Theron: Scifi Alien Invasion Romance (Hell Squad Book 12) Read online

  Sienna squeezed the boy’s arm. “That’s honorable, Leo.” God, she sure as hell hoped they’d beat the Gizzida long before Leo was old enough to join a squad. She turned to face the group. “Okay, everyone. Time to warm up and get climbing. Let’s start with five laps around the gym.”

  The room echoed with moans and groans, but the teens started jogging around the gym’s perimeter. It wasn’t long before she and Hemi had them all hooked up and climbing. She couldn’t believe that most of the teens were still pretty happy, full of smiles and jokes. Despite most of them having lost their families, despite everything they’d been through, they found some joy. Life still went on.

  They were the perfect antidote to her bad mood. She corrected Clare’s form, helped another young boy, and called out some tips for those at the top of the wall.

  When they all came back down to the bottom, she sent them back up again.

  Sienna stood beside Hemi, eyeing his bearded face. No one would call him handsome, but the man exuded sex appeal in spades. He had his big, tattoo-covered arms crossed over his broad chest which was stretching his black T-shirt to the limit.

  “Would you sleep with me?” she asked.

  He made a choking noise and turned to look at her, his eyes bugging out. “What?”

  “It’s a hypothetical question. I need a man’s opinion.”

  He recovered his stride. “You sure it’s just hypothetical?” He waggled his eyebrows.

  She arched one brow. “I know who you really want, Hemi, and it’s not me, but if you were unattached—”

  “I am unattached.”

  She snorted. “Okay, if you weren’t panting after a certain squad mate of mine.”

  Hemi gave a single shake of his head. “Sweet thing, you’re a gorgeous, sexy woman. Whoever he is, he’s an idiot.”

  She wrapped her arms around her middle. “We can agree on that. On one hand, he thinks he’s protecting me and knows what’s best for me.” That just made her mad. “On the other…I know he wants me…but I don’t think he wants me enough.”

  “Then he’s a huge idiot. You want me to beat him up?”

  She smiled at Hemi, even though she felt sad. “He said I’m a good girl and wouldn’t…be enough for him.”

  Hemi’s face hardened. “Okay, now I really am going to beat him up.”

  She blew out a gusty sigh. “I guess it’s time to give up.”

  She felt Hemi’s gaze on her. “If you want my advice, sounds like it’s time to play dirty.”

  Sienna turned to face him. “Mac said I should be myself.”

  Hemi snorted. “Bet Mac suggested you ‘talk’ and ‘communicate’.”

  “Yes. That’s what adults generally do.”

  Hemi snorted again. “It’s not what guys do. Guys can turn into idiots, especially when they think they’re doing the right thing. Talking and being fair don’t get you anywhere.”

  Sienna turned it over in her head. “You sound awfully wise for a big, wild berserker.”

  He smiled, that slash of white teeth turning his rugged face somewhere close to attractive. “I can be wild and rough. But I know what I want, and I’m not one to beat around the bush about it.” His grin morphed into a scowl. “Even when the woman I want keeps running scared in the opposite direction.”

  Sienna turned back, keeping an eye on the kids. Cam wasn’t a coward, but she was running from Hemi. Something told Sienna that she should put her money on the determined berserker.

  “You sure this guy is worth it?” Hemi asked.

  “He’s one of the good guys, but…I just can’t keep throwing myself at him.”

  “Sounds like you need to let your inner bad girl loose. I don’t think this idiot has seen all there is to Sienna Rossi.”

  She watched Clare attacking the last half of the climb. She needed to talk to the girl about improving her upper body strength. But she turned Hemi’s words over in her head. There were things she wanted to explore. She did have an inner bad girl. And Theron definitely hadn’t seen all of her. Hell, she hadn’t seen all of her. Just thinking about what he’d told her he liked left her curious and excited.

  Maybe she could do both. Maybe she could be herself, and play a little dirty with Theron.

  Once the kids were back on the ground, they gave them a few more pointers and finished the training. Sienna waved goodbye to Hemi and hurried to her quarters. She grabbed a few things before heading to the Enclave kitchen.

  As she entered, she nodded to a few of the staff. They were used to her using a little corner of the kitchen. She’d made herself at home in the Blue Mountain Base kitchen and had no problem doing the same at the Enclave. The small cooking unit in her quarters wasn’t powerful enough for most of the meals she liked to cook. She repaid them by leaving some extra pizza bases and sauces in the fridges.

  She banged around collecting the ingredients she needed and clicking the oven on. She made a mean Italian-style pizza. A family recipe passed down through her mama’s family.

  “What are you doing here?” a loud voice boomed.

  Sienna spun and faced down the big, dark-skinned man bearing down on her. Chef had run the kitchen at Blue Mountain Base. Her gaze skated over the empty left sleeve of his shirt that was tucked up near his shoulder. He’d been injured in their escape from the mountains and was still grieving from the loss of his boyfriend. The wide easy smile was gone but she was pleased to see him finding a place in the Enclave kitchen.

  Sienna quickly rolled out the pizza dough. “Pretty sure that’s obvious, Chef.”

  He made a grunting sound. “Our food not good enough?”

  “Your food is divine, but as my nonna used to say prendere per la gola.”

  Chef gave her a long look. “I don’t speak eye-talian, girl.”

  “It means to grab someone by the throat, but the closest English saying is the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

  Chef’s dark eyes warmed. “Someone caught your eye.”

  “Someone who is a stubborn idiot.” Sienna pulled out the hottest, spiciest salami they had, and when Chef saw it, he graced her with one of his smiles.

  “Well, good luck, then.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I meant him, girl.” Without another word, Chef stomped off, bellowing at someone else across the kitchen.

  She made her tomato sauce and found fresh basil that she knew had come from the Garden—an area open to the sun at the top of the escarpment. After she was done, she popped the pizza into the oven, and leaned back against the cupboards.

  Something about cooking soothed her. She’d learned to cook by her mama’s side, and from her nonna, too. Neither of them could understand why, when she was so good at it, that she didn’t want to make a life of it. They’d been even more bemused when she’d joined the Coalition Army. Just one of those contradictions again. No one seemed to truly understand her.

  Everyone else in the kitchen was busy, so she pulled out the pretty stationery she’d snagged from her room. Cam had given it to her as a gift. It was pink, and covered in white cherry blossoms. Sienna had spent some time putting some of her perfume on it so it smelled like lilies.

  She picked up her favorite pen, thought of Theron, and started writing.

  ***

  Theron’s knuckles were bleeding under his tape, but he ignored the pain and kept hitting the punching bag suspended from the ceiling in his quarters. It was the first thing he’d put in when they’d moved to the Enclave. Sweat poured down his face and chest. He’d been at it for an hour and a half. He was not going to think of her.

  Or how she looked, touching herself. Or the little noises she made when she came.

  Fuck. He hit the bag harder. Soon, his lungs were burning as he pushed himself close to his very limits. He’d always loved boxing. His dad had been into it, and had taught him. While the two of them had been beating each other up, his mom had been a runner. He still remembered her coming home from a run, cheeks flushed, a smile on
her face. He wished he could just remember her like that, and not as a burnt, black corpse. He walloped the bag again, reveling in the pain and the way it served as a distraction. Boxing had always been an escape for him.

  But he was finding no escape today.

  Once again, he heard Sienna’s breathy cries in his ears.

  Fucking hell. He slammed his shoulder against the bag, and set it swinging. He mopped his face with a towel, then dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups, air sawing out of him as he did. He wondered what his parents would have thought of Sienna. He snorted. He already knew they would have taken one look at her and loved her.

  His arms were burning when the smell of pizza hit him.

  Theron paused, chest touching the floor, and glanced at his door. Only one person made pizza that smelled that good. Then he spotted a slip of paper that had been shoved under his door.

  Getting up, he strode over and yanked open the door. The hallway was deserted. Fighting back a shot of disappointment, he spied a pizza box on the ground. With a frown, he leaned down and snatched up both the folded piece of paper and the pizza. He dropped the box on his kitchen counter top and flipped it open. Salami, basil and cheese—his favorite. She always kept it simple.

  He lifted the piece of paper up, and instantly the scent of it hit him. Sienna. He grabbed a slice of pizza and bit into it. Heat exploded. Damn, it was spicy.

  He stared at the loopy writing on the paper and read.

  Theron,

  My mama always used to tell me il meglio ricolga il peggio. That means bad is the best choice. She told me that I’d understand one day, and now I do.

  I hope you enjoy the pizza. I made it extra hot and spicy, which is just how I like my pizza. I know everyone likes to say I’m sweet, but that’s only one part of me.

  I think of you. Not only your fierce determination when we head into a fight, or the time I know you spend teaching the Enclave kids to box, or the quiet, watchful, and steady core you have.

  I have this fantasy of us in a darkened room. You have both of my wrists tied behind my back and you force me to my knees in front of you. You take out that big cock of yours and you tell me to get it hard. Tell me to suck it.

  I love it. I love your deep voice and I love watching your reaction when I suck you deep. I love seeing how I make you feel.

  I wanted you to know that there are parts of me I want to explore and delve into. Parts I need a man, the right man, to help me explore.

  Sienna

  He dropped the pizza back in the box, the spice still burning his lips. Dammit to hell. But the stinging in his mouth was nothing compared to the images now burned into his brain.

  Theron turned, pressing his hands to the back of his neck. His skin felt hot and tight. He stripped off his workout gear and stood there, naked, arms at his sides as he waited for the ventilation to cool him off.

  He had to get Sienna out of his head, and he didn’t know how.

  But his blood was pumping thickly, making his cock rock hard. He dropped onto the bed. It was far too easy to imagine Sienna kneeling between his legs, just as she’d described. Those glorious curls of hers spilling around her bare shoulders. Her wrists tied at the sweet curve of her lower back. Her lips stretching wide as he fed her his cock.

  With a groan, he dropped his hand down, stroking himself.

  A new memory popped into his head. Of the Christmas party, when he’d come back to his room and stroked himself while thinking of her.

  Now, he knew she’d been watching him from the door. Now, he knew that her panties would have been wet, her breathing coming hard and fast as she watched him.

  Theron’s orgasm ripped through him, and he groaned as he came.

  He flopped back on the bed. He didn’t feel any better or more relaxed. The orgasm had barely taken the edge off.

  There was only one thing that could make him feel better. One woman.

  His comm unit pinged, and, his jaw tight, he thumped his fist against it. “What?”

  “We have intel on the oura,” Roth said. “Our mission is a go.”

  Chapter Eight

  Sienna stepped into the Enclave Command Center, ignoring the buzz of comms officers at their comps and people bustling around the room. It didn’t matter what time of day it was, it was always busy in here.

  She shouldered her way into one of the conference rooms, and spotted her squad.

  Her gaze went straight to Theron. He was sprawled in a chair, watching information fill the screens at the front. Then he turned his head, steady hazel eyes meeting hers.

  That all-too-familiar, warm sensation filled her belly. Oh yeah, he’d gotten her pizza and note. She shot him a small smile, and then turned her attention to the displays.

  As she sat in a chair across from him, she wondered if he’d read every word. If he’d flicked open his trousers and stroked himself…like she had when she’d finished writing it.

  “The drone operators have identified the tower in the city where the oura is being worked on.”

  Roth’s voice snapped Sienna out of her fantasy. She cleared her throat. Time to focus on the mission.

  Arden stepped forward, her elegant face serious. “Golden light was detected coming from this building.” A drone image of the shattered ruins of Sydney filled the screen. A still-intact skyscraper rose up in the center.

  It was a tall sucker.

  “Winton Tower,” Mac said.

  Arden nodded. “It was a new building. Only just completed the year before the invasion.”

  “Where was the light spotted?” Theron asked.

  Arden’s nose wrinkled. “Top floor.”

  Sienna shook her head. The top floor. Of course. The aliens never made anything easy for them.

  “We only spotted a glimmer,” Arden said. “We’ve lost two drones trying to get in close to the buildings, and the drone team won’t risk getting closer.”

  “Lost them?” Roth asked. “How?”

  “We don’t know,” Arden answered. “This area of the city appears to be crawling with raptors. They have increased patrols, and we have confirmed raptors entering and exiting this building with increased frequency.” She spread her hands out. “So, we don’t have any more information than that. All I can tell you is that the aliens are definitely protecting something inside this building.”

  “We’ve been approved for a recon mission,” Roth said.

  Sienna leaned forward. “We aren’t going into the building? To destroy the oura?”

  “We don’t even know for certain if it is an oura.” A muscle ticked in Roth’s jaw. “I will not have another repeat of our mission to the mountains. This could be another trap. We strictly get more intel. Once we know what the hell is going on in that building, then we can decide if we go in.” His ice-blue gaze touched each one of them. “Let’s get to the Darkswifts.”

  She saw Theron stay to talk with Roth, and as she shuffled out, Cam bumped her hip against Sienna’s. “Nice day for a fly.”

  Sienna smiled. Nice day to be locked into a very tight space with the man who was driving her crazy.

  But she was going to do her best to drive him crazy right back.

  She hurried to their locker room, slipped another note into Theron’s locker, then dressed at lightspeed.

  After she’d checked her newly issued carbine, Sienna made her way to the Darkswift hangar. The sleek, powered, two-man gliders sat neatly all in a row, black hulls gleaming under the lights. Their canopies were retracted, showing a perfect view of the molded seats, where two people could lie down side by side on their stomachs. The craft had dual controls, and ran on a small, silent, thermonuclear engine.

  When Theron arrived, she was doing the preflight checks on their craft. She felt a rush of nerves and instantly tamped them down.

  When he spotted her, something rippled briefly across his face before it disappeared. “Ready?”

  Typical man and typical Theron. He clearly didn’t want to talk.

/>   “Did you get the pizza?”

  “The one that nearly singed off my tongue?”

  She smiled sweetly and climbed into the Darkswift. “I hope that wasn’t all that got singed,” she muttered under her breath. She looked over her shoulder, and saw he was staring at her butt.

  There was that look again. That dark look that made her shiver. The fantasy she’d scrawled on the note she’d stuck in his locker slammed into her. She imagined those big hands of his digging into her buttocks, followed by the stinging slap of his palm on her skin.

  She hissed out a breath. When his hazel gaze met hers, his hands curling into fists by his side, she knew he’d read it.

  She lay down on her stomach, settling into her seat.

  “Sienna.” He towered over her, standing beside the Darkswift.

  His disgruntled tone made her want to grin. “Yes?”

  “Stop with the notes. I’ve already told you, nothing can happen between us.”

  She pictured him as a rock, and her with a hardhat, chipping away at him with a hammer. God, she hoped she wasn’t old and gray by the time she wore him down. “We have a mission, Theron. Let’s just focus on that for now.”

  He stared at her, like he was trying to see inside her head, then gave a nod. He circled around to climb into his seat. The Darkswifts weren’t designed for men six-and-a-half feet tall, and she smiled as he wedged himself in.

  “Got enough room there, Big T?”

  He grunted. “Joke never gets old.”

  For a second, it felt like old times. Before desire and need had twisted them up. “You look like a man who can handle lodging himself into tight spaces very well.”

  His head jerked up, his gaze burning. “I thought we were focusing on the mission.”

  She touched the controls, fighting a small smile. “I am.” She kept her voice as innocent as possible.

  But soon the others arrived, and before she knew it, the canopy was closing, and Theron was firing up the engine.

  “Darkswift hangar door opening,” Arden’s voice came through the comm line.

  The Darkswift hangar was located partway up the escarpment. Sienna watched the door open, allowing them a stunning view down into the valley. Arden’s calm voice started counting down to take off.