Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DEZ
I could still feel Larke’s skin sliding along my palms, smell her hair, and feel the soft brush of her lips. Yet, today, one thing after another kept me from getting back to her, all of which had culminated in a dead Class One Strategoi.
The victim was found cold and pale early that morning in the Hawthorne building.
Because of his rank, an investigation was underway, but Dr. Lin’s preliminary report was that the general had died of “cardiac arrest” due to “acute physical exertion.” Seeing as how the man was found stark naked with his “mistress,” it was easy enough to guess the cause of the acute physical exertion.
But I’d caught the look on the young woman’s face when she thought no one was paying attention.
She was glad he was dead.
Pills were also found in the General’s uniform pocket. Dr. Lin informed us that he didn’t stock that specific medication at the infirmary, which meant the pills were likely being smuggled in via our supply runs.
Then, the General who died lived in 720, and I knew Larke had overheard a plot to poison someone in 720—the unit she’d mistakenly believed was mine, which had led her to think she was consuming poison.
For me.
To save me.
I’d assumed that my feelings for Larke, the emotional and the physical, would remain in separate realms, but they seemed to be working together in a perfect ball of synergy.
Leaving her this morning was nearly impossible.
Throughout the day, I’d had to will my body not to react to thoughts of the echoes of her cries and gasps as she climaxed.
I’d had to shove aside memories of how it felt to have her legs wrapped around me, the slash of pain from her nails sinking into my skin, and the way her pussy gripped my dick, until the restraint brought sweat to my brow.
Sometimes, during my quiet moments, I imagined someone trying to hurt or take her from me, merely to come up with creative ways to deal with the transgression.
If I managed not to kill anyone in the next month, I would accept that there was nothing unusual about wanting to turn someone’s throat into a gourd if they chose to fuck with my woman.
“So that means you need to be careful,” Cerner said.
We were standing just outside Woodhaven, but I had no recollection of at what point we’d finished our “investigation” of the General’s unit.
I didn’t even remember the guy’s name, and as far as I was concerned, he’d had it coming.
Whatever he’d done to cause that look of relief on the young woman’s face confirmed it.
“What I mean is, be careful because someone is poisoning higher-ups,” Cerner added. “Actually, I sent some uniforms to question the workers in the kitchen. You know one of the head cooks there pretty well, right? What do you think? Would she do something like this?”
I didn’t know in what world he believed I would turn on Mae to satisfy his wishes. Mae was too noble to put shit in his food, which was the real tragedy.
“It would be an idiotic move,” I pointed out. “Poison food, and the first place anyone checks is the source. I don’t think it’s any of the cooks.”
“A server, then? Collins had a mistress arrangement with one of the servers. The girl who was with him.”
I frowned. “Who’s Collins?”
Cerner gestured to the building. “Our fallen comrade, Harding.”
I didn’t know a Collins.
I only knew Larke Tapley.
And, right then, I wanted to spread her like butter.
“Didn’t you say the young woman’s father’s a uniformed guy?” I asked. “You trusted him enough to appoint him to that position.”
“That’s true. However, if Collins was up to anything shady, I could see a father wanting to get revenge for his little girl.”
“But if Collins was up to something shady, why should we care about his death? I mean, you just referred to the server as ‘little girl.’ She’s probably in her early twenties. How old was Collins? Sixty-ish?”
“About.”
“Did she look like she was happy with him?”
“It’s hard to tell.”
“Not for me. Now, here’s my suggestion: drop the bullshit investigation.
You keep talking about how you want Totten to be the ‘New World Order.’ For that, you’re going to need a semblance of civility.
Hell, you told me to try to be gentle with Tapley.
The kind of behavior I’m picking up on from our ‘fallen comrade’ doesn’t jive with the kind of advice you’ve been giving out. ”
“And how’s that working out?” he prodded. “You and the attorney, I mean.”
“Poorly. It’s hard not to be…aggressive with her. I want to teach her a lesson.”
A hard lesson.
A deep lesson.
I didn’t know how long it had been since she’d last had sex, but she’d gone on exactly zero dates since the day we met.
Given the level of surveillance I was required to keep on her, I would have known if she was sneaking off to some asshole’s place.
And I probably would have shown up at the asshole’s place before I could talk myself out of it.
With that in mind, I could have been more gentle.
Yet, even the way she’d gingerly walked next to me back to Juniper had turned me on.
When I offered to carry her, she refused, claiming she wasn’t bothered by the soreness.
That I’d found myself back inside her roughly an hour later meant it was possible she was telling the truth.
God, I wanted to be inside her again.
Right then.
Right now.
I also needed to talk to Dr. Lin. The combination of an incredible woman and phenomenal sex would soon equal “quickly pregnant.” Larke could one hundred percent trust me without latex, except where a kid was concerned.
Once I was in, as warm and snug as she was, it took a medieval prayer to pull out.
“Well, you see what happened to Collins,” Cerner said. “Be careful of your approach.”
“And what do I do if she does end up softening for me?” I pictured my mouth on Larke’s pussy, her silky clit on on tongue. “Enjoy myself?”
“Well, yes. Look, Harding, a guy like you is here for the long haul. I can see you stepping up once I step down. Who knows what all that will entail? Marriage? Kids? I know a few good, solid women, all shades of the rainbow, and they are active contributors to the future of our place here at Totten. The perfect balance to life is a wild cat outside the home and a tamed housecat inside. It’s the key to a long-lasting marriage. ”
The man couldn’t be more wrong.
Larke was a wildcat behind closed doors, and she was also the same amazing woman she’d always been. My perfect balance lived inside her and her alone.
“But about Collins?” He patted the side of my arm. “You’re right. Let’s leave that alone. Maybe I’ll talk with the girl’s father, offer some atonement for Collins’ behavior.”
I didn’t care.
I had somewhere to be.
“Are we done here?” I asked.
He sighed. “Harding, rest. You work too hard. You’re never in your apartment. Do I have to assign someone to follow you around to make sure you take a break? LaSalle seems to have a big-brother, little-brother thing for you.”
“Me and LaSalle are the same age.”
“Chronologically, perhaps, but not up here.” He tapped his temple with his index and middle finger. “And where are you headed anyhow? To your lawyer?”
“Not tonight. I’m going to try the thing you mentioned. The ‘resting’ thing.”
“Good.”
“But I have some scouting to do first.”
“Of course you do.” He shook his head, chuckling. “Yes, we’re done. Dismiss—”
I walked off.
It took everything in me not to run.
I’d already let Marshall know beforehand that I would need him to escort Larke Tapley back to Juniper once she was done with work for the day.
The second she was done.
When I burst into the studio, Larke was setting down her things.
The purse she carried, along with her outfit—a pair of light, cream-colored pants and a green top—were all additional gifts from me.
God forbid the supply runners found flowers, jewelry, and perfume.
The camp’s focus was on growing food, but I’d considered using my authority to have someone start a rose bush.
She turned. “Hey—”
“Get naked.” I tore at my uniform. “Now.”
“No.”
My left brow shot up.
So did my dick.
I’d undressed down to my boxer briefs, so I knew she saw it. She pretended not to notice, but the rapid rise and fall of her breasts said otherwise.
“I won’t undress on command,” she argued. “You just barged in here, didn’t even say hello or bring me a snack.”
“I have a snack for you.”
“Can I swallow it?”
My brow rose higher.
Sighing, she reached for the button on her pants, but instead of releasing it, she ran her thumbs along the inside of her waistband. The woman was driving me mad, and in less than four steps, I could be on her and dragging her out of her clothing myself.
But I liked this game.
“Tapley?” I took one step closer. “Get naked.”
She released the button.
Dried syrup moved faster, but I liked this game.
“I’m pissed,” I told her. “You’re fucking with my mind, and I can’t figure out how you’re doing it. I want you. Fuck, I want you like you couldn’t possibly imagine.”
“Is it the kind of want where you get that little bit of pre-cum spilling out of your head?” she asked, lowering the pants to her ankles. “Can I see?”
“Keep going.”
She slid out of the panties next, and the sticky wet spot in the middle made me momentarily stop breathing. We had officially entered critical territory. If, for some reason, I could no longer have her, I would go through a mad, chaotic, and destructive withdrawal.
The shirt came off.
I sank my teeth into the inside of my bottom lip. “You are so fucking sexy, Tapley. You drive me out of my mind, I swear.”
Her eyelids flickered.
“Oh, you liked that? You like knowing that I spent every waking moment since I left you this morning thinking about you? That I haven’t been able to think about literally anything else but seeing you again?”
She reached back, unhooked her bra, and tossed it.