TrackingDesire (15 page)

In that moment, Liv knew there would be no assistance from
Dr. Mason and no talking him out of what he was doing. He evidently felt
strongly about using his research for good, but the knowledge he was
discovering had already been used to create Jolt and destroy many, many lives.

Liv had no doubt that Mason himself wasn’t involved with
Jolt’s distribution other than having been a part of unearthing the technique
and knowledge behind it. Which begged the question why his laboratory had
received the stolen antidote? Was it another project of his? Was he even aware
of what had been brought into his laboratory in the early hours of the morning?
Liv could not believe anything occurred in this facility that Mason didn’t have
any clue about, so it obviously fitted into some project or research he was in
the middle of performing.

“You know, Doctor…” Liv gushed just a little and steeled her
face so she didn’t cringe at herself. “I would just
love
a tour of your
laboratory.”

Mason looked uncertain for an instant, so Liv rushed on,
hoping she wasn’t laying it on too thick.

“I think if I could see your laboratory, get a greater
understanding of the complexities of what you and your staff do here, it would
help me to accept just how the work you do here is so
important
. As you
said, the medical ramifications of your findings could change the face of how
our world responds to certain magical maladies.”

“We certainly wouldn’t expect to be taken anywhere
confidential
,”
Julian added as he cottoned on to where she headed. “But if we could return and
write in our reports that we had personally toured the facility and found
nothing suspicious at all in the nature of your work environment…”

Julian let his words trail off suggestively and Liv could
have kissed him for that stroke of genius. Mason obviously honestly did
not
think he had anything to hide, for he only thought for a moment before nodding
and standing up from behind his desk.

“Of course,” he said briskly, “I shall only take you around
the general access areas. But yes, if you wish to see our facility I would be
happy to show you both.”

Liv rose and thanked Mason, Julian following only a half
second behind. “I’ll just rush back to Sydney and arrange visitor passes for
you both,” Mason said with a harried smile. “While coming escorted to my office
is one thing, we insist quite strictly on records being kept for all visitors
through the laboratory, and you’ll need to wear a pass so nobody alerts
security.”

Julian and Liv nodded as Mason excused himself. Knowing they
would only have a minute or two of privacy, they turned to each other as Mason
closed his office door and strode back to Sydney.

“What do you think?” Julian asked quickly, his tone low in
case their voices carried out to the hallway.

“I think the knowledge and techniques for Jolt were taken
from here, I can’t imagine Mason being part of it though, can you?”

“No, absolutely not. His passion about using their studies
to help and not harm is vivid and realistic,” Julian stated flatly. “That sort
of passion is dangerous, but he’d not willingly assist those responsible for
this. So why is the antidote here?”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to understand,” Liv
concurred. “It must be related to a project, and he would have to know about
it. The manner in which it was presented to him, I presume, either kept its
real use secret or he was just outright lied to.”

“Do you think he’ll be an ally?” Julian asked curiously.

Liv frowned and spared only a moment to think, unsure how
quickly Mason would return.

“I really don’t know,” she finally confessed. “We certainly
won’t be able to call him out on it should we find the antidote. In fact, I
think we’ll have to come back after hours and maybe even steal it back. I can’t
imagine Mason letting us take it with us, regardless of whether we’re working
in conjunction with the Enforcers or not. Added to that, he’s not the sort of
person we can easily convince to help us when he will surely work out that the
end product will be all his research being closed down.”

“So we take the tour and you find out where it is and we
come back later?” Julian summarized.

Liv nodded as they heard Mason returning down the corridor.
“Yes, I think that’s our best bet,” she replied quickly.

They greeted Mason as he eagerly opened his door once more
and dangled plastic-encased visitors’ badges for them.

“Let’s go to the laboratory and I’ll show you just how
important the work we do here is,” he boomed happily.

Julian and Liv pinned the badges to their jackets as Mason
strode in the lead to take them around his laboratory.

Liv half-dozed in the car as Julian drove them back to his
apartment. On a few occasions in the past she had been more tired than she
currently felt, but not many, and she’d always crashed for hours afterward.
Twice before she’d passed out cold the moment she sat down, and once she’d
barely managed to stay awake in a taxi as it had driven her back to her
apartment, but those were the only times she could think of off the top of her
head that she had been more exhausted than she was now.

“Are you sure I don’t need to pop in and get you something
from the pharmacy?” Julian checked for the third time.

Liv shook her head, a warm glow suffusing her chest at his
care and worry for her.

“Nah,” Liv replied faintly. “I just need a hot shower to
help to unkink my muscles, then a bit of a nap. A few hours’ sleep and I’ll
wake up refreshed and mostly recharged.”

“Do you want to sleep now? I can carry you into the
apartment if you like,” Julian offered.

Liv’s heart turned over at the sweet offer. He lived on the
second floor and even though she was not a large person, she didn’t think
Julian would enjoy carrying her weight up a flight of stairs.

“I can last ten more minutes,” she affirmed. Then, to keep
herself awake, she briefed him on what she’d discovered on the laboratory tour.
“When I crash, you’ll need to call and update Will. The antidote is in that
green-walled back lab near the end. Remember the lab with all those people in
it? The one where they were peering at something one of the men had found under
the microscope?”

“Oh, yeah, I remember that one,” Julian said after a pause.

“Well, there was an open door connecting into a room with
pale, blue-green walls and four work benches lined up one either side in a
horseshoe formation. There was a set of balances and a centrifuge and a bunch
of other stuff I didn’t recognize.” Liv described it as best she could
remember. Julian nodded, so she continued. “On the second bench there’s a set
of cabinets underneath the desktop with a whole bunch of beakers. The ochre
sample is inside that cabinet. I’m positive.”

“You are brilliant and amazing,” Julian replied vehemently.
“I’ll call Will when we get back to my place, let him know. He can set up a
team and get that sample back—”

“I think we should go with them,” Liv insisted.

Julian looked at her curiously, his eyes roaming her face as
he seemed almost to resist the impulse to check if she had a fever.

“I don’t know why,” Liv continued, “but I just really think
we need to be there to see this through. I mean, there are so many questions I
have left unanswered. Why would Mason feel so strongly about the good he can do
yet
steal
the sample? Is he being used? Is he a cover for the group making
Jolt?

“This will drive you crazy if you don’t get closure, won’t
it?” Julian guessed.

Liv nodded. “Absolutely. Look, Will won’t strike until
tonight. Tell him
I
said I won’t share the answers we find if he doesn’t
let us both in on it,” Liv bargained. “I can’t imagine he’d mind—it’s not as if
we’re a couple of novices who’ll kick things over and leave fingerprints and
footprints in delicate areas. Explain that I just want some answers and tell
him to send in only one or two thieves to help to break us in. Hell, tell him
to send Matt and Kelly. That would be perfect.”

“He’ll likely go for that,” Julian said as he pulled into
his parking space with a casual twist of his wrist.

The moment he turned the car engine off, Liv opened the door
and lurched a little as she climbed out. She staggered up to Julian’s apartment
and he’d barely closed the door before she made a beeline to his bathroom.

“I’m going to shower and crash. Do you mind if I hog the
couch? Or would you prefer I stretch out somewhere else?” she checked, not too
worried whether she might sound a bit presumptuous. She was too exhausted in
every fiber of her being to be overly concerned about her manners.

Julian went over to her and gave her a warm, solid hug.
“Babe, I think you should sleep in my bed, tonight and every night. Trust me,
you don’t want to pass out on my couch. It’s awesome to sit on and drink beer
while watching the football, but it will leave one hell of a crick in your neck
if you sleep on it. Go and have your shower, love, but don’t be long. If I have
to come in and save you from drowning, I’ll worry.”

Liv smiled and kissed him softly, her lips lingering on his.

“Wake me up in three hours, please?” she requested gently.
“That should give us an hour or so to get ready and meet up with Kelly and
Matt—or whatever other crew Will chooses for this job.”

Julian gave her his assent and kissed her forehead once
more. Liv trudged to the bathroom, had the world’s fastest shower, dried
herself and had barely sunk into her lover’s soft, comfortable sheets before
she was fast asleep.

* * * * *

Liv mumbled, still half asleep, and shifted her naked body
restlessly as a cool breeze ran down her spine. Shivering, she snuggled deeper
into the warm comfort of the bed. She floated softly back into a state of
half-sleep, only to realize the pillow her head was buried in had the very
faint smell of Julian on it. The thought had no chance to take hold before she
felt the gentle scrape of teeth running over her naked, exposed ass.

“Wake up time, babe,” Julian snickered, clearly enjoying
himself.

Liv snorted and covered her head with the pillow.

“Go ‘way,” she mumbled. “’M sleepin’ here.”

Liv moaned as she felt Julian’s warm hands cup her breasts,
his muscled chest press into her back and his thick erection glide slickly
between her ass cheeks and move up to the small of her back. Desire shot
through her body, flushing her cheeks and casing her nipples to peak against
Julian’s palms.

“This is cheating,” she panted, her hunger for her lover
exploding through her blood.

“No,” Julian demurred, “this is called waking up in a
good
way.”

Liv didn’t have the breath or desire to argue with him as
his fingers showed their talent and pinched her nipples with exactly the right
amount of force to have her back arching deliciously. Liv tried to turn around
so she could use her hands on her lover, but he held her still and made a low
noise of denial in his throat.

“No, babe,” he insisted, “this time is for you.”

“But—” Liv argued, until Julian cut her off.

“No buts. Let me do this for you, love.”

Liv knew a lost cause when she found one. A little
reluctantly but with excitement and anticipation singing in her blood, she
relaxed and wallowed in the pleasure Julian’s fingers created in her body.

“You’re so responsive,” Julian said, entranced. “Have I told
you how much I love that? How hot it makes me to know that with a few simple
strokes over your body, touching your skin or tweaking your nipples, I can have
you arching deliciously and moaning like a wanton? It’s such a turn-on it
drives me mental.”

As Julian spoke, one of his hands continued to toy with her
nipple but his other hand reached down to seek through her short-clipped curls
and discover her clitoris. When the tips of his fingers first stroked her tight
bud, Liv arched up, pleasure pulsing through her as her body caught on fire.

For a moment she felt overwhelmed. His cock pressed
enticingly against her ass, one hand toying with her breast and deliciously
tormenting her nipple, the other erotically stroking and manipulating her clit.
Panting, Liv struggled to do anything other than feel the blissful assault
being waged on her body.

“I can feel you everywhere,” she gasped, nearly insensate as
tingles coursed all over her body.

“That’s the point,” Julian replied sexily, clearly amused by
her reaction.

Liv moaned, caught up in the moment and feeling as if she
might burst from the pleasure coursing through her body. Eager to feel his
length inside her, she threw one leg around his slim waist and opened herself
intimately to him.

“Fuck me,” she pleaded with her lover. “Please, Julian—I
need to feel you inside me.”

“How much?” he whispered in her ear. “How much do you need
to feel me, babe?”

“Badly. Please, Julian—I’m burning up here.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” Julian snickered, clearly
delighted with her response. The fingers on her clit circled harder and faster,
very lightly pinching her, enough to torment her further but not actually hurt.

Liv moaned decadently and lifted her hips, canting her wet
pussy up to him. She spread herself wide, made it a simple thing for him to
thrust into her, wanting to tempt him into penetrating her without further ado.
She wanted Julian to fill her, satisfy this craving he had so easily brought
out in her and that only he could fulfill.

Cool air hit her breast as Julian brought both his hands to
her wet cunt. His first remained toying with her clit but the other dipped
between her lips, collecting her juices and using them to lubricate the thick
shaft still pressing enticingly at her ass. After he’d repeated the motion a
few times, Liv wriggled her ass, silently pleading yet again with her lover for
him to fill her and end this erotic torment.

Julian made a low, deep, almost keening sound as she teased
him in return as best she could by grinding on him, tilting her ass up to
simulate fucking herself back on him, as if she held him deep within her anal
passage, clamping him tightly, like a fist. Relief and unimaginable pleasure
washed over her as the head of Julian’s cock lodged at her pussy’s entrance. He
entered her, but so very slowly that she thought she might go insane. With
excruciating patience—she couldn’t imagine where he found it—he pressed part of
the way inside her, then stopped. Liv thought the torment would kill her.

“Circe, I can feel you so deeply!” she cried, unable to
restrain herself even had she desired to do so.

Julian pressed hot, moist kisses along her neck, then nipped
erotically at her shoulder as he flexed his prick even more deeply inside her.

“You’re so tight,” he groaned, his voice thick and husky
with passion. “So tight, and all mine.”

With a fierce surge of possessiveness he thrust himself
fully into her, burying his cock deeply in her cunt in one smooth, forceful
move.

Liv cried out in shock and pleasure at the passionate
possession of her body. The thickness of his shaft angled from behind sought
out her hidden secrets so fully that she felt as if he had consumed her.

Angled as he was, when Julian flexed inside her again his
thick cock grazed over her G-spot and ripped another surprised but delighted
scream from her lips. Chills of pleasure rippled over her entire body and
instinctively she bucked, asking him do it again, the pleasure incredible.

“That’s it, love,” Julian crooned. “Don’t hold back on me.
Let me hear you. That all your pleasure is from me and you know I’m yours,
always.”

“Oh!” Liv gasped as she struggled to find even a semblance
of coherency.

Licking her now-dry lips, Liv panted, drew in a deep breath
and wrapped her arm back over Julian’s hips. She grabbed his ass to pull him
closer to her. They groaned simultaneously at the deeper penetration it
afforded him and the accompanying sensations it gave.

“Fuck me harder,” Liv pleaded as she pressed her hips back
into each of Julian’s thrusts. “Please, fuck me, love.”

“Oh, Red,” Julian groaned as he pumped himself into her. His
shaft grazed over her G-spot with every inward motion and Liv threw her head
back in ecstasy. Her body tightened as she felt her climax grow and knew it was
imminent.

“Come for me, love,” Julian pleaded, and when he nipped the
juncture of her neck and shoulder, the erotic sting sent her over the edge.

Liv’s eyes squeezed shut of their own volition against the
intensity of the explosion within her. Her toes curled and she arched her head
back as her pussy clamped down, hungrily clenching around Julian’s shaft. Her
lips fell open as she cried out to release the pressure of her orgasm.

Julian continued to thrust inside her even as her walls
contracted around his girth. He froze within her for a moment before screaming
and pumping even harder and faster inside her. Hot seed gushed out of his
prick, filling her body as he emptied himself intimately inside her.

When they were completely drained and exhausted, they
collapsed back onto the bed, Julian’s shrinking cock still lodged inside her.
They spooned tenderly and caught their breath, twining their fingers together
as they basked in the afterglow.

“Are you awake now?” Julian teased her lightly.

“Mmm, I don’t know.” Liv laughed. “Maybe you need to repeat
yourself, to make sure I really am awake and conscious and not just fucking in
my sleep.”

For a moment Julian simply buried his head in the juncture
of her neck and shoulder and laughed. Afterward, he nipped a string of kisses
up her neck and caught her earlobe delicately between his teeth.

“Shit, babe, I’d love to,” he finally answered with
unconcealed regret. “But we should both shower and dress, or else Kelly, Will
and Matt will finish this without us.”

A shining, crazy second passed when Liv genuinely considered
lazing around in bed with Julian instead of going back to the private
laboratory. The moment passed, however, and all too soon reality reared its
ugly head. Pretending to cling to her denial, Liv tugged Julian’s arms tighter
around her breasts and waist and hugged him to her.

They remained like that for a minute or two, hugging
fiercely, before Liv reluctantly pulled herself away. They climbed from the
comfortable bed and Liv stood on her tiptoes and kissed Julian passionately.
Only when they were both breathless again did she pull away.

“I call first shower,” she said wickedly. Julian laughed as
she turned around to sashay to the bathroom. Liv squealed a little as he
lightly slapped her naked ass. She mock-glared at him over her shoulder, then
sent him a hot, wicked look before going and getting ready for the evening
before them.