A Darker Shade of Dead Read online

  It sounded extreme to her, but then she’d almost been kidnapped and targeted for a gruesome death. Perhaps he had a point. She certainly felt safe when she was with him, even if he was being a bit high-handed in this instance. After the orgasm he’d just delivered, she’d cut him some slack, but one thing gave her pause.

  “When are you going to sleep?”

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to leave early from the office today. We’ll work out the rest later.”

  He seemed so certain of success, she couldn’t work up much energy to wonder about exactly how he’d work his schedule to accommodate the changes. Then again, her lethargy could be caused by the boneless feeling he’d induced in her body.

  She dressed mechanically, her energy sapped. A warm glow had settled in the pit of her stomach and spread outward. The extremes of the night were catching up with her. Bed and a soft pillow were sounding really good at the moment, and she didn’t want to waste time arguing with him about nitpicky specifics. The sooner they got to his place—and the bed that no doubt would be awaiting her there—the better. They’d sort out all the other details later.

  Chapter Nine

  Matt’s house wasn’t what she’d expected. It was a rental, so she supposed she shouldn’t put too much emphasis on the neatly manicured lawn and tidy garden outside or the well-maintained furnishings inside. The knickknacks and photos arranged along the mantel were definitely Matt’s personal touches so those were fair game, as was the array of magazines and books strewn around the coffee table—the only sign of disorder she’d seen so far.

  The kitchen gleamed. The small dining room looked neat and orderly through the open arch as they walked by, heading down a short hall and passing a door he said hid a closet. Then they arrived at the bedroom. He opened the door to what she assumed would be a guest room only to be confronted with what was beyond doubt Matt’s personal space. His bedroom.

  Clothes spilled out of a hamper in one corner and a stray sock lay on the floor. Other than that little detail, it was basically clean. It was also definitely a man’s space.

  Hunter green bedding lay neatly folded back on a king-size bed that ate up much of the space in the small room. Matt was a big guy. No doubt he needed the space. Especially if he often had overnight guests.

  A surprising jolt of jealousy fired down her spine, firming it as she turned to him just inside the open doorway.

  “You expect me to sleep here?”

  “What’s wrong with it?” His words and posture turned challenging as he shifted his weight to one side and leaned against the door frame, folding his arms over his chest.

  “It’s your room.” Her objection should be obvious, only it didn’t feel right after what she’d allowed him to do to her only minutes before in her room on base.

  Still, a woman didn’t just give in without some concession on the male’s part. Did she? Sandra had never been good at these male-female mating games.

  “That it is.” He straightened, unfolding his arms and ambling toward her in a slow, deliberate stride that made her back up. He looked like a panther stalking its next kill. Sandra’s mouth went dry realizing she’d just put herself on the menu for this highly skilled predator.

  “Don’t you have a guest room?”

  “I do but you can’t sleep there.” He seemed a little too smug for her comfort.

  “Why not?”

  “I’ll show you.” He pivoted on his heel and headed into the hall. She followed, curious.

  He went to the only other door in the short hall. It had a complicated looking numerical lock on the doorknob. He entered a code, and the reinforced door unlatched audibly. He opened the door and motioned her closer.

  “This is the safe room. It’s the reason I rented this house in particular. The owner had made a good start on it and let me modify to my personal specifications. The walls are nearly impenetrable and fireproof. No windows. Reinforced steel door.” He ticked off the features as he walked into the room. She followed behind, taking a good look around. “There’s a trapdoor that leads out under the house if you really need to get out. And as you can see, I’ve got computer uplinks and monitors on the property that you can watch from here. If they cut power, there are battery backups built in below the bench top.” He lifted one hinged lid that doubled as the surface of a table-height bench, revealing a complex system of wiring and big square blocks that had to be some kind of batteries.

  “Impressive.” She was surprised he had all this. “You were expecting a siege, or do you live like this all the time?”

  Matt laughed. “I like to be prepared but I’ll admit I normally don’t go this far. When I got reassigned here, I figured I’d better prepare for any contingency. This house already had the safe room, I just improved it a bit.”

  “And put monitors all around the property.” She was guessing, but the sparkle in his eyes told her she was right.

  “I like electronics.”

  “I can see that.” She gazed appreciatively around the room as they headed for the door.

  He spent a few minutes showing her the use and function of a few of the computers and monitors in the room. It looked pretty straightforward, though the setup was truly space age with a satellite uplink he could use if he needed it for some reason.

  “I hooked up some additional night vision cameras in the trees at the perimeter of the property and about fifty yards into the woods. Zombies don’t really show up on infrared, so night vision is about as good as it gets to spot them if we end up out here at night. Ideally, I’d like to have you working on base at night, but not if we can’t secure the place. Which reminds me, I’ve still got to question the guy who attacked you. I’m going to see if he’s awake yet before I go to the office, so I’d better get a move on.”

  “What about sleep?”

  “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

  “Matt.” She didn’t appreciate his grim humor.

  He spared her a small grin. “I’ll be okay. I’m going to rearrange schedules today and knock off work early to start the new shifts. It’ll work. Trust me.”

  She did trust him but still worried about him. She followed as he walked back to the door.

  “I keep this locked when I’m not here. We’ll leave it open when you’re in the house. If you need to get in and the door is locked, input your social security number and a seven.”

  “That’s your combination?” She was surprised.

  “No. It’s your combination. I keyed the electronic lock to let you in on that number since I figured it was a sequence you’d already have memorized. This lock allows up to three different combinations to be added. I use a different sequence.” He shrugged. “Same result.”

  He was thorough. She’d give him that.

  “I’m going to grab a shower and change. We can scrounge up some breakfast before I go to the office.” He talked as he moved down the hall, heading for his bedroom. She followed at a slower pace. She arrived at the door to find him stripping off his shirt and was powerless to do anything but stare at his near perfect physique.

  She’d seen him without his shirt before, but never from this distance. Getting a look at the whole picture, so to speak, made her mouth go dry. He was gorgeous. Fit and muscular without being bulky. He was the epitome of what she’d always thought a physically fit man should look like.

  “Oh, darlin’, looking at me like that could get you in all kinds of trouble.” His sexy, low voice sent a shiver down her spine and sent her gaze winging upward to meet his. “Come here.”

  Her belly clenched at the command and she was powerless to resist. If asked, she would have said she didn’t have a submissive bone in her body, but Matt had a way of turning all her previous perceptions upside down. Almost everything he did made her want him more. Especially after their little interlude in her quarters.

  She walked toward him and his arms opened. She stepped into them, feeling welcomed by his warmth, her senses awakened by the sensation of his bare skin against
her.

  His head dipped and his mouth covered hers. This time, his kiss was gentle, almost exploratory. His hands cupped her breasts and squeezed gently, proclaiming a new kind of ownership that made her sizzle with awareness. Matt had a way of eliciting unexpected responses from her that continued to amaze her.

  When she’d expected more of the fierce lover he’d shown before, he instead gave her a gentle caress that was equally as stirring. Perhaps even more so. He kept her guessing all the while inflaming her passion as no man ever had before. He was definitely unique in her admittedly limited experience. Matt was one of a kind.

  “We don’t have time for this.” His lips broke away from hers with obvious reluctance. She tried to follow, wanting more kisses, but he gently drew away, his head lifting too high for her to reach easily. “I’m sorry, sweetheart.”

  “Not even for a quickie?” She couldn’t believe she’d blurted out the scandalous thought running through her mind. She blushed, but he wouldn’t let her go when she tried to escape the fire that leaped in his gaze.

  “When I make love to you, I want to have time to do it right, Sandy.” The promise in his eyes made her mouth go dry in anticipation. She’d just bet he knew the exact way to do her right.

  “When?” She’d meant to poke fun at his confidence in his ability to claim her. Instead it came out sounding like a plea. Her blush deepened.

  “I’m glad to know you’re as eager as I am.” His wide grin teased her.

  “I meant—”

  “I know what you meant, darlin’.” He cut her off, reassuring at the same time. “I know from your personnel file that you’re not the kind of woman to hop in bed with just anyone. Which makes me either very flattered or very stupid, yet I don’t get the impression that you’re trying to play me.” He drew closer as his voice deepened. “Tell me you’re as lost to this obsession as I am and I’ll believe it, even though I probably shouldn’t.”

  His head dipped once more, daring her to reach up and take what she wanted.

  “Damn you, Matt.” She stood on tiptoe and matched her lips to his as she wound her arms around his neck.

  This kiss was more tempestuous—something neither of them could control or deny. Her temperature rose another notch, but when she was about ready to explode with the need to take things further, faster, he pulled away and put space between them.

  She had the satisfaction of seeing that he was breathing as hard as she was. The obvious and tantalizing bulge behind his zipper made it clear he’d been aroused, too. Only he’d had enough sanity left to pull away before they went any further. Damn him.

  “Much as I hate to say it, we really don’t have the time right now.”

  “What’s so all-fired important at your office?” She plopped down on his bed feeling a little abused and mildly annoyed.

  Matt sighed heavily but kept his distance. “There are things going on in that office that you probably aren’t aware of—the least of which is that certain elements in the chain of command would happily replace me in a heartbeat.”

  “Are you serious?” She’d had no idea.

  “Unfortunately, yes.” He sighed again.

  “I find that hard to believe. You’re obviously the best man for this job, Matt. Even I can see that.”

  The unexpected vote of confidence from Sandra made something inside Matt swell with pride. She was either a really good actress or she truly believed what she’d said. He was betting on the latter.

  Maybe he was wrong to lead with his heart, Matt wasn’t sure. He’d tried like hell to keep his eyes open and his barriers up, but Sandra was a law unto herself, worming her way into his head and his heart in ways he’d never experienced before and knew he never would again. This woman was special.

  She might yet turn out to be a traitor, but he’d placed his bets already and prayed to lady luck and whatever other deities who might be listening that she was on the up and up. Her willingness to help him catch the traitors was working in her favor. He only hoped it was genuine and that she didn’t play him false.

  “I’m glad you think I’m qualified for the task, doc. There are others who’d prefer their own man in my seat. So far they’ve been outnumbered. I need to keep it that way.”

  “Yes, you do.” Sandra brushed her hands on her thighs as she got up and headed for the door. “Take your shower. I’ll see what I can find for breakfast in your cupboards. It’ll be ready when you get out though I can’t promise much more than cereal, if you have any. I’m not much of a cook.”

  “Cereal’s fine and I’ve got plenty of it. Top shelf in the second cabinet from the left.” He watched her go with a warm sensation in the region of his heart. She was trying to take care of him. He recognized the behavior, though it was new to him. The last person to try had been his mother, before she died.

  He’d loved his mom, and when she’d died when he was seventeen he’d done his best to retreat from the world. He’d joined the army a year later and had only been back home for short visits since. The old homestead just wasn’t the same without his mother’s warm, loving presence.

  Matt hadn’t had a real home or a woman to take care of his little creature comforts since then. He hadn’t wanted it or sought it, but for the first time he was beginning to think in those terms about Sandra.

  Could it be? Could he possibly settle down and recreate that atmosphere of home with a wife, and could that wife possibly turn out to be Sandra?

  The thought shocked him. It also felt all too comfortable. Perhaps his subconscious had been trekking down that road for a while now and he was only just realizing it. He knew he’d had a different feeling about Sandra from the very beginning, he just didn’t realize until now what it was. He’d recognized her as a woman he could love.

  That didn’t mean he was ready to trust her with his heart just yet. There were still a few questions that had to be answered about her loyalties and intentions. And he didn’t know if he could settle down.

  He’d lived a lot of his life alone with only his brothers in arms for companionship. He wasn’t sure he could change or that he’d even be given time to try to change. This mission was too important, too dangerous. He could easily die here at Bragg—or anywhere he ended up fighting this damned contagion. He’d made a vow to stop the zombie problem or die trying.

  Matt shrugged off the rest of his clothing and headed for the shower. He wouldn’t get any closer to his goal of ending the zombie menace by dicking around in his bedroom while there was plenty of work to be done. He had to get a move on.

  Ten minutes later, he was dressed in a fresh uniform and had tidied up a bit in his bedroom, making room for Sandra, should she decide to unpack her little bag and put her clothes away. He’d let her decide, but give her room to do so if she chose to. He wouldn’t say anything. He’d wait and see. Her actions would be his guide. If she chose to move in, so to speak, he’d take it as a good sign that she was willing to commit to at least that much.

  Baby steps. He’d take what he could get because he didn’t know exactly what he was hoping for. Did he want her to fall in love with him and commit to him completely? He wasn’t sure. He was in wait-and-see mode, but one thing he wouldn’t wait any longer for—couldn’t wait, if truth be known—was making love to her.

  He had big plans for later this afternoon. She’d better be ready because no matter what, he planned to have her before night fell again. All the other questions could wait. His desire for her wouldn’t be denied any longer.

  They shared a quick breakfast of cereal and canned fruit Sandra had found in one of the kitchen cabinets. Then, with a final round of instructions for Sandra and a warning to stay indoors at all times, Matt left. Sandra was yawning pretty good as they finished eating, so he figured she’d be fast asleep a good portion of the day. That ought to keep her out of trouble, but just in case, he set his own version of a nannycam to record her movements within the public portions of the house during the day. He could monitor her over his encrypted
Internet connection and she’d never know.

  He felt only a small twinge of guilt over spying on her. He rationalized that it was for her protection as well as to reassure himself that she was telling him the truth about where her loyalties lay.

  Matt used his personal phone tuned to the protected Internet site that carried the signal from his house and monitored it periodically over the next few hours. From what he could see, Sandra cleaned the small mess they’d made in the kitchen that morning and then sequestered herself in the bedroom. Since he didn’t have a camera in there, he could only assume she’d gone to sleep. He did have audio pickups, which recorded only the rustling of cloth and a couple of cute, feminine yawns.

  She didn’t emerge from the bedroom until six hours later. Even through the grainy image presented by the hidden cameras, she looked better rested, which pleased him. She’d need her strength for what he had planned later.

  She also hadn’t left the house or been in contact with anyone. For now at least, she was walking the straight and narrow. He wanted so badly to trust her but knew he couldn’t be too careful. The stakes were too high.

  For the first time since moving to Fort Bragg at the beginning of this assignment, Matt was eager—make that impatient—to get home to his little place on the edge of the woods. Why? The answer was simple. The woman waiting there for him made all the difference.

  Bev seemed upset with the changes he made to the work schedule. He left her on day shift and put himself on discretionary timing that effectively put a monkey wrench into her usual surveillance of him while he was in his office. Good. Let her figure out how to keep spying on him when he wasn’t in the office under her nose all day.

  Matt was through waiting for things to come to a head. He’d always been a man of action and decided to make things happen instead of waiting for them to occur at their own pace. It was time to act. That was his best shot at controlling the situation and creating the outcome he desired.