Page 104 of Breaking the Rules
Playful or not it was a marvel what he was able to do to her body. With just a kiss, he set her afire. His hands cruised up her side, sneaking under the softness of cashmere. But he stopped short, resting his rough palms against her waist.
He pulled away from her mouth with a sound akin to a growl. “That’s not why I brought you here.”
“I won’t complain,” Waverly said, trying to catch her breath. No matter who instigated the kiss, they both always ended up affected. She leaned into him, resting her face against his chest. He was always so warm, so solid. His body meant comfort and security to her. Strength, power, and heat were the hallmarks of what she felt under her hands when she let her palms wander his skin.
He was protector, predator, hero.
Now it was her turn to take a step back. Xavier overwhelmed her. Her feelings for him threatened to drown her. And tonight, she needed air and space. “Maybe we should shoot some more before we get naked?” she suggested.
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They broke out eight handguns, firing them and stripping them down one at a time. Xavier had to admit Waverly was good. Not only was she an excellent shot, but she also handled the weapons with competency and a healthy respect. He was confident she could physically hit a human target. But he wasn’t sure she’d be mentally prepared to do so. Taking a life, no matter how necessary, wasn’t easy. It could weigh heavily, and he prayed his Angel would never be in that position where it became necessary.
He would always put himself between her and any danger.But not tomorrow,he reminded himself. Tomorrow she’d face her threats head-on while he stood in the wings. He shoved the thought aside. There was no room for worry. But he could test her skillsandprove to her that he too could be fun.
Xavier grabbed her around the waist and pulled her in again. “You ready for some real fun?” he asked her, his voice husky and full of dark promises.
She smiled coyly, her fingers curling into the neck of his t-shirt. “I’m always ready for some fun.”
He liked that she pouted when he broke away from her. He took her hand and led her back into the narrow hallway. “This is a top secret Invictus project,” Xavier warned her, sliding the key into the lock of the last door. “I have to swear you to secrecy before I allow you to enter.”
Waverly held up three fingers. “Scouts honor,” she promised.
The knob turned in his hand, and Xavier let Waverly enter first.
“I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was definitely something more exciting,” she confessed, eyeing the room.
A large screen hung from the ceiling to cover most of the sidewall. On the opposite wall was a serviceable metal locker.
“You’ll be impressed in a minute. Be patient.” He closed the door behind her and crossed to the cabinet. Brandishing yet another key, he unlocked it and beckoned her over.
“Tell me you don’t have a severed head in there,” she said, approaching cautiously.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Everyone knows you keep those in the freezer. Here.” He handed her a headset with goggles and took one for himself.
She studied the set in her hands. “Is this VR?”
“First person shooter virtual reality in beta testing for law enforcement and private security capacities,” he explained, handing her a weighted plastic pistol.
“No way!”
“Yes way,” he smiled. “Testing is underway at the farm for CIA recruits and four police departments across the country.”
“How did you come up with this?” Waverly asked, ejecting the gun’s magazine.
Xavier shrugged. “There’ve been other basic VR programs out there but none with the programmable and randomized scenarios we’ve built. Cops can train on domestic disturbance, shots fired, and hostage calls. The CIA wanted drop scenarios with evasions and counterterrorism situations.”
“You must have been developing this for years,” she guessed.
“After you. After Ganim, I stopped working in the field and instead focused on revamping our training program. Micah and I, our backgrounds are military. We know what it feels like to be in a firefight, to have that adrenaline pumping through you when your life is on the line. But without that experience…”
“You can’t anticipate how someone’s going to react in a situation when it’s life or death,” Waverly filled in.
Xavier nodded, pleased that she got it. “Exactly. You can have all the training in the world and still freeze up when someone pulls a gun on you. Or in the case of some law enforcement, you can error on the trigger-happy side. We’re building a program now for traffic stops to help troopers determine real versus perceived threats.”
“X, that’s amazing,” Waverly said, impressed.
He shrugged lightly and pulled a vest from the locker.
