by Desiree Holt
He stroked the cloth over her shoulders again and her breasts, taking his time, dipping it in the water and squeezing the drops in a sensual dance over her skin. The warm water was like a cocoon, the lavender-scented air both hypnotic and an aphrodisiac. She was content to lie there, the events of the past hours forgotten, while Marc seduced her senses.
Her eyes popped open when he dipped his hand between her thighs, the tactile feel of the washcloth kissing the soft skin of her mound and the crease where thigh and hip met. An uncontrolled moan burst from her when the cloth was replaced by his fingers stroking her slit, caressing the skin. She bent her legs, planted her feet on the bottom of the tub and tried to raise her hips to give him better access.
His low, rough laugh was an aphrodisiac in itself, stroking her senses and ramping up her need.
“Relax,” he murmured again. “Stay still. Don’t do a thing. This is all on me.”
But staying still was close to impossible, especially when he moved his fingers back between the lips of her pussy, a leisurely movement that was driving her insane one increment at a time. She reached down to wrap her fingers around his wrist when he began to caress her clit, rubbing the tip of a finger over it, giving it a light pinch then stroking again.
When he nudged her thighs with his hand, she let them fall apart, silently offering every bit of her body to him. He teased her opening, glided his fingertip over her clit, slipped his hand up to give each nipple a gentle pinch. Then he left every erogenous zone hungry for his touch as he kneaded her muscles in gentle strokes. Between his incredible massage and the scent of lavender that invaded her nostrils and soothed her body, the tension flowed like a slow river from her body.
She leaned her head back, eyes still closed, and just gave herself over to the relaxed feeling. The last twelve hours had seemed more like twelve days, and this was exactly what she needed to get it out of her system. The fear that had wound itself around her when the two men had grabbed her that morning had not let go until she and Marc were back here at her place. Even in the safety and security of the sheriff’s office, with Slade and Beau in full battledress, she’d kept expecting something to happen.
But now here she was, relaxing in this great tub, with Marc soothing her and pushing everything to the back of her mind. Who would ever have thought this man who had been in a dark place for so long could be so intuitive, unselfish and caring?
She was drifting on a cloud of sensuous lassitude when the pinch of his fingers on her clit brought her back to the present. Another pinch. Then he slid his fingers deep inside her and curled them before slowly easing them out.
Her breath caught in her throat. She tried to close her thighs together, trapping his hand, but he just gave her another of those low, erotic, guttural laughs.
“Didn’t I tell you to just relax and let me do all the work? And remember to keep those eyes closed.”
He threaded the fingers of one hand through her hair and tugged her head toward his own. Leaning a little closer, he ran his tongue over her lips, licking the seam. She opened her mouth and welcomed him inside, dancing her tongue with his, drinking in his taste.
She was so lost in the excitement of the kiss that at first it didn’t register that he’d slid two fingers into her again, using his thumb to tease her clit. Delicious shivers raced over her body, intensified by her inability to close her thighs and squeeze. The day’s bad stuff feathered away like disappearing smoke. She moaned into his mouth at the fluttering in her internal muscles, the signal that an orgasm was building.
Marc plundered her mouth, licking every bit of it, sliding his tongue over hers, coaxing her to do the same. And all the while his hand was busy at her sex, fucking her with his fingers while he tormented her clit.
The orgasm exploded without warning. One minute she was rising on a tide of need, the next her sex was clamping down on his hand, muscles spasming, her entire body shaking with the force of it. Marc was right there with her, driving her through it then coaxing her down from the high, his mouth still fused to hers.
At last the tremors subsided and her pulse slowed its erratic beat. Marc lifted his mouth from hers.
“Open your eyes, darlin’.” His voice was low and hot.
Nikki fluttered her eyelids open and stared into Marc’s aged-whiskey eyes where heat and humor danced together. She smiled at him and lifted a hand, laying it against his cheek, loving the rough feel of his late-day scruff.
“Thank you.” She whispered the words, afraid if she spoke too loudly, she’d break the spell he’d woven.
He grinned. “My pleasure.”
“Actually, I think it was all mine.”
“Let’s get you out of here. I’m not nearly finished with your relaxation treatment.”
Her pulse sped up a notch.
“Oh? Exactly what else did you have in mind?”
“You’ll just have to wait and see. Here you go.”
He lifted her out of the tub and stood her on the mat. While the water drained, he wrapped her in one of the big bath towels taken from a hook and dried her with a tenderness that almost brought her to her knees. Finished, he carried her into the bedroom where he ripped back the covers on the bed and placed her on the sheets.
“Hang on a minute.”
She heard him rattling things in the kitchen. Then he was back holding a glass of the white wine she’d had chilling. He propped her up with the pillows fluffed behind her then handed her the goblet.
“Take it slow,” he joked. “Don’t want you getting drunk before I get back.”
She sat up so sharply a little of the wine sloshed over on her hand, and she licked it off.
“Back from where?”
“The shower. Can’t make love to my best girl smelling like a garbage pit.”
Her heat clenched. “Best girl? Is that what I am?”
“Moving too fast for you?” He sat on the edge of the bed and cupped her chin in his palm. “I think today was worth at least a month of taking it slow. Danger does that to you. When you were missing and I couldn’t find you, I almost had a heart attack.”
“Me, too. When I realized what was going on.”
“I know it hasn’t been that long for us, Nikki, but when I’m not on a mission with the team you’re all I think about. I can’t say I never thought I’d feel this way about anyone again, because this is more than I ever felt before.”
“Oh, Marc.” She stroked his face. “I’m—”
“Ssh.” He touched his fingers to her lips. “Don’t say anything now. I know it’s happening for us, even if you aren’t sure yet. And I thought I’d be the very last person ever to feel this. To risk my heart again. So let it be ‘best girl’ for now and we’ll see where it goes from there.”
The words bubbled up in her throat but stuck there before she could get them out. Instead, she leaned forward and pressed her mouth to his, trying to put her feelings into the contact. She was stunned that with his history, he was already wanting to take this step. She wanted it, too, but she’d lost one love who’d died. Marc didn’t have a disease, but he had a career that put him in constant danger. They’d never discussed it and now wasn’t the time. She wasn’t sure she had as much courage as he did, but didn’t want to ruin what they had going on either. Especially not after today.
She let out a slow breath. “I’m good with that. Now go take your shower. I can’t wait to see your naked body.”
He chuckled and saluted. “Yes, ma’am. On my way, ma’am.”
Nikki leaned back against the pillows, sipping the wine, thinking how much better the day had ended than it had begun.
Marc let the hot water sluice down on him, washing away the dirt and tension of the past hours. Had he pushed it too far with Nikki too soon? He hoped not, but after the almost paralyzing fear of losing her today, he was filled with more emotion that he knew what to do with. Than he’d ever felt in his life. And that wasn’t like him.
This was so different than it had been
with Ria. That had been all fire and flame, so intense it had consumed him. As he thought about it now, standing under the water, he realized that almost all the memories he had of their time together had to do with sex. Even when they went out, to dinner or whatever, she was all over him, teasing him, seducing him with an almost frantic need. In hindsight he realized it was the drugs, ramping her up and blocking everything else out. She was addicted to sex as much as she was to the drugs themselves.
They’d never made love. They’d fucked.
And now, with Nikki, he knew the difference. It was the emotion, something he’d always been good about hiding. The sex was different, too. Less frantic, although much more intense. It was more about giving than taking. Touching. Feeling. Sensing. When he slipped his cock inside her, the feeling outweighed any other emotion he’d ever had. They joined together. Became one.
This week, in his mind, was all about exploring what they had to see if it was real. But when she’d gone missing then had been in critical danger, any questions had been answered. If anything had happened to her, the fallout for him would have far surpassed Ria’s betrayal. The reality of his feelings for her had smacked him hard.
As he scrubbed himself with her body wash, he felt as if her hands were the ones cleansing him. He closed his eyes, remembering her fingers on his chest, brushing his tight nipples. The lick of her tongue across his abdomen. The warmth of her palm cupping his balls. The heat of her mouth as she took his shaft into it. And the incredible sensation of sliding into her pussy and feeling those tight muscles clamp around him.
He had it bad.
He wasn’t at all sure how to take things to the next level. He knew Nikki still harbored dark emotions from the death of her fiancé. Was she ready for a deeper relationship with him? Could they make it work with him in Delta? He knew that not everyone was cut out for that life.
Jesus, Blanchard, shut the fuck up. You’ve got a few steps to go before sending out wedding announcements.
Maybe so, but it wasn’t too early to put all he had into showing her how he felt. He finished rinsing off, dried himself and strode into the bedroom where Nikki was stretched out on the bed waiting. For him. His cock, which he had forcefully diminished to half-mast in the shower, swelled with need at the sight of her naked body and the simple classic beauty of her face. The stormy gray eyes looking out from behind a thick curtain of lashes flared with desire, despite the god-awful day. Her rosy nipples just begged to be sucked and the sight of her glistening sex almost made him come standing there.
Almost. But not quite.
Not until he’d had his fill of every inch of her, inside and out.
He took another long look at her, assessing the bruise on her jaw. The gelpaks had kept the swelling way down and the wine, he was sure, had dulled the edge of the pain. Was he being a selfish animal because all he could think of was making love to her? Maybe he should let her sleep.
“Shut off your brain,” she told him. “I can smell the smoke, it’s working so hard.”
“I just want to be sure you’re okay. I want you so bad, but you’ve had a very rough day. I need to put what you’re feeling first. We can make love any time.”
Her smile was like an arrow straight to his heart.
“I won’t be okay if you don’t get up here with me, Marc.” She pushed herself up on her elbows. “Yes, I’ve had a frightening day. Yes, it could have been a lot worse. But don’t you understand? This”—she waved her hand between the two of them—“is what makes me feel better. Feel whole again. Come here, Marc. Let’s love each other and shut out the world.”
He blew out his breath in a soft whoosh.
“Okay, then.”
He climbed onto the bed, kneeled between her thighs and took another moment to drink in the sight of her. When she ran her tongue over her lips in a slow sweep, he couldn’t wait any longer. He lowered his head and touched his mouth to hers, licking the place where her tongue had touched the soft skin.
Delicious.
Hungry for more, he eased his tongue inside her mouth and lapped every surface. She slipped her own tongue over his and drew him into an erotic dance that fired every one of his nerves. He scraped his teeth over the surface of her skin, eliciting an sensual little moan from her, so he did it again. She slipped her hands up along his arms and shoulders until she was able to thread her fingers through his hair, holding his head in place. He took the kiss even deeper, urged on by the sexy little sounds she was making. He only lifted his mouth when he needed to breathe again.
Her mouth was kiss-swollen and shiny, her eyes flaring with hunger and need. He took a tiny bite from her lower lip before dipping his head to capture one rosy nipple between his own lips. When he had worked it to a rich, dark rose, he turned his attention to the other one, giving it the same treatment. The sexy little moans that Nikki kept making only ramped up the need raging through him.
He coasted his lips down the soft skin, loving the faint lavender flavor of the bathwater that clung to her. He paused to swirl his tongue in her delightful belly button, then slid lower on the bed so he could trace a line from one ankle up the inside of the leg, over to the other leg and down the soft flesh to its ankle.
Her moans grew louder and were punctuated with little sounds that made his balls ache. At last, he lifted her legs to rest on his shoulders, stared for a hard moment at the glistening pink of the lips of her cunt, then with a light touch traced the tip of a finger the length of her wet slit.
“Oh, god!” The words burst from her and she lifted her hips toward his touch.
He inhaled the sweetness of her musk then flicked the tip of his tongue over her clit. Then he did it again. And again, before pressing the pink lips apart and thrusting deep inside her hot, slick channel. And holy shit. Every nerve in his body fired as her taste coated his flesh. Taking her clit between thumb and forefinger, he pinched it as he worked his tongue in and out in a quickening rhythm.
Nikki hooked her ankles behind his neck and thrust herself at him, her little whimpers growing louder as he worked his tongue faster and faster. He drew his mouth back and thrust two fingers inside her, scissoring them, curling them so the tips scraped the sensitive sweet spot. He added a third finger, still working her clit, increasing the speed of his movements.
When her inner muscles clenched harder, he slipped his little finger down between the cheeks of her ass, just barely touching her opening back there. He bit down on her clit and it was enough to send her over the edge. She flooded his hand with her liquid, arching up to him, as spasms rocked her. He rode her through it until the last flutter subsided and she went limp. Then he kissed his way up her body until he reached her mouth, pressing his lips to hers and sharing her taste with her.
He slid his mouth across her undamaged cheek to take a soft nibble of her earlobe. Then, bending her knees back, he drove into her very wet pussy, immersing himself completely with one thrust.
Holy fucking shit!
He had to close his eyes and grit his teeth to keep from coming then and there. This was more than hot sex. There was so much emotion around and between them that everything was intensified. Nikki locked her heels at the small of his back, pressing him more tightly into her hot, wet sheath, her inner muscles clamping down on him until he had to work hard to maintain control. He didn’t want this to be over before it had hardly begun.
Drawing in a deep breath, he began a slow in-and-out movement, his cock so thick and swollen it filled every inch of her. As he picked up the tempo, her body again responded to him and tensed as another orgasm began building.
“Don’t hold back,” she whispered. “I’m ready again.”
Okay, then.
He increased his pace, her slick flesh heating his shaft. In and out. Back and forth. With her legs wrapped around him, she held him to her and matched his rhythm. The muscles at the small of his back tightened and his balls drew up, and he exploded, erupted into her welcoming body with the force of a rocket. Tremors sh
ook him, shook them both, as they climaxed together.
It seemed to go on forever before they both began to slide down from the high. Marc held her to him, not knowing whose heartbeat was shaking them harder or whose breath was raspier.
Then they were quiet. Nikki slid her legs from around his body and he fell forward, catching his weight on his forearms. When he opened his eyes, she was looking directly at him with her eyelids lowered, cheeks rosy, face flushed with satisfaction, and…something else. A deep emotion he hadn’t seen there before. Or was it just wishful thinking on his part?
As he was trying to figure out what to say, she wet her lips.
“Am I imagining things or is this…different?”
“It’s different.” He answered her without thinking. “And not because of what happened today. Although, when I thought I might have lost you, I was afraid my heart would stop altogether.”
He brushed his mouth over hers. When the tip of her tongue came out so she could lick him, a shiver skated down his spine.
“What’s happening here, Marc? Are we going too fast?”
He shook his head. “I think we’re going at just the right pace. Our week in paradise kind of got shot to shit, and I don’t know what the rest of this week will bring, but damn, Nikki. I want this, whatever it is.”
“Me, too.” She ran her fingers through his damp hair. “I don’t know what it is, either, but can we take it one day at a time?”
He wanted to tell her he wanted all the days, but he knew she was dealing with a lot more issues than he was.
“We can take it any way you want. As long as we do it together.”
Chapter Eleven
How did this all turn upside down? And why am I being kept from Malik? Do they think I won’t finish what I need to do? I’m sure they are going to kill Malik. I am only sad that he will not die with glory and honor.
Jamal sat at the big dining room table, these and similar thoughts running through his brain as he did his best to focus on his work. What he was doing was complicated enough by itself and distractions weren’t helping. But twenty-four hours had passed and he still hadn’t seen Malik. Salman kept assuring him his friend was receiving medical attention, but Jamal wasn’t so sure. He wanted to lay eyes on him to reassure himself. And he did not like the attitude of Rafiq at all.
