Zak made arrangements with Scarlett for the night before walking Caitlin to what would become her sleeping quarters for as long as they needed to be stuck in the facility.
In a sense, it would become his quarters, as well.
He closed the door and locked it, stalking her as he pulled his shirt free. “I’ve wanted to do this all day,” he said, sealing his mouth to hers even as he helped remove her shirt. He filled his hands with her breasts and moved her to the bed. “This is harder than I thought it would be.”
She chuckled deep in her throat as her hand reached down to cup his groin. “Oh, yes, seems pretty hard to me,” she said and he nearly came in his jeans. Caitlin plucked at his buttons and released his erection, her hand curling around the hard staff. He groaned against her mouth as they tumbled to the bed.
He was mindless with the need to touch her. Pulling her jeans free, he made quick work of his own before descending between her thighs. Within minutes Caitlin’s soft, breathless pants hit a crescendo and she shuddered with a muffled cry as she clutched a pillow over her own face. He appreciated her forethought but he loved the sound of her cries when she came. He growled as he climbed her body, grabbing the pillow to reveal her beautiful face. He kissed her hard as she wrapped her legs around his torso, his erection grinding against her soft, damp cleft.
He came fast and wild with the most jaw-droppingly powerful orgasm of his life and when it was done, he was left boneless.
Zak barely had the energy to roll off Caitlin, his breathing harsh as he tried to catch his breath. “I think I’m having a heart attack,” he said, his chest heaving. “Holy crap, that was intense.”
He felt her soft, exhausted laughter and knew she felt the same. This thing they were doing—it didn’t make sense—but it was real and tangible and he didn’t know how to quit it.
Not that he wanted to.
That was the problem. He was insatiable when it came to Caitlin and he suspected the feeling was mutual. What were they supposed to do with this?
They were both committed to going their separate ways when everything was said and done because—c’mon, him and her as a couple? Yeah, right, what a laugh—they had next to nothing in common and everyone knew relationships built on sex weren’t meant to last. But when he envisioned that scenario, as in actually walking away, his gut cramped and a growl popped from his mouth. He spent more of his free time thinking about—God help him—snuggling than he did about what he used to enjoy thinking about, like new guns and hunting trips, and frankly, his head was a mess. But he liked her, as in really liked her and even if it didn’t make sense, it was as real as anything he’d ever known.
Aww hell, the more he thought about it, the more confused and agitated he got.
He rose on wobbly legs and made it to the bathroom to splash some water on his face. He returned with a damp washcloth and gently cleaned Caitlin, taking extra care around her sensitive parts. But seeing Caitlin so exposed just made him want her again. His rebound time had never been so swift. There was something about Caitlin that changed everything.
“I just want you to know, this isn’t what I do,” he said, trying to put into words some kind of explanation. “I mean, I don’t mess around on the job.”
“You mean there isn’t a girl in every city you’ve been in?” she teased, rolling to her side to regard him in the semidarkness. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I don’t know. I guess I don’t want you thinking that I’m easily swayed by a pretty face.”
She smiled more brightly. “You think I’m pretty?”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Of course I think you’re pretty—hell, I think you’re damn gorgeous. You’ve got to know that you’re a looker, right? That smart girl vibe is hot.”
But maybe she didn’t know that, because he saw a flash of vulnerability in her eyes that told a private story as she admitted, “Zak, I’ve never been the girl who turned the cute boy’s head. I was always hiding in the library or the science lab. Not many cute boys hanging out in the quiet zones.”
“Boys in high school are blind, and college isn’t much better. Yeah, you’re pretty damn hot.” He knuckled the soft blush in her cheeks. “Too damn hot, actually. This thing between us could burn us to the ground. It ain’t going to end in a fairy tale, sweetheart.”
“I don’t believe in fairy tales.”
“You say that now but what about when the job is over?”
She chuckled as if he were being a worrywart and rose up on her knees, drawing his face to hers. “Listen, I understand. This isn’t a happily-ever-after situation. For all we know, this is the end for everyone, so why not enjoy a little pleasure while we can? We aren’t hurting anyone and we’re consenting adults so let’s stop picking at the bright spots in this moment, okay?”
Good advice. “This is why you’re the smart one and I’m the muscle,” he said with enough self-deprecating humor to soften the blow. She wasn’t looking for a long time, just a good time. He could work with that.
Except, he already hated the idea of goodbye.
That was a problem—a big one.
He supposed he’d deal with that when it happened. What other choice did he have?
There was something different about Zak, something that felt deep and important.
The way he’d made love to her, almost savagely, had been incredible but it’d felt as if something had clicked between them, leveling up the tension in a way that confounded her.
She’d meant everything she said—forever wasn’t what she expected, even if it was fun to dream—but if she was his addiction, he was equally becoming hers.
But the stakes were high and neither had time to play this game. So she’d do her best to simply enjoy the stolen moments, the epic orgasms and the way Zak made her feel with a look from those soulful eyes. She’d live in the moment because she was beginning to realize those moments might have to be sweet enough to last her a lifetime.
A man like Zak only came along once. Birds of a feather flocked together, right? If she was a spindly-legged stork, hanging around a bunch of other storks in the science pond, Zak was the eagle soaring above them, being a majestic raptor, owning the skies, swooping down to murder field mice. Eagles didn’t normally hang out with storks.
And they certainly didn’t set up nests together.
The imagery alone was disturbing.
Pushing away her sad thoughts, she cuddled up to her eagle while she still could. “Shouldn’t you get into your own bed?” she teased, fitting perfectly in the cove of his shoulder, her hand resting on his chest. “It might be a little awkward to explain if your friends decide to check on us.”
“They won’t. Door locks on the inside. Besides, I think CJ already knows what’s up.”
“Really? Will he rat you out?” she asked, worried.
“Naw, he’s a good guy. More than likely he’ll bust my balls about it in some way because he thought you were cute but he’d never poach on a man’s territory. Bro-code.”
“Bro-code. Blech, sounds very caveman-ish.”
“I didn’t hear you complaining about my brutish mentality a little earlier,” he reminded her with a silky laugh and he could almost feel her blushing. When she remained quiet, he chuckled, saying, “Exactly.”
A beat passed before Caitlin asked, “What happens if I can’t reverse engineer a cure? What if I fail?”
His hold tightened around her. “Don’t think that way. You’re brilliant. You’ll find the cure.”
“I’ve never done something like this. Maybe Tessara put their faith in the wrong person.”
“They didn’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I do. I can feel it in my gut. You do your thing and we’ll do ours.”
“I wish I had your confidence. I’m worried.”
“I have faith in you.”
Caitlin fought the urge to cry, not because she was scared or unhappy but because his belief in her shook her to her foundation. She’d never known someone like Zak and she had a feeling she never would again. He truly listened. He didn’t try to offer solutions to her problem. He recognized that she had to process her own demons, in her own way, but he was there for her.
In another life, were they more than passing acquaintances? She didn’t believe in past lives as a general rule, but how else could she explain the intense connection between them when anyone from the outside looking in would rightly call bullshit?
“What was your sister like?”
“Smart, like you.”
“I wish I could’ve met her. She seemed like a cool person.”
His voice was strained as he said, “She was.”
“I’m sorry she’s gone.”
“Me, too.” Zak kissed her forehead and closed his eyes. “Time to sleep.”
She didn’t want to sleep just yet, even though she was exhausted. Sleeping would bring the morning and with morning, the need to pretend that whatever was happening between them wasn’t and that the world wasn’t hanging on the edge of a blade.
For now, she just wanted Zak to hold her and pretend that everything was fine.
Even if it was just for tonight.