“I didn’t know you were here.” Last I’d seen of him, he was going home with Kylie.
“I pop in and out all the time,” he says, his arms hanging loosely around my waist.
“You wanna take your hands off her, buddy? Unless you’re happy for me to rearrange your face?”
“Coop!” I hiss, shucking out of Daniel’s hold. “Knock it off.” I scowl at him, because, seriously? We only just discussed this.
“Tori’s like a sister to me,” Daniel says, not humoring Coop in the slightest. “And I’ll fucking hug her whenever I feel like it.” He squares up to him, his long dark hair brushing against his shoulders. “Deal with it.” To me, he says, “I still can’t believe you blew Jensen off for this possessive jerk.” Daniel and Jensen have known each other for years, so it’s not surprising he’s loyal to my ex.
“Don’t you start.” Now it’s my turn to scowl at Dan. “And my love life should be of zero concern, or has everyone forgotten the enemy alien ships hovering over Earth?”
“I second that,” Dane says, pushing past everyone and standing in front of the retinal scanner. “Get your heads in the game. We’ve got a job to do here.”
Donovan and Denzil are waiting inside with the relevant paperwork, and we are processed and up on the communal teleporter in a jiffy.
In the blink of an eye, we’re at the warehouse in Iowa, where two blacked-out SUVs await us. “I phoned the director,” Donovan explains as he opens the door to one car for me. “He’s expecting us. We’ll travel in the rear vehicle with Maddox. Any trouble, use a transponder to communicate.” He hands four small black earpieces to me.
“We don’t really need those. We can just telepathically communicate with Maddox if anything goes wrong.”
“Show off,” Donovan mutters with a lopsided grin.
“You’re just jealous.”
“Damn straight. I’ve always wanted to read minds.”
It doesn’t work quite like that, but I don’t correct him. “We should get going.” He nods, walking off as I blow Maddox a kiss before climbing into the car. Dane takes shotgun while Beck, Coop, and I take the back seat. The driver is wearing a fitted black shirt and black utility pants with heavy boots which is how I know he’s one of Glennev’s men.
Leaning my head back, I yawn loudly, shutting my eyes as I welcome the opportunity to sleep.
“Babe.” Coop plants a soft kiss on my lips. “We’re here.”
I blink my eyes open, yawning. “Wow. I was dead to the world.” My door swings open, and Dane stands there with his arms folded and his “I mean business” expression firmly planted on his face.
“It’s my fault for keeping you up half the night,” Coop says with a wicked glint in his eye. Dane levels him with a piercing look that chills me to the bone.
“Sleep hasn’t been forthcoming for weeks,” I admit as I slide out of the car. “During our separation, I found it difficult to shut my brain off, and I regularly woke up during the night in a cold sweat. Maybe now you’re all home, I can finally get a decent night’s sleep.” I say it, but I don’t believe it. With everything coming down the line, it’ll be a miracle if I grab more than a few hours of sleep at night. Although, having a pair of strong arms wrapped around me should help.
“How do you want to play this?” Dane asks while the others clamber out of the cars.
“Straight up. I’m just putting it out there, and I’m not asking. If he wants our help, then he does this for us.”
“And if he calls your bluff?”
“We walk.”
He nods. “He won’t stay stubborn for long.”
“The director doesn’t hold all the power, and there’ll be red tape to cut through,” Donovan says, coming up behind us and eavesdropping. “But he’ll make it happen. The president knows what’s at stake here. He understands we don’t have the manpower or firepower to fight this war by ourselves.”
“The problem is time. We have little of it,” Dane says as we walk toward the entrance door.
“Everyone understands that,” Donovan says, and I hope he’s right.
“You can’t be serious?” Director Tanner says, sharing wary looks with his three colleagues around the table.
“Do I look like I’m joking?” I arch a brow.
“If you want Alinthia’s help in fighting General Arantu, you need to release the prisoners into our care. It’s the only leverage we have to win more allies on our side at such short notice,” Dane adds.
Director Tanner runs a hand through his short thick gray hair and sighs. “Isn’t there another way? We’ve seen what you can do, Alinthia. Surely you can use your abilities to end this threat before it escalates?”
“Weren’t you fucking listening earlier?” Dane snaps, losing control of his emotions. I move to touch his arm in a cautionary gesture, but I stall my hand just before I make contact, remembering how much he hated it the last time I touched him uninvited.
“We can’t put Alinthia in danger like that,” Donovan says. “And as we explained, General Arantu is protected by dark magic. He can’t be killed.”
“Our best defense is to gather an army of alien supporters,” I say. “The general is intelligent, and he won’t risk war with the odds stacked against him.”
“The real battle is the one for control of the galaxy,” Beck adds. “This is about vengeance, but when he sees he’s outnumbered, he’ll retract.”
The director sighs again. “This is a big ask.”
“So is what you expect of Alinthia,” Dane retorts.
“And you’ll vouch for these…prisoners?” the haughty-looking man sitting beside the director says. I’ve already forgotten his name and title.
“Yes.” I work hard to smother my frustration. “And I guarantee they won’t cause any trouble. They just want to return home, and we’ll facilitate that in exchange for their loyal support.”
“What if they refuse to grant that?” Director Tanner asks.
“That’s for us to worry about,” Dane answers on my behalf.
“Alinthia will win them around,” Cooper says from his slouched position in the chair. I know all this politicking bores him and Maddox to tears—unlike Dane who relishes these scenarios and Beck who finds them fascinating. While I can’t profess to enjoy all these meetings, I’m learning a lot, and I’ve already accepted this is part of my fate.
“So, do we have an agreement?” I ask, putting him on the spot.
He exchanges more looks with his colleagues before eyeballing me. “I’ll make some calls but, in principle, yes. We have a deal.” He shakes my hand, keeping a firm hold as he says, “But if any of those prisoners pose a threat or cause problems, it’s on you.”
I yank my hand from his grip. “I’ve already said I’ll accept responsibility.”
“Very well then. I’ll contact you in the morning, and we can make firm arrangements.”
I stand the same time Dane does. “Thank you.”
Chairs scrape as the rest of our group rises, and we move toward the exit en masse when something pops into my mind. “Director?” I call out, spinning around. “One more thing.” I stride back to the table with Dane hot on my heels. “Have you ever met General Jentarr?”
He nods, frowning. “Yes. Why?”
“I’m trying to determine whether or not he’s still alive. Our suspicion is that Zorc killed him sometime in the last few years and he was masquerading as Jentarr when the need arose. Can you cast any light on our theory?”
His brow puckers as he searches his mind. “All I can tell you is it’s been years since I met the general, and the last time he attended a meeting here, Commander Zorc accompanied him. I don’t know if your theory is correct or not, but I agree it’s plausible. Zorc had no regard for rules or moral standards, and the value he placed on life, human or alien, was low. He was also a manipulative son of a bitch, and it sounds like something he’d do.”
I nod, because that’s how I came to the same conclusion. “If you
think of anything else that might be useful, let me know.”
“What do you think, Dane?” I ask when we’re all back in the SUV en route to Eaton Lake. “Do you think Jentarr is still alive?”
He swivels around in the front seat, biting on his lower lip as he thinks about it. My eyes naturally glue to his plump bottom lip, and I wonder if I’ll ever get to kiss him again. The thought I might not sends a stab of pain shooting through my heart. Coop subtly squeezes my hand, and I check my shields, grateful they’re intact.
“I hear stuff even through shields,” he tells me. “It’s part of my gift. But even if I didn’t, I’d still know by your reaction. Your expression gives the game away every time.”
“Guess I need to work on my poker face.”
“He’ll come around, beautiful. And you’re too gorgeous to resist.”
If only it were that easy.
“I want to believe your assessment is true,” Dane says, after a few beats, pretending like he didn’t notice me and Coop silently communicating. “Because it stacks up. It was Zorc’s M.O., and Jentarr has kept a low profile these last few years.”
“But?” I ask because I know there’s one coming.
“But my gut says there’s more to it.”
“Then I’ll work off the understanding he’s still alive and we have a second enemy to defeat.” I’ll never bet against Dane’s supersight ability, which extends to insight too. He trusts his instincts for good reason, and I’d be a fool to ignore it.
I’m crawling into bed when someone pounds on the door. An image of Maddox standing out in the hallway, wearing a pair of low-hanging gray shorts, pops into my mind.
“Come in, Maddox.”
“How did you know it was me?” he asks, entering and shutting the door behind him.
“I saw you in my mind’s eye and felt you through the connection.” A smirk falls over my mouth. “And you always knock like you’re about to punch your fist through the door.” I pull back the covers, patting the space beside me.
“I heard you telling Beck you projected from your mind, and now you’re displaying signs of Dane’s supersight abilities,” he muses, climbing into bed. “Your powers are developing.”
I snuggle into him, resting my head on his warm chest and circling my arms around his waist. His arms go around me as he holds me close. “I demonstrated your superstrength in the chamber on Xzanthar, and I’ve heard some conversations from a distance too. I’m experiencing all of your abilities.”
“I wonder if that means we’ll share your supertouch ability.” He presses a kiss to my temple.
I tilt my chin up. “I guess we’ll see.” Stretching up, I peck his lips, curling my leg around his. “I don’t want to talk anymore.”
His lips curve into a smile. “What do you want?”
“I want to kiss you and touch you and let you feel my love.”
He moves fast, flattening my back into the mattress as he hovers over me, holding his powerful body aloft by his elbows. He plants a kiss on that sensitive spot just under my ear, and I shiver all over. “I know you love me.” He trails a line of kisses down my neck. “And I feel it all the time. I see it in the way you look at me.” He lifts his head, penetrating my eyes, and if I didn’t see it reciprocated in his loving gaze, I’d feel it with the strength of his emotion powering through our bond. “In the way you look at all of us.” He kisses me tenderly, and it’s so at odds with the way he usually ravishes my mouth. “I love you, princess. More than I ever thought was possible to love another.”
Happy tears prick my eyes. “I love you too.” I cup his face. “And I never want to be separated from any of you again.”
He slams his lips down on mine in a way I’m more familiar with, and a moan slips out of my mouth as he leans his body carefully on top of me. My legs wrap around his waist, and my fingers scrape over his cropped scalp. “We will never be apart again. No one is taking us from you. That I promise,” he says out loud.
I drag my nails along his back as I buck my hips up against his hard length. He grinds his pelvis into mine, and fireworks detonate inside me, igniting every nerve ending and cell in my body. I grab him closer, arching my back and tightening my legs around him as my body throbs with need. “I want to feel you inside me.”
He breaks our kiss to peer into my eyes. “You don’t have to. If this is because of Coop and—”
Placing my fingers over his lips, I stall him. “This is about you and me. I want to feel as close to you as possible. I want to feel you moving inside me.” I kiss him hard. “Fuck me, Maddox. Fuck me, right now.”
He rips my clothes off so fast I wonder if he’s gained a new super-clothes-removing power. His hazel eyes flash with unbridled lust as he strips his shorts off and grabs a condom from my bedside table. “This will be hard and fast, princess, because I can’t hold back.”
“I expect no less,” I pant, squealing when he reels me down to the edge of the bed. Yanking my legs up over his shoulders, he buries his mouth in my pussy and works me into a frenzy in no time. His hot tongue plunges inside me with brutal force as his thumb rubs circles on my swollen clit. I fist the covers, panting and writhing, as he quickly brings me to orgasm. I’m screaming, shouting out his name, as waves of intense pleasure consume me, when he slams into me without warning.
My butt is on the edge of the bed, my legs still draped over his shoulders as he pounds into me like a wild animal. Sweat beads dot his brow, and his muscular abs roll and flex as he thrusts into me over and over.
Being with him like this is exactly how I imagined it would be. Maddox is confident and demanding, and he’s taking what he needs from me, but his gaze radiates love and happiness, and he’s focused on my pleasure, on ensuring this is as good for me as it is for him, and I love the way he consumes me. He makes me feel desirable and cherished at the same time.
Leaning down, he captures my lips in a searing hot kiss, biting down on my lip, before his mouth descends to my breasts. His tongue darts out, laving my taut nipples as his hips pick up the pace, rutting into me harder and harder. His fingers sweep across my heated skin, tenderly caressing my curves in a way that’s at odds with the domineering way he’s taking me, but I love it all, and I’ll happily take anything he’s offering.
It blows my mind, and my body is his to do what he wants with.
Maddox controls me with the same assertive strength he brings to everything.
I’m already on the edge again when he presses his finger down on my clit. “I need to come, princess.” His entire body locks tight, his muscles rippling and flexing, and his eyes roll back in his head. “But not before you,” he promises, as he pinches my clit and I explode, screaming so loud it’s a wonder the others haven’t burst into the room yet.
Maddox roars out his release, and his powerful body trembles while he continues thrusting into me, with sweat dripping down his delectable abs as we milk every drop of our orgasms.
When we’re both sated, he collapses on top of me in a sweaty heap, pulling me against his warm body and hugging me close. He dusts kisses all over my face and neck, continuing to hold me close in a way that makes me feel wholly loved. When he looks at me, his adoring expression conveys every emotion, and I’m left in no doubt of the extent of his love. “I fucking love you, Alinthia. Always and forever.”
CHAPTER 3
“Two down, two more to go,” Coop whispers none too discreetly in my ear the following morning, creeping up behind me in the kitchen as I’m making a pot of coffee.
“Don’t be a jackass.” Maddox strolls into the kitchen looking freshly showered and totally fuckable. I was tempted to join him, but we’ve got a lot to do today and we can’t afford distractions. “Morning, gorgeous.” He reels me out of Coop’s embrace, planting a hot kiss on my mouth.
“Morning, handsome.” I beam up at him, circling my arms around his neck. “Did you sleep okay?”
“What kind of question is that?” he asks, cupping my ass in my jeans. “I
was sleeping beside you.” He shrugs, but there’s a twinkle in his eye. “It was the best sleep of my life.”
Coop gags. “And you have the nerve to call me cheesy?”
“Stop teasing him,” I toss over my shoulder. “I love Maddox’s new romantic side.” Although, there was nothing romantic about the way he possessively claimed my body last night. But that’s a private moment between the two of us and not something to share.
“Maddox doesn’t believe in romance,” Beck says, wandering into the kitchen with his iPad in hand. I swear he sleeps with the damn thing. I guess it’s his form of a comfort blanket.
“I do now,” Maddox instantly replies, and Beck raises a brow in silent question. “I just needed to find the right girl.”
I don’t enjoy thinking of any girls who might have come before me, so I purposely don’t respond to that statement.
Leaning forward, I swipe the iPad out of Beck’s hands, placing it on the counter, as Coop butters toast and Maddox pours coffee into several cups. “I’m making a new rule. No iPads, tablets, cameras, or any kind of tech device at the table when we eat.” I cross my arms around my chest, daring him to argue with me.
“No problem.” He kisses me sweetly. “You’re the boss.”
I arch a brow, letting my arms drop to my sides. “That easy, huh?”
Coop chuckles, sliding a hand underneath my top and palming my stomach. “Don’t pretend like you don’t know you have all of us wrapped around your little finger.”
Not all of you. I gulp over the painful lump in my throat, staring at the empty chair where Dane usually sits.
“He just needs some time,” Maddox says, and I don’t know if I projected that thought to all of them, my face is readable, or they know me well enough by now to understand what I’m thinking.
“He loves you,” Beck adds, taking his seat beside Maddox. “But he’s always had trouble expressing his feelings.”
“Where is Dane?”
“Probably sleeping,” Coop says, moving me with him toward the table. “I heard him up during the night.”
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