Part 22 (1/2)
Helen put a staying hand on her husband's shoulder. ”We need to get back outside. Their blood will be drawing company here.”
Drake nodded and looked at Madoc. ”Get yourselves cleaned up; then get outside and lend a hand. We've already saved your a.s.s once tonight. Helen's tired.”
”I'm fine,” she said, tossing her twin braids back over her shoulders.
Drake's eyes followed the motion before sliding over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. ”Yes, you are. Let's go.”
The pair of them left, but Logan remained in the doorway, his pale eyes cautious. He looked at Madoc. ”Did it work? Did she get to you in time?”
Madoc's hold on Nika's body tightened. ”Guess we'll see. If my lifemark buds again, we're safe. If not ...”
”It will,” said Nika, letting every bit of her faith flow through her tone.
Madoc cupped her cheek, his touch so gentle she had to blink back tears. ”You and I have a lot of things to talk about.”
She knew what he meant. He wanted to wrap her up and tuck her away somewhere where her life would have no meaning. That wasn't going to happen.
But now was not the time to argue about it. Right now they needed to wash off the blood before they were all trapped inside this house, sitting ducks for every Synestryn within miles.
”Later,” she told him. ”After we've showered.”
Something inside Madoc had definitely changed since Nika had put on his luceria; he just wasn't sure it was enough to turn him back into the man he used to be. All the violent feelings he thought would go away were still there, pounding inside him, demanding release. He wanted to kill Drake and Logan for looking at Nika's body. The only difference was that now he also felt bad about it.
Drake was his friend. He shouldn't have wanted to kill the man for taking the time to see if Nika was okay. He should have thanked him for caring enough to look in on her.
He knew that; it simply didn't change the fact that if the man did it again, it might be the last thing he did.
That wasn't right. That wasn't the way Madoc wanted to feel for his brothers. And it sure as h.e.l.l wasn't the way he wanted to feel toward Nika.
He wanted to be gentle with her. Loving. Or at least not scare her and hurt her like he had.
Madoc started the shower, testing the temperature so it wouldn't burn her skin. Once it was right, he stepped away so there was room for her to get in.
She shed the sheet, letting it fall to the floor. Her back was to him, but the feminine lines of her back drew his eyes down to the prettiest a.s.s he'd ever seen. She was pale and smooth and so mouthwatering he had to grip the counter to keep himself from shoving her against the wall so he could take her from behind.
She peered over her naked shoulder. ”Are you coming in with me?”
h.e.l.l, no. If he got in that shower, he was going to f.u.c.k her again. It didn't matter that he'd made her bleed a few minutes ago, or that he was sure she had to be sore. All that would matter was the slide of hot water over her skin and finding a position where he could take her deep and hard without slipping and bas.h.i.+ng both their skulls in.
”I'll wash up in the sink. I need to get out and help Drake.”
Her blue eyes narrowed. ”You're still afraid of me.”
”Hardly. Afraid of what I might do to you? Absolutely. You should be, too.”
”You still don't get it, do you? I've known from the first moment I saw you that you would never hurt me.”
”I'd say the proof of how stupid that idea was is smeared all over the insides of your thighs. I made you bleed.”
”Only a little. And it's not like it could have been helped. Any man would have done the same thing.”
The idea of another man taking her made his vision go red around the edges. That killing rage was back, blasting inside him, making him wish for something he could beat into a slurry. He had to take several deep breaths to calm down enough to unclench his jaw.
Nika held her hand out to him. Her slender fingers were wet. Water sluiced over her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and down her belly, making her skin turn pink from the heat of the shower.
”Come here,” she said. ”You don't have to be afraid of me anymore.”
Against his better judgment, Madoc took a step forward. Then another. He couldn't seem to resist the pull of her hand reaching for him.
Her wet fingers closed over his, tugging him toward her.
”This is a mistake,” he muttered.
”Maybe. Maybe not. Don't you want to find out?”
He did. More than he wanted his next breath.
He stepped into the tub and Nika pulled the curtain closed behind him. A feminine smile filled with victory curled her mouth. ”See? That wasn't so hard, was it?”
Oh, he was hard all right. Throbbing with the need to take her again, but he managed to clamp his lips shut and nod.
She soaped up her hands and slid them over his chest, was.h.i.+ng the blood away from the shallow cut that had already healed shut. The branches of his lifemark swayed, reaching for her slippery fingers wherever they went.
It had been so long since Madoc had felt his lifemark move like it was meant to, he had almost forgotten what the sensation felt like. The gentle rippling just under his skin was comforting. Normal. No buds had formed along the branches yet, but that could take time. He wasn't going to worry about it.
For now, all he was going to worry about was making sure that every drop of blood was washed from her skin.
That, and keeping his d.i.c.k to himself.
He spun her around so the water sprayed over her, keeping her warm, then took the soap from her hands.
”We need to be quick,” he said. ”We can't leave all the fun to Drake and Helen.”
”I'm looking forward to seeing what I can do. All that power inside you is calling to me, begging me to let it out.”
Madoc's hands moved over her shoulders, sliding along the luceria. It was still paler than it should have been, but as he looked, he could see silvery white swirls sliding inside the band. They were the same color as Nika's hair had been under the winter moon as she stood in the graveyard.
The luceria tingled at his touch, giving off a happy buzz.
His soapy hands moved down her body, sliding over her tight little nipples, down her flat belly, and through the pale curls between her thighs. He wanted to wash away every trace of blooda”every sc.r.a.p of pain he'd given her tonight. He knew the memories would always remain, but there was nothing he could do about that but try to replace them with better ones.
His fingers parted her folds, slipping gently over her skin as he washed her. The urge to slide his fingers inside her was nearly overwhelming, but he held back, worried he'd cause her more pain.
His ring was still vibrating in time with her necklace, and as it grazed over her c.l.i.t, she sucked in a sharp breath.
Nika's head fell back in pleasure as she enjoyed the sensation. Madoc only wished that he'd been able to make her feel that way when he'd had her in bed.
He had a lot of making up to do. She hadn't gotten off even once.
Normally, he wouldn't have cared, but with Nika, nothing was normal. It was a point of pride, and he was going to make her come, even if he had to get creative to make it happen.