The Ravenous Dark, page 41
"I want to. I've wanted to for longer than I care to admit."
Bailey's heart clenched. "Why didn't you say something sooner?"
"Because I convinced myself it couldn't work," he admitted with a guilty flush. "I told myself I was too old for you. Then as you got older, and that excuse no longer held the same weight, I convinced myself that you were out of my league."
"I was never out of your league," Bailey insisted.
Ronan smirked wryly, fingers toying with the button of her pants. "That may be so, but by the time I grew out of that excuse I was in too deep with the Otherworld."
Bailey reached down and trailed her fingertips over his cheek. Her expression sobering with understanding after their long conversation in the Cellar.
"And now…?"
Ronan's smirk grew. With deft fingers, her pants were unfastened and tugged down to her ankles. Bailey gasped. "I plan on rectifying the matter."
His palms slid up the sides of her thighs and hooked around her panties. With deliberate slowness, he pulled them down to join her pants. The storm reignited in his eyes as he glimpsed the thatch of dark red curls at the apex of her thighs.
Voice thick with authority, he commanded, "Leg up."
Using his shoulder for support, Bailey stepped out of her remaining clothes. Her socks were the last to join the neat pile collected around her before Ronan stood. Bailey wet her lips in anticipation for Ronan's clothes to join hers, but instead of undressing, he led her to the shower. She frowned slightly, as he reached inside and fussed with the handles, waiting until a light steam billowed from the jets of water. Stepping back, he ushered her inside.
"I thought you were going to join me," she voiced shyly, as she tested the water's temperature with her foot. It was perfect and instantly lured her in.
"I am."
Goosebumps flashed over her as Ronan began to unbutton his shirt. She shifted beneath the water, thighs rubbing together discreetly at the sight. Ronan's gaze never left hers as he shrugged out of his shirt and then lowered his hands to his belt.
Bailey swallowed. She was growing wetter by the second, and it had nothing to do with the rivulets of water pouring down her front. Ronan's gaze shifted downward to track the water's path as he worked off the rest of his clothes. When he finished, he stalked inside. Steam quickly billowed around them as the glass door swung shut.
"I'll do you if you do me."
Bailey nodded dumbly at his offer, and Ronan reached for the bottle of body wash and sponge tucked inside a recessed shelf.
A burst of freshness tingled her nose as he lathered the sponge. Eucalyptus and pine. She took in another lungful of the sharp scent, appreciating the way it opened her senses.
"Turn."
She did. A moment later, the sponge and its mountain of bubbles rested between her shoulder blades. The sponge swept over her in small circles, spiraling down until the gentle arch of her lower back was reached. Butterflies erupted in Bailey's stomach as it passed over her soulmark.
She was acutely aware of the heat building between them. His arousal sometimes bumped into her as he leaned closer.
Bailey ducked her chin and took a steadying breath as she gathered her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. His lips brushed against her nape before the sponge wiped the evidence of his affection clean. A faint moan trickled out of her, drawing a responding chuckle from Ronan.
"Patience."
"I'm tired of being patient," Bailey retorted. Her voice was strangled with want too long denied. She turned and faced him; her nerves were wreaking havoc on her heart. "I don't want to spend another second unbound to you."
Ronan let the sponge fall and shifted them to block Bailey from the spray of water with his back. He smoothed the dampened strands of hair from her face.
"I'll let you take the lead. I believe that's what we agreed upon earlier."
Her heart skipped a beat and then rallied into a gallop. "Right here? Right now?"
Ronan barely finished nodding when her arms wrapped around his neck and kissed him. His husky laugh transformed into a moan as she pressed her lithe body against his and used her tongue and teeth to torture him.
Bailey couldn't stop the tremble that ran through her as her hands ghosted over his chest and abdomen. Hours of work at the gym showed in the cut lines her fingers danced over. Ronan's hips thrust against her, reminding her needlessly of where he wanted her to touch the most.
She grinned as a streak of wickedness flashed through her. Her nails scratched down the front of his hips to the tops of his thighs, close, but not quite touching his obvious arousal.
"Bailey," he growled, mouth moving over her jaw before setting his teeth to work along her neck.
She arched into the attention. A flurry of need drove through her bloodstream as he pushed his thigh between her legs and steered them to the wall. The coarse hair of his legs created delicious friction against her mound. Bailey's teasing hands went lax as he explored her body.
Hot palms traveled up her stomach before boldly cupping her breasts. She moaned loudly, head tipping back against the tile. Its roughened texture was like sandstone against her back but not entirely unpleasant.
"No more teasing," Bailey panted as his head swooped down and captured a beaded nipple between his teeth. She cried out as his tongue lavished it with attention and sucked it into his mouth without mercy. "Ronan, please!"
He released her breast with a wet pop but didn't acknowledge her plea. Instead, he fell upon the second with equal fervor. His teeth and tongue made her grind against his leg like a madwoman.
His hands dropped to her waist as he lowered himself to one knee. "Should I mark you here?" he asked, tongue darting out to taste the inside of her left thigh. Bailey's jaw dropped as she stared down at him. "Or here?" His head twisted, and he made a show of kissing the inside of Bailey's other thigh.
It took all her strength to shake her head.
Ronan's gaze narrowed on her as he rose. The steam which engulfed them made each breath a small labor as tension swelled between them. Bailey bit her bottom lip, eyes running over Ronan's naked form quickly. A sprinkling of dark hair dusted his chest, trailing down to his thick member.
"I want to mark you."
Ronan's eyes dilated. A heartbeat later, he lowered his chin to the side and bared his neck. Bailey tensed at the sight, unable to believe it was finally happening. Ronan's hands squeezed her waist, urging her forward. She went with the motion, drawing up onto her toes as she trailed kisses along his collarbone to his shoulder. She nipped playfully at his skin as his hands moved decisively to her ass.
This is it.
She eyed the glistening expanse of skin where shoulder met neck as her fingers framed his soulmark. Anticipation made her pussy throb.
"And now I lay my mark for all to see, by blood be one." Bailey pressed her palm over his heart and soulmark with confidence as she said the words. Then she bit him. Her canines broke past flesh to draw enough blood to bathe her tongue.
Lightning crashed around inside her as the soulmark's magic threaded their souls closer together. Something akin to pure ecstasy poured through her body. She dragged her mouth away from the bloodied mark she'd left to inhale sharply.
There wasn't enough air in the shower. Not for Bailey.
The sensations rolling over her were similar to what she experienced with Raphael's supernatural touch but different; it was deeper and more meaningful. It sunk into her marrow and made roots. The potency of its effect brought tears to her eyes.
"Gods," Ronan exclaimed, rocking against her with enough force to dislodge her palm from his soulmark. Bailey whimpered, and in the next instant, he was lifting her. She wrapped her legs around him and writhed as the head of his cock rubbed against her slit
Ronan hissed.
"I won't last more than a second if you keep moving like that," Ronan told her through gritted teeth.
"I can't help it."
Bailey's nails bit into his shoulders as he readjusted them slightly, using the wall to leverage her weight and sneak a hand between them. He drew her wetness up and around her clit in slow circles. Bailey's eyes closed at the heat building in her body, drawing each muscle tight as her orgasm loomed closer and closer.
She squirmed, trying to press into his hand.
"Don't tease," she begged as he used his fingers to spread her folds apart and spear one into her dripping center. Her inner muscles clamped down on him greedily as he pumped into her shallowly, coaxing her closer to the edge. When she squirmed again, he pinned her harder to the wall.
"Trust me," he breathed, and added a second finger, and then a third.
She panted as he wound her up tighter, his fingers never losing their languid pace. A sweat broke out on her forehead and the back of her neck. It was all too much and not enough at the same time.
"Ronan."
"I know," he said. His hand slipped away, cupping the back of her thigh, and leaving her center aching and unsatisfied. "I know," he repeated once he caught her eye.
Bailey groaned and rested her forehead against his as she realized he'd brought her to the same edge he was riding.
"Bind us."
Bailey licked her lips in anticipation at his gruff request. His cock toyed at her entrance, and with the smallest shift, she knew he would enter her without resistance. The urge to sink back and take what she wanted was almost unbearable.
"Bailey, please."
Her hand hovered over his soulmark once more, and with their eyes locked, spoke. "I bind myself to you, Ronan."
He growled as her palm connected with his soulmark and thrust into her without mercy, taking her to the hilt. Bailey's keening cry was swallowed by his mouth. The combination of their binding and physical union overwhelmed all her senses.
Flames consumed her, burning through every nerve ending she possessed. Bailey's legs tightened around him as he began moving in fast, deep strokes that stole her breath.
She couldn't hold on a second longer….
Her climax hit like a tidal wave, dragging her under in a haze of pleasure. Bailey clung to Ronan as the divine workings of the soulmark bound them fully together. A symphony of emotions rushed to meet her; Ronan's emotions. They matched her own, tit-for-tat. The same kaleidoscope of nerves and relief, and intoxicating bliss.
He tore his mouth from hers with a gasp as he spilled his seed inside her with one savage thrust. Bailey's pussy clamped down around him, milking their climaxes for all they were worth until the aftermath left them both shaking.
"Down, please," she whimpered, removing her hand from his soulmark, and weakly untangling her legs from around him. He helped her down, but he didn't release her from the cage of his arms.
"How do you feel?" Ronan asked.
"Amazing," she replied with a soppy smile. "And exhausted. I don't think I've ever felt this good in my entire life." He kissed her sweetly.
"Good," he said, guiding her back beneath the shower's head. "Although, I suppose I didn't really need to ask." Bailey's eyebrows rose as he poured a small amount of shampoo into his hand and began to wash her hair. Bailey sighed in contentment and leaned into his hands.
"What do you mean?"
"The soulmark," he explained. "I can feel your happiness and your exhaustion." His fingers massaged the back of her head, drawing a groan from her.
"I can feel you, too," Bailey said after rinsing the suds from her hair. She passed him a frown. "You're hurt."
He grimaced and nodded. "I'm still recovering from my most recent fight as the shadowmancer. Come, we can both use some rest."
Bailey agreed, and they left the steam-filled shower in favor of his bed. Once curled up against his side beneath the covers, Bailey could barely keep her eyes open.
"Sleep." Ronan placed a kiss on top of her head.
She made a small noise of protest, but her eyes were already closing. "We need to talk still," she mumbled.
"Oh? About what?"
"You told me all your secrets, but I have to tell you mine," she explained with sleepy logic.
Ronan shifted beneath her. "Whatever it is can wait until after we've rested." Another kiss was pressed to her head. It lingered and was chased after by the comforting echo of his happiness through their soulmark bond. Bailey snuggled closer, her leg draping over his as she fell into welcome sleep.
XXVI
For the first time in weeks, Bailey felt normal. Better than normal—she was rejuvenated. No pains rattled her joints, and her mind was cleared of its fog. She inhaled deeply, letting her body wake slowly as she stretched. Yawning, she poked her head out of the cocoon of blankets she'd made herself. Her gaze landed immediately on Ronan.
Right where I left you.
"You're awake." His gaze darted to her before he collected the papers in his lap into a tidy pile. "Did you sleep well? You managed to get in a few hours." Ronan glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "It's only a bit after ten in the evening."
She nodded and settled into a seated position. "I feel like a new woman," she purred. Her eyes drifted over his naked torso, and a mischievous grin lit up her features.
Ronan chuckled and warred with a grin of his own as he pinned her with another glance. "Feeling something else, are you?"
Bailey purred again. "Hungry."
Ronan set aside his papers and slid closer to Bailey. "Should I grab us some food?" He teased. "Or did you have something else in mind to sate your appetite?"
Bailey's stomach gave a flutter, and a tingle of anticipation tickled between her thighs. A suggestive invitation laid on the tip of her tongue when her stomach fluttered again, this time with more gusto and a loud gurgle. Her eyes widened, as did Ronan's, before he burst into laughter. Bailey groaned in mortification and buried her face in the nearest pillow.
"I'll go grab us a bite to eat."
Bailey's head popped up. "What? No! I'm fine. Let's do the other—"
Another rude grumble sounded from her stomach. Bailey blushed as Ronan's laughter redoubled. He slipped out of bed, much to Bailey's continued protests.
"Don't worry, first you'll eat, and then I'll make a meal out of that luscious piece of flesh between your legs," Ronan announced as he slung on a pair of loose pants.
Bailey's heart skipped a beat at the flare of want she saw cross his features, echoed swiftly by their new bond. She bit her lip. Over the years, she'd grown used to him keeping a certain amount of distance between them. The man in front of her was completely new.
She couldn't wait to learn him.
"Hurry back?"
His expression melted into one of affection. "Always."
Bailey sank into the bedding, absorbing the unadulterated scent of Ronan surrounding her. She knew there were still a lot of things to be resolved, but they no longer seemed as daunting now that they were together.
She couldn't wait to tell River… after she had her way with Ronan again.
Minutes ticked by with no sign of Ronan or food, so Bailey peeked at the stack of papers he left behind. They were notes. Names, times, and movements documented in meticulous detail about the goings-on of several well-known courtiers.
Bailey noticed her name written a fair number of times and Franklin's. She squinted at the following pages of notes, trying to decipher the minuscule shorthand. She was so absorbed, she didn't hear the door open or the soft pad of approaching footsteps. It was only when the smell of buttery baked goods and cooked pork hit her nose that her head snapped up.
"Do I smell chocolate?"
Ronan set down a generously filled tray on the bed. "Pain au chocolat."
She snatched up the pastry and stuffed a quarter of it in her mouth. Ronan smirked. Bailey did, too, as she chewed.
"See anything worth noting in those pages?"
Bailey shook her head. "The penmanship is hard to read," she replied after swallowing. "But I did notice my name."
"You've made deliveries to some very high-profile courtiers and were present for several of the rabidus curse attacks."
"Is this your suspect pool for the person behind the rabidus curse?" Bailey asked.
"In some respect," Ronan conceded. "It's also a list of people who we believe may be the target of the curse and those most likely to be out for vengeance after the death of so many sorcerers and sorceresses in connection with the Roux's initiation."
Bailey took another bite of the warmed pastry, shuffling through the papers until she found one with legible script.
"Did you find anything while I slept?"
"Nothing new, unfortunately." Ronan poured them both coffee.
"You really know what people get up to, huh?" Bailey thanked Ronan as he passed her a mug, her eyes never leaving the page in her lap. "You're tracking a lot of Wilding deliveries here, too." Bailey squinted as she ran over the log.
"We were hoping to discover what was being delivered, but most parcels are kept concealed."
"Discretion is a priority with Wilding deliveries,” Bailey rebutted and tore her attention from the paper to frown at him. “You should have told me you needed that information before I called it quits with the Wildings. I would have found out for you."
"You're done with them?"
Bailey nodded, buoyed at the hope he couldn't hide from his voice or what spilled through their bond. She offered him a small smile that froze on her lips as she remembered Franklin's threat of blackmail.
"I can't say I'm not happy to hear it. I've got a feeling the Wildings are involved in this someway, even if it's only by being the unknowing messenger." Ronan took part of the stack and riffled through its contents. "We've noted an uptick in deliveries from the Styx too, but we've had trouble keeping track of them." He showed her the notes.
"Why?"
"The Lunar Court is proving to be quite the nuisance. They're hampering our search attempts every chance they get."
Bailey clutched her coffee a little closer to her chest as they quietly continued to skim through the pile. It wasn't until Bailey finished her pastry and coffee that she found anything of interest. Her eyes latched onto a slightly blurred photo of a man's profile in a hooded robe. She stilled. The picture wasn't the first of its quality she'd encountered. A dozen or more like it were fastened onto the stack of paper; sly snapshots captured of courtiers unaware.
