by Vivian Arend
She took a deep breath as she let his reassurances settle over her.
Being with him helped. Marcus could truly understand the haunting pain she fought. He still struggled with his own demons—she was sure of it. The days he’d gone missing, his episodes as he called them, had to have a cause. The caress of his hand said this was more than a standard show of sympathy.
Somehow, without another word, she knew he understood her battle. And while the war still raged for him as well, he hadn’t given up. His determination motivated her beyond belief.
The heat of his chest lulled her, as did the warmth of the tea. She finished the mug and he took it from her fingers, nestling in tighter as she wrapped her arms around his torso. It was quiet except for the sound of their breathing, the faint pulse of his heart under her ear.
If the nightmares came, he’d chase them away.
* * *
Marcus waited until her breathing calmed to a smooth rhythm. Too many emotions waged inside for a simple answer to his current state of mind. He’d given her tea, supported her. Done what he could to ease her fears, all the while not letting her catch a glimpse of what was hiding inside.
When she screamed, he’d been the one frozen in terror.
Memories rushed in, the unanswerable cries that haunted him. The unspeakable pain of being unable to help. But Becki was flesh and blood, and his drive to soothe her had forced his personal demons into retreat.
They returned now to poke him as he lifted her and carried her back to bed. All the while as he slipped off her robe and arranged her limbs on the mattress, his mind raced with unsolvable scenarios.
Becki curled up so sweetly, her fingers clinging to his arm as he touched her. He tugged himself free to strip off his sweatpants then rejoined her. She pressed her body against his, reaching back to pull his arm over her. Her fingers lingered on his stump, running lightly over the sensitive skin on the inside of his elbow. Then she fell fully asleep again, leaving him with his tortured thoughts.
Seeing her struggle with her fears only emphasized his faults. Not his hand—he’d told her the truth when he said he could live without a goddamn hand. It was the pain of what he couldn’t fix that preoccupied his nightmares.
What if he couldn’t do for her? What if somewhere along the road he failed her? He should leave her alone, but he was too damn selfish to want that as an option.
He was still no closer to an answer when they woke the next morning, pissing rain smacking against the windowpane.
She twirled in his arms and kissed him, squirming away before he could do anything more than blink drowsily. “Sleepyhead. I’ve been awake for an hour.”
“Why didn’t you take advantage of me then?” He leaned on his elbow as she strode naked to the window, hands pressed to the glass. She wrinkled her nose and pouted at the weather.
“Stupid rain.” She turned again, arms crossing over her breasts. “Ravishment was not on the list for this morning.”
“It is on the list, though. Good to know.”
She grinned and plopped back on the edge of the mattress, far enough away that he’d have to lunge to grab her. “I feel wonderful. Your miracle tea and the rest of the night’s sleep did wonders. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Good thing one of them had gotten some rest. “Plans for the day. You have anything you need to do?”
She shook her head. “I’ve got the week organized, so if we want to train this morning, I’m game.”
“Breakfast first?”
“God, yes, I’m starving.” Becki stood and went to her bag, pulling out clothing before swinging away from him toward the bathroom. “I’ll shower, then you can tell me what to make, okay?”
Being around her was comfortable. Relaxed.
Maybe too relaxed. Marcus lay back for a moment and debated the wisdom of getting into the shower with her and starting all over again. He hadn’t had nearly enough of her yet.
She was right, though. Getting out for a while wasn’t a bad idea. Burn off a little energy, then they’d come back and see what other mischief they could get into. So he ignored his morning wood and slipped to the kitchen to see what he had in the house. Something with a lot of calories to make sure they had enough to keep going for a long, long time.
CHAPTER 20
The first hour of training was a complete and utter failure. Becki collapsed onto the mat beside him and cursed wildly.
Marcus waited for her to finish letting off steam. He rested his hand on her thigh, rubbing lightly as she lay with her arms crossed over her face.
She’d warmed up, roped in, and attempted to climb. Each time she’d been no higher than the five-foot marker before she’d call for a stop and he’d lower her to safety. He’d suggested other routes, other things she could do to train, but she’d insisted.
She might be willing, but her fear was having nothing to do with it. She was like a clipped bird, stuck on the ground.
Her chest heaved as she dragged in a huge breath and released it slowly.
“What am I going to do, Marcus? I can’t wrap a blindfold around my head and expect you to follow me everywhere, talking me through routes.”
Frustration and anger—at herself—screamed out no matter how softly she’d spoken.
“Why are you pushing so hard to go vertical?” he asked. “You need to get into shape again, and there’s no reason why you can’t do that while staying close to the floor.”
She cranked her elbow out of the way to deliver a scathing glare. “Baby steps.”
“I’ll join you,” Marcus offered. “Come on, it’s way more fun to have someone else to work over and laugh at when they fall off a section you aced than worrying about what you can’t change right now.”
Becki flipped to her stomach and crawled toward him. “Stop being reasonable. I was getting ready for a good pout, and you had to go and ruin it for me.”
He caught her around the waist and pulled her close. Becki rested her hands on his shoulders while his fingers teased the line of skin at the edge of her shorts. “Sorry, but tell me that reasonable isn’t what you’d have suggested if our positions were reversed.”
“Hmm, reversed positions. Now you’re onto something.” She made contact with his chest and pushed. The move came quickly enough that he lost his balance, landing on his back to discover he was looking up at her. She’d straddled him, a shining grin exchanged for the anger she’d shown only a moment before.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” he warned. “I just suggested wall circuits. I’m not going to fool around until you’ve done at least two.”
“Oh, really?” Becki undulated her hips, and he gave his dick hell for reacting.
She leaned down, the swoop of her climbing top low enough to reveal the rounded line of her cleavage. He looked forward to exploring her all over again very shortly, but first? Self-control was demanded. “You know you want to climb.”
Becki planted her hands on either side of his head and sighed lustily. “I want to climb you, but fine. Work first. Play later.”
She kissed him. Lips soft and warm. Eager tongue slipping to tangle with his. The position put her full-out over the top of him, and he was seriously considering throwing the workout aside for at least an hour when there was a loud slam, and a rush of cooler air filled the room.
She sprang back, scrambling to her feet. Marcus joined her as three people walked through the door, their loud joking echoing in the gym.
“I still don’t believe you did that.” Tripp poked Devon in the chest. “Alisha is going to kill you.”
“She’s got to catch me first.” Devon stopped a few feet away from them, his bright grin innocently shining out. “Hey, Marcus. Becki. What’s up?”
Marcus looked over his team. Devon, Tripp, Xavier. “What’re you doing here on a day off?”
“Interview for the paper. The reporter wants shots to accompany the article, and we figured David wouldn’t mind if we used the gym.”
De
von seemed oblivious, but Tripp was giving Becki and him some pointed looks. Xavier had already wandered off to the change room, no doubt to grab harness and climbing shoes.
“Umm, you don’t think David will mind, do you?” Devon fidgeted, finally picking up on some of the tension in the room.
Marcus wanted to say yes, but he couldn’t lie, no matter how much he regretted losing their privacy. Of course, now the likelihood of getting their workout completed increased exponentially. “Not a problem at all. We’ll stay out of your way.”
He joined Becki in the corner where she’d retreated. “Sorry about that. You still game to continue?”
She leered at him dramatically, then laughed. “Well, sure. Why not?”
He glanced around quickly, and when he realized they were alone for a moment, he leaned in, caging her with his body. “You know what you started earlier?”
A slight wiggle was enough to rub them together intimately. “Yeah?”
“We’re finishing later. Deal?”
“Deal.”
Becki rotated slowly, rubbing her butt against him as she got into position on two small holds barely off the ground.
He wanted to lean over and bite her, but the guys burst from the change room at that moment.
Plans postponed, not cancelled.
She settled into a routine. Stepped to a new hold, joined her feet or crossed them over. All the time as she traversed, she never picked any hold higher than her arm’s length up.
She might have called this exercise baby steps, but it was still valuable conditioning, and they both knew it.
“Hey, stop staring at my ass and get moving,” Becki taunted, too softly for the boys to hear on the far side of the gym.
“It’s a nice ass.”
She laughed, and something inside him rejoiced at seeing her making the best of it.
He switched attachments on his prosthetic, leaving the claw behind for a small ax-shaped device instead. One side a point, the other flat, he could use it pretty much like a hand without worrying about it coming apart or getting stuck on him.
He paced past Becki, supposedly to check her positioning, but really to take advantage of the position she was in. He caught hold of her ankle and adjusted it, lightly stroking her inner thigh until he paused with his hand cupped over her sex. He kept his body between her and the team, blocking his movements.
“You know, whatever you do I’m doing back to you first chance I get.” Becki pumped her hips over his fingers.
Marcus glanced over his shoulder to ensure that his team was otherwise occupied. “You can grope me anytime you’d like.”
“Game on,” Becki whispered.
The exercise should have been called sexual tension repeats. She hopped off the wall and challenged him to try a section. The entire time he worked on placing his hand, hook, and feet, she was right behind him, touching him under the guise of “guiding him into position.”
“There’s a nice spot longing for you to fill it over here, Marcus. Slip your fingers in nice and slow. That’s right. Oh, yeah, and now push with your hips. Another inch. Hmmm, come on, give it everything you’ve got.”
He took smaller steps as his cock reacted. Fell off the wall to get a little relief. Then he’d turn around and taunt her in return, both of them working like the devil to keep their laughter and filthy comments low enough not to be overheard by the others.
When the knock sounded, Marcus had almost forgot about the reporter. He briefly debated ducking into the change room until the invader and his accompanying cameraman left. But the team seemed to have it under control. Becki watched for a moment with a wary expression, and Marcus leaned in close.
“You look thrilled to see them.”
“Let’s just say reporters aren’t my favourite people.”
Marcus paused. “You want to get out of here?”
Becki nodded. “If you don’t mind. We can stretch in the dorms or something.”
He bumped her to draw her attention from where she was staring across at the two men setting up camera equipment. “You’re not trying to get out of spending the day with me, are you?”
Her eyes were tired, but she smiled. “Sorry. Distracted. No, we can go back to your place. I’m good with that.”
He wanted to see that smile return that she’d worn only moments before.
Marcus motioned to her gym bag, then grabbed his own things, keeping Becki close by his side. They’d almost made it when he noticed the reporter waving.
Ignore the man and pretend he hadn’t seen? They weren’t close enough to the door to duck out without making it obvious that their departure was an escape.
“Heads up, Becki, company,” he warned as the reporter jogged across the room.
“Hi, Marcus. Good to see you climbing again.”
“Ted.” Marcus acknowledged him with a brief nod.
“Wanted to say hello.” Ted extended a hand to Becki. “Ted Martin. You’re the new instructor?”
Becki smiled politely as she shook his hand. “Working with David and the instructors.”
“Awesome. You’ll be at the gala next weekend, I assume?”
She nodded. “I’ll be there.”
Ted stepped back with a smile. “That’s great. Hope you’re enjoying Banff. We’ll see you around.”
He spun on his heel and trotted back to the team. Marcus took advantage of the moment, and they escaped, not stopping until they were seated in his truck.
Becki twisted to face him. “That was . . .”
“. . . really weird. Yeah. I wonder what he’s up to?” Ted knew better than to try to get Marcus to do a real interview, but that meet-and-greet had been strange. Marcus drove in silence, both he and Becki deep in their own thoughts.
* * *
She followed him into the house. After the disappointment of the failed start of training, they’d fallen into so much fun teasing each other on the scramble. She’d lost sight of that while distracted by the reporter.
Damn her brain for doing a yo-yo anyway.
She dropped her bag by the door. “You have any chocolate?”
Marcus laughed. “Is this a trick question?”
“It’s being asked by a frustrated female. I’d call it an important question to answer quickly.”
He caught her by the shoulder, rubbing the tight muscles. “What if I can relax you another way?”
“I suppose that means you have no chocolate.”
“Right. Guy pad. I have beer. . . .”
She twisted to face him, longing for something to change. “I enjoyed training. Sorry for being such a wet blanket at the end. I don’t like reporters.”
“Hey, I get it. Trust me.” He cupped her chin in his hand and stroked his thumb over her cheek. “Offer still stands. You want me to help you relax?”
What did she want? She went for honest.
“I don’t know. I don’t want to decide. I don’t want to have to think. I want to . . . not be in charge right now.”
His eyes flashed hot, and she swallowed hard as the lusts inside that had faded roared to full strength.
He nodded. “If that’s what you want, then I can definitely help you with that.”
He led her down the hall, this time to the master bath. She’d been in there briefly to shower, glancing longingly at the oversized soaker tub.
Now he stopped beside it and reached for her.
She stood motionless as he stroked his hand down her body, the sensation sparking her senses and helping the anxiety to fall away. “You have such a decadent house. Hot tub outside, Jacuzzi in here. Shower big enough for two.”
“I like my comforts. Take off your clothes.”
She stripped as he twisted the taps and filled the tub, holding her hand and helping her step into the water. Becki sighed as heat enveloped her, cocooning her in soft pleasure. Marcus arranged her in the bath, laying her back and lifting her arms to rest along the ledges.
“Wait right here.” He pressed a
kiss to her temple, then paced away. She watched him go, admiration for his willingness to care for her overriding the lust she had for his ass.
She closed her eyes and luxuriated in the heat. At times it seemed she was always cold—a chill lingering in her body from the accident that clung to her soul like icicles. Here she felt safe, warmth trickling in not just from his actions and the sexual heat between them.
She didn’t know everything about Marcus, but she trusted him. Completely.
A sweet rich scent filled her nostrils, and she glanced up to find he’d returned. He sprinkled something around her, kneeling to put the tin aside and stir the water’s surface with his fingertips. A flowery aroma with tones of fruit surrounded her.
“What is that?”
Marcus leaned back, his hand still dangling over her. “Tea.”
She laughed. “No way.”
He shrugged. “The magic works on the outside as well as when you drink it. Now close your eyes and let me take care of you.
Maybe she was being selfish, but she totally loved every minute of what followed. He washed her, reaching into the water to touch and caress all of her. Slow, seductive motions. Thorough and yet brief. He didn’t linger as he stroked her breasts, took as long to wash her arms as the folds of her labia. But by the time he was done, she was both boneless with relaxation and buzzing with desire.
He helped her stand and walked her to the shower to wash away the fine bits of tea that still clung to her skin.
He dried her. Brought her to his bed.
“It should be my turn to take care of you,” she commented.
“You’re not in charge.” He flipped her to her belly and straddled her, covering her skin with oil, squeezing her muscles and loosening all the fatigue. For having done a gentle climb, she was amazingly tired. His fingers dug in deep, pulling and working until she was totally relaxed and warm from the inside out.
“This is lovely,” she sighed happily. “Thank you.”
Marcus kissed her shoulder, moving off and sitting next to her hip. “We’re not done. You ready for more?”