Authors: Rebecca Zanetti
He turned and pulled her into his arms.
The bittersweet moment her body met his stole her breath away, while memories of passion and love
assailed her. For the briefest of times, she’d belonged in the safe circle of his arms. The only time in her life
she’d been truly happy and not alone. Ah, the dreams she’d spun, even though she’d known better.
Happily-ever-after didn’t exist for her. Hell, it didn’t exist for anybody.
The music wound around them, through them, proclaiming a romance that couldn’t really exist. His
heated palm settled at the small of her waist.
Every instinct she had tempted her to slide against him, to burrow into his warmth. Her mind fought to
keep her body calm, but her brain had never triumphed when dealing with Nathan. Her heart had ruled and
in the end had been shattered.
Not again.
“Nate—”
“Shhh.” He tightened his hold and drew her into an impressive erection.
She gasped, her face heating, her sex convulsing. Blinking, she glanced up to see if the contact affected
him, and stilled at the look in his eyes.
Furious. The man was truly furious. Even with the contacts masking his eyes, his anger shone bright.
She tried to step back but he kept her where he wanted her. Yeah, she knew she’d hurt him when she’d
ended their relationship, but after nearly five years, he shouldn’t still be so mad. He’d had freedom for five
years, which was a heck of a lot better than she’d had. She’d had pain and fear and uncertainty. She
blinked. “What is wrong with you?”
His impossibly hard jaw somehow hardened even more. “Oh, we’ll discuss that shortly.” Threat lived
strongly in the calm words. “For now, we’re going to finish this dance. Then you’ll take the north exit and
meet me in my car so we can talk.”
“If I don’t?” she asked quietly, awareness quickening her breath.
His hands flexed. “I know where you live, I know your daily routine in working for Senator Nash, and
I know where you go when you need time alone. You can’t hide, you can’t outrun me—and you know it.”
The hairs on the back of her neck rose. “How long have you been watching me?” More importantly,
why hadn’t she noticed?
“A week. Long enough to know the two apes near the doorway are following you, too. What’s up with
that?” His hold tightened just enough to show his strength.
She shrugged. “They haven’t made a move, so I’m not worrying about it.” Not true, and by the
narrowing of Nate’s eyes, she knew he could still smell a lie a mile away. “The commander is having me
followed.”
Nate’s jaw clenched. “Why?”
“Dunno.” They didn’t have time to discuss it. “You should go now.”
“No.” He spun her, easily controlling their movements.
Her leg hitched, and she stumbled against him.
He frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” None of his business, that was. “What do you want to talk about?”
His gaze narrowed, and he spun her again. She tripped again. Her stupid leg didn’t move that way. She
glanced toward the doorway and the two soldiers watching her. They’d straightened to alert stances. She
tried to look normal.
“What’s wrong with your leg?” Nate asked, brows furrowing.
Oh, they were so not going into her injuries on the dance floor. “You almost sound like you care.” She
threw his words back at him, gratified when his nostrils flared.
His gaze probed deep, wandering down her neck. He blinked several times, his chest moving with a
harsh intake of breath. “I like your dress,” he rumbled, his voice a low whisper.
With his tight hold, she had no doubt the tops of her breasts were visible. “Nathan, don’t—”
“Don’t what?” His gaze rose to her lips. A light of a different sort percolated through his angry eyes. She
knew that look. Her body heated and her thighs softened. His erection jumped against her, and she bit down
a groan.
“One kiss, Audrey.”
Her eyes widened to let in more light. “No,” she breathed. One of his hands held hers, the other pressed
against her back. Thank goodness. He couldn’t grab her and kiss her, no matter how appealing the thought.
“Bad idea.”
“I know.” Nate didn’t need hands. His lips met hers so quickly, she never saw him move.
His mouth covered hers with no hesitancy, no question—as if he had every right to go deep. His tongue
was savage and demanding, holding nothing back and accepting no evasion. He tasted of loneliness, anger,
and lust. Hard, needy,
demanding
lust.
The men at the door were watching.
But her body didn’t care—instantly igniting instead of bolting. Her heart thundered in her ears, and she
fell into his heat, uncaring of whether he caught her. He wrapped around her, his unyielding body holding
her upright. He caressed her with his tongue, and she met him thrust for thrust, fierce pleasure lighting her
on fire.
She forgot where they were, who they were, everything but the desperate need he created.
He broke the kiss, blatant male hunger crossing his face. His breath panted out even as he moved them
in tune with the music.
She softened against him, allowing him to lead so she didn’t collapse. Her mind whirled, and she shook
her head to regain reality. “Nathan, what do you want?” The question emerged as a breathless plea she
failed to mask.
That quickly, all hints of desire slid from his face. His chin hardened. “Want? I want to know what
happened to the child you were carrying five years ago when you ripped out my heart. Where’s my baby,
Audrey?”
Nathan settled against the leather seat in the SUV, his gaze on the side entrance to the ballroom as rain
smashed down on the windshield. Even though he’d expected some kind of reaction, the slam to the gut
upon touching Audrey again had stolen his breath away. For a few moments he was a lovesick kid again
who had hopes for a future with the girl beyond his dreams. After the song had ended, he’d had to walk
away to pull himself together. Now, waiting outside for her, he settled himself.
He felt nothing.
She hadn’t answered his direct question about the baby and had instead spun away from him. That time
he’d let her go.
But the second he had her alone, she was going to tell him the truth.
Cold and purposeful, he’d follow his mission parameters and get the information he needed from
Audrey. First, he’d find his kid. Less than a week ago, he and his brothers had found Audrey’s mother’s
video diary where the woman claimed Audrey was pregnant with Nate’s child. It had been recorded five
years ago, before he’d escaped from the military group that had created him.
He’d instantly set out to find Audrey. After a week of following her, he knew the kid didn’t live with
her. Had she actually given birth and left a child to the monsters who’d created Nate? That couldn’t be
possible.
The nearly desperate hope that filled him at the thought of a child ached somewhere deep in his gut,
making a mockery of his lack of feelings. So badly, he wanted a kid. Wanted his brothers to have kids. Matt
and Shane had found love, and they should be able to have families. Real ones like they’d all seen on
television so long ago.
They could create families and have what they’d never experienced as kids. Could be part of something
good, and maybe have their bloodlines live on. Sure, they’d been created by monsters, but if they created
something good, couldn’t that balance out their past?
Maybe someday that good would outshine all the bad they’d done.
But he wondered, since he hadn’t seen a child this past week, had the video been wrong? Was there
ever a child? If so, how could Audrey not tell him?
Yeah, he wasn’t exactly a good guy, considering the missions he’d taken. He knew dozens of ways to
kill somebody. But he’d let Audrey in, and she should’ve known he’d love a child. He would’ve protected
that child with everything he was. A surprising loss flooded him, at both her lack of trust and the idea that
maybe no kid existed. All he needed was the truth from Audrey either way. Once that was confirmed, Nate
would gain her cooperation in obtaining access to the computer codes that would save his brothers’ lives.
Rain continued beating down on the windshield, the darkness swirling around outside. Of course, his
senses were enhanced, and his vision rivaled a wild animal’s. In fact, he heard Audrey’s heels clicking
toward the door right before she pushed it open. A slight hitch slowed her gait, and he wondered again how
she’d hurt her leg.
Not that he cared. He couldn’t care—not again. His brothers came first, and saving them was his only
mission. Probably his last mission.
Yet when Audrey stepped out into the deluge, he instantly slipped out of the SUV and hurried to open
the passenger side door, his large hand protecting her head from the rain. After she’d settled her legs into
his front seat, he shut the door, senses tuned in to their surroundings. So far, nobody had followed her out.
Good.
Stretching back inside the vehicle, he paused. “Give me your phone.”
She started and swung toward him. “I didn’t bring one tonight.”
He measured her breathing with his ears and listened for her steady heartbeat. She was telling the truth.
“Why not?”
She shrugged. “GPS. Why make it easy for them?”
What in the world was she talking about? “Who?”
“Doesn’t matter.” She squinted out at the pouring rain. “Are we staying here?”
“No.” He maneuvered into traffic and quickly drove away from the ballroom.
The vehicle filled with her scent of gardenias and woman. He’d seen her naked, he’d tasted her freshly
washed skin, and he knew without a doubt that the scent was all her. No perfumes… all female. Once
again, the sweetness threatened to drop him to his knees.
He’d loved her. Completely.
“Put on your seat belt,” he said quietly, making a left turn.
“Yours isn’t on.”
Of course his wasn’t on. If something happened, he needed access to his weapon and the availability to
jump out of the car already firing. Yet the safest course for Audrey was to be belted in. “Now, Audrey.”
From his peripheral vision, he could see her blink. Could almost feel her mind spinning as she decided
whether to defy or humor him.
She hesitated one second too long.
Pulling to the side of the quiet street, he reached over her and grasped the belt. His forearm brushed her
breasts, and his groin flared to life. A quick click of the buckle, and he drove the car back onto the road.
“Become a take-charge bully, have you?” she muttered, crossing her legs.
He cut a look at her that felt hard. “Yes. You might want to remember that.” He’d been trained by the
best in the world at intimidation.
So when she rolled her stunning blue eyes, he stilled. The woman knew how well he’d been trained,
and she understood some of his heightened abilities. After she’d betrayed him, how could she not fear him?
At least a little?
She cleared her throat. “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere to talk.” He turned down a side street, heading for a motel across the Washington Bridge.
“We can talk here,” she said, glancing at her watch. “It’s late, and I have work tomorrow.”
He gave a short nod. “How did you escape the men watching you?”
She lifted a creamy shoulder. “I just went out the back door. They weren’t expecting the move because I
haven’t done anything unpredictable for the two weeks they’ve been tailing me.”
Smart. Uncomfortably so. “Have you been planning something unpredictable?” he asked.
“No, but a girl likes to keep all options open.”
Was she as calm as she appeared? Tuning in his senses, the ones beyond normal, he took note of her
increased heart rate and rapid breathing. Though she looked calm, her body was rioting. Not as in control
as she seemed, but he appreciated her nearly bored façade. His Audrey had grown up in the last five years.
“I prefer you alone and contained when we speak,” he said. Yeah, he meant to sound threatening.
Her sigh echoed with irritation. “Listen, Nate—”
“No. We’ll talk in a few minutes.”
“Fine.” She turned to watch the streetlights brighten and then dim outside the car, effectively ignoring
him.
Several minutes later, he turned into a dive of a motel, parking by the last room on the bottom floor.
Audrey reached for her door, and he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Stay in the vehicle.” Jumping
out, he shut his door and listened through the storm.
No close-by heartbeats, no sense of danger. Good.
Crossing in front of the car, he opened her door and held out a hand to assist her.
She glanced at his hand and gingerly slid her palm against his. A shiver wandered up her arm, and she
stepped out of the car. Tentatively. Waiting for a moment, she tested her balance in those heels on the
cracked concrete and released his hand.
“What’s wrong with your leg?” he asked.
“Nothing.” She hunched her bare shoulders against the rain, and he herded her toward the doorway to
room 112.
Unlocking it, he stepped inside, holding out a hand for her to wait. A quick smell and listen proved