Marie Harte - Roane

“Yeah, Derrick, keep your big mouth shut.” Hale frowned at the large male. “I swear, you’re worse than a woman, the way you talk.”

“Fuck you.” Derrick shoved Hale, who promptly shoved him back.

Someone landed a punch and then Ace, the resident hothead, joined the fray. A lamp, picture frame, and DVD player crashed to the floor before Roane stirred himself to break up the fight. Zack, damn his hide, stood in the far corner of the room with his arms crossed, looking satisfied.

“Thanks for helping.” Roane grunted, avoiding Derrick’s fist and knocking him to the floor. He rammed Ace into the wall and countered Hale’s attempted uppercut with a blow to his belly.

The others growled and groaned while Zack waited patiently. “I was waiting for Ace to get over the snit Kelly put him in. Thanks, guys.”

“It’s not a snit, asshole. Kelly pissed me off. She’s messing around with some other guy.

You telling me that doesn’t bother you?”

“Great, Zack.” Roane sighed. “Remind Ace why he was mad in the first place. I swear, you two were made for one another.” And how stupid was that to say, considering they all knew how awkward Ace felt about his intimate relationship with Zack.

“Hey, we can’t all be as happy as you are, Romeo,” Ace snarled. “Maybe if I’d been shoving my dick between some chick’s legs all fucking night I’d --” Ace lost the rest of what he might have said when Roane took him by the neck and lifted him off the ground against the wall.

“Mind what you say about the female,” Roane threatened. He changed in an instant, faster than he’d ever shifted before. Then again, he’d never been this mad. “Caitlyn’s a Circ.

You’ll treat her with respect, not as some whore on the block. She’s a decent woman who’s been through a lot. Don’t forget it.”

“Ah, Roane? You might want to ease up on his throat. I don’t think he can answer you without his windpipe,” Hale said dryly.

Roane dropped Ace to his feet, ignoring the annoyance in his eyes. “Zack, you get him under control before I do. I can guaran-damn-tee you, it won’t be pretty.” Zack nodded, his humor gone. “Come on, Ace. Stop being a dick. Caitlyn doesn’t deserve it.”

“She doesn’t, but Roane probably does,” Derrick added. “You know what they say, it all rolls downhill. And considering how badly this room smells, you can believe this is where it all hits the fan.” With a grin, he nodded to the clock. “When you ladies are done running your mouths, Doc wants to see us in Lab A, remember?” So much for meeting Caitlyn at breakfast.

“Sorry, Roane,” Ace muttered and shoved Zack ahead of him out the door. Derrick followed, but Hale stopped with Roane behind him.

“What now?” Roane asked.

“Might want to shower before you come down. Even to a less-sensitive nose, you smell like sex. You know Doc’s just dying to run some fertility tests. Wouldn’t want to give him a reason, now, would you?”

“Hell.”

“Dude, you are seriously losing it. Next time you’re making it with the ultrasexy Circ around the corner, keep it down, would you? I’m having a hard enough time holding it together without you and Caitlyn setting fire to my virgin sheets.” Hale left, and Roane took his shower as quickly as he could, knowing he had to reach the lab before Caitlyn arrived. God knew what those morons would say to her without him there.

After a quiet, solitary breakfast consisting of coffee and toast, Caitlyn found Kelly waiting for her by the door to the underground lab.

“I hope you had a good night’s rest. Doc’s excited by you being here. The man can lose all sense of time when he’s working. I have to remind him to eat, you know. Don’t be afraid to tell him when you get tired or hungry. Lord knows, the guys whine when they’ve had enough.” Kelly grinned, her dimples flashing.

“Thanks.” Her nerves flared. Oddly enough, Caitlyn felt more anxious about seeing Roane again than she did about going through Doc’s tests. She still couldn’t understand her behavior with the giant Circ. Incredible sex with a stranger who felt more familiar to her than any man she’d ever known. Baffling.

Kelly left her at a door marked Laboratory A. Entering, Caitlyn joined four of the squad. Roane and Doc remained absent. Her pulse settled into an easy rhythm. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with her lover right away. She had to work to tame the blush threatening to consume her. Oh, God. I have a lover.

“Caitlyn, you’re looking good this morning.”

Caitlyn cleared her throat and forced a smile at Hale. “Thanks, so are you.”

Was it her, or were the others avoiding eye contact?

“Ah, yeah, Caitlyn.” Derrick coughed into his hand. “Hope you had a decent night’s rest. God knows, I was up all night,” he added under his breath.

Hale glared at Derrick, and Caitlyn knew she was floating above the undercurrents in the room.

“So, what do you make of all this?” Zack asked her. “We volunteered for this crap. How did you fall into it?”

“My father. He was a soldier, fed the usual vaccines -- that weren’t all that usual.

Apparently, his genetics were altered enough that when I was conceived, I turned out a bit, well, different, according to Doc.”

“Man. Project Dawn started way before us. Who knew?” Ace asked. When he met Caitlyn’s gaze, he flushed. “I, ah, we haven’t talked much. I hope you’re enjoying your stay.” He turned even redder. “This has to be hard for you.” Derrick choked. “Hell. I mean, if there’s anything you need, we’re here to help.”

“I’ll say.” Derrick laughed hard, clutching his stomach.

“Nice, Ace.” Zack shook his head, disgusted.

“What are you three talking about?” Caitlyn stared suspiciously from Derrick to Ace.

Did they know what she and Roane had done last night? If he had so much as hinted at it, she’d kill him. Heat rushed into her cheeks.

“Ignore them, Caitlyn. Derrick’s an ass, and Ace has no idea how to talk to women,” Hale said with amusement. “Just ask Kelly.”

Ace opened his mouth to respond, caught Caitlyn’s look, and shut it.

She couldn’t help laughing. “This is like The Three Stooges, plus one.”

“I couldn’t have said that better myself,” Doc said as he stepped into the room. He nodded at everyone. “Where’s Roane?”

“Right here.” Roane stepped into the room, his shirt and shorts plastered to his battle-honed body, his hair wet, and his feet clad in flip-flops. Very beach bum, and so out of character for a male who looked like a recruitment poster for the Marines.

“Sorry I’m late. I was waylaid by an unavoidable delay this morning.” He gave his friends a dirty look.

They ignored him.

“I don’t want to know why you’re late, Roane. I never do.” Doc sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses. “This morning I’d like to run some tests --” Groans interrupted him. Caitlyn sympathized. She’d had enough samples taken from her yesterday. But her time spent in Pearson Labs reminded her that laboratory work could be extensive and time-consuming. She’d accept it as she did back then, especially since she had more at stake now. Like her life.

“Those tests will help us determine where Caitlyn falls into the Circ world we live in, gentlemen.”

Caitlyn perked. “I’m all for it if you can help me figure things out. I’ve thought about it, but I still don’t understand why this PPA would want me all of a sudden after the lab kicked me out three years ago. It makes no sense.”

“It does if you’re finally maturing into a full-blown Circ,” Doc explained. “You’re not atypical, Caitlyn. From what I’ve been observing, the males tend to mature faster than the females. Of course, it may be due to the regimen the males are exposed to, whereas the females are taken by the virus early on.”