Ancient Ties (29 page)

Latched it. Crowded her back against the wood, bracing his hands on either side of her face.

“Why did you come?” Marek repeated. He needed to be sure of her. Did she want him as he really was? A man capable of killing? “You should be afraid.”

“No,” Janney spoke low, hoarsely, her eyes wide, raking over him. “I’m not afraid.”

Reaching out, she cupped his muscled chest, brushed her thumbs across his nipples. He felt her whole body shudder, her breath hissing out between clenched teeth.

Marek groaned, his panting driving his chest into her hands, his heart thumping erratically. He stunk of sweat, of his own musk. Janney exuded freshness. Clean skin, sun-bright hair, wide aroused eyes.

Leaning forward, Janney pressed her lips to the curve of his neck where it met his shoulder. He felt the pinch.

Good Gods, she bit me!

She was making a meal of him, flattening her palms and kneading him with the heels of her hands, abrading his nipples.

I’ll give her one chance to get out. She has to understand what’s
going to happen here. I would have killed a man for her.

His need for her cool, smooth body crawled thickly through his veins. Breathing labored, Marek looked down. Her eyes seemed to be closed; her light lashes rested on her flushed cheeks. She turned her head back and forth. Her lips kissing, tongue licking a wet trail to his waist.

“Take that off.” He pushed at the material at her shoulders.

“Or get out.” He almost laughed aloud at this stupid warning. He knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Take it off me,” Janney growled back.

Marek’s breath caught in his throat. Aroused beyond what he thought possible by her demand and the low rumble of her voice, Marek roughly jerked her tunic to her waist. Her bare breasts swollen and quivering, their now cherry-red, tight nipples compelling him, ordering him, to take them in his mouth.

Groaning, he bent his head and closed his mouth over her.

Suckling hard. Massaging her with his tongue. Sweet woman.

Salty from sweat and tasting of desire. He curled his big hands around her middle, and pulled her up. He wanted her closer.

Janney squirmed and wiggled, cried out, raked her fingernails on his shoulders. Arousal building to the bursting point, he drew on her breast and rolled her nipple with his tongue until he heard her shrill moans over the pounding of his heart.

Abruptly, Marek released her and dragged his bare chest across her soft breasts. Gripping each side of her head, he took possession of her lips. Parting them, he swept his tongue roughly in, greedily invading every corner the way he wanted to fill her ripe body.

He ached to be inside her. Her tunic still clung to her hips.

It had to come off. He had to be inside her. Marek released Janney, reached behind his neck with both hands, and grabbed her wrists. He pulled her arms up above her head, stretching her out, one hand circling her wrists pinning them to the wood of the door.

Janney’s screamed, “Yesss,” echoed around the low-ceilinged space. She’d caught a glimpse of the room before frantic lust narrowed her focus to Marek. A table in the middle held piles of scrolls of all sizes, some tied closed with leather strips, some held open with weighted objects. Several camp chairs lined one wall. A table with shelves above it bordered another. No windows, just one small oil lamp burning on the desk provided the light. Janney quickly cast her gaze around looking for some place for Marek to lay her down.

She’d recognized the man Marek fought. Could certainly never forget his creepy face, nor would she forget Marek’s punching him out last night. Glaucus’s smarmy salute to her, as if she would be impressed by him, had to have driven Marek nuts.

Janney had stood rooted to the rail at the beginning of the fight. As if she were the one fighting, she felt every one of Marek’s thrusts in her own arms. She’d fought with him, grunting and cursing with every strike and blow. Never doubting for a minute that Marek would win, even when the bastard tripped him, Janney screamed herself hoarse. She knew that the people in the pavilion were aghast at her actions but she didn’t care. Then when it was over, finding Marek became the most urgent thing in her life.

Marek held her stretched up easily with one hand, the confinement exciting her. It was Marek, Janney trusted him.

Still, this was a new Marek. His breathing, harsh and loud, puffed on her face and neck as he kissed her hard, leaving, she was sure, and didn’t care, love bites. Her breasts bobbed with

every one of her own choppy breaths. She watched as he roughly palmed each one in turn, cupping and squeezing. Groaning sharply, she arched into him wanting more. Wanting him to nip her breasts with his beautiful teeth. He jerked at the material at her hips, getting it out of his way. She twisted her hips, helping him, luring him on, begging to be taken.

The soft, damp material of his leggings barely restrained his taut erection. Janney wanted that. Wanted him thick and pulsing. Wanted him inside her. She rubbed her mound against his thigh and panted. “God! Do it…do it!” Open and begging for him, she wanted him hard and fast. “Don’t torture me anymore!”

Two quick shoves and he wrestled the leggings to the floor.

Kicked them away. Janney and Marek were both finally, completely naked.

God, he’s beautiful.

All his muscles glistening—bulging in his shoulders, arms, and thighs. She licked her lips at the sight of his jutting erection.

Marek crowded her against the wood of the door with his body, groaning her name again and again. How big he seemed compared to her. She wanted him to overpower her with his strength, wanted him to master her. Surround and encompass her.

Grinning victoriously, Marek raked his gaze over her body, from her confined wrists to her bare, scrunching toes. He ground his erection on her belly, their bodies slipping and sliding with sweat against each other. Matching her own lesser strength erotically to his, Janney hissed her excitement.

From deep within her throat, she growled, demanded,

“Fuck me, dammit!”

Growling in ecstasy, Marek released her hands from above her head. His fingers roughly gripped her bottom. Lifted her off her feet. “Spread them.”

Finally!
Janney opened her thighs. Marek tipped her hips and lunged straight inside her. As deep as he could get. She triumphantly tightened her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, hooking her heels over his buttocks.

Belly to belly. Chest to breast. He was in. Her body closed around him like a hot, slick…home.

“God, yesssss…” The cry ripped out of her. Janney rocked her hips, fiercely massaging him, contracting around him.

Coming! He hadn’t even begun to thrust.

Marek thrust. Over and over.

Janney screamed. “Godddd…” Explosions going off inside her body. White, hot lightening raced to the tips of her fingers and toes and back again. She didn’t feel her back and head banging against the door. She felt only him. Inside her.

Janney growled and kicked at the backs of his thighs with her heels. Hoarsely, she cried, “Harder. Please, harder.”

Marek pulled out slowly.

Frantic, Janney shook her head and moaned, “Noooo…”

Their gazes met and held. His deep brown eyes had darkened to near black. With a feral grin, Marek slammed back into her.

“Yes!”

He took her lips and ate, without finesse, at her mouth. It didn’t matter. The kiss mattered. Janney ate back, their tongues tangling, straining.

“Faster. Oh, God, faster! Harder!”

In a frenzy, as if on attack, Marek intensified his thrusts. He drove his body aggressively into hers. Grunting his gratification, sweat poured off his face, down his neck, coating his chest. His fingers dug into her bottom, maneuvering her to where he wanted her to be, controlling the angle.

With a roar, he flooded her body, the force of his release almost driving them both to the floor. His mouth, at her neck, opened. His teeth closed on her soft flesh.

Janney tightened her grasp on his shoulders and waist. Her responding scream was more like a low, sustained howl.

Somehow, they ended up on the floor, turned around with Marek leaning back against the door. Janney now sat on his lap.

Still impaled, as the night in the baths. Still connected in the most intimate way possible. Motionless except for heavy

breathing, she lay draped over his chest, her head on his shoulder, arms dangling, eyes closed.

“Are you all right?” his voice low and as out of breath as she.

“Mmm,” was all she could manage. She couldn’t move. Had no intention of moving. She felt his hands leave her bottom and roam up her back. Her thighs tightened around his waist.

Reflexively, her interior muscles clenched. She heard his panting, harsh in her ear. Then his lips smoothed over her shoulder.

“By all the Gods,” Marek muttered brokenly. “That was worth fighting Glaucus for. I’m just happy I was the winner.”

“Umm.” Her skin still tingled, her blood ran thickly, and her muscles wouldn’t move.

God, it’s never been like this before.

Janney groaned and turned her head nuzzling in on his shoulder, her eyes tightly closed. She had no idea where they were and didn’t care.

She lay against him, listening to her heart slow down.

Marek’s chest rose and fell, every movement gently abrading the sensitive skin of her breasts and belly. She slowly, idly, with soft fingertips, feathered his arms and shoulders, drifting them down his chest where her cheek now rested.

“I’ve never seen anything like that.” She felt his hips thrust again. Good Lord, he was still inside her! Chuckling weakly, Janney said, “I mean the fighting.”

Marek’s agreement rumbled through his chest.

“Never in person.” Janney ground her hips into his this time. The spark lit again. She thought she was done in but found that she wanted him again. “I had no idea it would turn me on like this.” Her breathing hitched as she toyed with one of his little button nipples. Squirming on his lap, she used her knees as leverage to slide herself off, then back on him. “Marek,” she growled, hardly surprised that her swollen and well-used body still felt so sensitive.

His hands found their way to her breasts, forefingers and thumbs tugging on her nipples. She arched her back, crying out,

caught up again in erotic sensation. He dipped his head and his lips pulled at her nipple, rolling it between them, his tongue gliding across the tip. Janney curled her fingers into claws and raked her nails down his arms. He, his mouth, his body, were exquisite. In a hot rush of passion, she slid her fingers into his hair and pulled his head toward her, cradling it, urging him on.

Her cry when he released her nipple was cut off when he took her lips, and they were lost in each other again.

Janney was unusually quiet as they rearranged their clothing and made their way out of the coliseum. Shocked that the fight between Marek and Glaucus had so primitively aroused her, she knew she was in way over her head. She’d known it from the first.

They were stopped by a soldier who confirmed with Marek that the cohorts would be leaving at first light.

She managed to get back into their room at the villa without screaming. The truth had hit her hard. They’d come back to Aquae Sulis because he was called back to duty, and she hadn’t wanted to face it. She couldn’t ignore it any longer.

Neither of them talked. All Janney could hear was her own harsh breathing and the clatter of Marek putting away his sword and dagger. The sexual fantasy they’d been living now turned into her worst nightmare. In her memories, she heard her mother’s sobbing and pleading. Heard her dad’s calm voice assuring them that he’d be back. Assuring them of his love.

Except that he hadn’t come back.

Janney stood in the middle of the room, her arms tight around her middle. Who else could she hang on to?

“I have to go.” Marek put it bluntly, his hands planted on his hips.

“Would it do any good to ask you not to?” Janney worked hard to keep the quaver out of her voice.

“It’s my duty…and…I’m not ending my career with what happened.” He was vehement, his lips tight, eyes hard, flashing with determination.

He was a proud man. It was part of why she loved him.

Hell, she was proud, too. She’d repressed her fear of loss, of abandonment, ever since she was twelve and would not let him know how devastated she was.

“Janney, I won’t be like your father. I will come back. This won’t even be that dangerous.” He moved toward her.

She held up her hand to stop him. Her mind went blank, and she couldn’t think of what to do or say next.

Without a sound, he was in front of her, gripped her shoulders, and gently pushed her down into a chair. She drew up her knees to hug her chest as he hunched down in front of her.

She almost felt safe curled up in a ball like this.

Marek tipped her chin up with his forefinger. “You know I love you, and I’ll come back for you.”

She looked into his eyes, so deeply brown, warm, and confident. “What if I’m not here?” she whispered.

His warm hands covered her knees, slid down her thighs to rest on her hips.
God, don’t let me self-destruct like my mother.
She would hold herself together for his sake, if not for her own.

“I’ll find you.”

She drew in a shaky breath. “But, Marek, I won’t be in this time.” Surely, he understood that.

“Come here,” he urged, nudging her knees down and sliding her off the chair into his lap. Staring into her eyes, he trailed his hands up her arms and around her back like he was imprinting the feel of her body in his brain. “Trust me, Janney Forrester. I will find you.”

Oh, how she wanted to believe him.

“Put your arms around me, my love.” His lips grazed her cheek, tickled her ear. “Believe it,” he said as if he could read her mind. “If you don’t believe anything else in this life, believe that I love you and that you are mine.” He rested his hands on her shoulders, brushed both thumbs along her jaw.