Page 87 of Gluttony
Bailey wokein Tony’s bed to complete darkness. But something was off. There was a feeling, an intuition riding her system. It was more than the echo of a disturbing dream, or the sense of being out of her comfort zone. Movement at the window drew her attention, and she went on high alert.
Curtains billowed when the window should have been shut. She was yet to replace her firearm, and she had no weapon, so picked up the closed hardcover copy of her crossword omnibus and gripped it at the ready. Her vision strained in the dark.
“Tony?” she hissed. “Is that you?”
No answer. The air rippled to her right, lifting the hairs on her arms. She spun around.
The looming shadow of a broad-shouldered man was five feet from her bed, resting against the wall, watching her. For a moment, she tensed, ready to hurl the book, but then a bright luminescent blue glittered in his eyes, and she exhaled.
“Christ, boy. You scared me. What are you doing creeping around in here?” She put the book down, but Tony didn’t move.
And then she noticed the other things. Blood spatter on his gray uniform, on his clenched fists. The fabric of his face mask sucking in and out at his mouth, his chest heaving and his muscles trembling as though he’d run a marathon—or been in a fight. He blinked, and the blue light winked out, but she felt him, still watching her.
Awareness hummed across her skin, making everything tight.
“Baby?” She crawled out of bed and flicked on the side lamp. “Are you okay?”
He gave a breathy grunt, eyes going down to her bare thighs. She tugged the borrowed Cardinal Studios T-shirt down. It barely covered her bottom, but she’d wanted the lingerie beneath to be a surprise when he came home. With everything that happened with Iman, she needed to feel safe. She needed to be with Tony.
“Tony,” she tried again. “What happened? You look...” High. Adrenaline soaked. Not himself.
With her fingers shaking, she went to him and peeled back his face mask to reveal his handsome face, lips hard, nostrils flared. His haggard breath bloomed against her face. She threaded her fingers through his sweaty hair and pushed his hood back. Through it all, he watched, studying, arms never leaving his side.
“Was it... the creature?” she asked, and he shook his head. “Then...”
“I didn’t think you’d be here,” he whispered, brows joining in the middle. “When I got home.”
Now, that hurt.
“Why the hell not?” The irritation in her tone was inescapable, especially after the evening she’d had. Iman’s demands from the CIA were ridiculous, but she believed she turned the situation around. Iman wanted intel on the Lazarus family, and she was supposed to deliver. She’d put him off for the time being, so she could discuss it with them, but seeing Tony’s post battle condition, she kept that to herself for the moment. He needed her now.
Trembles shook his body. Blue light flickered up his neck, and in his eyes. She’d seen this sort of reaction on other operatives after high stress, high adrenaline situations. The hormone was still coursing through his body, itching under his skin. He needed a safe release, to come down to earth, and she could help him. The last thing she wanted was a fire in the bedroom.
“Come here, baby,” she whispered, and brought his mouth to hers.
She licked along his bottom lip and then sucked the flesh between her teeth. A low groan slipped from him, so she delved deeper with her tongue. Tony’s eyes lidded, he resisted, and then he kissed her back, all in. Two big hands gripped her rear and squeezed. Desire speared through her, hardening the points of her breasts. Taking a step back, she lifted her T-shirt and dropped it to the side.
Blue heat flared in his hard gaze. He trailed a lazy path down her body. She felt his attention like a caress, going hot everywhere his eyes landed. The mauve lace bra, the matching panties. She palmed his chest, feeling the heat of him through his uniform.
“Let’s take this off,” she breathed. She looked down at his suit but couldn’t find a zip. “Dammit.”
He hit the Deadly Seven emblem on his pec. Air whooshed from somewhere, buffeting her face and lifting her hair. When it slowed, she saw the outfit had lost all elasticity and loosened like a melted plastic bag. He stepped out and kicked it aside, attached steel weapons clinking to the floor. Naked beneath, blue light pulsed in veins delineating his body, making his sweat glisten like diamonds. God, he was beautiful. Rock hard abdominals and an even harder erection drew her eyes down.
She licked her lips.That’s mine.
Her husky moan of appreciation snapped his restraint, and he rushed her, picking her up by the thighs and throwing her onto the bed. With eyes blazing full of need, he flipped her so she was face down, then dragged her back to him as though she weighed nothing. He gripped her hips and lifted her to her knees, then slid a possessive hand between her thighs and found her damp through the lace. He muttered a curse.
Grinding back into him, she let out a whimper of encouragement. He plucked her panties to the side and ran his touch along her seam. “Yes, Tony,” she moaned into the sheets.
And then she felt him there, his blunt edge crowning her, centimeter slow. The anticipation was agonizing. She wanted him to fill her now, but he stopped. He pawed at her buttocks, plumping the flesh. He crowded her body and gripped her hair, twirling it around his palm. Craning her neck, she looked back at him and caught his frown of concentration. He was thinking too hard. His mind was somewhere else.
“Baby,” she said. “Whatever is going on in your mind, forget it. I’m here. Think about me.”
His grip on her hair slackened. Strands of hair fell to her shoulders, tickling, adding to the sensations sparking in her body. Then he tugged on her hair, dragging her head back so their eyes could meet. So much raw emotion, and for a split second, she feared he was retreating back into that other person. She didn’t get a chance to ask because when he pushed in a little more, thoughts vacated and she squirmed. Hot breath fanned her neck. But, still, he wouldn’t go all the way in.
Screw him, then.
She shoved back, and seated herself with a long, shuddering groan.
