Marked. Part II: Becoming Noah Baxter

by J. M. Sevilla

  Holy shit, it's a studio apartment. This has to be the strangest bank in existence.

  “This whole level is housing for Vault's personal guards. It came furnished,” Jay answers, knowing my confusion. His response to my unspoken questions makes me remember how much I've missed him, and incredibly sad that he's close enough to touch but he feels just as far away as when I was back home in Mesa.

  The studio's an open floor plan that has a masculine ambiance to it. The kitchen to the right has the refrigerator and stove (stainless steel) and granite counters against the wall with a really cool looking textured tile. A long island runs the length of the kitchen and has a sink and more granite counters. The cabinets are a cherry wood with chrome knobs. A bathroom's at the end of the wall closest to the door. To my left is a rectangle six person dining table sitting on top of a warm, rich rug. Past that is a coffee table surrounded by a long, brown leather couch and two leather armchairs, all sitting over a plush burgundy rug. A gigantic flat screen on a wooden stand can be viewed from the couch. The back wall is a huge window overlooking the city. It stops more than halfway to a brick wall that has a king size bed, night stands on each side, and a long dresser against the wall. The walls don't have pictures but are brick, the floors hardwood. It's quite a welcoming, cozy place, which makes it even more bizarre that it's in a freaking bank.

  Jay goes to the kitchen, taking a seat at a bar stool and pulling out his food to eat. I stay standing by the door, twisting his ring, not sure what to do next.

  I stay put the whole time he's scarfing down his food. When he's done, he dumps it in the trash, gets a glass of water from the sink, and gulps it down, his eyes briefly flickering in my direction.

  “I need a shower,” he gruffly informs me.

  As he passes me his eyes watch my fingers twist his ring around. I wait for him to say something or smile at the sight of it. He doesn't.

  I definitely think I may cry at any minute. This yo-yo game we always play is exhausting.

  “Eight weeks, Lily!” I hear him shout, turning the water on. “Eight fucking weeks!”

  I smile, because I hear the longing in his voice and know this day has been just as confusing and shitty for him too.

  I strip off all my clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor.

  Inside the bathroom I start to get self-conscious about him seeing me naked, which is silly; he probably knows my body better than I do.

  The glass is clear, making his backside visible.

  Oh wow, I forgot how beautiful his body is. The way his muscles move as he works a washcloth along his body has me desperately wanting my hands to take over.

  I open the shower door and slide in. I stand with my back against the tiled wall, arms against it.

  Jay slowly turns, the water falling down on him and getting stuck on his lashes and lips, rolling down his chest and abs ripple after ripple.

  He makes me feel so small and vulnerable, his width and height appearing double my own.

  “Hey,” I say with shyness and apprehension.

  “Hi.”

  I watch him leisurely admire my body, inspecting me as though this is his first time seeing the curve of my hips and the roundness of my breasts. A mischievous smile breaches the indent of his mouth, indicative of all the things he's imagining doing to me.

  I hope he does it all and more.

  When his eyes finally meet mine I start to smile, but he's looking at me as though I'm his prey and he can hardly wait to devour me, so instead I try and remember how to breathe.

  “I've missed you,” his tone eliciting the same truths and desires of my own.

  “Oh god Jay, I've missed you so much. At times it was hard to breathe.”

  “I know,” his gruff voice agrees, affirming the darkness our separation caused. He steps closer to me to rest his forearms on the tile above my head. He brings his lips inches from mine, making my restless yearning turn volcanic, “I'm going to kiss you now, and then I'm going to fuck you because that's all I'm capable of right now. I need you so bad I can't be anything but rough. Then we'll clean each other and spend all night and tomorrow making love in my bed. Yeah?”

  “Okay,” is my lame response.

  He grins, “Good.”

  His lips lightly brush mine, but it awakens my body and I attack. My fingers and nails drag along his skin at every part they can reach; I can't seem to get close enough or pressed hard enough against him.

  Jay has me pinned, suctioning me to the cold tile, but it feels good against my heated, flushed skin. Steam from the shower mingles with the steam from our bodies, making the room a blurry, hazy fog of lust and yearning.

  My ass is pinched and pushed up, running my back along the smooth tile, feeling the brief friction of the grout as it passes. My legs naturally go around his waist, knowing where they belong.

  His lips are sloppy and wet on my neck, going everywhere and anywhere, like I might disappear any minute and they need to taste every part of me before I'm gone.

  “I need you, Lily,” his gruff words carrying more meaning than I have time to analyze.

  “Then have me. I'm yours.”

  That's the only confirmation Jay needs as he slides into me. The bow of my spine curls into him, burying him further inside, laying my hands on his shoulders for support as his hips embed with mine. Jay rests his forehead to the tile, tilting it to the side and smashing his face with the bend of my neck.

  His thrusts are slow and torturous, the opposite of what I was expecting.

  He uses his firm hold of my bottom to glide me up and down, his hips following with devotion and an eagerness to please.

  The only sounds leaving his mouth are occasional pants and grunts of pleasure; mine are silent, but my breathing is uneven and fast, leaving no doubt where his movements are taking me.

  My fingers coil with the blades of his shoulders, feeling every thrust and stretch of my walls, getting lost in the sensation, never wanting this moment to end.

  This is the reunion I'd anticipated; not the sex, but the undeniable connection our bodies share, the way they naturally sculpt themselves into the other.

  “I should have told you how good it was to see you again instead of lashing out,” Jay mumbles into my throat, his lips gliding along the skin as I move up and down. “How often I thought of you and missed you. That even though you should be home, I'm so fucking glad that you're here–”

  I smash my lips to his, silencing his thoughts, wanting only heavy breathing and the exchange of air to be heard.

  “Lily,” Jay groans into my mouth, picking up his pace.

  His muscles flex the closer he gets, sweeping my skin, rippling with my flesh, searing us together.

  “You ready?” He's barely audible from his winded gasps of air, so close I can feel him widen and enlarge.

  “Yes,” I moan, even more breathless than him.

  We explode together, pressed tight, both afraid that when it's over the other will be gone.

  Chapter 15

  6:02pm

  We don't move while we wait for our emotions, heart rates, and breathing to stabilize.

  Jay has his forehead resting above my chest along my collarbone, tilted to the side so his face can be buried in my neck the way he seems to favor.

  My arms are pressing around his head, not letting it move, bobbing it up and down with every unsteady breath I take.

  He pulls out of me and glides me down, still keeping me pinned under his massive body.

  “Did you get bigger?” I murmur as my hands move along his chest to take hold of his biceps, “You're huge.”

  “You're getting better with the compliments,” he teases through a grin.

  I look up at him and smile with a warmth and happiness I know has to be radiating out of every pore.

  “So beautiful,” Jay whispers, eyes glued to my smile that has widened and taken over most of my face. “That guy...” he starts before moving his face back into the safety of my neck. “The one N
aomi was talking about...” He stops and his breathing gets heavier. I can feel his heartbeat start to pick up again. “Did you?...dammit,” he growls, pushing off the wall. His hands scrub his face, “Never mind. It doesn't matter.” He picks up a bar of soap and a washcloth to resume cleaning himself.

  I watch his stiff body working the suds along his skin, his features scrunched together.

  “Jay,” I reach for him but he turns his back to me. I wrap my arms around him and rest my cheek on his back, “We never went out. I never even ended up going to the party. I want you. Only you. Agreeing wasn't even a possi–”

  Jay twists around to take hold of my lips before I can finish. He lifts me into his arms bridal style, turning the nozzle off and carrying me through the threshold of the shower door. We go out the bathroom, past his kitchen and lounge area to the far back where the king size bed is tucked away. He lays my naked, wet body on top of the covers, his body pressing me further into the mattress.

  His eyes search mine, looking for answers he's too afraid to ask. I can see the misery and torment he's suffered since that phone conversation.

  I frown and stroke his scruffy jaw, ready to force him to open up to me and tell me why he let himself worry about another guy instead of asking me about it.

  Before I have the chance to rectify any misgivings, he buries himself deep inside in one hard thrust, taking me by surprise, causing a gasp to expel from my lips.

  “That's the last time I'll step aside,” he growls into my ear.

  I open my mouth to respond but the air catches in my throat when his hips slam harder into me, trying to go as deep as my body will let him. He repeatedly crashes into me, claiming my body.

  This barbaric fucking is making my head spin, but then I remember why he's claiming me like this.

  The thought infuriates me and I jackknife up, using all my strength and force to push him onto his back. I get on top, needing to be the one in control. Both our expressions mirror the other: anger, longing, and most importantly, greed.

  “I can't believe you would think that.” I slam down with incredible force that almost has me climaxing, “You're it for me, Jay. Forever. No one else. Only you.”

  His nails dig into my ass, massaging and moving it around. Mine are digging into his shoulders, my hips slamming down on him, slapping our skin, riding and grinding him as hard as I can. Sweat begins replacing the water on our skin.

  Jay's hands move to cup my breasts, taking a firm hold and forcefully squeezing them. I lean over so he can take them into his mouth. He eagerly accepts, pulling and sucking as though he's punishing them, but it's driving me mad with pleasure.

  I cry out from the pain when he nips the sensitive tip. I push my breasts together more, needing the way the pain adds to the sensation of me fucking his cock. I take one of his hands and force it between my legs, wanting as many sensations as he can give me. One of my hands slithers behind me to work between his legs. This has his head rolling back and lifting up his ass to push further inside me, a savage groan rumbling the back of his throat.

  It doesn't take long for me to come, Jay shortly following. I fall forward, draping my body over his. He strokes my back and I listen to his erratic heart and breaths.

  “Was that pissed off sex?” I ask.

  Jay silently chuckles, “Yeah, I think so.”

  “I have to say, I kind of like it. Way more fun than fighting.” And I oddly don't feel so pissed off anymore. “Were you mad because of our shitty reunion or because you thought this whole time I've been dating someone else?”

  “Both,” he honestly replies, still stroking my back.

  “Why didn't you call, Jay? You tore me apart. You need to talk to me about this kind of stuff instead of shutting me out.”

  Jay shifts us to our sides to enclose his body over mine. He rests his cheek against my hair, pulling me into him as tight as I can go, “I didn't mean for you to worry and I wasn't trying to shut you out. I wanted to give you space, time to think about what you've been through, and give you the chance to figure out if I'm what you really want. You've never had time to digest the kind of man I am.”

  “Jay–”

  “No, let me finish,” he cuts in. “You're beautiful and perfect and so fucking special that I keep waiting for you to wonder what the hell you were thinking falling in love with me.”

  I twist my head enough to make our eyes meet, “You need to believe I'm yours and that you deserve me.”

  “That's never going to happen. I will never be good enough for you.”

  “You hold me too high up on a pedestal.”

  He tucks my hair behind my ear, “So?”

  “So, the only place left to go is down.”

  He smirks, “But I like it when you go down.”

  I can't stop my laughter from erupting, “Okay, well what if I had dated someone else?” No way that will ever happen.

  “I'd have to kill him,” Jay jokes, but I think he'd strongly consider it. He confirms it with his next sentence, “I was tempted quite a few times over the last few weeks, going insane with the idea of another man thinking he had the right to touch you or even think about it.”

  “See? Then you're stuck with me.”

  “That's a damn same,” he growls, flipping me so I'm on my back. His mouth starts trailing down, burying his head between my legs, “I think it's about time I start redeeming myself.”

  I feel his warm breath right before his tongue begins.

  If this is his way of making himself feel good enough for me, I can live with that.

  Wow...yeah...I can definitely live with that.

  Chapter 16

  Sunday, March 23

  3:18pm

  “Omigod Jay, you're so hot,” I verbalize into his mouth as I feel his muscles sweep my skin right before screaming out my orgasm.

  “Oh shit, Lily,” Jay gasps, his hips thrusting deep inside, pouring into me. “Damn Lily, just damn.” He falls to my side, keeping half his body wrapped over me, nuzzling behind my ear. “You're turning me into a addict. I can't seem to stop wanting you.”

  “Mm, good,” I sleepily reply. I'm exhausted. Ever since the first shower, we have not stopped having sex. The minute we stop one of us will innocently caress or kiss the other and it starts the frenzy all over again. We are both sore, spent, and tired, but it's not slowing us down. I think it's both from the pain of missing each other and wanting to get the most out of our time together before I leave, which I'm sure is sooner than I care (or want) to admit.

  Jay kisses the spot he's nuzzling before lifting himself off the bed.

  “Bathroom break,” he informs me over his shoulder as he walks away.

  I admire the view, getting tingles and flutters that that beautiful creature is mine.

  I am so hopelessly in love with that man I can hardly think straight.

  I flip to my stomach and curl into a pillow. My hand slides under the pillow, ready to cozy up and call it a day – for at least a few hours. Soft material hits my fingertips. I tug it out to find one of Jay's gray shirts in my hand.

  Must be his sleeping shirt. I go to shove it back under when I catch a whiff of a floral scent. I stop mid-shove and pull it back out to sniff it. It smells like a woman. Not just any woman, it smells like me.

  I sit up and lift the shirt when Jay is close to the bed, “What's this?”

  Jay swipes his head and I'm pretty sure his skin flushes, “It's nothing.”

  He comes over to retrieve it and shove it into a dresser drawer.

  “Is that the shirt I wore when I was here last?”

  Jay turns crimson on every part of his beautiful, naked flesh.

  Jay kept a shirt that smelled like me under his pillow.

  Holy shit.

  I'm stunned, overwhelmed with how utterly romantic that is, never expecting to have that strong of an affect on someone, never mind a man as masculine as Jay Lincoln.

  He lets out a deep, heavy sigh, “I missed you, baby. At times
it was almost unbearable–”

  My mouth cuts off any further conversation when I leap from my spot to pounce on him.

  Fuck sleep, it's overrated.

  Chapter 17

  Monday, March 24

  9:24am

  Jay gets out of bed and I get lost in admiring his naked form. I'm even drawn to the scars on his body, knowing how he got them and how they shaped the man he is today, the man I fell in love with. Would we be here in this moment if he hadn't lived through what he had? I doubt it.

  Jay cocks his head to the side, “What's the frown for?”

  I chew on my lip and stare at his shoulder, not sure if I want to respond, remembering what happened the last time we thought about if things had happened differently.

  I decide to answer, not wanting to hold back my thoughts from him, “I was wondering if we would have found each other if you had had a different past.”

  I meet his eyes and am surprised to see him contemplating this, lost in thought. His hands are on his hips, eyes clouded over, searching his mind for answers.

  Now it's Jay's turn to frown, “I sure would hope so, Lily.” His tone and expression take on a seriousness I haven't seen before, “I can't imagine a life without you in it. You make life worth experiencing, worth living.”

  Wow. Good answer.

  Jay grins and swipes his head, “I thought so.”

  I throw a pillow at him for looking like he purposely said that because he knew that's what I'd want to hear. All he does is laugh.

  “I have to go upstairs for a good part of the day,” he sounds apologetic.

  “This isn't the speech where you send me home, is it?” This will so end in an ugly argument. I'm not ready to leave him yet, it's too soon. I even secretly called Naomi last night to explain to Martin I had a stomach flu, hoping to buy me a few more days.

  “No. As fucking stupid as it is, I can't let you leave yet. I just feel bad that you'll be here by yourself.”