She still sat in her chair, staring into space, after the others had filed out. Gage half sat, half leaned on the table next to her and waited for her to focus on him. It took a while.
“Sorry.” She glanced around. “I guess we’re done.”
“For tonight. You hungry?”
She put her hand on her stomach, a little furrow forming between her brows. “Did I eat anything today?”
Gage had grown used to the tightness in his chest and only noticed it at times like this one, in the little ways she showed she wasn’t okay. “Yeah. Dinner was steak, baked potato with sour cream, green beans, salad. Room service.”
“Oh…yeah.” Her mouth lifted at the corners. “Chocolate mousse. Sorry. So yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just get some water.”
“I’ll get it.” He took her hand and lightly tugged her out of the chair. “I’ll bring it to the bedroom.”
“Okay. Thanks.” She wrapped her arms around his waist and briefly laid her head against his chest before leaving the room.
Gage sat there for a second, trying to find his breath. Moments like that were what killed him. She went both ways, one minute closing herself off, acting cold and aloof as if she thought that could protect him. The next she’d reach out, touch, connect, and he’d feel what they could have if they were just given a chance.
He hadn’t yet accepted that they didn’t have one. Logic and evidence all pointed to one or both of them dying or being too messed up to live normally. But events didn’t always unfold logically and what they were dealing with defied all the rules.
The problem was that both Butch and Sundance and Spike and Angel had ended on the verge of attack, allowing the illusion that they could have survived. No one had to actually endure the battle itself. Still, Gage had no trouble envisioning a happy ending for everyone, even if he couldn’t work out the details.
But in case he was wrong and they didn’t find a way to survive together, he was making sure this last night with Marley was enough to take them through forever.
…
The suite was silent and mostly dark when Marley left the conference room. A light in the kitchenette and another by the door to the hall were enough for her to pick her way through, but she wished someone had left another, brighter light on. The shadows taunted her, growing along the walls and looming threateningly over her head. She knew it wasn’t real, but that didn’t stop her from jumping when one of them shot at her across the floor.
Nick and Quinn’s door opened, and Quinn came out with her carry-on over her shoulder. Nick rolled her suitcase out behind her. He spotted Marley, kissed Quinn quickly on the mouth, and said, “I’ll go get the car and meet you out front.”
“Thanks, hon.” Quinn watched him until he was out the door.
Marley hated her for that.
No. She didn’t hate her sister, for God’s sake. She was glad they’d had years to love each other, to share their lives. She just wanted what Quinn and Nick had for herself, too. It wasn’t Quinn’s fault Marley couldn’t have it. It was completely her own.
“Thanks for letting Nick help us.”
Quinn smiled. “Like I could have stopped him. I hate that I won’t be there tomorrow.”
“Your part in this is just as important.”
“I know. I just don’t like being out of the fighting. You know.”
“I do.” She let Quinn hug her. “Have a safe flight.” But her sister didn’t let go, and a second later, she heard a sniff. She pulled back sharply. “You’re crying.”
“No.” But Quinn swept her hand under her eye. “Ow. You hurt my arm.”
“Liar. I just wanted to catch the tears before they dried up. You never cry.”
“Only when I have good reason.” She placed her hands on either side of Marley’s face. “I know I have no right to say this, but I’m proud of you.”
Dammit, now Marley was going to cry. She went in for one more hug, then pulled away. “Good night, Quinn. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Or maybe Monday. We’ll see how it goes.”
Quinn laughed and headed out, then Marley escaped to her bedroom. Where she stood in the middle of the floor, unable to remember why she was there.
Gage came in and handed her a tall glass of water. “You okay?”
“What time is it?”
He checked his watch as he locked the handle on the door. “Almost ten. Did you lose time again?”
“No.” Thank goodness. She hated the periods when the day skipped ahead and she hadn’t been part of it. Bad enough to have the cliff racing toward her. She didn’t want to miss any of the moments getting there.
“Why don’t you get ready for bed?” Gage squeezed her shoulders, loosening the tension in them.
She moaned. “That feels good.”
“I’ll give you a massage. Relax you so you can sleep without nightmares.”
She hoped that wasn’t all he was going to give her. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”
“Okay. Take your time.” He kissed her temple and released her.
If this was her last night with any shred of sanity, she was clinging to it with both hands. She wanted this to be special, and she also needed to go into tomorrow being able to see reality. So she kept her eyes closed while she showered, focusing on the water, the way it struck her skin and glided down, the warmth and slightly metallic scent of it. The gurgle of the drain, the smooth glide of the soap. She didn’t allow any other thoughts in, and by the time she twisted the knob and opened the curtain, she was calm and centered and no shadows taunted from the corners.
She did the same with the rasp of the towel as it soaked up beads of water, the gritty mint of the toothpaste, and the prickle of her toothbrush on her tongue. She rinsed her mouth and drank down all of the water Gage had brought her, tucked the towel tightly around her torso, and stepped out into the bedroom.
“Oh, Gage.” She brought her hands to her mouth, fingertips touching, and the room blurred for a second. Not a crazy blur, but a watery one, because once again tears had filled her eyes.
The room was lit with a golden glow. Flickering candles would have wreaked havoc on her senses, but this came from well-placed, disc-shaped lights. He’d somehow done it so there were minimal shadows but the room wasn’t bright. Lilacs filled jars on the dresser and nightstand, their sweet scent just right, not too light, not too strong. The bed had been turned down, a pillow placed for her massage, and Beethoven’s Ninth played from an iPod plugged into the clock radio.
She walked over to the bed, where Gage stood, and brushed her fingers over a lilac stalk. “How?”
“How did I know that it’s your favorite?”
She nodded. “And how did you get freaking lilacs in October? I thought that was impossible.”
“I asked Quinn, who asked your mother. And nothing is impossible.” He cradled her face in both hands and stared into her eyes, his almost shining with that silvery blue. “Do you hear me? Nothing.”
She blinked back tears again, but that was the last of them. She’d regressed since Cressida’s attack and her breakdown afterward, feeling sorry for herself and letting everyone do the bulk of the planning. If Gage could believe, truly believe that tomorrow didn’t have to be their last, then maybe it wouldn’t be.
But only if she believed it, too.
“You’re right.”
His smile was huge, genuine, and everything flipped. Fuck despair and dread. She was all about determination and…some other positive D-word.
“Lie down.” Gage lifted the sheets and let her climb onto the bed. She pulled off the towel and wrapped her arms over the pillow, tucking it under her chin and closing her eyes. She heard a pop like a flip cap being opened, then a squirt and another pop. More lilac filled the air, this time oily and warm. Then Gage’s hands were on her, slick and sure, digging into her shoulders and gliding down the length of her spine.
She continued her focus exercise, all her attention on Gage’s hands as they stroked her arms, back, but
t, and legs. Once he’d relaxed her muscles into noodlehood, each stroke drew a different sensation. His fingertips trailed up the back of her calf, her knee, her thigh, and fire followed them, arrowing right to her core.
“Roll over.” His voice rumbled through the dim room and into her chest.
“No.” She sat up instead and got off the bed.
“I’m not done.” He held his oily hands out away from his body, his gaze sweeping down hers.
“It’s your turn.” She stepped closer and began unbuttoning his shirt so he wouldn’t get oil on it.
“No, I—”
“Shh.” She slowly pulled the shirt down his arms and over his hands. “Tomorrow’s going to be hard for you, too. You should be as relaxed and focused as I am. Stand up.”
He obeyed, hands still upraised. “I don’t need a massage. I wanted to do this for you.”
“And you did.” She knelt to undo his button and zipper, looking up as she pulled his jeans and boxer briefs down. She carefully uncovered his erection, which flexed in front of her mouth. She licked her lips.
“Jesus, Marley.”
She smiled and rose again but stepped back when he reached for her. “Lie down.”
He grumbled but followed her order. First she plunged her hands into his hair to massage his scalp. He gave a long, rough groan that vibrated in the pit of her stomach. She dug into every inch of his head, rubbing away the tension along his hairline, stroking her fingers with gentle tugs through his hair.
“Okay, I forgive you,” he mumbled into the pillow. “God, that’s good.”
Instead of getting fresh oil, she picked up his hand and massaged it with both of hers, transferring the oil to them and rubbing it into his skin, between both their fingers, down to his wrist and then repeating on the other side. Then she moved to his neck, shoulders, back, all the way down his body, just as he’d done with hers.
She worked her way back up, pleased that he was as limp and languid as she was, and when she reached the base of his skull he rolled across the bed, catching her and stretching her out on top of him. He was hot and hard, and his erection felt even bigger than before as it pressed against her belly.
Her fingers traced his hairline, each eyebrow, lightly over his eyelids, closing them briefly, then the strong length of his nose, his cheekbones, his jaw. She loved everything about his face. Everything about him. She lowered her head and pressed her mouth to his, tasting slowly, savoring. He let her take the lead, only opening his mouth when she opened hers. Their tongues touched in the open space between, swirled, then plunged. Gage gripped the back of her head and ate hungrily at her mouth, the other hand sliding down her spine, pressing her close. Marley spread her thighs to straddle his hips, rocking until he penetrated her, taking him deep, deeper. They moaned together, and his hands moved to her hips, taking up the rhythm, thrusting up into her as he pulled her down.
Her entire body tingled. The tingles coalesced and tightened, pleasure rising. She gasped and arched, and Gage pushed her back to ride him hard. She shattered, biting back her cry, fingers digging into his chest as she shuddered. She could feel him watching her, sense his own climax approaching, and clenched.
He lurched upright to stifle his shout against her shoulder, then rolled on top and thrust into her again and again, the position just right, every thrust hitting her clit and dragging her to another peak. She bit his shoulder and clutched his shoulder blades and clung desperately to the feel of him against her, inside her, and the sound of his voice whispering her name.
Chapter Seventeen
You are cordially invited to a special session with the senior membership, featuring Darren Pettle, who will discuss how Cressida Lahr has affected his life and career.
—Invitation to Deimons
M
arley stared up at the outside of the football stadium, a little awed despite herself. The deserted parking lot was dark and silent except for the occasional whistle of wind around the girders. It made the place seem even more massive than it was. But it hunkered, solid and sturdy, and gave her confidence.
An engine purred behind them, and Darren’s SUV pulled around their group, parking across several spaces. He got out of the driver’s seat while Divonne slid out of the passenger’s side. Two men followed from the backseat, and seconds later two more vehicles pulled up. Within moments, Marley and her friends were surrounded by Cressida’s original crew.
And none of them looked happy.
She recognized the producer and a couple of actors, as well as some of the businesspeople on Darren’s list. Most of them showed signs of illness or fatigue. A few leaned on their vehicles, and more than one locked onto Marley with expressions of hope.
“Let’s go inside,” Darren said. He accepted the key ring from Sam and led them to the gate, turning the main lock with a clunk. Two more locks, an inside gate, and a door later, they emerged onto the football field. Another clunk and a bank of overhead lights went on, casting an eerie, uneven light over the expanse.
The grass looked gray in this light, with bare patches dotting the hundred yards between goal posts. Darren paused next to Marley and sighed. “Lotta good memories here. Sad to see it like this.”
“How do you feel?” she asked him. “Physically.”
“A thousand percent more normal.” He laughed and shook his head. “It was good while it lasted. Not that I’d do it again, but…”
“Yeah, I get it.” They watched his friends gather into clusters. One coughed hard enough to double himself over. Another visibly shook from the effort of standing. “Is this going to work? They don’t look strong enough to contain the others.”
Darren nodded. “They’ll be fine in a minute.” He glanced at her. “You ready?”
She almost said no. The star-strewn sky whirled overhead, the moon seeming to swell. The equilibrium she’d achieved last night hadn’t lasted through today’s preparations. But she knew what was real and what wasn’t, hadn’t lost any time, and was as functional as she could be.
“Yep,” she said. “Let’s get started.”
“Hey, guys, line up!” Darren waved his friends over. They stood single file in front of Marley, all somber and silent. She worried that some of them didn’t want this, that they’d have to fight earlier than anticipated. But when she asked each one if he was sure he wanted this to be done, they all nodded without hesitation.
Even though nullifying Darren had been easy, she’d been apprehensive about doing so many in a row. But taking in so much of Cressida’s pure energy had rendered this tame. The first one she did, she could only tell it worked because of the guy’s body language. His posture straightened and his eyes cleared. The next two must have been newcomers to flux. They hadn’t seemed as damaged as the others before she’d nullified them, and after she took the flux, their skin seemed duller or paler, their movements lethargic. But they still thanked her.
The lack of desperate need for what she took relieved Marley. Unlike the other day after Cressida’s attack, she had few signs of addiction.
Marley smiled at the fourth guy and reached out for his bare arm. This time, she had to suppress a gasp when her hand brushed his warm skin and tingled. A sizzle shot up her arm and then disappeared.
She braced herself for the next two. The burn turned into a wriggle, almost crawling into her body and diffusing before it solidified and the sensation faded. Her chest tightened until she could barely breathe. Dark spots danced in her vision. She gritted her teeth and pushed it all back, annoyed. This was just the appetizer. She couldn’t let it take her over.
Her head spun and she swayed on her feet, but she held on until the last guy thanked her and moved on for instructions. Then strong hands caught her shoulders, a hard body keeping her upright until her head cleared. Gage’s arm came around her shoulders, his familiar touch grounding her, giving her something to focus on. Slowly, the pressure in her chest receded and her vision cleared. Mostly.
“Come on,” he said. “You nee
d a break.” He led her outside the curtained circle. She sank gratefully onto a metal folding chair. Gage handed her a bottle of water. The sweat made the outside of the plastic slick. The bottle crunched when she tightened her grip, water slopping onto her hand. She could have sworn it turned to steam.
Gage crouched in front of her, his hand on her leg, maintaining contact without touching skin while she drank the water. Riley had already given him power—it would be disastrous if Marley accidentally nullified him before he could leech Cressida.
The cold wetness slid soothingly down her throat. The rings around her lungs sprang open and dropped away. Her vision sharpened, her ears popped, and she could smell the dusty grass under Gage’s familiar scent. She smiled at him, a little shocked at how soft she felt right now. She needed to be the hard, cold, kick-ass bitch she’d been before she met this man. But after last night, she thought maybe she’d managed to merge the two. Just in time…
She refused to finish the sentence. “Just in time” was sufficient.
“How are you holding up?” Gage asked softly. His blue eyes were bright, intense. Even more than the first day she’d met him.
“Fine.” She hovered her hand next to his jaw. A different kind of electricity zipped between them, and she shivered. “Thank you.”
“I—”
An air horn blasted, a one-second warning from the ramp at one corner of the stadium.
“They’re here.” Marley stood and glanced around. “Where’s my robe?”
Gage grabbed it from where it hung over the corner of one of the curtain supports. He helped her into it and draped the hood over her head, adjusting it so her face was hidden. Marley held perfectly still while he did it.
She felt ridiculous. And hot. This getup belonged at Comic-Con, not here. But she needed a few moments of disguise so she didn’t have to chase after every jerk she nullified. “Can I have some more water?” she asked Gage. He retrieved another bottle from a cooler and handed it to her. While Marley drank, they peered through one edge of the curtains.
Four of Darren’s friends came to the barrier and fanned out, in position to grab runners. Sam, Nick, and Riley joined Gage and Marley, staying out of sight while the Deimons funneled in.
Sunroper (Goddesses Rising) Page 28
