something about my brother?”

  Shep grabbed his handset off his desk, pressed a few keys and murmured something she didn’t catch. A minute later the door opened and the tall, muscular soldier who’d greeted her at the gate yesterday popped in.

  “You wanted me, Shep?”

  “Gavin. This is
Ms. Stanton. I believe you met yesterday.”

  Gavin lost his grin and took a step back. “Don’t do this, Shep. Don’t put me between her and Adam.”

  Shep looked exasperated. “Don’t be a pansy. I’m not setting you up. I’m only asking you to escort Ms. Stanton to Chase’s room to meet him.”

  Relief passed over Gavin’s face. “Okay.” Then he turned back to Shep with narrowed eyes. “Why isn’t Adam escorting her?”

  Loren watched the byplay with interest. Clearly, Shep hated to be questioned, and what did it mean that Gavin knew Adam was supposed to be with her?

  “Adam’s refusing his match rights.”

  The soldier’s jaw unhinged for a nanosecond before he regained his composure and smiled charmingly at her. “Well isn’t this my lucky day, escorting a beautiful woman around my home.”

  “Gavin,” Shep warned. “Blacker’s pretending to be dumb, he’s not actually stupid.”

  Gavin lost the smile and scowled at Shep. “The things I do for you. One of these days, you’re going to get me killed.” He turned to Loren and offered her a hand up. “Ready to go?”

  She stood and nodded. They made it a few steps before she turned back to Commander Shepard. “I’ll need my things. I won’t want to wear these clothes for two weeks.”

  “We’ll take care of it later. For now, go meet your brother.”

  She followed Gavin down a long corridor and out double glass doors into a courtyard of sorts. It reminded her of the quad from her college days, but no coeds sunbathed and tossed a Frisbee. Instead tall, muscular men jogged or strode from building to building alone or in pairs, chatting intently or checking cell phones. Where were the women? Locked away in towers?

  “Where are the women?”

  Gavin stopped walking to look down on her with confusion etched on his face. “Huh? What women?”

  She gestured to the other courtyard occupants. “Only Y chromosomes. Don’t you have women here?”

  He scanned the area. “We have plenty of women on campus, though there’s been a bit of a drought lately. You’re the first woman recruited in a while.”