Gage’s fingers wrapped around her upper arms. He pulled her into his lap, settling her effortlessly and cradling her against his chest. He even rocked her. Marley’s sob turned into a giggle, a sound she hadn’t made in years.
“What’s so funny?”
“I might have broken down, but I’m still not a cradling kind of woman.” But she used to be. Maybe it was okay to allow some of that back in. Her head fit just right in the curve of his shoulder, and his scent was as warm, spicy, and enticing as the cocoa had been. The shirt was soft, his thighs hard, and his arms encircled her protectively.
“My mistake. I thought you needed comforting.” He bent his head to nuzzle her, sending a cascade of tingles over her skin. She drew a sharp breath at the desire that followed it, the need to touch and be touched overwhelming everything else.
“No, comfort’s not really what I need,” she half whispered. She slowly tilted her head up until her mouth brushed over his. His tongue flicked out for a half-second taste. Marley shuddered and twisted her hand into his shirt.
“You said this was bad,” Gage reminded her, but he’d shifted one hand to her rib cage, spreading his fingers to tease the side of her breast.
“It is. It’s the worst idea I’ve had in five years.” But she pulled herself up and sealed her mouth to his. God, it was such a perfect fit. And damn, he knew how to use that mouth.
For a few seconds. Then he pulled back again. “Worse than belly-crawling through half a mile of ductwork?” His free hand slid up her thigh and under the hem of her fleece shorts.
“Oh, much worse.” She nipped his bottom lip. He didn’t take the hint.
“Worse than taking on those kids alone and getting knifed in the process?”
“A little worse than that.” Since he wouldn’t give her his mouth, she twisted to feast on his neck. She tongued the muscle running up to his ear and latched onto his lobe with her teeth. Her mouth curved when he hissed in pleasure. His hands tightened on her. “I won’t beg,” she whispered in his ear. “But you will.”
In an instant he’d lifted her, turned her to straddle him, and had her tank top off, all in almost a single motion. Impressive. While his hands stroked her back and sides, fingertips tracing lightly over the sites of her now-healed injuries, she pushed his shirt up, wanting his heat, his skin against her. His abs sidetracked her, though, and she left the shirt bunched at his chest while she counted the ridges. She’d never have guessed he was this muscled. Lean and nicely proportioned, yes. But ripped? It was a nice surprise.
She ran her hands higher, humming over his pecs and squeezing his shoulders. He reached back and pulled the shirt off over his head, giving her full access. He tasted hot and salty and masculine when she tongued his collarbone, chest, neck. When she sucked hard under his jaw he gripped her head in both hands and brought her mouth back to his. They kissed hungrily, tongues tangling, mouths open and carnal, their breaths coming out in moans.
Marley arched, the rasp of his skin against her tight nipples sharply sweet. The ache between her legs intensified to an almost unbearable level. She shifted to bring her hips closer to his and let out a long moan when his erection landed in exactly the right place. His pants and her shorts were hardly a barrier to the hot length against her. Her position didn’t allow her much freedom of movement, but she rubbed herself against him, wrapping her arms around his head when he bent to her breast. His tongue, his teeth, his stubble, all created shivering sensations she’d never felt before. She cried out, part pleasure, part frustration.
Gage slid both hands inside her shorts, gripping her hips and rocking her against him.
Pleasure shot through her. “Oh, God. Gage…” She clung to him, tightened her inner muscles in an effort to put off what was about to happen. “Gage, wait.” But he growled against her neck and yanked her hard against him. The orgasm hit her like a freight train. Marley could only fling her head back and cry out as her body jerked in his arms.
“Jesus Christ, you’re beautiful,” Gage breathed. She had risen up on her knees and he had his head back, too, so he could drink her in. “I want to see that again.”
She didn’t tell him that wasn’t likely. She’d only ever had one at a time, and never any as amazing as the one he’d just given her. She lowered herself back to his lap and kissed him, reveling in the thunder of his heartbeat against her breastbone and the still-rigid length of him between her thighs.
This kiss was long and deep, a slow exploration of each other. Gage somehow shifted them without breaking the kiss, laying her on her back and settling over her. He reached down to bend one of her knees, seating himself more snugly against tissue that was moist, swollen, and surprisingly ready for more.
Gage kissed her eyelids, the corners of her mouth. He nibbled her earlobes and nuzzled her neck until gooseflesh rose all over her body. He ran his hands over the tiny bumps on her thigh and grunted in satisfaction while he kissed her collarbone. “Nice.”
“You don’t have to do this.” She wrapped her hands in his hair and closed her eyes, waiting for the moment his lips and tongue and teeth attacked her nipple. But he was so damned slow to get there. “I’m good. You can just—oh!” He’d rocked his hips again, his cock rubbing her clit and making it very clear she was more than good. “Oh, God.”
The ache between her legs had returned, double, and she tugged on his waistband. They were locked too tightly together for her to get his pants down. He rose up enough to wriggle them off and shove them to the floor with his foot before making equally quick work with her shorts.
Before Marley could ask the obvious question, she heard a familiar crinkle. She decided not to ask him where he’d gotten the condom and just be grateful he had one nearby. But he didn’t use it yet. Instead, he rolled to her side and slid his hand down her abdomen slowly enough to build desperate anticipation. Her breath shuddered out of her accompanied by a keen that sounded very much like begging. His fingers circled through her moisture, back up to her clit, then down to plunge inside her and press upward. Marley was damned glad there was no one else in the apartment—or on this part of the floor—because she had no control anymore. Gage had taken over her body and seemed to drink in every cry she made.
She squeezed his fingers. He groaned and pushed them deeper, rolling closer to kiss her again. As their tongues wrapped and glided, Marley reached down to touch him for the first time. He was magnificent, hot and hard and smooth, and she had to have him right now. Not loosening her grip, she dragged him back on top of her and guided him where she wanted him.
Gage muttered something she couldn’t understand and moved away far enough to roll on the condom before he repositioned himself and pushed slowly, perfectly, into her. From there, it was all sensation, even more intense than the first time she came. She wanted it to go on forever but it rushed toward her again, her ecstasy fed by the awareness of how close Gage was, too. She didn’t know how, but she could feel that every thrust took him closer and closer. They tensed together, gripping each other so tightly they could barely move except the most important parts. Gage ground out her name, not a shout but a plea, and she gave him everything. They came together in fireworks Marley would have sworn were real, and the throbbing went on and on until they were too spent to move anymore.
…
She didn’t remember falling asleep. She didn’t dream and didn’t wake until ten o’clock the next morning, still entwined with Gage. Completely entwined. He’d threaded his fingers with hers and cradled their hands between their chests. His face was buried in her neck, one leg wrapped around her knee with his foot hooked below her calf. As if she’d disappear if he wasn’t touching every part of her.
She stared up at the ceiling. She should feel trapped. Panicky. More alone than she’d been yesterday or last year. She should have already moved away and gotten into the shower, planning what she’d say to keep him from trying to take this relationship further.
Her right hand wound up in Gage’s hair, her f
ingers sliding through the shaggy silkiness. She was forced to admit that none of that was going to happen. The circumstances had shown her a Gage Samargo she couldn’t push away. He’d called her loyal, but the trait was his to claim. Yet he didn’t hesitate to compromise when that seemed the prudent action, even if it strained the relationships that were most important to him.
He hadn’t judged her feelings over Anson’s death or put blame on her that she deserved. He’d been ready to fight for her. He could have tried to drag Aiden away but let him go with the enemy because Marley was hurt. Then he’d taken care of her when she’d gone slightly insane.
Ah. There it was. The very logical, inarguable reason they couldn’t be together. Except she’d told them all last night that she wasn’t being affected by the flux. She could hardly reverse herself now and make mental illness a barrier to a relationship. How could she allow this to go further, though, knowing what he went through with his mother’s suicide?
Maybe it won’t get worse.
Yeah, if she never nullified another person or absorbed any energy directly from Cressida, maybe it wouldn’t. But there was very little chance of that. Even if they somehow eliminated Cress as a threat tomorrow—and they currently had no idea how to do that—Marley would have to nullify anyone who had flux already. Especially if they took away the supplier. Then they’d be looking for an alternative, and leeching was the top option. If they got enough goddess power, they could have permanent access to the energy. At least, that was what Anson claimed would happen after he’d drained Quinn. Maybe the sun being the initial source would make that even easier.
Even for the guys who didn’t try to go that route, what was to prevent them from becoming like the addicts they’d found last night?
“You’re thinking too loud.” Gage’s eyelashes flitted against the skin under her jaw. “You woke me up.”
“Sorry.” She stroked a little more firmly into his hair and could have sworn he purred. “You sleep okay? Until now.”
“I slept like heaven.” He pushed himself up onto one elbow and smiled sleepily at her. It tugged at her heart. “You?”
“Like I’d been broken in six places and put back together.”
His smile faded, and he looked down at their still-joined hands. His thumb traced a faint scar below her knuckles, one of the deeper cuts. A goddess could speed healing but not always reverse the damage completely. “I should have been more careful last night.”
“No, I’m fine.” Marley stretched, the move shifting her out from under his body. She didn’t know what was supposed to come next.
But apparently Gage did. He released her leg and hand but hooked his arm around her waist and rose up over her. His look was intent, almost earnest.
“I know this is happening fast. I don’t want you to feel like I’m taking advantage of you.”
She couldn’t do this. She twisted out from under his arm and sat up. “Yeah, well, you know what they say about extreme circumstances not being conducive to long-term relationships.”
“Is that what you’re going with now?” He sounded both amused and disappointed. When she looked over her shoulder, though, his eyes were sad, the silver dim enough not to reflect the morning sunlight streaming through the open drapes.
She hated hurting him. So against her better judgment, she said, “For now.” Then she went into the bathroom and closed the door.
A few minutes later, after she’d turned on the shower, Gage came in and popped open the shower door. He didn’t ask to join her, just stepped inside and turned on the showerheads on the other end of the enclosure.
Marley stood watching him, her arms bent to shield her breasts, her front turned away from him. He didn’t touch her or act like seduction was on his mind at all, only getting clean. He put his back to the spray and ran his hands over his hair, head back, eyes closed, his body stretched out for her inspection. It wasn’t a body built for hard labor. Long, lean muscles spoke of athleticism and endurance over strength and show, even with the carved abdomen and chest she’d so admired last night. His skin glistened a deep gold, darker in the water and the dim space than it was in natural light. He had very few tan lines, and Marley had to hold back a snort at the image of him in a banana hammock, playing Frisbee on some European beach. If she looked hard enough, maybe she could find a picture of it.
He snapped up the top on a bottle of shampoo, poured some into his palm, and handed her the container. She took it automatically, hesitating over the intimacy of shared toiletries. It’d been years since she’d done anything like this. Maybe, at least on some level, he understood that.
She hurried to catch up to him and scrubbed shampoo through her hair. They passed soap back and forth, sudsed and rinsed, and then Gage hit a button that switched all the showerheads to massage.
“Oooohhhh, that’s sinful.” Marley twisted to let a jet work out a sore muscle in her upper back. “Very bad for the environment.”
“What?” Gage laughed.
“Designed to make you linger. Wasting water! I could stay in here all day.”
His grin turned into a leer. “Is that an invitation this time?”
Her cheeks flamed, remembering when she used the word the first time they came in here. “Ask me tomorrow.”
Reluctantly, she yanked the lever to turn off the water on her side. Gage did the same, and for a moment they both stood in the fragrant, fruity steam, half a yard between them. Water dripped into the pool at their feet, the drain gurgling.
Gage curled his fingers under the tips of Marley’s and walked his way up to her wrist. A gentle tug pulled her within reach, and then he had his arms around her in a wet, comforting hug. The drain gave one last slurp, and the dripping slowed to one drop every second or so. Gage’s voice was soft enough not to echo when he said, “I’ll give you the extreme-circumstances argument but that won’t hold out for long.”
She sighed. “Why not?”
“Because they won’t be extreme forever. Once this is over and our lives are normal and boring, you’ll have to come up with something else.”
She managed to give him a smile before pushing open the glass door and following the steam into the gigantic bathroom, fighting tears.
He’d found the perfect thing to say. The problem was that normal right now seemed the most impossible thing to achieve.
…
“Folks, we’re about to begin our descent into Los Angeles’s LAX, where the weather is clear and sunny.”
Gage tuned out the rest of the captain’s final spiel and leaned past Marley to watch wisps of clouds fly by the window. The engines whined, then roared, and the plane dropped farther. “We’ll be landing early. Think your friends are there yet?”
She sighed and pressed her head against the first-class seat back. “Yeah, they were scheduled to land before us. I hate this.”
“I know.” Gage threaded his fingers through hers. He’d heard several times since yesterday morning how they shouldn’t call Sam and Riley off their honeymoon. It slowed once he’d offered to pay for their rebookings, but it popped out a couple more times since, which made him wonder about the real reason Marley didn’t want to see them.
“How are you feeling?” She was probably as tired of hearing him ask that as he was about the honeymoon thing. She hadn’t rested much yesterday while they got ready to travel. This flight was nonstop but still more than six hours in the air, and Marley hadn’t slept at all.
She shrugged one shoulder, leaning to look out the window and watch their approach to LAX. “Not bad, considering.”
Marley had pushed to leave as soon as possible, but the earliest flight they could get was Tuesday morning. God knew how much damage Cressida could have done in the two days since the scene in Chris’s apartment, especially if she took Marley’s promises to Chris at all seriously. The goddess might step up her game if she thought time was a factor.
Gage was banking on her ego keeping her on track, but only because he was afraid it was o
nly a matter of time before Aiden started taking flux, and he couldn’t handle that fear.
Over the increasing whine of the engines, he heard Marley give a sharp gasp.
“What’s wrong?” He leaned over her, scanning her body.
“Nothing. It’s…” She frowned out the window. “Not to sound all Twilight Zone-y, but did you see something out by the wing?”
He leaned down to check. “No. What was it?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head dismissively, but her eyes were worried. “Imagination.”
He tried to watch her without letting her know he was doing it, during landing and disembarkation. She didn’t show any other signs of a problem, so he let it go.
A short time later they stepped onto the escalator to baggage claim. “There they are.” Marley looked grim until a tall, dark-haired guy and a petite blonde looked up. Then she couldn’t seem to hold back a grin. The blonde—Riley, he presumed—waved enthusiastically and moved to the bottom of the escalator. Her husband, Sam, didn’t seem to share her excitement. He eyed Gage with the same wariness his buddy Nick had.
“It’s so good to see you!” Riley latched on to Marley as soon as she stepped onto solid ground, dragging her into a fierce hug. “I’m sorry, Marl. We should never have let you deal with all that on your own.”
Marley extricated herself and stepped back next to Gage, surprising him. Surprising her friends, too, from the looks of them. Sam’s reserve deepened noticeably.
“I didn’t want your help,” Marley said. “And I wasn’t on my own, anyway.”
“So? We should have been there. Things might have been different.” And that was apparently that because Riley turned to Gage and held out a hand. “Thanks for taking care of her.”
Her grip was an obvious message, belying her statement of appreciation.
“I had ulterior motives.”
“Right. Your brother.” One of the baggage claim alarms went off, red lights flashing halfway down the concourse. “That’s probably yours. You checked bags, right?”
Sunroper (Goddesses Rising) Page 20
