Redemption (Bennett Sisters Book 5) (7 page)

Lydia
let her hands drop to her sides. “You did that on purpose? You wanted me to throw you against the wall?”

Brody gave her a cocky grin. “Yep, and it worked. Now we just need to figure out how to tap into that specific feeling so we can practice tomorrow.” He leaned over and pulled out two water bottles from the cooler by the bench and handed her one. “Start thinking about all of the times you’ve used your gift. Try and remember what you felt, and we’ll start there tomorrow.”

Lydia
took a swig of her water. “Then what? What’s after that?”

Brody walked over to the box on the wall and placed his palm on it. “Then we figure out how to suppress it.” His grin widened. “We may have to practice with extra kissing until you can control it.”

Lydia
raised her brow. “You need to come up with another plan. You won’t be using that one anymore.”

Brody chuckled. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Besides, you probably need to go explain to Romeo.”

Lydia
followed behind Brody down the hall to her room. They stopped outside the door. “You know he’s not my boyfriend. He’s only here because I’m an unsolved puzzle; a game, nothing more.”

Brody started walking down the hall. “Good, then maybe I’ll eventually talk you into letting me take you to dinner.”

Lydia
hollered after him. “Keep dreaming.”

Lydia
pushed to open her door, but before crossing the threshold, she heard him holler back. His words were threaded with a confidence she’d seen him use most of the day. “Don’t worry, I’ll wear you down. I’m good like that.” He stopped and turned. “Oh, and for the record, Marlaina and I are just friends.”

Lydia
rolled her eyes. Mentally, she was exhausted. Using her gift always wore her out, almost like a diabetic needing a sugar fix. She was mentally and physically
drained
, just like the general had warned her. The five hours they’d been practicing had done a number on her endurance. She was going to sleep good tonight. If practicing with Brody was going to tax her body and mind so much, she was going to have to find a way to stash some chocolate in her room. A quick pick-me-up to help combat her exhaustion.  She shivered at the thought of Jaime giving her combat training. She wasn’t physically ready for any of this. If the general hoped to break her down, he had her on a schedule to collapse in less than the two weeks
like
he’d promised.  

Jimmy let his gaze linger on his informant’s body. Her creamy skin begged for his touch. He’d never get his fill of their encounters. Jimmy pulled the zipper up on his jeans and buttoned them. They grew tighter every minute he was in the same room with her.

He glanced down at his watch. “Damn.”

He would have made love to her again if she hadn’t show
n
up bringing him news of
Lydia
’s “special gifts” and possible outing. He climbed back on the bed fully dressed. He pressed his lips to her breast, ravishing the extended nub. He placed heated kisses up her chest and neck until he found the lips he craved. After pressing a kiss to the swollen red flesh, he pulled back and whispered, “I’ve got to go.”

She purred like a kitten and stretched, turning into his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck. “I know.”

He placed one more kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you same time and place tomorrow.”

She nodded.

Jimmy pushed up from the bed and straightened his shirt. His little goddess leaned up on her elbow, the sheet slipping to her waist. She frowned, sticking out her bottom lip. “Are you sure we can’t just kill her?”

Jimmy chose his words carefully before he replied. “Baby, I already told you if it we
re up to me I’d say yes, but
Floyd wants her alive.”

His goddess plopped back down on the bed and narrowed her eyes. “Fine.”

Jimmy glanced one more time at the woman that had come to mean more to him each time they’d spent together. She was so much more than just an informant. He was falling in love with the little vixen.

****

Lydia
’s brief respite was short lived when Marlaina showed up and took her to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat. They’d had a friendly chat. Once the blonde had figured that
Lydia
wasn’t trying to make a move on Brody, the ice that
Lydia
had felt in the conference room had thawed.
Thank god she didn’t see Brody’s kiss
. Jaime carried her tray of food to a nearby table, walking right past them like they weren’t even sitting there. She sat two tables away by herself until Briggs showed up and sat across from her. The annoyed look on Jaime’s face was somewhat entertaining. She looked just as aggravated with the silent giant as
Lydia
had been when Rick declared he was coming to the compound with her.
Lydia
glanced at the clock and winced. It was only one in the afternoon, nowhere near a time when she could crawl into bed and let her poor body rest. 

A full belly and a pot of coffee later,
Lydia
felt renewed as she sat in her room. More like her old self since she’d arrived. The caffeine helped against her fatigue, but it still did nothing to help her muster enthusiasm for the upcoming training with Jaime, the warrior princess.

Lydia
stood at her counter and was contemplating making another pot of coffee when she heard another knock on her door. It was like Grand Central Station around this place. She was used to being alone in the world, and she’d barely had a quiet minute to herself since she’d arrived. She walked over to the door and pulled it open. Rick stood there, leaning on her doorframe. No smile graced his lips like he’d given her that morning. His features were unreadable. She knew what that look was about. He’d seen Brody kiss her and her throw the man against the wall. If anyone had a right to be pissed, it was her. Not only had she received a kiss she didn’t want, now she had a jealous man standing at her door. A man who didn’t bother with questions, just assumed whatever the hell he wanted. The electricity in the air danced over the hairs on her arms. Gone was the sexual tension from that morning; only an icy stare looked down on her.

Lydia
rolled her eyes and walked back into the living room, leaving the door open. “What do you want, Rick? I don’t have the energy to try and figure out why you’re scowling.”

Lydia
plopped down in the recliner and dropped her head. He had been right earlier. She’d brought this on herself. Walking up to him, she’d silently wanted him to kiss her. Even so, the kiss wasn’t ownership; it didn’t mean that he had any right to say a word about Brody or how she’d handled things, not that he’d stayed around long enough to figure it out.

“I’ve just got to know. Do you kiss everyone like that?”

Lydia
lifted her gaze to meet his. His arms were crossed over his chest. His lips pulled into a thin line.

“Nope.”

She figured her one word answer was better than any explanation she could offer him. Maybe if he thought she was mad at him, he might go back home and give her a chance to forget what he did to her mind and her body. She felt the energy in the room rise. Rick raised a brow, and his lips tilted up at the corners.

“Good. I’d like to think the only lips you want on yours would be mine.”

Lydia
threw her hands up and pushed from the chair. “I don’t have time for this, Rick. If you need to go flex your muscles and thump your chest, I’m sure Brody is up for the challenge.”

Lydia
walked to the sink and rinsed out the coffee pot. Her anger almost elicited a mental response. She could feel it deep down in her core. She placed her hands on the counter, dropped her head, and took several deep breaths. She needed to rein in her powers and stay calm, or she might hurt him too. She’d conquer her anger if it was the last thing she did, and now she had someone to push her buttons so she could practice.

She felt the anger drain back down into her body, feeling a sense of calm roll over her.
Lydia
lifted her head and turned to find Rick standing behind her. He placed his hands on her hips.

“I’m sorry,
Lydia
. I have no right to say who you can and can’t kiss.” Rick let his hands drop, and he took a step back. He motioned between them. “I’m just trying to figure out what this is between us.”

Lydia
stepped past him and patted his chest. “Don’t worry, big guy. I know what this is.” She made the same gesture. “I’m your science project. You’re trying to figure me out. Nothing more, nothing less, and I get it. You explained it just fine this morning.”

Rick let his head fall
forward and released a heavy breath. “Tell me you don’t feel this spark we have, whatever it is.” He looked up. “Tell me you’re not as attracted to me as I am to you, and I’ll leave you alone.”

Lydia
put her hand on the doorknob and hesitated before she pulled it open. She knew the right thing to do was to let him off the hook, tell him she didn’t feel the sizzle like he did, but she couldn’t. Call her selfish, but she couldn’t seem to make herself want to push the man away. She turned her head toward him and answered. “I won’t lie to you; I feel it too. I’m just not sure what I have to offer. If you think about it long enough, you’ll see that I’m right.”

Lydia
walked out of her quarters and left Rick standing there. She’d been honest, and that was all anyone could ask of her.

Lydia
found Jaime walking toward her in the hall. The brunette wasn’t as petite as the blonde, but she was just as pretty. She had the girl-next-door kind of look. The same look a lot of men craved in a woman they wanted to date. This ought to be interesting.

“You ready?” Jaime asked.

Lydia
nodded. “Yep, but I’ve got to warn you. I’ve never physically trained for anything in my life, and I have no control over my abilities, so please try not to make me mad. My gifts have a mind of their own and might cause an accident.”

Jaime chuckled. “You’ve got it, Red. I’ll try my best.”

The woman was true to her word. The more
Lydia
’s body protested the strength and combat training, the more encouraging Jamie became. All of that changed when she’d asked about Briggs. Jaime ordered three more reps of the crunches. There was no chit-chat after that.
Lydia
was a fast learner. Don’t piss of the trainer; she wasn’t sure her body could take the abuse. Nope, no more getting to know each other.
Lydia
could deal with the silence other than her occasional grunts that filled the air. Jaime spent the rest of their time pushing
Lydia
into doing more reps and showing her more moves she could use against assailants.
Lydia
spent most of hers on the padded floor while practicing with Jaime.
Lydia
was impressed at Jaime’s quick counter moves and agility. If
Lydia
had any hope of mastering the foreign moves, her time at the compound had just doubled.

Several hours later,
Lydia
trekked the agonizingly painful trip back to her room. Her muscles protested every step she took. She ached in places that she never knew existed. Her only thoughts were of a shower and her bed. Not the man in the next room. No, she was too tired to think about Rick and what he was doing. At least that was what she was telling herself. 
Lydia
climbed in the tub and winced, letting the warm water soak into her bones. Dinner wasn’t going to happen tonight. She didn’t think that she could make it back to the cafeteria without a wheelchair for transport. She dismissed the thought of food and fell sound asleep when her head hit her pillow.      

A noise startled
Lydia
awake, pulling her from the some of the most chaotic dreams she’d ever had.
Lydia
looked up at her ceiling, remembering the vivid details. She concentrated on remembering the details of the one dream that didn’t make any sense at all; her trampling in the woods of all places with other people from the compound. She wasn’t sure why they were there or what they were looking for, before her dreams had jumped again and she’d found herself tangled in sheets with Rick. Both of their bodies were slick with sweat from a night of hot sex.
Get a grip. It’s not going to happen.

There was a knock on her bedroom door that made
Lydia
jump. Someone was in her quarters without invitation. If it was Brody, she was going to kill him. She was sure she could keep him pinned
to
the wall until she was satisfied with his apologies.

Rick’s voice came through the closed door. “Rise and shine, Red. I come bearing coffee and breakfast.”

Lydia
’s stomach grumbled. She was starved after missing dinner, and what was that about coffee?
Lydia
pulled up the sheet over her black nighty and pushed herself up to lean against her headboard. “Come in.”