Tempting the Fire (12 page)

She’d immediately curled up, hugging his pillow tightly.

He liked that she seemed comfortable out here in the middle of nowhere.

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And he liked her in his bed.

Idiot.

He turned to his laptop to check his emails, scanned the unnecessary ones his assistant would deal with and opened the one from his sister instead.

Caroline was twenty years old, a product of Dad’s second marriage. But Logan never thought of her as a half sister, because the two of them were so much alike. Even though fifteen years separated them, he’d always been extremely protective of her.

He’d always spoiled the shit out of her as well.

She was in college in the States—Virginia. She was beautiful and brilliant and kept telling him she wanted in on the family business.

He’d do anything in his power to keep her out of it.

Her email was full of talk of parties and classes and fun and he was smiling as he read. He made a mental note to wire her more money, just in case, and then he closed his laptop.

Leaning back in his chair, he thought about what Sela had accused him of earlier. Of selling weapons to terrorists.

Thought of how he hadn’t taken an interest in what GWC did until they implanted their stamp inside his body and he became their personal Frankenstein’s monster.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew killing the chupacabra was the right thing to do. Fuck the contracts and the money, fuck it all. GWC had to start being responsible for its actions. They couldn’t continue selling weaponry to anyone with a big enough checkbook, not in today’s world.

But what to do about Chance?

GWC could try to develop a drug to reverse the infection, but that could take years. For a minute, Logan wondered if the bioware could be of any help, if they replaced part of Chance’s brain with the metal and steel and wires, if that would stop him from changing. Or if the infection was too widespread. If eventually Chance would no longer be Chance at all.

Logan realized he wasn’t ready to go there yet.

Restless, he rose and left Sela sleeping to grab some coffee. Dax was waiting outside, watching Chance’s tent. Close enough to get there fast if he heard screams, but far enough away that he could survey the entire camp for enemies. Or chupas.

“I have Shep on patrol. Marlena’s okay,” Dax said in a low voice when Logan got closer.

Translation: Chance had retained human form and Marlena was still alive.

Logan nodded. “Sela’s sleeping. I’ll stay here for a few—you take a break.”

Dax nodded, ambled off toward the mess tent. Logan moved next to Chance’s tent, closer than Dax had been. He needed to check for himself that everything was okay in there, because his conscience was killing him. If he hadn’t ordered Marlena locked up with Chance in the first place …

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It’s not like you knew what Chance would turn into.

It was then he realized that Chance would no doubt have questions about what happened. Logan and Sela had worked so fast to get Marlena to him that neither of them prepped her for what to tell Chance about his … transformation.

Shit. He put his ear close to the flapped window, hoping to get some insight into what they were talking about.

And then he realized that Chance and Marlena weren’t talking.

With the faint light from a lantern shining inside, he could make out two shadows moving on the other side of the canvas.

He stood frozen as a woman’s shape moved up and down, pictured Chance beneath her, and his own cock hardened as he pictured Sela riding him like that.

“Fuck, Marlena … that’s it … yeah, baby.” Chance’s hoarse voice leaked out of the tent, and Logan took a drink of coffee and scalded his tongue.

He spit it out and wiped a hand across his mouth, knowing he should leave.

But he was transfixed by the sounds, by the way Marlena wasn’t worrying about what Chance had become, that he could change into a monster at any moment.

No, she was treating him like a red-blooded man.

A rustle drew his attention to the other side of the tent and suddenly he realized he wasn’t alone anymore. Hadn’t been for a few minutes, based on the look in Sela’s eyes.

She was as mesmerized as he was. Even in the moonlight, he could see the flush on her face, the way her lips parted slightly, and his gaze held hers even as Marlena’s soft cries filled the air around them.

His cock strained his BDUs and he wished he could cross the distance between them, take her on the soft jungle ground … forget about everything else.

What would Sela do if she knew what was really inside Logan? Could she accept it as easily as she’d accepted the existence of the chupacabra? Would he become merely another object to study—or something more?

“Oh, God, Chance, yes!” Marlena’s voice rose and then was followed by a long, low moan. Logan clenched his fist so hard the paper coffee cup crumpled and hot liquid spread over his hand and arm.

That brought him back to reality fast.

Sela rushed over to him, took his hand, wiped away the liquid with the bottom of her shirt. “Are you burned?”

He snatched his hand away, because no, he wasn’t burned. That hand would need to be chopped off to not work, and even then he would barely feel pain beyond skin level. “It’s fine.”

He knew his cheeks were as red as hers—lust and embarrassment. He mentally berated himself for listening to something so private. For getting caught.

For having feelings.

“I was … just checking.” Sela motioned toward Chance’s tent.

“If you leave the tent again, I’ll handcuff you to the bed,” he growled, although the image of Sela handcuffed anywhere for his pleasure made him grow 69

even harder.

As if she knew, she looked pointedly between his legs. Smiled. Then turned and walked back to his tent, shooting her middle finger up in the air as she went.

He’d definitely wait outside with Dax until morning light. There was no way he’d trust himself alone with Sela right now.

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Sela woke to the sound of monkeys screeching and jungle birds squawking.

The other noises, those of a camp gearing up for the day, pierced her sleepy fog.

The smell of coffee jerked her right out of it.

Yawning, she sat up. And then felt her cheeks heat at the memory of last night. She’d awakened when Logan exited the tent. Curious, and wanting to check on Marlena anyway, she’d snuck out behind him, slipping into the shadows to follow.

She’d stopped breathing when she saw him behind the medical tent, his body taut, his broad shoulders rising and falling with each breath. Butterflies flitted in her belly at the memory, at the sounds of sex from within that had held him so rapt.

Then he’d turned, his eyes locking with hers. God, that had been embarrassing. Because truth be told, she’d been listening too. Listening, and picturing. Except the pictures that formed in her head had been of her and Logan, and what was up with that? She hated him. Who wanted to have sex with someone they hated?

My mother’s daughter, that’s who.

Swearing softly, she swung her legs over the edge of the cot. She’d come back to the tent and collapsed, and at some point someone had removed her boots, which sat in a neat row beside the bed. Still groggy, she shook them in case some poisonous creepy-crawly had taken up residence, shoved her feet into them, and laced them up with fingers that were swollen from the heat and humidity.

Man, she hated the jungle.

She stood. First, coffee. Next, she needed to talk to Marlena. Then a shower.

Dragging her hands through her hair, she exited the tent. GWC people bustled around the grounds, and heavily armed security guys patrolled the outskirts. There was no sign of Logan or his shadow, Dax, so she headed for the medical tent, where, as luck would have it, Marlena was standing outside. As always, she looked like she’d stepped out of a magazine. Sure, her hair was a little frizzy, and she wore no makeup, but that only gave her a casual beauty, like someone had dropped a model into a jungle.

“Hey,” she said quietly. “You okay?”

Marlena nodded. “I was just going to get something to eat.”

“Chance is all right with you being away from him?”

Marlena chewed on her lower lip for a second. “We haven’t really talked much. He told me to get some breakfast, and I didn’t argue. I guess he’s okay.”

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Huh. So lots of hot sex, but no talk? Sela gestured for the other woman to follow, and they headed to the mess tent.

After loading trays with eggs, pancakes and coffee, they sat at one of the empty tables.

“So,” Sela began in a hushed voice, “how is Chance? How are you?

Really.”

Marlena ran one manicured nail around the rim of her coffee cup. “Chance is better. Fever is gone.”

“And?” Sela prompted when Marlena didn’t continue.

“And I’m fine too.”

Well, that was pretty evasive. Maybe she was embarrassed about having sex with Chance after learning what he was. If so, Sela wasn’t going to mention last night. Marlena would be mortified to know that they’d been heard.

“Have you learned anything useful?” Sela paused as a GWC guy walked past. “Does Chance know what happened to him?”

“He doesn’t remember much. I don’t think he knows what he turns into.”

Sela sipped her coffee. “Is he wondering why he’s being kept chained?”

“He thinks he’s a prisoner. But he doesn’t know why or who these people are.” Marlena cut a bite-sized chunk of pancake. “Do you believe that GWC didn’t know what Chance was before last night?”

“I do. I think they were keeping him to get information about the creature that attacked him. But now he’s turned into something more valuable.”

Marlena chewed and swallowed. “Do you know what they plan to do to him?”

Sela wouldn’t put it past a company like GWC to experiment on him until there wasn’t much left. The ACRO shape-shifter, Ulrika, had been through exactly that with Itor; she still had post-traumatic issues now and then.

Chance was in a very precarious position right now. GWC wouldn’t let him go—and even if they did, ACRO would snatch him up. He was too dangerous to be let loose upon the world. At least ACRO would give him a shot at a normal life.

GWC would either take him to some lab and keep him for the rest of his life, or they’d kill him.

And where that left Marlena was a huge, and awful, question. If GWC kept Chance, and if he’d truly bonded to Marlena, they’d have to take her too. The thought sent a chill up Sela’s spine. It was more important than ever to get into Logan’s head and find out what they intended to do.

Sela gave Marlena a reassuring smile she didn’t feel. “I don’t think they’ve had time to make plans for him yet. Right now they’re after the chupacabra, so as long as they’re focused on that, Chance won’t be a priority.”

Marlena nodded, but she looked understandably troubled. “What about you? Did Logan reveal anything?”

Sela jabbed her fork into her eggs. “Not much.” Sela sighed. “But he did admit that they are looking for the chupacabra. He said it’s because of Chance, 72

that they didn’t know about it before then, but we know that’s a lie.” She took a bite of the eggs and grimaced. Powdered. Bleh.

“He’s still sticking to the plant researcher story?”

“Well, he did cop to what his company does.”

Marlena raised a delicate eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yep. He also said he’ll pay us a hundred grand to help him catch the creature.”

A second eyebrow joined the first. “Wow. That explains why no one is watching me like a hawk today.”

Sela nodded. “He thinks that if we’re partners, we won’t take off or sabotage his efforts or something.” No doubt they were being watched—just more covertly.

“Excellent.” Marlena sipped her coffee, her expression thoughtful. “I guess we did a good job making him believe we wanted to escape.”

“And now he’ll buy our reasons for staying and cooperating.”

Marlena casually looked around once more. “Did you get anything out of Logan’s head?”

Basically, Marlena was asking if Sela had fucked him. “No.” Which wasn’t exactly a lie. Sela had neither fucked him nor gotten any useful information during his orgasm—a fact that still bothered her.

“So what’s the plan for today?” Marlena asked.

Sela finished up her last bite of eggs. “We’re going hunting. I think Logan will be okay with you staying behind.” She stood. “You are okay with staying behind, aren’t you? I don’t want to put you in a bad situation with Chance if you aren’t comfortable.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Okay, then see what else you can get out of Chance. Things he might have overheard, anything that might be important. And if you get the opportunity, poke around the camp.”

Marlena nodded. “When will you be back?”

“By nightfall, I’m sure. Keep an eye on things. And don’t tell Chance more than you have to. I’d rather be the one to tell him what’s going on with him, and I don’t want to do that until we get all the test results.” She squeezed Marlena’s shoulder, an inadequate gesture of comfort. “And be careful.”

“You too.”

Sela headed back outside, but on the way to Logan’s tent, she caught sight of something large and square covered by a tarp. Curious, she moved toward it.

No one was looking, so she lifted the corner—

A hand clamped down on her wrist. “Nosy, are we?” Logan’s voice was a harsh growl in her ear.

“I didn’t know being curious was a crime in the police state of Loganland.”

When she didn’t drop the tarp, he squeezed her wrist until she was forced to, but not before she caught a glimpse of what was beneath. A cage.

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“It’s just equipment. Nothing interesting.” He released her, and she rubbed her wrist even though it didn’t hurt. “We’re leaving in half an hour, so you best get ready to go.”

“I’d like to shower.”

“There are towels in the bin next to each stall. And be quick. We can’t waste water.”

“I didn’t notice you being all that speedy with your shower.”

He grinned. “I’m the boss. It’s my water.”

“And if I want to … take my time?”