Chapter 47
“It’s not too much. I’m all in, for as long as it takes.”-- Decoded message from ILF undercover operative Nightingale to ILF handler Hiro Tanaka
Briar
The jungle’s restless energy has started to settle for the day, the sun beginning its dramatic descent. Vibrant gold, pink and violet shades paint the sky over the sparkling ocean, more magnificent than any watercolor.
When Marcus and I emerge from the narrow path that cuts through the jungle and opens onto a secluded, sandy section of beach, a canvas tent awaits. A campfire crackles nearby, and there’s a low table set with platters of food.
I want to admonish him about taking it slow, but I stop myself. Today was his first full day off bed rest and he worked on bridge construction all day. He sweated and hammered alongside the rest of the crew, and he feels better than ever.
He looks better than ever, too. I took several long, lingering looks at his bronzed, sweat-slicked body while he worked. I did laundry for half the day, and I was so distracted that I’m lucky I didn’t wreck the laundry bike.
“Did you do this?” I ask him.
He drops his brows and scoffs. “Of course I did. While you were showering. I’d never ask someone else to do this for me.”
“Thank you. It’s perfect.”
He knew not to cut flowers and scatter their petals on the ground. Nothing could compare to the artwork in the sky, anyway.
Waves lap at the sand as we walk over to the fire, a blanket spread out on the sand for us to sit on.
“We met on a beach, remember?” Marcus says lightly.
I pinch my brows together, pretending to think about it. “I think so. Weren’t you the tall guy who was dragging screaming people away?”
“That was me, yeah. And you were the unarmed mercenary who almost fought your way into the jungle.”
“Look how far we’ve come.”
He pulls me close. “I’m glad I didn’t leave you to die in the jungle after you fought Virginia.”
I hum softly. “You wanted to, though. The others just wouldn’t let you.”
“You didn’t like me at first, either.”
“No, not even a little bit.”
He kisses me gently. “I’ve grown on you, though, right?”
“You have. But I’ve got to say I’m not so enthused about outdoor ... affection now that I know we’re being watched.”
He grins. “We’ve never done anything out in the open. We were behind the waterfall. And that’s what the tent’s for.”
“Still. They’ll all know what we’re doing in there.”
“Wait a second. I was planning a night of deep conversation. What were you thinking?”
I back away, giving him a playful look. “I was also thinking of something deep, but maybe we should just go back to camp.”
“Oh, you think so?” He lunges forward, lifting me into his arms.
A squeal slips out of me, my feet leaving the ground. I wrap my legs around his waist, soaking in this rare moment when everything is good and warm and happy.
His expression has turned serious. I graze my fingers over his scalp, my eyes fixed on his.
“I don’t want us to be apart again,” he says.
“Neither do I.”
“I had to make a deal with the ILF to get the boat. I have to work for them.”
“Then I will, too.”
“You have to find Mae first.”
I think of my sister, wondering where she is right now. What she’s doing. It hurts so much that I have to force it from my mind.
“Maybe we’ll have to split up for a little while,” I say.
“I don’t want to.”
“I know. Me either. But maybe we can negotiate with the ILF. You said they’re very interested in her. Maybe they’ll let both of us go. We’ll tell them they can have both of us if they let us get her first.”
“I’m not sure they want her freed. I think they may want her to work for them and stay where she is.”
I shake my head. “Over my dead body. We’ll get her and go into hiding together if we have to.”
“I’ll go anywhere and do anything. As long as I’m with you.”
The teasing tone is gone now, his dark, hungry gaze making my stomach flip with anticipation. He carries me over to the tent and sets my feet back on the ground. When he lifts a canvas flap aside, I duck my head and go inside.
A dried grass mattress layered with blankets and a gallon container of water are the only things inside the tent. We both have our aromium off, because even though we can safely have it active now, we wanted one night of just us, as we would be if we’d met in another time and place.
He looks like he’s going to say something, but instead he kisses me. I cup my hand around the back of his neck and lie down on the mattress, aching for the feel of his huge, warm body on top of me.
It’s been such a long time that every touch and kiss sends a surge of hot, needy awareness through me. He slides my T-shirt up and off over my head, the graze of his stubbled face on my chest making me inhale sharply.
I thread my fingers into his thick hair, tugging lightly as he slips a bra strap over my shoulder and kisses my taut nipple. He licks and sucks and teases until I’m panting, then does the same with the other one.
We’re a tangle of limbs, all groans and needy whimpers.
When he pulls his T-shirt off, I quickly rid myself of my bra, watching as the tip of his tongue moistens his lips.
He returns his mouth to my nipples and I run my hands over his warm, carved arms and shoulders.
His erection is pressed into my lower belly, and all I can think is that I want more.
He pushes himself up on one knee and traps my wrists over my head with one hand, tugging off my pants and underwear. I’m lost in the dark pools of his eyes, the hunger swirling there matching my own.
When he lightly traces his knuckle over my seam, I audibly gasp, my back arching. When this powerful, demanding man touches me gently, it’s always my undoing.
He’s a masterful tease, lightly stroking me until I’m whimpering with need. I strain against his hold on my wrists, powerless.
It’s a heady sensation, trusting him so much that I’m not just willing to cede complete control to him, I actually love it.
Daylight is fading. The shadows on his face darken as I softly beg him to end this delicious torture. His smile is ravenous and satisfied at the same time.
“I’m not breakable,” I whisper. “You know what I want, so give it to me.”
He lowers his lips to mine, his breath a warm caress as he whispers, “Say it. Tell me what you want, and it’s yours.”
I couldn’t have been so bold before him. Now I don’t even hesitate.
“Keep holding my wrists and fuck me.”
He gently kisses my jawline, grinding into me. “Is that it?”
I moan. This game is agonizing and I love it. “Fuck me hard until I come. Come inside me.”
“Yes.” It’s a growl that rumbles from his chest, making my pussy clench.
He gets to his knees and unfastens his pants, his predatory gaze never leaving me. When he pulls his pants off and I finally see his long, thick erection, I gasp softly.
That’s mine. All mine.
He covers my body with his much larger one, again pinning my wrists above my head with one hand. His other hand smooths over my forehead and hair. He brushes his knuckles over my jaw and kisses me gently.
Then he pushes himself inside me, starting slowly.
“Give me what I want,” I whisper.
He groans and buries his face in the crook of my neck, burying himself all the way inside me.
I whimper, rolling my hips up to meet his. He’s almost more than I can take, but I love this sensation of having my body owned by him.
Now he’s an unleashed beast, driving himself into me without restraint. I cry out, finally getting what I’ve wanted for so long. I urge him on, fighting his hold on my wrists at the same time.
It’s like trying to break out of iron handcuffs. There’s no give, and he’s fucking me the same way, with zero restraint.
His expression twists with satisfaction as he drives himself into me hard and fast. I want everything tonight. He’ll drive me wild with his mouth between my thighs and I’ll make him hiss and say my name as he unloads himself in my mouth. But first, I need this.
“Oh fuck.” He’s fighting himself, waiting for me.
That does it for me every single time. My body detonates, every part of me coming blissfully apart. He’s relentless, pulling every second he can get from my body before he finally buries himself in me one last time, tensing and groaning into my shoulder.
He kisses me softly before rolling onto his back, both of us breathless. I prop myself up on an elbow, tracing a fingertip down his chest.
“I enjoyed that,” I say lightly.
He grins. “So did I.”
“I wouldn’t change a thing about you.”
He arches a brow, looking doubtful. “You sure about that?”
“I am. If you weren’t broody and completely controlled like ninety-seven percent of the time and irrationally impulsive the other three percent of the time, you wouldn’t be you.”
“It’s more like two percent. And I wouldn’t change a thing about you, either.” He props his head on a hand, gently brushing the hair from my shoulder. “Drink to me with only thine eyes, and I will pledge with mine.”
I can’t even breathe for a few seconds. This is one of the moments I hope I remember with total clarity, so I can revisit it anytime I want when I’m old and gray.
“It’s from a poem by Ben Jonson,” he says.
“And you ... know poetry?”
He grins. “I took a British lit class in college. Otherwise, no.”
“You didn’t need any help getting me into bed, but that’ll do it every time.”
He kisses me so soft and slow my heart races.
“Get dressed and meet me outside,” he says, sitting up and grabbing his pants.
“I ... what?”
He shoots me a grin. “Or grab a blanket, whatever.”
Now that I know we’re being watched by satellite, I go the clothes route. I don’t have anything to clean myself up with, but a blanket gets the job done.
When I crawl out of the tent, Marcus is standing at the shoreline, water lapping at his bare toes. The moon is bright tonight, the sky filled with twinkling stars and hardly any clouds.
I go to him and he puts an arm around my waist. We watch the ocean for a few silent seconds, and then he turns, easing my shoulder to the side so I turn, too.
When we’re facing each other, he gets down on one knee.
“Marry me. I know it won’t be legal or anything, but I don’t care about that.
We can still pledge ourselves to each other.
I want to wait until Mae can be there, but then .
.. marry me. In an ancient forest or at the top of a mountain.
In a rundown shack. Alone or with everyone we know. Just say you’ll be my wife.”
I blink back tears and cup his cheeks, marveling at how many emotions can exist at the same time on this island. It’s brought me into deep valleys, but this is a peak I never knew possible.
“Yes. I will.”
He stands and lifts me into his arms, my feet leaving the wet sand as he spins me. A wolf howls in the distance, and I don’t even have to be able to see into the jungle to know every leaf is gently waving in soft applause.