Resistance (11 page)

How the hell had he been so naïve in thinking he was in love
with this viper? He’d been used. Plain and simple. She’d been acting. She’d
conned him as if he were a teenage boy high on hormones. He’d been eager to
make love to her.

Yesterday, he’d told her he would figure out a way to help
her escape. He’d meant it. By God, he had truly meant it.

“You are the best lover I’ve ever had, Cade. Even better
than the Immudin brothers and there are three of them. When they find out you
had me, they’ll want you dead. I need to get back to them. I hope you
understand?”

The crazy gleam in her dark-brown—almost black—eyes
intensified. But he met her gaze and held it. Defiance burned through him as
she lowered the blade again.

He wanted to tell her she didn’t have to go back to them.
She was an object to them. A sex slave. They would probably kill her when she
went back.

“Before I go. I need to leave you a little reminder of our
time together. I want you to remember me.”

The knife sliced into his skin. Pain blistered across his
flesh and he ground back his moans of anguish.

She cannot break me. She will not break me.

“How does it feel? Huh?” Haylah asked in her sexy Saudi
accent, then giggled and carved another deep gash just above his cock and
balls.

It hurt like a son of a bitch. He should scream, but the gag
he’d woken up with after she’d knocked him out prevented him from making too
much noise. Through the searing pain he wondered not for the first time where
she could have gotten the gag. Had one of the guards come in? Used it on her?
Is that why she was doing this to him?

Rage splintered his pain. Had Haylah been raped in here? But
wasn’t that what he’d been doing? Raping her? She’d been under duress, begging
him to stop torturing her and make love to her instead. He’d taken advantage of
her. He couldn’t hide behind the excuse that she’d begged him to sleep with
her. She’d said she needed human companionship. Needed a man to protect her.
She’d been so convincing. Saying she wanted him. He’d been so desperate to make
love, to fall in love, he hadn’t thought of anything else.

He’d heard of this happening to a few of the other
torturers, but he’d never expected it to happen to him.

She cut efficiently into his flesh, so fucking slowly every
excruciating slice brought extreme pain shooting through him. She carved lower
with every strike. His body jerked with awareness and he strained against the
binds. The same binds he’d used on her when he’d first started torturing her.

“I want you, Cade.” The Saudi’s voice swept through the fog
of pain. “I want you to make love to me while I carve into your flesh.”

She wrapped a hand around the base of his cock, squeezed and
twisted his shaft until he was panting with pleasure. But with her other hand,
she kept cutting.

Ice-cold sweat drenched his body. Ran in rivulets off his
face. He was inside a fire and an iceberg at the same time. Burning. Freezing.
Dying.

Pain ripped his body apart, shredded his mind, and when she
cut into the base of his cock, she shattered the pleasure she’d created.

Oh shit! Not there. Not there! Fucking bitch!

She giggled as she sliced into him. Her laughter was a crazy
cackle he would remember for as long as he lived. That is, if she let him live.

She lifted the blade and, for a moment, relief whipped
through him. It was short-lived as she lowered the blood-soaked blade yet
again.

Bitch!
If he hadn’t been bound, he might have killed
her right then and there. Anything to stop the anguish of betrayal and the bite
of searing pain as she cut into him again.

And again.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Cade jerked awake, his body drenched in cold sweat and his
heart slamming against his chest with explosive speed.

He ached. Boy, did he ever ache. Especially the right side
of his chest and his shoulder. Fiery pain throbbed as if someone was knifing
him over and over again.

He groaned.

Panic pummeled him at the soft rustle of clothing from
somewhere nearby. For a split second, he believed he was back in that cell. Was
she coming back to slice into him again? A woman hovered into view. A woman
with flaming-red hair.

Reena?

He blinked in confusion as he recalled capturing Reena,
Blade showing up and then Reena escaping.

Concern for her safety snapped through him like a live wire.

“Are they all dead?” he managed to croak.

The concern knitting her perfect eyebrows vanished and relief
etched her eyes. She nodded. “I think so. I didn’t hang around long enough to
find out, but I think so.”

“Are you okay?” His voice grew a bit stronger.

She smiled and his gut did the most fantastic flip and he
knew she would be okay.

“Blade?” he asked with hesitation. He wasn’t sure he wanted
to hear the news that Blade hadn’t made it out alive.

She barked a short burst of laughter, her eyes twinkling
with happiness. “I don’t know about you two guys. I got the feeling you
wouldn’t have had a problem killing each other, yet your concern for each other
is killing me. I take it you two have a history?”

Cade couldn’t stop himself from smiling at the memory of him,
Blade and his brother Colter making love to Ashley the sex slave. Colter had
fallen in “love at first sight” with her during the Terrorist Wars. Thinking of
Ashley made him think about how long it had been since he’d had sex with a
woman.

Too. Damn. Long.

Had he died of his injuries, he would have died without
making love to Reena. Yeah, he was crazy for thinking this way about a woman he
barely knew.

Curiosity washed over her pretty face, yet a little tinge of
pink crept into her cheeks.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” she asked, her
voice a soft ribbon of caresses, melting over his senses.

Cade closed his eyes. Damned if he was going to share the
memory of having sex with another woman while entertaining the thought of doing
the same with this one. Reena was different than most women he’d known. He
liked her defiance. Loved the fact that she’d saved his life and it seemed, based
on her comment about Blade’s concern for him, she’d saved Blade’s life too. She
was too caring for her own good.

“Can you sip some more of this tea for me? It’s medicine.
It’ll help with the fever.”

She smiled again and his insides twisted in a really nice
way. He’d do anything for her. He would have told her as much, but weariness
threatened to pull him into sleep land. She pressed a spoon to his lips and he
opened his mouth, accepting the foul stench of her tea. To his surprise, a sweet,
warm liquid splashed over his taste buds. He was thirsty and eagerly accepted
more spoonfuls. His eyelids grew heavier with every sip and finally, he closed
his eyes. If he died, she would be the last thing he remembered. For now,
that’s all that mattered.

* * * * *

Red sat on the edge of Cade’s bed, spooning something into
his mouth while talking to him in low whispers. At one point, she laughed. It
was music to Blade’s ears and instantly reminded him of another woman he’d once
known…

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

“Excuse me?” Will couldn’t believe what SKULL Chief and
Commander Bev White had just said. The US Government had recruited him for some
top-secret special ops program? Him? A gynecologist? Were they fucking insane?

The woman didn’t look like a chief, a commander or a soldier
when she’d entered the tent he’d been instructed to wait in just outside what the
US Army called Soul City, Afghanistan. Well yeah, she’d flashed him an
authentic-looking ID badge and she wore green fatigues and black combat boots,
but she was a hot chick with cropped spiky blonde hair and melt-me dark-chocolate-brown
eyes. Yet she told him he would be trained for some newly formed assassination team
called SKULL and she was his new boss?

Uh uh. He didn’t think so.

“I’m sorry, lady, but I’m a doctor, not an assassin.” He
figured his firm refusal would take care of it. She’d send him on his merry way
back to the disgusting hospital tent crawling with rats and cockroaches. Then
he could continue treating the scores of raped women and girls that streamed in
looking for help from his small team of grossly overworked doctors and nurses.

“Sir,” she stated, a stern smile on her plump pink lips as
she rounded the only desk in the tent and sat down.

He waited for her to continue, but then quickly realized she
expected him to address
her
as “sir”. Fuck her. When he didn’t speak, those
luscious lips of hers tightened in annoyance.

“You’ll address me as ‘sir’, soldier.”

“I’m not on board…”
Bitch
, he added silently.

“You don’t have a choice in the matter. The government says
jump and you ask how high. Do I make myself clear?”

Her confidence spoke volumes. She was in charge whether he
liked it or not. He stood with the full intention of leaving.

“You walk out that door and you’ll spend the rest of the Wars
in the brig and your staff won’t get the meds and extra help they need,” she
chirped.

Okay, so the brig meant he couldn’t help anyone and then his
people would be effectively screwed. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped walking
toward the door until she ordered him to sit down.

Fuck. He hated the Wars. He hated her.

He sat down. Her eyes sparkled and a smile curved her lips
and, to his shock, her expression warmed his soul. Unfortunately, her smile
only lasted a couple of seconds before she returned to her cool, commanding
manner.

“Make a wish list of what your people need. I’ll make sure
they get everything.”

Anger flared through Blade as he read between the lines. He
would not be going back to his team. “How will I know they’ll get what I asked
for?”

Her eyes twinkled merrily. She enjoyed teasing him. “You won’t.”

“Then show me to the brig.” He stood again and, to his astonishment,
she did too. He was halfway to the door when she grabbed him by the elbow. The
power in her grip amazed him.

“You walk out that door, soldier, and there is no more mandatory
weekly R & R.”

“I masturbate quite nicely,” he answered truthfully. “I’ll
survive.”

Her grip on his elbow tightened. He almost yanked his arm
free in a sudden burst of anger, but the sweet touch of her silky warm fingers brushing
against the nape of his neck gave him pause.

“You will be having sex with me,” she whispered in a hot,
saucy voice that had him swallowing at his dry throat.

“I want reassurances my staff will be well taken care of,”
he demanded.

Her sultry mint-scented breath caressed the side of his face
and almost had him forgetting he should be putting up a hell of a bigger fight.

“The mandatory R & R starts now, soldier.”

Oh. Damn.

“Reassurances, first,” he stipulated and held back a groan
as her hand slipped to the front of his neck. He sighed, melting into the
softness of her caress.

In the rapid manner she breathed and the sensual way her
eyes sparkled, he knew he’d won. A sharp tug on his shirt sent several buttons
flying.

“As you wish, soldier.” Her voice was breathy. “Just give me
the list after we’re finished here. I’ll guarantee you an inspection of your
hospital in one week’s time. It should take about that long to get things in
order.”

Blade smiled inwardly.
Yes!

“Condoms,” he stated and turned around to face her.

She was about one head shorter than him and a whole hell of
a lot of feminine. Her gaze was cool and businesslike as she loosened her belt
and unzipped her green pants. His cock hardened in anticipation as she slid her
pants and underwear over her hips. He cursed softly as he noted her nude pussy,
her inner thighs glistening with wetness.

“You turn me on, soldier,” she whispered.

Hell, they’d just met and she turned
him
on…big-time.
She hoisted her naked ass onto her desk and unbuttoned her green shirt.

“Missionary position for me only,” she stated coolly. “No
kissing on the mouth. Feel free to go down on me or take my nipples into your
mouth. I’ll reciprocate.”

Her voice was still cool and businesslike, but he detected a
cute little tremble.

“Condoms are right here.” She reached for what he’d assumed
was a stone paperweight on the edge of her desk, but when she opened it, he spied
several condoms inside.

“I’ve been told by some of the females you’re bigger than
most. I assume the condom size I picked will fit.”

“I hope you haven’t picked me just for my size,
sir
.”
He stressed the last word sharply as he reached for a package.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Blade. I’m not the one who picked
you. My superiors do their research and apparently it’s who
you
know
that got you into SKULL.”

He wondered whom he knew.

This chick was an attractive fuck and he couldn’t wait to
pleasure her. He ripped open the package and removed the condom, placing it on
the desk within easy reach for when he needed it.

“So who do I know?” he asked. Damned if he could think of
anyone important enough they would want him to assassinate. She shook her head,
her gaze firm as she whipped open the edges of her shirt to reveal a nice pair
of curvy, tanned breasts.

His cock twitched and throbbed.

“Fuck me, soldier,” she whispered softly. Her fingers curled
tightly along the edges of the desk as if she were holding on for dear life. Or
maybe she just didn’t want to touch him?

That last thought vanished as the tip of her pink tongue
peeked hungrily from between her luscious lips.

No kissing. Okay, he would deal with her rules…for now. He
did have to follow orders.

Her breaths grew louder as he undid his pants and quickly
produced his raging erection. Her eyes widened in surprise as his thigh slipped
between her knees and he opened her legs. He let his pants drop to the floor,
reached for the condom and sheathed his swollen shaft.