Sweet Revenge

Chapter 28

Matt kept to the shelter of the rough porch, his gaze focused across the lake. “A row of cabins front the north shore. I doubt we’ll find anything but a shotgun or two, but you never know.”

“I’m more interested in how many troops the commander sent after us.” Nate stretched his back with a loud pop. “Getting out of here with the surgeon is going to be tough.”

“She’s not a surgeon any longer,” Matt said, the wind smashing rain up against his bare chest.

“Sure she is.” Nate shrugged. “Maybe she’s not cutting into people right now, but she learned the skills—and she has used them.”

“Not on us.” Matt didn’t understand why he was defending Laney, but he couldn’t stop. “The commander manipulated her like he did us.”

Resignation shot through Nate’s eyes before determination hardened his jaw. “Okay, then. I guess she stays with us?”

An unknown force filtered through Matt. What the hell was that? Panic? Shit. Had he just felt panic? If so, he didn’t like it. At all. “Yes. I just almost had a panic attack at the thought of losing her, and I won’t do it. Not because I need her to help us, but because…”

“You need her.” Nate sighed. “I guess she’s one of us, then.”

Heated air rose up Matt’s esophagus. “She is, and I need you to be nice to her.”

Nate chuckled. “I’m always nice.”

“Are not.”

“Am, too.” Nate sighed and leaned back against the weathered wood. “You love her.”

Two of the deadliest soldiers trained by the commander shouldn’t sound like arguing two-year-olds. “I haven’t known her very long.” Matt shook his head.

Nate rolled his eyes. “What does time have to do with anything?”

“I don’t know.” This couldn’t be happening. Not right now.

Nate closed his eyes for a moment and pushed off the cabin. “Listen, Matt. I don’t want you to be in love any more than you want it. Any distraction right now is bad. But if it has happened, we deal with it like we always have.”

“Deal with it?” Matt shook his head. “You really don’t understand.”

“Sure I do.” Nate swallowed. “From day one, you’ve lived for us. You were our brother, father, mother, commanding officer, and medic. We all know it. There’s nothing wrong with having something for yourself. Having somebody.”

But his focus had to be his brothers. He was the oldest, and they were his responsibility. Shit, he needed them. Without his brothers, he was just another killing machine. The thoughts raced through his mind as his brother waited him out. “Hell.”

Nate smacked him on the shoulder. “Listen. If you decide she’s family, she’s family. We’ll protect her until our last breath, which, unfortunately, may be soon. Very soon.”

Matt shook his head. He’d never faltered in his path, never. Now he couldn’t find his footing. “What if she, I mean, if…”

“If she doesn’t feel the same?” Nathan shrugged. “Well, you say she’s nice. Maybe she’ll take pity on you. After all, you are the ugly one.”

Matt coughed out a laugh. “You’re such an ass.”

“Yeah, and I’m good at it.” Nate glanced toward the north. “Our chances of getting out of this forest are not good. You know it as well as I do.”

“I know.” Even if they caught a miracle and got to Montana, the Gray brothers probably only had six weeks to live. How could he ensure Laney’s safety from beyond the grave, especially since his brothers would be dead, too? “We’re going to take care of these chips. But first, we have to survive the night.” Matt glanced back at the darkened cabin. “I’d like to go with you to scout, but—”

Nate shook his head. “Stay here, protect your woman. You’d be worried about her, and I don’t need you distracted. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He exhaled. “Take the time, Mattie. It may be all you have.”

The truth in the words cut like a blade. “Thank you for being my brother, Nate.”

Nate’s smile held too much sadness. “Never alone.” He turned and ran into the devastating storm.

“Never alone,” Matt repeated quietly. His chest hurt. They’d survived their childhoods and found freedom together. In order to survive the next weeks and beat the commander, he had to become the worst part of himself. The part they’d created in a test tube to feel nothing and kill easily. In order to save his brothers, to protect Laney, he had to become all hunter.

A being Laney couldn’t possibly love.

He appreciated Nate’s push for Matt to find happiness. But happiness and the things he had to do didn’t go together. He knew it, and deep down, he suspected Nate knew it, too.

Matt would make his stance in the forest. He probably only had a few more hours to live, and he was taking them. So he pushed open the cabin door and headed inside to see what might have been. In a different time, in a different world, if he’d been a different man.

Laney stood near the crackling fire, her legs bare, the light shining through the thin cotton to illuminate her curves. She was so beautiful his gut hurt. Green eyes that hinted at Ireland, feminine features that whispered at fragility, and long legs meant to wrap around his hips all drew him forward. “Nate went to scout for more weapons and will be back shortly.”

Laney’s eyes widened. “Then what?”

“Then we run to wherever Shane is picking us up.” They’d probably have to fight their way there. “No matter what happens, you head for the coordinates and get on the helicopter.”

“Not without you.” She lifted her chin, intelligence sizzling in her eyes.

Yeah, she’d read him correctly. He’d sacrifice himself to save her. “I need you on the helicopter.”

“Then I suggest you be with me so I get on it.” While delicate, her chin held a dangerous amount of stubbornness.

An image of a little girl with his eyes and her chin flashed through Matt’s head, and he almost staggered with the need to have that life. To have that family. “I may not be able to have kids,” he said. Jesus. Why the hell had he said that? They didn’t have forever and sure as shit wouldn’t be planning to procreate.

Laney’s eyebrows lifted into her hairline. “Are you asking me to marry you or something?”

“No.” Hell, no. God.

Feminine knowledge glowed in her eyes and scared the shit out of him. She glided forward and slid her palms along his wet skin. A roaring filled his ears and urged him to take her down and bury himself in all that softness. To beg her to never leave him.

She tilted her head to meet his gaze. “Why not?”

His mind fizzed. “Why not what?”

“Why aren’t you asking me to marry you?” Those nimble fingers unlatched his belt.

He blinked. “Huh?”

“You love me, right?” She tugged his belt free.

His cock suddenly tried to punch through his zipper, and he bit back a wince. “What does marriage have to do with anything?”

She unsnapped his jeans. “Answer the question.”

Oh, he’d left her way too long in the cabin to think. She’d been thinking, obviously. “Yes, I love you. But love doesn’t change anything.”

She slowly, way too slowly, released his zipper. “You’re wrong. Love changes everything.”

“Why?” He held her upper arms, wrapping his fingers all the way around and being careful not to bruise.

“Because I love you, too.” She held absolutely still as she said the words.

His gut clenched, and his heart thrummed. Love. The real kind, and from Laney. His head spun. He didn’t deserve her, but the idea of losing her sliced through him like a sword.

“I know it’s quick, and it probably doesn’t make a lot of sense, but with who we are? Who we’ve lost? I love you, Matt. I’m keeping you.” She smiled, and the world narrowed in focus. “I always figured somebody was meant for me, and when I found him, I’d know it. The second I saw you in the alley, something in me recognized you.”

The woman had a frightening way with words that made sense to him. Probably just to him. Adrenaline roared, forcing a primal need to claim her in the most fundamental way. He wanted to imprint himself so deep inside her, he’d always be there. They didn’t have forever. They might not even have past the hour. But he wanted her to remember him until her last breath, and if he had his way, she’d live for decades after this. She ran her fingers along his cock, and his attention snapped back to her. “You’re killing me.”

“Keeping you alive is one of my biggest goals right now,” she murmured, her voice husky.

“What are your other goals?”

“Getting you nude. Orgasming until we can’t see straight.” She stepped back and shoved his jeans down his legs. “Ohhh. Black boxers this time. You are full of surprises, aren’t you?”

Her speech was way too clear, while he could barely form a grunt. Enough of that. “You have no idea.” He reached for the hem of the flannel and tugged the material over her head. “Why don’t I show you?”

Laney stood in the firelight and licked her lips when Matt tossed his boxers to the side. Her IQ lived well into the triple digits, and reality had always been her companion. There was little chance they’d make it out of the forest before the commander got to them. They were outmanned, outgunned, and out-timed.

Life was life.

But she had right now. There wasn’t time for being coy or for worrying about the future. She had only her emotions, her intelligence, and her instincts. Those all told her Matt was a good guy, and he was hers. Being close to death made things so clear.

She loved him.

They had an hour or so.

So she stepped into him and played with those amazing abs. He dug both hands into her hair with just enough strength to be forceful and tugged back her head. A sexy growl rumbled in his chest before his mouth slid along hers.

Smooth, firm, his lips played as if they had all the time in the world.

She swayed toward him, her muscles going lax, her eyelids fluttering shut. Desire spiraled through her abdomen with heat and emotion. The moment held significance and somehow felt different. She opened her mouth, and his tongue swept in.

He kissed her like he did everything else, with control and heat.

This once, he needed to lose that control. She’d make sure of it.

So she stepped into him, ignoring the erotic pain at her scalp, and gripped his shaft at the base. Her fingers didn’t wrap all the way around, yet she kept a good hold.

He stilled and released her mouth to lever back and study her. Desire darkened his eyes to a smoky slate. “In a hurry?”

“No.” Her smile even felt challenging. “I thought I’d take control.”

His chin lowered. Tension vibrated in the air between them with a masculine edge—a moment of breathless calm when the world goes silent before fire erupts. His fingers curled through her hair. “You think you can keep control?” His voice lowered past husky to pure sin.

Wetness coated her thighs. Her ab muscles trembled with need. She didn’t need to look down to know her nipples had hardened to rock. No matter what the future slammed into her, she’d carry the tone of that voice into forever. Male. Sex. Hers. “Yes.” She tried to tug her head free and wasn’t surprised when she barely moved. “You think I can’t?”

Hunger flashed across his angled face. “I think you’ve bitten off more than you’ve realized.”

“How so?” She lightly caressed his entire length.

A dark flush wandered across his cheekbones. “Don’t push, baby.”

“Why?” She slid her thumb over the slit in his penis. “You afraid you’ll let go? That I’ll finally know all of you?”

“Yes.” His nostrils flared, and the muscles in his shoulders flexed like a wolf’s before striking.

Triumph filled her, along with a reasonable caution. Screw caution. “Too fucking bad. You want me?” She tried to toss her head, but his hold kept her in place.

“Yes.”

“Then nut up, soldier boy.” She gripped him harder as she allowed her voice to drop. “Look at you, all pumped up, waiting for the command to go. I think I have you leashed already.”

She expected him to lunge. To take over. Instead, a slow smile lifted his sexy lips. A smile full of confidence and warning. The confidence, she appreciated, while the warning… instinct told her to heed. Her heart lurched against her rib cage. “I, ah—”

“No. Too late. Way too late.” He moved his hands down her face, over her shoulders, along her arms, the movement gentle, yet with a hint of power. Of his incredible strength. Nerves shot to life beneath her skin. He grasped her wrists and used an effective pressure point to make her release him. “You were saying?” Gliding forward, he towered over her while securing her wrists against her lower back.

Her nipples scraped against his warm skin, and electric charges shot straight to her clit. She bit back a moan and fought to keep her eyes from rolling back toward her brain. “S-so you’re stronger. Big whoop.” She had to force the words out with little breath. It was all caught in her lungs.

“Ah, baby”—he dropped to one knee and released her hands—“I don’t need to use muscle to receive your submission.” His mouth found her.

Her entire body short-circuited. She arched against him and might have fallen if he hadn’t gripped her thighs and held her against his devastating mouth. He slipped one finger inside her… and then two. His rough tongue lapped her clit, alternating between long passes and gentle pulls.

Glancing up, he spread her apart with his thumbs. With a lethal grin, he leaned forward to pleasure her with a vengeance. The fire warmed her from behind, while an incredible male built up the fire in her front. It was too much.

He was too much.

His touch, the intimacy of the cabin, the incredible need coursing through her all combined to steal her mind. To center her reality to the man on his knee, still so strong and unbeatable. He had to be invincible, didn’t he? To beat what was coming?

He nipped her clit, and her head jerked back. “Stay with me, baby. Here in the moment.” His words echoed through her mound to land somewhere deep inside her.

How could he read her so easily? The thought brought an odd comfort, even while her body flared with raw need.

Thunder bellowed outside but was no match for the storm going on within her body. Even the zig of lightning failed to jerk her attention from the mini-explosions rocketing her body. The carnal pleasure kept her on the edge, and her hands tangled in his hair, trying to force more pressure.

This time he chuckled against her. “Now who’s in control?”

Who gave a whit about control? An orgasm lingered beyond the ridge she’d scaled, and she craved relief. “Stop playing,” she gasped.

“Not until I’m ready.” He continued to torture her, to restrain her right on the edge, keeping her from falling. Finally, after a lifetime where she forgot how to breathe, he sucked her clit into his mouth.

She cried out his name, her back bowing, the climax ripping through her in a whirlwind of ecstasy. He kept her from falling into the fire, even while the one within her burned. The waves took her over until the room sheeted white. Finally, he gentled her. Even when she came down, her heart thudding, her lungs aching… it wasn’t enough. Nowhere near enough.

With a growl, he stood and swung her up, stalking toward the bed. Within a second, she lay flat on her back. He covered her, his fists on either side of her head, the veins popping out on his arms. He thrust inside her with one strong stroke.

She cried out as pleasure and pain combined into a clawing hunger. Her knees rose even as her back bowed and her thighs clasped his. “You’re t-too big,” she gasped.

“You’ll take all of me.” Dark, lazy, his gaze pierced into her mind as surely as his body had impaled hers. “You’re mine, Laney.”

She didn’t want him to stop. Ever. As she took in the warrior covering her, her heart clicked into place. As if it had been slightly askew her entire life, it finally found home. Tears pricked the back of her eyes. “I love you, Mattie.”

He dropped his forehead to hers, the gesture more intimate than she would’ve imagined. Slowly, he withdrew and slid back inside.

The sensation was as close to heaven as she could hope. She relaxed into the bed and caressed down his flanks. “You have an incredible body.”

He lifted up and grinned, the cords of his neck standing out. “Ditto.”

She laughed and dug her fingers into his fine butt.

He rewarded her with a low growl.

She flexed and wrapped her legs around his back. Rearing up, she nipped his bottom lip.

His eyes flashed a warning, and his shoulders stiffened.

“Control?” she asked softly, rubbing her breasts along his chest and gasping at the incredible sensation. Then, with a tightening of her legs, she flexed her fingers.

Any control he thought he had snapped into nothingness. Grabbing her hips, half lifting her from the bed, he plunged inside her hard. His other hand snaked up her side to clamp over her shoulder from behind, yanking her down to meet his primal thrusts.

She closed her eyes as incredible pleasure melded with pressure inside her. Each thrust, each pound, only increased the desperate craving. He hit nerves she didn’t even know existed. She let him take her, helpless in his hold and her need. He moved her as he wanted her, his pounding fast and furious.

Electricity uncoiled within her, sending sparks to burn her from within. Her eyelids flipped open as the orgasm took her over, rode her, forced her to explode in a climax so violent she couldn’t even whimper. She arched her back, her mouth open in a silent scream. Waves of pleasure rippled through her, touching more than flesh, more than right now.

He took everything she was.

Finally, the ecstasy released her. With a sigh, she softened against the worn bedspread.

Matt stilled and ground against her, his teeth latching on to her neck as he came.

The bite barely registered as Laney panted in air. Matt collapsed against her, his head in the crook of her neck, his heart beating so hard she felt it against her chest.

“You’re going to survive this, Laney,” he murmured against her skin. “I promise.”

Tears pricked her eyes. “We both are.” They had to. Now that she’d found him, she couldn’t lose him. “Right?”