by April Zyon
“Always, little one. You’re mine,” he said. Lowering his head, he pressed a kiss to her lips, allowing her to taste herself on his tongue. Sliding his hand down her leg, he lifted it up over his hips, and with a small adjustment, she felt the press of his cock stretching her slowly.
When his cock began to slide into her body and fill her full she knew that she was never going to be the same again. “Markus.” She whimpered his name because she couldn’t do anything else at that moment other than plead for more.
One hand came to rest against her cheek. “I have you, Paisley. Stay with me in the here and now.”
She met his gaze, drawn in by the pale blue surrounded by the darker gray of his eyes. They could be cool, or warm like they were right now. She looked up into his eyes and what she saw there was amazing. She could almost see a reflection of her soul in his eyes. “I feel it even more. Oh, that is so good.” She sensed the bond with him. There was an impression inside of her soul that his soul was reaching for her.
He stroked his thumb over her lower lip twice before using it to open her mouth for the kiss he gave her. His hand moved to collar her throat, forcing her chin up and deepening the kiss. With each thrust of his cock, he brushed his tongue to hers in a light, gentle mimicking motion.
She shivered in reaction to the dual invasion into her body. She moved along with him, her tongue brushing his before her teeth nipped his lower lip. “More.” She bared her neck to him, telling him silently that she loved his hand around her throat, one of the many things they both seemed to have in common, according to their contract. “Please, so close.”
Markus tightened his hand around her throat and lowered his head, scraping his teeth over the sensitive curve there. A flick from his tongue sent a shiver through her body. While he continued to tease her skin with his mouth, his free hand moved up to squeeze her breast.
The assault to her senses was driving her wild with pleasure. Her nails raked down his back and to his ass to hold him close to her body. She pressed her breast harder against his hand, in need for more sensations, more everything. She wanted so much in those last moments before they both came.
“Let go,” he whispered by her ear. “I will catch you.” A light nibble down her throat and he moved his hand from her breast to cup her ass. He lifted her slightly and the result had his cock hitting her deeper with each thrust.
She couldn’t deny him anything, ever. She bit her lower lip and arched back up again, then screamed as she came. It was with a blinding rush that everything opened to her. She felt Markus’s soul reaching out and merging with hers. Their connection deepened so much that it was as if they were literally one person.
Paisley knew his pleasure in a burst of light through her before he yelled out something she couldn’t process. He let out a grunt, and his weight pressed her down into the bedding. His hand slid off her throat to cup her shoulder while his breath burned hot to her skin with each exhale.
He shifted both of them so that they were on their sides but still connected. She smiled and let out a sigh. It was some time before she finally was able to say, “That was incredible.” And it had been. It had been beyond amazing, soul changing.
“Life altering,” he said. His voice was low and intimate as he spoke against her ear, his cheek rubbing to hers. “Only for the better.” Markus pressed a kiss to her cheek and hugged her closer to him, giving her a squeeze before his arms loosened. “Now you are mine for all time.”
“And you are mine,” she whispered in agreement. It was something she had never done before, fallen into bed with a man after only just meeting him, but even more was the fact she had fallen head over heels in just moments. “That’s the draw of the soul sharing, isn’t it?” she asked out of the blue. “How we feel for each other, it’s part of it. Right?”
“It is a part of it all,” he told her. Stroking his hand up her back, he buried it in her hair and pulled her head back enough to kiss her. “But we also have a connection that is more than the bond. I have been waiting for you all my life, and until we met, I didn’t even realize it. I feel whole, complete, and at peace.”
“Same here. I finally feel like life is where it should be. I finally feel at home.” She had been waiting on him for her entire life but hadn’t realized it. “So tell me, my new soul-bond mate, can you reach the blankets to pull them up and around us so that we can nap and then possibly do this all over again?”
“Good plan.” Reaching down, he pulled the blankets up and tucked them around her tightly to keep her warm. “Before we have a repeat performance we should probably get something to eat. Maybe even talk a little and learn some things about one another that no one else knows.”
Paisley yawned and snuggled up against Markus. It wasn’t long before she was stroking his chest, then drifting off into sleep. She could have sworn the last thing she heard was that he loved her.
Chapter Nine
Heading out of the kitchen with the tray, Paisley took careful steps. She’d overfilled the glasses some, and it really wouldn’t do to get their meal all soggy when she was trying to impress Markus with one of her more difficult recipes. They hadn’t been in the bunker all that long, but already they were looking for ways to pass the time.
Markus looked up from his data pad he’d been diligently working on to get some reports finished and tossed it aside. “Careful there,” he said. He lifted the glasses from the tray and took them to the little table off the kitchen. Setting them down, he pulled out her chair for her and leaned over the tray to inhale. “That smells marvelous. What exactly is this super-secret recipe that you wouldn’t let me watch you make?”
“I don’t want to tell you. I want you to taste it. There is nothing in there that might hurt you, promise,” she explained as she set out the food and plates for them, keeping both of them close. “I just hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I have dessert for afterward.”
His eyebrows went up, and he smiled slightly. Picking up his utensil, he took a bite and blinked at her. “It’s good. I like it. A little spicy kick with a creamy follow-up,” he said. Humming, he nodded and took another bite.
She blushed at his praise and started to eat with him. “Well, I’m happy you like it. I saw the recipe when I was looking for things that I could teach the kids how to cook and knew it was far too adult for them but would be perfect for me. This is my first real try at it.” And it had turned out fabulously.
Markus paused with his utensil digging up more of the meal. “Again? Woman, are you planning on testing all your recipes out on me?” Clicking his tongue, he gave her a wink and ate some more.
“Who better to try them on? It’s lonely trying them only on myself, so now that I have you in my life and we have nothing better to do except sex, oh how I love sex, we should eat. Right? So why not test these recipes?”
“Uh-huh,” he agreed, licking off his utensil. “Given your tendency to overdo things, I’m guessing there is plenty for seconds. Do you mind if I get some more?” He flashed her his teeth so she knew he was messing with her. The teeth only came out when he was being a complete brat.
She snorted. “Go, go and get seconds and thirds. Whatever we don’t eat we will freeze and then have when I don’t feel like cooking, if we are here that long.” She could hope that they wouldn’t be, but who knew at this point how long they would be in the bunker. “Hopefully, soon your people can send you information. You can’t answer, but we could know what’s happening at least.”
They had only received one message to date from her mother. It hadn’t said much more than things were progressing, whatever that meant. “I hope you’re right,” he said. After dishing out more onto his plate, he returned to the table. “It hasn’t been easy sitting down here miles away from the world with no information coming in. If not for you being here I likely would have begun to dig my way out with whatever I could find.”
“I have no doubt. There is only so much that one can do inside of this gilded cage, isn’t there?” S
he wished that there was a way to keep him safe on the surface but they both knew better. “We can only hope that the men and women working on this work quickly.”
“I’d rather be out there with them, doing something instead of sitting here. I don’t care what my damn lineage is, Paisley. I have never shirked my duty, and this grates on me to be stuck idle while others could be dying to achieve a goal I am not even sure I want.” Thrusting a hand through his hair, Markus leaned his head back and shut his eyes. “I want this war to be over, but I also want things to be the way they were. Or maybe how they were minus the war.”
“I can’t imagine how hard this is on you, how heavily that this weighs on you because you are the last of a genetic line that can unite our races. The only thing I can do is be here for you, be there when you need someone to lean on and be a listening and loving ear when you need to rant and rave. That’s what I’m here for. I’m here for you just like you are here for me.”
“I think I’m getting the better end of the deal.” Lifting his head to look at her again, he leaned forward and cupped her cheek. “In fact, I know I am. Thank you, Paisley. I don’t have the words to express how grateful I am to have you as my soul-bonded mate. You are a treasure beyond all words.”
“I’m glad you think so.” She leaned into him and brushed her lips to his. When she pulled back, she was smiling. “And I personally think I’m getting the better end of the deal. I have a man who adores the very ground I walk on. How much better can life get?”
“He also adores you, every single part, too.” He gave her another kiss, then leaned back in his seat. “Eat up, little one. I have plans for you after I finish that damn report. They involve burning a large amount of energy, getting sweaty, and being completely exhausted by the end.”
“Good.” She was grinning when she sat back. “I can’t believe that you are actually doing the reports when you know that we can’t get them out to your commander. Then again if we came out and you didn’t have them done he would be pretty upset with you, wouldn’t he?”
“He would beat me black and blue, no matter who I am. Especially since he told me in no uncertain terms to get them done. He will also be shocked that I actually did them. I have a small reputation of procrastinating when it comes to doing them. I know for a fact he is expecting me to come out from this bunker and no more than two will be done.”
“Well, let’s just hope that he didn’t place bets with anyone, because he will lose and then take that out on you. Then I’d have to hurt him.”
“Hmm, that reminds me. You, my little bundle of fluff, need some training yourself. Not with weapons—I’ve seen your face each time I open that one crate up. But there are other ways and I think it’s beyond time you learned a few nasty moves that will put down the opposition quickly. Not my original plan to make you sweaty tonight, but it is a good lead-in,” he told her.
“I’d like that and no, I don’t like weapons. At all.” She was sure that he knew her history, but perhaps he didn’t. “You know why, right?” At his look and the shake of his head, she took a deep breath, then gave him a sad smile. “Mom doesn’t let the past bother her. She and my father were not a soul-bond match but they cared for each other. They were great friends.” Memories were dancing in her mind as she spoke to him. “I was five.” She put her utensil down and clenched her hands in her lap. “Someone broke into my room. They were going to take me to get Mom and Dad to bend to their will for something or another. Dad at that point was an influential part of the council. Anyway, he happened to come in to tuck me in and he saw the intruder. He was able to sound the alarm but not before the man pulled a huge weapon and put a hole in the center of Daddy’s stomach and then another in his head. I still can’t get the sight of that out of my mind.” She brushed at her tears roughly. “The guards were there before the man took me but before he did, I was burned with the weapon that was still hot from the murder of my father. So since then,” she shrugged, “I can’t. I just, I can’t look at them without feeling like throwing up and seeing through my father’s body.”
Markus caught her hand she’d been using to pick at her napkin with and tugged gently. “Come here,” he said. When she moved, he pulled her into his lap and hugged her. “I will never put a weapon near you, promise. I didn’t know any of this, little one. Thank you for telling me. I know it had to be painful to relive it even for such a brief time.” Pressing a kiss to her cheek, he rubbed his hand up and down her arm.
“I know.” She curled up on his lap and took a deep breath. “It was time for you to know. I should have told you the first time that you tried to get me to hold one of the weapons for you but I couldn’t. I guess I needed time. I’ve been working through this issue for a long time. Mother suppressed it as much as she could and doubled my guard. Even today I am followed by guards.” She shook her head. “Which is going to be totally laughable because you are going to have more than I do.” She rubbed her wet eyes against his shirt and simply held on to him and accepted the comfort that he offered.
He leaned his head to the side to peer at her. “You should definitely have guards. You are too precious to me, and I would be beyond upset if anything ever happened to you.”
“We’d both better get used to having plenty of those around. Guards,” she pointed out.
“True. But to constantly be questioned about where we are going or doing would get old quickly. Not that I don’t understand the need for protection, especially if they succeed at this and I am put out there as the royal apparent. Or whatever it is they plan to do. There will always be some who do not want the royals making a reappearance and some who will want to keep it an honorary position.”
“Well, whatever we do we will do it as a couple. No matter whatever else happens, we’ll work together. And we’ll also work on making sure that we aren’t put into a niche or on a pedestal. We won’t ever allow that to happen because we are both far too grounded for that. We’ll remain the people that we are, no matter what. Right?”
“Absolutely,” he agreed with a firm nod. Giving her a quick kiss, he smiled against her mouth. “Enough of this. Go get into some comfortable clothing, but nothing too loose. I’m going to teach you a few things before we have a quick workout, a swim, and then get to bed. Be quick.”
“Quick. I can do that.” She winked at him, then moved to the bedroom so that she could change clothes.
Chapter Ten
When the next incoming call came in it was from her mother. Paisley stilled before the screen and looked at her mother’s recorded message, then let out a breath. “She’s saying that it’s clear to come up and we will be met in her offices by guards. I’m not sure who, but they’re people that she trusts. I would imagine that the general will be there, too. Are you ready for all of this?” Her mother’s words had been that there were both Imarian and Craegin there to meet them, to test Markus’s blood themselves.
Rubbing his hands up and down her arms, he nodded. “It’s beyond time. If they had felt the need to keep us in here any longer, I might have decided to start that plan to dig out. I adore you, little one, but I was seriously starting to go a little crazy from the inactivity. It was nice at first, but…” With a smile, he pressed a kiss to her lips. “We should pack up and head for the tramp. The sooner we are topside the sooner we’ll know what has happened and where everyone stands.” In their room, he let her go so she could pack up her things while he did the same for his. She noticed he set a uniform to the side while sorting through his clothing in a methodical manner. “You know, we may need to come back down here to hide if we want time to ourselves.”
“Good thing that you have the key to the place in me, then, huh?” She liked that idea, being able to get away from time to time. “We’ll just have to lure Mom away from her offices so that we can get down here without anyone being the wiser.” Once she was packed, she looked at him and sighed. “Let’s put our bags on the tramp and send it on its way and we’ll take the express elevator up. They
will be looking for a tramp but won’t be looking for us to pop up in Mom’s closet at her office.”
“Let me change first. Until I know otherwise, I am still a member of the military and need to dress myself accordingly. It won’t take me long to change.” Markus scooped up his uniform and went into the bathroom. Likely the wisest plan otherwise they would never get out of there. He could distract her quite spectacularly with his naked body and had done it more than once during their stay in the bunker.
She watched him leaving and shook her head. She was laughing and loudly said, “I love you in your uniform. You seriously are so damn hot in it that it makes me ache to touch you. Makes me want to pull off every single one of those buttons so that I can get to the man underneath.”
The door opened and he shot her a disapproving look. “Do not get any ideas about mussing me up. Breaking the news to your mother that we are soul bonded is one thing, but showing up looking like we just had a sexual romp would likely push that woman over the edge.” He tucked the last of his clothing into the bag, then closed it. Hefting it over his shoulder, he collected hers and tipped his chin toward the door, indicating she should precede him.
“There go my dreams of you fucking me on a conference room table,” she said. “I’m not even kidding right now either.”
“Walk, woman,” he ordered in that mock stern tone she loved. Paisley rolled her eyes and made for the tramp. They needed to toss everything headed for the surface in there, then send it on its plotted route back while they went the faster way. It didn’t take long either. Their bags and a couple crates went in. Everything else could remain down in the bunker for the time being. Once the tramp was off, Paisley led Markus to the unique lift that would take them up to her mother’s office.
