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  “I’m not a recruit. I’m not staying.” She met his skeptical look with a steady one of her own and ignored his snort. His hand steered her by her elbow down another gravel path and she started to ask a question, but a flash of darkness in the form of a speeding large male interrupted her.

  “Shit, not again, Blacker,” Gavin groaned from the ground. “That’s twice I let you knock me on my ass. I’m being nice because she’s your woman, but I swear if you touch me again, it’s on.”

  Adam lumbered over Gavin’s supine form. His breath came in spurts. “She’s not my woman.”

  “Then why are you about to kill me for touching her?” Gavin asked. “Loren, put your hand on him. Your touch will calm him down.”

  She eyed the tall, angry man who’d appeared out of nowhere to tackle her escort the second he’d placed his hands on her body. She wasn’t getting near that train wreck. “What is your problem, Adam? Why did you attack Gavin?”

  The scowl on Adam’s face sped up her heart rate, but she refused to cower to him or cut him any slack for being a ridiculous, overgrown baby.

  “He grabbed you.”

  “He did not.”

  “I know what I saw, Loren.”

  Her hands fisted on her hips. “Since when is putting a hand on someone’s elbow ‘grabbing’? Besides, what do you care? I’m not your woman. You admitted it.”

  “Get out of here,” Adam told Gavin then turned back to her. “Fine, you’re my woman. Happy? Let’s go.”

  “Not a chance.” She took a step back, but he followed with a larger step. Traitorous Gavin was already twenty feet away, obviously unwilling to interfere. Mint hovered on Adam’s breath and shampoo wafted from his damp hair. Lucky him to get a shower, something she still lacked after their intense, dirty night.

  “Loren, come with me.”

  These military types needed to stop assuming she’d follow their every order. Not in this lifetime. “Where are you going to take me?”

  “Where was Gavin taking you?”

  “To see my brother. Do you know my brother? And did you know my father?”

  He shook his head. “I know your brother and I knew of your father, but never met him personally.”

  “And it never occurred to you to mention that last night?”

  His lips thinned. “I was slightly distracted. We both were.”

  Heat flooded her cheeks as she recalled the many distractions. She doubted she’d even have recognized her father’s name if he’d mentioned it in the heat of their lovemaking. She stepped closer and put a hand on his hard forearm. “I want to meet my brother.”

  His searing glance at her hand on his arm melted her and sent heat to her pussy with the same intensity as before. Anxiety and possessiveness bled from his pores and wrapped around her skin, triggering a reaction that screamed for her to ease him, claim him. The water was obviously not out of her system yet.

  “Darn,” she said in a low breath. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as he lowered in for a deep kiss. Their first. His tongue met hers and they dueled for dominance until hollers and whistles of approval penetrated her lust-induced fog.

  She pulled away from his mouth and stared around to realize Adam was carrying her by her ass while her legs wrapped around his hips. An audience of his comrades had stopped to witness and tease.

  “Get a room!”

  “Get to the lab.”

  “Blacker’s met his match.”

  Adam smiled sheepishly at her while he continued to hold her effortlessly. “Privacy?”

  She nodded, trying to catch her breath and remember why she wasn’t supposed to be wrapped around this man like a second skin, but nothing triggered other than a need to ease the ache at her core.

  His quickened steps brought her swollen pussy against the zipper of his pants where his erection punched out against her. Each jogged step increased the friction until she was panting with need.

  “Here,” she said as soon as he’d reached the side of a building that appeared to be off the beaten path. “Stop here. I can’t wait, I need you again badly.”

  His low chuckle warmed her. “This is pretty public,” he warned.

  “I don’t care,” she said, near tears. The burning was intensifying to boiling point and her nipples felt as if they could cut glass.

  “I care. I don’t want you featuring in the fantasies of the teenagers on campus.”

  Why was he still talking and not inside her yet? She bit his shoulder to get him to shut up and get naked.

  Her sharp bite froze him in place to look at her. “Shit, you’re in pain, aren’t you?”

  She nodded, closing her eyes against the debilitating need now that she was in his arms again.

  Concern and determination replaced humor on his handsome face as he backed her against a shady tree near the side of a brick building. “I’m sorry, Loren. I didn’t realize.”

  He lowered her gently to the ground and went to his knees, planting his head between her legs. “Let me help you.”

  Her head fell back in the grass and she dug her heels in the ground, lifting her hips to his face.

  “You’re soaking,” he said, sounding awed. “I can smell and almost see it through your pants.”

  “Do something. Please.”

  He made quick work of her pants, lowering them to her ankles, and buried his tongue in her slit. The first touch of his tongue was salve to a burn. Gently he licked her up and down, pausing to circle her overly swollen clit.

  It was magic. The pain eased into a blinding pleasure, bringing release almost immediately. Though she was no longer in the agony of need, Adam’s hunger spoke to her body, keeping her ready for him.

  She tugged on his hair, pulling him gently up to see his face. “Come up here.”

  His smile warmed her, as did his large body covering hers. She could feel his cock against her belly through his thin pants, so she slid a hand between their bodies and cupped him.

  “Can I ease you now?” Without waiting for his answer, she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, releasing his erection. In a smooth movement, she raised her hips and head, meeting his lips for a kiss and his cock for the most intimate kiss of all. Thanks to her earlier orgasm, he slid in easily as if he’d never left.

  “I missed you,” he said against her lips as his hips started a slow rhythm.

  “It’s only been thirty minutes.”

  His breath tickled her ear. “Doesn’t matter. Thirty minutes, thirty seconds. I crave you.”

  Her defenses lowered against his romantic words, but she couldn’t find a response other than her very physical one. He was correct. Thirty minutes away from him had stretched endlessly, making her body feel it was missing a limb. To cover her discomfort from the truth behind that statement and its vast implications, she captured his mouth in an open, wet kiss that went on and on as their lower bodies came together in a wave of ecstasy.

  Twenty minutes later, they adjusted their clothes to rights. She sat up to face him and plucked some blades of grass out of the dirt to avoid meeting his gaze. “Will it always be like this?”

  “Like what?” His arms wrapped around his knees as he studied her.

  “This clawing need. It’s a serious distraction.”

  He rested his chin on his forearms and frowned. “The hormones from the water should be leaving your system soon, but we’re always going to have a strong pull toward each other.”

  “What if we fight it? You said earlier you don’t want a wife. I’m not really ready to be one. I think we should fight it.”

  “I have to fight it. What did Shep tell you?”

  She turned her head to see his brown eyes looking at her seriously. “He asked me to stay on the campus for two weeks and get in your face. In exchange, he’s going to tell me about my father’s role here and introduce me to my brother.”

  Adam nodded. “And will you?”

  “Will I what?”

  “Get in my face?”

  A hint of a
beard dotted his masculine jaw. She itched to rub her fingers over it. “I’ll try not to. You’re the one who came running up and grabbed me.”

  He had the decency to look chagrined. “I couldn’t help it. I’d been watching the exit of the main office to see if you came onto the campus or left, and when Gavin put his hand on you. Again…” He shook his head. “I kind of lost it.”

  “That’s what I’m worried about,” she admitted softly. “I don’t feel like myself. It’s like my body’s been taken over by some sex-crazed maniac.”

  He grinned over her embarrassment. “You won’t hear any complaints from me. I don’t want you to take it personally. If things were different, I’d carry you off to my room and not let you out until you were fat with my kid in you.”

  Her womb contracted at his words. “Assuming of course that I wanted to have kids with you.”

  He brushed a light finger over her knuckle. “You don’t?”

  How to answer that? “I haven’t given a thought to children before. I thought to find a man first.”

  “And now that you’ve found one?” He rose quickly to his feet. “Forget I said that. It wasn’t fair.”

  She stood to face him, arms akimbo on her hips. “No, it wasn’t. I don’t get you, Adam. You said all night you want nothing to do with me, but then you say something like that.”

  “I’m sor—”

  “Just take me to my brother,” she said before he could apologize for offering things they both may have secretly wanted but couldn’t admit to.

  They strolled down the gravel path toward a three-story nondescript brick building as Loren asked about her brother. His fast-beating heart made him want to skip and run all at the same time. She was staying. It would be tricky to avoid her. The compound was large, but not college-campus big. He’d see her at meals in the dining room, unless he invited himself to dine with his matched friends. Yes, that was a good alternative to restaurants for every meal. Maybe he could get a long-term assignment overseas. Kabul had nice weather this time of year. He could work on his tan.

  The lure of being with Loren was too strong. He’d felt it the second he’d seen her at that damn ambassador’s party. The temptation to succumb to her and the Program’s MO was strong, but all he had to do was think of the box of angst-ridden letters from his mother to his father on his dresser and his resolve strengthened. He’d never agree to match.

  Besides, it wasn’t fair to pursue anything with her. She lived in the real world and should be headed back there soon enough, and he had no intention of falling in line with Shep’s plans to breed the next generation of Program Soldiers. Yeah, he totally needed to ditch her with Chase. Let her brother babysit her. But if he could hold her hand one last time, that would be cool.

  Hell, who was he kidding? Only Loren flat on her back again naked, panting, would satisfy him. Or maybe facedown naked. Then he could recheck that her ass was as perfect as it appeared. Shit, he had to stop or she was going to notice his inattention and the growing bulge in his shorts. They’d barely cooled down from the quickie session in the grass, and he was already ready to go another round.

  He ignored his body’s desires and tried to answer her questions as fast as she fired them. “Your brother’s name is Chase, he’s a few years older than me, and he’s one of my squad.”

  Loren walked alongside him with her hair swinging down her back every step. He felt a smile threatening to burst out of him and pushed it back down. Her presence should not be a cause for celebration. Her presence here was dangerous for his peace of mind, but his body was throwing off fireworks.

  “Adam?”

  He glanced at her, sucking in eyefuls of her rich, honey hair and athletic body. “What?” It came out harsher than intended, courtesy of his little fantasy porn world starring he and Loren.

  “Uh, nothing. Well actually, I was wondering. What’s your ability?”

  “My ability?”

  “Your strength,” she clarified. “The Post article mentioned that each soldier here has a specialty like sharpshooting or hand-to-hand combat. What’s yours?”

  “Oh. I’m a tactician. I can outmaneuver nearly anyone. I’m involved in the planning of nearly all our operations.”

  “The news articles didn’t go into that much detail. What kind of operations do you conduct here? Are they all protection assignments like I saw at Christenson’s party?”

  “Nice try, Woodward. You’re not getting it from me. Most of that information is highly classified.”

  She laughed at his mention of her Washington Post colleague and held up her hands. “It was worth a try. And now I’m really curious for personal reasons, after all, between my brother and father it’s in the family now.”

  His heart flip-flopped at the sound of her laughter. He vowed to be the stand-up comedian of soldiers if he could hear her genuine laugh again. But it didn’t escape his notice that she hadn’t denied her journalist role. Would she write an inside view of the Program or would she feel loyalty to keep its secrets?

  Chase would have to watch her closely to make sure she didn’t write an expose. ’Cause he was out of here. More time with Loren and he’d be doing something really stupid like pressing her up against the nearest tree and taking her again. They’d agreed to keep their hands to themselves, and he’d live up to the bargain. He had to.

  They walked in silence down the path to the residential section of the compound. He could see some lights on in the small apartment building where he and most of the other single soldiers lived. Most of the guys were probably in the cafeteria grabbing some breakfast at this time of the day.

  Lights blazed at the tiny cottages where families resided, and he could hear the shrieks of laughter of young children running. He pushed the glass double doors, holding one open for her. She brushed by him, her long hair tickling his upper arm as she passed. His fists clenched to stop himself from grabbing a handful of her silky curls and stroking.

  “Where is my brother? I can’t believe my dad never told me I had a brother. Why did he separate us? Didn’t they get along?”

  “Those are questions better answered by Chase, but I can tell you he’s your half brother. You have different mothers.”

  “Shep mentioned that.”

  He chanced a sideways glance at Loren to see her reaction to the residential quarters. It looked similar to many buildings in the Washington Metro region with its dark-red brick and white rectangular windows. The sound of music did not come barreling down the hall to greet them as it usually did, so he deduced most residents were eating, but decided to knock on Chase’s door anyway. He pulled Loren along to the stairs and up one flight. Chase lived in the second apartment on the right. He knocked and heard Chase answer.

  “What’s up? Enter if you dare.”

  He turned to face Loren. “Your brother’s a bit of a well…you’ll see.”

  She raised an eyebrow at him and pushed her way into Chase’s apartment.

  Chase’s room looked like a freshman college dorm room. That was the nicest thing she could come up with. Heaps of clothes lay in piles on the floor, causing the blue carpet to look like it had brightly colored measles. Posters hung on the walls without frames and depicted half-nude females of the Playmate variety. Her brother lay on a queen-sized bed with a gaming remote attached to his hand. Loren glanced at the shoot-em-up game flashing on the screen. The hardware was far from college dorm. A nice Sony TV hung on the wall, its profile thinner than her wrist. A gaming system and other electronics were stacked under it. Apparently, genetically modified soldiers were compensated generously. Chase seemed engrossed in his game, but as soon as she and Adam entered the room, he sat up and focused on her with an intensity bordering on stalker.

  She distantly heard the ping of the game being paused as she and Chase stared into each other’s eyes. From the expression on his face, it was clear he’d known all about her even though she’d been clueless about his existence. Her excellent memory clicked into place and she I
D’d Chase as a guest from last night. Had he been a waiter? No, she recalled he’d posed as a guest. She took a hasty step back only to crash into Adam’s front. He reached around and steadied her.

  Chase bounded from the bed. “Where the hell have you been? Shep called. I expected you nearly an hour ago.” His keen gaze took in their disheveled clothing and an angry flush warmed his face. He glared at Adam. “If I didn’t know she was your match, I’d kick your ass. Guess you couldn’t help it, huh?”

  Adam’s strong body moved away, leaving her to face her brother’s scrutiny alone. She lifted her chin and tried not to blush over the fact she was meeting a brother who knew exactly why she’d been detained. “Sorry we’re late. I’m Loren, by the way. Your sister.”

  Chase ignored her body language and pulled her into a bear hug. “I’ve always wanted to meet you.”

  She gently pushed at his chest. It was hard to breathe enveloped in six-plus feet of brother, but it was every dream come to life. Every Christmas she’d run into the living room hoping and wishing to see a reallive little baby wrapped in blankets under the tree. It was the one wish Santa never made true.

  “And I’ve always wanted a brother. Or any sibling,” she amended. “How did you know about me? Was it last night at the party?”

  He looked discomfited by the question, but before he could answer, Adam jumped in. “It looks like you two are off to a great family reunion. I’ll leave you to it. See you around. Chase. Loren.” He nodded to them both and got the door open.

  Loren watched his retreating back, pretending not to be bereft to see him go. She told herself she wanted him to go so she could gain her freedom. She certainly didn’t want him to stay and be able to lean in to him and feel his chest or breathe in his subtle male scent.

  “Wait,” Chase called out to Adam. “You’re leaving?”

  Adam turned back, his face unreadable. “Yes.” His glance met hers for a split second. “It’s what we’ve agreed to.”

  Chase opened his mouth to say something more, but seeing the undercurrents of restraint and emotion passing between her and Adam, he closed it and shrugged. “Okay, your loss, but I don’t know what Shep told her, or where’s she’s staying, or her restrictions. Who is in charge of her?”