I nod and give her what she's been waiting to hear. "You may continue work if you take every possible precaution. You do not go where there’s known illness, you’ll wear a mask, and you will report often."
"And my security detail?" she pushes.
I graze my thumb across her cheek, marveling at the softness of her skin. "Your security detail remains as is."
She sighs and wiggles against me. "Good enough."
She drags my head down to hers and kisses me, her tongue lingering against the seam of my lips before thrusting inside, meeting mine aggressively in a dance that sends a shower of sparks down my spine to settle heavily in my groin.
I drag her body down onto my cock, savouring the incredibly tight squeeze of her pussy as it takes everything I have to give, inch by inch. We cling to each other, Skye pressed against the wall as I thrust my hips up, fucking the only woman I've cared about, the last pussy I’ll ever touch.
She can do little more than cling to me and take my aggressive thrusts as I slam into her over and over. Sweat drips off my forehead and lands in a droplet on her lips. Her tongue darts out to catch the salty wetness and her head tips back against the wall, her eyes closing and her face twisting into an expression of ecstasy, as though she has tasted the nectar of the gods.
This woman is my everything, my equal, my superior. I will stop at nothing to keep her.
She squirms on top of me and digs her nails into my shoulder. I can tell that she’s reaching for the height of her orgasm and I pound into her even harder, squeezing the flesh of her rounded ass hard under my fingertips. There'll be marks, but she loves it.
She lets out a scream and her pussy clasps me so tight that it feels as though she'll break me in two. I have no choice but to follow her into the chaos of my own orgasm. I grit my teeth as my balls grow tight and a rush of pleasure slams through me. Hot semen gushes into her, easing my brutal thrusts.
Before I can collapse under the weight of the lethargic pleasure rushing over me, I stumble to the bed, setting her down and then dropping beside her. I fling a heavy arm across her belly, making sure that she can't go anywhere.
"You used sex as a weapon," I grunt.
She rolls against me and grips my hair in her fist, yanking my head back until I’m looking at her. She drops a kiss against my lips and touches my beard. "I'll use anything as a weapon, so long as I get my own way."
I roll on top of her and pin her to the bed, dragging her arms over her head and holding her wrists with one hand. With the other I reach down and pinch her nipple hard enough to make her cry out and squirm against me.
"I think I like this whole sex as a weapon thing."
She lets out a laugh, both ringing and sweet. "You would."
I smother any more words in a kiss.
Forty-Two
Skye
The first thing I see when I wake up is a naked cock. I blink and then squint at it. Yup, there is a big, fat, veined, semi-hard cock inches from my face. I'd like to enjoy the view, but I decide I better make sure that it's actually attached to the man I'm supposed to be in bed with.
My eyes travel up his flat stomach, tracing the trail of hair and the chiseled muscles of his abdomen. I've only ever seen one man with a stomach like that. Thank goodness, the cock and the stomach belong to the same man, the man I slept with last night. I roll onto my back and blink up at him, a sleepy smile hovering around my lips.
He looks serious, but he always looks serious so I don't take it personally. I reach out to touch him and he takes my hand in his, wrapping his big hand around mine until he's enveloped it completely. Then he does something completely unexpected; he sinks to his knees next to the bed.
I roll onto my side, frowning at him. I reach out with my other hand to touch his face, lightly running my fingers over his eyepatch before smoothing the wrinkles from between his brows. I want to smooth the seriousness away. This bedroom, filled with light, sitting on top of our tower, is our sanctuary. Our sanctuary away from Sanctuary. This is where we come to be us, to be together. Seriousness and frowns have no place here.
I open my mouth to ask him what’s the matter, but he speaks first.
"Marry me."
His words are simple. So simple that it takes a moment for them to sink in. I'm shocked and I scramble to sit up, staring at his face. Still completely serious.
I stare at him, my heart pounding, my head spinning. I don't know why I'm having such a visceral reaction to his words. I don't know if I'm scared or exhilarated. He’s told me before that we’ll be married, that I didn’t have a choice. But this feels different.
Marry Wolfe. It seems like a dream but maybe a nightmare at the same time. He’s so brutal, harsh, and often selfish in his care of others. Except with me. Then he’s so unselfish that it almost hurts, because I know that I don't deserve that kind of devotion.
He doesn't repeat himself. He never repeats himself. He knows I heard him and he waits for an answer.
There's only one answer I can give him. "Yes."
Without another word, he stands and walks to his pile of clothes on the chest at the end of the bed. He bends to get dressed as though we didn't just have one of the most intense moments of both of our lives.
I don't know what to say. Should I ask him when the wedding will be? Ask him how many guests to invite, or what kind of feast we should prepare? I want to tell him that I’d like my sister to attend, but his movements are so mechanical and economical, as though nothing has happened, that I keep my mouth shut.
Did I just imagine him asking me to marry him?
I did not.
Still, I do nothing but watch as he finishes dressing, bends over to kiss me on the head and then walks away, leaving the Warlord's chambers.
"I guess I'm getting married," I say to no one in particular.
I slide off the bed and start searching for my own clothes. I dress for a day in the city, assuming that Wolfe will let Kingston know that I am now allowed to leave the palace. I choose a pair of jeans, tight enough that I can strap weapons to my thighs. I wear a sleeveless shirt and a light jacket over top. I’m not anticipating any zombie action so don’t need my leather.
Fifteen minutes later I leave the Warlord's chambers, wandering through the dining room where I grab an apple and a tea before heading out the door. Kingston meets me in the hallway and without a word hands me a mask. I grin and take it from him, juggling my breakfast with my new safety procedure.
Our day touring the city goes smoothly and I bow to Kingston's advice on where to go and how to handle myself around people. He doesn't want me near crowds and he prefers that I stay away from the hospital for now. Though it’s in my nature to be reckless, my new situation in life has given me hope. I don't think I ever really wanted to die, but at the same time I wasn't taking extra measures to preserve my life. I had no one to preserve it for. My life was better used in the service of a vaccination and hopefully, eventually, a treatment to the Primitive virus.
Now that I have Wolfe, now that we’re settling down together and creating a home, the thought of children and a future seems far more within reach than it ever did before. I want to cling onto the shining picture in my mind of a family and a home, and never let it go.