“I accept your apology,” she mumbled. “Please don’t hesitate to err in the future. Your way of atoning is more than acceptable to me.”
“I’m just getting started, sweet.” He pulled out and shoved back in over and over. His pace was fast and hard; need threatened to crawl from his skin. Her body answered his need, gave to him what he craved.
Around him she was hot and wet, holding him, caressing his cock as she pushed back at him to meet his thrusts. He gave in to his urge to control her just then, to ravish and pay homage to her.
Then he’d slow things down and enjoy her for hours.
Carina had never been happier in her entire life. His cock deep within her, his hands all over her body, holding her to him as if he couldn’t bear not touching her. Her muscles were loose and warm from the delicious climax he’d given her, and their rhythm matched.
When he was like this, overwhelmingly male, dominant even, it was as if every cell in her body was supersensitive. The rug at her knees wasn’t comfortable, but it didn’t hurt, and somehow it only added to the entire experience. That same rug knotted around her fingers as she searched for purchase. The scent of them rose around her, her body welcoming his, clean sweat, his own unique smell, all these married together, heightening her need.
Each time he couldn’t resist another moment and made a sound it drove her crazy. A sort of frenzy built in her bones, her muscles, because she needed all of him.
He kissed her shoulder as he pumped into her. His breath ragged, the muscles on his arms corded with strain. He was all around her, over her, behind her, inside.
Inside so deep and hard and then his entire body hardened as he groaned her name, coming at last and tumbling them to the floor, cradling her in his arms.
“Welcome back.”
He panted for breath, and she kissed his lips, not wanting to move for a time.
“Does this mean you’re going to marry me then?”
“I’ve only been pestering you to marry me since the day we met, Daniel. What clued you in that I’d be interested other than that?”
He stood, pulling her up against him. “Come with me. I’ve stayed here, so I know the bathing tub is spacious enough for two.”
She watched him as he ran the water and fetched drying cloths. She sat on the edge of the counter and looked her fill because he was hers. That pleased her straight to her toes.
“I never expected you.”
He turned and held a hand out to assist her into the water. He followed, settling in at her back.
“You didn’t?”
She laughed, because he made everything better.
“I didn’t expect you, either. Thought you were useless and shallow that first time I saw you. I wanted you even then, even as I looked and judged you as a cold and remote beauty. You’ve proven me wrong ever since.”
She was so relaxed there in his arms, the warmth of the water all around, her body’s call sated for the time being.
“You don’t think I’m beautiful now?” she teased, her eyes closed.
“You’re not cold and remote. You’re not useless or shallow. Your beauty is like that of the hours after a heavy snow. Brilliant, covering everything it touches with that beauty. You are pale as moonlight and just as luminescent. Like a pearl. You are strong and intelligent, and what you did today took a lot of strength. I’m proud of you.”
“Oh Daniel, you’re so”—she licked her lips—“I don’t know how you do it, but you say exactly the thing I need to hear.”
“Not when I tell you no.”
She laughed again, joy always so close to the surface when she was with him. “You’re very gruff to tell me no. But I suppose I’m hard to handle and all those things men say about women with their own minds. You must like us all well enough. I’ve seen how Roman looks at Abbie. Seems to me, bossy men like you need women who hate to hear no.”
“Trust you to make that into a virtue.” He kissed her temple, and she felt the curve of his lips as he smiled.
“Things are going to get very bad, aren’t they?”
He paused before resuming sliding his soap-slicked hands all over her, getting her worked up yet again.
“I think so, yes. We’re getting the data translated. Vincenz is helping. Your father is up to something unimaginably horrible judging by the lengths he went to, to protect this data.”
“I’ll help however I can.”
“Wilhelm told me you’d been a lot of help already. Thank you for that. I’m trying to get word about your mother. I assigned Vincenz to a plan to get her out. It can’t happen for a while. I’m sorry. But as soon as we can do it, we’ll get her away.”
Carina looked out the windows above the tub. The sky above was lit with a thousand stars. Totally different stars than the ones she’d grown up seeing at night. It still caught her at times, realizing she was so far from everything she knew.
“I’m not even sure she’d leave. I appreciate you working on it, but I trust you to wait until it can be done safely, or at least the safest way possible.
“Tomorrow we can get started on moving into the new flat. I saw what you make. For goodness’ sake, Daniel, why do you live in such a tiny flat? You can afford to have a far bigger abode.”
He sighed. “How did you see that?”
“Abbie did it. She had to tell the owner of the building what your salary was so he could lease to us. We’ll need furniture. A bed. Abbie tells me you sleep on a narrow one-person bed. Why do you torture yourself so?”
She’d risen to face him, and he rinsed her off, setting her outside the tub, joining her and tossing her a drying cloth.
“I haven’t had a reason for a bigger bed until now. All I’ve done in my bed is sleep. I don’t move much when I sleep. Why waste time and money on a big bed? By the way, in the inner pocket of my coat, on the other side from where the papers were, there’s something for you.”
She squealed and ran out the door, not caring that she was naked. Rifling through the coat, she found a soft pouch with a drawstring in the pocket.
She didn’t want to open it without him present, so she scampered around the corner and found him settling into bed. He’d started a fire, so the room was toasty. She leapt up next to him, snuggling against his body. “I love presents.”
“I suspected as much.” He tipped his chin. “Open it.”
She did and found a ring with brilliant blue stones inside. It fit her, but it was the way he slid it on her finger that touched her the most. It was his way of marking her, a public declaration.
“It’s beautiful. I’ve never seen such amazingly deep blue stones.” She looked at her hand, loving the sparkle the stones made in the firelight.
“I was stuck. Away from you and I had to spend a lot of time wandering around and pretending to be casual while I looked into a few things. Each day, several times a day, I passed this shop. Little more than a junk shop, so I didn’t think of you when I passed.
“And one of the afternoons, I paused, turning to keep from being seen, and I was in front of that shop. In the back there were scarves and things for hair. I thought of you then and went inside. At the back, on the other side of the scarves there was a jeweler’s stall. Behind a locked grate, of course. I didn’t expect to find anything, but when I looked closer, I saw this ring. I knew it was meant to be yours.”
“You tell me I undo you. But you’re wrong, Daniel. It’s you who undoes me.”
He grinned, and she took a deep breath, kissing his forehead before sitting back.
“You’ve wanted to marry me since then.” This pleased her greatly.
Until he shook his head. “No. I’ve wanted to marry you since that night in the bolt-hole. Deep within that mountain where it was just me and you.”
“Again with the undoing. Daniel, you are the sweetest man to ever live.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.” He swooped in and ended up on top of her, looking
down into her face. “I’m not sweet. I’m not good. But I love you so much I’d tear the fabric of the ’Verses apart if you but asked. You’re my mate, my heart and soul, and you remind me I’m a man.”
She blinked away tears. “I waited my entire life for you.”
He kissed the side of her neck, and she held him tight, not ever wanting to lose the warmth of him against her.
Vincenz looked at the data and his eyes, eyes that had been losing focus just a short while ago, focused in sharp.
He connected through to Daniel and Wilhelm’s personal comms. “I’ve found it. You both need to see this.”
Just minutes later, Wilhelm came in. “Daniel and Roman should be here shortly.”
He’d felt bad about calling Daniel out. Vincenz knew he’d asked Carina to marry him that evening. Daniel had spoken to him about it before heading over to Roman’s. He’d been skeptical at first, but Vincenz had to admit he thought they were a good match. Carina would keep Daniel on his toes, and Daniel would adore Carina the way she was meant to be. And he’d keep her safe. In the end, he’d given his well wishes and had meant them.
“Before they do, I want to speak to you about something.” Wilhelm took the seat next to Vincenz. “Daniel and I were speaking about you today, about how invaluable you are to us. I’d like to bring you on as an operative.”
“A Phantom Corps operative?” Vincenz had wanted that for as long as he could remember. He’d hated that he wanted it, hated the envy he had for Daniel and the other operatives he’d worked with. Had wondered why he had been passed over when he knew for a fact he was just as good, especially after the years of training he’d endured.
“Yes. Daniel and I both think you’d be an asset to our team. Daniel is a sub-commander. He runs Phantom Corps. You’d be assigned to him here on Ravena. I’ll let him fill you in on all that. That is, if you’re interested.”
Vincenz was proud of the way he’d stayed calm and nonchalant. First at the invitation to join Phantom Corps and now at the news that Daniel ran it. Oh, he knew Daniel had high rank, he knew he was influential, but Vincenz had no idea just how powerful. He could work under Daniel. He respected the man, trusted his skills.
“I’d be interested, yes. Now that Carina is here, being on the same ’Verse would be good for us both.”
“I’ll get the papers in play. You’ll report to Daniel from now on.”
He heard the noise outside and then Daniel came in with Roman, and they settled around the table with him.
“Let me just say it. From what I can tell, and the analysts agree, it appears that this data is a discussion between my father and his military research division. The bits and pieces we’ve translated appear to be about attempts to build a machine to collapse a portal.”
The room got suddenly silent as that settled in.
“Fuck.” Daniel leaned in to look at the data more closely.
“They may have already done it successfully. That portal explosion back while you two were on the way back here shut the ’Verse down totally. We still can’t get any intel about it other than the basics.” Wilhelm sighed. “The best we can hope for was that it was a test that failed. But we can’t go by that assumption.”
“What all is in there? Is it done? Do they have them? How can we stop them? Why the mention of the other ’Verses?” Roman sat forward.
“We don’t know yet. We don’t know anything more than I’ve told you. Each letter we translate comes painfully slow. There are traps built into the code so if you don’t take it just exactly right, it re-encrypts the entire document.”
“I doubt he’d have that level of security if they didn’t at least have a good chance of developing it.” Wilhelm shook his head.
“What would be the result? What would collapsing a portal do?” Daniel asked. “In the long term?”
“We don’t know.” Vincenz sat back.
“Let’s get people on it. I want every single engineer with top-tier clearance on this. Have your people spread out among the teams, Wilhelm. We’ll get some troops out to those three ’Verses. Get the special teams on it immediately.”
War was coming on heavy feet . . .
Lauren Dane, Insatiable
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