He pulled his jeans on and went to the door. He knew why they were there. They were checking on Lydia and would be trying to figure out the little light show she’d just put on for them. There was no excuse he could give them, other than the truth. He was in her suite, half dressed, and she was sleeping in the next room. He didn’t really care what they thought. Little emergency lights strategically positioned throughout her living room gave a little glow to the room.
Rick pulled the door open. Red lights were blinking in the hallway. The general, Brody, and Briggs had guns drawn and pointed at him. They looked like they were about to kick the door open. “Could you keep it down? She’s trying to sleep.”
They pushed their way into the room, knocking Rick out of the way. “Where is she? Is she all right?” Brody demanded He stormed over to the bedroom door. Rick stepped in front of him just before he reached it. “She’s sleeping, and you’ll have to go through me if you even think about going into that room.”
Brody narrowed his eyes and replaced his gun in the holster. He crossed his arms over his chest. “That’s not even a challenge, Romeo.”
The general placed his palm on Brody’s shoulder. “Why don’t you two wait for me outside? I’ll take care of this.”
Briggs grinned and patted Rick on the back before he left the room. “I knew it was just a matter of time.”
Brody didn’t move.
“That’s an order, soldier.”
Brody hesitated but shrugged the general’s palm off his shoulder. “Fine. But this isn’t over.”
He stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The general winced at the loud sound and gestured toward the living quarters. “Thompson, let’s have a quick chat.”
Rick glanced back at the bedroom door.
“She’ll be fine. I’ll only keep you for a few minutes.”
Rick turned and followed the general. He sat on the armrest of the recliner, one foot on the floor, never letting his guard down completely.
The general cleared his throat. “I’m sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but for everyone’s safety, I need to know what happened.”
Rick let his head drop. He didn’t want to have this conversation, not with the general, but Rick knew that he was right. It didn’t change the fact that confessing made him feel like a teenager in need of a scolding. If they were going to be able to help Lydia, they needed to know what she was capable of.
He lifted his gaze. “It’s exactly what you think. We made love, and when she found her release, she sent out some type of energy that made the lights flicker and go out. Furniture and other things were lifted off the ground before slamming back down. She didn’t do it on purpose.”
“I see.” The general rose from the couch. “She took out our whole system.” General Lister patted him on the back as he walked past. “I’ll take care of it.” He turned the knob on the door. “Make sure she gets plenty of sleep. When she uses her gift, regardless if she means to or not, it wipes her out.”
Rick walked to the door. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
The general grinned. “Since the system is already down, I’d make good use of the fact that she can’t do any more harm. I’ll keep Jonah from hurting her in the morning.”
The general left Rick standing at the door. That was the best advice he’d been given in a long time. Rick walked back to the little spitfire he’d left sleeping in bed. She was going to be embarrassed in the morning that everyone in the compound knew what they’d been doing. There was no sense on worrying her tonight. He made a mental note to tell her in the morning, but for now, he had a body to worship and a little window of time to do it in. He did a mental count of the condoms he had left to last them through the night.
Chapter 12
Morning came too soon. He’d lain in bed wide-awake all night after the numerous times they’d made love. She’d slept like a rock. He’d worn her out. Tapped every bit of energy she possessed. In the early morning hours, the lights flickered to life and he’d gotten out of bed and turned them off. The extra work needed through the night by the employees wasn’t going to garnish him any brownie points, but she’d been worth whatever wrath he received. He was getting attached to her. It wasn’t just her sweet body; it was all of her.