Chapter 36
Chapter Thirty-Six
Halley
“You’re with me today, Sparkles,” Blaze says with a wide grin.
I stop lacing up my boots to look at him. He looks positively gleeful, and I narrow my eyes.
“I’m going to teach you the basics of espionage.”
“Espionage…”
“Yup. Today we’ll focus on stealth. You need to learn it.”
“Why?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, first off, the element of surprise is a powerful weapon. Second, you’re an Omega, and a pretty one at that. If we get in a sticky situation, we’ll need you to know how to evade and disappear.”
“Fine.”
He grins again. “Great. First lesson. How to get past security.”
“Security?” If I was suspicious before, I certainly am now. I lick my lips and study the enigmatic Alpha. Blaze has the twinkle in his eye he normally has when he knows he’s doing something naughty.
“Follow me.”
I watch as he crouches beside his cot and slithers effortlessly underneath the canvas of the tent. I realize he’s pulled out the pegs holding this part of the tent down, creating a little escape hatch for himself. So sneaky and clever. I hadn’t even noticed it before.
As he crawls, it gives me the perfect view of his muscular thighs covered in black combat pants. I give myself a shake to focus.
I copy Blaze, laying on my front and crawling under the canvas. He made it look so effortless, but it takes some wiggling to get my generous butt through the gap.
“Ah. Such a lovely, juicy problem to have.” Blaze gestures to my behind when I finally pop up beside him, dusting myself off. We’re tucked down the side of the bunkhouse tent, hidden from the rest of the camp.
I bite my lip. I know my body is rounded in ways a standard soldier’s isn’t. My butt is large, and my chest is generous. Not exactly something easy to hide or maneuver in tight spaces.
“Don’t worry, Sparkles, we can work with your gifts,” he winks, and my heart skips a beat.
“What gifts?” I ask, breathless.
He leans over and runs his fingertips down my side and rests them on my hip. My skin tingles where he touches me.
“These hips, for one. You’ve got something to grab onto.” I gasp as he squeezes my hips and drags me against his firm chest. I go willingly. “I can move you into whatever position I need.
“And these curves,” he continues, his gaze roving over my breasts, “can be used as a distraction.”
Blaze’s nostrils flare and his eyes glow with lust. “You’ve got the kind of body a soldier could get lost in.”
I bite my lip, my breath catching as his warm breath fans across my lips.
“See how easily you distract me?” He snaps out of the heavy lidded, heated expression like a switch was flicked. “One look at you, and our mark won’t even notice we’re there before it’s too late. It’ll be like shooting fish in a barrel.”
I blink rapidly. Blaze is back to business mode and I’m still reeling from his abrupt change in mood and the heat in my core.
“Lesson number one,” he begins, “the best time to sneak is right before dawn. In the darkest part of the night when guards are tired, and our enemies think we’re asleep.”
I nod, then cock my head. “Blaze, the sun is already up.”
“Yeah, we’re not playing by the rules today, Sparkles.”
I laugh, and his hand clasps over my mouth, muffling the sound.
“Lesson number two, silence is golden.”
He raises his other hand to his lips and raises an expectant eyebrow at me. His bright icy eyes hold mine intensely as I nod before lowering his hand.
“Good girl,” he growls lowly, and it shoots straight to my clit. Did someone give them a memo? Attention hot unmated males: Halley Sparks has a praise kink.
“We need to be silent while sneaking through the camp so we don’t alert the others to our presence. Understand?”
I nod again.
“Let’s go.”
I follow him obediently through the camp, ducking and hiding around tents and stacks of crates.
Blaze stops abruptly and I slam into his back. Before I can squeak in alarm, he spins me, holding me close by my hips, handling me effortlessly by my hips like he said he would.
He points to the entrance of the kitchen tent and indicates for me to look inside.
I purse my lips and peer around the corner. Sitting at the dining table is Shade, frowning down at his tablet, tapping furiously.
Blaze’s lips brush against the shell of my ear as he whispers, “Our first mark, Sparkles. Time to learn how to attack from behind.”
I whip my head to shoot him an incredulous look.
“Sneak attacks save lives. Always avoid combat where possible.”
His eyes hold mine, intense and serious. I swallow thickly. I’ve never thought about it like that before.
“Also, it’s super fun to surprise them. I like it when they scream when startled.” I blanch, and Blaze gives me a goofy grin.
I take another peek into the tent. Shade is very focused on what he’s doing, his brows furrowed together and his lips moving as he reads rapidly.
“Shade’s a good place to start. He gets hyper-focused on his work and doesn’t pay attention to his surrounds. Also, as a Beta, he’s not going to scent you as fast.”
I nod, determined to succeed.
“The biggest thing to remember is to always keep your center of gravity low.” Blaze drops into a half crouch, his knees bent and his arms out for balance. “This is a good starting stance. It keeps your body low and stable, and allows you to distribute your weight to walk softly.”
I copy him, sticking my ass out and biting my inner cheek to concentrate.
Blaze makes a choking sound at the back of his throat.
I tilt my head in confusion.
“What?”
His eyes lower to half-mast, devouring the sight of me like a hungry animal who has spotted his dinner. A seductive smirk lifts the corner of his lips. “You have a mighty fine ass, Sparkles.”
I giggle and swat at his chest, and his hands shoot out to capture my wrist and pull me against him. Our chests bump, and he drops his forehead to mine.
“You’re so small--”
I snort in protest, turning my face in embarassment. I’m short, but my curves certainly don’t make me appear small.
“These hips,” his scarred hands slide down my side, where he grasps a fistful of my flesh.
I squeak.
“And these thighs,” he purrs, stroking his palm down my hip to grip my thigh, “are strong.”
I lick my lips, suddenly dry from his heated gaze.
“Perfect for crouching to maximize your naturally low center of gravity.”
I burst out laughing at the unexpected statement. I really was not thinking about my stealth skills at this moment. I was too busy thinking about Blaze and his strong hands on my body and his lips hovering so close to mine.
Blaze chuckles, dropping a lingering kiss on my forehead. “C’mon, let’s put this body to the test.”
He swats me on the ass, and skips off, leaving me to follow him in a haze of confused arousal.
“You’re gonna walk toe to heel. Keep your eyes on your mark and use your peripheral vision to avoid stepping on something that will give away your position.”
I nod.
“Alright, in you go. Your mission, Sparkles, is to plant a kiss on Shade’s right cheek without him noticing you are there beforehand.”
“What?”
“I won’t tolerate disobedience, Omega Sparks. You will comply with my orders,” he whispers in an imitation of Prime Asshole Knox. I stifle a giggle.
I mean, what the frack, I doubt I’ll even get close enough to Shade to kiss him.
I enter the tent quietly, trying my best to walk silently. I feel a bit ridiculous, but I am a little proud that I’m able to sneak this well.
I creep slowly toward the unsuspecting Beta, who is still focused on his tablet. He hasn’t even noticed me, which makes me feel pretty stealthy.
I pause a few feet from him, taking a deep breath. Well, I guess I have to follow through on my orders. I get to put my lips on Shade under the guise of following orders. I should feel more uncomfortable but I’m almost giddy with anticipation.
I tiptoe closer until I’m right beside him and lean over his shoulder. He’s completely engrossed in his reading, oblivious to his surroundings, including me.
My heart is racing as I lean over and my lips hover over his cheek. Shade jolts in alarm and turns to face me just as my lips make contact. Yet instead of his cheek, I kiss his plush lips.
I’m so surprised that I jump backward and stumble into the table, making a loud noise.
“Shit!” Shade yells, knocking his tablet off the table, and it lands on the floor with a clatter.
Blaze bursts out laughing and I stare at Shade in shock, holding my hands to my lips. It was a fleeting kiss, but the electricity that shot through me was intense. His lips on mine felt good. No, that’s not even close to what it felt like.
Fate. Transcendently right.
I feel a blush rise up my chest and into my cheeks.
“Halley, what the fuck?” Shade growls, scrambling off his chair to retrieve his tablet from the floor. “You scared the shit out of me.”
He picks up his tablet, and the case falls apart but the screen is intact. I note that his cheeks are flushed pink too.
“You were supposed to kiss him on the cheek, Sparkles, not the mouth. Although, it was hot seeing you two kiss.”
“I’m sorry, Shade, I was learning how to sneak up on someone,” I babble, embarrassment flooding through me. Why did I do that? It’s Blaze, I could have said no. But I didn’t want to.
Shade clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair, still looking dazed. “It’s fine, I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings anyway.” He shakes himself and gives me a smile. “I’m used to Blaze sneaking up on me.”
I bite my lip.
“Lesson number three, always be aware of your surroundings,” Blaze says sagely, his arms crossed. “Never get too comfortable.”
Shade scoffs and rolls his eyes. “We’re in a secure location, I don’t have to be on high alert all the time.”
“I could have killed you easily.” Blaze shrugs.
“Well, you didn’t and you won’t, so it doesn’t count.”
“I’ll remind you of that the next time I ambush you in the shower.” Blaze winks.
Shade growls but his lips twitch.
Oh… Oh! My pussy flutters at the innuendo. Do… Do they shower together?