Into the Light (The Admiral's Elite Book 2) (4 page)

Then Becca made a funny choking sound and Gabrielle was forgotten. “I’m here. You need to calm down. Breathe for me. Can you do that?” His hand touched her forehead and again the heart slowed.

Curiously, his touching her seemed to have a profound effect and Gabrielle had the feeling she was seeing something she wasn’t meant to.

Reinforcing that vibe, Michael glanced up at her. “I told you to get out.” This time, his human was out of danger and he was not going to be distracted from ejecting her.

Gabrielle saw that it was time and she carefully backed out, shutting the door on them. Standing outside her room, she ticked her fingernail against her teeth, thinking. “Hmm.”

Just then, Ryan happened to come up the stairs. He smelled of apples and peanut butter. The display of power, loyalty, and the girl’s surprisingly attractive form had Gabrielle in a mood. Stepping forward to put herself in his path, she put a hand in the middle of his amply muscled chest and purred. “What are you doing right now?”

A broad grin cracked Ryan’s strong features and he reached out behind her to playfully grab at her ass. His physique was enviable. He’d been a Marine, and a good one, before he’d been infected. The years of shifting back and forth between human and wolf had left him even broader and firmer than in his purely human life. “I have an idea.”

Gabrielle slid her hand down his t-shirt and scratched lightly over the front of his pants. “Me too.” Securing her fingers in his waistband, she turned and led him down the hall to his room on the other side of Becca’s. If she were more self-conscious she would have been grateful for the thick walls of stone that deadened almost all sounds. But, as Michael had just made evident, not all was silenced from supernatural ears.

***

Back in his room, Ryan let Gabrielle take control, as she was wont to do. Shutting the door, she pushed on his chest and he let his body follow her direction toward the bed until the mattress hit the backs of his knees and he plopped down. She was on him in seconds, all teeth and nails.

Ryan thought about making a joke about how revved up she was until she caught his throat in her teeth, a gesture more wolf than human and he sniffed. She was close to changing; her control was thin. They weren’t supposed to change in the house. It wasn’t close to the full moon, but still. It wasn’t safe, this close to a human, when she was this jacked. Sexual desire could easily shift to the desire for the kill when they were in their animal form. Ryan knew he would have to let her burn off a little juice with him to avoid trouble. He would have to change and go for a run after this so he could heal. She was going to leave marks.

He wasn’t wrong. Fingers tipped with claws tore his shirt from his suntanned shoulders, leaving thin trails of blood in their wake. Instead of her violence cowing him, Ryan felt his body waking, responding in kind. His teeth grew while he willed his snout to stay back. He wanted to stay human with her; it was more personal. Taking her shirt in both hands, he ripped it open and grabbed her lean arm, pulling her toward him until she sat astride his hips. Elongated canines scraped her throat, asking her permission.

Arching her back, Gabrielle gave in but not without a price. Her claws tore his back in long raking trails. Groaning, needing more control, Ryan pushed off the bed, taking her with him and backed her up against the wall. Roughly, he tore at her pants while she ripped his zipper in two. Not taking the time to unlace their boots, he turned her around and pushed himself into her, feeling her readiness as he slid inside.

Growling, she reached around to grab onto his backside and help him drive into her. He knew she would want it rough in a mood like this and the scent of blood in the air had him needing to bite something. He snuffled at her collarbone and she tossed her long honey blonde hair off her shoulder and tipped her head, allowing him access. Getting close, Ryan reached around her front. One hand tweaked her nipple, twisting it painfully to make her clamp down harder on him and the other found its way between her legs to bring her to the edge he was already riding.

Claws dug into his ass and she clamped her core down on him hard. Pulling back his lips, Ryan lunged forward and drove his canines into her shoulder to hold her while he pounded into her at a punishing speed. Gabrielle ducked her head and took it, panting and flying over the edge seconds after she felt his release pumping inside her.

The explosion faded and she came back to herself, feeling Ryan’s tongue cleaning her shoulder where he’d drawn blood. With a satisfied moan, she pushed back and hinted that she wanted up. He eased back to allow her a little breathing room. His hands were slower to let go and they, as well as his tongue, continued to work languidly on her hypersensitive skin. 

“Was that what you were thinking?” He teased her with his tongue, bringing his hips forward; making hints that he was willing to help her if she wanted to work at it some more.

Twitching at the sensations he was causing, Gabrielle pulled away and faced him with heavy lidded eyes. “Couldn’t you tell?” She checked the flesh under her nails and winked. “I think we could both use a run. Are you too tired?”

Ryan knew they weren’t done yet. She was going to be looking for more as soon as they were out the door. Impersonal sex was what she could handle and he was okay with it. He tortured himself wondering if she was like this with the other guy. The one she called out for in her sleep sometimes. Luc. He hid his displeasure by ducking his head and shaking out his shaggy auburn hair, peering up at her through it. This was the woman he’d chosen, baggage and all. With a smirk and a wink he leaned down to unlace his boots. They were his only pair and he didn’t want to lose them somewhere in the desert.

Chapter 5

“How long was I out?” Becca blinked back into the world, horribly embarrassed but no worse for wear. “Tell me Gabrielle didn’t see me faint?” She put her hands over her face and groaned.

All signs of tension he’d been showing in the meeting were gone from Michael’s face as, chuckling, he pulled her hands away and held them. “If it helps, she felt guilty when she thought she killed you.”

“No, that doesn’t help.” Becca breathed deeply into her sore lungs. She felt like she’d swallowed half a swimming pool and then coughed it back out, leaving her chest stretched and sore. Pushing herself up to a sitting position and leaning back against the short, squared-off wooden headboard, Becca let her shoulders slump. “I thought we were getting somewhere, Gabrielle and me. Now she thinks there’s some sort of thing going on between you and the admiral and I’m in the middle.” Her eyes searched his face, not missing the shadow that crossed it at mention of the admiral. Gabrielle was right, there
was
something going on there. “Michael,” she stopped him before he could argue, “she told me what he did during the meeting.” Hazel eyes held his darkening blues. “What’s going on?”

“It’s a power play, nothing more.” He leaned in and kissed the corner of her mouth, lingering.

Becca studied his features, carefully controlled and giving no sign that he was telling nothing but the truth. She felt her insides burn in warning. “Okay, if you say so.”

Reclining beside her, Michael pulled her onto his chest. Becca nestled her head under his chin and sighed. After their false start, when she’d believed Black to be behind Michael’s romantic interest in her, he promised no secrets. As far as she knew, he’d honored that oath these past couple of months. It seemed they’d come to the end of their run; Michael had just lied to her. Of that she was certain.

***

Studying their files gave everybody who needed one an excuse to keep quiet on the plane ride to their next mission in River Falls, Wisconsin.

“Pack warm,” Ryan cautioned them, confessing he’d been a Midwesterner before joining the service before the war. Although which war or which state he wouldn’t say. “It’s spring in Cali but it’ll be a few more months before the ice is off out there.”

Becca had gone through her pack that morning at five, waking early and creeping down to the command center to have some alone time. Michael had gone back to his room some time in the night after she’d fallen asleep and she wanted a few more hours before they ran into each other again.

The night had offered perspective; that any lies Michael told were the result of whatever gag order the admiral had given. And that was exactly where she kept getting stuck. Could anyone have a relationship where the admiral was involved? He had his hooks in all of them in different ways; he could manipulate each one.

Somewhere over Colorado Becca nodded off, not to wake until rubber hit tarmac in River Falls. Staring out the porthole-sized window of their private jet, Becca frowned. Snow, and lots of it, lay in piles all around them with endless stripes of white and black along the runways from planes melting their way through the ice that had covered the ground since November.  Arching her back and reaching over her head, she stretched and settled back until they reached the hangar.

“Alright folks, we’re here.” Gabrielle’s voice crackled over the PA system. “Grab your shit.” She had a different sort of pilot’s speech for her departing passengers than your typical pilot.

Becca wondered if she’d been in the Air Force or maybe a Navy pilot before meeting the admiral. They were all from different branches of the service. Admiral Black seemed to pick the attributes and it didn’t matter from where he gathered. Michael and Ryan had been Marines, Becca Navy. One could guess Black was Navy as well because of his title, only no one knew for sure. Maybe he just liked the sound of it.

The seat across from her shifted and Michael stood, blocking the light. The next few minutes were filled with the sounds and easy conversation of old acquaintances deplaning.

“Hey Mike, maybe while we’re here we can make snow angels,” Ryan teased.

Michael shot back something about Ryan being too warm; he’d have an unfair advantage for clean outlines. Ryan, not one to give up the last word, said something back about it not being his fault he was so hot.

As usual, a car was waiting for them. This time they had a dark blue SUV with tinted windows. Unlike the myths, Michael could walk in the daylight but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt. Packs in the back, all four loaded up with the men in front and women in back; they were on their way.

Once the flat expanse of the airport was behind them and they were out on the main highway, Becca was struck with the beauty of the landscape. Rolling hills rose on either side of the road. In some parts, elevated bridges carried them over narrow rivers littered with ice, cutting through the farm fields below. The skeletons of trees, shrunk by distance and accentuated by the evening’s shadows, offered negligible cover for the black and white cows patiently waiting for food or some sort of distraction from the desolate white surrounding them. It was her first trip to the middle of the country and Becca ached to see it in bloom. The green would be breathtaking. There was so much countryside, so much distance between houses. Even the towns were a fraction of the size of those she was used to on the West Coast. Up ahead a white cliff face overlooked a bend in the road. A lone tree stood sentinel from the top, watching the traffic below.

Just after the bend the land below changed, opening to a wide valley hemmed in by pale, jagged-faced limestone cliffs on either side. Michael navigated the vehicle around the cloverleaf exit and after a few more twists and turns, brought them to a long, two level building with a black and white sign designating the location simply as “Motel.”

The lot was open. They parked in the center giving them some amount of privacy, though in a small town such as this they were guaranteed to get some extra attention. Ryan went in alone to check them in. With a black knit hat and blue parka over his jeans and boots, he could almost pass for a big-shouldered local country boy. Maybe he was before the Marines got a hold of him, he sure never was small.

Fifteen minutes later they had split into couples, their usual when on the road, and were settling into their rooms. Absently Becca wondered if Black didn’t mind them pairing off because it was more cost effective that way and snorted at the thought of the admiral caring about cost.

Michael looked up from where he was laying a cooler with his “on the road” supply next to his pants in a drawer. Not wanting to talk yet, she smiled and turned her attention back to her own unpacking and effectively closed the door on any conversation.