Cross

All day I waited for Roxie's call. And by the time she finally called, I'd began to fear she wouldn't. It was a real terror and much worse than I let on while she was begging me to take her back. Worse than anything I've ever felt while staring death in the face.

But she took me back, and all is well in the world now. Just seeing her reaction, the utter happy disbelief as I delivered her brother to her made it all worth it. By some miracle, we didn't lose any of the brothers last night, the last two arrived back to Sanctuary just minutes before I got that call from her.

But the real war is only beginning. Lizard's VP already made that quite clear when I called him to let him know where they can find Lizard's body. Yet, I won't think of that now. Tonight, I'll think only of Roxie.

"You have a sweet set-up here," Ice says as he gets out of her car, gazing up at the house.

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you like," I tell him.

Roxie comes to stand between us, wraps one of her arms around mine and the other around his. "I hope you'll stay for a long time, Ice."

He gives her a downward, sideways look that tells me he's still deciding. That he can't make her that promise yet. But he smiles and nods, which brightens up her face, and tells me all I need to know about how much she wants him to stay.

"And if you wish to join my MC, I would like to have you as a brother," I say, trying to make his decision easier and Roxie happy. Because I didn't do a very good job of telling her just how much I need her in my life, how much I want to make her happy from now until forever. "But whatever you decide, you already are my brother."

Roxie squeezes my arm almost painfully, gratitude swimming in her eyes as she smiles up at me.

Ice gives me a sharp look. "I've haven’t proven my worth to you yet."

"You did last night. And I know you from reputation," I say. "But I'll give you some time to think on it."

He nods solemnly again, but I can also see the relief in his eyes that I'm not pressing the issue. "I want to help you wipe out the Spawns."

"Good," I say. "I'd like to have you with us when we do, so I'll hold you to that promise."

"It will be my pleasure," he says in a very cold voice, Roxie's grip on my arm again growing tighter as she stares at him.

But their silent exchange is interrupted by the front door swinging open and Lily running outside wearing her pajamas and no shoes. The sharp pebbles covering the driveway don't seem to bother her one bit as she runs all the way to us, or more precisely, to Roxie, stopping so close I was sure she'd hug her. But she doesn't.

"I'm sorry for being such a stupid brat in the woods," she says breathlessly. "I didn't mean for you to get lost."

Roxie lets go of my arm and strokes Lily's hair. "I didn't get lost. And I'm sorry for not taking you seriously."

"You still don't, I get that," Lily says. "But why were you gone for so long, if you didn't get lost?"

Roxie gives me an annoyed look, probably wondering why I didn't set my daughter's mind at ease. And I did try, but Lily refused to talk to me, after I told her I'll be leaving for a few days to do the job in Vegas.

"To tell you the truth, I did get lost for a little bit," Roxie says, smiling at me and then at Lily. "But it wasn't because of anything you did. And I won't just leave again, I promise you that."

"Good," Lily says and wraps her skinny arms around Roxie’s waist. "I'll hold you to that promise."

She says it exactly the way I just said those words. But despite how much she's like me, there's a softness inside Lily, and that's something I'd never be able to nurture by myself. But I'm sure Roxie can. And I think they both want her too.

"And who's this?" Lily asks, eyeing Ice and the way Roxie is holding onto his arm.

"This is my brother, Ice," Roxie says. "I haven't seen him for a long time, but he's going to stay with us now."

"I'm Lily, Cross' daughter," she says, offering him her little hand to shake.

"It's nice to meet you, Lily," he says, shaking her hand.

"Alright, it's late," I say. "Time for you to get to bed, Lily."

"Me too," Ice says.

Us too, I think to myself as me and Roxie share a look. But I don't say it, since we're clearly already in agreement on it.

* * *

Roxie

"I thought we'd never be alone," Cross says as he pulls me to him once it's finally just the two of us.

"But we have all the time in the world now," I assure him and smile, but his wild kiss wipes it right off, makes those fiery rivers of desire start flowing again, rushing and weaving, forming booming, crashing waterfalls until I'm aware of nothing but his intoxicating taste and my need to be his.

He only stops kissing me for the split second it takes him to pull my tee over my head. Then his lips are locked on mine again, his tongue and mine entwined, saying all that needs to be said, speaking a language of love and desire, of belonging and peace, silent yet louder than anything I've ever heard. His hands are sliding over my body, pinching my nipples and caressing my breasts, grabbing my ass, before he does it all again. And again.

I unbutton his shirt, because I want to feel his naked muscles, his skin that burns with the fire inside him, which he keeps so well hidden until we're alone. I want those flames to come out now, to burn me and leave nothing but ashes behind, so I can be reborn like the phoenix, fresh and strong like the dawn.

Before I know it, we're wearing nothing at all.

His lips still locked on mine, he picks me up and carries me to the bed, lays me down gently. Only then do his lips leave mine, leave a trail of tiny flames as they travel down my neck, across my breasts, tickling my belly, before finally settling on my clit. It takes his talented tongue no time at all for those tiny flames to converge into a raging fire, a blazing inferno of need, desire, passion and love. I'm writhing on the bed, gasping for air, my whole body alight as the orgasm burns through me.

He waits for me to ride it out, his intense, piercing eyes the first thing I see when I finally regain my sight.

"You're so beautiful when you come," he says, brushing a lock of hair off my face.

"Only when I come?" I tease.

He grins and spreads my legs wide, lays on top of me.

"No," he says. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met. And you're beautiful all the time."

I was gonna say the same to him, that he's the most gorgeous man I've ever met this side of a dream, but he pushes his cock into me just then, severing my brain’s connection to my tongue.

He works his cock into me deeper and deeper in a slow, lulling rhythm, hitting all the right spots, igniting the flames again, only slowly, making them rise higher and higher, a breath at a time.

All I see are his eyes, and all I know is this symphony we're weaving together, this song that's all our own, because he's the beat and I'm the rhyme, I'm the melody and he's the rhythm.

The fires in his eyes rise higher and higher too, as he picks up the pace, driving his cock deep into me. I watch myself walk into those flames, feel them burn away the last traces of the lonely, lost girl alone in the world I was, so that the woman I'm meant to be can finally come out.

My orgasm rushes through me like a million fireworks exploding at once, filling my vision, my mind, my soul with all the glorious colors this world has to offer. They're exploding, melting together and forming colors I didn't know could exist.

"I wasn't truly alive until I met you," I whisper later, as I'm lying in his arms fighting sleep.

He holds me tighter. "Me either. A whole chunk of me was missing, and I only realized it when you left me."

The memory of our parting stings, but only for a second.

"I'll never leave you again," I promise, planting a kiss right over the steady beat of his heart.

"And I'll never again give you cause to," he says.

And now I can fall asleep, because I know that tomorrow—and all the mornings after—I'll wake up in a life I've always wanted to live.