Sanctuary (Family Justice Book 3) (41 page)

And then there was this. Meghan, the loving partner. She who would do anything to make him happy. When they were in this room, she was his enchanting submissive in every way that mattered. Last night had been quite the reminder of the powerful influences driving their relationship.

He couldn’t change who she was and didn’t want to. Her fiery independence and take no prisoners approach to life was what first attracted him to her. Squashing that to prove he was the one with the actual balls just wasn’t who he was.

No. From the first second of their initial meeting, when he’d been blindsided by her alluring beauty, they’d been doing this dance. He led. She followed. In everything—not just what they did in private.

Finding Meghan still in their bed was intentional on her part. She’d leave when he said so. And the best part? She acquiesced so beautifully because she wanted to—not because he’d asked it of her or made any demands. These roles, they were natural, and it was almost incomprehensible how they’d lived before finding one another.

She must have picked him up in her peripheral vision when he moved into view. The look of love in her eyes when she looked at him almost made Alex forget the piercing pains shooting along his side. Wearing nothing but an old, faded Justice t-shirt, she looked like a woman who’d been well used. Right down to the unmistakable love bite clearly visible on her neck.

It didn’t matter what she was doing—walking across the room, folding laundry, doing yoga, curled up on the sofa reading—Alex loved to watch her. Her movements were so graceful and ladylike. Scooting to the edge of the mattress, he got a clear shot of the soft auburn curls framing her womanhood before she tugged the old shirt down and slid from the bed. As always, his body reacted to her nearness. Dick rising, he could feel the thickening flesh press against the sweatpants. Before he left this room and started his day, he intended to take her one more time while the afterglow of their intense mating from last night still held them in thrall.

Pointing at their matching chairs by the French doors leading to their private balcony, she motioned for him to sit.

“I asked Carmen to bring up coffee while you were in the shower.” Rounding the ottoman next to his wide upholstered chair, she ran her fingers across his shoulder blades and gently caressed his neck before moving away. The loving touch was familiar. So was the underlying diagnostic he knew damn well she was performing.

Alex reached out and grabbed her wrist before she got too far away. “Kiss me,” he commanded.

Her glorious smile turned him to mush. With her free hand, she pulled her curls over a shoulder and leaned in. Just before her lips settled onto his, she murmured, “Mine.”

Hearing the word made his shaft twitch. She was wrapping up the verbal ritual they hadn’t finished last evening. Sleep claimed her before the end, but she didn’t forget. His head nodded slightly.

“Yours,” he responded solemnly. And then her lips touched his.

Mmm. She tasted wonderful. Minty toothpaste mixed with the fruity shit she rubbed on her lips. Just around the time he was ready to fall on his knees at her feet she offered up a naughty smirk and straightened.

“Cream and sugar or black, sir?”

The sir was dripping with humor. God, she made him happy. Who else ever took his bullshit and then taunted him with it? He grinned. Demanding she scream her pleasure with some lusty growls of ‘Sir’ when he took her was definitely going on the agenda. She’d find some creative way to get back at him for making her do it, too. His grin became bigger.

“Give it to me sweet,” he drawled. “And dribble some cream on top.” Not bad for some improvised innuendo.

Where was a goddamn camera when you needed one? Bending over the tray holding a coffee pot and whatever else they needed for a private breakfast, Meghan presented her curvy ass in all its naked glory as she prepared his coffee. And the little wench knew exactly what she was doing.

While admiring her straight-legged, ass on display posture, he noted several light pink welts on the fleshy part of her bottom. Looks like he’d been rougher with her than he thought. Knowing he had to let fly with the hefty flogger to mark her skin, instead of cringing at the sight, Alex felt an odd thrill. No doubt about it—he liked seeing evidence of his possession on her ass.

“Coffee. Hot. Sweet and definitely creamy.” All that was missing was her husky snicker when she added, “Just like my pussy.”

Sensing there was an agenda, he sat back and let her have at it. Pulling the ottoman in front of his chair, she sat down and lifted one of his legs onto her lap.

Holy shit. Ever try to sip scalding hot coffee while a sex goddess massaged your feet? Meghan had magic hands. And fuck but she was good at what she was doing.

She’d done more to heal and nurture his body and soul than years of physical therapy and a truckload of drugs. Her presence by his side vanquished the emotional scars and nightmares that came so close to destroying him. All of that and so much more explained why he reacted badly to the announcement of her leaving.

In a soft, even voice, she chatted on and on as she worked on both his feet. She didn’t talk about anything important. It was all random nothing. They wouldn’t be discussing what happened. Nope. That conversation was over. This was their time to reset. To let go of yesterday, and be present in today.

When they’d drained the coffee and he’d eaten the cheesy bacon biscuit she’d practically shoved down his throat, Meghan pushed his thighs open wide, lowered off the ottoman to her knees, and crawled in close.

The hands she rested on his thighs were wildly distracting. As were the green eyes gazing at him so hard he was sure she could see his brain function.

“Are you all right? Still hungry? Need some Advil? Tell me how you feel.”

The rapid-fire series of questions were typical for Meghan. She was highly sensitive to subtle energies, and sometimes, he thought she might be an actual empath. Which might explain why certain stimuli sent her flying. Like a flogging. What she felt wasn’t just about her. She seemed to experience his sensations as well.

Right now, he knew she was reading the need churning inside him. But it wasn’t for food or painkillers. If he seemed tense, it was because there’d be no way to back off until his cock was buried in her wet heat. Before their day got in the way, he wanted her to feel him swell and pulse as he came inside her. To experience his complete possession and yeah, hopefully, make a baby along the way.

Not feeling like a dance around the maypole, he pinned her with a look and let the words tumble out. “You know I’m going to fuck you, right?”

The flash he saw in her eyes and the slight flare of her nostrils at his raw language would make the wait worth it.

“Mmmhmm.” She nodded. “But first, I want you on the table. You know the drill, Major. Empty bladder. Facedown. No hands.”

The only thing he needed more at that moment than her pussy gripping his manhood was the Meghan special. A massage and an adjustment that would take away the agonizing aftermath of his foolish overexertion. Wrapping his big hand along the back of her neck, he squeezed gently and felt her shudder.

“Is there a happy ending in your game plan?” He liked being direct with her. Enjoyed seeing her react to the crude language and carnal suggestions he threw at her.

Lowering her gaze … an obedient and compliant gesture … she murmured, “If that would please you, then … of course.”

Having gotten the answer he wanted, Alex let her go and got them both on their feet. There was equipment to set up, and he had a belly of coffee to pee away. He just needed to say one last thing.

“Whatever happens, I come inside you. Understood?”

With a wink and a quickly suppressed giggle, she replied, “As you wish … sir.”

He almost swatted her ass as she bolted away from him.

M
EGHAN’S PHONE STARTED
vibrating before she’d taken more than a dozen steps from the master suite. Reaching into the pocket of her skirt, she fished it out and jolted to a halt at the message on her screen. What? No, seriously—WHAT?

Hearing noise coming from below, she hurried down the hallway, picking up speed when Victoria’s voice rang out. And, it wasn’t her speaking voice. Tori was singing and someone was playing the piano.

At the upstairs landing, she shoved the phone back into a pocket and skipped down the stairs. Nothing like a nonstop fuckfest to lighten a girl’s mood. As she descended, Meghan picked up on some unmistakable whispers, the sound of papers rustling, and Lacey’s sweet growl, which sounded a lot like someone keeping a secret.

Finding Angie hovering near the foot of the stairs, Meghan chirped, “Hola, Angel!
Cómo estás?
” She was going to be proficient at a few Spanish phrases if it killed her.

“Red,” she drawled with a smirk. “Look, ladies! You were wrong. She CAN still walk this morning.”

Pfft
, Tori grunted. “Not morning anymore. Big Daddy kept someone shackled to the bed much longer than usual.”

Lacey shushed them both and greeted her with a big smile. “What’s the forecast?”

Meghan gave a quirky grin and tried to look innocent. Unfortunately, that ship left the harbor a while ago. “Storm passed. Clear sailing ahead.”

Suddenly, “Oh, for god’s sake,” an irritated Angie snapped. “What the fuck with the hickeys? Didn’t you tell my brother to put those teeth of his on lockdown? You look like a grizzly grabbed you by the throat.”

“Close enough,” Lacey jested.

With an arched brow, Meghan focused on Alex’s little sister. “Shush. Just tell me that you took care of what I asked. Work your Marquez magic and fix the mess we made. And so you know, I’m on thin ice at the moment so enforcing the no biting rule is pretty much a joke.”

Tori chimed in with a droll observation and comment. “My husband is annoyed that the Major isn’t sporting some gnarly bruise on his face. I told him he didn’t hit him hard enough to leave a mark.” Everyone snickered with laughter. “So Draegyn’s decided the score hasn’t been evened yet. Alex left him with a massive black and blue mark. Seems fair, right?”

Lacey shook her head and rolled her eyes. “Men. How is it that they run the world?”

“Oh, hey,” Meghan blurted out. “Ang. Hold on.” Producing her phone, she waved it at the other woman’s face. “Why is my mother texting me about Zeus’s size? What does how much my dog weighs have to do with my mother?” She was genuinely confused.

“What?” Angie challenged. “Let me see that.” Snatching the phone from Meghan’s hand before she could resist, her sister-in-law scrolled through the message with what looked like a practiced blank look. Jeez. She’d been a teacher, for pity’s sake. That kind of shit never went unnoticed.

“I don’t know.” Angie’s shrug also seemed practiced. “Maybe she was hammered.”

“Oh, my god.” Tori chuckled. “It just dawned on me! Meghan,” she gushed excitedly. “Your folks, Alex’s mom and dad. Parker’s parents. Holy guacamole, you guys. They’re all gonna be in Boston.”

“Don’t forget your mom, Tori,” Angie added. “Stephanie and Calder are part of the grown-up wolf pack. And my Uncle Eduardo too! He may be a man of the cloth, but he’s also a Marquez with a colorful history.”

Angie put her arm through Meghan’s and walked them toward the kitchen with Lacey and Tori bringing up the rear. “I went with Aunt Wendy for her dress fitting. She chose a color to complement what your mom is wearing. It was so sweet how she rattled on and on about honoring the mother-of-the-bride.”

Meghan felt a delicious contentment envelop her. Everyone around her was so happy. She wanted to remember this time always.

“She and my mom are basically standing on their heads for your folks, Meghan. I was kidding around with Wendy about the whole thing, and she got all kinds of serious. Said a bunch of stuff about how she never thought Parker would settle down and how my mom was the same way with Alex.”

“I wonder if we’ll feel that way about D & D someday,” Lacey murmured on an aside to Tori.

Meghan chuckled and gave the two mommies a deadpan look. “I’m pretty sure growing up surrounded by testosterone and cage-free alphas will give your boys an interesting take on life. Good luck with that.”