Marie Harte - Below the Surface

“You almost died,” she said softly, her temper growing as she recalled how willing he’d been to die for her. “You were willing to kill yourself for me. And I have a problem with that,” she snapped, pushing him off her.

Rolling to the side, she sat up, heaving with anger. When his gaze settled lazily on her breasts, she fumed and grabbed a shirt from the nightstand. Obviously his, the way it draped over her. The T-shirt made her warm and fuzzy, and she had to fight to hold onto her mad.

“I’m a little hazy on the details,” Marcus said as he laid back on his pillow and placed his hands behind his neck. “I’m remembering bits and pieces, but not the whole. The last thing I remember is you standing up behind the couch, walking right through our protection spell that should have been impenetrable.” He kept his voice light and she couldn’t tell if he was angry or merely rehashing the incident.

“Don’t even try blaming me for any of it,” she said defensively. “I spent hours alone with that monster and woke up from Jonas’ mind zap with a raging headache. But I survived. I’m no delicate princess ,” she used the word deliberately and scored a hit when he frowned, “who needs pampering and protection.” She thought about that. “Okay, so maybe I could have used a little protection.”

“We haven’t been using any, you know.” He grinned, throwing her off. “Protection, I mean.” He laughed at the small ‘o’ she made.

“I, we, I mean, you—” she stammered, feeling like an idiot, but her hands crossed her abdomen in an instinctively hopeful gesture. “That’s not the point!”

“What is the point, affai ?” he asked lazily, staring at her chest until she could feel her nipples grazing the cotton fabric, arousing her once more.

“The point, River Prince, is that you were going to die. For me.”

He shrugged. “And for Tanselm and my brothers.”

“So what, I’m chopped liver?” Fury washed through her, that he could be so casual about this. Her eyes filled and she grew even angrier. Dammit. He’d made her cry, and she never cried.

“Oh, Tessa.” He immediately sat up and cradled her stiff body in his arms. “I’m sorry, sertia . I’m just so happy to have you safe and sound, I can’t worry any more about what happened. I love you so much.”

He kissed her, a meeting of hearts that kicked their desire into high gear again. Marcus groaned and shifted her so that she sat astride his erection with the sheet between them.

“Marcus,” she protested, needing to air her concerns. Though when he rotated his hips like that…

Marcus sighed. She was right. His cock could wait, her answers couldn’t.

“Tessa, when I couldn’t find you after work I went a little crazy. I’ve been afraid I wouldn’t have what it takes to defend what I prize most. But I did.” He felt a moment’s pride that he had, in fact, passed his own test. “It’s my job to protect you. Wait, I’m trying to explain something difficult for me to say.” He could hear the stiffness in his voice but couldn’t help it. “I make mistakes. I’m not perfect.”

She stared at him, amazed, and broke into laughter.

“It’s not funny,” he said coolly, not amused when she laughed harder.

“Hell, Marcus. I could have told you that from day one. You’re bossy, conceited, too free with your affections, but that’s stopped now, so I’ll let that one go.”

He waited for her to finish, and when she continued his vast litany of faults, he sighed in defeat. “Okay, okay. That may have come out wrong.”

“No, it didn’t. You don’t have to be perfect all the time, Marcus. Your father told me all about you months ago. I thought it was all a dream at the time, a Freudian joke for having spent so much time at work both fantasising and disliking you. But now that I think about it, with everything that happened, it might not have been a dream after all.”

“You saw my father?” He swallowed around a dry mouth.

She nodded. “His name is Faustus, and you have the same shaped face, the same chin. He’s very proud of you by the way.”

“I know,” Marcus said, his voice thready. “I used to think I’d never be good enough to be king, to be even a fraction as good as my father. But I know better now.” He hugged her tight, pleased when she squirmed against his still-hard cock. “You make me whole, Tessa. With you I can be me, just Marcus. And I don’t have to pretend.”

“Oh Marcus, you’re not as good an actor as you think. At first I used to think you were an arrogant jerk because you believed yourself better than everyone. But as we grew closer, I could see you used that ‘kingly’ tone as a front. Don’t you know I love you because of your many flaws?” she teased.

“I wouldn’t say many.” He felt somewhat defensive. “Maybe one or two, perhaps.”

She shifted the blanket away from his hips and sank down over his rock-hard shaft. He groaned, his mind emptying of everything but the feel and scent of Tessa.

“You talk too much,” she said and lifted up, only to sink heavily over him again. “If it weren’t for my brother’s advice to go with you to Tanselm and be deliriously happy for the rest of my life, I’d leave you in a minute,” she gasped.

“Three faults, but that’s my final offer,” he murmured and swallowed her laughter.

She rode him hard, all teasing aside when he found her nipples and toyed her into submission. Watching her take him, he couldn’t help thinking her perfect for him, and thanked the Light for sending him to this place.

With or without Tanselm, Marcus’ life finally felt complete.

“You do know this isn’t over yet,” Aerolus said as they waited for Arim.

“Obviously,” Marcus answered. “If it were, we’d all be going home. But I’m sure Arim will explain when he gets here.”

It was a sure sign how much Tessa meant to Marcus that the River Prince didn’t mind waiting for explanations. Aerolus couldn’t help the joy that filled him, despite his nagging certainty that the woman in white would bring more trouble than he wanted to handle just now. But she was a matter that could wait.

Both Darius and Marcus had found their affai , women to love and cherish, to bless them with children. Already the burden of gratifying the prophesied Tetrarch was half fulfilled. If something were to happen to him, at least Darius and Marcus stood a chance to reinstate the Storm Lord line.

He shook his head. Brooding about his possible death was pointless, so he returned his attention to his brothers. The mood in their living room was decidedly warm with Marcus set to return home today. However, a glance at Cadmus disturbed him. His brown-eyed brother had been worrying him for weeks.

“I’ve got to be at work early tonight.” Cadmus’ mouth tightened briefly before relaxing into a lazy smile. “Ellie has issues Gerry thinks he needs to address.”

“Issues?” Tessa asked curiously.

Since the fight in Davis’ apartment two weeks ago, Cadmus had been surprisingly upbeat. Granted, they had defeated ‘Sin Garu, but even Marcus agreed his brother was acting outside the norm.

Cadmus shrugged. “Issues with me. I don’t know. Half the time the woman’s a pain in the ass, the other half she’s not there. Who am I to complain?” He grinned and elbowed Aerolus, changing the subject. “Didn’t I tell you Marcus would be the next to fall? I knew he had the hots for her.”

“Cadmus, we both know you had no clue who Tessa really was,” Marcus said, his tone condescending. “It was only my decision to lower my standards after so many months at Tomanna that made her acceptable as an affai .”