Niko: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 9) Page 3

  He arched a brow. “I’m a man. You’re a woman. And an intriguing, smart, and sexy one.”

  “No.”

  He tilted his head. “I never pegged you for a snob.”

  She shot to her feet. “I’m not a snob.”

  She suddenly realized she was standing, and he was crouched in front of her. It shouldn’t have been sexy, it shouldn’t have been anything, but him before her, his face level with her thighs and him looking up with that glint in his eyes, it made the blood in her veins run hot.

  “Prove it,” he said in a silky tone, his accent a little deeper.

  She pulled in a breath. “Niko, I have to go out there and fight every day. I have to keep myself, my squad mates, and the people here alive. I can’t afford any distractions. I don’t want any distractions.”

  He stood now and towered over her. She stared at his chest and the way his black T-shirt clung to his lean muscles. The heat that radiated off him was unreal, and he smelled like the appealing combination of paint and some type of citrus cologne.

  “You need things to remind you of why you fight.” He lifted a hand and Mac forced herself to stay in place. He tucked an escaped strand of hair off her face.

  “You don’t even know me.”

  He smiled. “I’ve been watching you for two weeks. Talking to you whenever I can. Counting down the minutes to every one of these meetings we’ve had. I want to know more.”

  His words made a panicky fear run through her. It wasn’t that she was afraid of him. She was afraid of what he could make her feel.

  Mac was afraid that letting this thing between them free would make it run wild and hot…and she’d happily drown in it to the exclusion of everything else.

  She stepped backward. “I have to go.”

  He held her gaze a little longer. “Very well, retreat if you need to.”

  She clenched her teeth. “This is not retreating. This is me declining to engage in a fruitless encounter.”

  Niko’s hand shot out and gripped her arm. “Fruitless?” His tone was low and ruthless. “I’m going to prove you wrong, Mackenna. You can fortify those defenses of yours, but be warned, I’m very good at sneaking in behind enemy lines.” He let her go, and now his voice morphed into a normal, friendly tone. “I’ll see you at the dinner.”

  Mac turned, her heart beating rapidly as she left. Why did she feel like she’d just awakened a sleeping dragon? And she was the hungry beast’s target.

  Chapter Three

  After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Niko made his way up to the Garden. As he entered the large area, he smiled at the people already gathered. A few called out hellos and waved. There was a mix of Enclave members and Blue Mountain Base survivors.

  Lights were strung up in the trees, and overhead, the stars twinkled in the night sky. An illusion system made the Garden appear as just another patch of trees from above. He saw kids running across the lush grass and playing on the treehouse and slide. While the Enclave kids laughed out loud, a few of the Blue Mountain Base kids were still hesitant, with haunted looks etched on their faces.

  It would fade. Niko curled his hand into a fist. He’d make sure of it.

  Near the fenced-off vegetable-garden beds, he saw long tables loaded with food, and on one, a giant cake with multiple tiers. His people in the kitchens were doing their best to welcome their new members, and he was grateful for it. Music was piped in through hidden speakers, and he suspected once the party got moving—and the beer and wine were flowing—there’d be dancing.

  He wanted to dance with Mackenna, her small, toned body pressed against his. He let out a breath. But he may have misstepped there. By firing a shot across her bow, he’d given her a warning, and he was certain she’d pull out all the stops to ward him off.

  Well, for the moment, he planned to break down a few other barriers. He approached the kids.

  “Niko!”

  A few Enclave children crowded around him. He saw some Blue Mountain Base kids hanging back. He pulled something out of his pockets.

  “I’ve got new trading cards for you.” He handed the closest kids a card each, all of them cheering and jostling.

  “Cool!” A boy spun and held his card up. “I got Marcus Steele.”

  “Well, I got Roth Masters,” a girl announced proudly.

  The kids showed off the small cards Niko had sketched. He’d first started the trading cards after they’d moved to the Enclave, using sporting teams that no longer existed and sporting heroes who were now long dead. A way to remember and honor the past.

  This time, he’d done a card for each soldier in the squads. The images were sketched in simple black and white, the soldiers’ names and squads scrawled at the bottom.

  “So cool.” A little girl in a pretty pink dress held up one of the Squad Nine ladies.

  Niko caught the gazes of the hovering Blue Mountain kids. He jerked his head and they didn’t need a second invitation.

  “May I have a Hell Squad one, please?”

  The thin, young boy’s hesitant, polite request was an arrow to Niko’s heart. He handed one over. The boy stared at Gabe Jackson’s stoic face and a smile broke out.

  “Gabe rescued me from the raptors. He’s my hero.” The boy pressed the card to his chest. “Thank you.”

  Niko nodded, his throat tight.

  The other children crowded close—the bad memories and suffering gone, just for a moment.

  “Have you got Reed from Hell Squad?”

  “I want a Squad Nine one.”

  “No, I want a badass berserker one!” a young boy in worn jeans and a faded shirt cried. “I want Hemi.”

  “Badass is a naughty word,” another girl said primly, her blue gaze meeting Niko’s. “I want Tane. Please.”

  Niko handed out the cards he had and finally shooed the kids off to play. Seeing the Blue Mountain children skip away with smiles made his night.

  He only had one card left. He held it up, staring at Mackenna’s sharp features and tough face. He tucked it back into his pocket. That card was his.

  He turned and spotted a few squad members coming in. The berserkers sauntered in—with their worn jeans, torn-off sleeves, and tattooed biceps—and Niko watched some nearby people edge away from them. They certainly made an impression. When they headed for the bar, Niko wasn’t surprised. He saw Roth with his arm around his woman, Avery. Some of the Squad Nine ladies were with them. Where was Mackenna?

  Niko turned his head toward the doorway…and his breath caught in his chest.

  There she was.

  In a damn dress.

  Mackenna Carides in her carbon fiber armor worked for him on every level. Mackenna in a dress—a short one that showed off slim, strong legs—left him speechless.

  The dress was a bronze color that was the same shade as her eyes. There were no frills or embellishments, just a sleek column of fabric, with thin straps that crossed over toned shoulders and bared slim, but muscular arms.

  She’d left her black hair loose, and the color and texture of it fascinated him. God, he wanted to run his hands through it. He shoved them into his pockets to stop from striding up to her and fisting the strands in his hands.

  He’d never had a self-control problem before. In his previous life, his control had been vital to his survival. Now he needed it in order to keep his people safe. But something about Mackenna made it all melt away and left him feeling like a caveman.

  Even with her hair framing her face, it didn’t soften her features. She still had that same tough look on her face. Niko was desperate to see beneath it. He knew that Mackenna had tough in her veins, but there was another side to her. He’d gotten the faintest glimpse of it over the last couple of weeks. The way she savored her food at every meal, the way she snuck into the Garden in her spare time to smell the flowers. She kept a part of herself hidden. He wanted desperately to see that part of her, as well as the oh-so-competent soldier.

  For the last two years, Niko had put the n
eeds of others ahead of his own. Sure, he still had his art, that little thing that was his alone. It was his coping mechanism in the chaos. But for the most part, he shoved the other things he needed—the things the man in him needed—down deep and helped the Enclave members thrive as best they could.

  He suspected Mackenna did much the same. She kept her needs buried under her armor and her carbine. It was so ingrained that she didn’t ever let those inner needs see the light of day.

  But now Niko wanted one thing. One woman. More than he’d wanted anything before.

  And he was going to do whatever he needed to do to get her.

  ***

  Mac was mad she’d let Cam bully her into a dress. She fought the urge to tug at the hem.

  She looked around the Garden and tried to appreciate the ambience. It sure beat sloshing around in raptor muck, or being on the run with no time to relax. The lights in the trees were pretty, and the music was something she recognized, but hadn’t heard since the invasion.

  She heard laughter, talking, kids giggling. Normal sounds. She felt a little bit of tension leave her. When was the last time she’d really turned off?

  Mac swiped a hand through her hair—which was loose. Taylor had forced her to leave it down. This evening, all her squad mates had turned awfully bossy. Sienna had even slipped a condom into Mac’s palm and told her to have some fun.

  Of course, Mac had tossed it into her bedside drawer. She had a still-functioning contraceptive implant. Not that she planned to use it or the condom, but they were in pretty short supply these days.

  The Garden looked nice, but a part of her preferred it at night, when everyone was sleeping. That hushed peace and tranquility.

  Mac squared her shoulders. Like she’d told Niko, she couldn’t afford to let her guard down. Any second, the emergency siren could blare and her squad could be called out. She could never let herself forget that the aliens were out there. She looked again at the happy, chatting crowd. She couldn’t forget she was one of the only things standing between these people and death.

  She was just about to make her way over to Roth and the others, when she felt someone watching her. She stiffened. She knew without turning who it would be.

  Dammit. She felt a rush of heat on her skin. Trying to stop herself—and losing—she turned her head.

  Niko stood near the trees, illuminated by the twinkle of fairy lights. Mac drew in a sharp breath. He wore dark jeans that hugged him perfectly, and a white button-down shirt that looked so good against his bronze skin. He stood with that fluid ease, a man in tune with his body. Those green eyes were on her—dark and intense—and her chest felt tight.

  She turned away and walked quickly over to her squad. “I need a beer.”

  Cam shoved a bottle at her. “Mac, you look bangable. If I didn’t like penises…”

  Roth and Theron were used to Cam and neither reacted. Taylor snorted, Sienna giggled, and from nearby, Shaw, who was busy stroking Claudia’s back, hooted out a laugh.

  “Don’t any of you encourage her.” Mac took a sip of her drink, and the moment the golden fluid hit her tongue, she stopped and groaned. “This isn’t homebrew.”

  Cam shook her head. “It’s the real deal. They’ve pulled out all the good stuff for this party.”

  Good food and drink had always been high on the list of Mac’s secret little obsessions. Beer, wine, spirits, she didn’t mind anything, as long as it was the good stuff. On her R and R, she used to blow a fair bit of her pay on the best restaurants, and buying good food from the fine-food markets.

  She’d been making do with the homebrewed ale that passed for beer at Blue Mountain Base…but this was honest-to-God Corona in a bottle.

  “And I have a glass of chardonnay.” Taylor lifted her glass and took a delicate sip. The woman looked like a beauty queen…but she was one who could kick butt. She shivered and smiled with a moan of appreciation. From nearby, several men’s gazes sharpened on the woman.

  “Wait until you see the food.” Sienna, the final member of their squad stood beside Theron, who towered over the curvy brunette. “So. Good. They have outdone themselves for this little shindig. My mama couldn’t have cooked up a better spread.”

  And Sienna’s Italian mother had apparently prided herself on her cooking.

  Mac’s mouth watered. Okay, now she was itching to try the food. None of her squad mates had ever noticed that she had a fetish for the finer things in life. While you were on the run and fighting invading aliens, it was pretty damn easy to hide.

  “I’m going to check it out.” With a wave, she headed for the loaded food tables. When she spotted Camembert cheese beside some home-baked crackers, she almost wept. On the next platter, there was some kind of cured ham and a crumbling goat’s cheese, which gave her vague memories of her Greek mother. Before she’d died, Mac’s mother had always put a bowl of feta out for every meal. Mac’s gaze zeroed in on the desserts—chocolate cake, little tarts, and, oh, God, there was a huge bowl of raspberries. Fresh, juicy, and piled high.

  Mac filled a plate and moved away to stand beside one of the trees. It was a Eucalyptus, and she could smell the refreshing scent in the air. She tasted some of the cheese and bit back a moan. She tried a little bit of a pasta salad, savoring the taste of the strong balsamic vinegar. And the raspberries…okay, apparently she’d died and gone to heaven. Delicious.

  As she took another bite of a red raspberry, she sensed a presence behind her. She went still. She could feel the heat of him against her back, knew he was only an inch away.

  “I could watch your face all night as you enjoy your food.”

  Niko’s voice, with that sexy trace of Russian in it, made her set her plate down on a nearby table.

  He leaned closer. “You smell so good, Mackenna.”

  Dammit. She’d indulged with her last pot of gardenia-scented cream, taking her time, rubbing it on her skin. No one else had noticed the smell of it. Why did he have to be so observant?

  She wasn’t entirely sure what it was about Nikolai that worried her so much. She just knew, deep down in her gut, that she needed to stay away from him.

  “Dance with me?” he murmured.

  She looked over to where a small number of couples were now swaying to the music beneath the trees. “I don’t think so.”

  “You rush out to fight aliens every day without flinching, but you’re too afraid of me to have one dance.”

  She spun. God, he towered over her. She was used to that, but it didn’t mean she had to like it. “I am not afraid of you.”

  Niko cocked his head. The light did fantastic things to his face. It was lean, not-quite-handsome, but definitely masculine. It made Mac think of fallen angels. The dark, wicked kind.

  “Okay. You’re afraid of what’s between us.”

  She hissed out a breath. “There is no us, Niko. I barely know you.” God, but she remembered the first time she’d seen him. When she’d pressed a gun to the back of his head.

  “Prove it. Dance with me.” He held out a hand.

  Mac had never been one to back down from a challenge. She and her brothers had always been daring each other, and it was a matter of pride to always follow through. She stared at his hand and saw faint streaks of white and blue paint. She wasn’t sure why, but she found that sexy as hell. She liked that he left it there, uncaring what people thought of it.

  She looked around and saw Cam, Taylor, and Sienna doing wild contortions in her direction. Well, Cam was. Taylor was making a “go on” motion with her hand, and Sienna was rubbing her hands together.

  God, if she didn’t dance with him, her squad mates would never let her live it down. “One dance.” With a loud huff, she put her hand in his. She ignored the electric tingle of his skin against hers and fought the savage urge to snatch her hand back.

  With a slow smile, Niko pulled her closer to the dance area.

  Once they reached the other couples swaying under the lights, Niko swung her into his arms. Mac c
aught a glimpse of a few female faces in the crowd watching them. None of them looked pleased about their most eligible bachelor being otherwise occupied.

  Mac held herself stiff at first, but slowly the easy sway, the hard body, and the beat of the music made her unwind a little.

  One dance wasn’t anything to worry about.

  “You enjoyed the food?”

  She nodded. “You have lots of things we didn’t.”

  “We have extensive stockpiled supplies and an experimental protein replicator. Not quite the same as real steak or chicken, but it’s close.” He smiled. “We don’t always break out our best rations. Tonight is special.”

  As they moved to the music, she tried not to let herself relax too much. But it was hard. His hand slid down to settle in the small of her back, the brush of their bodies was intoxicating. “You’re a good dancer.” Her voice had the tiniest hitch.

  “My Russian blood. My parents both loved to dance.”

  There’d been no dancing in her family. Mac was sure her grizzled father had never even danced at his wedding.

  Niko pulled her closer, her cheek pressing against his chest. “Just stop thinking,” he murmured.

  It couldn’t hurt, could it? Just for a little bit? She breathed in that citrus-lime scent of him and closed her eyes.

  They kept swaying, and he murmured something in Russian. Mac just let herself feel, cracking open that love of sensation. It all flooded in, the faint taste of the raspberries, the warm feel of Niko and his strong arms around her, the scent of him and the trees, the sound of the music and the steady beat of his heart under her ear.

  “Mackenna.” His lips brushed over her ear.

  She shivered, desire a slowly unfurling coil of heat in her lower belly. What would his hands feel like scraping over her skin? What would it be like to unbutton that shirt and explore his lean body?

  “God, you drive me crazy,” he said against her hair. “I want to touch you, taste you.” One of his hands slid down the outside of her thigh, fiddling with the hem of her dress.

  For a bright second, she wanted to drive him even crazier. “Where would you touch me?”