Page 21

Chapter

Twenty-One

GRACE

T he sun had gone down already when Alphabet and I went outside with Goblin. I'd prepared two large mugs of cocoa and the cloudy skies had finally cleared out. When Alphabet invited me to go out to see the stars, excitement threaded through me.

While the milk heated, I dragged on the sweatshirt he grabbed for me. It was huge, but it was also warm. The faded green with the Army logo on the front was kind of like being wrapped up in a hug.

Putting a pin in that fanciful thought, I passed one of the oversized mugs to Alphabet.

“Thank you,” he said, then held up a remote in his free hand. “Once we get to where we want to look, I’ll shut off the external lights.”

“Okay.” I wrapped both of my hands around the mug. The warmth made a wonderful contrast to the chillier air. “Where are we going to look?”

Alphabet flashed a smile at me. “Right over there.” He pointed to somewhere in the darkness beyond the perimeter cast by the light. “Go slow, we’re going to let our eyes adjust.”

I’d done walks in front of dazzling lights and camera flashes, I knew how to focus away from the light to keep from squinting or reacting. But the plunge into darkness was going to be a bit more challenging.

When he offered me an arm, I adjusted my grip on the coffee mug so I could put a free hand on his forearm. What hesitations remained in me toward Alphabet had been falling away steadily. He wasn’t grabbing my arm or ordering me. It was an offer, pure and simple. I could refuse and he wouldn’t object.

That made it all a lot easier. He made it easier.

“It’s dimming.” Surprise filtered through me.

“Yep,” he said, sounding quite pleased. “Easier on the eyes.” He whistled once and Goblin came trotting out of the darkness even as the light seemed to melt back.

Bit by bit, the brighter light faded into the darkness. But what seemed inky dark wasn’t quite so intense. If anything, it seemed to have a texture.

“Here.” Alphabet slowed. My eyes had to have adjusted because I could make out shapes on the ground. There were patio chairs out here and a small table. “I brought a blanket out if you got cold, but it’s not so bad right now.”

No, it really wasn’t. He and Goblin stuck close until I got myself comfortable on a chair then Alphabet settled on his. Another swallow of the hot chocolate and I shifted to put the mug down. Settling back, I glanced upward and forgot how to breathe.

It was the Milky Way. My mouth fell open. It was just like in the books. The stars spread across the sky like blue diamonds scattered against navy silk and velvet. It was so intensely beautiful.

“Told you she would like it,” Alphabet said in a low voice, probably to Goblin, but I couldn’t look away. I didn’t have the words and I didn’t want the moment to end.

We sat out there until the hot cocoa was gone and beyond. We didn’t say anything at all. Until his phone let out an alert and shattered the peace. It was like slowly coming out of a dream, and I wasn’t altogether sure what was reality and what wasn’t.

“They’ve landed,” he said. I didn’t have to ask who they were. Voodoo had apologized to me on the phone, when I spoke to him. Their trip had been delayed. Instead of coming straight back they had to make another. I hadn’t been given an ETA.

To be fair, I hadn’t asked either. We’d avoided some of these topics, save for when Voodoo had wanted to talk to me, and Alphabet said they should be heading back soon. That was it. The past two nights we’d slept on the sofas in the living room, watching movies. Tonight…

Tonight, I’d go back to sleeping in my room. The sofa wasn’t good for Alphabet. He’d been turning himself into knots to look after me, and it was my turn to look after him. “How long until they get here?”

“Probably a couple of hours yet.”

A couple of hours. “Was their trip about Amorette?” It was asking the one question I’d been avoiding.

“No,” he answered on a sigh as he swung around to sit sideways on his lounger. It prompted me to do the same. “It was something that needed to be handled, but it’s not about your sister. If we had anything… anything at all, I would tell you.”

I studied him in the starlight. He’d promised to not lie to me. Maybe he couldn’t tell me everything but he said no more lies. Did I believe him?

Despite feeling like eternity elongated while I weighed my answer, it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. I believed him. “Okay,” I said. “Thank you for answering.”

“You’re welcome, Gracie.”

Goblin bumped his head against my knee and I rubbed a hand over his head. “I think I’m going to go up to bed.” I didn’t want to wait up for the guys. It was already late, and if I withdrew now, they could come in and get some rest from their trip.

We could tackle everything else tomorrow.

“You sure? I don’t mind setting us up in the living room. I’ll even build a fire.” He held out a hand to me as he stood and I took it. “You’re freezing.”

“No, not that bad and yes, I’m sure. You’ve slept on the sofa for two nights and you’ve been great. It’s time for me to be a big girl again.” I went for self-deprecating, but there was something in his soft huff that said he didn’t believe me. “Thank you for showing me this.”

“My pleasure. We’ll do it again. One of the best parts of having our base here… the sky goes on forever.” The wistfulness in his voice tugged at me and I spared another look up. He was right, the sky definitely did that.

Guilt nibbled at me after I bid Alphabet and Goblin goodnight and went up to my room. I felt like a bit of a coward and a hypocrite. I’d kind of—no kind of, I had enjoyed the last couple of nights. Alphabet was good company. Our agreement had done a lot toward making it easier to just talk and enjoy him.

He promised when the guys came back, we really were going to drill down on the issues. Well, he hadn’t promised exactly , but I read between the lines and it was what he wanted to do. I believed him. That was enough for me.

What I didn’t want to do was have a fight with the others tonight. They’d been gone for three days and I’d only seen part of the operation. It was safe to assume they would be exhausted. If not—well, they deserved to return to base and rest up.

We could always fight tomorrow.

I went through the motions of getting ready for bed then went to the photograph of me and Amorette on the dresser.

“You’d probably have ripped their heads off by now.” I traced the lines of her face. “You’d have a dozen different arguments ready and turn them inside out. Or you’d have already persuaded them to do everything.” Another long sigh escaped me before I set the framed photograph down. “I miss you.”

I had to make myself turn away after that. Turn away and get ready for bed. Once I was under the blankets, though, and the light off save for a low one in the bathroom, I just stared at the ceiling.

My mind raced. Watching movies had helped distract me and let me sleep, but I didn’t have a television in here or even a phone to listen to something on. No, it was just me and my thoughts and they started going faster, and faster. Around and around in circles alternately drenching me in ice cold fear, unsteady nerves, or just pure, existential dread.

“Enough, Grace,” I told myself. “Enough. We have to sleep. We have to sleep if we’re going to do this.” I tried to focus on good things, positive memories, even just fun things I wanted to do…

My mind flitted from event to event, thing to thing, and just wouldn’t settle. It was so damn irritating. Blowing out a breath, I sat up and stared around the room. I’d go for a run on the treadmill in the morning. Exercise could help, maybe. The restlessness invading my whole system aggravated the shit out of me.

I considered and rejected getting up. Dealing with everything else in the morning would be better. Especially with my heart pounding, my hands clenching, and a headache threatening. I’d just be spoiling for a fight to relieve the tension.

Just not a good plan.

I flopped back against the pillows and resisted the urge to thump my hands and feet against the bed and scream. A little huff of laughter escaped me at the mental image of my tantrum. Still staring at the ceiling, I thought about all the things I would have done if I were home in my place.

Watch a movie or catch up on some show that I was behind on.

Listen to music.

Play on my phone.

Read a book.

None of those were an option in here. Especially if I didn’t want to leave the room.

I ran a hand over my face. Well, an orgasm would definitely help with the tension. A shudder of anticipation vibrated right through the taut feeling in my body. Yeah, an orgasm would do nicely.

The lack of toys or a partner were not deterrents. Not in the slightest. In fact…

I cupped my breasts and teased the nipples through the cotton of the sleep shirt. One thing about knowing my own body, I knew exactly how much pressure to apply to elicit a response. Even better, I could savor the feelings because I had no intentions of edging myself.

Still teasing a nipple with one hand, I slid the other to dip into my panties. Teasing my clit, I stroked back and forth slowly. A memory of Voodoo in the hotel room stealthed out of my memory, a tempting wraith that had my cunt clenching around emptiness.

Fuck.

Having felt the bunch of his muscles and the way he moved against me… The heat of his mouth against mine… The swipe of his tongue… Gentleness and demand… I arched my back, the memory leaving me slick and needy.

Circling my clit with two fingers, I applied the pressure I wanted even as I pinched and twisted a nipple. The competing sensations made me arch and shift as I spread my legs.

A toy could increase the speed and force. But my fingers were just fine. My pulse increased as the band of tension that had bound me up so tight earlier, stretched out. The only thing that would make this better was if he were right there…

Squeezing my eyes shut, I let my imagination wrap around the memory of Voodoo as he slid into me. Oh, there was a feeling I wanted to savor and the pleasure crested, and burst through me with a kind of swift surprise that made me gasp.

Laying there, I tried to catch my breath and let a smile widen on my mouth. That… oh that was exactly what I needed. The profound relief swept through me from head to toe. Yes, just what I needed and wanted.

Pulling my hand from my panties I went to wipe them on the bedsheets when a hand locked around my wrist and I jerked, a half-scream clawing up my throat.

As if conjured by my actions, Voodoo braced one knee on the bed as he pulled my fingers to his mouth and sucked them against his lips then cleaned them off with slow, deliberate swipes of his tongue.

The tension rebounded, binding me up in knots as I stared into his eyes. There was no mistaking the intensity in them or how his dark hair fell rakishly against his forehead. He was a dark angel, come to life…

“If this is a dream,” I whispered. “I don’t want to wake up.”

His low chuckle had me curling my toes. “It’s not a dream, Firecracker. It’s just my turn.” Then his mouth was on mine and I had my arms around his neck. My hand was in his hair, fisting it as he dragged me out from under the covers.

The cooler air had my nipples tightening further. Voodoo had on too many damn clothes..

I tugged at his shirt and he broke from the kiss long enough to rip his shirt up and over. All that skin, taut muscle, and the light dusting of hair that had me eager to explore ever inch.

He bit my lower lip, a swift kiss, before he grabbed the hem of my shirt and tugged it upwards. I wiggled out of it then reached for his belt.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “Stay right there.”

Then he stood, his belt came free and then he shoved his jeans down. Thankfully, he was already without his shoes or socks. Maybe that was why I hadn’t heard him come in.

Drinking in the sight of him, I licked my lips. Then I flopped back to peel my panties down. I didn’t make it far before he grabbed them and ripped them right down my legs. Then he lifted them to his nose and took a deep breath.

“I thought slipping in to check on you and finding you pleasuring yourself was the best thing I’d seen all day.”

“Yeah?” I answered in a rush. So not a dream. Okay. That worked for me too. Now that he was here, the longing I’d been burying burst free. I just wanted to touch him.

“Yeah, but I was wrong.”

He all but fell over me, bracing one hand against the bed near my head.

“You, spread out like this, with want on your face? That’s fucking gorgeous, Firecracker.”

The heat and weight of his cock was against my thigh and I slid my legs apart, bracketing his hips with my knees as he settled himself against me. The length of him pressed along my cunt and I arched to stroke him and myself.

“This… this is the best damn thing I’ve ever seen or felt.” Then his mouth fused with mine. The kiss, long, slow, and deep. It was like he savored the taste of my soul and dragged me into the pleasure of it all.

I skated my nails over his shoulders and then his back. The bunch and flex of his muscles offered delicious terrain to explore. The tangle of our tongues had me groaning as he began to rock his hips. The tease of his rigid length against my clit sent little sparks through my system.

“Voodoo,” I whispered against his mouth in between drugging kisses. “I need you inside me.”

“Oh?” There was just the barest hint of teasing in that syllable. “You seemed to be doing just fine with those fingers…”

It was my turn to bite his lip, then I traced a line of biting kisses along his jaw to his ear as I fisted his hair. “That’s because I was imagining you in the hotel… when you fucked me the first time.”

A full body shudder went through him and then he lifted his head, his gaze fixed on mine. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah,” I said, abandoning the whisper. “I want to feel you inside me again…” I wanted it so goddamn much. I don’t know which of us reached for his cock first, but he wrapped his hand over mine.

He was so hot and hard, and his skin so silken. We teased his tip against my entrance. I was so soaking and ready, but he took his time, never looking away from me. Then he pressed forward and I arched up to meet him.

What patience we seemed to possess snapped in that instant. He slammed home to the hilt and swallowed my cry with his kiss that was all tongue, teeth, and gasping breath.

“Fuck!” The word exploded out of me as he pounded into me, every thrust as wickedly sinful and welcome as the ones I’d imagined. The stretch was a burn that just fed into my pleasure. I dug my fingers against the bunching muscles of his ass as he increased the tempo.

Maybe it was the first orgasm, or the tension, or the fact that he was here and satisfying the very real desire to see him. Or maybe it was just the way all of his focus and strength powered into me, but the orgasm that caught me up had me writhing against him as he kissed my throat.

“I’m going to come so deep inside you, I’m going to leave a mark,” he promised and I locked my legs around him, digging my fingers in to hold on. Then our mouth fused again as he drove all the air out of me over and over until I was dizzy from it.

Only then did he shudder and let go. The heat of his release seemed to bloom inside of me like liquid fire. We lay there, locked together with his face buried against my throat. The softness of his beard tickled my skin as much as the little hairs on his chest teased my nipples.

We floated there together, all the tension and frustration had drained out of me. This was… right.

“Give me a few minutes, Firecracker,” he murmured.

“For what?” It was a challenge to push those two syllables out.

“To get my second wind.”

I blinked and then focused on him. “Really?”

“Oh yeah, you definitely feel like more .” Was that a challenge?

I clenched around him and he hissed. “You’re starting to feel like more too…” Mine definitely was.

His grin was feral, then he kissed me again and there were no more words.