The last time she had such a lack of control…
I learned my lesson.Dwelling on the past only served to cause migraines.
How could I have misjudged him so badly?Thinking of Zeph made her feel twitchy and uncomfortable, made her toes curl and her fingers clench. He was one of the strongest men in the universe. He’d blended into her family effortlessly, had even helped save them and their business.
A little flirting, one drunken night fueled by the freedom of success, vodka, and his overwhelming power should’ve been more than enough to sate the tingling feeling she had whenever he was near, or when his green gaze was upon her. It was more than she ever allowed when she used her wiles on men.
But he made me feel safe. Protected.
Cared for…
For that brief moment with him, life had been perfect. A man had never wanted more from her. Had never held her all night long as she fought off hypothermia, keeping her locked within his arms until the chill of Kepler’s deep sea was banished from her bones.
Janet rubbed her face and stared up at the dim ceiling in silence. Every fiber of her being felt heavy with exhaustion, and yet she couldn’t sleep.
The cabin door opened soundlessly and a low blue light chased away some of the shadows around her. She waited several minutes, staring out past the empty doorway and into the quiet hallway beyond. Lily remained innocently undisturbed in her sleep.So lucky.
Janet rose slowly from the shared bed, relieved that the thick, padded mattress masked her movements as she lowered her feet to the floor. After one long backward look at her sister, she left the cabin, closing the door quietly behind her.
A dark figure waited just down the gleaming yet gloomy hall, leaning against the wall with the soft blue light obscuring his features. Janet cast a quick glance behind her again to make sure the cabin door was closed.
“What have you done?” she asked, turning back and heading straight forhim. The man she currently refused to acknowledge by name.
He pushed away from the wall, his expression somber, and that only infuriated her more. The Cyborg with the self-assured smile was suddenly no longer smiling. Janet hesitated but didn’t let it stop her, refusing to allow him to intimidate her further. She crowded his space, her spine straight enough to defy science.
“What were you thinking?” she asked again. “Wereyou even thinking? I can’t even fathom what is going through your head right now. Who the hell calls you a fucking war hero and pays your salary without knowing what a delusional idiot you are?”
The corner of his lip twitched up. Her nostrils flared.
“Why did you take us? I’m trying to wrap my head around it.” Her voice was shrill, even to her own ears. “Icanfucking understand why you would take me—me—but Lily? She’s a five-year-old girl who’s done absolutely nothing to you and has nothing to do with us.” Janet took a step back as the heat from his body threatened to burn away the last of her senses. The slight frown and the dark gleam in his eyes nearly stopped her from pulling away.
She inhaled deeply. “I understand why you would take me and I hate the idea that I can comprehend it, but if you’re thinking of harming my baby sister—” Her words died on a gasp as she was suddenly crushed against his chest and back within his bruising embrace.
“I didn’t take Lily.” His voice came out muffled as his arms tightened. “Not on purpose.”
Janet turned her head and attempted to push herself away from him. “I don’t believe you. Cyborgs don’t make mistakes.”
His hold on her remained firm.
She squeezed her eyes shut.
“I don’t believe you,” she said again when he didn’t answer.
His hands, long fingers and all, pressed heavily into her back, kneading a response.
A cry tore from her throat. “I don’t believe you!”
She fought against him. His touch burned her from her forehead to the tips of her scrunched toes; the old T-shirt and cotton shorts she wore were no match for his heat. Forced intimacy. Tears streaked down her cheeks, because fighting him was like fighting a falling meteor. It was a one-way battle.
His silence was answer enough.
Her fingers outstretched and moved upward, under the lip of his jacket, searching for skin. Whether she found it or not, she dug her nails into him with all her strength. Zeph twitched and grasped the back of her neck, jerking her upper body away. Her gaze met his. Her nails dug further, seeking blood.
She stilled in horror.
The man glaring down at her wasn’t Zeph.It was…Her mouth parted and whatever unshed tears she had dried up.
Deep, furrowed brows, dark and arched to heaven and back framed two eyes who peered at her menacingly. The black hair she’d pointed out earlier had grown several inches. A sneer curled the man’s lips, and a faint green hue grew out from the deepest shadows of his face. Something long and thick pressed itself up between where their hips were plastered together.
