Lilly opens her arms, and Denielle steps into them. Rhys embraces both the girls. I hear the door open and watch Jenn and Ethan disappear.
"We're going to leave you two alone. But promise me that you won't fight this battle alone anymore. We're family. Call one of us," Lilly instructs and begs at the same time.
Before Denielle can answer, I reply, "She won't need to." All three glance toward me, and Rhys nods appreciatively.
"Let's go, Calla. Let's give them some privacy." He winks, and I want to clock my boss's jaw.
Freaking twenty-some-year-old kids.
Alone,Denielle pads over to her bedside, turning on the lamp, followed by flipping the switch by the door.
My ass has gone numb from the damn bench seat, so I move to the side, leaning against the mattress. Denielle keeps her back to me for an elongated moment, and I'm about to inquire what's wrong when she pivots and slowly saunters over. I quirk a brow as she steps between my legs and rests her forearms on my shoulders. Her fingers play with the strands of my hair, and a tingling sensation shoots from my scalp down my spine. My toes curl into the hardwood.
She tilts her head, studying me intently. "Why did you come for me?" After a short pause, she amends, "Tonight."
My breath hitches, the comfort of her touch vanishing to the background as the memory of the knowledge that something was wrong nearly made me stagger downstairs. The back of my throat aches, and my gaze swings to the wall opposite us. "A feeling."
When she remains mute, I ask the question no one dared. "What happened?"
What triggered her to…submerge… I can't finish the sentence, bile rising in my throat.
Denielle inhales through her nose, holding her breath at the top. Before she can reply, though, she begins to cough. It sounds like she's hacking up a lung, and every muscle in my body tenses. Lifting her arm, she coughs into the crook of her elbow, and I hold myself still. The urge to throw her over my shoulder and deliver her to the nearest emergency room surges to the forefront. The wait for her to settle down is excruciating, even though it probably isn't more than a minute.
"Maybe we should take you to get checked out?" I phrase it like a question, even though I'm not asking—not really.
Shaking her head, she steps closer. "No doctors. I'm fine." She clears her throat once more.
I scan her from her hairline to her bare toes, unease mingling with concern.
Her palm settles on my cheek. "I'm okay, Marcus. Honest. I just inhaled too deeply. I'm good."
I want to believe her, but I vow to myself that if it happens again, I will carry her fireman style into the ER if necessary. "Okay. So…what—" I start again, but she cuts me off.
"Can that wait until the morning?"
Can it?
Not really.
"Sure." Before I can reconsider, her hands drop to the hem of my pants. "Uh, what are you doing,Keller?"
She leans in, her nose trailing my jaw to my neck. She nips the skin before lining up her lips with my ear. "Give me your worst, Baxter."
I'm unable to suppress the tremble she evokes.
Denielle pulls back, a devilish smirk on her lips. I zero in on her mouth, watching her pull the bottom between her teeth. Her eyes sparkle in the dim illumination of the room. Visions of her sprawled out on the bed, at my mercy, flitter through my mind. Heat shoots through my body.
As much as I want to punish her for giving me the second worst scare of my life, the thought of giving her my worst doesn't sit well. "I don't think we should—"
Her fingers curl around the band. "I want you to make me forget," she exclaims as she tugs on the material. "Be the only thought on my mind." She burns a path into my skin where her nails graze my thighs. Leaning closer again, her warm breath fanning across my lips. "Make me scream your na—"
Jesus, fuck!
I don't let her finish, every cell of my body crackling with electric need. I am aware that this is a distraction, a way to not deal with what happened. And while it is probably the wrong decision, I refuse to stop. I need her as much as she wants me.
I grab her hips, thrusting my hardening cock against her heat.
Fuck gentle.