The muscles flexed as he tested his arm. “Nice. Much better than I could do. Thanks, Doc.”
“Anytime.” She tossed the towel down and laid a hand on his chest, just to feel the vital warmth of him. He was here; he was alive. They were all okay. This time. Her fingers moved in circles on his skin, stroking unconsciously as she absorbed the reality of him.
Slanting her a sinful look that was her only warning, he looped his good arm around her waist and swung her into the bathtub. “Keep me company while I shower. Strip.”
“Are you sure you're up for that? I mean, your arm still has to be sore, and you must be bone tired because I know
I
am.” Her mouth snapped shut when he just took her hand and wrapped it around his hardening erection. She grinned a little. “I guess you're up for it.”
“I guess so. Not enough energy left for any pleasure spells, so we're doing this the Normal way.” He shook his head, his smile rueful. “I'm half-dead, and I still want you.” And then he dropped his mouth to hers and all but inhaled her. The desperation in his touch reached down deep inside her, and her own chaotic emotions imploded.
She shoved her tongue into his mouth, drowning in the taste of him. He tugged at the hem of her shirt, pulling it up. The time it took to break the kiss and get her top over her head annoyed her. Her arms twined around his neck while he lobbed her shirt at the vanity, and she stood on tiptoe to press herself against his long, hard body. His teeth grazed her neck, and her pussy fisted, dampened, pulsed with want.
The pipes squealed in the wall, and Merek twisted so he blocked the initial blast of icy water. When had he turned on the faucet? Did it matter? She held on to him as he maneuvered them around until her back pressed to the wall, the tile cool on her flesh, and she gasped. Beads of water soaked through her clothes, trailed down her legs in a sensual caress.
Big hands cupped her hips, fingers hooking in the waistband of her pants to work them and her panties down. She kicked them away, impatient for the full length of his naked body against hers. The pleasure of it made her arch. Closer, deeper, yes.
The hair on his chest stimulated her nipples; the heat of his skin set her on fire. She stroked her fingers over him, needing to touch as much of him as she could reach, to assure herself that he was safe and whole. He bent her backward over his arm and closed his lips over her nipple, flicking the taut crest with his tongue, sucking it deep into his mouth.
A mew erupted from her mouth, and her nails dug into his chest as she tried to communicate her craving. He merely switched to her other nipple and offered it the same erotic treatment. Her body undulated against his, but it only served to make her burn hotter.
The water trickling down her flesh made her shiver. His lips sipped at her skin, her collarbone, her throat, her jaw, her nose, her eyelids. His hands moved over her body much the same way hers slid across his rougher flesh . . . a reassurance, a reverent worship.
“Chloe,” his voice was a breathless whisper, and the look in his eyes was so hot and tender, it made her heart stop.
And then utter panic hit.
No. She could feel it, the last of her defenses beginning to crack and crumble. A sob caught in her throat. She couldn't do it. She couldn't
need
him. Not like that. Not permanently. She refused. She would never, ever need anyone like that again. Not so much that losing them would shatter her.
Jerking back, she tried to rip herself from his embrace. Her hormones screamed a protest, but her mind knew better. Stumbling back, she tangled in her wet clothes and slipped on the slick tub. She would have fallen if Merek hadn't grabbed her, spun her so her front was plastered against the tile wall.
He pinned her there, his heavy weight keeping her upright. “Too late to run now, sweetheart.”
She hated that he might be right. Gods help her, but he felt good, amazing, perfect. His hand drew back and smacked against the fleshy part of her upper thigh, and she jolted, all her tight, twisting emotions snapping. His hard body made hers melt, made her thoughts dissolve and swirl down the drain with the water. There was only Merek, only this moment. The future didn't matter; the past was nothing. The present was everything. The present wasâ“Merek.”
“Chloe.” He kissed the nape of her neck, nipped at it.
Her heart hammered in her chest, blood pumping through her hot and fast. Flattening her palms to the shower wall, she sighed at the mix of incredible sensations. The thick steam in the air, the hot water, his slick skin sliding against hers. His hard muscles pressed to her back, and she arched her ass to rub herself against the heavy arc of his cock.
It was too much, and not enough. She wanted more, and knew she couldn't have it, couldn't even ask for it. How could she defend herself against
herself?
Those unruly, incendiary emotions she didn't want wrenched at her insides.
Wrapping his arms around her, he filled his hands with her breasts. She moaned when he tweaked her nipples. He circled them with the callused tips of his fingers until they were so stiff she thought she'd scream. When he pinched them hard and rolled them between his fingers, she had to bite her lip to keep from doing just that. So good. It was so perfect. He knew just how to touch her, just how to play her to make her give him anything and everything he wanted. Moisture burned her eyes while lust and craving clawed at her like wild things.
One of his hands moved to follow the slide of water droplets down her belly until he toyed with the soaking curls between her thighs. She let her head fall back against his shoulder, closing her eyes to savor the streaking ecstasy. If tears mingled with the water on her face, she hoped he didn't notice.
Those wicked fingers dipped in to stroke her clit, and her hands slithered down the slick wall until she could latch onto his forearm, pressing him deeper into her sex.
“More,” she pleaded. “Please, more.”
Two big fingers pushed into her pussy, and her muscles squeezed around him. His groan vibrated against her back. “So hot and tight for me, sweetheart. So creamy I can't wait to get inside you.”
“Don't wait.” Her head rolled on his broad shoulder, and she squirmed when his cock slipped between the globes of her ass.
He hummed in his throat and began pumping his long digits into her, adding another and another until she was stretched to the limit. Her wetness increased each time he filled her, the slide so exquisite she thought she'd die. She gasped for air, the thick steam making it that much harder to breathe.
“Inside me.” Another tear glided down her cheek. “Now. Please, now.”
“Soon.” He kissed the side of her throat, suckled the sensitive spot that connected her neck and shoulder.
It excited her more that she knew he'd fuck her when he was damn good and ready, no matter how she begged or teased. It was why she liked pushing his control, even as she utterly relied on that same quality.
The shower pounded down on them, the hot water nothing compared to the heat they generated. It sealed them together, made their skin slip and slide in an erotic dance that sent her pulse tripping. His hips bucked until the head of his cock nudged his plunging fingers, just barely stroked the lips of her pussy. Her nails dug into his arms, desperation beating through her.
He froze behind her, all movement jerking to a stop, and his breath erupted in a painful hiss. “Arm.”
“Oh. Gods.” Her fingers relaxed, and she jerked her hand away, regret washing through her. She turned her head to kiss his shoulder, her hands petting his skin in apology. “I'm so sorry.”
A rusty chuckle answered her. “Yes. Kiss me, lick me, touch me. Show me how sorry you are.”
Reaching around to grab the outsides of his muscular thighs, she grinned a little. “I'd be happy to kiss, lick, touch . . . or suck any part of you. Because I'm really, really sorry, of course.”
“Of course.” He bit the side of her neck just hard enough to make her jolt. Her insides clenched, and she whimpered when he withdrew his fingers from her greedy sex. “Later, I'm going to let you suck me hard, but right now I need inside your sweet little pussy so bad I'm dying.”
His fingers pulled her slick lips wide, held her open so his cock could spear into her pussy. One of her hands reached back to sink into his wet hair, and she twisted her torso enough that she could draw him down for a kiss. A shudder racked her body as his fingers toyed with her clit, tugged at her plumped pussy lips to emphasize just how wide he stretched her. He was big and hot and hard, and she screamed into his mouth when he pinched her clit.
It was perfect. Her throat closed on the need to cry, and she tightened her fingers in his hair as she ravaged his mouth, wanting him as close as he could be. Closer, after the terror of this evening, she needed all of him. He buried himself deep inside her, and it didn't feel like enough to satisfy her craving for him. Nothing ever could, and she sobbed against his lips.
He released her mouth. “Shh. Shh. It's all right, sweetheart. We're all right. I'm here. You're not alone.”
Something so huge and beautiful it scared her to even acknowledge it expanded in her chest until she couldn't breathe, could only hold on to him and hope it would never end, that it would always be this good, this sweet, this intense. Those weak, damnable tears continued to escape, and she couldn't stop shuddering as the jumbled emotions collided with the inexorable, rising tide of ecstasy.
“Merek,” she gasped, clamping her inner muscles on his cock.
He groaned; his hips rammed deep, slapping against her ass, driving her into the slippery tiles. “Chloe. My Chloe.”
Fiery tingles broke down her limbs, and she felt orgasm building deep inside her. Moans spilled from her throat every time he entered her. He rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts, hard and fast, the movements designed to shove her past her endurance.
He changed the angle of his penetration, and it was so right it sent her spinning. The breath froze in her lungs as her muscles gathered into one enormous pulse of pleasure. Her channel locked tight on his cock, and his hoarse groan and deep shudder told her she'd dragged him over the edge with her. Her fingers bunched in the wetness of his hair, holding him close as her pussy throbbed around him in waves so powerful she sobbed again. His hot come flooded her, and he rolled his hips, thrusting still deeper into her slick sex. She sagged against him, shutting her eyes as the physical and emotional storm swept through her, changed everything in its path, and left her drifting in its wake.
He stood there with her until the water turned chilly, his big hands stroking over her skin, cupping her breasts, her hips, the curve of her belly. Somehow he knew she needed the closeness as much as she'd needed the sexual release he could give her. Maybe he needed it too, because he didn't stop touching her even after his cock softened and slid from her body. He planted light kisses everywhere he could reach. He crooned to her, a soft wordless rumble of soothing comfort and assurance.
She stirred when the water turned off, felt like she was floating as he lifted her into his arms. “How long do we have until we have to catch our flight?”
Setting her on the counter, he ignored her gasp as the cold tile touched her bare backside. The sharp contrast with her hot, over-sensitized flesh made her shudder. He grabbed a towel and dried her, his touch gentle. “A couple of hours, maybe.”
“Okay.” She took the terry cloth from him and worked on her hair. “How did they find us today? Was it the blood tracking?”
He pulled another towel from the stack and swiped at the moisture on his skin. “No, they put out a reward for us in the Magickal community, and the elf who ran the campgrounds turned us in.”
“Asshole.” Her jaw clenched so tight the muscles twitched, her teeth grinding together as she fought the desire to hunt the bastard down and hurt him. Bad.
Merek looked away, shrugged. “He's dead. They killed him.”
That gave her pause, and she managed to wrench open her locked jaw to growl, “I wouldn't have wished him dead, but considering the danger he put us in and what happened to Alex, I can't say I'm sorry.”
“I kicked him when he was down.” He wiped the towel over his face and then scrubbed at his hair.
She blinked at him. “Seriously?”
“I needed a distraction.” His tone was defensive, but the look on his face was completely unrepentant.
Again, she just blinked. “I'm not sure if I should laugh or be horrified.”
He wrapped the towel around his waist. “A little of both probably isn't out of line.”
“All righty, then.” A grin broke across her face as she hopped off the counter to pick up her discarded shirt. Then she remembered that her yoga pants hadn't fared so well. “Um . . . you're going to need to go get me some clothes from my room. I can dry these magically, but not that fast. Not after all I've burned through tonight.”