Page 81 of Chosen By Swift

There were a few other men who had been on both missions with him. Hazard, Grim, Lethal, Drift. He could easily believe Hazard had crossed paths with some unhinged lunatic on his many strange adventures. The man found trouble wherever he went. Had it followed him back to theValiant?

Or was it Grim? Lethal? Both were Shadow Force operatives with many dangerous missions in their files. They were likely known to the Splinters and would be high-value targets.

Drift? No, that seemed unlikely. The kid was barely out of training. He hadn’t had time to make enemies yet.

It was hard to relax knowing they still hadn’t caught the man or men responsible for the ongoing sabotage. Worse, he worried what they would try next. Would it be another attempt on the ship like the one Brook had foiled? Would it be another coordinated attack like the one that Terror and Maisie had uncovered?

The troubling thoughts wouldn’t leave his mind even after he slipped into bed next to Alys. She roused briefly when his body touched hers, and she sought out his heat and security. He engulfed her in an embrace and held her close. He had nearly lost her tonight because of his stupidity and arrogance and didn’t want to let her go.

The fear that she would leave still remained. It was too soon to say that he loved her, but he was damn close to it. She had ignited something possessive within him. To see another man touching her was going to kill him. He was certain of that. It would be absolute torture, and if she enjoyed Shear’s touch as much or more than his, he would die.

And it would serve him right.

He might have made the first of many apologies to her tonight, but he owed her so much more. He adored her, and he vowed to make certain she understood that. She was a precious thing, and he was never going to take her for granted again.

Chapter Nineteen

The club was, frankly, underwhelming.

Alys had imagined it would be some outrageous den of iniquity, but it was actually just a dim, moody space with multiple floors. There was music playing, although not the sort she liked. It was very bass heavy and thumping with melodies played by instruments she had never heard. Maybe they weren’t actually instruments? Maybe they were some sort of computer-generated sounds?

Either way, she didn’t like it. The sooner they were out of this main area, the better.

She clung to Swift’s hand as he led her away from the registration desk and across the floor. There was a bar to the left that served alcohol and other drinks. Straight ahead was a dance floor where couples were dancing in a way she had never seen in her life. Dancing was a generous description for the writing they were doing. Scantily clad women and men without shirts were kissing and touching and grinding against each other.

Leaving their quarters, she had felt criminally underdressed. Now, she felt like an actual prude. The black dress she had chosen with Hallie and Maisie’s help was form-fitting and hugged her curves in the obscenest way. The hem skimmed her knees, baring more of her legs in public than she ever had, and the neckline dipped down low, scandalously highlighting her cleavage. There were no sleeves, and her arms were on full display. She had felt naked walking out of their home in this dress, but now? Now she felt modest.

A staircase led to a second floor with more seating. Above that was another floor, this one more hidden and darker. She suspected it was the exclusive section reserved for the highest ranked officers. Earlier, Hallie and Maisie had given her a short explanation of all she would see on her first trip to the club. Neither woman was here tonight, and she wished they had been. It would have been easier with a friendly face nearby.

As they passed the dance floor, she caught sight of the stages. They were raised sections, not very big, where demonstrations and scenes were held. She wasn’t quite clear on the point of these so-called scenes yet. The club handbook she had read described them as a type of role playing.

Whatever she had been expecting, it wasn’t this. In one section, the women were crawling around on the ground. They wore little headbands with ears and animal costumes. They were dressed up as puppies and kittens and acted like them, too. They rubbed up against their mate’s legs and played with colorful balls of yarn.

Shocked by it, she turned her gaze away from the stages and toward the red door ahead of them. Swift flashed his wrist at the door lock reader, and the door opened for them to enter the reserved playroom section. She might have imagined it, but she felt Swift’s hand trembling slightly. Whether from anger or fear, she couldn’t tell.

Even though she had promised him that she was doing this of her own accord, he wasn’t convinced. He felt incredibly guilty, and she sensed he feared this night would ruin their relationship. Despite all her bravado the night before, she secretly feared the same. This was all so new to her, and she had no way to predict how she would react when it was done.

But a small part of her was beyond excited.

Everything she had ever been taught told her this was disgusting and wrong. She was practically married to Swift, and married women didn’t commit adultery. They were faithful and loyal. She had been raised to believe that her virginity belonged to her husband, and she would only have one man who would know her carnally.

And now she was walking to an arranged night of scandalous sexual activity with a stranger.

It should have left her cold and terrified.

But it didn’t.

Her heart raced, and her body throbbed. She was embarrassingly wet. She could feel the slick heat seeping from her core. Her breasts ached, and her skin was flushed. Swift would only have to take one look at her under better lighting to see the evidence of her wantonness right in front of him.

They reached the room where Swift had arranged to meet Shear. Swift gazed down at her, his eyes searching her face for any hint of a lie. “Do you want to go inside? If you don’t, we’ll leave right now.”

“I want to go inside.” She did. God help her. She was wicked and dirty, but she wanted to go inside.

Swift nodded tersely and opened the door. He entered first, and she followed. He stopped suddenly, and she nearly collided with his back. Whatever he had seen was not what he expected. A second later, she realized why.

“Rampage?” Swift asked, obviously bewildered. “What are you doing here?”

She stepped aside and saw Rampage standing across the room. He seemed so stiff and uncomfortable. He was heavier than the last time she had seen him. He had filled out a bit in the face, and no longer looked so gaunt and pale.

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