Setting the soap on a corner ledge, Rome braced his hands against the misty glass wall in front of him, bowing his head under the spray and closing his eyes.
Images flashed behind his eyelids. His mind raced with the dark thoughts of the facility. And the experiments. And the men who continually tried to kill him and Harper.
And Jeff.
That’s what hurt the most. More than any of the bruises that covered his flesh, it was the stark betrayal he felt inside from learning Jeff was the one who orchestrated all of this. The one who had Bobby Kane murdered because the scientist had found out what a bastard Jeff was.
Damn him. Rome had never really trusted his boss, but he’d always figured they were on the same side. Yet Jeff had twisted Rome’s single failure into a sick experiment that killed more people than he ever had and hurt Harper beyond repair. Now more than ever, he wanted to make the bastard pay for what he’d done.
The hot water pounded the back of his neck, seeping warmth into his beaten body. With great effort, Rome cleared his mind, not even wanting to deal with it all right now. The only thing he wanted at this very moment was outside the bathroom door. He knew he should fight the attraction, given they had a limited future at best, but he couldn’t fight the way she’d planted herself into his soul.
Everything else in his head washed away and the only thing that remained was Harper. He could imagine the shower door opening, steam whirling as she stepped inside to share the cozy, misty space behind him. Her strong swimmer’s hands gliding over his wet shoulder blades and slanting around to spread across his chest.
Rome pulled his hands away from the walls. Standing up straight, he felt his lower body tighten in response to his vision of Harper naked, her sleek wet breasts pressing against his back.
Keeping his eyes shut, he ran his hand down his solid stomach to slide over his hardness. Closing his fingers, he stroked himself slowly again and again as the shower spray soaked his body and the fantasy of Harper flooded his mind.
A heavy groan rumbled behind his back.
His eyes snapped open. His moving hand stilled. Looking down, he saw her hands clawing across his chest. Shifting his gaze over his shoulder, he saw her stirring green eyes were searing into his. Hungry and primitive.
It wasn’t a vision. Harper was really here. In the shower. Wanting him, too. A sharp desire spiked through him, igniting his entire being.
One of her hands slid down to cover his and resumed the unhurried stroking. Rome kept his stunned gaze locked on hers while the motion continued, setting fire to his blood. He watched her eyes darken as his breath hitched with the sensations radiating from their joint movements.
Her tongue poked out slightly, licking her lips, sending a powerful shiver through him. He was near bursting when she suddenly stopped the caress. A deep groan escaped him as she pulled him around to face her, a sultry smile creasing her gorgeous face.
Rome had to admit that he was more than a little nervous of what he hoped was about to happen. He’d never made love to a woman like Harper. He wasn’t quite sure what to do with her. She was so sure of herself. He wasn’t. It had been a while, and he’d always had to lead. But following her was something he thoroughly wanted to experience.
He watched her flaring green eyes fill with a playful yet sexy glint. Then she pushed him back a step and bent down to kneel on the smooth, tiled floor of the shower, facing him.
The shower spray pelted her slicked-back blonde hair as she moved closer, clutching his behind with one of her strong hands. The other hand gripped his thigh, kneading the muscles there.
Running his hand through the wet strands, he guided her to his thick hardness. She went willingly, running her tongue and lips along his shaft as though licking a Popsicle on a hot summer day.
Rome shut his eyes and tipped his head back, holding on to her head while she took him in and out of her mouth, over and over again. The breathtaking pressure built to unspeakable levels as he neared an earth-shat-tering release.
Then she stopped.
He opened his eyes to see Harper standing in the wet haze, raising her lengthy arms to grasp the top of the shower walls and spreading her legs while she stood, inviting him to take her.
There was absolutely nothing in the world he wanted more.
Raking a thorough glance over her long, athletic body, he marveled at the perfection of her sleek muscles and womanly curves. As in a dream, he raised his hands to brush his fingers across the hardened points of her breasts, amazed by the groan his touch elicited. He did it again, smiling at the identical response.
Taking a step forward, he reached his arms around her torso and grabbed her hips with slightly shaking hands, lifting her to him. Pressing his chest to hers. Her upper body strained against him as she hoisted her body upward, just enough for him to slide into her waiting center.
Her heated slickness clenched around him, their bodies setting a frenzied pace his mind could barely handle. Powerful legs twisted around his middle, pulling and pushing him. He crushed his arms around her tightly, holding her lean body as he thrust hard and wild, his confidence growing as their gazes linked like lasers through the shower’s steam.
Fiery sensation poured through his every fiber, igniting every inch of his flesh, boiling his blood. Her aggressiveness chased away any hesitance he had left. Rome wanted this flawless moment to last forever, but craved the climax she was drawing from him, wanting to share it with her.
Rome watched the green of her eyes brighten and spark. Could feel her searing center tighten around him, seizing his hardness as she neared her own release.
And as she gave him a radiant grin, his heart split into countless pieces, filling his entire being with an honest passion he wanted to give to Harper.
He loved her.
Against all rational thought, he loved her. He knew he shouldn’t. Their lives had just intertwined for this one blip of time. What would they do once this whole thing was all over? When she was over? He had no business falling in love with her.
But he loved her. And he realized in an alarming yet certain instant that he wanted this one blip to last for eternity. He had to find a way to make it so.
Her low moan reached through his thoughts, grabbing his attention. He watched Harper throw her head back and gasp, locking her thighs tightly around him, wringing from him everything he could give her.
Fiery sparks exploded inside of him, splintering through every muscle, shaking his vision. Riding out the powerful climax, he continued to thrust, savoring the feel of Harper’s undulating body against his until her urging relaxed and his breathing slowed.
Lifting her to stand once more, he relished the lazy, fulfilled look in her eyes and wanted to freeze it in his memory. Savor the knowledge that he put it there.
With a languid movement of his own, he placed one hand on her hip while the other reached around to turn off the warm water. She rested her hands on his wet shoulders, met his gaze with a charming smile that grabbed the hovering pieces of his heart, claiming them for her alone.
“I love you, Harper.” Rome couldn’t stop the words that poured from his soul.
He hadn’t wanted to get close to her, to fall in love with her, because he knew she was going to die. Because regardless of the serum’s healing power, it would kill her. And because he knew she didn’t trust him. A distance had been between them ever since he’d turned her in. Yet his heart had somehow closed that distance in spite of everything.