Return of the Assassin (All the King's Men)

by Lynne, Donya

  "Hey, I'm allowed to be a little moody. I'm a newly mated male."

  "That you are." She pecked him on the lips, and then dipped her hair back into the water again.

  Once her hair was rinsed, he turned her back around and applied conditioner. He loved tending to her, bathing her, taking care of her like this. "I thought Micah forced you back because of me."

  Her hands joined his and helped him massage the conditioner into her scalp. Their fingers mingled and danced, and as she leaned forward to let the water rinse her hair again, she linked their hands and pulled them around her. God, but she was incredible, with silky skin and smooth curves that nestled perfectly within the angles of his body.

  She let go of his hands and brushed her wet hair back as she turned to face him again, still rinsing her hair. "Micah kept e-mailing me about coming back, but never told me why. But I assumed it was because of you."

  "And now you're here."

  "Now I'm here." She said it with an air of finality. As if they had reached the end of one journey and were about to embark on another, more enjoyable one.

  Their bodies pressed together, and his calling started toward its next crescendo. This time, he would take the time to savor her.

  He bent her body back and ringed her neck with his palm. Water splashed onto her breasts and stomach. What an erotic sight.

  "You have the most unbelievable neck." He caressed the slender column and drew his fingers down between her breasts, and then pulled her back into his arms.

  Who would have thought a shower could be so sensual? But then, Malek had a lot of missed time to make up for. He had never showered with a female…had never experienced the luxuries of modern-day lovemaking. He hadn't been with a female—truly with one—since Carmen. Until now.

  Funny. Even thinking about Carmen didn't awaken a shit storm of guilt or oppressive frustration. Her memory still lingered, but he no longer wanted to cling to her. All he wanted was the female in front of him. His Gina. His spirited, sexy mate.

  Water dripped off the ends of her hair and clung to her eyelashes, and rivulets ran down her face and off the tip of her nose. She was adorable and sexy and alluring…all the things a female should be.

  And she was his.

  He lifted her into his arms, and her strong legs locked around him, her arms hugged his shoulders. He turned off the water.

  Shower over. Time to love her again.

  He carried her out of the shower and back to the bedroom, where he climbed onto the bed and settled her on the blankets before he eased himself onto her.

  "I love you." His lips brushed hers, and she pulled him down into a simmering embrace.

  Malek craved Gina. She was oxygen, absolutely necessary to his survival, and he had waited much too long to breathe. But he breathed now, and with each full inhale and cleansing exhale, his body calmed a little bit more from the nightmare of the past several weeks—hell, the past several centuries, if he was being honest with himself. The nearness of her—his mate—unfurled each coiled muscle, pulled to their limits for so long that the pain had become a way of life. No wonder he had been wound so tightly. Because, literally, he had been.

  Not now, though. Now he loosened and sprawled. The soothing caress of her nearness chased the tension away, and he sighed as his body relaxed.

  Gina's warm hand, so perfect and gentle, glided up his stomach and over the subtle swell of his pec, and he bowed his head against her and slid his nose up her shoulder to the nape of her neck. A quiet purr broke in his chest.

  How had he denied her before? He must have been insane.

  Oh wait. That's right. He had been. But now he saw how crazy he had been to refuse their bond. With her now, so close, touching her, smelling her, breathing in the air that skimmed the surface of her body, he knew he was home, and he purred again.

  Her pulse quickened at the sound. He felt it course furiously beneath the skin of her neck, where his nose rested. The thu-thump of her heartbeat pulsed against his lips, which he pressed against her nape, directly over her vein. He lived now for that vital pulse, and his fangs throbbed with the need to feed.

  A wave of hormonal heat vibrated out of him and called to her. It was time to renew their connection. Time to continue what they had started in the shower, hopefully without as much urgency so he could cherish each moment and savor the experience. Her body answered and rippled from her head to her feet as she moaned.

  Keeping his lips pressed against the sexiest part of her—the pulse in her throat—Malek rocked against her body. Another purr broke in his chest as hormonal heat surged out of him once more. He was captivated…enraptured.

  If he had thought the fire they started in the shower was hot, it was nothing compared to the blaze that now crawled through his spine…down…down…to wrap around his scrotum and tingle the inside of his cock. His four previous orgasms cowered like chumps at what built within him now, which felt more like the Goliath of all releases to stomp all the puny Davids that had come before.

  Heat continued to rise as she slid her arms around his back and pulled him to her. Her breasts mashed delicately against his chest.

  "I want you," he whispered against her neck, his voice restrained and raspy.

  She turned her face into his and kissed his cheek below his ear. "Then take me."

  Unwilling to break the connection between his mouth and her throat, he latched on with his teeth, hooked one arm on the inside of her thigh, opened her, and settled more snugly between her legs. His engorged cock rubbed against home base, and he grunted from the pleasure that shot through his groin and down both legs.

  Their energy spun, twined, and intensified with each breath and soft caress. Gina was a female worth savoring. She was a beauty to worship, and only he had the right to do so. Now that they had claimed each other, he was hers, and he was helpless against her.

  He had worried that he would blemish Carmen's memory by taking Gina, but he'd been wrong. Exercising his mated right with Gina didn't make what he'd had with Carmen disappear or cast aside her memory. Carmen was still there, in his heart and mind, but now he accepted the truth. She was gone. Not in spirit, just in body. He could still love Gina without dishonoring Carmen, and he could still remember Carmen without withholding even a piece of himself from Gina. There was room for them both in his heart, not one or the other as he had thought. He could have his past and his future and never diminish the love or power of either.

  As his hips settled between Gina's legs, there was no more guilt. No more suffering or anguish. Gina was all that existed, and his heart opened fully to welcome her as she prepared to welcome him into her body once more.

  "Oh, God." He purred again as he shifted and rolled against her. Pure desire opened like the jaw of a lion, too long denied and ready to devour them both. His voracious appetite stole his breath. He didn't just want her, he hungered for her.

  "I need you, Malek." She trembled.

  "I'll never hurt you again." He kissed and laved her nape with his tongue as he kneed her legs farther apart, his body primed and ready to feel her bliss again. Her wet, short hair felt soft and smooth as satin against his fingers, and he wrapped his other arm underneath her body as he slid his cock against her welcoming slickness. But still he did not enter her, content to take his time and let the inferno build.

  She sighed. He groaned.

  She panted. He purred.

  Back and forth, they traded a symphony of breathy moans and gentle gasps, each more erotic than the one before, tainted with rising need.

  Pulling her hair, he encouraged her to turn her head so he could admire her succulent neck, erotica incarnate. No expanse of flesh had ever been more inviting, not even Carmen's, and he would have to take a moment each day to worship the elegant slopes and curves that called for him to drink. He would adorn her with jeweled necklaces and low-cut blouses so that he could delight in her most striking feature and sneak a quick, unobstructed taste whenever the mood struck him. If he had his wa
y, she would never wear a turtleneck again.

  With his tongue, he outlined the subtle taper that extended from her jaw then swept out to her shoulder. What a magnificent expanse of skin. So supple. So smooth. And her taste…perfection.

  "God, your neck is sexy." He nibbled and suckled, creating a trail from ear to shoulder, then from right to left so he could sample every inch. Gina's was a neck to adore, treasure, and bow down to. Just the thought of biting her at the nape nearly made him come, and he wasn't even inside her yet.

  Her inner thighs caressed his hips as she wrapped her legs around him and slid her feet to the inside of his knees.

  A tangle of limbs and pulsating heat, they writhed skin-against-skin, and he ground his erection against the heart of her. She kept one arm wrapped around the bunching muscles of his back and held his face to her neck with the other. "Don't stop. I like that." Her words came out as a breathless whisper, and she stretched, pulled her damp hair away, and bared her throat. "More."

  Bless her. She wanted him to feast exactly where he wanted to remain. And he had no intention of stopping, not now that his fractured psyche had glued itself back together to connect his disjointed personalities into one again.

  He thrust against her, and the shaft of his cock glided smoothly between her nether lips, riding up and over her clit. So good. She was wet and ready for him, hot and wanton, and her throaty groan blistered his flesh.

  The time for fast and furious had passed. Now was time to luxuriate and appreciate. To explore and learn her curves and valleys. To extol her beauty and set the reverential pace for the rest of their lives. Because he would never take for granted another day with this bloom of perfection known as Gina. Each moment was a gift, and each day would be another to remind him of his fortune. Now that he had found her and embraced all that she was, he was the richest male in the world. He would never forget that again.

  Keeping his mouth at her nape, he pressed his nose and lips against her skin as each thrust demanded more. With each advance, she lifted her hips to meet his, breathing out incoherent, monosyllabic exclamations every time their bodies rocked toward the headboard. She squirmed beneath him, gasped in need, and her breasts crushed against his chest as she arched her back and moaned.

  Her body was an oasis of pleasure. The temperature rose, heat flooded him, and his muscles contracted in a way he hadn't felt in centuries. Restraint ebbed as unbridled desire flowed, and he rocked more forcefully against her. He pulled back farther, drove the length of his cock between her slickened lips with more power. The point of no return fast approached—if not already passed—and just as their moans reached desperate levels, the head of his cock breeched her as he began another upward thrust.

  They both froze, and neither dared to breathe for a heartbeat.

  Malek lifted himself on his arms and looked into her eyes, which sparkled with anticipation as she heaved for breath, her chest rising and falling heavily. So beautiful. So precious.

  Mine, mine…all mine. Forever.

  With parted lips and pleading eyes, she pushed her fingers into his long hair and lifted it away from his face. Her tongue peeked out and wet her lips. "Please don't stop. Please…I've needed this for too long." Her hand, tense with yearning, cupped his face.

  She looked as if she feared he would pull away again, just as he had hours earlier in his home, when all he had wanted was to go to her. Instead, he fled and sought comfort in another.

  Not anymore and never again. She needn't worry that he would run scared and abandon her. Those days were over and his fears no longer held sway over him. With her, he was complete and had found his place. There would be no more retreat…no more running away. His heart was hers to rule for the rest of his life. His body was hers to find her own pleasure in, and to bring to ecstasy with her touch.

  "Sshh." He turned into her hand, kissed her palm, turned back to meet her gaze again, and then nudged his way farther inside. "I'm where I belong…where I want to stay forever."

  Gina's brow softened as relief washed through her expression, and her eyelids drifted to half-mast as a plaintive moan flowed from deep within her belly, followed by an erotic sigh as she shifted under him and held him more tightly.

  This was home. With her. Now. For the rest of his life.

  He sank all the way in, and they both bit out a staccato exhale as they succumbed to one another.

  Refuge.

  Gina's body was a refuge, and he found solace within her sleeve of perfect warmth and sanctuary. Like taking a breath, each deliberate stroke gave Malek life.

  New life. Because he hadn't truly lived since Carmen's death. Not until he'd found Gina. He had merely gone through the motions, taking in oxygen simply because his reflexes forced him to breathe, eating to squelch the hunger in his belly, taking blood for the same reason. But all this time, what he had been doing couldn't be called living. He had existed, but he hadn't lived. But now, he could actually hear his own heartbeat. It pumped hard and strong, ready to burst with love. He breathed not because he had to, but because he wanted to take in her essence and let her scent invade every microscopic crevice inside him. And his appetite for food and blood burst back to life, and not just for sustenance, but to enjoy with all five senses.

  He wanted to feast on life. On Gina.

  Anchored to her as if she kept him from setting adrift, he advanced and retreated with an ease that was only diminished by the urgency with which he held her and assaulted her neck with his lips and tongue.

  This is what I wanted. This is who I needed.

  For the first time in weeks, and unlike the rushed, frenetic climaxes he'd had in the shower, his orgasm got out of the easy chair it had taken up residence in and prepared to give him hell.

  He buried his arms between Gina and the mattress. Her skin tasted exquisite. Surely her blood would taste just as fine. Every part of him wanted to sink in his fangs, but he held back. Not yet, not yet. But soon.

  Each forceful exhale rode the rising crescendo of muscular tension that pulled his body taut. The energy built inside him as if he were a stick of dynamite with a lit fuse, and with each inhale, his senses flooded with more of her irresistible scent, which fueled him, fired his desire, and coiled him into a tight ball ready to explode.

  The way her nails dug into his back as her arms tightened around him was perfect, because he wanted her to hold him close, keep him there, and never let go. Her hips raised and rocked in rhythm against him with an urgency that only served to take him closer to the edge with each long, measured stroke.

  Oh fuck.

  There comes a time while making love that a male simply has to forget about everything else…about taking his time…about giving his partner pleasure…about being gentle. And Malek had reached that point. His body took over for him, pushing away conscious effort to speed toward the destination culminating in the center of his soul.

  His hips slapped rapidly against her inner thighs, his abs screamed from exertion, and his legs tightened into ramming rods. He was about to come, and he was ready to feel the full force of his orgasm's brutality. Beyond ready. He had gone unsatisfied far too long, and the consolation comes of weeks past were no longer welcome. The rushed, explosive bursts in the shower had been breath-taking and satisfying, but he didn't just want to lose his breath. He wanted to lose his mind. He wanted to lose himself and feel his muscles shred in ecstasy.

  With an urgent groan, he tightened his grip, his body contracted, and with one last, smooth thrust, he blew apart.

  "Oh God!" His abdomen tightened and released through each successive pump of his erection as he emptied himself into her, grunting hard through wave after wave of release.

  It wasn't until a moment later that he realized Gina's body had fallen into rapid contractions beneath him. Her entire body seemed to have fallen into orgasm as his name shuddered from her lips.

  Malek lifted his gaze to find her head thrown back, her eyes closed in rapture, her pink lips open as she sucked in
her breath and cried out again as another wave of shuddering bliss overtook her. Her short, dark hair spilled over the white pillowcase, tousled, damp, and utterly adorable. She was adorable, so precious and perfect.

  Unable to hold back, he closed his mouth over hers, breathed her, tasted her, feasted on her full lips as she answered in kind. Back and forth, they traded tongues and teeth. Their combined orgasms drew out and left them shivering and battered until finally he stilled above her, pulled his mouth from hers, and bowed his forehead against the top of her shoulder, spent and breathless.

  What they had just shared had been beautiful and perfect.

  He had needed this, and apparently, so had she.

  Closing his eyes, he buried his face against her neck once more, his body crashing as his orgasm waned.

  Happy now? The Voice said quietly, sprawled in exhaustion.

  God yes. I've found where I belong.

  It's about time. My work here is done.

  With that, The Voice was gone. It was just him. Him and her. Gina. His life-giving mate. He was finally able to say good-bye once and for all to his beloved Carmen.

  Rest in peace, my love. But my place is here now. With Gina. I love her.

  He had a feeling Carmen was gazing down on him, smiling, happy to see him whole and alive again.

  Good-bye, Carmen. Thank you for loving me, but it's time to let you go.

  CHAPTER 23

  Brak blinked against the sunlight as he woke up. Even with the sunglasses Cynthia gave him, the brightness hurt his eyes.

  "What time is it?" He adjusted the seat, which Cynthia had shown him how to recline when they'd stopped for breakfast, and sat up, squinting. He rubbed his fingers over his sleep-crusted eyes under the dark lenses.

  "It's almost one o'clock. I thought we'd stop for lunch and a quick restroom break. I need to pee."

  "So do I." Maybe he shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee at breakfast, because he was about to burst. He wasn't used to being away from the comforts of his cell like this, where he could drink as much as he wanted without worrying over when the next bathroom break would come.