Free Of Eternal Life by Micah Persell Page A

chest with a satisfied air. He’d found some answers, and it made him confident that they could figure this situation out. It seemed to be growing more and more … intricate each moment.
    He was making the right decision in traveling home. Sergeant Collins would put a stop to this. There was no way Major Taylor had permission to do what he was doing. The risk alone to the government if he was found out….
    No, Taylor had definitely gone rogue. And Collins had enough high-up connections to put the Tormentor away for the rest of his life.
    He craned his head back on Abilene’s thigh to look up into her face. She was refusing to look at him, which was just fine with him; it gave him a chance to observe her uninterrupted. It hadn’t escaped his notice that she seemed twitchy today, scratching nervously whenever he was near.
    He’d only noticed because he’d woken up in the same uncomfortable situation this morning. Well, not the same situation, exactly. Given what he’d observed in her throughout the car ride today, Eli had been much worse off this morning than Abilene was now.
    He’d wakened fully erect, needing Abilene as he’d never merely wanted a woman before. And, God, his skin had been crawling. Not having her, then and there, had been a torture so severe it had rivaled all of the years Eli had spent in the lab.
    Abilene had been in the bathroom taking a shower. The sounds of her splashing around had taken him to the point of physical pain. He’d resisted as long as he could, but within seconds, one of his hands had found its way into his jeans.
    Red had crept up his neck and cheeks, embarrassment tightening his chest, but even the risk of Abilene coming out of the bathroom and finding him … taking matters into his own hands had not deterred him. In the end, getting caught was a nonexistent possibility, anyway. He’d lasted thirty seconds. Tops.
    The relief he’d felt as he came had been so much more than physical gratification. The tingles that had been rippling over the surface of his skin faded into oblivion. He’d still wanted Abilene with an ache — his own hand was, after all, a very poor substitute for the petite blonde who made him stupid with lust — but being with her became an imperative that could be delayed a bit.
    Now, just a few hours later, the tingles had already returned, causing him to lose his grip on the anger that kept him from her.
    Abilene’s lap was a luscious pillow. He felt surrounded by her, cocooned in her warmth, and he was enjoying every second.
    Eli just resisted rubbing his face like a cat against Abilene’s thigh. She’d been a tightly strung wire since he’d plopped his head in her lap this morning, and he wasn’t ready to make her bolt. He wanted her to stay close.
    It was time to face facts. Something almost … supernatural was occurring between them. Eli felt a biological compunction to be around Abilene. To protect her. To develop a relationship with her. To bury himself between her thighs.
    And he loved it.
    Abilene was incredible. He admired almost everything about her. She was funny. Smart. She put him in his place. She was sexy as hell.
    Eli had no idea small, blonde women were his type. He’d always been interested in tall, stacked brunettes. But, damn, Abilene’s sweet curves, her tiny stature, her blonde ringlets …they just did it for him.
    Eli could tell they were both getting to the point where avoidance of one another was painful — emotionally and physically — and if peace needed to be made, Eli was going to have to be the one to make it. He had, after all, kidnapped the woman and held her against her will. Not the best first date.
    They’d been on the road for a few hours, so he felt it was safe enough to sit up. Truth be told, he’d lain in Abilene’s lap far longer than necessary.
    When he straightened and moved over to the passenger side of the truck’s cab, Abilene relaxed, although she did scratch at the spot on her thigh that had