Chapter Seven
Mack had never experienced a kiss that fired her blood and had her gripping at her lover's hair instantly the way Oliver's kiss did. She pressed herself tightly against him, everything about him drawing her in closer. The firmness of his body, the way his lips caressed hers, the sigh of breath that tasted of ripe mangos and bananas. Even his smell, slightly musky and all man, was better than anything she had experienced before.
Oliver's fingers trailed down her spine, making her shiver, then started back up–under her tank top. The heat of his skin on hers was too much to resist, and Mack moaned, supporting herself on one leg as she wrapped the other around his waist. She gripped his ass, surprised at how firm his muscles were.
She was suddenly grateful that they had both decided to live almost naturally–the thin fabrics between their bodies were more of a nuisance than a barrier. The contours of his muscle against her had her own temperature kicking up a few notches.
The cool theater felt overly warm now. Mack's heart pounded with excitement, every inch of her body eager to get to know every inch of Oliver's.
He pulled away suddenly. Mack tried to follow, but he put a finger on her lips to stop her. "Wait, wait."
She still clung to him, staring impatiently. "What's wrong?"
"I just need to make sure I can stay in control," he whispered. "It's… well, it hasn't been long since those men attacked and the… gorilla… is still strong in me. I don't want it coming out."
Mack didn't ease her grip on him, but she sucked her lower lip between her teeth. "You think you'll change and hurt me?"
"Not on purpose. The gorilla is still really pumped up with adrenaline, but it's… excited about what we're doing." He grinned suddenly. "It's been wanting this from the moment it saw you. You're just so perfect for me, Mack. Curves in all the right places. Strong body. Steady mind, firm determination. And you've got enough of a grown up mentality that you calm me down from my, um…"
"Childish notions?" Mack supplied.
"I suppose that's one way to put it. But even though you help keep that part of me in check, I don't need to suppress it when I'm around you. I can be myself with you… you have no idea how good it feels."
Mack stepped away, pulling him towards the sofa. "I think I do. It's hard always having to put on an outside face for the people around you. I think that's why I haven't had any temper problems since I've been here… I can be me, too. I don't worry about whether you'll judge me by my weight. I can be in my body and not be ashamed of it. I'm just me and I love it."
One of his huge hands squeezed her left butt cheek. "Why would you ever be ashamed of this gloriousness?"
Mack laughed. "It's not so glorious to a lot of people. Even the ones who love me."
"I just don't understand people."
"Me neither." She ran her fingers through his short curls. "Are you in control now?"
He paused a moment, considering, then nodded. Moving his hands to her shoulders, he pressed her down onto the sofa and lay over her, groaning with desire. Their kisses grew more heated as their hands roamed each other's bodies.
Oliver gripped her top in both hands. There was a tearing noise, and then the cold air hit her breasts. Mack gasped, but Oliver's mouth was already on them, making her back bow and her insides squirm and tighten. She clung to him. Oliver's muscles tensed and throbbed under Mack's fingertips.
"So beautiful," he murmured.
Mack ground herself against him, hating that she didn't have the strength to tear off his clothes the way he tore off hers. The effect of her actions was immediate. Sparks of heart erupted everywhere they touched, and Mack let herself get lost in the sensations.
***
It was several hours later that Oliver abruptly stood and pulled his boxers back on. Mack, panting and confused, propped herself up on her elbows–sometime in their fevered lovemaking, they had abandoned the sofa to lay on the floor. Her whole body throbbed with pleasure as she stared up at her lover.
"What's wrong?"
"If those men were sent by Gedge to kill you, then he won't stop with them." Oliver ran a hand over his hair. "He'll send more. I have to get ready for them."
The flame of passion was drowned as cold fear doused her. Mack scrambled to her own feet, looking around her for underwear. "We have to call Tom Meyer. And leave. We can't stay here when there's a drug lord coming after us!"
Oliver's brow furrowed. "Once he realizes that I killed the men sent after you, he will want me dead as well, won't he?"
That only served to increase Mack's panic. She yanked on her new sports bra, disregarding the torn tank top, and grabbed Oliver's hand. "We have to get away from here. Meyer can protect us. He's a US marshal, he'll be able to find a new place for us to go and be safe."
"Until I turn into a gorilla in front of him and he shoots me." Oliver's mighty body trembled. "I can't leave here, Mack. This is my home. It's the only place I'm safe."
"But you're not safe!" How could she get him to understand the stakes here? "You're not safe because Gedge knows where you are, and eventually his men are either going to kill you, or they'll discover your secret and then the whole world will know."
Oliver's eyes widened. His chest stopped moving for a second.
"The only chance we have is to get out of here."
"We can't."
"Oliver—"
"I don’t have any cars."
Mack stopped, blinking.
"Everything I need comes to me," he admitted, digging his fingers into his hair. "I don't have any vehicles at all. We can call a chopper in, but they don't always get my messages right away. There have been times when it's up to a week later that they hear me and head over. I've never had a problem with it before… And it could take just as long for Meyer to get out here."
"So we head out on foot."
"The road is the only sure way to get back to civilization. I built this place in the middle of a swamp to keep people away… No. You call Meyer and the chopper, but in the meantime, I'm going to get this place ready for battle. I know everything about it. I'll protect you."
Mack bit her lip, trembling. Tears pooled in her eyes and she reached for Oliver. "Can't we just hide?"
"That's not in a gorilla's nature," Oliver whispered. "We fight for what's ours."
Mack knew that well enough–the gorillas were always peaceful in the zoo, but she had watched enough nature documentaries to know that gorillas were gentle creatures most of the time, but would fight to the death in defending each other. Especially silverbacks defending their mates. Her trembling increased.
"Oliver, please. This isn't how it's supposed to be. You can protect me by staying with me, finding a place to hide where they can't find us."
His eyes softened and he pulled her tight against him. "There isn't anywhere to hide except that one place in the atrium. I'm sorry, Mack. But you will go there, and I will take care of the intruders. Now go and call the marshal. With luck, we won't have to deal with them at all."
Mack knew it wasn't going to do any good to argue, and they were wasting precious time. Yanking on her panties, she ran to Oliver's office. She phoned the chopper first; she got voicemail, and briefly explained what was happening while pleading for them to come right away. Next, she phoned Meyer.
"Bertha?" His voice was incredulous when he answered. "Mack, I mean. I didn't expect—"
"Some of Gedge's men attacked us," she interrupted, her muscles bunched and tense. "We managed to fight them off, but we think there are more coming. You have to come get us."
Meyer was silent.
"Tom? Tom, did you hear me?"
"Yeah, I heard you. I was just about to phone you, Bertha."
Mack closed her eyes, praying for patience. "Whatever it is you want to tell me—"
"Your situation is worse than you think. I just got the word. Gedge escaped from prison."