Safe (The Shielded Series Book 1) (19 page)

From the look on her face maybe he’d waited exactly the right amount of
time. She hadn’t blinked since turning around and seeing him there.

Slowly, Estoria, Roben, Pike, Rasha, Hydec and several other GECs came
out from nearby buildings. Each of them was holding a bouquet of bright orange
daylilies they’d harvested from the Vermont property. They lined up on the
crumbling sidewalk, instantly turning the gray city into something magical.

At least Foster hoped they did. He needed some magic.

Glancing around Darina, Foster looked at the man now lounging comfortable
on the steps of the building behind Darina. “Thanks for your help, Natik.”

“Not a problem.” Natik stood and motioned to his eye and neck. “Can we
fix this up? I don’t want to scare the piss out of my wife.”

“Of course.” While Darina was adorably confused, Foster dug out his
tablet and scanned away Natik’s symptoms. Within seconds, his eye was no longer
filled with blood and the swollen neck vein had shrunk to its normal size.

The two men shook hands and Natik gave Darina a friendly smile. “Just
wanted to let you know I totally would have taken the cure because you told me
to. I could feel your sincerity. You must be an amazing police officer.
Especially if you’ve managed to turn this guy’s head. I worked with him at
Emerge Tech.
Nothing
but science turns his head.”

“Until now,” Ghared said.

“Until now,” Foster agreed, still loving how dumbfounded and quiet Darina
was. He’d hoped to surprise her, and he was pretty sure he’d nailed it.

The two officers gave Foster a nod and drove off as Natik strolled down
the street. Ghared hung around, giving Darina a nudge.

“A speechless Darina… interesting,” he mused.

“Is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Foster asked.

“Can’t say for sure.” Ghared grinned. “It’s never happened before.”

Darina blinked and glared at Ghared. “What is going on here?”

“And she’s back.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Maybe I lied a
little bit.” He held up his thumb and index finger, an inch or so between them.

“Lied?” She squinted down the street in the direction Natik had headed.
“Mr. Jarkins wasn’t really infected?”

Foster shook his head. “I wasn’t sure you’d come to meet me if I asked.”

“But he knew you’d come to help out a fellow citizen,” Ghared added.

“Real nice. Use my sense of duty against me.” She folded her arms across
her chest and looked between Foster and Ghared.

“Oh, don’t get all pissy,” Ghared said. “This guy wants to talk to you,
and I say you let him.”

“And who put you in charge?” Now her foot tapped, and Foster found her
even more attractive when slightly pissed off. Shit, he’d missed her.

“I did.” Zeke came to stand next to her, Mareea holding his hand.

Darina whirled around to look up at her son. Foster got a little thrill
out of tipping her world on its axis. She deserved it. She’d done it to him
with her simple presence.

“Foster contacted me, and as soon as I determined he was as miserable as
you were,” Zeke pointed at his mother, making her go a little cross-eyed as she
followed his index finger, “Ghared and I decided it was time for an
intervention.” He kissed Darina’s cheek. “Make the best of this opportunity,
Mom.”

“Wait, you weren’t heading to the high school? Our whole exchange back
home was—”

“Somewhat fictional? Yes.” Zeke gestured between him and Mareea. “We do
have a plan to rebuild the school, but there’s no meeting today. Forgive me?”

Darina shot a look at Foster—one that made his blood rush around his
body, cyclonically. “I suppose so.”

“Good enough for me,” Zeke said.

With that, Zeke and Mareea, followed by Ghared, wandered away as if they
were out for a casual stroll through the newly alive city.

Darina slid her hands in her pockets and gave Foster a head-to-toe sweep
with her eyes that he felt everywhere. “How are you?” Her voice was soft, none
of her usual confidence anywhere to be found.

Foster smiled. “Fine. How are you?”

Her lips twitched up as she fought not to smile. “I’m well. Except for
the liars I apparently raised and decided to befriend.”

“Liars with your best interests at heart.” Foster took a step closer to
her. He wanted nothing more than to occupy her space. He longed to touch her as
he had back in Vermont.

“Oh yeah? And what best interests are those?” She took a step closer too.

“Me. It’s in your best interest to be with me, Darina.” He reached out
now, letting his hand trace the contours of her cheek. When she closed her eyes
and didn’t jerk away from his touch, Foster’s heart swelled in his chest. “I
couldn’t take being away from you another minute.”

“Really?” She pressed her face into his palm, bringing her hand up to cup
his hand. “I hardly noticed you weren’t around.”

“Is that so?” He moved his hand to her waist and tugged her so her hips
touched his.

Her hands snaked up his chest and hooked on the back of his neck, her
thumb running gently over his tattoo. “Well, maybe I wondered about your wellbeing
a little.”

“Good to know.” He leaned his head down and caught her lips. As soon as
they made contact, the fireworks crackled to life all over again.

When she ripped herself free of his kiss, of his grasp, he couldn’t
breathe.

“We can’t do this, Foster.” She paced away from him, squeezing her eyes
shut.

“Why the hell not? I know you feel something for me. That kiss told me
so.”

“I feel more than
something
for you, dammit.” She puffed out a
frustrated breath. “But there’s no way you could possibly want to look at me,
touch me, call me your own. Not after I’ve been with Warres. I’ve made terrible
mistakes.” Her gorgeous eyes filled with unshed tears, and she swiped at one
escapee.

Time to make her understand. Once and for all. 

“I most definitely want to look at you,” Foster said, an edge of anger
outlining his words. He had to get it into her thick skull that she was
everything to him. “I certainly want to touch you. I don’t care about the past
or Warres or anything except being with you. Now. Tomorrow. Forever. Do you
know why?”

“You’re crazy?”

He grinned and slid his hands around her waist corralling her in his arms
again. “No. It’s because I love you, Officer Darina Lazitter. I love you. We’ve
only known each other mere days, but I’ve thought about you every second of
every day during the two weeks we’ve been apart. I feel as if I’ve been
searching for you for an eternity. Now that I’ve found you, I don’t want to let
you go.” He gestured to himself with his left hand. “You promised to keep me
safe, and here I am. But I’m in danger again. In danger of being heartbroken
without you. I want to be with someone who keeps her promises. Keep me safe
again, Darina. Safe in your heart. Please.”

Foster didn’t give her a chance to reply. Instead he captured her mouth
with his and what started out as a slow, gentle kiss turned into something
feral and scorching. He grabbed the back of her legs until she hoisted both of
them up and wrapped them around his waist. It was as if she were willing to
crawl inside his heart, and he was all for that notion.

She broke the kiss, cupped his face, then freed her legs. Taking his
hand, she led him down the street without a word. When she stopped in front of
a broken-down apartment building, Estoria and the others who had followed a
short distance away rested the lilies by her door, hugged her each in turn,
then continued down the street. Darina unlocked a door and pulled him inside,
shutting the door behind them.

“You really want me?” she asked.

“More than anything.” He held his hand up as if taking an oath. “Say you
want me too.”

She shrugged one shoulder, smiling slightly. “I guess so. Why not?”

Foster poked her in the side then worked her tank top off along with her
pants. Dropping kisses along her exposed flesh, he said, “Let’s see if I can
turn that ‘I guess so’ into something a bit more definitive.”

“You can try.”

****

Turns out his attempt was so good he’d convinced her to return to Vermont
with him after they’d made love in her domicile.

Then they’d made love again.

In his bedroom now, with Darina cuddled close, Foster watched sunlight grow
brighter around the blinds on his windows. The brightness made him feel as if
everything was finally in order in his life. A few weeks ago, he’d almost lost
Darina and his GEC friends, not to mention the damage to the property Warres’s
associates had caused. That had sucked. On the other hand, he’d saved Darina.
Last night he’d told her he loved her, then spent the night showing her how
much. That had been amazing.

So amazing that he…

“Darina?” he whispered.

She shifted beside him, her naked body rubbing alongside his naked body
in such a way he didn’t ever want to leave the bed.

Or put on clothes ever again.

“Hmm…” Her throat vibrated, and he felt it against his chest where she
rested her head.

“I have some thoughts on how we should start this day.” He let his hand
glide over one of her nipples, teasing it to a tight bud.

“You scientists are always thinking.”

He felt her lips turn up in a smile as she dropped kisses along his
shoulder, across his collarbone, and up his neck until she reached his mouth.

Lifting his head slightly, he caught her lips, and they kissed as if they
were having each other for breakfast. He never wanted to eat anything else.

“How do you feel?” he asked when they stopped for a breath.

“I feel horny.” She rose to her knees and straddled him, his hands
automatically going to her hips, sliding up her curves, kneading her full
breasts. “Tell me you feel the same.”

“Around you? Constantly.” He threaded his fingers with hers and tugged
until she had to lower her chest to his. “What are you going to do about it?”

She scooted back a little so her hot center rubbed against his hard and
ready erection. Her head went back when he groaned and arched his hips to grind
against her.

“I’m going to say something I’ve never said to a man before.” She stopped
moving long enough to make eye contact. Her face was serious as she hooked her
hair behind her ears and licked her lips.

“Let’s hear it.” Foster braced himself, not sure if he was going to like
what came out of her mouth. He didn’t want anything to destroy the fantastic
buzz he had going.

“I love you, Foster.” She pressed her hand on his chest when he made a
move to sit up and embrace her. “Let me finish. I love you because you stopped
Zeke’s seizures then tended to him when Warres shot him. I love you because you
tended to Ghared and his busted leg. I love you because you’ve housed GECs here
for years and made them feel a part of a community when the world told them
they weren’t good enough. I love you because you cured me and the globe. I love
you because you make love with the exact right mix of tenderness and wildness.
I love you because you came back for me.” She wiggled on his hips and grinned.
“But most of all, Doc, I love you because you make me feel alive.”

She moved her hand now and allowed him to sit up. He gathered her in his
arms and squeezed her wonderfully naked body against his. Raking his hands up
into her hair as she smoothed her hand over his tattooed neck, he lightly bit a
trail along her shoulder.

When he reached her jaw, he pressed open-mouthed kisses up to her lips.
Pulling back for a moment, he stared into her hazel eyes, getting lost in the
green-brown whirlpools.

“And here I thought I was going to have to provide you with a bunch of
evidence on why we should be together.” He cupped her face and brushed a gentle
kiss to her cheek. “I love you for the same reason, Darina. You make me feel
alive too.” Grinning, he swept his gaze over her naked body. “Oh, and because
you’re the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

She laughed and lightly slapped his chest. “Keep saying stuff like that
and you’ll wake up like this every morning.”

“That’s the plan.” He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her to her
back so he was on top now. “Which brings me to my next question.” He ran his
fingertips along her side, over the smooth expanse of her stomach, and up
around her breasts. “Will you and Zeke stay with me? I know we have to go back
to the city for work and rebuild efforts, but wherever I am, I want you two
there as well. I want you to be my family.”

Darina reached her hand up and smoothed his hair back, her touch gentle
yet possessive. And possess him she did. Not a doubt in his mind that he wanted
to belong to her and have her belong to him.

“As luck would have it, Doc, you’re just who Zeke and I have been looking
for all these years to join our team.” She walked her fingers up his chest and
hooked her hands on his shoulders, bringing him down toward her. “Now make love
to me, and let’s start this day out right.”

Foster didn’t need to be told twice. He stroked her nipples with his
tongue until she blissfully writhed beneath him. Caressing her center, he found
her more than ready for him. He held her gaze as he slid into her, inch by
inch, and found the home he’d always been looking for.

She widened her legs, accepting him deeper, her nails raking lightly
along his back. With each rhythmic thrust, he claimed more of her, came closer
to merging his soul with hers, destroying the emptiness they’d both endured.

That emptiness would plague them no more.

Foster basked in the warm hold Darina had on him. How had he ever been
satisfied by a hologram? Those programs didn’t come close to what Darina made
him feel, how she fit snuggly around him, her insides contracting until he
couldn’t stop the freefall, didn’t want to.

She cried out his name before they climbed higher and erupted in a shower
of trembling sparks that danced before Foster’s eyes. He collapsed beside her
on the bed, still buried deep inside her as the aftershocks stroked him.