Griff: Hell Squad #17

by Hackett, Anna

  He moved his mouth lower, right between her lush thighs. He worked her hard, sucking and licking.

  “Griff, I’m going to—”

  She cried his name, the sweetest sound he’d ever heard. Griff rose, shoving his jeans off and freeing his cock. He covered her and thrust inside her.

  “Yes.” She wrapped her legs around him. “Like that. Right where you belong.”

  Desire overtook him, his hips pumping. “You feel like heaven. Freedom. Sunshine.”

  Her hand cupped his cheek, her fingers brushing his lips. He sucked one into his mouth and she moaned. Her hips lifted, matching his rhythm.

  Emotion coalesced in Griff—a massive, hot tangle he couldn’t control. “Need you.” His voice was a growl.

  Somehow, she saw it, felt it.

  “Take your anger out on me,” she said. “Take out all that fear. No holding back.”

  “My wild girl,” he growled, “leading me around by my cock. Leaving me hard. Bossing me around.”

  Her hands gripped his shoulders. “You love it.”

  Because he couldn’t stop, he thrust into her harder. “I do. I love you. I love when you smile at me, when you snipe at me. I love you naked with your legs spread for me. I just love you.”

  Her nails dug into the skin of his back, scratching hard. “I love you too, Griff. Now, stop talking and fuck me until I come.”

  “Whatever my lady wants.”

  “I’m no lady, baby.”

  He pulled out and flipped her over. He yanked her hips up and she let out a husky cry. When he slammed back into her, she cried out. “I love that, too.” Then he set to work giving his woman exactly what she wanted.

  * * *

  Dom

  He liked the night.

  Dom Santora walked silently toward one of the entrances leading back into the Enclave. He didn’t mind patrol. Usually, he’d be on patrol with Griff, or one of the other berserkers. But after their mission in the mountains, they had a few days off.

  Dom didn’t really like time off. He’d swapped a patrol shift with a soldier from another squad. He shifted his shoulder and didn’t even feel the faintest twinge. The doc had pulled the Gizzida projectile from his arm, given him a lecture about not getting to her quicker, and then shot him with nanomeds.

  It had been a close call for Griff. Dom scowled into the night, remembering the tense moments. His friend had almost died, but thankfully, he’d live to fight another day. And was happily recovering in Indy’s tattooed arms.

  The faintest smile tipped Dom’s lips. He’d never expected to form a bond with a man who’d once been a cop. He and the police had never mixed. But now he counted Griff as one of the few people he trusted. He was very happy Griff and Indy had found their way to each other.

  His smile faded. If his friends had any chance at the happy ending they deserved, then they needed to find a way to destroy the octagon weapon. The tech team were tracking it and analyzing Indy’s pictures, but right now, they had a lot of unanswered questions.

  Dom glanced at his watch. His shift was almost over. He’d been patrolling and checking for any Gizzida activity. It had been quiet. Too quiet. In his gut, he felt something was coming.

  Yes, darkness was coming and it wouldn’t be good for the remaining survivors.

  He released a breath, looking up at the stars twinkling in the night sky. He’d been born in the dark, raised in it, lived in it. It was all he knew, and he’d fight so the others had a chance to live in the light.

  Suddenly, he scented something on the air. Flowers. Sweet and light.

  He circled some trees and heard a small, indrawn breath. That’s when he saw her.

  She was sitting in the darkness, knees drawn to her chest, staring up at the stars.

  “You shouldn’t be out here,” he said.

  She jerked, looking in his direction, searching the darkness until she spotted his shadow. She pushed to her feet and swallowed. “I just wanted some air.”

  “It’s dangerous to be outside the Enclave. You know that.”

  “Everything is dangerous these days.” She tucked a strand of pale-brown hair back behind her ear.

  “You think a raptor won’t snatch you, just because you’re close to the Enclave? You’re smarter than that, Arden.”

  She tilted her head. “You know my name.”

  He knew a lot about her. Arden Carlisle. Comms officer for Squad Nine. Quietly beautiful. Elegant. Heartbreaking sadness in her big, violet-blue eyes.

  He knew that she’d lost her husband and children in the invasion. He knew it had scarred her deeply. Yes, he’d watched her and he knew her name.

  Dom also knew she was way out of his league.

  He leaned in closer, watching her stiffen. Her gaze locked on his face.

  “Advice, Arden. Don’t sneak out. The Gizzida are planning their endgame. They’re going to get bolder, take greater risks. If they find you out here, they’ll snatch you without a second thought.”

  She swallowed again and nodded. “Okay. I’d better go in.”

  Dom crossed his arms over his chest and watched her gaze drop down to them.

  And even in the darkness, he saw something flicker in her eyes. She quickly turned away, panic on her face.

  He didn’t know what made him do it, but he reached out and grabbed her arm. He felt a burst of warmth against his fingers. He breathed in and her scent filled his senses.

  “Arden, promise me, no more sneaking out.”

  She looked back at him and lifted her chin. For a second, he marveled at her alabaster-smooth skin.

  “Sometimes… Sometimes I have to get out. The walls close in, Dom.”

  So, she knew his name, too.

  And he understood the feeling of being trapped. In his previous life, he’d been born trapped, lived trapped, and in the still of the night, he’d wished he could escape. He wished he could live in the light.

  Even with that life behind him, he still carried it with him. It was like a stink he’d never be rid of.

  One he’d never inflict on anyone else.

  “If you want to go outside again, you call me,” he said.

  Her lips parted and she stared at him. His gut clenched. Cazzo. Why the hell had he said that?

  “You’d do that?” she murmured.

  She was so damn beautiful. “Yeah. So, call me, si? And no more sneaking out alone.”

  White teeth bit down on that luscious bottom lip.

  “You get me, Arden? I need to know you understand.”

  “I get you.”

  He nudged her back toward the hidden door into the Enclave. “Now get back inside.”

  She nodded, then found the hidden keypad and tapped in the code. The disguised door opened, and she took a step inside. She paused. “Good night, Dom.”

  “Good night, bella.”

  The door closed behind her and Dom stayed there in the dark. Where he’d lived all his life.

  But for the first time in a long time, he wished he belonged in the light.

  * * *

  Clack.

  The balls flew around the pool table. Indy slid off her stool and smiled.

  “I’ll turn you into a pool shark before you know it.”

  As she stepped back from the pool table, Arden looked less than convinced.

  Indy took the cue from her friend and bent over the table. Instantly, she felt his gaze on her.

  She glanced back over her shoulder, and saw Griff staring at her ass. He was sitting on a stool at the bar with the rest of the berserkers and Hell Squad.

  She leaned forward a little more, giving her ass a little wiggle. She lined up a shot and sank a ball. She handed the cue back to Arden.

  Her gaze collided with her man’s and she felt scalded.

  She turned her attention back toward the pool table and saw General Holmes stride in. He looked mad as hell. His mouth was tight and it looked like he’d been running his hands through his hair.

  The general strode
over to the bar, opened a beer, then tipped the drink back.

  Indy raised a brow at Arden. “Who pissed off the general?”

  Arden’s lips twitched. “Last I heard, he was having a ‘conversation’ with Hemi and Levi.”

  That meant Holmes had been reaming them out for disobeying orders. “Why?”

  “You didn’t hear?” Arden asked.

  “Um, I’ve been a bit busy getting naked with my berserker.”

  Arden’s cheeks went pink. “Right. Well, Hemi and Levi convinced Maddy from the Hawk team to fly them out and recover Squad Three’s bikes.”

  Indy bit her lip. “Unsanctioned?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Maddy let them talk her into that?”

  “Yes.”

  Indy shook her head. The young, fun Hawk pilot was probably regretting falling for the charm of those berserkers. “They get the bikes back okay?”

  Arden nodded. “But boy, the general can shout.”

  It wasn’t the first time the general had shouted at the berserkers, and knowing her squad, it wouldn’t be the last time.

  A handsome man, who Indy thought might be from the construction crew, was glancing Arden’s way.

  Indy leaned in close. “Hey, Arden, there’s a cute guy staring at you.”

  The woman hunched her shoulders. “Not interested.”

  Hmm. Arden was proving to be a tough case. Indy just wanted to see her friend happy.

  “Your berserker is staring at you like he wants to eat you whole,” Arden muttered.

  Indy smiled. “I hope so.”

  Arden shot a quick glance toward Squad Three and her cheeks went even pinker. “You love him.”

  “I’ve loved him all my life. Completely. He’s a good guy.” Indy leaned against the pool table as wild, booming laughter echoed over the crowd in the rec room. Hemi, of course. Her smile widened. “Griff and the berserkers, they fight hard, protect with everything they have, but they live hard, too. They grab life with both hands. Griff’s been angry—about his imprisonment, about the invasion—but he’s starting to let it go. I know he might never get over what happened to him, but he’s learning to enjoy life more. I can help ease his burden.”

  “Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose him?” Arden asked quietly. “We all know the octagons are out there. We know the aliens are planning something terrible.”

  Sympathy for her friend rocketed through Indy. “Sure. But the risk is worth it. For however long we’ve got, loving him is worth it.”

  She saw something shift in Arden’s eyes, and the woman glanced at the berserkers again.

  Indy grabbed her arm. “You deserve some happiness, Arden. To feel some pleasure. To live.”

  Arden gave a tiny nod. “Maybe you’re right.”

  Indy bumped her shoulder against Arden’s. “Your shot.”

  Arden lined up her cue, concentrating hard. As Indy watched her friend, a hard arm snaked around Indy’s waist and hot lips pressed against her ear.

  “I’ve been watching you lean over that table. Watching that sweet ass of yours…”

  Tempting the devil, she rubbed back against Griff’s crotch.

  He nipped her ear. “Bad girl.”

  Then he reached around her and set a small box on the table. Her chest hitched.

  “Open it,” he said.

  Arden was staring at Indy with wide eyes and a growing smile.

  Heart beating hard, Indy lifted the box and flipped it open. Resting on the velvet lining inside was a gorgeous, unique ring. It had a square, aqua-blue stone, flanked by some baguette diamonds.

  Griff spun her around to face him. “Marry me, Indy? Be mine now and forever?”

  “Yes,” she yelled.

  With a whoop, he lifted her off her feet and spun her around. Then he kissed her and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, sinking her hands into his hair.

  “That was a much better proposal.” Happiness and love washed through her. Every word she’d said to Arden was true. This was so worth it. She’d take on dragons for the chance to love Griff.

  Cheers and whistles erupted around the rec room. God, they were always putting on a show for everyone.

  “You’ve made me the happiest damn man in the world,” he said.

  “And I’m going to make you even happier when you take me back to our room.”

  His hands flexed on her ass and she got one of his amazing smiles.

  “Never change, gorgeous,” he said. “I love you just as you are.”

  “Good. Now, your fiancée needs a kiss.”

  Griff took his time, kissing her deeply until she was squirming against him. She pulled her mouth from his and nipped his earlobe.

  She lowered her voice. “Now your fiancée needs you to carry her to bed and get her naked.”

  “That, I can do, wild girl.”

  They stalked out of the rec room to a round of applause.

  * * *

  I hope you enjoyed Indy and Griff’s story!

  Hell Squad will continue with Dom, the story of dark, mysterious berserker, Dom Santora. Coming June 2019.

  For more action-packed romance, read on for a preview of the first Eon Warriors adventure, Edge of Eon.

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  Preview: Edge of Eon

  She shifted on the chair, causing the chains binding her hands to clank together. Eve Traynor snorted. The wrist and ankle restraints were overkill. She was on a low-orbit prison circling Earth. Where the fuck did they think she was going to go?

  Eve shifted her shoulders to try to ease the tension from having her hands tied behind her back. For the millionth time, she studied her surroundings. The medium-sized room was empty, except for her chair. Everything from the floor to the ceiling was dull-gray metal. All of the Citadel Prison was drab and sparse. She’d learned every boring inch of it the last few months.

  One wide window provided the only break in the otherwise uniform space. Outside, she caught a tantalizing glimpse of the blue-green orb of Earth below.

  Her gut clenched and she drank in the sight of her home. Five months she’d been locked away in this prison. Five months since her life had imploded.

  She automatically thought of her sisters. She sucked in a deep breath. She hated everything they’d had to go through because of what had happened. Hell, she thought of her mom as well, even though their last contact had been the day after Eve had been imprisoned. Her mom had left Eve a drunken, scathing message.

  The door to the room opened, and Eve lifted her chin and braced.

  When she saw the dark-blue Space Corps uniform, she stiffened. When she saw the row of stars on the lapel, she gritted her teeth.

  Admiral Linda Barber stepped into the room, accompanied by a female prison guard. The admiral’s hair was its usual sleek bob of highlighted, ash-blonde hair. Her brown eyes were steady.

  Eve looked at the guard. “Take me back to my cell.”

  The admiral lifted a hand. “Please leave us.”

  The guard hesitated. “That’s against protocol, ma’am—”

  “It’ll be fine.” The admiral’s stern voice said she was giving an order, not making a request.

  The guard hesitated again, then ducked through the door. It clicked closed behind her.

  Eve sniffed. “Say what you have to say and leave.”

  Admiral Barber sighed, taking a few steps closer. “I know you’re angry. You have a right to be—”

  “You think?” Eve sucked back the rush of molten anger. “I got tossed under the fucking starship to save a mama’s boy. A mama’s boy who had no right to be in command of one of Space Corps’ vessels.”

  Shit. Eve wanted to pummel something. Preferably the face of Robert J. Hathaway—golden son of Rear-Admiral Elisabeth
Hathaway. A man who, because of family connections, was given captaincy of the Orion, even though he lacked the intelligence and experience needed to lead it.

  Meanwhile, Eve—a Space Corps veteran—had worked her ass off during her career in the Corps, and had been promised her own ship, only to be denied her chance. Instead, she’d been assigned as Hathaway’s second-in-command. To be a glorified babysitter, and to actually run the ship, just without the title and the pay raise.

  She’d swallowed it. Swallowed Hathaway’s incompetence and blowhard bullshit. Until he’d fucked up. Big-time.

  “The Haumea Incident was regrettable,” Barber said.

  Eve snorted. “Mostly for the people who died. And definitely for me, since I’m the one shackled to a chair in the Citadel. Meanwhile, I assume Bobby Hathaway is still a dedicated Space Corps employee.”

  “He’s no longer a captain of a ship. And he never will be again.”

  “Right. Mommy got him a cushy desk job back at Space Corps Headquarters.”

  The silence was deafening and it made Eve want to kick something.

  “I’m sorry, Eve. We all know what happened wasn’t right.”

  Eve jerked on her chains and they clanked against the chair. “And you let it happen. All of Space Corps leadership did, to appease Mommy Hathaway. I dedicated my life to the Corps, and you all screwed me over for an admiral’s incompetent son. I got sentenced to prison for his mistakes.” Stomach turning in vicious circles, Eve looked at the floor, sucking in air. She stared at the soft booties on her feet. Damned inmate footwear. She wasn’t even allowed proper fucking shoes.

  Admiral Barber moved to her side. “I’m here to offer you a chance at freedom.”

  Gaze narrowing, Eve looked up. Barber looked…nervous. Eve had never seen the self-assured woman nervous before.

  “There’s a mission. If you complete it, you’ll be released from prison.”

  Interesting. “And reinstated? With a full pardon?”