Noah: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 6) (12 page)

“I did. Soft tofu stew.”

He stared at her. His favorite dish. A Korean dish his grandmother always made. One that wasn’t on the menu at base. “How’d you get your hands on
soondubu-jiggae
?”

That mysterious little smile he loved played over her face. “I’m an interrogation expert. I have my ways.”

“Thank you.” He took the lid off, drew in the delicious scent. “I’m not really hungry, though.”

She was watching him with that look of hers.

“Don’t try and read me.” He shoved his chair back.

“I don’t have to work very hard to see you’re frustrated, tired and headed for burnout.”

“I still can’t get these cubes working properly. I can get them up and running for a minute at best, then they cut out.” He let out a harsh breath. “The convoy is ready, but I still can’t hide the damn thing.”

She stared at him for a second. “Why don’t you show me around?”

He wanted to tell her to go and let him work, but dammit, he didn’t want her to go. He wavered for a second. He’d felt like this with Kalina, felt this urgent need to be with her, and show off to her.

No. Laura was not Kalina—not in any way, shape or form. And what he felt for her wasn’t the same, either.

He stood. “Come on.” He grabbed Laura’s hand and pulled her into the long rows of vehicles. “We’ve outfitted vehicles to carry everyone in the base. It won’t be the most comfortable way to live for a long period of time, but we’ll have everything we need.” He pointed. “Medical vehicles.”

Laura slowed to look at the large medical truck and the smaller vehicles beside it. “The large one can be used for surgery?”

He nodded. “It’s equipped with scanners and all medical supplies. The smaller ones are ambulances, I guess you could say. They can get somewhere quickly, tend to minor injuries, and bring back the severely wounded.” They kept walking. “This is the main tech vehicle.”

It was a truck as well, but had a long, sleek, black trailer. Noah opened the back doors and waved her in.

“Holy cow.” Her mouth dropped open. As they stepped inside, lights flicked on, illuminating the high-tech setup.

Comp screens lined one wall and the other wall had built-in benches for repairs.

“All the storage is filled with tech tools and parts. We can repair equipment in here, plus monitor all the convoy’s systems.”

She turned slowly, taking it all in. “Incredible.”

“There are some bunks that can be pulled out of the wall. But my quarters are at the back.” He nodded at a small door.

She opened it and peeked inside.

Noah knew it was nothing fancy. There was no room for fancy on the convoy. Its main purpose was to keep people safe as they escaped.

He had a bunk, his own comp, and a tiny all-in-one bathroom. They’d found the warehouse of a supplier who’d made all-in-one units—shower, toilet and tiny sink usually fitted into planes or ships—and managed to salvage some that were undestroyed. The contained units had top-of-the-line water recycling systems.

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand again. “More to show you.”

He showed her the supply vehicles. These trucks weren’t changed much and were just packed with food supplies, clothes, and medical supplies. Other trucks were the main transport units, outfitted for families, or with dorm-like bunks for the single residents.

Noah answered all her questions, feeling a deep sense of pride in what he and his team had achieved. They were well set up in case they had to evacuate.

Except for that damn illusion system.

“What about the art and historical artifacts I know we have stored in the base?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No room. We can only take what we need.”

She nodded. “A shame but it makes sense.”

“Holmes has a team hiding a cache of art in places we hope the aliens never find.”

Laura spotted the next vehicles and whistled. “Now these are nice.” She ran a hand over the hood of a black armored vehicle. The personnel carriers had autocannons mounted on top. “Z6-Hunters. I’ve read all about them and heard the squads talk about them.”

“Yep. These are for the squads to use for convoy security.”

“What’s the plan for the quadcopters?”

“Finn is working on that with the general.” Noah took in the shadowed convoy. “At the first sign of attack, the quadcopters will leave and rendezvous at a prearranged meeting point. We can’t afford to lose any of them. They’ll meet the convoy and help provide security support once we’re mobile.”

Laura patted the nearest Hunter, then followed his gaze through the storage facility. “This is really impressive, Noah. You’ve done excellent work.”

He shrugged a shoulder. “There was a team of people working overtime to get the convoy put together. My main problem still isn’t solved yet.”

“You’ll work it out.”

“If I can’t camouflage the convoy…the raptor pteros will bomb the hell out of it before we can get away.”

“Hey.” She cupped his cheek. “I know you. You’ll work it out.”

Her quiet confidence made him relax a fraction. “Come on, I have something else to show you.” He dragged her to a bus that had been especially outfitted.

He pulled open a heavy metal door at the back and waved her in.

“What’s this?” With a bemused look on her face, she stepped into the bus. Lights clicked on automatically. “Oh.”

It had been outfitted with four small cells, cordoned off with reinforced steel mesh to hold even the strongest raptor.

“This is amazing.” She strode through, studying the cells, then the work areas toward the front of the bus.

Noah smiled to himself. She was looking at the vehicle like he’d given her a diamond necklace. Hell, he’d showered Kalina in jewels, and she’d never looked like this. “Like it?”

“Love it!” She grinned at him. “It’s perfect.”

“Hey, I forgot to ask how the evac sim went?” he asked.

Laura turned. “Better. The residents are getting faster.”

“But…”

Her lips firmed. “Right now, it’s a bit of a game. In a real attack, some will panic.” Her face turned grim. “Some won’t make it.”

More than ever, Noah understood the need to take a chance and grab onto what mattered. It appeared what mattered to him was a strong, dedicated redhead who was still protecting herself from heartache.

But he no longer just wanted her body, he wanted all of her. Including her heart.

His own knocked against his ribs. He’d had it shredded once, and he never wanted to feel like that again. But Laura Bladon was worth it.

Now, he just had to convince her to take the leap with him. Even in the middle of an alien invasion with a possible attack looming.

But he did have a genius IQ. He’d come up with something.

“I really hope we don’t get attacked.” He looked back at his desk and those damn cubes. “Or, at least not until I can get the damn illusion system working.”

“Come on,” she said. “Come back to base and get some rest.”

“I have work—”

She put her hands on her hips. “You need to eat and rest.” A tiny smile flirted around her lips. “I can help you with the resting bit.”

He smiled back. “You just want sex.”

She laughed. “Maybe. And I have this little fantasy of seeing you naked…wearing only your glasses.”

Heat pooled in his gut. “Very naughty, captain.”

She shook her head. “It’s your fault, you know. I was doing fine without it…but now…”

He grabbed her and gave her a quick kiss. She moaned into his mouth, and suddenly desire was a violent throb in his blood. He pulled back and just looked at her. “How the hell did we end up here?”

She cupped his cheeks, her face turning serious. “I’m not sure. A few days ago, I was pretty sure I found you incredibly annoying.”

He nipped her lips again. “Things can change in the blink of an eye.”

“Yes. So many things.”

Noah let her lead him out of the Swift Wind facility. For a few hours, he would just focus on her, and hope that tomorrow would bring the change he needed to solve the power problem.

***

Laura woke, stretching on the bed. The room was dark, the sheets smelled like Noah and sex, and she was deliciously achy.

The man had spent a long, long time learning exactly how she liked to be touched, kissed and licked. Her legs shifted restlessly at the memory of his head between her thighs.

But there was no long, lean male body in the bed with her now.

Funny how she’d only shared a bed with him for such a short time and she could already miss him. She rose up on one elbow and spotted him instantly.

He was at his desk, wearing only a pair of jeans and no shirt. The glow of his comp screen cast him in blue light. She heard him muttering to himself.

She sat up and grabbed Noah’s shirt off the floor. She slipped it on and wandered over to him.

She ran a hand over his shoulders, then leaned over him. God, he was tense. “What are you doing?”

“Working.”

“At three o’clock in the morning?”

“I need to solve this.” With a frustrated slash of his arm, he swept everything off his desk—papers, tablet, empty coffee mug.

Ah, here was the volatile temper she knew so well. “Did that help?”

He swiveled his chair and she stepped back.

“Don’t use your interrogation psychobabble on me.”

She raised a brow. “Psychobabble?”

“I’ve seen you. You can read a person like an open book, then force them to spill their guts. You make it look so easy, no one even realizes you’re doing it.” He huffed out a breath. “I’m frustrated and pissed. That’s all.”

On the corner of his desk, she spotted some of his dice. He needed a distraction. She reached for them.

“Don’t touch,” he said.

Her hand paused, hovering over the small cubes. “Why?”

“I don’t let anyone touch them. My grandmother bought me my first ones and collecting them became my little obsession.”

And he didn’t want her to touch them. Laura felt a little sting of pain and curled her fingers into her palm. “Did your grandmother like gambling?”

“No. She believed in luck.” He grabbed some of the dice. “Whatever she could do to swing some luck her way, she would.” He shook his head and stared at the cubes in his hand for a moment. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed Laura’s fingers and spread them out. He set the dice into her palm. They felt cool on her skin. “I couldn’t bring my entire collection. I just managed to grab a few, but I’m glad I got some of them. They remind me of her, of family. She would have liked you.”

Laura jiggled the dice.

“She hated all the women in my life before.”

The pleasant feeling drained out of Laura. “All the women?”

Noah grinned at her. “I was a multi-millionaire, Captain. There were women everywhere.”

Laura frowned and tried to pull her hand away from his.

He held on. “Most of them were shallow and superficial, and they were users. They were so pretty that they blinded me for a while.”

“And you married one of them,” she said quietly.

“To my ever-living regret. She was greedy and a liar. And I was stupid enough to be taken in by…her other charms.”

Laura heard the hurt buried beneath his words. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “Kalina taught me a valuable lesson.”

“To not get too close to anyone?”

He went still, then tilted his head. “I learned to value the truth. To try to see beneath the shell and find the genuine in people.”

“Really?” Laura let her skepticism bleed into her voice.

“Okay.” He wrinkled his nose. “Maybe I’ve kept myself from getting in too deep with anyone. Like you do.”

She stiffened. “This isn’t about me.”

“Two of us in the room, Laura. Two of us doing this dance.”

She looked away, her heart beating faster. She desperately wanted to change the subject. Stupid to think she could learn more about him, but also stop him from doing the same. She opened her palm and tossed the dice in the air, catching the small cubes. “How about a game?”

He stared at her, like he could see right through her. Could see everything she wanted to keep secret.

She rolled the dice between her fingers and lifted them. “Highest roll wins and the other has to lose a piece of clothing.”

“Strip dice?” He glanced at his jeans, then the shirt falling to her mid-thigh. “It’ll be a short game.”

“Afraid you’ll lose, Kim?”

He sat back in his chair, his eyelids hooded. “Honey, either way—you naked or me naked—I win.”

She lifted her hand and blew on the dice. “So you’re feeling lucky, then?”

He ran a finger along her arm. “I know what you’re doing, Laura. We
will
talk…”

She felt all her muscles go tense. Why did she feel this irrational fear trying to choke her?

“…another time,” he finished. “Because I am feeling lucky.” A slow smile spread over his hawkish face.

She recognized the glint in his dark eyes.
This
. This she could deal with. This easy, straight-forward desire. And it felt good. It made everything else shrink away.

“Roll the dice,” he said.

She felt a flicker of excitement. She rolled the dice onto the desk.

“Six.” He scooped up the cubes, jiggled them, then rolled. His grin widened. “Ten. Lose the shirt.”

Laura undid the buttons, shrugged, and the shirt pooled at her feet.

His gaze slid over her. Her breath hitched.

“You are so damned beautiful.” He ran his hands up the side of her legs, his palms just skimming her skin. His touch left a trail of sensation in its wake. “You had it so buttoned up, so hidden, that it took me a while to notice it.”

“You were too busy wanting to strangle me.”

He tugged her in between his legs. “You wanted to strangle me, too.”

“Sometimes. But…mostly you just scared me.”

His hands clamped on her hips. “You? Scared of me?”

“Of what you make me feel.”

As he dragged her onto his lap, his mouth capturing hers, his hands sliding possessively over her, what she didn’t tell him was that she was still afraid.

Afraid that if she fell too far into him, she would never survive it if she lost him.