I stepped out of the ley line and landed in Davenport House’s hallway.
I kicked off my boots and let my toes, my newly reelected Merlin toes, feel the warmth of the hardwood floors. It was a glorious feeling.
“Ruth!” I yelled as I sprinted down to the kitchen. “Dolores? Beverly? Iris? Where is everyone?” I called with excitement bubbling into my voice.
Upstairs. Yes of course. It was just after midnight.
Smiling, I spun around and vaulted back into the hallway. I ran up to the second floor and burst into Ruth’s bedroom.
It was empty.
So was Beverly’s and Dolores’s and Iris’s.
Confusion quickly replaced my elated bubble. Where was my family?
“They left to Wicked Witch & Handsome Devil Pub to celebrate,” said a familiar voice.
I jumped in surprise, thinking it was just me and my thoughts to keep me company. I turned to find Marcus standing in my bedroom doorway wearing nothing but my bathrobe.
My eyebrows rose. “They did? But…”
“Ruth got a phone call,” he informed me, and I remembered Greta saying as much. She must have called Ruth as soon as she left the common room. “I’d just gotten here…”
“Naked,” I said.
“Naked,” he answered, still unabashed. “Dolores gave me a coat, but I liked your bathrobe better,” he added with a grin. “Smells like you.”
I have no idea why, but that comment really turned me on.
I stepped toward him. “And then?”
Marcus shifted his weight. “Then,” he said, looking at me through his thick, black lashes. “They left. You just missed them.”
I exhaled, letting out all the adrenaline from before. “Well. That’s fine. After all of this, they deserve to have a little fun.”
“You did it, Tessa.” Marcus reached out and pulled me to him. “You saved Ruth.”
“You helped,” I answered staring at his lips as a torrent of heat flowed through my core.
“I helped,” he purred, his eyes glimmering in amusement. “What do I get for it?”
“I have a few things in mind,” I answered as I yanked the robe off of him in one swift pull, revealing his once again naked body that I liked very much.
Yes, I was forward. Blame my large lady balls for that. But I was tired of waiting for what I wanted. And I wanted this sexy-as-sin chief.
Marcus leaned forward, his breath warm against my cheek. “You mean celebrating… like this?” he said and dipped his head to kiss me.
Even though this wasn’t the first time we’d kissed, the taste of him still had me growling like an animal. His kiss wasn’t gentle. It was fierce and possessive, and I melted into it. His tongue brushed mine, eager and hot, and I kissed him back just as fiercely, again and again. Then I pulled back and kissed his neck, nibbling his ear, and biting it.
He groaned, and it sent my core on fire.
“How much celebrating are we talking about?” he asked as he pulled away.
Grinning like an idiot, I pushed him back into my bedroom playfully. Then I pulled off my coat and tossed it to the floor. “I’m thinking…” I said as I removed my shirt and started to pull off my jeans. “The kind that lasts all night long.” I stepped out of my jeans. “And repeats… over and over again.”
I removed my bra, wiggled out of my underwear, and just stood there, bold in my own nakedness. Okay, getting my Merlin license had perhaps made me a little rash.
Yet, somehow I wasn’t embarrassed. My eyes grazed down at his hard and extremely obvious desire for me. Nothing was more ego-boosting than seeing that. To hell with my cellulite. Damn my saggy, sausage arms. Screw my average breasts.
He thought I was hot.
That’s it. I was going to go all primeval on his ass.
Marcus’s eyes sparkled with obvious lust. “You’re beautiful.”
Take off!
I tackled him like a linebacker and we both laughed as we stumbled onto the bed in a tangle of naked limbs.
Marcus grabbed me and pulled me beneath him. The feeling of his weight on top of me, the weight of a man, triggered something feral in me and I pressed tighter to him. His rough, callused hands slid over my body, caressing me and sending shivers through me. I’d felt so empty for so long, and now I wanted to be full of him. I ran my hands over the cords of muscles on his back, pulling him to me.
My eyes moved to my open bedroom door. Whoops. I did not want my aunts or Iris to walk in on us. Not because I was embarrassed, but because I didn’t want it to stop.
“House,” I called, as heat shot through me, making me hyper and impatient. “Shut my door and lock it, please.”
And with a flash of energy, my bedroom door shut with a thud and I heard the sliding of metal as the bolt shut into place.
There. Now I was ready to celebrate. Celebrate all night long with a man I cared about who thought I was hot.
And for the first time in my life, I didn’t want the lights off. I wanted them on.
Hello, lady balls.