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.”
Rick pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. His gaze ran over her. His vibrant piercing green eyes clouded into a darker version she’d never seen before the longer he stood there staring at her. Lydia held out her hand. “Can I please have my coffee? You can ogle later.”
Rick gave a small shake of his head and lifted his gaze back to her face. “Uh, sorry. I thought you’d be up and dressed by now.”
She sipped her coffee. “How did you get the key to get in here?”
Rick pointed to the door behind him. “Jonah programmed my card for your door too. He mentioned it when I was getting coffee.”