CHAPTER TWELVE
Several times during the night, Marcus had woken and caught sight of Ella lying over the bed as close as she could without climbing up onto the tiny hospital mattress. Absorbing her dazzling pale gold locks that fanned down over her back and her face soft in sleep, his heart ramped up speed, but he didn’t want to disturb his sleeping beauty. At times, her hand searched out and touched his, squeezing as if to reassure herself that he was there and to let him know she was. Despite being dazed from the drugs he had been pumped with upon arrival at the hospital, he had been able to catch snatches of conversation and blurry images of the scenes once settled in the room. He observed the look of shock and disbelief on Ella’s face as she examined Ava, unsure who the woman was. He told himself he would explain once everything settled. He would let her know the woman was his past, but his eyes lingered on Steel as he comforted his wife. That last image plagued him throughout the night.
He tossed and turned as the early morning hours flitted past. He would have adjusted his position in the uncomfortable bed to gain better access to Ella’s body as her soft touch elicited a stirring in his blood and loins. Since capturing the interaction between Steel and Ella when he touched her, it played over and over in his mind. The green-eyed monster squeezed tight around his heart, sending any rational reasoning to outer space. Jealousy was a new experience for him. Women fawned over him. It was never the other way around, but with Ella and not having had sex for a while, this driving force surged in his gut.
Hours later, when he awoke only to see her caressing a baby, his ardent lust evaporated as it called to mind their loss and increased the distance between them. He didn’t know what to think as he watched her croon over a stranger’s baby. Holding and cuddling it as if it were her own. The violent need rose to understand how she could bear to hold another when their baby was dead. Finally, when dawn broke and morning rose, leaving him unrefreshed but physically feeling stronger, he was determined to put a few issues to rest. However, when he let Ella go to say her good-byes to the orphan in the nursery, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Ava descended and from that moment on, everything went to shit. As soon as Ella turned the corner and was out of sight, the woman launched.
“You fucking bastard. Why didn’t you tell me you were married?” She stood next to the bed with her hands on her curvy hips. She wore a tight, short skirt and a low-cut cream blouse that left nothing to the imagination and her sizable cleavage glared at him. To most men, she was a walking fantasy—long legs and a voluptuous figure. But not to him. She was work. They had been agents together at the FBI. A wave of impatience burst from him that he wished he could rein in.
“Why should I? You knew what we had wasn’t serious, Ava. It was in the past. You were an agent, the same as me, working undercover. I was your support and contact. We had mutually satisfying sex—that was all. It relieved the tension. Don’t make it out to be anything more.”
Jake covered his mouth with his hand and twisted away from him.
He glanced at his friend, who was obviously uncomfortable at being in the room. Shit. He thought Ava knew the boundaries of what their connection was. How had he misread the situation?
“Look, we haven’t had sex for over a year, Ava. In that time, you went ahead and married your target. Congratulations. I assumed any feelings you had for me faded once you took those vows,” he said with a quieter voice.
Marcus examined the woman’s clear, creamy complexion as it tightened and she snapped her eyes away from him.
“I didn’t have a choice. If I didn’t marry Carlos, he would have killed you.”
Her words stole his breath and pressed down on his chest. It couldn’t be true. She wouldn’t take up with the known psychopath Jose Carlos—the infamous leader of the Knights, whose regard for women was notorious—to save him. Could she? His gut told him no but ice filled his heart at the thought it could be true.
“Why?” he said so quietly, as if to himself. He rubbed his temple with his hand.
Ava shifted position and took a step closer, reaching out to stroke his cheek. “I loved you. I knew to gain more information about the cartel, I needed to insert myself within the group. Harker, my boss in the FBI, even sanctioned it.”
Sitting in the blasted bed didn’t help as she poured out words that made his ugly past rear up in his face. Ella had changed everything, but he had been stupid to imagine his sins would be absolved or forgotten. He knew one day all his secrets would spill forth.
“In the beginning, flirting was okay. I was an undercover waitress and there were many parties. There were dozens of women there in training. But to gather more intel, I had to make an impression. Once I caught Jose’s attention, there was no turning back. He was my target, and I knew I was helping you gather information that would put him away. I wanted to help those women, too. I couldn’t do any of that unless I got closer. I didn’t know once I established a relationship it would lead to a marriage proposal. After our last meeting together, there was a shift in him. I panicked. He asked if I was seeing anyone. He threw some pictures at me. The only way he didn’t gun you down was because I mentioned you were a jealous ex-lover. The next day, he produced a ring.”
She dropped her hand to his and gripped his wrist. An enormous solitaire diamond sparkled at him.
The story couldn’t be true. He had heard that she had gone rogue and the next thing was that she had up and married the bloody cartel boss. Her hold tightened on his arm and he flashed a look at her long red nails. He was at a loss for words and for the first time in his life, he tried to read the woman’s aura before him. Josephine said he had abilities like she did. As he focused on her stance before him, nothing came to mind. All he could picture was a dense black fog. Looking at the glow, a nausea gripped him and he pulled away. He rubbed his face with his hands to clear his mind.
“I am very sorry to hear that your mother passed away, Marcus.”
Hearing her words, he shot around and drew his brows together, confused and stunned. It couldn’t be true. “What!” he barked. He pinned his gaze back at Jake and then at the doorway, where Ella stood, face pale.
“Ella wanted to wait until you were better,” Jake said.
He flashed a quick look at his friend, who was defending his wife who had yet to speak. But somewhere in his consciousness, just looking at Ella told him that Josephine was gone. Why hadn’t she been the one to tell him?
“Get out, both of you. Now!” he yelled.
Both Jake and Ava quickly exited the room, leaving him alone with Ella. The door closed and he counted down his anger. He pushed his legs over the edge of the hospital bed and tore off the white gauze bandage from his right thigh as he flexed the leg. The skin had healed to the point that the black sutures fell away. There was a small pink mark but as he moved there was no pain. His body needed exercise but as he took a deep breath, he couldn’t process how his body healed so fast. He swiped a glance at Ella, who stood inside the closed door with her arms folded; her eyes surveyed his naked chest. She was aroused and damn it all to hell, he couldn’t deny the raging need to claim and possess her that wove through his veins. Even so, he shoved his legs into his jeans and stood.
“I’m sorry, Marcus…” she began and he listened to everything she had to say. He pressed her as she halted to explain everything. As she recounted the day Josephine had the test at the hospital a week ago, he shook and wanted to smash something. He padded barefoot across the floor toward her, aware of her discomfort as she stared at the door. As she told him of Josephine’s message, the words washed over him like a spell. As she mentioned their baby, he wanted to block everything out.
“I can’t deal with all this right now.”
Ella nodded and he raked his hand back through his hair. He knew his tone was abrupt but he couldn’t stop the growing conflict inside his body. He needed her touch and yet he was angry too. He knew she was in a heightened state of need; he had seen the moon last night. Marcus watched her as she leaned toward the door.
“Look at me, Ella.” He reached for her arm. She swiveled back, sucking on her lower lip, which drove him crazy.
“I know the cycle of the moon and its effect on you. I can smell your arousal from here,” he said, his voice thick.
A darkness aimed at Ella grew tenfold. However, standing alone in the hospital room with the door closed and despite his displeasure as she explained her reasons for delaying the news, he couldn’t help but stare into her bright-blue eyes. Marcus flicked his gaze, studying her long, wavy, golden hair that he wanted to weave his hands through. Even wearing loose gray sweatpants that rested on her hips made her desirable. Her pale-pink T-shirt clung to her rounded breasts and fell to her navel, leaving the skin below bare. He ached to touch her. The acute awareness of her gripped his body, bringing his manhood painfully to life.
The desperate need to be buried deep inside her warmth consumed him. He wanted to hold and explore every inch of her delicate body. A frenzy swamped him, making him lose sight of his rage. The powerful, musky scent of Ella was an aphrodisiac. She was his. There were no more words to be said—not now.
“I need you,” he hissed.
An equal look of shock and passion flared in her powder-blue eyes; the pupils dilated and evaporated the color with her arousal.
He closed the gap between them and wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing their hips together to let her know his growing desire. He had never needed anyone the way he needed Ella. He groaned as her silky hot skin brushed over his torso.
“Marcus, not now. Not here.” She pressed her hands on his chest as if to push him away.
The animal in him growled. He moved his hands to her hips to mold her against his body, pressing his arousal at the juncture between her legs, and rocked into her. She wet her lips and he could feel the heat of her. He brushed her neck lightly with his lips and whispered low in her ear.
“Right here and right now. I know you need this as much as me,” he said, his voice hoarse.
He nudged her back against the wall and locked the door with one click. Knowing everyone could see into the room, he closed the blinds as he had no intention of drawing a crowd. His heartbeat thundered. There was little time but enough for what he needed and craved. Ella gripped his arm and her breasts crushed against him. Glancing down, he peered into her wide eyes, a mix of want and fear.
“You’re annoyed with me. Let’s take this home,” she said in a soft voice as she squeezed his arms.
He dipped his head and kissed the sensitive skin below her ear.
She shivered against him and her scent rose.
“You want this. Deny me if you can.”
He sucked the pale flesh, leaving purple marks for all to see that she belonged to him and him alone. Ella moaned and sagged into him. He coiled his arm around her waist to support her. Sensing the reluctance dissolving, he pushed on. Ella cupped the back of his neck, dragging him closer. The heat rose between them. Inside his body, an uncontrollable lust raged and he couldn’t hold back much longer.
He slipped his hand to her hip, sliding her loose sweatpants down, and grasped the edge of her silky thong to tear them from her. Ella cried out and he crushed her lips with his. Their lovemaking wasn’t going to be slow as his desire turned animalistic. Marcus pressed his hand down over her mound and found her velvety folds swollen and wet.
“You’re soaking, Ella. Don’t fight this need. Listen to your body. Tell me you want this.”
He buried his finger deep inside her hot core and she clung to him.
“Yes,” she said urgently.
Ella moved her hands, pressing into his back as if she couldn’t get close enough. The primal need to claim her right here escalated and he couldn’t wait any longer. He unbuttoned his jeans and in an instant, her hands were there to push them down, letting his erect cock spring free. As her pupils widened, he knew her frenzy for this coupling was as powerful as his.
“Wrap your leg around my waist.”
She didn’t hesitate and wove her long leg, clamping it around his waist. He hoisted her up and leaned her back into the wall as the tip of his cock probed her moist entrance. For a moment, he played and nudged the slick wetness, making her moan. When Ella lifted her head, and leaned it back into the wall, all restraint vanished. Marcus thrust his rigid manhood deep inside her deliciously tight channel in one swift motion.
“Ah,” she moaned.
As soon as he entered Ella, her muscles clamped tight around him, like a vise milking him, and waves of unbelievable pleasure assailed him. The sensation burst and wrapped him in an erotic and frenzied claiming. He thrust as deep as he could reach and pulled back, delighting in the glorious friction it created. Ella’s nails dug into his back and he loved that she was as lost as he was. Sex was always amazing between them. Unable to hold back, he thrust again and again. He rocked his hips, needing to obliterate everything outside of the two of them. Ella moaned and clung to him, pushing in tandem with his rhythm. God, this was heaven. He stared at the pulse in her neck that beat fast and he wanted more.
“Look at me, Ella. I want to see you come,” he said, commanding her compliance.
She brought her head down to meet his gaze and he pressed deep inside, back and forth. He could feel the waves of her orgasm building and he stoked them, fanning her desire. Her face flushed hot and he pulled her hair down to capture her mouth. As Marcus touched his lips to hers, Ella opened her mouth and he pushed his tongue inside to taste her sweetness.
The ripples from her orgasm spread throughout his body. He deepened the kiss, stifling the loud moan as she came apart in his arms. She was magnificent. Feeling his own orgasm rise and claw high above him, he thrust faster and faster like a piston, groaning. She tilted her hips forward to meet his need. Marcus tightened his hold around her, never wanting to let go as his release came and the undulating waves of passion stole him away. He spilled his seed deep in her womb and rained down soft kisses on her cheek, releasing her hair.
The waves of pleasure rocked through his body and his heart raced. Moments later, reluctantly, he eased himself out of her, aware that their urgent mating had not been protected. He stepped back and hoisted his pants up. Ella adjusted her clothes and he stole a glance at her red face, swollen lips, and her hair in wild disarray. The love bites on her neck were obvious and his mouth lifted into a smile. There would be no mistaking what they had been up to and he didn’t care what anyone thought. He bent and picked up her torn underwear, handing it to her. Once they stepped outside this room, the darkness would descend and who knew what that would bring them both.
****
The ride back to the compound was quiet and uneventful. Ella sat with her back stiff and her shoulders drawn tight, unable to settle. Having sex in the hospital room with Marcus worried her. It wasn’t making love; he was proving a point. She clutched the leather seat in the Jeep, aware as they had left the room that Jake and Ava took one look and knew what had happened between them. She wouldn’t be surprised if the nursing staff had heard her moans. A heat stole into her cheeks. Was he sending Ava a message or her? Whatever it was, it was a hurried and frenzied act—which he was right; they both needed—but it didn’t lessen the distance between them one bit.
As she dressed, he handed her the torn panties and his cold words shook her.
“Does Steel satisfy you the way I do, Ella?”
She blinked, unsure of what he had said. “What?” Her voice wobbled. Marcus had been annoyed earlier but his need to possess her flamed higher and she couldn’t deny the lust for him. Despite all that had happened, they both took pleasure in their lovemaking. There was no denying that. Knowing despite his anger, he still needed her was intense, but the underlying irritation remained sharper than ever.
“You and Steel?”
“Are you crazy? We’re married. Steel is our boss. He’s your friend and he’s been there for me…”
She clutched his arm and he stared at the ring he had placed on her finger. It was tiny in comparison to Ava’s, and he reined his bitterness in.
“When I wasn’t. Is that what you were going to say? Josephine always said I was perceptive, that I could sense things. Well, he has feelings for you. When we get back home—know this, Ella, you’re moving back into our bed if I have to drag you kicking and screaming.”
This archaic alpha-male domineering side drove her crazy. She wanted to shout at him and argue, but he strode outside, leaving his exotic scent behind. Now, as they approached the wide, black wrought-iron gates that pulled open at their arrival, she inhaled. There was so much to sift through and one of the more pressing issues sat next to her, boring holes into her face.
“Boss, Steel wants you in the ops room as soon as possible. Ava, too, for a full debriefing.”
Ella stared out the window, absorbing the bright sunshine and warmth of the midday. White and purple pansies bloomed in neat circles around several trees. She hadn’t noticed them before. Jake steered the Jeep over to the empty spaces next to their two-car garage and parked.
Marcus stepped out of the car and pulled open her door. “Go ahead, you two. I’ll go over now.”
Jake nodded and proceeded to walk away with Ava a few feet behind him. Ella’s heartbeat ramped up speed, waiting for his words and attempting not to let her temper flare. Josephine had died. He was angry. She needed to be patient with him.
“I have phoned Steel and requested that all your clothes and toiletries be brought over. We’re married, and this is where you belong. I damn well took those vows for better or worse. We both enjoy the comforts we bring to each other. I know I said before I would give you space, but it won’t work. I won’t have you sleeping in any bed other than mine. Do you understand?”
Ella studied the obstinate man next to her. His dark, broody eyes led down to his straight nose and finished with a full thick beard. He really did look like a caveman. She wanted to make everything right between them, but was that possible? She sighed.
“Not really. Do you love Ava?” Her stare was unwavering.
He cocked his brow up and covered his mouth. Ella pushed past him.
“Of course not. I used to work with her.”
There was more to it than work. She studied his dipped brows and his lips now formed in a tight line. There was more to their story, but he wasn’t telling.
“I’ll stay, on one condition,” she said.
“What?”
She rested her gaze where his hand stroked his beard, as if taking comfort. “The beard has to go.”
She carried on and walked toward the house. The day was beautiful and fresh. As she swung around, she was winded by Marcus, who appeared in front of her and grabbed her waist to hold her still.
“I thought you liked my wolf man looks.”
His finger stroked her wrist and as their bodies molded together, the flutters of desire rose in her belly.
“It isn’t you, Marcus. It’s time to shave it off. Trust me, you won’t lose your power if you do.” She tugged the coarse dark hair.
Marcus lowered his head and leaned her against the Jeep. “Are you sure? Because when Samson trusted the wrong woman, he lost all his strength.” He dipped his head and lay a soft kiss in the hollow of her neck.
She blinked as the flutters of exhilaration gripped her, but he moved back.
“I’m sorry about the hospital. I didn’t mean to force myself on you like I did but I missed you.” He looked down at his hands and over at the compound.
She studied the man before her; she had never seen him so on edge. “I missed you to but so much has happened.”
He switched his gaze back at her and nodded. “When I get back, which I suspect will be late, we need to talk. I have things I need to share with you. I want to talk about Josephine but I need to talk about Ava too.”
“I’ll wait up for you.” A dread of what was to come clutched her belly.
Accepting her words, he turned and without looking back, headed for Steel’s mansion.
Switching her gaze off the man who owned her body and soul, she stepped up toward their house. But a cry on the light breeze held her.
A baby’s plea to be heard engulfed her and she pressed her lips together. Listen to him, Ella. A nagging sensation ruptured from within. It wasn’t just the cries she heard, but the words that Isabella had spoken. The doctor who had delivered her baby wanted to tell her something and he had been silenced. What if he knew her baby was alive? What if her child was reaching out, like she reached out for Marcus? She covered her face, forcing tears not to fall as all the information gathered like dots completing a jigsaw. A jigsaw that was her baby boy. A gut-wrenching ache told her that she was instinctively right. Deep down, she believed her child was alive and she replayed the professor’s chilling words that were said as she lay helpless.
“When they’ve finished with the baby, dump her in the woods with the fetus.”
Ella twisted around and yelled at the trees and the swaying branches, unable to hold everything that swirled around in her head inside any longer. “Why would he use the word baby and then fetus?”
She wrapped her arms around her belly and wailed. Isabella had mentioned a building that she had seen in the doctor’s mind, one she thought she recognized. She had to go there and see for herself to find some connection to the life that had been inside her. Then she would know once and for all if her child lived. Don’t cry, little one. I’ll be there soon.