My mom needed me. But I promised them not to get in alone. I did the only thing possible: I screamed. And screamed.
Celine's armsclosed around me, and I dropped the photograph. She kept patting my hair, repeating that I was safe. Had I screamed out loud?
"I'm here, honey. Everything is fine."
But it wasn't. I didn't help my mommy. She was…gone. How could everything be fine?
I can't breathe. Why can't I breathe?Her hold was too tight. Her touch felt like knives slicing me over and over. She was hurting me. No, no, no. I began to thrash, fighting against her hold until she released me, and then I took off. Black spots appeared in my vision as I fumbled my way through the house. I was drawn to the one place I last saw her. The sliding glass door was closed. It was too heavy. I pulled on it until it opened far enough for me to slip through. My bare feet hit the walkway to my destination, the rough surface of the cobblestones biting into my soles. But it didn't stop me. When I reached the edge of the pool, I halted only for the briefest of moments.I don't want to hurt myself. The smooth surface rippling in the moonlight beckoned me.The water will stop the pain. I jumped.
I experiencedthe numbing peace for the first time in my life. The burn in my lungs became a sensation I began to crave more than air over the years. The night it all started.
"Hey."Someone shakes me, not hard but enough for my head to flop back and forth. "Hey, hey, Den. Baby."
Hands frame my face, and my eyes zero in on… I blink.Marcus.
"There you are." He breathes a sigh of relief and rests his forehead against mine. My eyes flutter closed as I inhale his exhales. My pulse slowly calms. My lids pop open as he shifts and takes the box from my lap. He places it on the coffee table before gently prying the photo from my fingers and dropping it next to it. He picks me up by the hips and pulls until I'm straddling his lap.
His hands find my face again. "Where did you just go?"
I lift my trembling fingers. Only the tips connect with his skin as I slowly trace the contours of his face—across his forehead, down his temples, and along his sharp cheekbones. Marcus shivers under my touch. My thumb glides across his bottom lip and stops at the corner of his mouth, with the rest of my hand splayed across the side of his neck. The vibration of his speeding pulse against my fingers mimics my own. He watches me carefully while I drink in his features.
The man who hated me with every fiber of his being has become my savior.
My gaze lifts from his mouth to his eyes. "Are you playing with me?" I need to know. I can't describe the awareness of certainty as I push for the answer. I already know, but I have to hear the words. He won't lie to me.
Marcus stares a moment longer, void of emotion. "No."
I dip my chin once and peer at a spot on the wall behind us before turning my attention back to him. His blank mask is replaced with concern and…
He grips the back of my neck, leaving imprints on my skin. I don't resist as he guides me closer. The instant our lips meet, heat lights my core. My fingers rake through his hair, curling into the strands, and I press myself to him, surging my hips, and Marcus bucks.
I feel his hardened cock, locked in his pants, pressing against its confinement, and need dampens my underwear.
Parting my lips, I graze his with my tongue. I can't suppress the moan, and he opens up. Our tongues collide in a tangle of sensation. I grind my hips into his lap, and he groans. "Fuck, baby."
Clasping my sleep shirt, he tugs on the hem. I untangle myself, and my top is gone before I fully lift my arms. Cool air caresses my skin, my nipples pebbling. Marcus snakes one arm around my waist and tugs me closer. His other hand finds my breast, his palm forming to my curves. He pinches my nipple, and my eyes roll back inside my head. The sting turns the flutter in my core into an inferno of raw desire. I grind my heat against his groin, and his grip on my hard bud disappears. I'm about to protest when his fingers are replaced with his mouth. I whimper as he sucks and nips on my sensitive skin. "Oh, god."
He chuckles, never removing his mouth from me. "You will be screamingmynamesoon."
My nails dig into his muscles as I cling to his shoulders. "Make me."
With one swift move, I'm on my back with him hovering above. "Is that a challenge,Keller?"
"Bring it on, Bax—"
His phone begins to buzz in his pocket, and he closes his eyes. His forehead drops to mine in resignation.
The inferno extinguishes. "I assume you can't ignore that?"
He sighs. "No, I'm on first shift, and I was already on duty when I brought you here."
I press my lips in a thin line, not wanting him to see my disappointment. He shifts to sit back on the couch with my legs on his lap. He peers sideways, stroking my chin with his fingers. "We should probably talk anyway before…"
I understand his meaning. He brought me here to show me something—something my little trip down memory lane interrupted.
I push myself up with one arm, the other covering my breasts. I pull my legs from his lap and behind his butt, tucking them close to wrap my arms around them and cover my nakedness. "Yes, we should."
I didn't mean for it to come out as cold as it did, but before I can correct myself, the shutters drop behind his eyes. He nods, stands, and leaves me sitting on his couch.