Darken (Siege #1) Read online

  “No, but that doesn’t mean Sinclair didn’t hire him,” Noah said.

  “What do you know about Sinclair, Cora?” Logan asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the kitchen counter.

  “I told her the basics,” said Gavin. “She doesn’t need to know everything.”

  “I disagree.” Logan arched a brow. “She needs to know what we’re up against.”

  “I’m with Logan on this,” Noah agreed.

  Gavin looked to Caleb, and she realized they weren’t just talking. They were voting on whether or not to tell her about Sinclair.

  Caleb didn’t say anything for a long time. He and Gavin simply stared at each other, and Cora wondered if they were communicating with twin telepathy. At that point, after her vision and the accidents, she wouldn’t have been surprised.

  “She needs to know,” he finally said.

  Gavin surged off of the couch. “This is bullshit.”

  “None of us want to dig it all up again.” Caleb hooked his thumbs through his belt loops. “But you’re not thinking about it logically, Gavin. If Sinclair did this, she has the right to know. She’s going to need to know.”

  “I’m not fucking doing this.” Gavin stopped toward his bedroom, smashing his fist into the hallway wall as he went.

  “Well, that went well,” Logan said. “Who’s going to do the honors?”

  Apparently, it was a rhetorical question because Logan and Caleb both immediately looked to Noah.

  “Sinclair was in charge of the Posthuman Project,” he said. “The project’s goal was to develop a genetically modified virus that could enhance the effectiveness of soldiers in combat. When the project began human trials, protocol required that he work only with adult volunteers. According to SIEGE, Sinclair went rogue. To ensure the host DNA would allow for a successful bond and future modifications, Sinclair determined his best chances were to inject the initial virus prenatally. Once we were born, our lives became a series of experiments followed by observation.”

  “We were lucky to survive; not all of the subjects did. On the outside, there’s little evidence of what he did to us,” Logan said. “But on the inside—our DNA, our brains—we’d never be mistaken for normal.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “The mutated DNA from the virus was used to kill off certain enzymes, create others, and manipulate our genes to do things they weren’t meant to do. Run faster, longer. Heal at an accelerated rate. Synthesize and construct information from patterns and details the average human can’t even recognize.”

  Cora nodded; that was basically what Gavin had told her.

  “Okay, I get that Sinclair is dangerous, that he’s some kind of crazy mad scientist, but what I don’t understand is why you think he’d be after me.”

  Noah looked to Caleb. “Care to share your theory?”

  “Of course,” Caleb said and turned his attention to Cora. “We already know Sinclair was responsible for the first accident. We always assumed the purpose had been to kill Lela to hurt Gavin, perhaps as an attempt to see if he could push him over the edge. The fact that he had you pulled from the water never made any sense.”

  “Not that we’re complaining,” Logan interjected. “We’re grateful he saved you.”

  “What would make you think he was responsible for what happened today?”

  “Because I don’t believe in coincidence,” Caleb said. “What I do believe is that Sinclair had you run off the road and injected you with something that is going to modify your DNA. The question becomes not if he did it, but what effect will it have on you?”

  Unease settled in Cora, and a shiver ran down her back. Logan said not everyone survived Sinclair’s experiments.

  “Effects meaning whether it kills me or not?”

  Caleb shrugged. “That would be the most obvious, of course, but there are other possibilities.”

  So much for thinking of Caleb as a friendlier, more tactful version of Gavin. He’d definitely changed since high school.

  “If you’ve finished scaring the crap out of her, you guys can take off and let her rest,” Gavin said from his bedroom doorway.

  “Are you suggesting it would’ve been better to leave her clueless?” Caleb asked.

  Gavin’s lips pulled tight. “No, but I think it could’ve waited until the morning.”

  “Gavin’s right.” Noah rose from the recliner. “Cora needs to rest.”

  Logan pushed away from the kitchen counter. “I’ll talk to Keeley and Janice about covering your shifts this week. We can see how you’re feeling on Friday.”

  “You guys,” Cora pleaded, “Seriously, the doctor said it was a headache, no concussion. I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

  Despite her protests, both Logan and Noah were adamant about her taking the week off. After a few minutes of trying to argue, she gave up and shooed them out of the apartment.

  From her spot on the couch, she watched as Gavin went through the process of locking up behind them and setting the alarm. With his brothers gone, the tension he’d carried in his clenched fists vanished until he was the laid-back Gavin Cora knew. Yet, their sudden absence had the reverse effect on Cora.

  All she could think of was the fact they were alone again. She suspected she’d need to make a decision. Was she willing to accept what Gavin offered? Could she be like Hailey and accept that sex was all she would ever get from him?

  “You can have the bedroom. I’ll take the couch,” he said. “Just let me grab my stuff.”

  “I don’t mind sleeping out here. Really. This thing is like a foot too short for you.”

  The look he gave her told her there was no way that was happening.

  “My mom would kill me if she found out I let you sleep on the couch.” He disappeared into his room only to reappear a few moments later with a pillow and blanket. “I’m serious, Cora. Besides, I want to watch the game I recorded, and I can’t do that if you’re trying to sleep.”

  “It’s barely seven,” she said.

  “Yeah, but you’ve been through a lot, and I saw you yawning a few minutes ago.”

  She relented and picked up her water bottle before heading down to the bedroom. She could sense Gavin’s eyes following her, and as she turned to close the bedroom door she met his gaze, hesitating at what she saw reflected back.

  “Goodnight,” he said and glanced away.

  “Goodnight,” she replied.

  She closed the door and surveyed the room. Considering the state of the living room when she arrived, she guessed that he’d been in there cleaning while she spoke to his brothers.

  She took off her jeans and folded them before placing them on top of the dresser. She gazed at the king-sized bed dominating the room. A dark blue comforter was pulled over it and a pile of matching decorative pillows, probably a gift from his mom, had been thrown haphazardly on top.

  Her skin tingled at the thought of sleeping in his bed. How many times had she dreamed of this? Probably dozens just in the last few months. Except, in those dreams, she wasn’t exactly sleeping. Or alone. With a sigh of disappointment and acceptance, she switched off the light and climbed in, tugging the covers up to her chin.

  Despite her denials about being tired, she was asleep within minutes, falling into the distorted reality of her dreams. Her subconscious pulled forth a replay of the accident only, this time, it was Gavin in the car behind her and then reaching into grab her. As her dream self tried to fight him off, her arms became tentacles reaching out to wrap themselves around him, squeezing until he fell to the ground.

  Her eyes fluttered open and scanned the room as they adjusted to the darkness. Some sort of noise had woken her up, but she wasn’t sure what it had been. She listened carefully, and it came again. A gentle tap on the door.

  “Gavin?” she called out.

  The door creaked open, and his head and naked shoulder peeked through the narrow opening.

  “I was just checking on you,” he explained.
“The pamphlet said to check every few hours.”

  “What time is it?”

  “Almost midnight,” he said. “How’s your head? Any dizziness or extreme tiredness?”

  “It feels better, or at least, I don’t have a headache anymore. The stitches are a bit uncomfortable.”

  “I’ll let you go back to sleep,” he said, and left.

  Cora stared at the door long after it had closed. On the other side, she could hear the soft sounds of him moving around. She waited until the sounds stopped and she assumed he’d lain down before her eyes closed. Yet, the silence was louder than his movements, because it was filled with her thoughts of him lying there with no shirt on.

  She rolled onto her back, desperate to think of anything other than Gavin and his sexy chest. Yet, lying on her back allowed the cool autumn air to gently brush along her puckered nipples. She took a sip of her water, but as she went to place it back on the nightstand, she misjudged the distance and the uncapped bottle fell onto the bed.

  “Shit!” she cried out.

  She scrambled away from the growing wet spot but found herself trapped by the quilt. The door flew open and the lights flicked on.

  “What’s wrong?” Gavin asked.

  “Help me! The water spilled, and” —she tugged at the blanket—“I can’t get” —another tug— “out.”

  He laughed, and she tossed him a sour look. Before she could regret her reaction, he grasped the end of the quilt and yanked it, dragging her along with it a good foot down the bed. Unfortunately, her wet shirt was trapped beneath her back, and while she rolled down, it rolled up.

  The blanket fell to the ground as they stared at each other. His eyes flicked down to her panties, making her aware of how exposed she was. He averted his eyes, and she pulled the shirt down as she scooted off the wet sheet. She yanked off the sheet, using it to absorb the dampness from the mattress.

  “What happened?” he asked as he went to the closet and pulled out a fresh sheet.

  “I missed the nightstand and dropped the water bottle on the bed.” She took the end of the sheet he handed to her and tucked the elastic corners around the mattress while he did the same on the other side.

  The sheet in place, they both reached for the quilt, pulling back, and they realized the other was also doing the same thing. Cora gave a nervous laugh and picked up the blanket to toss it over the bed.

  When she was done, she turned to find him staring at her. Everything inside her stilled, hanging on to the edge of passion she could see his expression.

  “I should …” His voice trailed off as he gestured toward the living room.

  “Stay,” she said, moving closer to him.

  “Cora, you were in a major accident. You banged your head.” He shook his head.

  “I know what I’m doing. I know what I want.”

  And she did. For so long she’d wanted Gavin. Now, she had her chance. Maybe it wasn’t forever. Maybe it wasn’t love. But it was something, and she wanted it.

  She pressed her hand to his chest and slid it up to curl around the back of his neck. Rising up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his.

  For a moment, only the presence of her hand kept him there then he took control. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her against him before skimming along her ribs and up into her hair, tangling in her wild curls. A soft moan escaped her and her back arched. His lips opened for her tongue, and she explored his mouth, loving the way his tongue danced with hers.

  He stepped in closer, moving them until the back of her knees hit the bed and they sank onto the mattress. The pressure of him atop her caused her legs to part, and he settled between them. The rough material of his jeans scraped along her thighs as his hips rocked his hard cock along her folds and her thin panties grew damp with her excitement.

  Cora’s teeth playfully caught his lower lip, nipping at him until he crushed his mouth along hers. She pushed against his chest and he lifted up on his knees, breaking the contact of their lips. She grabbed the bottom of his shirt, pushing it up, then he took over and pulled the shirt over his head. Her fingers traced the rippling muscles of his abs, but her fun was short-lived as he nudged her hands out of the way so he could pull off the oversized shirt she wore.

  With the barrier between them removed, he gazed down at her with an intensity that threatened to overwhelm her. She wondered what he saw. Did he see the slight stretch marks along the side of her breasts? The less than flat surface of her belly?

  “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, and any thought of insecurities vanished with the seductive timbre of his voice.

  He cupped her breasts, gently squeezing them before capturing her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. She felt the light pinch all the way to her core, and her body clenched in response.

  Desperate to feel him drive into her, she reached out and let her fingers play with the spattering of hair that disappeared beneath his jeans before opening the snap of his jeans and carefully lowering the zipper over his hard flesh. She cupped the bulge she found and firmly stroked her hand along his length.

  “I want you inside me.” Her voice was a wispy rasp.

  “Fuck.”

  He moved off the bed, and she lifted onto her elbows to watch him remove his pants and briefs. His penis stood up at an angle, and her mouth watered at the sight of the thick bulbous head. He placed a knee on the bed so he could lean over and hook his fingers into her panties. She waited for him to take them off, but he hesitated.

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  In answer, she lifted her hips, and he slid the fabric down her legs.

  Free of any barriers, she lifted her knees for him to kneel between. He leaned over her and placed his forearms on either side of her shoulders to support his weight. She placed her feet on the back of his legs. The position let his cock nestle within her folds and her hips pivoted, letting her clitoris rub against him. She wrapped her arms around him and lightly scraped her nails over the muscles of his back.

  His head dipped and he captured a nipple with his lips. She drew in a sharp breath as he sucked on it then let it pop free. His ragged breath across the moist nub sent shivers through her. He moved to the other breast, sucking and nipping until she withered beneath him.

  Gavin shifted his weight to one arm and reached down with the other until his fingers found the curls shielding her entrance. He parted her and slid two fingers into her hot pussy. Curling them upward, he slowly moved them in and out while his thumb skimmed across her sensitive clit.

  Her fingernails dug into his back, and he lifted his head to look at her.

  “Enough,” she panted. “I want you inside me.”

  His slipped his fingers out of her and replaced them with the head of his penis. Her back arched, angling her hips to encourage him deeper inside. He pressed in until he was fully engulfed in her snug channel.

  Her moan was met by his answering groan, and his hips surged back and forth then he suddenly pulled back, leaving her pussy aching with emptiness.

  “Condom,” he said.

  She thought of telling him it was okay. She didn’t want anything between them. She wanted to feel the hot spill of his seed fill her. Yet, she also knew he’d been sexually active during the last few months.

  Gavin reached over to the nightstand and pulled a condom from the drawer. She took it from him and ripped it open then handed it back to him. As fun as it would be to play around with him, it would be much faster if he put it on himself.

  It took only a moment for him to roll the condom on, and then he sank back in and passion consumed her. His hard thrust left her breathless as his pubic bone ground against her clitoris. She met each thrust eagerly, tension building in her and tightening her muscles.

  He reared up and his hands gripped her legs behind her knees, pulling her legs apart farther to deepen his thrust and expose her clit. She reached down to press a finger to the sensitive nub, circling it until the tension inside her exploded.r />
  “Come for me, baby,” he groaned. Her muscles quivering around him, he froze deep within her. She relaxed as the last tremors of her orgasm faded, and he started moving again until he tensed above her. He growled harshly as his back arched and his fingers bit into her legs.

  Collapsing on top of her, he caught his breath then pulled out and rolled to the side. Cora lay there with her eyes closed, completely exhausted, and listened to the sound of him moving around. There was a click of the light switch being flicked to off, water running in the bathroom, then the shuffling of his feet as he returned.

  The bed dipped under his weight and she curled into his side, exhaustion and satisfaction sending her into a deep dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Ten

  THE MORNING AFTER WAS Cora’s least favorite part of sex. With the temporary boyfriends she had in college, and the couple one-nighters since morning always meant the same thing to her. Guilt.

  She felt no shame in relieving the cravings of her body, although she was certain that’s where her mother would hope the guilt came from. Instead, it was the knowledge that while they had sex, she was thinking of Gavin, and when she got out of bed in the morning, all she could think of was how she’d used them.

  Maybe it was silly to worry about such things, but she did. How could she not? Especially that particular morning. Because while she didn’t feel guilt, she knew Gavin did.

  When she first awoke, she lay on her side with him spooning her from behind. The heavy weight of sleep kept his arm resting on her hip. She faced the starkness of his room; it was no more a home than her own apartment was. The messiness made it appear lived in, but nothing about the room gave a sense of home.

  A wave of dizziness swept over her, and she closed her blurring eyes, waiting until the vision that woke her took over.

  He is watching again. He sits on the park bench, his gaze following Gavin as he makes his way from the coffee shop to his Jeep.

  Cora trembles with the titillation pulsing through him, the thrill he experiences being so close to his unsuspecting prey. His fingers tighten around the cold handle of his pistol, yet he makes no move to draw the weapon.