Uncovering Project Arma Read online

Pulling his mouth from hers, a whimper escaped Shylah’s lips which almost undid him. Placing his head against hers, Eden took a deep breath.

  “Not here against the wall, Shy. I want to take my time exploring you. I want our first time to be memorable for the right reasons.”

  Shylah wriggled her body against his. “I need you, Eden.”

  Fuck. Screw him and his moral compass. “You’ll have me, I promise.”

  After a moment he felt her nod and as he slowly lowered her to the ground, he breathed in her sweet scent. “You drive me crazy, Shylah.”

  Turning accusing eyes on him, Shylah placed her hands on her hips. “Me? Every time I’m around you I feel like my brain is fried and I want to jump all over you.”

  Making her way around Eden, Shylah moved toward the kitchen. As he followed her, Eden tried to discretely adjust himself, ignoring the dull ache he felt. What he really needed was an ice-cold shower.

  Stepping into the kitchen, Eden was bombarded by the delicious scents of roast lamb.

  Donning oven mitts, Shylah bent down to open the oven. “It’s probably a good thing one of us had the will power to stop, because otherwise this roast that I’ve been slaving over all afternoon would be caput.”

  Confused, Eden frowned. “Caput?”

  “Yeah, done. Burnt. Finito. You really need to get out more, sailor man.”

  Walking to the cupboard, Eden pulled out glasses. “Trust me, I get out enough. Being home more would be my preference.”

  “Well, you’re clearly going to the wrong places.”

  “If I’m not learning words like caput, I guess I must be.”

  Shylah let out a laugh that stopped Eden in his tracks. She had him hypnotized or something.

  As Shylah pulled the lamb out of the oven, Eden’s mouth watered.

  “And you can cook too. Is there anything you can’t do?” Eden took the knife from Shylah when he realized she was going to start cutting it. “Let me help.”

  “The man’s job?” Shylah asked with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “Damn straight.”

  Shylah got everything else ready as he carved the roast. Once they were done, they sat down for dinner. When Eden popped some lamb into his mouth, he had to stop himself from salivating.

  “That is good lamb, Shy.”

  Shylah’s cheeks went slightly rosy. “Thanks. I’ve always loved to cook. Found it kind of therapeutic.”

  The rest of their meal slid by in relative silence. Eden was so engrossed in his meal he struggled to talk at the same time. That was another thing he loved about Shylah, that their silences were never awkward, only comfortable.

  “Did you find what you left in the car today?”

  Shylah’s eyes filled with confusion before recognition hit her. Then something else crossed her face. Fear?

  “Um yeah, it was all good.”

  Eden’s eyes narrowed. Why was she acting so strange about this afternoon? Trying to think about what it could be, Eden drew blanks.

  Clearing her throat, Shylah seemed to be working up to ask something. “Have you noticed any… ah, side effects from the training and drugs while being part of Project Arma?”

  Frowning, Eden’s mind scrambled to try and figure out why she was asking. “What kind of side effects?”

  Looking down at her food, Shylah shrugged. “Anything, I guess. I just wanted to check in on how you’re doing and feeling. I don’t think I ask you enough.”

  When Shylah’s eyes returned to Eden, there were shadows across her face.

  “Not really. We’ve been testing off the charts in all aspects of our fitness. I guess the only thing is that sometimes I think I can hear things that should be impossible to hear. Mason reckons his sight’s improved. Luca said something about smell, but we’re all so impressed I think we’re being sensitive.”

  Shylah’s eyes widened. “Wow.”

  Eden shrugged. “I’m not concerned. I feel great. I’ve been recovering from injuries in record time too.”

  Nodding, Shylah started pushing her food around her plate. “How did your team get into Project Arma?”

  Finished with his food, Eden leaned back. “Our commander signed us up. He was shown the results and was keen for us to experience them as well.”

  Pursing her lips, Shylah took a breath. “And you trust him? Your commander?”

  Eden didn’t hesitate. “With my life.”

  A sadness entered Shylah’s eyes before she quickly hid it.

  “What’s going on, Shylah? Is everything okay?”

  Brightening her features immediately, Shylah stood and started to clear the table. “Nothing, everything’s great, Eden. You done?”

  As she went to pick up the plates, Eden stood and hooked his arm around her waist. “Wait. I want you to know that you can talk to me, Shylah. This thing between us is new but it’s more than physical for me.”

  Softening her eyes, Shylah touched his chest. “It’s more than physical for me too, Eden.” Hesitating for a moment, a slow smile then spread across her lips. Grazing his chest with her nails, Shylah moved her hands up. “I’m actually feeling hungry for something else.”

  Moving her head closer to his chest, she lifted his shirt and started placing light kisses on his bare skin. A hiss escaped Eden’s lips. “Shylah . . .”

  “What? We’ve eaten. Now we can do something else for the rest of the night, let’s say, make a new memory?”

  Well aware that Shylah had never answered his question, Eden was about to pull away, when Shylah’s hand reached down and cupped him. All rational thought left his mind at the feel of her hand on him.

  On instinct, Eden moved his arms around Shylah and lifted her to him. Not pausing for a second, Eden moved his lips straight onto hers, and there it was again. The electricity between them.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BEING HELD IN his arms with his lips on hers, Shylah never felt so alive. As Eden walked her toward the bedroom, Shylah’s heart rate accelerated.

  Gently dropping Shylah on the bed, Eden moved to her feet and began undressing her. Starting at her skirt, he slowly lowered it down her hips. Then, placing his hands below the hem of her top, he pulled it over her head. She lay, almost bare in front of him, watching as he lowered his lips to her neck. It was the best kind of torture.

  Reaching around, he undid the clasp of her bra, allowing her breasts to spring free. Eden’s eyes zoomed in on her chest for a moment before latching onto her bare nipple.

  At the feel of Eden’s mouth sucking and tugging at her nipple, Shylah arched her back. She moaned as the sensations zinged down her body. With a pop, Eden released that nipple and switched to the other. At the same time his hand trailed down her side and slowly tugged her panties down. Just when she thought the teasing on her chest was too much, Eden sat back. His eyes heated as they scanned her bare body. She had a strong urge to cover herself but also felt an electricity inside of her that she could incite such passion him.

  Standing, Eden started removing his own clothes. Watching his rock-hard chest become bare, Shylah was again reminded of how large he was. He almost doubled her in size. Pushing herself up slightly, a tingle of nerves hit her. Would this even work? She’d never been with someone as big as Eden before. When Eden removed the last of his clothes it was confirmed, he was large everywhere.

  Her eyes roamed up and down his body. He was built like a warrior. All hard angles. As he placed his body over hers on the bed, she trailed her fingers down his chest.

  “You are beautiful, Eden.”

  Glancing up, his eyes heated. “No, you are a work of art, Shylah. I don’t know how I got you, but now that I have you, I’m not letting you go.”

  Lowering his mouth onto her lips, the kiss was soft and exploratory. His teeth played with her lower lips, teasing and tugging. His lips then moved down her chin, trailing down her body. When he lowered his head to the valley between her thighs, she wanted to sit up but when his tongue touched her center she was lost. As he m
assaged her clit, Shylah’s body trembled from the onslaught of sensations. He rotated between sucking and releasing. She felt every inch of her core throbbing, needing more. She pushed herself against his mouth, needing more.

  While his tongue continued its torment, a single finger slipped inside her. Gripping the sheets, the combination of his mouth and finger inside her awakened a need she hadn’t known she could feel.

  “Eden, please.” The words were ripped from her chest. “I need you.”

  Pushing a second finger inside her, Shylah cried out in pleasure. Her body hummed in pleasure.

  Eden continued his onslaught for another minute. Just when Shylah got to the point where she was prepared to beg, Eden moved up her body, quickly covering himself with a condom. Positioning himself at her entrance, Eden’s arms caged Shylah to the bed.

  As he slowly started to fill her, Shylah breathed a sigh of relief. Once he was completely seated inside her he stopped, giving her a moment to adjust.

  Caressing the side of her face, Eden’s eyes were so intense it was impossible to look away even if Shylah wanted to. “You’re mine now, Shylah, and I’m yours, no turning back.”

  Almost choking up at the enormity of his words, Shylah could only nod. Then he started moving and all thoughts fled her mind. It was like a slow torture. His thrusts were measured and careful. But Shylah needed more. Moving her hands to Eden’s butt, she dug in her nails and scraped them up his back. At the same time, she met his thrusts, pushing her hips into him. Urging him and begging him with her body for more.

  “I’m not fragile, Eden.”

  Releasing a growl, his hips then began to move faster. With hungry eyes, he filled her to the brink. The throbbing in Shylah’s body intensified and she grabbed on to Eden’s shoulders. He was relentless. The sensations were too much, feeling her body tighten, Shylah closed her eyes and shattered as the orgasm tore through her body.

  Feeling Eden’s body tighten around her, he called out as he buckled above her.

  Collapsing, Eden rolled to the side, keeping himself inside her. As the tremors passed through her body she relaxed into him.

  “That was glorious, Eden. Why’d we wait a whole week to do that?”

  Eden’s low chuckle vibrated against Shylah’s chest. Sinking further into him, she shut her eyes.

  How had this man snaked his way into her heart so quickly? Fear entered her mind at the memory of what she’d heard today. She couldn’t possibly lose him now. Making a decision, Shylah curled further into him. She would find out what was going on at Project Arma and she would protect Eden, no matter the cost.

  CHAPTER SIX

  SHYLAH THOUGHT HER heart might beat through her chest she was so nervous. She moved as silently as possible toward the door before pulling out the key. It was after hours at the medical center and Shylah was technically breaking and entering. Desperation clawed at her though, she was running out of time. It had been a month since she’d overheard that conversation, and she needed to get the program shut down. Now.

  Slotting the key into the door, she slowly pushed it open. Holding her breath, Shylah waited for lights to start flashing and a siren of some sort to sound. When there was nothing but silence, she blew out the breath she’d been holding and proceeded into the room.

  Evidence. She needed evidence. She’d been in contact with federal agents about her suspicions, but they didn’t believe her. Wouldn’t believe her until she had solid evidence to back up her claims.

  Her eyes darted to the computer in the corner. The doctor was glued to that thing. It had to hold the answers. Moving swiftly, she pressed the power button. Shylah wasn’t exactly sure what she was looking for, but she’d know it when she saw it.

  The day after she’d heard the conversation, she’d managed to steal some of the drug the soldiers were receiving. She’d found a scientist that she trusted, and had it tested. The results had been terrifying. The drug was completely different to anything that existed. The scientist who she took it to said that the effects would be similar to performance enhancing drugs, but the unknown cells found could have any number of effects on people.

  Shylah had thought that would be it. That she would provide the drug and the report to the feds and the program would be raided and shut down. They said they needed more. Luckily they had agreed to work with her though, helping and guiding Shylah in providing what they needed.

  She had wanted to stop Eden from being injected with the drug immediately but was told that was impossible to do without raising suspicion. She would have pushed the issue, but the scientist had said that if Eden was doing okay after receiving the drug for so many months, he would likely be okay with it for a while longer. Shylah felt some relief in knowing that Eden was safe for the moment. However, she knew that time was against her. It was a matter of weeks before they switched the drugs and who knew what the effect of those would be.

  Pulling out the password from her back pocket, Shylah typed it in. She’d watched the doctor type it in from over his shoulder a couple of times now so she could almost remember it by heart. She couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now.

  When the computer powered up, she stared at the blank screen for a moment. Now what? She had no idea what to search for. Pulling the USB out of her pocket, Shylah clicked on some folders, opening everything she found, then copying them across.

  When she came across a folder labeled Clinical Study Reports, Shylah stopped. Opening the folder, she saw there were files with trial numbers. Fifteen trials in total.

  “Bingo.” Excitement entered Shylah’s chest at the thought that this could be what she was looking for. Opening Trial One, Shylah noticed it was a detailed report. This must be the first drug they created and tested. Skimming through the pages, Shylah got halfway down before she stopped. A wave a nausea hit her at the images on the page. Pictures of dead soldiers stared at her through the computer screen with blank eyes. What the hell? Then her gaze dropped to the bed they each laid on. Medical’s bed. The same bed that was in the very room Shylah sat in right now.

  “Oh god.” Dropping her head to between her legs, Shylah shut her eyes and focused on taking deep breaths. She couldn’t be sick. Not here. She had to hold it together.

  Slowing her breaths, Shylah let the cool air around her calm her.

  Once she was sure that she wouldn’t throw up or pass out, Shylah glanced back up at the screen and skimmed the words. Tears formed in her eyes, but she pushed her feelings aside. She didn’t have time to be upset, she could cry alone later.

  Heart attacks. The soldiers had died almost immediately after the drug was administered. Yet they’d still administered it eight times. Who the hell would do this kind of thing? What had she found herself in the middle of?

  As she continued reading, she saw that the drug had rapidly increased their red blood cell count which had caused a thickening of the blood. It had been too much for their bodies to cope with. For the drug to take effect so quickly though, Shylah would have thought it would be impossible.

  Not able to stop herself, Shylah clicked out of the file and started opening some of the others. More reports, more images bombarded her. In some trials the drugs hadn’t killed the soldiers straight away. Some had lasted weeks, some months. In the more recent trials, the desired effects of increased strength and speed had been achieved for a short amount of time. They all ended the same though—blood clots, strokes, severe psychological damage. How could any person, seeing these results, continue the project?

  At the top of each file were details of how the drug had been improved from the last batch. After trial nine, a doctor’s recommendation was to use more elite soldiers as test subjects, the suggestion being that their bodies would have a greater chance of handling the drugs.

  Shylah clicked out of the files, not able to stomach any more information. Copying them across, she wanted to get out of here as quickly as she could. The sooner she got these to the relevant people, the sooner she could get Eden out of he
re. This was so much worse than she had ever imagined. These people did not care about the value of human life.

  About to close the computer, another folder caught her eye. As she tried to click into it, Shylah frowned in confusion when it wouldn’t open. Was it locked with a pass code? Pulling out another USB that she’d brought as a backup, she copied the folder onto it before shutting down the computer.

  Heart in her mouth, Shylah stood and slowly moved across the room to the door. Sliding it open, she glanced around before stepping into the hall.

  As she walked toward the exit her mind moved to Eden. She had wanted to tell him what was going on so many times. The guilt had been eating away at her over the month. Greater than her need for him to know though was her need for him to be safe. She loved him. She knew it was crazy after such a short amount of time but every minute she spent with Eden her feelings for him grew. He was it for her. She felt it with every fiber of her being.

  She hoped he forgave her for keeping this secret from him. Shylah needed him to understand that she’d done it for him. If his feelings for her were as strong as hers were for him she knew they’d be okay.

  Stepping out into the cool night air, Shylah breathed a sigh of relief. She’d made it. Forcing her body to walk and not run, Shylah headed toward her car which was parked around the corner. About to step onto the sidewalk, a strong hand grabbed Shylah’s arm and spun her around.

  Eyes widening, Shylah recognized Eden’s commander. She’d seen him with the team a few times. He had a scar across his eye and stood at well over six feet. He was a bit older than Eden, but he could easily pass for a SEAL physique wise.

  “What are you doing here, Shylah?”

  Silent for a moment, Shylah tried to control the shaking that started in her limbs. She couldn’t let the commander know what she was up to. Something inside of her told Shylah that he was not an innocent party in all of this.

  “Commander Ryder, I left my phone at work so needed to pop in to grab it.” She reached into her front pocket and pulled out her phone, willing her fingers to be steady.