The Beast Within (Book One of the Changes Series)

-Major Hardaway’s POV-

I did it again. I pulled the impossible from the crack of my ass. No one thought a team could be assembled on such short notice, especially Wrenford. Still, here they were with the lab tests coming back with stellar performances even under the rushed circumstances.

Anastasiya didn’t seem to share my enthusiasm. She was worried that some of the individual teammates’ displays of excess aggression were just the tip of the iceberg of what could be waiting for us down the road. Not being from a military background, she wouldn’t understand. To her irritation, I’d made a game of waving off her book-wormed warnings.

Nothing was black and white or right and wrong. The game played this high up on the food chain had no room for morals unless you were in front of a platform with a mic attached. Based on that military truth, I decided to only pay attention to the positive reviews we’d been blessed with so far.

In one of our many viewing rooms, I watched as Killian’s and McPherson’s match was coming to an end. Under Killian’s tutelage, McPherson had shown himself worthy of his spot. Even with his progress, he still didn’t hold a flame to my wonder boy Killian though. I believed leaders were born, not made, and Killian had the steady down-to-earth control that would bring any team together.

I blindly reached for the P.A. mic as I continued to look on, “That’s enough for today, hit the showers.”

McPherson’s facial expression showed the soreness of his loss, but the acknowledgment of his improvement was exhibited in his rigid posture and puffed chest. My view switched to Killian. He was never easy to read, and as usual, I couldn’t pick up much of anything. Killian played his hand the closest to the chest from all the operatives. I’ve always prided myself on my people skills, and his elusiveness was starting to wear on my nerves. Yet when it came to results, I couldn’t find any faults with his methods. He brought out the best in his team.

“So if we’re done here, I would like to get started on the next round of lab tests,” Dr. Chaplin testily said.

I almost had forgotten she was in the room. My head automatically turned in the direction the voice had originated.

“Yes, I would like a copy of your findings first thing tomorrow morning. We only have a few days before our mission, and everything has to go off without a hitch.”

I didn’t break my stare until I was sure Anastasiya’s eyes had met mine. More importantly, I felt she thoroughly understood what I meant. If this mission or project failed, bye-bye career for all involved. Most of us might have needed to worry if they let us continue to breathe to protect their secrets. That was the price demanded to play with the big boys.

“It will be presented to you first thing,” she said as she made her way to the door.

I turned back, looking out the viewing window. The room was now empty. I stared out at nothing, seeing everything I had yet to accomplish in front of me. There was always so much to do, but it was all going to work. It had to. I even moved the mission up by 24 hours. It wasn’t a huge change, but it would show the people that Wrenford answered to that I had what it took. The self-doubt I rarely ever let myself feel started to swell within me. I swallowed hard, hoping it would suppress the sickening emotion.

“Cynthia, keep it together. You’ve got this,” I said in a whisper.

The heavy feeling of doubt was quickly replaced with surges of uncomfortable energy that I felt the need to walk off. I was set in motion without a real destination. By the time I reached where I was going, I wasn’t too shocked by where I had ended up.

I knocked on the door with determination. I wasn’t in the hall for long before it opened. I rushed through the entry, never losing my acquired officer’s arrogance as the door closed behind me. I had to make sure this mission was a success.

“Ma’am, permission to speak freely?”

“Yes,” I said as I turned around.

“What have I done to warrant a room visit?”

“I wanted to congratulate you personally on your sparring session today.”

I tried mentally not to make a big deal of the wet man covered only by a small towel in front of me. Before I could come up with a better lie, I watched as my soldier took away my train of thought with a knowing smile.

“So that’s the only reason you came to my room? I think you’re lying, ma’am.

I quietly watched as he began to slowly circle me as if I was his prey. I felt my breath become thin.

“So then, what do you suppose my reason is?”

He came in close, “Well, I didn’t win my match with Killian, and you don’t seem like the type to grade on a sliding scale,” McPherson whispered.

He did one last walk around me when he ended his stalking, his body inches away from mine. I could feel the heat coming off his freshly showered skin. My eyes were locked onto one of the beads of water that slowly dripped down his chiseled chest. That brought my full attention to his slightly uncovered pelvis.

“I don’t think we should continue this,” I said.

“With all due respect, ma’am. I know you do want to continue, or you wouldn’t be here.”

He placed his hands on either side of my hips to bring me into him. I didn’t resist as he made his move. The next thing I knew, I was falling onto his bed with him in tow. His lips paid my skin sweet attention it hadn’t had in longer than I cared to remember.

He and I knew I was his for the night, as has been the case for the past few nights. I don’t know how or why I let this get started. I only meant to keep tabs on Killian through his protégé. After the first time of being with McPherson in my office, on top of my desk no less, I was sure I had lost my mind from the stress of it all. I promised myself that it would never happen again. I knew I had too much riding on this to ruin my career for torrid fraternization. So the very next day, I called him in after training to set the record straight. But before I could get a word out, he was on me, making me feel sensations I thought were long gone.

If he wasn’t so young, he would know as well as I did that nothing good could come from this for either of us. I knew this was probably just something to burn the hormones off for him, and I would be lying if I said it was anything more than a stress reliever for me. That didn’t change how wrong it was.

Tonight would be my last night with McPherson, and I’d go back to business as usual. With that thought, I fully relaxed, enjoying the lack of plans and my soon-to-be-sated womanly need.