"Shadow Game" - читать интересную книгу автора (Feehan Christine)

out his breath slowly, shrugged his broad shoulders casually, another ripple of
menace. He didn't feel casual. Everything inside of him stilled. Calmed.
Reached. He studied the woman. Her eyes were incredible, but wary. Intelligent.
Knowledgeable. As if she recognized him, too, in some elemental way. Her eyes
were a deep startling blue, like the middle of a clear, fresh pool. A man could
lose his mind, his freedom in eyes like hers. She was average heightЧnot tall,
but not exceedingly short. She had a woman's figure encased in a gray-green suit
of some kind that managed to draw attention to every lush curve. She had walked
with a decided limp, but when he looked her over for damage, he could see
nothing to indicate injury. More than all of that, the moment he saw her face,
the moment she entered the room, his soul seemed to reach for hers. To recognize
hers. His breath stilled in his body and he could only stare at her.
She was looking back at him and he knew the sight wasn't very reassuring. At his
best, he looked a warriorЧat his worst, he looked a savage fighter. There was no
way to soften his expression or lessen the scars on his face or shave off the
dark stubble marring his stubborn jawline. He was stocky with a fighter's
compact build, carrying most of his weight in his upper body, his chest and
arms, his broad shoulders. His hair was thick and black, and it curled when it
wasn't kept tight against his skull.
"Captain Miller." Her voice was soothing, gentle, pleasant. Sexy. A blend of
smoke and heat that seared him right through his belly. "How nice to meet you.
My father thought I might be of some use in the research. I haven't had much
time to go over the data, but I'll be happy to try to help."
He had never reacted so forcefully to a voice before. The sound seemed to wrap
him up in satin sheets, rubbing and caressing his skin until he felt himself
break out in a sweat. The image was so vivid that for a moment he could only
stare at her, imagining her naked body writhing with pleasure beneath his. In
the midst of his struggle to survive, his physical reaction to her was shocking.
Color crept up her neck, delicately tinged her cheeks. Her long lashes
fluttered, drifted down, and she looked away from him to her father. "This room
is very exposed. Who came up with the design? I would think it would be a
difficult way to live, even for a short period."
"You mean like a lab rat?" Ryland asked softly, deliberately, not wanting any of
them to think they were fooling him by bringing in the woman. "Because that's
what I am. Dr. Whitney has his own human rats to play with."
Lily's dark gaze jumped to his face. One eyebrow shot up. "I'm sorry, Captain
Miller, was I misinformed, or did you agree to volunteer for this assignment?"
There was a small challenge in her voice.
"Captain Miller volunteered, Lily," Peter Whitney said. "He was unprepared for
the brutal results, as was I. I've been searching for a way to reverse the
process but so far, everything I've tried has failed."
"I don't believe that's the proper way to handle this," Colonel Higgens snapped.
He glared at Peter Whitney, his bushy brows drawing together in a frown of
disapproval. "Captain Miller is a soldier. He volunteered for this mission and I
must insist he carry it out to its conclusion. We don't need the process
reversed, we need it perfected."
Ryland had no trouble reading the colonel's emotions. The man didn't want Lily
Whitney anywhere near Ryland or his men. He wanted Ryland taken out behind the
laboratories and shot. Better yet, dissected so they could all see what was
going on in his brain. Colonel Higgens was afraid of Ryland Miller and the other