Page 70 of Hollow State

"Freedom's a funny thing," she said. "I don't have anyone outside of this bunker. My family is stuck in here with me. But it would be really nice to walk into a coffee shop with you and order something ridiculous without checking the room for hostiles first."

"That's not much of a fantasy."

"It's an enormous one, and you know it." She put her hands flat on his chest. "But there’s one other thing I think about." She tipped her head to the side. "I want some version of my job. I'm good at being a combat medic, and I miss it."

"I'd love for you to have that again."

She leaned forward, close to his ear. "Right now, I want something else." Her hand slipped between them. Every number he'd written tonight left his head. "Everybody's gone to bed."

"Have they?"

"And I locked the door on my way in."

Darwin could never tell this woman no, and he'd stopped pretending he intended to learn.

He gripped the hem of her shirt with both hands and pulled it up over her head. Kissing her collarbone, he fumbled with the clasp of her bra. It took three attempts before he finally unhooked the damn thing and pulled the straps over her shoulders.

Breath ragged, he leaned back and stared at her perfect, round breasts. Slowly, he ran his hands up her sides and fanned both thumbs across her tight nipples.

She pulled him closer as he flicked his tongue gently across the hard nub.

"Don't tease me," she said. "I need you. I'm desperate for you." Without warning, she ripped open his shirt, sending buttons flying. She kissed his neck and reached between them, tugging at the button at his waist.

"Let me get it."

She eased off him. While he wiggled out of his pants, she managed to strip in less than five seconds.

He’d barely had a chance to blink before she was naked.

"Don't think. Just feel." She took his hand, guiding it between her legs.

For a moment, he couldn't breathe. All he could do was listen to the sound of his heart pounding in his chest as his fingers glided across her hard clit before dipping inside her.

She dropped her head back and let out a guttural moan when he repeated the motion. Watching her facial expressions, he kept stroking her. He brushed his thumb over her clit, loving how she bit down on her lower lip and grabbed her breast, pinching her nipple.

Leaning in, he brought his mouth to her and inserted another finger. Heat flared against his tongue. She tasted like a margarita. He sealed his mouth over her and drew her in, sucking while his fingers stroked and pressed, the pad of his thumb finding that precise rhythm that made her knees tremble. She grabbed for the edge of the counter, knocking over a box of pipette tips. Plastic rattled to the tile. Not his problem. He spread her wider, hauling her forward until the angle let him take her deeper, until her thighs shook against his shoulders and her calf muscles jumped.

"I want you inside me… now." She tugged his hair. "Sit back in the chair."

"You're being unusually bossy." Slowly, he kissed his way up her stomach, to her lips.

She cupped his face. "Are you going to deny me?"

"Absolutely not." He eased back into the chair. "Is your thigh…" He groaned as she straddled him, taking him all the way inside her and rolling her hips. His breath hitched as she slid her hand between their bodies, angling herself as she found her clit. He shamelessly watched as she rode him and toyed with herself at the same time.

Stretching out his legs, his toes curled and his thighs burned. He slipped one hand up along her spine, feeling each vertebra under hot, taut skin, and cupped the back of her neck, his thumb finding her pulse.

She ground down. He bit out a curse and dragged her the last inch, burying himself to the hilt, greedy for the way she clenched around him. The sight of her fingers working herself where their bodies met turned his brain to static. He chased her rhythm with his hips, quick thrusts, the pressure coiling low in his gut.

Her body tightened around him with a pulse that stole the air from his lungs. She went silent for a heartbeat, mouth open, and then a low rough sound slipped from her lips as she shattered against him. He held her through it, kept the pressure exactly where she needed it until she shook then collapsed forward onto his shoulder.

He lasted exactly three more thrusts before he buried his face in her neck, every muscle going rigid for a few seconds and then utterly slack.

For a moment, there was nothing but the hum of the lab fridge and their breaths slowly syncing.

"That was highly unprofessional," he managed as he smoothed her hair down her back. "The Bunsen burners are judging us."

"If so, we were just awarded a ten for best sexual performance in a lab."