Chapter 33
Alex walked cautiously toward Miles. The War Room had cleared, and it was just them.
Though he had made it sound like everything was fine, she was nervous.
She had betrayed him, and even though it had all worked out, she had gone behind his back.
She couldn’t erase the lies and deceit, no matter how good the outcome was.
“Ms. Thorn,” Miles greeted. He gestured to a seat next to him.
Formal. This was going to go great.
She hesitantly walked over and sat in the chair next to Miles.
“Alex,” he restated her name, and his hard expression softened.
She relaxed slightly.
“Look, I’m so sor—” she began, but Miles held up a hand.
“It’s okay, Alex. I know why you did it, and I understand why you kept it from me. If I had known, I would have captured Nathan, and nothing would have been done about the super soldiers. I would have deemed it too dangerous, and we’d still have them running around, causing problems.
“Even the leader of the program is gone. Better yet, we know what happened to those missing veterans. I only wish we had gotten there sooner. Finding one person alive and in a coma was not the outcome I had hoped for.”
Alex shook her head.
“I’m sorry. I wish there was more we could have done for them.”
“We stopped the program so that no more people will suffer. We’ll take that small victory.”
“Yeah,” she said and then shifted uncomfortably. “So, you’re not mad at all?”
“Oh, I’m a little hurt, but I’ll get over it.” He smiled. “Besides, it looks as if you have someone else to take care of you now.”
Alex sighed and shrugged.
“If we can smooth things over. I mean, I love him, but I don’t know if it’s reciprocated. I know he cares, but—”
“That man was ready to throw away his entire future so you could have one. He loves you,” Miles reassured her.
“I can’t believe I fell for that,” she admitted. “I should have realized something was wrong. Even when he was coming off the drugs, he did his best to be kind and accommodating.”
“Nathan’s not the type to manipulate an innocent person,” Miles said. “John Stratton, on the other hand, did do some meddling.”
Alex threw up her hands and said, “Of course, he did.”
“It seems that John Stratton was the old man in the Gray Tower cafeteria who convinced you to go along with Nathan’s plan.”
Confused, Alex said, “No, he wasn’t. He was…” She trailed off, thinking back to that day.
She had never seen John Stratton before. Others had, but not her.
“Son of a bitch,” she said and then immediately put her hand to her mouth. She never cussed in front of Miles.
“Nathan would never have approved,” Miles said. “But Stratton is tenacious. I’ll tell you all about him when we have more time.”
“And to think he might be family if I—”
She caught herself. If she what? Married Nathan? She was getting way ahead of herself.
Miles chuckled.
“Why don’t you get out of here and go talk to Nathan?” he suggested. “You two need to have a long discussion.”
She nodded and said, “Yeah, we do.”
“I told Jack to send him home.”
Alex frowned.
“Home?”
“Yes. To your house. Was that not a good idea? I had assumed it would be okay since you two had been staying together. But now that I think about it, I shouldn’t have assumed you’d be okay with that. I’ll call him back.”
Alex held up her hand.
“Oh, no! That’s fine!” She very much wanted him there. “You were right to send him there. I want him there.”
“I’m glad to see you’ve found someone.”
“He makes me feel safe.”
“Then, that’s all I need to hear.”
She smiled but then realized, “I don’t think I ever gave him a key. He overrode my security system and let himself in.”
Miles shook his head.
“Then, I’m glad he’s on our side.”
“Definitely.”
? ? ?
Nate sat nervously on Alex’s couch. He had taken a quick shower and changed since he had felt so grimy from the last twenty-four hours. He was also exhausted and wanted to sleep, but he knew Alex would be home any minute.
He tensed when he heard her security alarm beep; she was pulling into her driveway. Gray Tower had taken out all his extra tech, so he didn’t have advanced notice anymore. Plus, he didn’t have Sally.
A wave of sadness flowed through him at the thought of his AI—no, more like his friend. It had been hard to think of her that way for the longest time, but he could now admit he had formed a special bond with her. He would never have the chance to tell her that.
Nate heard the garage door open, and he immediately got up to meet Alex at the door. She looked tired and frazzled, but she smiled when she saw him.
“Nathan…” she breathed.
He closed the gap and hugged her, burying his face in her neck.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry. I should never have said those things. I should have tried to figure out another way—”
“Please don’t,” she told him. “There’s no need to apologize. You were ready to give up your life…for me.”
“But I hurt you in the process,” he protested.
She hesitated before saying, “I admit I was upset.” Nate’s heart sank. “But when I found out what was going on, it made me love you even more.”
He tensed, pulling his head away from her and staring into her eyes.
“You…love me?”
“Oh!” she said, her face reddening. “I should have maybe led with that first. Nathan, I…Gah! Everything is coming out wrong.”
Nate gently placed his thumb to her lips, and she instantly quieted.
“Shh,” he hushed, a smile creeping across his face. He took his other hand and moved it around to the back of her neck. “I should have said this so long ago. I love you, Alex. So fucking much. You mean everything to me. You saved me. You gave me something to live for.”
He leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. They were so damned soft and supple. He couldn’t help but deepen the kiss when she moaned, her hands coming up to grip his biceps. They were together, and nothing was going to tear them apart.
Nate wanted more, so much more. But they had just cleared the air, and if he kept kissing her, he’d end up fucking her against the wall. Pulling away, he smiled and brushed away a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.
“I love you too,” she said softly.
“You have no idea how happy that makes me.”
“It would make me happy if you took me to bed,” she told him, a gleam in her eyes.
Fuck yeah.
“I can’t say no to you,” Nathan said with a wink and immediately picked her up bridal-style and carried her upstairs.
She buried her face into his neck, kissing him along his jawline as he moved. If she kept this up, there wasn’t going to be any foreplay. His cock was straining in his pants, feeling confined and uncomfortable. The only place he wanted to be was inside her.
Nate entered the bedroom, placing Alex on the bed and then climbing on top of her. He kissed her again—this time more passionately, his tongue plundering her mouth. She greedily took it, wrapping her legs around him and grinding against his erection.
“Fuck, Alex,” he groaned, breaking the kiss.
“Please, please, please,” she begged. “I need this.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He began tugging their clothes off. She helped, shirts and underwear flying in all directions.
When they were naked, Nate let out a low growl, cupping her breasts and lowering his head so he could nip each bud gently with his teeth—not hard, just enough to make her eyes close and her head tilt back in pleasure.
“Nathan…” she moaned, thrusting her pelvis into his throbbing cock. “Stop teasing me.”
“I’m not teasing,” he said as he kissed down her chest. “I’m getting you ready.”
“I’m ready!” she exclaimed and grabbed his hand, pushing it across her folds.
They were slick, and Nate chuckled as he began to trace his fingers along the outside of her lips.
He parted them, one finger going to her clit, another finger her entrance, and the rest rubbing along her folds.
When he inserted a finger into her pussy, she pushed against him, moaning.
He curled his finger, rubbing against the front wall where her G-spot was.
When she moved her hips harder against him, he inserted another finger, smiling as he felt her get slicker from her arousal.
“Nathan…that feels so good.”
He continued with his onslaught but added another finger.
In and out, he worked her until she was teetering on the edge.
He did one more pump with some more pressure on her clit, and she shattered, clenching around his hand and gripping the sheets tightly with her hands.
She cried out with pleasure, and Nate couldn’t help but capture that sound with a kiss.
When she floated down from her orgasm, he withdrew his hand, sucking her juices from his fingers one by one.
“I taste that good, huh?” she asked, flinging an arm over her eyes.
She looked content, but Nate knew she wanted more. His cock was throbbing angrily—precum dripping at its tip and smearing on her thigh.
“Fucking delicious,” he said as he tugged her body slightly to position himself at her entrance.
Alex gasped at the move, her hands grabbing at the bed to steady herself. Nate ran the tip of his cock along the folds of her pussy, feeling the increased wetness from her orgasm.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“Yes.”
Nate steadied himself at her entrance and pushed in slowly, marveling at how wonderful she felt, gripping his cock like a vice.
He moved in gently, allowing her to accommodate her.
She let out a low moan and reached down to grip his ass, encouraging him to go deeper. She didn’t need any more encouragement.
He plunged all the way in, bottoming out at her cervix. Her nails dug into his skin, and she ground herself into his pubic bone. He began thrusting slowly, her pussy milking his cock deliciously. Her body was heaven, and he was there to worship her.
“More, please,” she moaned. “Harder. I need this. I need…you.”