Dead Force Rising by J.L. Oiler Read Free Book Online

crashed.  
    She stood in the downpour of water,
absorbing the sensation of the droplets striking her skin. Grabbing up the bar
of soap, Thorn held it to her nose, breathing in the distinct scent of him. A
flutter in her stomach made her frown. What was she thinking? This man was a
stranger and she’d allowed him to bring her to this place where she knew no
one, was in some building with walls so thick she was certain no one could hear
her scream. Now she was standing naked in a shower daydreaming of the smell of
him, with thoughts she   wasn't ready to admit to running around
in her head. Thorn decided her brain must have frozen out in that snow covered
street. That, or the creature had bitten her and she was now in some weird
alternative reality.
    ****
    John walked stiffly toward the couch,
which would be his bed for the rest of the night. It took everything he had not
to turn around and head back to his room. The beast dwelling inside him called
out for him to take her regardless of what she said or did. He was thankful for
the weeks of training he and the four other recruits in
the unit had done to learn control. However, having Thorn in such close
proximity and in such distress earlier was a test unlike anything the General
or the Doctor could devise.
    Stuffing his pillow into the corner
of the couch, he climbed onto the cushion and let out a long sigh. He wondered
about his own motivation for bringing her here. John would love to be able to
say it was purely for her own safety, or because she may threaten his ability
to complete his mission. In reality, it was a lot more selfish than either. He
wanted to be near her, see her, hear Thorn's voice.
John had fallen in love with her long ago when she was no more than a picture
and a dream.   General Striate must have known
that somehow. That could be the only explanation of putting her directly in John's
path.   Did Striate truly think Thorn
could handle the type of physical relationship he would demand or that she
could live in the bizarre world John now called home?
    Closing his eyes, John couldn't think
of anything other than the erotic images his mind created of her standing in
the shower, hot water cascading across her round breasts, tucked waist, and
full hips. He longed to taste her kiss and hear his name upon her lips. It was
with those images he fell asleep.

 
    CHAPTER SIX
     
    “Hey Sarg, what are you doing out
here?” Caleb Bell asked as John opened his eyes and squinted at the group of
men gathered around him.
    The smirks and shit eating grins said
that each of the team members   knew the reason he’d slept on the
dayroom couch, yet they waited patiently for him to spill the beans. Sitting up,
he rubbed a hand through his dark hair. Not only were they looking for an
explanation but he knew Thorn would be waiting for one as well. That was one
conversation he didn't look forward to having.
    “All right boys, tell me none of you
have been near my room bothering my guest?” He asked, giving them a look that
dared them to say they had.
    “Do we look stupid, boss?” Caleb
asked with a chuckle.
    Bell was the youngest of the group.
At twenty-five, he’d only been in the service for a little over a year. Why he
volunteered for this unit was a complete mystery. Though John thought it had
something to do with the kid’s knee. He once heard Bell say something about an
injury from an improvised explosive device, better known as an IED, the vehicle
he’d been in hit while in Iraq.  
    Beside him Kenneth J. Harlow, aka
Hark, stood with his large arms crossed in front of him. The scars which
cris-crossed the right side of his face were a constant reminder to them all of
what could happen should a man be caught outnumbered in hostile territory. Hark
was the largest man in the group at six foot six, he was three hundred pounds
of pure muscle, a definite force to reckon with. Hark was a true modern day
gladiator.
    Brad Beamer was the next member of
the team, the