Chapter Ten
Lauren
Providence, Rhode Island
2024
T he energy in the room is supercharged. Pete’s attractive, but Franklin has the kind of look that turns heads—of both sexes. If Hollywood spent years scouring the planet, I doubt they could produce a sexier soldier. The cocky tilt of his head as he looks me over is swoon worthy. So is the way his smile crooks to the side.
He’s all male.
Confident.
Bold.
Full of swagger.
And even as I tell myself the bond I feel to him is no different from the false chemical reaction that bonded me to Pete, this hits differently. My hands flutter at my sides and my breathing shallows .
Give me strength.
Our eyes lock as he approaches. Running doesn’t enter my mind.
“You’re a doctor.” His voice is low, smooth. “I like a smart woman.” A playful expression flits across his face. “Truth be told, I like dumb ones as well.”
He stops close enough to me that I could reach out and touch him if I let myself—I want to—really, really want to, but I keep my hands at my sides. “Did you watch the video?”
His nod is slow.
I swallow hard. “Do you have any questions?”
His gaze drops to my lips. “Only one—do we compete to win you or share?”
Desire shoots through me as I imagine both scenarios, and I gasp. My tongue darts over my bottom lip before I force out, “Neither. What you’re feeling right now is a chemical reaction brought on by what happened to you. If you watched the video, you know the goal is to free you from it.”
He reaches out, grabs me by the back of the head, and drags my face closer to his. “Isn’t sex always nothing more than a chemical reaction?” His lips hover above mine. “I’m going to fuck you in ways a normal man could never. You’ll beg me to stop and then beg me to do it all again. Once I’ve had you, you won’t want to cure either of us.”
I’d love to tell him he’s wrong, but I’m not so sure he is.
“Let her go,” Pete demands from the doorway .
Franklin’s hand tightens in my hair, arching my head back. His eyes remain glued to mine even as he answers Pete. “Why, so you can have her?”
“I won’t say it again,” Pete growls.
Franklin brushes his lips slowly, passionately over mine, and I’m so turned on I don’t protest. He raises his head and gently releases me. “Sorry, doll, looks like I have to handle an issue before we can continue.”
I’ve seen the carnage these men can cause when they fight. Ray, Hugh, and Jack tore up Ashley’s office and damn near killed each other. As Franklin begins to turn away, I grab his arm and silently implore: Don’t.
His face whips back toward mine. Are you in my head?
Yes.
He pulls away from my touch. “Get the fuck away from me.”
With lightning speed, Pete is at my side like a bodyguard. “Calm down, Franklin.”
I bring my hands up to my temples as the emotions of both of them are so intense they’re almost too much for me to take in. I’ve always considered myself a good reader of people, but this is different. We’re connected—all of us—on a level that I would have dismissed as impossible if I weren’t experiencing it.
Pete cares about Franklin, but he’s worried for me. He’s battling with his desire to claim me as his own, and he’s willing to kill Franklin to have me .
Franklin wants me and doesn’t care if I’m his or everyone’s, but when I spoke in his mind I shook him to the core. Why?
Our eyes meet again and what I sense then has me taking a step back. He is more afraid of me being in his head than he is of finding himself in the future. That kind of fear makes a man dangerous.
In a tone I often use in the emergency room, I say, “Franklin, you were transformed into silverware and woke up in the future. Everything you’re feeling is natural. Anger. Fear. The desire to leave. This would be overwhelming for anyone. But you’re not the only one this happened to. Some of your unit are here and they’ll help you through this. You’re going to be okay.”
Pete shifts slightly in front of me. “She’s right, this is a lot for all of us, but we’re still here, and that has to be for a reason.”
Franklin is tense. The smooth, cocky man from a moment before is gone. He’s angry and confused. He doesn’t understand his intense feelings for me or how they are igniting rage within him.
Someone hurt this man. Deeply.
“I’m so sorry, Franklin,” I say softly.
He frowns at me. “What the fuck are you sorry for?”
“For entering your thoughts without asking.”
He rubs a hand over his forehead. “What have you done to me? ”
“She didn’t do this,” Pete said forcefully. “Inkwell did. She’s trying to help us. You watched the video. You know this.”
“I am partially at fault,” I say softly. Yes, both Pete and Franklin watched the same video, but trauma can have a large effect on how a person receives information. Pete believed what I said on the video, Franklin clearly did not. “Before touching any of you, I was aware that it would bond you to me. What I did was impulsive and selfish and it’s something I deeply regret, but I am committed to making it right.”
Pete shifts closer, full of empathy and fighting the urge to hug me to him. Franklin’s hands fist against his temples, and I feel the battle raging inside him. The bond is strong and hits on an emotional level as well. He wants nothing to do with me because... because of something he won’t let himself think about. Oh, my God, I’m doing exactly what he’s asking me not to... I’m in his head, even if it’s silently.
“I’m sorry,” I say quietly.
There is a visible tremor in his hands as he lowers them to his sides and my heart hurts for him. He looks from me to Pete. “I want to talk to Hugh.”
I nod. “Okay.”
After taking out my phone, I pause and send a thought to Pete. Franklin needs your support more than I do. I’m fine.
Pete’s eyes darken, but then he smiles. You’re a beautiful person, Lauren, inside and out—and recognizing that has nothing to do with our chemical bond.
I blush and call Hugh, putting him on video chat. He answers immediately. I hand the phone to Pete. He may not have used one before, but these men are smart and excel at rolling with the unexpected. He holds the phone up to his face. “Franklin and I have returned and are up to speed on the events leading to this point. We request that you gather the others and rendezvous here ASAP.”
Hugh’s response is clear and strong. “Roger that. ETA thirty minutes.”
“Understood.”
In a gentler tone, Hugh adds, “Can Franklin hear me?”
“Yes,” Franklin responds. Pete turns the phone so they can both see the screen.
Hugh continues, “The first day is the worst. We’re in a situation that requires we keep this op tight and blend in. I’ll provide you with everything you’ll need to do that. You can trust Lauren. She’s on our side.”
“Respectfully,” Franklin answers, “I require an immediate alternate location.”
“Stay put for now. We’ll discuss that in person.”
“Neither of us are going anywhere.” Pete and Franklin exchange a long look.
Franklin huffs. “For thirty minutes.” Without saying more, he turns and walks out of the room.
A moment later, Pete lowers his voice. “Don’t be late. He’s not taking this well. ”
“Understood. One of us will be there earlier.” With that, Hugh ends the call and Pete hands the phone back to me.
For several heartbeats Pete and I stand there, looking at each other. I don’t know what else to do, so I let him in. I relive my conversation with Braxton as well as how I felt with Franklin. Shame circles as my feelings get more and more tangled, so I summon my clinical side. Uncomfortable as symptoms are, they never get better when ignored.
“I want to tell you that Braxton isn’t good enough for you,” Pete says gently, “but I’m afraid he might be.”
I shake my head. “At the most, we’re friends.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “If I hadn’t interrupted, you would have had sex with Franklin.”
I chuckle because he’s not wrong. “It’s been a long time for me and he’s... potent.”
“He’d break your heart.”
“He wouldn’t because he’d never come near it. Now, you... I’m going to miss you.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. I’m right here and yours if you want me.”
My eyes mist, and I rub a hand over one of them. “It’s not a case of not wanting, Pete.” Once again, I let him in. Words cannot fully express the struggle within me, but our bond allows me to show him. I could take everything he’s willing to give me, and for a while, we could be happy, but it’s not what would be best for either of us. Somewhere out there is a woman who will love him with all the wonder of the young. He’ll be her world and if things go as planned, he’ll be able to have a normal life with her.
“And you? What do you want for yourself?”
“I don’t know yet, but I’m waking up to the idea that I may want more than I have.”
“Does that include a good long hug?”
Without hesitation, I step into the circle of his arms and melt against his broad chest. Yes, I’m strong. Yes, I can survive on my own. But, damn, this also feels good.
But not perfect. I close that thought off to him even as I search for what’s missing.
It’s wonderful, but... but it doesn’t feel like forever.