by Anya Nowlan
“You weren’t around anymore,” he said, echoing her words. “Did you… did they…”
Dice struggled with his words as Meredith snuggled up against him, throwing her arms around his sides. She nodded into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent which made her shudder all over. It smelled familiar. It almost smelled like home, and definitely like better times. Times she’d almost made herself forget.
“The Arctics heard about my research in reconstructive genealogy. And my sister’s research in energy consumption and expenditure apparently was right up their alley too. We were driving to Annapolis to see our parents one night and suddenly, they just… came for us. We were stopped in the middle of the highway, ripped out of the car, shoved into a van and then the car was set on fire with two bodies in it. I don’t know who they were. They never let me browse unsupervised but it didn’t take much to realize that our deaths were faked.”
The memory still made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up.
“Your parents believed it,” Dice said, squeezing her to him.
“Are they okay?” she asked, finally looking up at him.
She hadn’t heard anything from her family since that fateful night. Bits and pieces had reached her about Marilyn, her sister, but even that was only hearsay and felt more like crumbs being thrown at a dying man to keep him only nourished enough to keep hope alive. The main reason why she hadn’t dared to do anything about getting away from The Arctics was the fear that they’d retaliate by doing something to her sister.
Considering the kind of murderous psychotics that particular collection of werewolves was, it wasn’t at all out of the scope of possibility.
“They struggled. But your brother helped a lot. I went and saw them when I got back from Iraq. They… well, we didn’t have a lot to say to each other. I’ve gone to your gravesite every time I’ve been in Maryland. I never believed it was true, though,” Dice said, whispering those last words. “I never believed you were dead. I would have felt it. I knew I would have.”
Their eyes met and Meredith wasn’t far from sinking into that gaze of his. A distance lingered between them even when they sat wrapped up in one another, built by years of not seeing one another and doubting they ever would. But all the good was slowly coming back to Meredith, all the hope she’d felt and the future she’d looked forward to.
All that she knew she would probably lose again, but not right now. Right now, she could hold onto hope a little while longer, right?
She felt herself being drawn closer to him inch by inch until there was little more than the thought of air separating their lips, her heart thrumming heavily in her chest.
“Should we be… What’s going to happen next?” she asked, breathless.
“A lot of shit neither one of us wants to deal with. Later.”
With that, he kissed her again, his hand going behind her neck to pull her close as her tongue darted into his mouth.
Later. They could deal with everything later.
Five
Meredith
Dice growled into the kiss almost immediately, his other hand going around her to tug her on his lap. Meredith gave in without a shred of reluctance, straddling his strong thighs and letting his hands roam up and down her body, rediscovering everything that must have been imprinted in his mind from years before.
She pawed desperately at his gear, feeling his cock harden against her as she grinded on him, loathe to pull away from their kiss even for a second to try and get a better understanding of all the little straps and bolts and so on of his belts and gear holsters. Practically snarling, he tugged his mouth away from hers, undoing them one by one with the practiced ease of a man who has gone out killing far more times than Meredith could imagine.
She still had so many questions, so many things she needed to know and ask and tell, but six years of frustration came before anything else at this point.
“Oh thank God,” she muttered as he pulled the heavy gear belt off of himself and then let her help him take off the bulletproof vest.
She pulled the shirt off of him along with it, leaning back a bit in her perch to marvel at the man that had come out from underneath all that stuff. He looked even better than she remembered, the years obviously having been very good to his body. He’d never been anything resembling a weak man, but the years they’d spent apart had made Dice even harder, stronger, thicker in all the good ways.
Meredith ran her hands down his chest, stopping her fingertips right over his heart, where a tattoo in her handwriting read her name. He hadn’t had that before.
“When did you…”
“After I got back. After I heard what had ‘happened,’ I got the handwriting off of one of the letters you sent me in Iraq,” he said, his hands stopping on her hips as she traced the tattoo quietly.
Just another thing to make her eyes well up with tears. She shook her head quickly, smiling before she kissed him again.
“I love you,” she whispered between heated kisses, clinging to him.
“I love you too, baby,” he answered back, and it was like both of them were unleashed when they said those words.
She moaned into the kiss when Dice pulled her back close, both hands on her neck and cheeks, cradling her face gently though his mouth was anything but. Grinding against him, Meredith felt the heat grow and coil in her, years and years of feeling almost nothing now twisting inside of her and building a flame unlike any she’d ever felt before.
Her fingers went to his hair, tugging and pulling as she demanded more, his hands beginning a labored, rough trek along her body. The shirt came off first and the bra a moment later, unclipped easily and tossed aside. She was sweaty and exhausted from the day, but it was all immediately wiped away when Dice’s hands touched her and his mouth tasted her, bringing back memories she’d buried for far too long.
Her back arched and she whimpered as he kissed a trail down her chest, her nails digging into his shoulders. He traced both of her nipples with his tongue, ever so gently, before sucking one of the buds into his mouth and teasing her with his teeth as he sucked on it. Dice’s hands cupped her tits, kneading, and she felt every roughness, every callous on his hands that still felt silky soft because she’d missed them so much.
I can’t believe he’s here… I can’t believe this is happening, she thought hazily, her eyes half-lidded as she purred under his expert touch.
Every muscle on his body was tense and bursting with power, so much raw strength packed into his form that she couldn’t help but admire it. It was like he was built for war, for conquest, and most of all, to have her. Everything he did seemed to elicit immediate pleasure in Meredith, every fiber of her being humming to his tune, wanting more and more until she would be ready to burst.
He grabbed her with one arm around the waist, flipping her down on the bed so he was on top of her. Kicking off his boots, he stood for a moment, looking down at her as she was spread out on the bed, breathless. That smile on his lips and the incredulous shine in his eyes was intoxicating. He was just as shocked that this was reality as she was and it read so clearly on his features.
“You’re here,” he whispered, shaking his head as he pulled off her boots and then her pants, tossing them carelessly on the floor. “You’re actually fucking here.”
“Dice,” she whispered, reaching her hands up to him, so he’d come back to her.
Gently, he got on the bed with his knees, plucking her glasses from the bridge of her nose and setting them aside on the small counter next to the bed. Her fingers pawed at the button and zipper on his pants as he lowered himself back on her, spreading her legs with his thighs as he knelt. His body loomed over her, sure and firm, and when the button popped open on his pants and she could slip a hand in, both of them groaned in unison.
Everything was alright in the world. For just that moment, everything was perfect.
“I guess all of you missed me,” Meredith said with a grin, stroking his cock through his bo
xers.
“You fucking know it,” Dice said in a low snarl, a sound that travelled straight through her and went to her pussy, making it pulse with need for him.
Her thighs clenched around him as Dice kissed her lips, softer this time, taking his time with her lower lip and exploring her mouth while his hand snaked along the dips and peaks of her curvy form. When his fingers reached the edge of her panties, she pressed herself against his touch needily, practically begging for more. Her eyes fluttered open and she could see the predatory smirk on his lips now, a man knowing exactly what belongs to him and how to handle it.
He pulled the delicate fabric of the panties aside, his fingers dipping into her wet heat and she cried out, a sob that was almost a scream from the immediate release she felt from being touched by him. It had been too damn long.
Bucking against him, she hissed out a breath, her hand clenching around his thick, hard cock, making him twitch as her thumb grazed over the head and pressed down slightly. She was completely soaked around his fingers and when he pushed two into her, she shuddered like a leaf, her shoulders jumping up and off the mattress for a moment as her eyes rolled back in her head a little.
“Is this what you’ve needed?” he asked, sounding almost menacing in the passion of the moment.
Meredith nodded weakly, through a daze of pleasure as his fingers scissored inside of her, spreading her wide for him, preparing her. Her hand didn’t stop jerking him, though her focus was shot, made clear by the fact that one of her hands was clutching blindly at Dice’s chest, as if trying to push him away. That was the last thing she wanted.
When he did pull away, she let out a whine of protest, one that was quieted quickly enough by his hands going to her hips and pulling her panties off altogether, leaving her without a stitch of clothing to cover her from his hungry gaze. But she didn’t want to be hidden from him. No, she wanted him to see her just as she was.
A few years older, yes, and certainly not the same woman he fell in love with, but a woman who had waited for him. A woman who had never given up hope. A woman who loved him above all.
“You’re gorgeous,” he whispered, breathy and dark as he shucked off his pants.
Her tongue slicked over her lips as she looked at him, all sinewy muscle and hard edges, his cock standing fully erect and perfect to fill her. He was a carved god, a man made for her and she’d never been so aware of it than now, when danger was all around them and they only had this one night to steal away.
She’d been too afraid to ask what would happen next, why they were still at the compound. Why they wouldn’t simply leave and what on Earth did he need the laptop for? But he hadn’t offered her any answers either and that could only mean one thing – neither one of them wanted to think about it. Not yet.
That was fine with her. If there was misery to be dealt with, she’d much rather think of it after something more pleasurable. Something she could hold onto and remember for the good of it, instead of the horrific or scary.
Her legs spread for him as an invite and he grinned, flashing his white teeth. She saw the moment his eyes cast dark brown, only for a second but it was enough. The primal force in him was never dormant and now with indulgence so close, it must have been hard to contain it.
Meredith whisked her arms around Dice’s neck as he leaned back into her, kissing her neck and shoulders as he maneuvered himself so the head of his cock was pressing against her slit. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes before she willed him to move forward, slowly bucking her hips up against him.
He gave her time, pushing in slowly, inch by inch. It was excruciating pain and pleasure mixed into one. Not only was he big – hell, huge – but she hadn’t been with anyone since him. That was a long time to go without and then attempt to fit someone Dice’s size again, no matter how many times her own fingers had been in her pussy over the years.
When he thrust in completely, filling her with short strokes, a wave of pleasure erupted through her. It tingled from her fingertips and seemed to gather in her center, the first tremors of what was to come. Dice raised his head to look at her, his expression strained, and she kissed him immediately.
Their tongues danced against one another, tasting and laving as Dice started slowly to pick up his speed. He went from shallow strokes to long, drawn-out ones that had him pull out so far that only the head was in and then push back in suddenly, sending them both moaning and whimpering against one another. Meredith’s nails drew streaks of red down his back as she held onto him, every motion bringing her closer and closer.
When his lips found her neck, sucking on the delicate flesh and probably leaving a hickey there, just above her collarbone, she couldn’t take it any longer.
“DICE!” she screamed, not a shred of modesty to her as she exploded into a million little rivulets of relief and joy, hot and cold flashes of light streaking through her at dizzying speeds.
That only made him fuck her harder, seeking out her mouth and kissing it harshly now as his rhythm kept picking up in speed even while she clenched down around him. Dice buried himself in her and she whimpered against him, moaning into the kiss time and time again as he plowed into her, hard and fast. It made her orgasm all the more intense as he made her shake and shudder through it, every thrust prolonging it, rubbing against that spot in her that made her feel like she was losing her mind.
“God, I’ve missed you,” he said, the words coming out as bites that were barely audible through his growl.
She kissed him again, breathless as she was, loving the way his words worked their magic on her. It was then that she felt his thrusts get short and uncontrolled and a moment later, he roared out in release, spilling his seed in her in long bursts. They were like snakes together, their bodies intertwined and tense, until both of them relaxed seemingly at the same moment.
Dice rolled to his side, pulling Meredith with him right away, so her head rested on his chest as he breathed in heavy and fast. Her hand sprawled over his abdomen as she listened to the intense pounding of his chest, almost thrumming out of his chest. She knew hers had to sound much the same because she could still hear the beat of it echoing in her ears.
“That was amazing,” she said finally, when words seemed like something she was capable of forming again.
“I think we bring it out in one another,” Dice said with a chuckle, pressing a kiss on the top of her head.
They laid there for a few minutes in blissful silence, only the sound of their breathing and the hum of the air conditioner cutting in, until Meredith felt Dice move against her. She’d been falling asleep without even noticing it, safe and secure in his arms.
But she should have known it couldn’t last. Nothing good ever lasted anymore.
“Meredith. We need to talk.”
Of course it couldn’t stay like this for any longer, she thought bitterly, glancing up at the man who she adored.
He looked like he was about to do something so horrible that he might never recover from it. It made her heart sink immediately.
Six
Dice
They hadn’t slept a wink, either of them. While his men were taking turns guarding the perimeter and listening in on the communications relayed between the bases in the region, occasionally answering using Prowler’s homespun voice modification systems made to sound like one of the higher ranking wolves here, Dice had been sitting in that little room with Meredith, feeling like the scum of the Earth.
She’d been writing up everything she knew about The Arctics’ operation for the past three hours, wrapped up in a blanket and sitting on the bed while Dice simply watched her. On occasion, she’d look up, their eyes would lock and a jolt of pain so raw and true ran through him that it threatened to take his breath away.
How can I give her back, he thought, the notion blinding him with how horrifying it was. How can I let her go?
The mission was simple enough. Shifter Squad Nine had been sent into Peru to take out both of The Arctics’ main s
cientific outposts in the area, the one they were in now, and the airport they used to smuggle both drugs and their research results out of South America. It was supposed to be an in and out job, only made more complicated because of the source they needed to protect.
The source being Meredith.
But she wasn’t going to be extracted. Oh no. Apparently, she was too valuable for that. Someone who’d been held by The Arctics for years and still hadn’t lost her fire to rebel against them? That was rare. Spade had made it very clear to Dice.
He hid you from me for so long, he thought dully, watching her tap away on the screen, the blue light of the computer bathing her lovely features in an eerie glow.
Spade had made it abundantly clear that Dice could see Meredith, he could even have a night together with her if everything went according to plan, but in the morning, he’d have to let go. She’d be transported on the airplane with perfectly feasible excuses as to why the convoy was late – accidents happen, after all – and he’d watch the airplane take off and take her spirits know where before he’d tear through the airport and completely dismantle it.
“She’s worth more to us on the inside. When she knows she has something to wait for, she’ll be that much more useful. We can destroy them from the inside. You either accept this or I will not tell you where she is. And if you try to run, I will find you. I will find you both, and I will make sure that this time, she actually does die.”
Spade’s eyes when he had said all of that to Dice still haunted him. The man was so cold now, so detached from the world of the living, it seemed. A completely different beast than the smiling, powerful, but kind man Dice remembered. Spade had always been a wildcard, but never would Dice have thought him to become so outright cruel.