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Katie motions to the door. “Why don’t we grab some coffee, and I’ll brief you before heading in that direction? Bring your files, and I can answer any questions.”
The mention of coffee has Creed back in my mind, playing with my thoughts. I’ll ask again. Disconcertedly, I shake off the memory and clear my throat. “Yes. Okay.”
Katie pushes off the lab stool and reaches for her files as we head toward the door. “You know,” she says, mischief creeping back into her voice as we headed toward the door, “I’ve seen many a woman drool over Creed, but I’ve never seen Creed look at anyone the way he looked at you by that elevator.”
The out-of-the-blue comment has me cutting her a sideways glance, a little concerned she’s seeing sex, and he was simply seeing my father’s daughter. “What look?” I ask. “The man was all emotionless steel.”
“Oh, he had a look,” she declares. “How does it feel to be wanted by ‘The Dark One’?”
My brows furrow. “The Dark One?”
“That’s what everyone here calls him. You know—because he’s all dark and intimidating.” She laughs. “They’re afraid he’ll kill them if they look at him the wrong way.”
Now I’m gaping. “Kill them?”
Kelly chuckles. “I’m kidding…or mostly kidding. The stories of Creed are darn near legend, though half of them are probably not even true. The whole lethal-in-battle and lethal-in-bed kind of typical soldier talk. They say he’s different than the other GTECHs.” Before I can ask how, Katie wiggles an eyebrow and adds, “He’s certainly got that tall, dark, and sexy thing going on, doesn’t he?”
I point a finger at her. “Oh, no. You aren’t luring me into saying he’s sexy. I’m here to do a job, not drool over the soldiers.” Though silently, I’m not sure “sexy” even begins to describe Creed’s appeal.
“You don’t have to admit it,” she says. “I saw the look on your face, too.” She grins. “Just use a condom.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. I don’t need a condom. Or a soldier to fret over, especially a man who apparently has plenty of other women to do it for me. No way. I am not having sex with Creed.
But the interesting thing about this conversation to me is that I had a perfect chance to ask about windwalking and the way he’d done so in absolute silence, when the rest of the GTECHs had not.
But I didn’t. And I don’t.
Chapter Three
Late that evening, I sit at my simple steel desk in my still barren office—now my home away from my not-so-comfortable home—trying to focus on a GTECH case study and failing. I grimace and give into the temptation driving me to distraction, and punch in Creed Monroe’s name. He’s thirty-four, two years older than me. Of course, who knows how the GTECH serum will affect his aging process. His body may well be thirty-two, the age he was when he was injected, and stay that way forever. Who knows how long he will live? One year? Ten? Eternally? He’s immune to all human illness, but there is no way to know how the human body will react to the alien substance long-term.
I could date the man and literally become an old lady, and he may never age a day. It’s like a damn vampire novel, and I happily move on. He’s from California and, ah, wow. His family owns Monroe Industries, one of the largest weapons manufacturers in the world.
This information has me sitting back in my chair. There’s no way his being here, a part of this experiment, is a coincidence. My father, of course, had to know. I’d bet my weight in chocolate that Creed is here because my father believed he could be useful in the future, if not already. I lean forward, punching the keyboard again. Sure enough, Creed was pulled from his Special Ops unit and brought here to Groom Lake. My father is nothing if not strategic. He’d wanted something from Creed beyond his battlefield skills. He wanted that connection to Monroe Industries.
“What are you up to, Father?” I whisper. “And why do I know it’s not a good idea?” Frowning, I stare at the computer screen. And what made someone like Creed, who has to be filthy rich, join the military? Family trouble, I decide. Lord knows, I get that more than most.
I tab down the computer screen, reading the details of how Creed’s father died in a small plane crash in Saudi Arabia right before Creed was reassigned to Groom Lake. Creed had been on a mission and didn’t hear about the death until after the funeral. His mother now runs Monroe Industries. Creed could have opted out of his service shortly after but re-enlisted. So even after his father died, Creed chose to stay in service to his country. He wants nothing to do with the family business. Or his mother doesn’t want him involved.
