CHAPTER SIX
Lilly woke in a strange bed, surrounded by decadent silk sheets and morning sun. It was like a little slice of heaven and the luxuriously fluffy mattress was her own private cloud. She stretched, remembering the glorious night she’d spent here with Peter and decided the analogy was a good one. She discovered she was a little tender in places that hadn’t seen any action in far too long. A smile curved her lips as she got out of bed and headed for the attached bath.
Drops of water on the tile of the giant shower told her Peter had been there before her. She took a moment to get clean, then pilfered one of the big T-shirts in his walk-in closet. It was time to go find him and see what this morning after would bring. She hoped it would be the start of something big.
Lilly followed her nose to a beautiful kitchen that looked like it had been orchestrated by an expert. She took a moment to admire the gleaming appliances and gorgeously designed workspace before turning her attention to the hunk at the stove. Gosh, he was beautiful too. Every muscle sculpted to perfection, a fun loving personality, quick mind and—now she knew first hand—intense skills as a lover.
Peter must’ve heard her sigh. He spun around, spatula in hand and gave her a slow, sexy grin.
“Morning, Lil. Why don’t you come over here so I can eat you for breakfast?”
She stepped into the kitchen, answering the invitation in his eyes…and stopped short. Mike was sitting at the kitchen table off to one side, reading the newspaper.
Her eyes met Mike’s and they were smoldering. She hesitated on the threshold.
“Uh…hi, Mike. Did you come over for breakfast?” She knew her face was probably beet red with embarrassment at being caught like this.
“I live here, babe.” He saluted her with his coffee mug before taking a sip. His eyes never left her, giving her body a thorough appraisal.
At that moment she realized the borrowed T-shirt didn’t cover much. It only came to the tops of her thighs and her nipples stood out beneath it, tenting the fabric as if begging for attention.
“I don’t understand.”
Mike finally released her from his gaze, shooting a look to his buddy at the stove. “You didn’t tell her much, did you?”
Peter shrugged as he plated some scrambled eggs. “I was preoccupied.”
Mike’s hot gaze refocused on her. “I can see why, but she needs to know, Pete.”
“What do I need to know?” She didn’t like the tone of their conversation and she was beginning to have doubts that the future she’d envisioned was going to have a shot at coming true. Dread filled her.
“Why don’t we all sit down and eat. We’ll tell you all about it, Lil.” Peter placed a full plate on the table, pulling out a chair for her in invitation.
With slow steps, she approached the table. The minute she was close enough, Peter scooped her into his arms, kissing her for all he was worth. Her knees gave out, but his arms held her tight as passion rose.
Then he let her go, guiding her into the chair. He crouched low, stroking her cheek and looking deep into her eyes.
“Now that’s the way I want to start all my mornings. You’re beautiful, Lil.”
She was breathless. And then she remembered their audience. Heat filled her cheeks as Peter went to fetch his own plate from the stove.
Mike put away the paper and reached for her hand. She gave it self-consciously. It seemed strange for him to touch her—even in such an innocent way—after the night she’d spent in Peter’s arms. Mike began to speak as Peter returned to the table and settled at her side. She was flanked by the men, one on each side and she suddenly realized that every time they’d gone out after class or even at the bar last night, they’d taken the same positions around her.
“Pete and I grew up together. Our dads were partners in Foster Electronics. My dad was the silent partner, the backer who invested a substantial amount of money to get the firm started, but he didn’t have much to do with the day to day operations. Since he died, me and my little brother each inherited fifty percent of his fortune, including half his shares in Foster Electronics.”
“Okay…” She didn’t know where he was going with this, but it seemed Mike was just as loaded as Peter was. Why then, were they in the Army?
“He’ll get to the point eventually,” Peter’s sarcasm was light hearted as he ate his breakfast.
“The point is, we’ve been best friends since childhood. We grew up together. We were in school together. We enlisted together and re-upped together twice. Since being transferred into this special unit, we’ve lived together too.” Mike was trying to tell her something, but she didn’t quite understand.
“You’re not…um…gay?”
Both men burst out laughing, setting that issue, at least, to rest.
“Not hardly,” Peter choked out around a mouthful of eggs and toast.
“What I’m about to tell you is classified, so you can’t tell anyone. I got clearance from our CO to let you in on this, but only because we both want you in our future.”
“Both?” Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Having both of them was her most delicious secret fantasy, but how could it ever work in the real world? She didn’t think it could. There would be jealousy, competition and hurt feelings, she was sure.
Mike looked at Peter with beseeching eyes and Peter wiped his mouth with his napkin and took the ball. It was like Mike had asked for help and Peter had come in for the save.
“We went Spec Ops together and our commander at the time realized how close we were. One of us always seemed to know what the other would do. We got a sort of reputation in the unit and they started to always pair us together. As long as we worked together, we couldn’t fail to obtain an objective. Eventually the higher ups started noticing and we got tested and selected for a very special unit. The one we’re in now.”
“Did you notice how all the guys were in pairs last night at the bar?” Mike asked. “We don’t mean to do it while off duty, but habits die hard. Each of us operates on a two-man team and we train together as a unit, but always grouped in our two-man teams. We get sent out on missions in multiples of two and do everything in pairs.”
“I don’t get it. I mean, I guess that’s different from the rest of the Army, but I don’t understand the significance.” Lilly was confused by what they were saying but her hopes started to rise anyway.
“We were always close,” Peter took up the explanation. “But after they asked us to join the Gemini Project, and we accepted, we…we can do things nobody else can.”
“Like what?”
“Like”
“share”
“our”
“minds.”
Each word was spoken in perfect rhythm—first Peter, then Mike, then Peter, then Mike again. Lilly’s jaw dropped open. It didn’t sound stilted at all, but rather as if one person alone had spoken the sentence. That was just too weird.