Alicia had no idea what possessed her to kiss Zack. He had stopped talking, and somehow she knew he was going to back off. She wasn't sure if feeling made her a real person or not, but she didn't want him to go. She remembered feeling the warmth of his body when he held her, and suddenly she had wanted to be that close again.
His lips were incredibly gentle and sweet against hers. Had she ever been kissed like this before? There was no insistence, just tenderness she'd never known in her life. She could feel herself melting against him, and not caring in the slightest. His strong arms were around her, supporting her. If he were to let her go, she doubted her legs would hold her. Their kiss warmed, becoming more passionate as their tongues began a slow sensuous play, but instead of breaking the moment, it became even more incredible.
Her hands hesitantly left his neck to explore the skin down his back. God, it was like touching silk-covered steel, all soft skin over hard muscle. She'd seen nude males before. Even as they got older, it wasn't a big deal to shower with another male sixer after a training exercise, and not once did she have this overwhelming desire to run her hands over his bare chest and back like she was doing now. From the little sigh Zack made against her mouth, he was enjoying feeling her explore as much as she liked doing it.
His lips left hers to trail up and down her throat. It felt more like he was running a flame down her neck as she leaned back her head to give him better access, gasping as his lips and tongue played across the sensitive skin just below her ear. She felt his hand move from her waist, and hesitantly slid it under her tank top and then began to caress her breast. A day before she had nearly put Lee through a window for the same thing, but now she would probably scream if Zack stopped. A tiny "oh" escaped her as the storm of sensation blew through her at his gentle touch.
Was she falling? There was a sensation of dropping, but she knew Zack wouldn't let her get hurt. Ah, they were on the floor. She could feel Zack's weight against her, and loved the feeling. Comfort, she thought dreamily. This was an intimate form of comfort. His lips were on hers again, and she could feel her legs intertwining with his, wanting to keep him as close as possible.
Alicia was completely caught up in a whirlpool of emotion and sensation. His kisses and caresses inflamed her as much as hers did to him. She wanted to feel his skin against hers, and then it seemed suddenly their bare bodies were together. Dear God, had there ever been a moment in her life as incredible as this? She needed him like nothing else before. She'd heard of needing a man before, but until then, she'd never understood what that really meant. She needed him to be with her right then, and damn everything else.
Did he say something to tell her? Do something? Maybe it was the look of incredible wonder in his eyes, the look of discovery that mirrored her own. Somehow she knew that he'd never done this before either. She cried out his name as he gently took her. The brief pain was nothing, and quickly turned into incredible pleasure. It built unchecked until the passion exploded, and she heard him sobbing her name.
They lay together, neither wanting to separate even for a minute, still kissing passionately. Neither wanted the moment to end. Finally Zack rolled onto his side, pulling her with him. Her head rested against his chest, his arms around her, and she snuggled close listening to his heartbeat. She could feel him playing with her hair. She drifted to sleep with no problem at all.
Zack knew he should be furious at himself for losing control like that. What if this was part of the trap? Seduction was in the manual as a strategy and control technique. But he could feel her snuggling in his arms as she fell asleep. She was obviously not a seasoned, well-practiced seductress. Mine, he thought, idly playing with her hair. He had been shocked when he realized that this was her first time, but he hadn't been able to stop the passion and desire he had for this woman. She's mine, he thought again. A small smile touched his mouth, and he let himself sleep, his arms tightening around her to keep her close as they slept.
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Lydecker had paced the office a thousand times. She hadn't checked in as ordered. She ignored all communication attempts. He stared out the window into the approaching sunset. This wasn't like her at all. Alicia knew her duties, and he couldn't recall once being let down by her. Either she felt the mission would be jeopardized by contacting him, or…or…he didn't even want to think of the other possibilities.
He'd finally decided to lead a search party to the insertion point. What he found had terrified him for the first time in a very long time. The place was a mess. One of the walls was caved in. The jeep was still there, but completely ransacked. There were pools of drying blood on the ground. He saw her comm. device in the backseat, but it was broken. He knew that she carried a spare though, but she wasn't using it.
He contacted Cole covertly. Cole said that she hadn't called him. He asked if he should come down, or send one of the others, but Lydecker told him no. The last thing he wanted was for it to get out that his prize pupil had disappeared. Still, he was worried about her.
That night, in his room at the VOQ on base, he stared at the moon as he lay in bed. The reports of an X-5 in the area had been false. He knew the Reds had left the city. Alicia would have been dead before she would have allowed herself to be captured. She knew her orders, and would carry them through. He hoped she was all right.
Suddenly he sat bolt upright. Who knew her insertion point? After seeing the site, it was believed that the Reds followed her there, but he knew his kids, especially her. She was the best solider he'd ever seen. She would never let herself be followed. If she felt threatened, she could have gotten back to the base without the jeep. Was someone waiting for her there?
Cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He'd nearly lost one of the fivers to a corrupt officer. It was only the luck of Max and Zack finding out where she'd been taken that had saved her. Not again, he thought coldly. If I have to tear every person on this base apart, I'll find out who knew, and they'll talk. He jumped out of bed and dressed quickly. He had work to do.