Page 16 of Silent Comrade
“Don’t feel too bad, Gramps, I’mtwenty-six.”
Of course he already knew that.
He offered an arm. The brush of her fingersagainst his forearm made his stomach drop like the plunge from atower rappel. He drew her closer to him as they walked. “We makegood company as the resident old folks.”
“Hmm,” she murmured as they strolled far tooslowly in companionable silence for another few blocks.
Turning into the apartment complex, he spieda flicker of movement near the corner of a building. His phonebuzzed in the hip pocket pressed next to Britt. Damn it. Couldn’tanswer.
He reached out with his hearing, focusingbeyond the rumble of traffic and the gritty crunch of their shoeson pavement. Someone in a shadow breathed, harsh and deep. Quickrasps. Like they had run here. Sounded like larger lung capacity,so probably male or tall female. Thethumpof a pulse filledthe space like a sweaty bass drum. Every thud tasted like salt.
“Earth to Al.”
He barely registered the tug on his arm. Hestraightened his bent arm and she removed her hand. There was acold place on his skin where her palm had been. He needed thatcontact, grounding him.
Another heartbeat sounded, closer andlighter. Britt’s rapid pulse. “We’re here. Ah, thank you fordinner.” She motioned toward the backpack he held.
“I’ll walk you to your door.” He grittedout, separating sound input from the shadows and from the woman infront of him. Too many signals. Too much danger. The virus drovehim to surround her with his body. Anything to protect her.
A hand fluttered over her face. “This isn’t,um, an invitation to come up. Or…”
“I’m not asking for … I’ve been taught tosee a woman safely home. All the way home.” Sort of true. Yearsago, he had made sure his foster siblings got home, for all thesafety that had waited for them there. “Ladies first.”
When she preceded him up the stairs, theline of her hips swaying gently beneath that dress distracted him.Or was it those delicate limbs in the tights? Hard to say.
At the door of her apartment, he handed herthe backpack and she fished in it, pulling out keys. “Thanks, Al.This was a strange but nice night.”
Extending his senses, he couldn’t detectanyone else in the immediate vicinity. No heavy footstep on nearbyconcrete. No rasping deep breath coming closer. “I agree. Maybe wecan do this again sometime.”
There was no mission-based reason to desireher.
Tap, tap. At that butterscotch-sweetpatter of her pulse so close, he licked his lips.
All that remained was hunger.
Before Red registered the movement, hegrazed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. The click of herswallow bloomed a pinkish-red color in his mind. He followed thesmooth line of her neck with his fingertips. In the externalcorridor lights, her pupils pushed back the irises until theybecame thin disks of dim color.
Keeping his hand on her neck, he bent downuntil the cotton-candy sound of her breath rasping through her lipstempted him.
The virus begged to come out and play. Itwanted to feast, to mark, to encircle her.
Red’s brain short-circuited at her tinysigh. “May I?” he whispered. So close.
“Me first. Age before beauty.” She slid ahand up his chest and around his neck, drawing him down the fewinches to meet her mouth. The soft rasp of her lips brushingagainst his brought a bright white pop of light and mint color tothe sound. Delicious.
The act of stroking Britt’s sweet mouthturned his entire body into a detector for every little noise shemade. Each new audio input set his nerves on fire and ramped up thevirus. Soft. She was so soft. His fingers shook as he held backviral urges as he caressed her face. Carefully, so carefully. Hetraced the rings in her eyebrow and lip with his mouth. Well,almost everything about her was soft. The contrasts of gentle andfierce, pliable and hard, came together perfectly in Britt.
No problem maintaining his slouch now. Hehad to lean over to reach her mouth. Gliding hands down her back,he eased the backpack off her arm and onto the stoop. He settledhis grip at her waist, spanning her easily. Right at the momentwhen he considered how fragile she was, Britt growled and nippedhis lower lip between her teeth. The rough brush of her tongue overhis? The sound bounced off his eardrums in a major chord ofpleasure that tasted like honey.
A rush of need floored his inneraccelerator, and he shifted, pressing her against the exteriorwall, spreading his legs and bending his knees to reduce his heightand lean against her, going hip to hip and chest to chest withBritt. To avoid her finding his concealed weapons, he laced hisfingers with hers and pinned her hands over her head.
The higher pitch of her moan as he changedthe slant of his mouth. Sure as shit, it sounded like angels eatingcupcakes.
He left her lips long enough to taste hisway down her neck to the hollow at the base of her throat.Delicious. He’d like seconds. And thirds.
The mission.
He needed her trust. He needed her safe.What would be safer than him wrapped around her? Naked, in bed?
