She went limp beneath him, and her arms fell to the side. “I know,” she panted.
He rolled to the side and curved around her, his hand flattening across her thigh. “You okay?” he rumbled.
She nodded, and the back of her head caught his chin. “Sorry.”
“No worries.” He cuddled her close, trying to keep in the moment. “You always smell so good.”
“I make lotions and potions,” she murmured, her voice sleepy.
“Why is that?” He ran a hand down her arm, enjoying the softness of her pretty skin. “I know you make a good living, but I’ve never asked why lotions.” He hadn’t wanted to get too close when they’d been together before, and now he wanted nothing more. “Tell me.”
She sighed. “I like creating.” Her fingers played along his hand. “It’s fun making up recipes—the right one for each person. And some of them have been passed down through my family. Through my people.”
It was the first time he’d heard her talk about her lineage, and there was definite pride there. Love. A connection to people of the past. He wished he had that. Even a semblance of that.
But at least he had his brothers and now. That was more than he’d ever expected to have.
“Denver?” she asked quietly.
“Hmm?” He pressed a kiss to the back of her head, trying to stay in the moment.
“There’s a baby in the other room I have to be strong for. Brave,” she whispered.
He wanted to help her. To shield them both. He had to stay calm and focused, but his heart started to pump faster. To propel him to act. He could lose them both, and his control started to unravel. “I know.”
“So I should start now. Being brave.” She wiggled her butt against his groin, awakening it. “Don’t answer. But I have to tell you. Just once and tonight. I love you.”
Tears slammed into his eyes, and something clogged his throat. He couldn’t breathe.
She snuggled closer and tucked her face into the pillow. “I just wanted you to know. Before you left.” Then, with a sigh that almost sounded like relief, she fell into a peaceful sleep.
Denver held her, alternating between needing to snuggle her closer and wanting to get up and punch a wall. Life was so fucking unfair. The fact that she loved him, that she trusted him with not only her safety but her daughter’s too, put her in danger. The real kind.
He dropped his face into the nook of her neck, breathing deeply. It truly didn’t matter if he was ready to kill Cobb and Madison or not—he couldn’t harbor any doubts. To ensure Noni and Talia’s safety, he’d become the monster they’d created him to be.
The killer they’d genetically engineered.
He was in an empty classroom with the lady doctor. He still didn’t know her real name, but he knew her.
“You did so well on the aptitude tests,” she said smugly, sitting on the teacher’s desk, a bright red high heel dangling from her foot.
He sat in the front row, his hands on the wooden desktop. A couple of pieces of gum were stuck just under the edges, and he was careful not to touch them. Outside, boys yelled in a vigorous game of kickball, and he had to force his gaze to stay away from the wall of open windows.
The smell of freshly cut grass and new summer wafted inside. He waited quietly.
She arched a dark eyebrow. “You’re becoming more and more quiet, Denver. Each time I see you, you say less, and we both know you’re not mute. You can speak any time you wish.”
He’d never talked much, and considering Ned Cobb beat the crap out of him on a regular basis, why talk? Even the sheriff liked to get in on the fun with his nightstick. The sheriff and Ned were brothers. Now, that was a fuckin’ gene pool to avoid. “Sorry,” he said as she let the silence draw out.
“Are you?” she asked quietly, smoothing down her slim black skirt.
He shrugged. Not really. Silence had always been his friend.
She tugged on her white blouse, which was so pressed it had its own lines. “I, ah, I brought you something.”
He tensed. In his world, presents were always bad.
She reached into a big black bag and drew out a handheld video game. “One of the other kids I study created this in his spare time. It’s a rather complex spatial relations game.” She held it out.
