Love, Alchemy

by Eden Ashley

  “Fuck,” Ethan whispered, staring down at the wetness between them. Then his abs tightened and his body jerked with the intensity of his own release.

  Gasping to catch her breath, Davey stroked his damp hair. “That was great.”

  “Incredible,” he panted. “But I really thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

  Rolling her eyes, she giggled. “Don’t be dramatic,” she said and slid to one side. Resting her head against his shoulder, she quietly waited for the wave of guilt to hit. Slowly but surely, it crept in, stalking her like a predator in the night. While in the moment, she had told herself that she wasn’t being weak. Davey had done what she had to do in order to help Ethan. But really she couldn’t say her motives were entirely selfless. At this point, her attraction to him had become undeniable, even to her stubborn sense of reasoning.

  As always, Ethan seemed uncannily attuned to her emotions. “Are you okay?” he asked softly.

  “Yeah,” she lied. Maybe he already knew what troubled her, and maybe he didn’t. There was no need to drag him down by saying it aloud.

  “I’ll make you a deal,” he said, surprising her.

  “What’s that?”

  “If you talk, I will.”

  “About what exactly?”

  Rolling to face her, Ethan’s dark gaze drilled into Davey, making her breath catch in her chest. It was as if his eyes had pierced into the very depths of her. “Anything,” he said and gently grazed one finger against her bottom lip. “Everything. All of it.”

  Davey took a deep, quivering breath. “I was thinking about Palmer,” she admitted. “I can’t stop blaming myself for what happened to him and feel guilty as hell about reaching for any sort of happiness when he can’t do that anymore because he’s dead.”

  “Palmer wouldn’t want you to punish yourself like this.”

  “How can you say that? You didn’t know him.”

  “He died protecting you, Davey. That means he wanted you to live.”

  Silent tears slipped from her eyes, tickling her skin as they rolled horizontally to pool onto Ethan’s shoulder. Davey wiped her eyes, but the waterworks refused to stop. Good thing Ethan didn’t seem to mind. She sniffed. “I don’t think Palmer would have wanted me falling into bed with you—twice.”

  “Probably not,” he agreed, flashing a wry grin. “But he wouldn’t want eternal self-loathing for you either. If I ever have to leave you behind, I want you to be happy, Davey. No matter what.”

  Closing her eyes, she smiled through her tears. “You say the damnedest things.”

  “I mean it,” he said and brought one hand to rest on her hip. Squeezing lightly, he moved his face closer to hers. “Thank you for coming back…for helping me.”

  Swallowing thickly, Davey stared at the only guy capable of rendering her speechless for all the right reasons. She tried to memorize every detail of him and this moment between them. Strong hands that were skilled at extreme violence but also handled her with a gentleness she’d never experienced before. His dark gaze was a portal into a shrewd mind shaped by military strategy and jumbled memories of a brutal past. One look from those eyes emanated enough heat and intensity to shatter her defenses. His grey eyes were also capable of displaying an almost baffling wide-eyed innocence. Ethan was a walking, talking, lame-joke-telling contradiction. The way he watched her sometimes—as he did now—could be unnerving. Davey realized with a sudden ache that she wouldn’t change a thing.

  “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”

  “You,” she answered without hesitation.” I was thinking about you.” Davey gently brushed an idle lock of hair away from his forehead. “I know so little about you, Ethan.”

  He smiled sadly. “That makes two of us.”

  “Do you remember what happened at the cabin?”

  Shadows of fear crept through Ethan’s features, and his mouth pressed into a hard line. “I know those men—at least I know their training. They brought me down with that disc—I’d never seen it before. It rendered me inept, but I was conscious. I could see and hear everything. I just couldn’t move.”

  Anger burned in the pit of her belly. “You were in a lot of pain.”

  He shook his head. “It hurt, but not as much as it should have. It felt like my mind had partially separated from my body. All of my senses were dulled and I couldn’t get my body to respond at all.”

  “So…” She stalled, licking her lips because her mouth suddenly felt very dry. “You heard the things they said about you.”

  Ethan nodded. “I guess you were right, after all. Genetically engineered super soldiers actually do exist.”

  “Do you think you’re one of them?”

  “I don’t know. Like you said earlier, it would explain a lot of things.” His haunted expression intensified. “But there’s something else.”

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  “I don’t know. Just a feeling.” He stroked his fingers along her hip. “At least I know why they’re after me.”

  “I kinda got the impression that you getting handed over to your father would be a very bad thing.”

  He shuddered. “Either way I’m due for reconditioning. My brother is the man who sent those soldiers. I remember his face, and that he wore the same uniform. He’s the one who hurt me the last time I messed up. He was so angry.” Ethan exhaled heavily. “They’ve somehow gotten word about what happened back in Harpey. They know I killed those cops, and one way or another, they’ll bring me in. They always do.”

  The idea of the soldiers putting their hands on Ethan again triggered something desperate inside of Davey. “Let’s go away together. We’ll forget about Marx and the mess with your family. We’ll run so far that they will never find us.”

  “It would mean you might never see Hogan again. Could you really be okay with that?”

  Davey gritted her teeth. No she couldn’t. She could never leave her little brother behind.

  The look on Ethan’s face said he already knew that. “No,” she whispered and sat up. She was so frustrated she wanted to cry. No. That wasn’t it. She wanted to shoot something—or someone—and preferably the guys who were coming after Ethan.

  Davey pounded her fist into the mattress. “So what do we do? If you keep helping me, it will only draw attention to you, and then those soldiers will find you again.”

  Ethan watched her for a quiet moment. Then pulling himself upright, he took her face into his hands. “We’ll spend tonight together,” he said softly. The heat of his gaze and his touch reached all the way into her core, making her physically ache for him all over again. “Come morning, things will look different once we’ve both rested.”

  Dropping her chin, she looked up at him through lowered lashes. “But what if I don’t want to sleep?”

  A faint smile cornered in his lips. “What would you like to do then?”

  Without answering, she reached between them and slid one hand across his chest, trailing down his hard abs to caress the velvety mound currently resting against his thigh. His cock swelled at her touch, lengthening into hand as her strokes elicited an appreciative groan from his lips.

  Pulling her into his arms, he kissed her. Gently at first, the kiss deepened in direct proportion to the hardening of his arousal. She cupped his balls, teasing them with gentle squeezes and upward strokes. Moaning, Ethan gorged her mouth with his tongue, plunging deeply…and then backing out to seize her bottom lip with his teeth. With a series of sharp nips against her throat and shoulders, he burned a trail of pleasure that left her trembling.

  Rock hard now, Davey pumped his erection with her fist, slicking her fingers through the moisture spilling from the smooth tip. Another groan rumbled from Ethan’s throat as he squeezed her breast and kissed her mouth, making her gasp for air. Seizing a fist full of hair, he pulled her to a stop and his gaze fell over her body, hungrily taking in every inch. Maybe it was Davey’s imagination, but his eyes seemed to glitter in the dim light, summoning a
nother surge of wetness between her thighs. She was dripping with anticipation. That he was no longer touching her only made her wilder.

  “Just fuck me already,” she said.

  “I could use a shower.”

  Lost in a cloud of desire, she didn’t understand at first. “What?” she asked through the fog.

  “Let’s take a shower.”

  “Okay.”

  Standing up, Ethan tugged her hand and led her into the bathroom. The small space was redeemed by a modern shower large enough to comfortably fit two consenting adults. If Davey had to hazard a guess, she expected this stall saw a lot of action.

  While Ethan adjusted the temperature and angle of the water, Davey stepped inside behind him and placed both hands against the wall. Leaning forward, she raised her hips high, offering herself. Davey waited until she felt his arms around her, pulling their bodies flush. The thick swell of his cock dug into her ass, making her core clench and drip with moisture. Needing him badly, she squeezed her thighs together and tried to ease the ache.

  Releasing her, Ethan reached for the soap and began to lather her body. His hands kneaded her neck and shoulders, melting away the tension she carried there. At her breasts, his touch became more sensual, caressing each until her nipples were tight and slick with soap. His hands slid across her belly and then up to her breasts again, squeezing and stroking, making her wetter than she could stand. She was trembling as he rubbed her back, removed the knots and relaxed her into the pleasure of his attentive hands. His cock was hot and throbbing. Virtually every movement caused that maddening arousal to bump into her ass, making Davey shiver and twitch in expectation of when he would finally be inside of her.

  Working the lather onto her thighs and ass, Ethan continued to massage her skin. Cupping her ass, he slid his hands between her legs and stroked higher, slipping two fingers inside to discover her soaked and ready. Davey knees weakened, forcing her to cling to the wall as her legs gave way. But Ethan’s arms encircled her. One hand slid around her breast while the other slid down her belly and between her legs to begin a soapy massage of her clit. He grinded against her, rubbing his cock against her ass, pressing the head of it between her cheeks to tease her while his hand drew circles of pleasure around her swollen bud. It was enough to make Davey come apart.

  She gasped as the rush slowly spread and then exploded outward, robbing her of the ability to stand. Tremors wracked her body in wave after wave, folding her in half to leave her panting and breathless.

  Muttering something unintelligible, he kissed her neck and nibbled at her ear. His arousal grew impossibly larger, twitching eagerly as that thickness pressed against her ass. “Are you okay?”

  Still gasping for air, Davey simply nodded.

  “Hold onto something,” he whispered. Then he bent her forward and spread her legs.

  His cock nudged at her entrance, so big and thick, she wasn’t sure he would fit. And then he was tunneling inside, making her gasp as it stretched and filled her. Pain became pleasure. He felt so good; Davey couldn’t help lifting onto her toes and biting her lip to stifle the scream that wanted to tear from her throat.

  Ethan began to thrust slowly, giving her body time to adjust, filling her with long deep strokes that touched every sweet spot and awakened every nerve. Closing her hands into fists, Davey braced against the tiled wall and came undone once more. Pleasure coursed through her body like lightening. A half-scream, half-moan escaped her lips as Davey saw stars.

  Without a moment to catch her breath, the intensity of his thrusting became quicker and harder, pounding into her, making her whimper and moan each time he bottomed out inside of her. She wished it could never stop, but was afraid her quivering legs would fail soon. Then her core was tightening again, squeezing his cock as the tension within her built and peaked. Gritting her teeth, she screamed with the next release, and Ethan’s hands tightened as his rhythm faltered and stalled. Then he was pulling out and his hot seed spilled onto her back and ass.

  Muscles liquefied, she collapsed. Ethan lifted her into his arms and held her beneath the streaming water until they were both rinsed clean, and then he carried her back to bed. Unable to articulate the words for how great she felt, Davey waited until he lay next to her and then simply kissed his forehead.

  He smiled. “Sleep now.”

  But Davey barely heard him over the sweet buzzing in her ears as she fell away from the land of consciousness.

  22

  The next morning, Davey bolted upright in bed, wide awake and with a thundering heart. One look at Ethan and she knew something terrible had happened. “What’s wrong?” she said.

  “Solomon called.”

  Anxiety twisted her stomach into knots as she held her breath, waiting for him to confirm it.

  “Davey, I’m so sorry.”

  “Just spit it out. Tell me what happened.”

  He started to reach for her but then halted the motion, probably sensing it was the last thing she wanted. “The officers guarding your home were found dead last night.” He opened his mouth to say more but stopped.

  “My parents?” She barely mustered the strength to ask.

  Grimacing, Ethan shook his head. “They were killed.”

  Though Davey clamped one hand against her mouth, a sharp cry of grief broke through. She doubled over, gritting her teeth against the pain rending her chest in two. Wheezing out several laboring sobs, she clutched the sheets with her other hand, needing to somehow anchor herself to the reality of the moment. “And my brother?” Losing control even before he answered, she was overwhelmed by a flood of tears and could barely see Ethan as she shouted, “What about my brother?”

  “We don’t know. He wasn’t found at the scene.”

  Scrambling out of bed, she began dressing. She wiped the tears at her cheeks, fury quickly displacing her despair as she yanked on dry clothing, laced up her still-damp sneakers, and began pacing. “It’s me who Marx really wants. I have to go back.”

  Ethan tracked her movements but didn’t move from the bed. “We’ll handle this together,” he said. His quiet tone was laced with unmistakable firmness.

  Davey stopped pacing. Terror had taken hold and left her paralyzed. Her parents were dead. Dead. What if Marx had also hurt Hogan? So many bad things were happening—had happened—all because of her. Her choices. Her mistakes.

  Hogan.

  She imagined his bright and innocent eyes stretched wide in fear of the strange man who had brutally murdered their parents. Had Hogan witnessed Tina and Brady’s murders? Sinking to the floor, Davey wept.

  Ethan came to her then. His strong arms encircled her, hugging her body close as he pressed her head against his shoulder. “We’ll get your brother back.”

  For a moment, she allowed herself to stop fighting the grief and leaned into him, letting herself be comforted. She cried for the mother who had never said a loving word to her and for Brady who couldn’t love her. In a sense, Davey had always been an orphan, and now Hogan—her precocious baby brother—would suffer the same burden.

  She soaked Ethan’s skin with her sadness and let the misery pour out until the well of sorrow was empty. Then she dug deep, straightened her spine, and squared her shoulders. Reaching forward, she stroked his cheek. “I have to go back, Ethan. I have to do whatever it takes to save my brother.”

  “Let me help you.”

  Davey nodded. “Please,” she whispered. “I have an idea, but you’re not going to like it.”

  *

  Davey slowly strode toward the warehouse, listening to the soft thud of her sneakers strike against the faded asphalt. No matter how many times she hit stop, the fight constantly replayed in her mind. Always so even-tempered and in control of his emotions, never before had Davey seen Ethan so angry. After she had reached out to Marx to secure a trade—herself in exchange for Hogan—Ethan’s calm eyes had changed to an ominous shade of grey, darkening until they were nearly black in appearance as he protested the folly of h
er plan. But his vehemence was no match for Davey’s stubborn determination to save Hogan. She didn’t care about her safety and couldn’t allow herself to falter at the idea that Ethan would not be able to help them both, instead compelling him to promise to save her brother if the time came when he was forced to make a choice. He’d resisted at first, suggesting a bolder offense but one which needed more men, held the added risk of Marx’s remaining informants tipping off the kingpin before the raid could happen—and more damningly—required a lot more time to prepare.

  Ethan shook his head in disbelief when Davey refused and angrily got dressed while she avoided his heated glare. “Why won’t you consider what I’m saying?” he asked. His ire set each word ablaze.

  “Because if Harpey SWAT storms Marx’s warehouse, Hogan could get hurt.” She was careful to keep her voice calm, level. Ethan was on edge. Joining him there would only make for an explosion and non-productive situation. She’d witnessed the same thing happen between Brady and Tina far too many times. Staring at the floor, Davey saw his bare feet approach and risked looking up. She flinched. This was the soldier who Mad Max remembered. This was the dangerous man who those genetically engineered soldiers had struggled to neutralize. Last night, Ethan had been cold, but now heat radiated from his rigid muscles in waves, coaxing sweat from Davey’s skin. Licking her lips, she met his wrath head on. “I’m giving myself to Marx. It’s the best way. When he releases Hogan, you can get him to safety and then storm the place with the entire police department if you have to. If Marx doesn’t keep his word, I know you can make him.”

  “Then let me do that,” he pleaded. “You don’t have to turn yourself over to that monster. He will hurt you, Davey.”

  “I have to do this, Ethan.”

  “He rapes and brutalizes women.”