Ancient Ties (24 page)

away from his reach, across the room, lowering herself into a chair.

Slumping into the chair by the door, he rubbed his face with one hand, pinching the bridge of his nose between thumb and forefinger. “I’ve been trying to forget that.”

“But you can’t.”

“No. I could for a while. You distracted me.”

“It came back.”

Marek could feel the heat of her gaze, even though he still hadn’t looked at her.

“It was bound to.”

He was silent. For a long time, he slouched in the chair, chin resting on his bare chest, his hands gripping his thighs; spread wide, drying leggings still clinging.

“For a long time I have not wanted to fight these people.

For so long, I killed for the Empire. All over Britannia. It was my job, my life. I was a good soldier and commander. I thought it was all I wanted in my life.”

Looking up, he finally met her eyes. “I’ll tell you this, Janney. I was so numb after my wife died that I didn’t even think, I just threw myself into the battles, almost hoping that I would die too. Not even the thought of my son made any difference.” He looked at her with savaged eyes. “I’m sorry.” He had to look away again.

“Why do you say you’re sorry to me?”

His chest heaved with emotion. Where was he? Lost for the moment in the distant past. Mellona had been the sweetest, most innocent thing he’d ever known. Like a delicate bird, and he’d been almost afraid to touch her for fear of breaking her to pieces.

Even so, she loved to lie with him, was always eager for him. He tried to restrain his strength because of her smallness, and she never complained when he expressed his passion for her.

“She was so small and pretty,” he muttered. “She was perfect. I love my son, even though I haven’t seen him for five years now. He’s part of us.” His voice died.

“Leonidas would be fifteen now, about the age of the…the other.” They both knew whom he meant. “What if Leonidas had been fighting for his home? He’d be right to do it. Aren’t these people right to try to keep us out?”

Leaping from his chair, he crossed the room to stand at the window looking out at the brilliant sky. It seemed as if every day with Janney had been bright and sunny and…happy.

“I don’t know if I can do this anymore. Fight and kill. I’ve become a coward,” he finished with self-contempt.

“You’re not a coward, Marek. A coward doesn’t have compassion or a conscience. Maybe you’ve just become human.

You’ve been a killing machine for so long. It might be time to do something different with your life. Settle here since you love it, send for your son and…and your wife. You could have a good life here,” she ended on a sob.

Turning to look at her, he came out of his past and studied Janney. She wasn’t anything like his wife. Either wife. He felt as if he’d known her all his life instead of the few short weeks since she literally and figuratively stepped into his life.

“Stay, Janney. Stay here with me. We can have a life together.” Marek paused for breath. “I know what I’m asking you is selfish…but…” He could tell what all this was costing Janney. Her struggle to remain calm, when she probably wanted to tear his eyes out. No woman wants to hear how much a man loved another woman. Or hear about his weaknesses.

Janney snorted in disbelief. “Selfish? I’d say so. You just go through women like water.”

“It isn’t like that. I care for you.”

“You just said your wife was the perfect love of your life.

Now, you care for me? That’s nice, Marek.”

Why was she being so shrewish? He strode to her, leaned down, his hands on either side of the seat of her chair boxing her in.

“You know you want to stay.” He stared knowingly at her.

The look of surprise on her face pleased him. Marek had decided he wanted her, and he would make sure she stayed. He’d do

whatever he needed to. She was still in the room with him, that said a lot to him.

“You’re so damned arrogant,” Janney sniped.

“You want to kill me?” Marek taunted.

They both spoke at once. The little quirk of her lips told him that he’d gotten to her at last. If he could make her smile…

Rising to his full height before her, he saw her gaze flicker over his erection straining against his leggings. Felt the heated pulse radiate from his groin. Wanted Janney to see and feel it, too.

Pulling her up from the chair, he enfolded her in his arms, and pressed her head against his heart. Stiff, she resisted the embrace. “I’ll make you happy,” Marek murmured into her ear.

He slid his hands slowly over her back and shoulders. Easy, he ordered himself. Slow and easy. He wanted her on her back with him fused tightly inside her. She’d stopped sniping at him. She was quiet now. He didn’t know what was in her mind. Gods, she was still rigid. He trailed kisses along the side of her face, over her temple and finally gripped her chin and tipped it up. Her eyes were closed. She wasn’t going to make this easy for him.

“No more secrets.” Janney opened her eyes and gazed seriously at him, then asked cynically, “Are there any more wives I should know about?”

“You seem to be awfully suspicious of me with multiple women.” His hands ruffled through her curls, almost dry now.

She was talking, at least.

“Well, you seem to have a penchant for it.”

“All right, a justifiable suspicion, I’ll grant you that. That night, the night we arrived here…when you…saw the two serving women in my room?” Marek said haltingly. “I’d had a dream…a nightmare.”

“Yes, now I understand that’s what it was. But at the time I didn’t know.” Janney nestled her face against the short, crisp hairs on his chest. “You Romans are well-known for having orgies and I just assumed…” She gazed up at him, her face a contrast of brassy shyness. “I want it understood that as long as

I’m here, you are exclusive to me. If you need more woman, you come to me.”

Laughing explosively, he put his mouth on hers to stop her talking, raising his lips from hers just long enough to say, “How could I possibly need any more woman than you? Now come over here. I want to show you something,” his grin leering and victorious.

“I might have something to show you, too, sweetie. You have way too much on for my tastes.”

She knelt before him and pulled the leggings down around his ankles. Soon he was bare-naked. Marek kicked them away and gazed down on Janney. He needed to touch her, his hands and lips skimming over every inch of her, to possess her.

He resisted the core of fear snaking through him. This was a new fear for him. When he was young, and before Mellona died, it had not occurred to him that he could lose her. Never, until now, had he found someone he couldn’t bear to lose. Now he knew what was possible.

Janney’s fingers caressed his thighs; he was aroused by the feather-light touches on the backs of his knees, of all places.

Surprised, he looked down to see her stroking and kissing her way up his body. Was she going to do what he thought? She angled her head to bypass his shaft and kissed her way up to his hip, over to his navel. Marek felt his face flush, his mouth become dry. He tightened his fists at his sides and watched her wide-eyed, praying to the Gods that she would put her mouth on him again. Give him one of those blow jobs, as she called them.

Her other hand floated up his other thigh; he closed his eyes with a sharp intake of breath when those fingers grasped the short, black hairs at his groin.

“Gods.” His shaft bobbed, hardened. She explored, fondling him everywhere but where he needed her to be. She speared her fingers through the hair, tugging, nipping at him sharply with her teeth. Marek caught himself swaying, locked his knees, and prayed—begged—for her mouth to take him inside. He felt the

warmth of her breath the second before she dragged her tongue from the base to the tip to dip into the sensitive slit at the end.

“Janney,” came out in a loud groan, his eyes now opened and staring down into hers. The head of his shaft rested on the tip of her tongue. He flexed forward; he couldn’t help the movement. His woman, with her mouth on his phallus, was impossible to ignore. He didn’t want to. His fists unclenched, and he drew his fingers into her hair, cupping her head gently.

He was as gentle as he could be with his hands shaking and body vibrating at what was to come. Her lips enveloped the head; he hissed in a sharp breath. He’d never lie to her again if she would just take more of him. She did, her hot, sultry mouth consuming him. His hips jerked; she took more. “Gods.” Her tongue swirled, circling, spearing the slit. “Janney, can you take more?” he groaned.

She looked eager, as excited as he was. Well, she couldn’t be that. For a man, there was nothing much better than this. “I have to move,” his voice scraped over his nerves. Marek brushed his thumbs along her cheekbones. He was desperate, losing control. His hips swayed forward, his fingers threaded through her hair, imprisoning her head. His jaw clenched so hard that his face hurt. “Janney,” was almost a sob.

She moved, took more of him. Her head bobbed back and forth, suckling him, flattening her tongue along the underside, then circling the tip, then tonguing the underside. Again and again. Marek threw his head back and growled. He pumped into her sweet, sweet mouth. He prayed to keep standing until this ended. Sounds came from Janney’s throat, moans and cries, little sobs. One of her hands circled the base of his shaft, the other cupped his sacs. The eroticism of the whole picture of his woman kneeling before him, his shaft being swallowed by her, those small hands holding him, finally drove him over the edge.

His hips flexed, she took him in.

He knew nothing more, didn’t hear his roar. His only focus was the absolute pleasure of erupting into her mouth. She was good at this. Everything from the short jabbing of her tongue to

the scrape of her teeth made this one of the most carnal experiences of his life.

The first thing he noticed when he came back to himself was that her mouth still held him, and her fingers sprawled over his buttocks as if she didn’t want to let him go. Fine. He didn’t want to go anywhere. Except that now his knees were going to give way. Rousing himself, Marek gently disengaged her mouth from his still throbbing shaft. He bent to pick her up and tumbled them both back onto the bed, locking her to his side with one arm, the other bent with the back of his hand resting over his eyes.

They lay quietly for some time. If he hadn’t known before this, Marek was now absolutely positive he loved Janney. That she would do this even after being so angry with him, when she could have bitten it off. His chest jolted with laughter.

“What?”

Marek didn’t want to move, didn’t think he could even speak.

“Marek, are you all right?”

Dimly, he heard her whispered question. “You are magnificent.” A whisper was all he could eke out, too. “I love you, Janney Forrester,” he murmured into her hair, turning his face toward her.

“Just because I did that to you? Made you come in my mouth?”

Her breathless question came close to breaking his heart.

“Oh, no, my sweet love.” Marek rolled to his side, tipped up her chin with his forefinger to better see her eyes. “I think I’ve loved you from the beginning. All my life.”

“But we just met.” She couldn’t hide the start of a smile.

“All my life.” Marek kissed Janney, took her lips, gently.

Marek and Janney became the stuff of local legend; the strong, handsome Roman soldier and his beautiful, yellow-haired woman appeared and disappeared around the countryside. No one, not even they, knew where or when they would turn up next. Their horses could be seen grazing peacefully alone in the fields, and the country people indulgently steered clear not wanting to interrupt them. The goat herder had spread his close-call story around.

Girls swooned, dreamy-eyed, over the romance of it all.

Boys, however, scoffed at how a mighty Roman soldier could care more about a woman than of fighting. Pity the girls. It would be a while before the boys caught up to them. If ever.

Marek continued, even distracted, to manage his villages and meet with the headmen. She knew he watched her as she talked with the women and children and disappeared into huts.

His eyes lit up when she reappeared carrying some locally made bread or wine. They didn’t try to hide their smiles for each other. It would have been impossible anyway.

The nights were once again bliss. Janney marveled at the number of hours that could be spent making love, talking, and yes, cuddling. Her big Roman soldier liked to cuddle. It was heavenly bliss. He was bliss.

“Honey?”

“Yes?” Janney always perked up when Marek came back to her. He’d only been gone five minutes. He divested himself of his tunic and brought the tray of food over to the bed. Crawling his gorgeous body over to her, he manhandled her onto her back

and knelt between her thighs. The devilish look in his eyes, rapt and intense, jolted through her.

“I mean…” Marek poked a finger in a pot, and it came out coated in honey.

Janney’s eyes widened at his wicked grin. She shuddered, feeling all the blood in her body rush to three spots in particular.

All three spots prickled with sensation.

He stuck his finger in his mouth and then pulled it out with a loud smacking sound. “I do love honey. On anything.” His lips quirked, he widened his grin, obviously having too much fun.

Nothing wrong with that. Janney’s gaze followed his finger; she scrunched her fingers into the bed coverings. Her nipples pebbled instantly, and her breasts quivered. Her hips twitched in anticipation.

“You didn’t think that I’d forget to pay you back, did you?”

His voice was low and smooth. That velvet thing. “Oh, God.” Janney didn’t need to have a picture drawn to know what was coming next. “Umm, yes.” She couldn’t breathe.

“Yes? You think I forgot?” He smirked down at her.

Janney licked her lips; her gaze still narrowed on the honey pot. He was sitting between her thighs, could see everything.