Marcie could tell something was wrong. One moment, she’d been laughing and teasing her sexy consort, and suddenly, the smile faded, and his silver eyes sharpened as he looked past her. Twisting in his arms, she followed his gaze and saw the man in the intricate Anubis mask striding stiffly into the room. He took a stance against the wall as though he were guarding the place, thick arms crossed over his chest.
“Trouble?” she asked quickly, ducking her head to keep her words between the two of them.
Mano’s deft fingers smoothed through her hair and she felt his breath warm her ear before the words reached her. “Trouble,” he agreed. “You are safe, my lady love.” His hands slid down her side, palm resting on her hip where he patted lightly. “My dear friend though—” The words faded into a quiet sigh.
Lifting her head, Marcie looked into her fiancé’s eyes and lightly pulled his pointed beard to draw his head and attention down to her where she relaxed in his lap. “Tell me.”
A flare of passion gleamed in his eyes when he tucked his chin down to catch her gaze. “Temptress.” He kissed her nose. “Remember the night we met?” he asked, head tipped to the side.
A little flicker of pleasure ran through her, echoed by a thrum of delight. His strong hands squeezed her hips, almost to the point of pain and she sucked in a breath. Oh, she remembered all right. The world falling out from under her while her breath burned inside her with a flaming rush of sensation. “Yes,” she whispered.
“For someone who believes their life path has been walked, it’s not easy to accept.”
“Like you?” she asked, sitting up to give the conversation the seriousness it deserved.
He squinted a little and then sighed, “Yes. In a way. I mean, it wasn’t until after I was fully and utterly tangled in your charms that I understood the dangers. I was taken completely unaware.” He assumed an innocent expression. It was as innocent as her little golden devil could manage anyway. He chuckled and kissed the corner of her mouth at her expression of disbelief.
“Uh-huh.”
His smile widened, and he kissed slowly across her cheek to her ear. “All right. I was terrified.” Admitting it cost that proud heart of his something precious.
She wrapped her arms around him and pressed herself against his bare chest. “I understand. It wasn’t easy for me either. Is there anything we can do for him?”
“I don’t know. Let me go and talk with him. I know how shocking it can be when you have your heart’s desire fall into your arms.” He whispered lower against her ear as he pulled her close, “Or onto one’s tongue as you did for me, cherry pie. Mi Dama Poderosa. Mein schatzi.”
“If you keep this up,” she whimpered, “I’m going to put that sweet mouth to use instead of letting you go attend to your friend.”
He took her hand in his and kissed her fingertips before pressing her palm to his cheek, nuzzling it. “I will be quick. And then— I will finish my breakfast—under the table.”
With a dreamy sigh she didn’t resist as he settled her into the seat and slipped away. She watched the man of her dreams adjust his vest as he strolled across the room. There wasn’t even a hitch in his step, despite how wild they had been the evening before. He was the perfect balance of submissive and dominant with her and last night he delighted in her rough play with him. God, he was so sexy it made her eyes sting with happy tears. Hers! That entire sexy, naked ass in chaps was hers. Unfortunately, the tattoos hid the welts she’d left on him.
Pulling her attention away from him she surveyed the room, and sipped juice. The gem girls were gathered at a table, laughing and chatting despite most of the other guests moving onto other events for the day. It dawned on her then that Topaz Lynx was missing from the group. She felt her stomach drop with understanding. So, Lynx and Jackal had a run in? She hoped her consort could smooth things over.
Those women were some of the first guests she’d had at the house. Over the years, she’d watched them play, explore, and mature. She’d seen them at their most competitive and witnessed those incidents that threatened their friendship. Something was different about the gathering this morning. It was as though a weight was removed from each of them.
It was their new companions. They, the men, fit against their edges somehow. There was none of the usual competitive drive between the women. They each seemed too busy exploring the men beside them rather than showing off their own prowess.
Those were the friends of her little outlaw. She’d not been around them enough to recognize them by name behind their masks, but she knew instinctively those were his friends.
Anubis’s jackal mask for example covered his whole head. She couldn’t even tell what color his hair was. Sure, he was enormous, but that didn’t mean anything. There were half a dozen men of that size among the people her fiancé introduced her to. Her new bosses and most of their children were closer to seven foot tall than six.
A small smile curled her mouth as she glanced to the little outlaw talking to the giant in the jackal mask. He looked dwarfed by the big man. Nearly naked, he acted as though it was completely natural without a hint of vulnerability. When he’d told Marcie that he wasn’t attracted to anyone, she didn’t realize how literal the statement was. Did his friends suffer the same fate? Recalling how he’d greeted her in the foyer made her face flush hot. Oh, boy, she was going to have to try to remember to ask him.
He glanced over his shoulder at her as though he could hear her thoughts and the liquid pleasure raced along the connection shared between them. She sensed him focused on it and the sensual plans he had for her later. He grinned then, a slow curving of one corner of his mouth before his lips formed the words: ‘Love you.’ Marcie Perez was utterly doomed.
The big man in the mask tipped his head and seemed to look up at her. The azure and gold lenses on the mask sparkled in the light. His shoulders relaxed as the broad chest expanded and then sighed out the breath he had been holding. Then he slapped one big hand onto Mano’s shoulder. Marcie suspected it would have sent a lesser being sprawling, but the little outlaw just turned back and smirked up at his friend and jerked his chin back in the direction of the exit.
When her fiancé rejoined her, he swept her into his arms, a smug smile curling his lips. “Do you desire retiring to the gardens? We might enjoy some painting?” His silver eyes swept down her body, lingering on the swell of her breasts before slowly dragging his gaze back to hers. “I wouldn’t mind posing for you.”
The suggestion made her heart race. She was going to ask if he was certain he wanted to, but he was already carrying her out of the room. All these years she’d arranged play scenarios, but aside from the pony races, she’d never found a lover who was interested in participating in other games. “Painting?”
The smile he gifted her was radiant and he squeezed her against him. “Yes, my treasure. You need to try something different. “She nodded at him in agreement and cupped his face, kissing him softly, teasing his lower lip. Oh, yes, she wanted to try everything this delicious man desired.