“So damn tight,” Ash ground out.

He had Marin’s knees pushed to her chest and was pounding into her. She was making small, husky cries as he thrust deep, her hands twisting in the sheets.

He didn’t slow his pace and kept his gaze glued to her face. He wanted to watch when he tipped her over the edge.

“Ash!”

“Let it come, sweetheart. Squeeze down on my cock and come.” He reached a hand between her legs and pressed on her clit.

Her body went tense, and then she screamed so loud he was sure his neighbors heard. Ash didn’t give a fuck. As her body clamped down on his cock, he kept thrusting, his own explosion imminent. Sweat dripped off his face as he watched her ride out her orgasm.

Another two thrusts and his release hit. He lodged deep and poured himself inside her.

Ash stroked a hand down her side before he slid out from inside her. He helped her lower her legs and then collapsed on the bed beside her. He curled around her and pulled her close.

She let out a satisfied sigh. “That’s a pretty good way to wake up.”

“Fuck yeah.” He breathed in the scent of her hair. He’d spent most of the night inside her. Whenever he’d woken, he’d roll over, hungry for her again. And she’d been the same, lighting up, as hungry as he was. Then he remembered what they were doing today.

Tonight, he had to take her to the alien hub.

When he stiffened, she went still. “Um…is something wrong?”

“There’s nothing wrong when I have you naked in my arms.” He sighed. “Just thinking of the mission.”

She turned to face him. “I can do this, Ash.”

“I have no doubt you can. Doesn’t mean I’m not scared shitless about taking you out there.”

She bit down on her lip.

He sank a hand into her curls. “You’re mine now, Marin. I’ve claimed you.”

“Is that a biker thing?”

“No, it’s an Ash thing. I’ve seen your pretty tits, sucked on your clit, heard you cry out my name in that sexy, husky voice of yours, seen your cute toes.”

She let out a startled laugh. “My toes?”

“Yep. All mine.”

She touched her lips to his. “I guess that means you’re mine, too.”

“Hell yeah, Princess.” His smile slipped away. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Hated seeing anyone hurt, ever since I was a kid. That’s why I always wanted to become a doctor.”

“You would have been a great doctor. You have the kind of face people trust. Not sure I can see you in a lab coat, though.”

“Tats might scare some people off.”

She ran a finger over his cheek. “Have you ever wanted to go back to it?”

“Medicine?” He shook his head. “I’m a soldier, Marin. A fighter.”

She frowned. “Or is that just the box you’ve put yourself in? I put myself in a few boxes when I was younger.” A rueful smile. “I still do now.”

He rolled her over and nipped her lips. “Well, you are firmly in the berserker babe box now.”

She laughed. “That is one box I would never have put myself in.” Her voice lowered. “But I like it.”

“Good. Now, we need to get you prepped for the mission,” he continued. “You need armor and a weapon.”

She pushed at her hair, trying to sort out the tangled curls. “Okay.”

“We have the day to do it, and then we head out on the mission tonight.”

She lifted her chin. “I’ll be ready.”

“Come on.” He held out a hand and pulled her off the bed.

Ash kept their shower quick…mostly. They dressed and he tugged her out into the hall, keeping a tight hold on her hand.

He’d never been the hand-holding type. Mostly because his hookups had never lasted long, and the few women he’d been with longer than a couple of nights weren’t the hand-holding types, either. He laced his fingers with Marin’s, realizing he liked holding her hand.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“I’m going to ask a friend to help get you prepped.”

“Who?”

“Claudia. From Hell Squad.”

Marin jerked to a halt. “Claudia? She is ah-mazing. She’s my dream woman.” Marin’s blue eyes came alive. “I want to be her when I grow up.”

The babbling made him smile. “You’re cute.”

Her nose wrinkled. “Women don’t want to be cute, Ash. They want to be strong and sexy.”

“Marin, you’re cute. Own it.” He leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Cute works for me. A lot.”

Her gaze turned considering, moving over his face. “One day, you’ll wake up and cute won’t be enough.”

“You’re wrong.” He tugged her down the corridor. With Marin, he realized now that he had to prove things to her logical mind. Arguing with her was pointless.

They traveled through a couple more hallways, and then he knocked on a door.

Marin fidgeted. “If I go all speechless fangirl, slap me or something.”

“Cute,” he muttered.

The door opened, and a lanky, shaggy-haired man leaned in the doorway.

“Hey, Ash.” Shaw’s gaze dropped to Ash and Marin’s linked hands, his eyes widening. When he looked back up, he smiled. “You bringing me a pretty woman? I like the idea, but I already have one, and she might not be so happy about it.”

“Shaw. You know Marin.”

“From the tech team. How are you, Marin?” Hell Squad’s sniper asked.

She cleared her throat. “Fine, thanks.”

“Marin’s coming with us on the data hub mission. She needs armor and a weapon—”

Claudia appeared, elbowing Shaw out of the way. “Hi, Ash.”

“Hey, Claudia. I was hoping you could help get Marin prepped for a mission.”

“Hi, Marin,” Claudia said.

Marin was staring at Claudia with big eyes filled with awe. She managed a nod.

Ash kept his gaze direct on Claudia’s face, communicating how important this was to him. The female soldier’s dark eyes glinted and she nodded.

“Don’t worry, Connors. I’ll take care of your girl.”

Marin startled. “Oh, I’m not—”

Ash turned, pulled Marin up on her toes, and kissed her. When he was done, he released her, satisfied to see her eyes were glazed.

“I’ll see you later,” he told her. He nodded at the couple. “Thanks, Claudia.”

As he strode down the hall, he heard Shaw chuckle. “Never argue with a berserker, Marin.”

* * *

Marin found herself following Claudia into the Enclave’s firing range, trying to keep up with the woman’s long strides. The tough woman moved with an easy, athletic gait, her long, dark braid swinging behind her.

“The thermo pistol will be the best weapon for you,” Claudia said. “It’s small and easy to use. When the bullets hit, they heat up. Raptors don’t like them, and the creepers really hate them.”

Marin had only ever fired a weapon once in her life. And that had been yesterday morning.

“You just need to point and shoot,” Claudia added.

“Point and shoot. Right.” Marin glanced around the range. Several lanes were set up with targets at the end.

One woman was using the far lane, holding a carbine up, her intense focus on the targets. Captain Kate Scott, head of Enclave security, held the weapon like she knew exactly what to do with it. Her dark hair fell just shy of her shoulders, and she had an unsmiling face.

“Don’t worry, Curls,” Claudia said. “We’ll practice a little, and then we need to get upstairs and find you some armor that’ll fit.” The soldier’s gaze drifted down Marin’s form.

Curls. Marin fought back wrinkling her nose. Of course she’d end up with a cute nickname.

“Frost? What brings you here?” a deep voice said.

Marin spun and saw a huge man standing nearby. He was dressed in black-and-gray fatigue trousers, with a black T-shirt molded over a huge chest. His massive arms were crossed, and a hint of black ink peeked out from under one sleeve. His face had strong features that showed his Maori heritage clearly, and it was obvious that he was related to Tane and Hemi.

“Hi, Manu. I have a newbie who needs to borrow a thermo pistol. Your brothers are taking her out on a mission.”

Manu’s dark gaze flicked to Marin, and she had to brace herself not to take a step back.

“Always knew they were crazy,” Manu said. “What’s a small thing like you want to go into raptor chaos for?”

“Well, I’m a tech genius, and only I can hack into the aliens’ data hub.”

Manu stared at her for a second, before a small smile appeared on his face. “Then we’d better get you a thermo pistol.” His gaze moved over to the occupied lane. “If the captain follows her usual routine, and she always does—” his tone was dry “—then she’s almost finished, so you’ll have the place to yourself. Pick a lane, and don’t forget your hearing protection.”

Before long, Marin found herself with sleek earmuffs on her head, holding a small gun, and firing again and again on Claudia’s orders. The woman was a hard taskmaster, correcting Marin’s grip and stance, and making her practice over and over.

Finally, Claudia nodded and slipped her earmuffs down around her neck. “You’ll do.”

Relieved, Marin set the pistol on the bench. Her arms were burning from holding them up. She really needed to get to the gym more, and she wondered if Ash would take her.

Ash. Her thoughts instantly went to what they’d done to each other, all night long. She’d had more orgasms in the last few days than she’d had in her entire life. She clenched her thighs. She could still feel his touch, and taste his kiss—

“Earth to Curls.”

Claudia’s amused voice made Marin blink and focus on the other woman.

“You need to concentrate on the upcoming mission,” Claudia said. “Distractions will get you killed.”

“Killed. Right. That would be bad.” Marin swallowed. “Sorry, I—”

Claudia grinned. “Mission, not sexy-as-hell berserkers.”

Marin blushed. Damn, her pale skin. “Um…”

“Time for armor.” Claudia pocketed the thermo pistol, and lifted a hand to wave goodbye to Manu.

The pair of them headed through the corridors. They reached the squad locker rooms and Claudia led her into Hell Squad’s. “I think I have some old armor that Elle wore. That should fit you.”

“Elle goes in the field?”

“She’s been a couple of times. She tangled with a rex once.” Claudia grinned. “Marcus almost lost his shit over that.”

Marin could imagine that hard, tough Marcus Steele wouldn’t like his wife tangling with a giant tyrannosaurus rex-like alien.

Claudia opened a locker and started pulling out some pieces of armor, eyeing Marin up and down with each new item. Some pieces she laid out on a nearby bench, some she shoved away.

The door swung open. “Howdy, chickies.”

Indy strode in, cradling a huge travel mug of what smelled like coffee. The scent hit Marin and made her tied-in-knots stomach turn over.

Her gaze was drawn to the gorgeous rose-and-thorn tattoos down the woman’s arms. The blood-red color of the ink looked striking with Indy’s bronze skin and black hair. She was wearing a tank top, and as she turned to settle on a bench, Marin caught a glimpse of a large cross tattooed on her back. Marin gave a mental sigh. The woman was so attractive.

“Curls?”

Marin blinked. “Sorry, sorry. I am paying attention. I’m just nervous.”

“You’re thinking about your sexy guy again,” Claudia teased.

“No.” But as soon as she thought of Ash, memories intruded. She shivered, feeling the ache between her thighs.

Indy sat up. “You seeing someone on the tech team?”

“No.” Marin hoped her voice didn’t sound high-pitched. Claudia was smirking.

“Civilian?”

“Ah, no.”

“So it’s a squad member, then?” Indy leaned forward and sipped her coffee. “You have a thing for a soldier?”

Marin shifted nervously. “Maybe. But I…I’m not like you two.”

Claudia’s brows rose. “What do you mean?”

“Confident, attractive, bold.”

“You’re cute and smart,” Claudia said. “Believe me, a big, tough guy would trip over himself to wrap you up and keep you all to himself.”

Marin chewed on her lip. “Really?”

Indy nodded. “All those curls, that cute, curvy body you keep hidden, and the intelligence that shines off you. They’d want to be all over that.”

“No tough guy ever has before.”

“And just how many tough guys were you in proximity to before the invasion?” Indy sipped her coffee, one eyebrow raised.

Marin tilted her head. “Well…technically, none. My dad was a professor at a university, and my mother was the ideal society wife. Always having perfect dinner parties, and hoping I’d morph into her vision of a perfect daughter.” Marin heard the bitterness and hurt in her own voice. “And of course, date and marry the perfect guy.”

Indy nodded. “The alien invasion has pushed so many different people together. Young and old, rich and poor, soldier and geek.” Then a frown appeared on the woman’s face. “Shame it still hasn’t opened some stubborn people’s eyes.”

“Just be yourself,” Claudia said. “Don’t let him boss you around.”

Indy nodded. “If he doesn’t like you as you are, fuck him. Life’s too short for that shit.” There was venom in her voice. Marin wondered who the unlucky guy was who’d pissed her off.

“He seems to like me. A lot.”

“And Ash Connors strikes me as a man who knows exactly what he likes.” Claudia winked.

Indy spluttered her coffee. “Ash? You’re sleeping with Ash?” The woman grinned. “Oh, my God, you are so perfect for him. He’s so smart but tries to downplay it.” Her eyes narrowed. “Wait…the incident outside the Enclave. He told the guys he’s into you, didn’t he? They all knew but they didn’t tell me.” Her mouth twisted. “Bastards.”

“Ignore her.” Claudia held up some armor and started strapping it onto Marin. “Here we go. Arms out.”

Marin obeyed, watching as the woman circled her, clipping things up, adjusting bits here and there.

“There. Done.” Claudia stepped back.

Marin turned and looked in the mirror on the wall. God, she looked like a soldier. Hello, PrincessBadass. Well, she looked like a soldier with wild, curly blonde hair. “Thanks, Claudia.”

“Let me show you how the controls for the armor illusion system work.” She pointed to a panel on the side of the armor.

“I worked on the project for the armor illusion system.”

“Good. And now you’ll get to see it working up close and personal in the field.”

The nerves came back full-force. “Oh, God.”

“You’ll be fine, honey,” Indy said. “You’ll have six big, over-protective berserkers sticking to you like glue.”

“Oh, God.”

“Here’s your thermo pistol.” Claudia helped her holster it and stow the extra ammunition. The Hell Squad soldier crossed her arms over her chest and nodded. “Looking good. You’ll also need some cedar oil grenades.”

Fear, dark and insidious, started creeping into Marin’s system. She tried to force it back. Cedar oil grenades were for repelling canids. Huge, slavering alien hunting dogs, with spikes and sharp teeth. When Marin was little, a neighbor’s dog had attacked her. Her father had chased it off with a bat, but she’d been afraid of dogs ever since.

Maybe Ash was right. She shouldn’t be going on this mission.

Marin let Claudia tuck the grenades into slots on her belt. She didn’t want to go out there, and she was well aware of how dangerous it was.

But she had to go.

She had to do this job, for everyone at the Enclave, for herself, for all the squad soldiers like Ash who went out there and fought every day. She had to do this to give humanity a fighting chance.

“How do you make the fear go away?” she asked Claudia.

The woman paused. “You don’t. It never goes away, and if it does, you’re fucked. You need it. You use it. Ride it, and let it make you more determined and more careful.”

The locker room door opened, and a wolf whistle pierced the air. Marin’s head jerked up, and she watched Shaw enter.

“Nothing like a group of sexy, tough women to make a man’s mouth water,” the sniper drawled.

“There should be only one sexy, tough woman you care about,” Indy said from the bench.

“I’m allowed to look, just not touch.” Shaw snagged an arm around Claudia and pulled her in for a hard, thorough kiss.

Claudia sank her hands into Shaw’s tawny hair and kissed him back.

Something in Marin sighed. They looked so good together. A perfect fit.

Shaw lifted his head. “Looking good, Curls. My woman did a bloody good job.”

Marin smiled nervously and held her arms out. “I almost look like my character in Pre-Emptive Strike.” Her smile faded. “But I know it’s nothing like a game out there.”

Indy stood and moved closer to grip Marin’s arm. “I’ll be in your ear. And my guys, they might be rough and tough, but they’ll take good care of you.”

She nodded. “Thanks.” This was it. The real deal.

“Good luck out there, Marin,” Claudia said.

“Thank you. For everything.”

“Go kick some raptor ass,” Claudia said with a wink.

Marin walked with Indy toward the Hawk hangar. They made a stop at the tech lab, so Marin could grab her field kit and get a stern pep talk from Noah. She could see he was worried and that made her nerves worse.

As they entered the hangar, Marin barely paid any attention to the quadcopters. Her gaze zeroed in on the tough group of men waiting by the closest Hawk. They were laughing and joking, all of them ruggedly attractive in different ways. She looked at Ash and his head lifted, like he’d sensed her. He shot her a small smile.

“I need to get to the Command Center.” Indy squeezed Marin’s arm. “Good luck out there.” She looked at the berserkers. “Hey, you bozos. Don’t get yourselves killed out there.”

As Indy left, Marin blew out a breath and marched toward Squad Three.

Tane looked her over and then gave a single nod. “Ready to go?”

“No,” she answered honestly.

“You’ll be fine.” Ash was there, just inches from her.

His presence steadied her.

“We’re taking two Hawks,” Tane called out. “Our bikes are stored in the back of the quadcopters. Griff, Dom, and I will be in the first Hawk, the rest of you in the other. See you there.”

Ash helped Marin climb into their Hawk. She sank onto one of the seats, trying not to fidget. Ash settled beside her, stretching out his long legs. Hemi and Levi came aboard, checking their weapons, and talking in low voices. They didn’t sit, but stood instead, and held the handholds above their heads.

The engines started up, and the vibrations rippled through the aircraft. This was it. She, Marin Mitchell, self-professed geek, was heading out onto the battlefield.

“God, I’m going to be sick,” she whispered.

A big hand touched the back of her neck and squeezed. “No, you’re not.”

She needed a distraction. She turned her head and her gaze fell on the three big bikes stored at the back of the Hawk. The vehicles were big, tough, and dangerous-looking. Perfect for berserkers.

The Hawk rose, flying upward through a vertical tunnel of rock. They cleared the Enclave, swiveled, and headed north.

“Tell me the plan,” she said, needing more of a distraction.

“We’ll get dropped ten klicks from the tunnel entrance,” Hemi said. “Don’t want any scaly bastards to spot us. The bikes have illusion systems, and we’ll go in…quietly.” The big man snorted.

“We don’t engage unless we have to,” Ash said. “Fighting raptors will put Marin at risk. We get through the tunnels, get Marin to the hub, then get out.”

Hemi lifted his chin.

“You’ll be fine,” Ash said to Marin. “You ride with me, and stay at my side the entire time.”

She nodded, rubbing her hands over her thighs, listening to the low rumble of conversation around her. Ash was talking to Levi, but when he shifted, his big thigh brushed against hers. She hated that the armor separated them.

“If you get scared—” his voice lowered so only she could hear, his warm breath brushing her ear “—think of my mouth on you.”

Her head jerked up. “Ash—”

“I’ll be there with you, Marin. Whatever happens. I’ll be your very own personal super soldier.”