Nora huffed. “No, I’m not infected, they did plenty of tests and they know how the bacteria works.”
His temper pricked his shoulders as if the old fury really wanted out. Yet his woman had been through an ordeal, and now wasn’t the time for him to lose it. “If there’s a chance you’re infected, then I want you in the hospital with doctors all around.”
She dropped her gaze. “He didn’t touch me after being in the containment area. There’s no way, Deke. I’m going to head back into the lab and find something new to work on while I wait for more results.”
“No.” Deke kicked off his boots and set a knee on the bed, the pressure in his chest easing. He believed her, and thank the gods. All of them. “We have a couple of hours to sleep, and then I need to go out hunting again.” He’d spent hours trying to find Barter, with no luck; he had to contain the bastard, and soon. “Now we sleep.”
Dark smudges marred the pale skin beneath Nora’s eyes, and weariness hunched her shoulders, yet her eyes shot sparks. “Just because we’re in a crisis right now doesn’t give you the right to tell me what to do.”
He lifted his chin. “You’re right.”
She blinked. “I am.”
“Aye. I’m telling you what to do because we’re together, and it’s my job to keep you safe. If you’re passing out from exhaustion, it makes my part more difficult.” He kept his voice level and tried to add some humor, but he spoke the truth, and damn it, she could tell.
“We’re barely together, and that doesn’t give you rights,” she muttered.
He needed sleep, as did she. So he skipped the argument and instead grabbed her up and shoved her under the covers. Her halfhearted struggle did nothing but make him more determined. Then he reached over his head to turn off the lamp before lying down.
“You’re not getting in?” she asked, her voice small in the darkness.
“No.” Deke could get enough sleep lying on top of his covers. Getting through the security system he’d installed that morning would be nearly impossible for a guy not trained in systems. Even so, Deke would be prepared. “Go to sleep, Nora.”
“Fine.” She rolled over, and even the rustle sounded huffy.
He shut his eyes and relaxed his body from the bottom to the top as he’d been trained. The slightest of movements in the bed caught his attention. Then another. A soft, muffled sob came from next to him.Well, shit.He stood and kicked off his pants and shirt before sliding under the covers and turning her to face him. Her fight this time was a little more impressive, but he was patient, and before long, he’d tucked her wet face into his neck. “Let it out.”
She smacked his ribs. “I thought you had to be vigilant.”
He sighed against her hair. “No way can Barter get inside this place without my knowing it.” Truth be told, Deke had wanted to sleep on top of the bed to keep from reaching for her. Even now, with her so warm and soft against him, his groin stirred.
She hiccupped, and the slight knock of her knee against his balls seemed deliberate. “You’re not the boss here, and I’m going back to work, jackass. Now let me go, and get out of my way.”
So she wanted to fight, did she? A good brawl would make her forget her troubles for a while, but she’d have to cry it out and face them sooner or later. “No.”
She pushed against his chest. “I’m not going to sleep, so I might as well head back into the lab and work.”
“You’re exhausted, and that’s where mistakes are made. Rest a little, and you can go back to work.”
She shoved against him, her nails digging in. “Let me go.”
“No.” His quick smack to her ass reverberated up his arm. “Knock it off.”
Her gasp heated his collarbone. “Oh, you did not,” she hissed.
The roar of his blood through his veins filled his head, and he struggled to contain himself. “Go to sleep, or I’ll do it again. I’m in no mood, Nora.” Wrong thing to say, and he knew it the second the words left his mouth. But enough was enough, and his hold on his temper was rapidly failing. A sociopath wanted his woman enough to taunt Deke in a fucking journal. “Go. To. Sleep.”
She kicked against him and landed a punch near his mouth.
Damn it. He rolled them over, flattening her to the bed.
She got off another good punch, this time nailing his bottom lip.
“Fuck.” He grabbed her hands and manacled her wrists.
Her tight nipples scraped across his chest, and she groaned. Then she widened her legs, making room for him. “Deacan,” she breathed.
“No.” He could barely make out her face in the darkness, so he lowered his closer. His emotions were raw, and he needed time to gather himself. “I’m garna release you, and you’re going to roll over and go to sleep. You feel me?”
