Chapter Twenty-Seven
“What the fuck?!” Rune roared as he burst out of the van. “Are you insane?!”
“Back up,” Braxen said.
“The fuck I will,” Rune, who had obviously been stewing the entire way home, snarled. He grabbed my arm and shook me. “You could have been killed.”
“No!” I jerked my arm out of his grip. “ You could have been killed. Something told me to go. So I went. But I wasn't going to do anything unless you needed me. I parked across the street and waited. Then I heard Braxen shout.”
“So, you came in guns blazing like fucking Rambo?” Merrick demanded.
“Don't be ridiculous,” I huffed. “I shot a rocket into the house first.”
Braxen snorted a laugh.
“This isn't funny!” Rune roared.
“It kinda is.” Brax took my hand and drew me into the house, leaving the other two behind.
“What's wrong with you?” Rune fumed as he chased us. “Braxen, she could have died.”
“She's smart.”
“She's smart?” Rune asked in amazement. “That's your reasoning?”
“She's not a soldier, but she figured it out. She became one.” Brax paused in the kitchen to look back at the other two. “For us. She killed our enemies when we couldn't. Because she's a fucking badass.”
“That rule about killing humans did hinder us a bit,” Merrick admitted.
Braxen started walking off again.
“We would have been fine,” Rune said. “Lora, you are not to do that ever again.”
“Fuck off, Rune. I'll do as I like. Deal with it.”
Braxen chuckled.
“No, you won't!” Rune grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from Braxen. “ We are supposed to protect you , not the other way around.”
“Rune, I'm trying real hard to remember that you've got adrenaline racing through your veins and all this is stemming from love,” I said. “But it's getting difficult because you're sliding into alpha asshole territory. Remember our talk? Merrick's not the problem anymore.”
Brax pressed his lips together to keep from laughing.
“I'm an alpha asshole because I want you safe?” Rune dropped my arm. “Really, Lora? Have you even ever held a gun before?”
“Yes. Her—” I caught myself before I said Hermes. “He taught me.”
Rune's face twitched. “And the RPG? He taught you how to use that too?”
“No. I googled it.”
Braxen's dam was burst. He bent over double with laughter, great guffaws coming from him. Even Merrick's lips shook. But not Rune. He threw his hands up as if he couldn't believe my stupidity.
“What, like it's hard?” I drawled. “I blew up a house, and I don't have a scratch on me.” I looked him over pointedly.
“They were expecting us,” Rune said. “I think they wanted to be caught on camera. It was a trap. We walked in, cleared the first floor, then went down to the basement.”
“Where they were waiting with automatic rifles,” Merrick said. “We didn't have a chance to defend ourselves. They just kept firing until we didn't get up.”
“Oh, Gods,” I whispered.
Even immortality has its limits. They would have needed time to heal.
“While we were healing, they bound us in chains and tried to question us. We stayed silent through their torture.”
“Torture?” I growled.
“It was nothing, sweetheart. We healed while they punched us. But then they realized we were recuperating too quickly. They knew we could go spectral, though they called it our demon forms. Since we weren't giving them anything, they decided to behead us before we could heal enough to shift,” Braxen said. “If you hadn't come when you did, we'd be dead.” He lifted his stare to Rune. “You know it, Rune.”
Rune's jaw clenched as he stormed past us.
“He just needs some time,” Merrick said. “It scared him—seeing you there. Like that.”
“Some men don't like being confronted with the fact that women can take care of themselves,” I muttered, disappointed in Rune.
“That's not it,” Merrick said. “Rune isn't threatened by you. He's scared for you. Knowing that you would run into danger for us makes him love you even more, and because he loves you so much, he's terrified by the thought of you getting hurt.”
“So much so that he'd rather die?” I crossed my arms.
“Yes,” Braxen and Merrick said together.
I dropped my arms. “Well, shit. That's sweet but also annoying. And stupid.”
“He'll come around,” Braxen said.
“As I said,” Merrick added. He paused, then said, “Thank you. It was reckless of you, and I'd rather you didn't risk yourself again. But thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
We left the kitchen and headed upstairs. It didn't need saying that we needed showers. Especially them, although I wanted to get the smell of smoke out of my hair. I didn't offer any first aid, nor was I worried about their wounds. The blood was already drying, nothing fresh flowing. Which meant they were healing. That both shocked and pleased me. They had been riddled with bullets, enough to drop them, but there they were, less than an hour later, walking around as if nothing had happened.
“I'm going to shower, then make us some lunch,” Merrick said as we made it to the top of the stairs. He turned and headed for his room.
Braxen grunted, took my hand, and drew me down the hallway. Into his room. He shut the door.
And then he was on me—his hands sweeping over my body as his lips claimed mine. I went from exhausted to excited instantly and yanked him closer. We fumbled at our clothes. We knocked into furniture. Things fell to the floor. Brax drew me across the room as we continued to kiss.
I heard water and opened my eyes. We were in the bathroom and the shower was going. Brax was naked. He still looked horrifying, but now it was in a sexy way. He stepped into the spray and the water ran red. I stood back, giving him time to rinse off most of the blood. But he didn't want to wait. Braxen pulled me into the stall and shut the glass panel behind me.
It was a big shower. One of those things with tile everywhere and a built-in bench. Shampoo, soap, and conditioner sat on a recessed shelf. I grabbed a cloth hung over a hook and poured some bodywash into it. The scent of pine, warm spices, and vanilla filled the shower. I smiled as I recognized Braxen's scent. Brax reached for the cloth.
I evaded Braxen and set the soapy thing on his chest. A growl rumbled through him. A good growl. When I started to wash him, his head fell back on a moan. I took Braxen's hand and drew him out of the spray so I could clean him thoroughly. After his chest, I moved on to his arms. He obediently lifted them for me. Then I cleaned his face. While I moved on, he leaned backward into the spray to rinse off.
Sliding the cloth around Braxen's waist, I moved to his back. I took my time washing him, feeling his hard muscles through the thick, wet fabric and leaving a soapy trail behind. My free hand felt left out, so it joined in, using the soap to massage him. Another groan. Then I moved down. His ass was perfection—rounded with muscle and just enough fat. I couldn't resist squeezing a plump cheek before moving on to his legs.
“Lomasi,” Braxen said with a sigh.
I moved the cloth between his legs. Down his thighs. Over his calves. With a normal man, I might have been eager to get to his sex, but Braxen had so much to admire. I took my time enjoying every part of his back before I went around to his front. I had crouched to wash him so this brought my face in line with his sex. It twitched. Still, I paced myself washing the front of his legs, glorying in following the defined muscles. A glance up told me that Brax avidly watched me, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. At last, I soaped up his shaft and balls.
“Fuck!” Brax slapped a hand against the wall.
I pushed back gently on his thighs, easing him into the spray. As soon as he was clean, Braxen returned to me, and I reached for him with hands and lips. Rising on my knees, I kissed the tip of his thick cock. Tasted him. Groaned at the feel of him on my tongue. Then, rolling my stare up to watch him, I slipped my mouth around him.
“Lo,” he panted. “Oh, fuck, Lomasi. You look amazing. You feel amazing.”
Braxen's hips swayed forward, but he restrained himself from thrusting. I grinned around his cock before tightening my lips. Then I was moving over him slowly, taking him as deep as possible. Braxen's panting got louder. Faster. His hands gripped my shoulders.
Then, with a cry, Brax yanked me to my feet and into a kiss. I groaned into his mouth, knowing it was at last time for us to come together. But Braxen just kept kissing me. When he finally eased back, it was to retrieve the cloth that had fallen to the floor. He applied more bodywash and began to scrub me.
Smiling at Braxen's focused expression, I reached for the shampoo. As he washed me, I washed his hair. Brax got to his knees with a grin, letting me scrub at his scalp before he leaned back into the spray. I loved watching him, but my eyes kept drifting shut to enjoy the feeling of his hands on me. Slowly cleaning my skin. My breasts, my belly, my thighs. He washed everywhere. Then he drew the cloth up my inner thighs and gently cleaned my sex. I canted my hips forward and pressed against the cloth. The cloth fell with a wet thud, leaving behind Braxen's fingers. He rubbed and slipped them over me, sending zings up my spine—sparkling pleasure that sent me jerking forward to brace myself on his chest. A happy growl vibrated beneath my hands. But before I could climax, his hand fell away.
“Rinse,” Braxen said.
I shuddered as I stepped under the hot spray, taking the chance to wet my hair as well. Before I moved out of it, Braxen, still on his knees, bent into the water and latched onto my clit. Unerringly finding that bud with his tongue, he pressed his mouth against me to form a seal. Around in circles, then up and down through my sex. Inside.
A wild spasm rocked me, sending me jerking against Braxen. He steadied me and drew me back, out of the water. I hastily swiped at my eyes, eager to look at him. I needed the memory of him on his knees before me. The sight alone was enough to make me shiver. But then I met his stare. Braxen's eyes were circles of green fire. His face was pressed tightly against my sex, barely moving. But his tongue worked diligently. He grabbed my right thigh and hefted my leg over his shoulder, then moved forward to taste more of me.
“Brax,” I moaned. “Oh, Gods. Braxen.” I smacked my palms against the tile, nails clawing the glossy surface, and rolled my head.
Brax paused to say, “Wash your hair, Lomasi.”
“What?” I looked down at him in confusion.
“Wash your hair while I lick you.”
“Oh. Okay,” I murmured.
It took me a bit to get my hands to move. But then I was working in the shampoo, the feel of my fingers on my scalp adding to the pleasure coming from below. Braxen drew his tongue up the seam of me, then focused on my clit again. I moaned as I leaned my head back into the spray.
“Now, conditioner,” he said.
“What?!” I nearly shrieked.
How was he thinking about this shit when he was giving me oral sex?
“I want your hair soft,” Braxen's words were a growl that vibrated against my flesh.
I moaned and reached for the conditioner.
Only after I had conditioned and rinsed did Braxen get to his feet. He turned off the water and left the shower, running a brusque hand over his hair to fling off excess water. I swayed on my feet, so close to climax that I was trembling. But Braxen didn't leave me. He returned with a towel and wrapped it around me. As I stared at him in obvious need, he wrung out my hair, then started to dry it.
“Enough!” I nearly screamed and flung the towel away.
We were both still wet, and I didn't care. I pushed Brax out of the stall with my body as I kissed him. He groaned, his ass hitting the counter. Before he could tell me to dry off or brush my teeth or some other such nonsense, I grabbed his cock. But the water didn't make for good lubrication. So I had to suck it again. Oh, darn.
“Fuck!” Braxen cried as I gobbled up his shaft. “Lomasi.” His hands stroked my face. “Stop. I don't want to come yet.”
I drew back to stare up at him. “Can we have sex now?”
He chuckled, bent down, and picked me up. “Yes, we can have sex now.”
Brax carried me into the bedroom, then over to the couch. The setup was similar to my guest room, with the couch facing the balcony. Outside, the sun shone brightly, heat radiating through the glass. I sighed when it hit me, then stretched as he set me down. On the couch.
I frowned, about to ask him why he hadn't taken me to bed, when Braxen spread my legs and knelt between them. He lifted my feet and set them on his broad shoulders as he bent his head. My hands went to his face, cradling him as he caressed me with his tongue. I was so close, right on the edge, so it only took a few licks for him to get to the center of my tootsie pop. I screeched, my grip going harsh, and jerked my hips up to him.
A happy growl came from Braxen as he continued to lick and suck me through my orgasm. Legs shaking, eyes closed, head back, and the sun warming me, I fell into the luxurious pleasure and let my body go. Let it shake without caring what I looked like. Because Braxen loved me. I knew it without him saying the words. I could feel his love in every flick of his tongue.
As if sensing my thoughts, Braxen lifted his head and said, “I love you, Lomasi.”
Still shuddering, I moved my feet onto the couch and said, “I love you, Braxen.” I was so glad to have waited for this moment to tell him. It was perfect. But then I needed more. I angled my sex up toward him. “Now, fuck me.”
With a primal growl, Brax rose onto his knees and thrust forward. I was so slick that he slid deep without having to guide himself. It helped that he was so thick—his cock unbending. But that same thickness prevented him from going to the hilt with the first thrust. He had to work me open a bit. Back and forth, deeper each time, with both of us groaning through it. At last, he was pressed against me, my legs wrapped around his waist. Braxen bent to kiss me and as we claimed each other's mouths, he began to thrust.
Had I just come? My body didn't seem to know. It went right back into arousal, that muscle-clenching need rising higher and higher with every slam of his hips. Heat gathered low, the tingles spread, and I clawed at Braxen's arms, needing even more.
With a growl, he pushed back and grabbed my thighs. Braxen's expression went primal as he sped up, his thrusts sending me into the cushions. I pushed back against the couch, getting enough leverage to meet him halfway, and looked from his beautiful face to where we came together. Curled as I was, I got a perfect view, and it was glorious—that hard flesh sliding into mine, and my sex clinging to him with every retreat, as if I couldn't bear to let him go. Braxen grunted, and I glanced up to find him staring there too.
“You're beautiful,” he panted. “So pink. Tight.” He groaned and arched backward as he continued to thrust. “Lomasi.”
“Braxen.” I ran my hands down his chest and played with his nipples. “Brax, don't stop.”
“I won't. Not until you scream for me again.”
And then Brax was pounding into me, shaking the couch so that it screeched on the wood floor. All I could do was hold on as Braxen went wild, his face gone feral and his eyes burning. I set my feet back on the couch and pushed. He was so deep inside me that I couldn't be sure where I ended and he began.
“Braxen,” I moaned. Then my body burst apart in the best way, and I screamed, “Braxen!”
“That's it,” he grunted, still thrusting.
But only seconds later, as I clenched around him, Brax locked up. Once, twice, thrice he slammed forward, then stayed pressed against me, his cock pulsing as he filled me. Instead of falling forward when he was done, Braxen slipped out of my body and picked me up. We were relatively dry by then, all but my hair. So when he laid me on his bed, I made sure to hang the wet mass off the edge.
Brax was just climbing in beside me when a knock came at the door.
“Merrick's made lunch,” Rune called. “Are you guys coming?”
“Too late,” Braxen whispered.
I chuckled, then called out, “We'll be right there.”
Brax grimaced.
“We can come back up afterward,” I promised.
He sighed. “All right. Then I'm going to make love to you for the rest of the night.”
“And fuck me,” I said.
Grinning, he agreed, “And fuck you until you scream my name again.”