Winterfall (17 page)

“Me, too. But I knew you’d come for me. I just knew.”

“Anytime. Anywhere.” His voice was hoarse. “Always.”

* * * *

Juliet woke with a start, a cry slipping from her throat.

“Shhh.” Mark’s deep, soft voice reassured her, as his strong arm tightened around her midsection. “It’s just a dream.”

She took a deep breath and drew in Mark’s warm, clean male scent and nervousness eased. Only the night light in the bathroom illuminated the room. He kissed her ear, and comfort and safety surrounded her. Her mind went back to what had happened after the guys had rescued her. Mark had held her for what seemed a long time. Soon the police arrived and they went out to meet them. What followed was hours of questions, investigation, and more questions. Detective Morrison was there, of course, and more than once Mark looked as if he wanted to throttle the man. She learned that her father remained unconscious and no one knew yet if he’d survive. Finally, she packed another bag and piled into the SUV with Mark, Adam and Ian. There was no way she’d stay in the house that night. Maybe not for many nights to come. But right now she was warm and safe. She turned toward Mark, and his palm rested on her stomach. The sweet intimacy of his closeness reassured and stimulated, making her body respond immediately with sensual awareness. She lay under the covers in a long nightshirt, while he lay on the bed on top of the covers. He wore only jeans, and she could see the carved perfection of his chest in the dim light.

“All right now?” he asked.

She laid her hand over his and savored the warmth. “Yes.”

“Bad dream?”

“I don’t remember.” She shifted away from the idea.

“Want to go back to sleep?”

“What time is it?”

He looked over at the bedside clock. “Eight.”

“Oh, God. I’ve slept that many hours?”

“It’s okay. You needed the rest.”

“What about you?” she asked.

“I’ve been downstairs until two hours ago. The General was briefing us on a new contract coming up next week.”

Right. Their lives would return to normal. At least as normal as things could become under this new, sometimes more violent world.

“Sorry I was presumptuous,” he said.

She frowned. “About what?”

“Crawling into your bed.”

She caressed his hand. “You’re mostly clothed and not even under the covers. You were a gentleman.”

He grinned. “I try.”

A wealth of need rose into her body, surging desire she wanted to act upon here. Now. She licked her lips. “Where do we go from here?”

His mouth kicked up into a cocky smile. “Anywhere you want. The General said you’re welcome to stay in this apartment for as long as you wish.”

Did she want to stay here? “I don’t think I could go back to my house for a while.” She shivered. “But I need to go back to work…my volunteer work with the fire department. Soon. And my accounting work.”

When the fire chief learned what happened, he’d said she should take as much time away as she needed.

He traced her jaw with a soft touch of his index finger. “Don’t push yourself.”

“Yes, sir.” She teased him, touching his hand and keeping it in place, warm along her cheek.

“Shh.” His voice eased over her in a deep, sensual tone. He stroked her neck, his thumb teasing her. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that you take the time off when your body and mind require it.”

He leaned forward and kissed her forehead. The touch of his lips made her shiver in delight. “Mark.”

“Mmm?”

Heat worked its way into her body, demanding attention. Yet she couldn’t assume what relationship he wanted. If she wanted to know, she had to ask and couldn’t put it off.

“Should I stay at Sentry Security? I don’t want to assume anything…anything about…us,” she asked.

He rolled away from her to sit on the edge of the bed and for a second a sharp panic spiked. But he switched on the bedside lamp and then returned to her side. In the full light she could finally see the serious, heated expression in his eyes. He leaned in closer, his body so hard and protective she felt every delicious pulse of energy between them.

“Assume this,” he said. “I want you in my life. When I realized that asshole Davis had you, I was terrified and angry. I’ve never been that scared in my life.”

She was floored. “You’ve been through wars…”

He caressed her shoulder. “It tore me up thinking of you in danger.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “I know this is quick, but I’m falling for you. Hard. Ever since I met you, I wanted you.”

She smiled, warmed and reassured despite all that happened earlier that day. “I want you, too.”

He grinned broadly. “Damn, those are the best words I’ve heard…ever.”

She laughed softly.

She ogled his chest again. God, he was
fine
. She’d fantasized what his physique would look like, and it was better than she’d imagined. Broad shoulders, carved biceps and forearms, muscled chest and yeah, a nice six pack. Dark hair sprinkled over his pecs, over his stomach and down into the waistband of his jeans. She reached up to touch his face and longed for more. Hunger burned in his eyes, and the desire she saw there spurred her on. Her lips parted, and his gaze dropped to her mouth. Oh, yeah. He wanted to kiss her.

And he did, finding her mouth with his own. Tender, seeking, asking. He treated her like the most delicate flower and tasted her with a steady sweetness that built inside her. Every stroke of his tongue against hers made the ache build. Liquid desire pooled low in her stomach as he deepened their kisses. Raw need burst inside her and demanded she take and give. He touched her everywhere, his palms passing over her nipples. She gasped into his mouth as a sting of pleasure darted from her nipples straight to her center. Her hands found his face, cupped and shaped the strength under her fingers. Every brush of his stubble against her skin, each caress of his hands over sensitive flesh, pushed them higher and higher. He kissed her relentlessly, dragging his mouth over her neck, torturing sensitized flesh. She could hear his breathing coming faster, mingling with her own.

She tore her mouth from his and said, “Get under the covers.”

Mark released her long enough to shuck his socks, jeans and briefs. He tossed the clothing away and stood at the side of the bed long enough for her to admire the magnificence of his body. His long, muscled legs were gorgeous, and his cock was fully erect. Gnawing need made her sit up and draw the t-shirt off her body. She shimmed out of her panties. She’d never shucked her clothes and bared herself to any man this quickly and eagerly. She couldn’t wait to lie naked with him and feel anything and everything.

As he crawled under the covers with her, he groaned with appreciation, touching her here and there with reverence and eagerness. “God. You’re beautiful.”

She basked in his approval. “Mmm. Thank you.” She skimmed her palms over his physique, loving how his muscles rippled. The hair on his chest teased her fingers. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

His grin said he liked the admiration he saw in her eyes. When he kissed her, he held nothing back, every touch of his hands on her body betraying how he craved bringing their bodies together. Juliet arched as he shifted and allowed her to feel the power in his muscular frame. His erection pressed against her stomach, every inch hard and thick. Her core ached, a flutter starting high up inside and teasing her with possibilities.

He didn’t stop caressing her, cupping first one breast and then the other. Callused fingers against her flesh sent sparklers of reaction dancing along her skin.

“So pretty,” he whispered reverently.

His tongue flicked over her nipples, and she gasped. Promise of sensual discovery heightened her senses, and she closed her eyes and savored pure delight.

“God these are sweet,” her murmured against her nipple, then suckled.

“Oh.” Her groan was a plea. “You’re torturing me.”

“I’ve waited for this. Wanted this.” He whispered the words as he worked her nipples and stroked them with his fingers.

The relentless caresses made her clutch at his shoulders and hold on for the ride. “Mark.”

His palm smoothed over her thigh, and he eased away and threw the covers back. He found her wet and ready, and dipped one finger inside…eased another within. She gasped.

“Okay?” he asked softly.

“Better than okay.” She almost choked on the words.

He teased her, stroking in and out, slowly bringing forth more of her arousal. Each glide of his fingers brought pleasure so exquisite, her eyes widened and she moaned.

“Mark,” she gasped his name, the plea unmistakable.

Orgasm promised, so close. So close. Wouldn’t be long now.

He drew his fingers out and teased her clit until a growing tingle grew into a hotter flame. She grabbed his biceps, her breathing now rapid, panting as she rode the rising tide. One last touch and she soared. She came apart, groaning and shaking as beautiful climax broke and spilled over. She floated, lost in sensation headier and more intoxicating than any she’d known. He ravished her with new kisses, deep and drugging tastes that consumed and replenished. She responded with all she possessed. She reached between them and touched his erection. He groaned and folded his fingers over hers, allowing her stroke, so slow and sure.

“Can’t take it,” he said on a gasp and gently pried her fingers away. “I’ve gotta be inside you.”

His eyes told the truth, blazing and hot with an animal intensity that demanded a finish. He moved away long enough to leave the bed and enter the bathroom for a condom. When he returned a moment later, he climbed into the bed.

Once more he kissed her, but she murmured against his lips. “Take me.”

Juliet wanted him inside her. Now. To show her what his body could do with and to her. He eased between her legs, and propped on his forearms to look down on her. The feral look in his eyes said he desired her with an urgency that renewed her fire.

His cock eased slow, spreading her open. His thickness made her moan, but only in pure delight. Deeper. Deeper until his hips were flush against hers, connecting them so closely she wanted this moment to remain in her memory forever. She clenched around his cock, and his breath hissed inward. She drew her legs up, twined them around his hips. She clung to his shoulders, hot with a fever she never wanted to escape. She’d imagined before what it would feel like with him buried inside her, but nothing prepared Juliet for reality.
Oh, my God.
Heat seared her. Lifting her hips, she urged him to move.

His hips stirred, thrusting in and out with a rhythm that brought a heady intoxication. As their bodies took on the dance, Juliet fell into the trance. They found their pace, and it was languid, fluid. When she opened his eyes, he stared down at her. The hot look in his eyes fueled the fire building inside her like a firestorm. His cock teased sensitive flesh deep within, and as that fire increased, she couldn’t take it anymore. Desperate sounds left her throat, moans that begged.
Oh, God.
She
would
beg if he didn’t end her torment.

“What do you want?” he asked, his question guttural. “Tell me.”

Her need ripped from her. “Faster. Harder.”

Heat flamed in her face as a wicked smile flashed over his expression. “Oh, yeah.”

Their movements increased, charging forward with a relentless beat. All the darkness they’d experienced in such a short time, all of it fell away in the blinding ecstasy. She’d never been this free, never known erotic sensations as powerful. She closed her eyes and clung to him, throwing her head back as the fire throbbed high up inside her. The tingle grew, her flesh throbbing around his as the friction became too much. She cried out as she hit a peak, shaking and moaning as he continued his hard thrusts. A few seconds later a harsh groan came from his throat, and his body shook as he came. Climax shuddered through him, and she felt the throb inside her. Seconds later he fell into her arms.

“Juliet.” Her name on his lips, a gasp of exertion, sounded like heaven to her ears. “You’re amazing.”

“Me? That was…I have no words for how incredible that was.” Her throat felt raw with unshed tears, but she held them back.

He rolled to the side. When he left a moment later for the bathroom, she lay on the bed with her eyes closed, dazzled and amazed. When he returned to the bed, the hunger inside her hadn’t given way. He cuddled her close, drawing her across him so that her leg slung across his thighs and her head rested on his chest. She smoothed her hand down his stomach, over hard, ridged flesh until she bumped—

She encountered a new erection. Her eyes popped open and she looked up at his face.

A grin touched his mouth. “Yeah, I’m surprised, too. That’s never happened to me before.” His grin faded. “Can you…”

“Can I?” She didn’t have a doubt. “Oh, just watch me.”

“Have your way with me.”

She laughed softly.

She saw he’d thrown another condom on the bedside table. She reached for it, opened it, and held the disk in her fingertips. He hissed in a breath as she slipped it down his long length. With a groan of anticipation, she straddled him. Slid down, down his length until he filled every inch of her. With an eagerness born of pure passion, she closed her eyes and started the ride. At first she took him with a languid pace. He bent his knees and helped her. He growled low in his throat as she rode him faster, working hard, grinding. Her whimpers of pleasure brought moans from low in his throat. Primitive sounds that urged her to quicken. She flattened her hands on his chest as he powered his hips upward and added to the escalating crisis. Her head fell back. It was too much. So fast. The feelings swept upward, the heat throbbing and building. God, it was so—

Yes. Yes.
“Oh!”

Her cry brought a growl from Mark as he shook in orgasm. She shivered and whimpered, delighting in the sharp pleasure that pulsed low in her belly and rolled out in spirals that threatened to never end. He drew her down into his arms. Time passed, she didn’t know how long. Their hearts slowed and the beauty of what had happened between them overwhelmed them. Tears flowed down her cheeks.