“Jesus,” I whisper. I lick my lips. “Just keep talking like that. I don’t think it’s going to take very long.”
“Good.” She tilts her head and looks at me quizzically. “Let’s see how you respond to visual stimuli.”
She takes a step back, reaches up, and releases her hair from the bun. Her hair falls around her shoulders in a cascade of light brown waves. She shakes it out and tosses the hairband onto the floor.
She’s breathtaking.
I watch as she discards her lab coat and begins to unbutton her blouse slowly. I can see just a hint of pink beneath it, and I wet my lips with anticipation. Once the blouse is undone, she leaves it on, teasing me with only a quick glimpse of the pink bra beneath it. She reaches behind herself and unzips her skirt.
She turns and bends over slightly to give me a fabulous view as she lowers the skirt down her legs. Pink panties match the color of the bra. They’re made of lace and some strange little crisscross of fabric that makes them almost see-through.
She slips off her shoes and then pulls the skirt off around her feet. As she stands, she runs her hands up the inside of her legs, parting them a little.
Riley looks over her shoulder as she lowers the blouse from her arms. The back of her bra has a similar crisscross pattern to her panties, and she tilts her head to the side, letting her hair fall out of the way so I can get a better view.
“Fuck me.” My mouth has gone dry.
“That’s the plan.” She glances down at my dick, which is now jutting out from my body at full attention. “Hmm…what was that? Three minutes? Four? That’s pretty impressive.”
I know it has been exactly four minutes and nineteen seconds, but I don’t feel like correcting her as she turns around and approaches me again.
I’m still dumbfounded, still unable to make a move.
“Tell me something, Sten,” Riley says as she saunters up and places her hands on my chest. “Are you more of an ass man or a tits man?”
I stare at her as my heart pounds in my chest. Her scent is all over me, more intense and darker than it has been before. I open my mouth slightly, inviting the scent in to be tasted.
“I want all of you,” I tell her. “Now.”
I reach around and grab her ass, pulling her against me. With my other hand, I grip her breast before smashing my lips to hers. I kiss her roughly before gathering her up in my arms and throwing her on the bed.
Crawling on the bed, I shove her legs apart and run my hands up her inner thighs. I push my thumb up her slit, pressing her clit when I get to the top.
“You’re so fucking wet.” I narrow my eyes at her. “Do you get off on teasing me? Is that it?”
“You get worked up so easily, it doesn’t take much effort to get you going.” She gives me a sassy half smile. “I think I could make you come just by looking at you sideways.”
“I don’t even need the look,” I tell her. I lean down and run my nose between her legs and then circle her clit with my tongue. “I just need to be close enough to smell how much you want this.”
She moans and pushes against my face for a moment but then reaches down and pushes me away. I stare at her wide-eyed, not understanding, but she just smiles at me.
“You’re making this difficult on purpose.” She’s unfazed by my accusation.
“Maybe you just need to work at it a little more.” She twists her shoulder around as if she’s trying to burrow into the sheets. “I need some encouragement.”
“You don’t need any more encouragement,” I say. “You just need to be fucked.”
She stares at me with dark, hooded eyes. Reaching up to her chest, she strokes her breasts as I watch, then moves her hand up her throat and places her fingers against her open mouth. She runs a fingertip over her lips, still watching me.
“Make it rough,” she tells me. “I want to be fucked senseless.”
Explosions in my head echo through the rest of my body. I can’t think of anything I’d like better. I feel my instincts kick in, and I give her a wicked smile.
Grasping her hips, I flip her over onto her stomach. She lays flat on the bed, refusing to get on her knees for me. She straightens her legs, fighting against me as I try to get my hand between them.
“Don’t you tease me,” I say with a growl. I grab her hips with both hands and pull her against me. “Spread those legs and get your ass in the air.”
I can see her glutes flex as she pulls away slightly, but I hold tight. I push my legs between hers, forcing them apart as I pull her back on her knees. I reach down and place my hand on the back of her neck, holding her down. With my free hand, I smack her ass.
Riley moans loudly and pushes against me.
“You’re really a kinky thing, aren’t you?” I smack her ass again. “How hard do you want it?”
“I want it so hard, I can’t forget where you’ve been. I want you leaving me sore and used. I want to be able to feel your cock long after you’ve come and gone.”
Her words send shivers through my body. I’m in awe of this new side of her, and I am all too happy to comply with her wishes.
Taking my dick in my hand, I place the head up against her. I slide it up and down, feeling how slick and ready she is, and then shove my hips forward, penetrating her completely. I grasp her hips tightly and use them as leverage. Riley rocks back and forth with every blow as I pound into her.
I’m relentless. Even after I feel her come on me, hear her cry out in ecstasy, I don’t slow down. I lower myself over her back, still holding her down by the neck, and reach around to grab one of her tits. I mold it with my hand, grasping the nipple and pinching it as she thrashes beneath me.
Shifting the hand gripping her neck to one side, I extend my thumb far enough to press it against her lips, and she opens her mouth, sucking and biting on my thumb. Remembering her on her knees with my cock in her, I begin to lose control.
“Fuck, Riley! Fuck! I’m going to come!”
“Don’t you fucking dare!” she growls around my thumb. “I want more, and you’re going to give it to me.”
I hold my breath. My gut tightens, and I have to force the feeling down. Flashes in my head scream at me to obey her, and I tilt my head up to stare at the bare bulb on the ceiling until the sensation wanes.
I slow my pace a little, but one dark look from Riley and I move faster again.
“That’s it,” she purrs. “Give it all to me.”
“Jesus, Riley! You’re killing me!”
“Hush.”
I swallow hard and lean my forehead between her shoulder blades. I’m nearly out of breath. Despite my inclinations to do what she says, my self-restraint may not be able to comply.
The pressure inside of me is so intense, I can hardly stand it. It doesn’t matter that I came in her mouth not as much as thirty minutes ago—I still need the release.
“Please, Riley…I can’t hold out…”
“Almost…” She grunts the word. “Almost…there…”
She tightens around my shaft, pulling me inside of her.
“Oh…oh, yeah! Oh God, Riley!”
“Yes! Yes! Oh fuck, Sten! Harder!” Riley screams again and again as I rock into her as fast as I can. Her fingers dig into the sheets to the point where they just might rip under her grasp. I close my eyes and join her cries as I fill her with hot cum.
We both fall in a heap on the bed. My dick slips out of her immediately, but I can’t even push myself off of her. My arms and legs feel like they’re supporting ten-ton weights.
“What the fuck was that?” I can barely breathe.
“More data collection,” Riley says. She wiggles out from under me, leaving me flat on my stomach. She reaches over and runs her hand over my shoulders and down my back. She stops at my ass, squeezing it a little. “Now, let’s see how many more times you can go.”
This continues for hours.
I fuck her on the bed, over the top of the short dresser, and in the shower. She’s complete
ly different—wild in her abandon and driving me wild with her dirty mouth. By the time we finish, we’re both exhausted. We lie on our backs on the bed, our fingers entwined.
Once she’s caught her breath, Riley rolls over and wraps her arm around my chest. I work my arm around her back and hug her to me.
“All better now?” I ask.
“Worn out,” Riley replies. “I’m still worried.”
“I’ll be all right,” I tell her for the hundredth time. I reach over and touch her cheek.
She closes her eyes and leans against my palm.
“This will be so different from training,” she says. “We try to anticipate every possible circumstance you may run into, but dealing with actual human beings as adversaries…it’s just not the same thing. I wanted you better prepared. I was working on some other scenarios that we haven’t had a chance to program into the virtual center. I wanted time to run you through that before you were really out on your own.”
“I won’t be on my own. Isaac and Pike will be there, and you’re always right in my ear. I won’t be alone.”
“Isaac and Pike rely on you.” Riley sighs. “If something happens to you, I don’t even know what I’ll do.”
If I don’t come back from this mission, Riley will have to begin again with a brand new specimen. She’ll probably have to fight to be able to use her alternate treatments, and Dr. McCall will be all up her ass about it.
“I promise I’ll be careful,” I tell her. “I don’t want you to have to start all over again.”
“Is that what you think this is about?” Riley scowls at me.
“Isn’t it?” I narrow my eyes, confused. “Finding the right lab rat can’t be easy.”
Riley sits straight up in the bed and turns around to face me.
“You are not a lab rat!” she yells. “Not at all!”
“I am.” I shrug and prop myself up on my elbows. “It’s all right though—as long as I’m your lab rat.”
“Don’t call yourself that,” Riley says with a scowl. “I don’t want to hear anyone, least of all you, talking like that.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I receive another glare, but it quickly fades.
Riley lies back down next to me, and I roll to one side to hold her.
“I don’t want to lose you, Sten.”
I stare at her. My throat feels tight as I try to understand what she’s saying.
“You can always get another specimen, Riley. It would suck, but it wouldn’t take as long as it did with me. You already know a lot more than you did before, and it’s always easier to duplicate something after you’ve done it once.”
“That’s not it at all!”
“Well what, then?”
“It’s you! If something happened to you, I’m not even sure I could continue with the project!”
I remember how I felt this morning when Riley was so late. After being away from her for a little more than half a day, I was about to go insane. I know the reason for that—I’ve been conditioned to need her in order to maintain the necessary level of obedience. Did it work both ways?
“You mean the stuff you inject yourself with—the stuff that makes me want you—it impacts you, too?”
“The pheromones. No, Sten, they don’t.”
“I don’t understand.”
She closes her eyes and huffs a breath out of her nose.
“You mean a lot to me,” she says quietly. “I don’t want to work with another specimen. I can’t even think about it. I want it to always be you. Not because of any drugs. I just…I want to be with you.”
As I begin to realize what she’s trying to say, my heart begins to beat faster. I feel warmth spreading through my limbs, and I look down at her with a grin.
“Are you saying you like me?”
Her blush and shy smile are breathtaking.
“Yes, Sten. I like you.”
She likes me.
My face is starting to hurt a little from smiling, but I can’t stop. I pull her against me and press my mouth to hers. She parts her lips, and I take the invitation. Surprisingly enough, I’m hard again.
I roll on top of her and press her to the mattress. I kiss her gently, stroking her sides and arms as my lips make a trail between her breasts. I slide into her slowly, reveling in her soft gasps. I keep the unhurried pace until I lose myself inside of her and then roll us to our sides, facing each other.
I hold her tightly until she falls asleep.
Chapter 12
My ass hurts. I feel like I spent an entire day doing squats, but I think I’m in better shape than Riley. She’s walking a little strangely. I grin at her, unable to control the smile on my face as she goes over one last check of my gear.
It’s early morning, and we’re nearly ready to head out. Isaac and Pike are with their doctors going over some last minute details. Dr. Rahul has an interface chip pressed to Isaac’s head, and he’s staring intently at her as she works. I watch him reach out and cup her face as she works on him. Pike is grinning at Dr. McCall. He keeps reaching out to grab her and pull her closer to him, but she pushes his hand away each time.
I have the feeling we all engaged in similar evening activities.
“I think that’s everything,” Riley says. Her voice is soft, but the look in her eyes is hard. She’s still not happy about this mission.
“I’ll be fine.” I briefly press my lips to hers, and Riley hugs me quickly before stepping back and pointing a finger at me.
“You better be,” she says.
“Now that I know the kind of dirty talk that comes out of your mouth, there’s nothing that can keep me from coming back.”
She smiles and looks to the ground as red colors her cheeks.
“I’m going to come up with something extra special for you when you get back,” she says with a promise.
“This could be the fastest mission in history.” I rub my thumb against her cheek, kiss her one last time, and go to join my comrades. We head for the breach in the wall, which is opened only briefly to allow our passage before it is closed tightly behind us. The forest is only a few hundred yards away, and we sprint east into the woods. We keep up the pace until we reach the bank of the river.
The trees offer plenty of cover as we wait. Timing is going to be crucial to our success, and I am determined to prove to Riley that we’re ready to do this or anything else they throw at us. I don’t want her to worry about me. I want her to be proud.
“Nine minutes,” Pike says quickly and quietly.
“Confirmed,” Isaac responds.
“We’ll move in four,” I tell them both. “Sixty seconds through the water, four minutes to the road, and then we move against the caravan.”
“Acknowledged,” they both respond.
I count in my head.
“Move!” I command.
We all dive into the river, swimming as quickly as we can against the current to make sure we land at the correct point on the opposite bank. Our timing is perfect, and a minute later, we’re running through the woods.
The underbrush begins to thin out, and I can see an opening through the trees and the roadway beyond. We slow as we get to the edge of the forest and halt. The convoy is coming around a steep curve—right on schedule.
I watch the first of the trucks approach. I recognize the trucks loaded with grain, a refueling truck, a medical van, and a transport vehicle. In addition to the trucks, there are four smaller vehicles with passengers. Spat is supposed to be in the second car, not the transport.
I tense, ready to move as soon as the second car passes the checkpoint.
I look to Isaac and Pike. Their eyes are on me, waiting for the command. Just as I am about to give it, the convoy stops.
Isaac’s eyes narrow.
“What’s happening, Sten?” Riley asks.
“The convoy stopped,” I tell her. “When is the next scheduled refueling?”
“Not for another hour,” she says. “What are they doing?”
“Not sure. Checking.”
“Use caution.” She’s trying to conceal the emotion in her voice, but she isn’t completely successful.
“Acknowledged.”
Pike, Isaac, and I confer for a moment, and I decide to move closer to see what is happening with the trucks farther back. I use the tree line to keep myself hidden well enough to get a better look. I pass the gas truck and catch a glimpse of the second car. If Errol Spat is in there, he’s driving. There are no other passengers to be seen.
That’s unexpected.
As I get to the bend in the road and can see down the rest of the caravan, I know something isn’t right. There are three transport trucks, not one as was reported to us, and they’re not carrying civilians.
A steady stream of soldiers jumps from the back of the transports, armed and ready. They’re heading right for me.
They knew we were coming.
“We’ve been compromised!”
“Clarify!” Riley’s voice calls into my head.
“Large group of soldiers, three platoons, minimum.”
“Get back to the group,” Riley says. “Now.”
“Acknowledged.” I start to retreat, but rifle fire erupts all around me. I return fire as I retreat, racing back to the cover of the trees and my companions.
How did they know we would be here?
Bullets riddle the trees around me, throwing chucks of wood through the air. The shots don’t come close to me at all, but I continue to dodge back and forth defensively.
“Moving to better cover,” I hear Isaac call out.
“On my way,” I reply.
I glance over my shoulder. There are thirty-four soldiers running behind me. They can’t keep up with my pace, and I continue to put more distance between us as I dive into the trees. I make my way west, deeper into the forest, until the shots behind me stop. I move south and east, following the sounds of gunfire.
As I reach the edge of the trees again, four soldiers jump out from behind one of the smaller vehicles. They rush me, but don’t fire. I drop all four of them before they get within twenty feet of me, but another group of four moves out of the trees on my left, and a third group from the right.
“Are you back with the others?” Riley asks, but I can’t answer her now.