Jackson rocked his h*ps in a fluid motion, working his way ever deeper inside. His hand went to her cheek and gently pulled her to look in his eyes. Chloe could feel the animal inside of him struggling to break out. She wished he would just lose control, take her and not hold anything back.
An orgasm was rising from deep within her, a pleasure that skipped and danced along her spine and sent tendrils of blazing bliss into her fingers. Her toes started to curl and she felt as though she might shatter into a billion pieces of beautiful light.
"Jackson," she gasped. His name filled her and she breathed him in like oxygen. He growled, flipping her back onto the bed. She could feel the lust emanating from him in waves as he began to pound at her, slamming himself into her. She gasped and clawed at his back for more.
She writhed and moaned, his body pressing against hers with delicious heat and strength. His muscles began to tense and his eyes glowed brighter than she had ever seen them. He was so beautiful, his eyes so deep and wonderful that she couldn't look away. He was breathing hard and pressed his face down to her shoulder. His teeth grazed the delicate flesh before he turned and growled into the pillow.
Chloe could feel him swelling with in her and she bucked her h*ps to meet him. She wanted him more than anything. Wanted this. He began to thrust without rhythm, spurred on by pure pleasure.
She cried out, her body rising with an orgasm to match his. She shook with pleasure, both his and hers, as it coursed through her. The world spun and stopped at the same time. Light and dark collided and showered her world with colors that she couldn't even name.
When she finally remembered to breathe again, all she could feel was Jackson. He was breathing hard against her and his heart pounded against her chest. It was wonderful.
She kissed his cheek and he smiled. A piece of fluff from the pillow he had bit was stuck to his lip. She carefully moved it with her thumb, loving that he had been so into her that he had destroyed a pillow in his lust. He kissed her hand gently as it passed by his lips.
With a groan of satisfaction, Jackson rolled to his side, freeing Chloe. He offered his arm and she nestled immediately into him. He was so warm and strong and she felt so perfectly content it was hard to believe this wasn't a dream. She was only sure it wasn't when she stifled a yawn.
"Sleep. I'll wake you up when it's time to go," he whispered. His words danced across her skin and she drifted into a dreamless sleep.
Chapter 22
Chloe dozed gently beside him as Jackson stared at the ceiling. He couldn't believe what he had just done. It had been wonderful. Spectacular. The best, and most fulfilling sex of his life even, but he wondered if it was worth it.
Just being with him put Chloe in danger. He didn't dare fall asleep beside her for fear of the nightmares. He woke up angry and afraid after each dream and often broke things. He'd been through more nightstands than he cared to think about. If he fell asleep with Chloe and had a nightmare... he shuddered to think of what would happen.
Chloe took a deep breath and turned onto her side, cuddling up into him. He wrapped his arm around her, and she nestled deeply into the hollow of his arm. She fit so perfectly there it seemed as though she was made for it.
Jackson was at a loss. He was head over heels for this sassy, smart, little brunette and because of that, he wanted to keep her safe. And he was dangerous. She claimed that he would never hurt her, that she knew it from the dreams. He'd had those same dreams, but he still wasn't sure. He knew the strength of the beast within him. He knew what happened when he unleashed it. She didn't.
He took a deep breath, and his nose filled with her scent. It was mixed pleasantly with his own and just the thought of joining with her again made his blood begin to pump. He wanted to find a way to stay away from her, to keep her safe from him, but he didn't know how. Now that he had tasted her, there was no way he would ever be able to live without her.
Night darkened the sky outside, but Jackson could still see the room as if it were noon. He didn't know what to do. He had to keep her safe, but he knew he could never be apart from her again.
Chapter 23
Chloe's heart was tap dancing away at a breakneck pace. Somehow though, she managed to smile at the gate guard and show him her ID. She nearly wet herself when the gate guard frowned and inspected her card, holding it up to the light and turning it over to check the back. After the longest minute of Chloe's life, the guard finally handed it back to her.
He had barely glanced at Quent's ID badge and the extra inspection of her badge was making her sweat. Jackson had already driven through before them, and was trying to move slowly enough that they could catch up to him without it being obvious that they were following him. Jackson's truck would draw less suspicion parked in his usual lot, so he was going to show them where to park for the science building before parking his own car and doubling back to meet up with them. Without him in the car, Chloe was suddenly doubting their odds of success.
Jackson did a slow loop through a partially plowed parking lot before heading off. Quent parked the car in the corner of the lot just like Jackson had told him to, letting the engine idle while they waited for him. Quent had given Chloe control of the thermostat since he never seemed to be cold, but she couldn't seem to decide if she was hot or cold. Her stomach was burning up, but her hands were like ice. She took a deep breath and nearly screamed when Jackson rapped on her window.
"Holy crap, you're fast," she hissed under her breath as she stepped out into the cold night air. The almost full moon flitted fitfully behind clouds. A storm was supposed to roll in, dropping a couple of inches of fresh powder before morning. It certainly smelled like snow: cold and metallic with just a hint of moisture.
"You ready?" Jackson caught Chloe's eyes and she nodded. She wished she could just look into his eyes for the rest of the evening. There was no fear when she was there. "Remember, act as though you belong. The cameras are always watching, but if you don't look out of place, no one will ever look at you twice."
Chloe nodded, her movements jerky. Jackson took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze before they were close enough to be seen by a security camera. She took a deep breath, telling herself that this was only a jail sentence if she got caught, and stepped into the building.
The first hallway reminded her of an old doctor's office. It was white with horribly outdated posters of men in uniforms bravely getting their vaccinations. She ignored them, walking ahead of the two men, straight to the end of the hallway, and turned left.
There was no key card slot on the door and she felt a moment of panic. "Over here," Quent whispered and she sheepishly turned around. Quent scanned his card and the three of them stepped into the science hallway.
Jackson led the way, walking confidently into the locker room and going to the wall with the lab coats hanging. He handed one to Quent and Chloe before putting one on himself. Chloe thought he looked rather handsome in his. He could have been a very attractive scientist if he had chosen that career.
Jackson led again, guiding them swiftly and quietly down the florescent hallway to the small room he had discovered earlier. So far so good, Chloe thought as Jackson pushed open the door to the empty observation room. So far, the only person she had seen on base other than Jackson and Quent had been the gate guard. A little rush of hope flooded through her that this might actually work out.
Once inside the observation room, Chloe gasped. She put her hands on the glass, her face paling as she saw her brother for the first time in six months. He hung suspended in his giant glass tube, the blue water bubbling as he breathed through a respirator. Her heart was in her stomach and she really wanted to punch the teeth in on whoever had put her brother into a giant test tube.
Next to her brother's tank were two more tanks. Each had another nak*d man floating. One was pale and blonde and the other was jet black hair and tan skin. A computer system was attached to each tank with a screen filled with heart rate squiggles and other measurements that Chloe didn't recognize. Along the back wall was a series of storage and file cabinets and a large stainless steel desk that looked like it was welded into the concrete floor.
Jackson tried the door leading to the observation room, but it was locked. Chloe barely glanced at him as he pushed on the door, her eyes locked on her brother. With a slight grunt, Jackson forced the door open, nearly tumbling into the empty experimentation area.
Chloe flashed Jackson a grateful smile, her hand grazing his shoulder in thanks as she hurried past him. She went straight to her brother's tank, looking up at him through the water. If she had been strong enough, she would have pummeled the glass and pulled him out herself. He floated nak*d in the water, his face peaceful as though he were just sleeping. Tubes of various sizes ran out from his arms and legs with a one big, long one implanted in his arm and stretching up out of the tank. A red, evil looking liquid rested ominously in an iv bag connected to the long tube. The other two soldiers had matching bags hanging. Just seeing the bag full of blood red liquid about to be injected into her brother gave Chloe the creeps.
"I've got you, Blake," Chloe whispered. Her fingers closed around a yellow release hatch when Quent's hand clamped down on her wrist.
"Don't," he said. She looked up at him, startled. She had thought he was still looking at the computers in the observation area. "He's in that tank for a reason. You don't know what pulling him out is going to do to him. If we are going to get him out, we have to make sure we don't kill him in the process."
Chloe's hand released the handle like it was hot. Blake didn't move; his brown hair floated in the water like he was simply swimming. She stepped back, pale and trembling, her eyes going to the red liquid. She didn't know when it was going to start pumping into her brother. She knew Quent was right, but that didn't take the queasiness from her stomach. Chloe wanted her brother out and safe with her now.
Quent let go of her hand and moved to the computer display attached to the tank. He poked at the touchscreen carefully, going through the menus and settings. Chloe peered over his shoulder anxiously until he turned and gave her a pointed look. With a slight blush, she backed up and let him work without someone looking over his shoulder.
Jackson had done something to the mirror along the wall so that now Chloe could see into the observation room. He had also placed a chair under the handle of the door so that no one would be able to enter the way they had come in, and now he was standing guard by the main entrance to the lab.
Chloe felt useless. Quent was busy with the tank computer and Jackson was on guard duty. She didn't trust herself not to break the other tank computers, so she just began wandering around the lab. There was a messy desk in the corner of the lab with papers scattered across the steel surface, so she walked over to look at them. Perhaps there would be something there she could use.
She picked up a piece of paper, reading the blood work readout. Nothing stood out, but she froze anyway. There was someone hiding under the desk.
"Jackson," she called out, trying to keep her voice steady. "Would you come look at this?"
Jackson frowned and motioned to the door. She shook her head, eyes wide, and pointed down at the desk. "I think you need to see this."