Page 39 of Ashfall
“Jesus Christ.” She gets to her feet, clearly not needing to see anymore as Hunter now has his fist clenched against his lips. “I knew something was going on.” And all eyes shoot straight to him.
“What do you mean, you knew?” Hawks voice is sharp, posture straightening from the table.
I'm all ears for this as well as I lean forward in the chair. “Graves… he's been acting real shifty with us the last couple of weeks. He’d periodically taken Gunner away on his ownever since we touched down here six months ago. But then his behavior started changing, Rhaine and I had no idea what they were up to, but they’d always say it wastraining.” My brows furrow at that. Was Graves bringing Gunner onto his side? Gunner's always been a prick, especially to me. Now I'm wondering if that was the whole reason for it.
“Gunner's dead,” Noc deadpans, and surprisingly, neither of them has the same reaction I had when Blitz died - there’s not a flinch in their muscles. “When we were monitoring the meeting between Graves and Volokov, Gunner exposed Blitz. He disarmed her and led her out into the open, defenseless.” Noc repeats the horrors that occurred.
Rhaine looks at all of us, obviously connecting the dots with the absence of both people. Her voice is soft, cautious. “Blitz?” My heart tightens at the mention of her name, a little more pressure added when I hear Phantom speak. “Dead. Graves shot her.” He takes the burden from Adam or I having to relay the news.
Hunter slams the file to the floor between his legs, “Fuck.” He throws himself back against the chair, and I can see him trying to wade through the shitshow that we've already escaped. I empathize with the decision he needs to make, the same way the rest of us did.
“I'm sorry for your loss.” Rhaine’s tone is still gentle, and she looks at Hunter with imploring eyes. Those two have always been close, and I often wonder if they're more than teammates, like Noc and I are.
“Sorry for yours.” Adam’s testing the water with them, but Hunter's gruff laugh comes as a slight surprise.
“No need. Gunner was an asshole. Always has been, went off and done his own shit. He was a liability to both of us.” The longing look he gives to Rhaine confirms my suspicions, and I notice she grips his hand that rests between them. She bites theinside of her cheek, eventually nodding after a beat of silence. Hunter’s eyes glance between us all. “We're with you, whatever you need.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
nyx
The day was spent wading through all the files, each white page spread across the map, replacing the previous target. Hopefully a wild animal came and feasted on Volokov’s remains, leaving only his rotten bones for finding. Rhaine and Hunter asked questions, Noc and Hawk clearing up whatever they could. The foundations of trust were being built during those four hours we confined ourselves within the command center. Hawk admitted he sent them on a wild goose chase, just until he could prepare for the next couple of days and ensure Graves wouldn't return. Hunter was pissed, but they both seemed to appreciate the transparency after the fact. He wasn’t alone; Hawk had also sent us to Peklo with an ulterior motive. First, to get the layout since it was too risky for Noc to provide himself. The second reason was the hope that I might see Noc. Hawk knew that Graves and Volokov were escalating, and that was as best a chance as any to reunite us.Still slightly pissed at that.
I head to my room after washing away the stress of today in a scolding hot shower. I expect it might be one of the last; we’re not exactly safe here. But we're planning on heading back to the safehouse tomorrow, and Adam also set up extrasurveillance brought from Noc’s, just in case Graves fancies a trip here. I open my door and find the lamp on, the room cast in a low and inviting glow, along with a demanding physique that requires my attention. The hue of the light enhances each line of his chiseled muscles from his broad shoulders to theVthat’s perched above his belt.
Noc glances up from his phone, those primal eyes fueled with a savage hunger as he drags them across my body beneath the towel. I let the door slowly click closed behind me and I'm pinned to the spot. My heart rate accelerates along with my breathing, the air around us instantly turning thick and making it hard to swallow. “This feels awfully familiar, doesn't it Malyshka?” My pulse hammers as I think back to the exact moment he's speaking of, when life seemed a lot simpler, and I first got on my hands and knees and crawled for this man.
“Looking for a trip down memory lane, Noc?” I purr, keeping my gaze locked on his, the heat between us thick enough to drown in. My fingers toy with the edge of the towel, teasing at its unravelling, until he speaks. “I'm thinking,” he steps forward with deliberate ease, each stride drawing him closer, forcing my back to hit against the door. His lips curve into that wicked, knowing smile. “This time, I'll be the one on my knees.” My hands freeze as the material of my towel slips its way to the floor, the temperature in this room now suffocating. I force my head up to meet his eyes, they swirl in a cocktail of molten need. He leans down and hovers near my lips, eyes searching mine until he finally closes the distance.
His kisses are slow, and feverish, forever consuming me whole as my hands reach up around his neck to pull him closer. He pulls away, and it steals all the air left in me, and for a moment I think he's the supplier of oxygen - one I desperately need back. I greedily pull his lips back to mine, feeling his spreading smile at my desperation. The whimper that leaves mylips when he pulls away again, would be embarrassing if anyone else heard it. He trails whispers of kisses from behind my ear down my neck, each leaving the remnants of his claim as he makes his way onto his knees - just like he promised.
The sight of him kneeling has my blood flow malfunctioning. My hands reach behind me to the door for stability as I suddenly feel lightheaded. Noc kneels for no one. Yet here he is, my very own dark king on his knees about to worship me like a goddess of the night. He grips my thigh and throws it over his shoulder, staring up at me with a predatory gaze through his dark long lashes. It's steady. Unshakable. Nothing like the emotions that surge inside me. His silent possession claims me wholeheartedly. My core heats as he breaks our stare, peppering more kisses along the inside of my thigh. They leave a trail of fire in their wake, making my fists clench at my sides as I moan his name.
A low growl rumbles in his chest as he focuses on my center. “You moan my name like that again, and I'm going to need to skip this and go straight to fucking you against that door. And I’ll make sure the whole unit knows just how much you love to moan my name, Malyshka.”Fuck. If I was prudish, that would have made me clutch my pearls. My hands go into his hair, gliding through his dark ends, and I tug them with a little bit of force in a warning. But my voice is the polar opposite, it's submissive and needy. “Please.” I drag out the end, and that gets him back on track.
His mouth covers me, and I pull the stands of his hair harder to bring him closer, needing more. His tongue swirls and teases my clit in a tormenting rhythm, as he brings a finger and slides it inside me with ease. “Fuck Brodie, you're already so wet for me.” His voice and movements have me in a trance. One that’s dragged my inner being far away from this universe; the onlything grounding me is the blistering heat that’s singeing my skin from where his hand grips my thigh.
He continues his torturous pulses, slipping in another finger as his mouth comes back to me, licking and sucking to the point that the build-up of pleasure is agonizingly too intense. The tightness in my core is near combustion, and as soon as his fingers curl against that heavenly spot inside me, I come completely undone. A cry of his name tears from my throat, but the sound is captured by his mouth on mine. He swallows the sound of my pleasure as he rushes to his feet. My bones start to wilt in his arms, but he pulls me in front of him as he slides down the door, taking my place and bringing me down to straddle him backwards.
I fall forward in my daze, my hands shooting to stop myself in between his legs. I arch over my shoulder to see him undoing his belt, hips shifting as he pulls his cargos down and I reach back and yank the rest of the material down in my impatient state. He hooks his arms around the joints of mine, and my back bends of its own accord. His words brush against the shell of my ear, firing goosebumps straight down my spine, “You know I love you, don't you.”
It's not a question, but a statement. A claim on my soul that he holds in the very hands that are guiding my hips higher, making me arch even further “I do.” My voice is so thick with lust it doesn't even sound like my own.
A low laugh rumbles against my back. “Good girl. Now, fuck me like your life depends on it.”
His fingers grip my hips tighter, and he pushes his own up to slam me down onto his cock. I cry out at the delicious feeling that spreads through my body, making my bones feel liquified. I pause to bathe in the fullness, and it earns me a slap across the ass. “I'm waiting, Malyshka. Don’t. Keep me waiting.”God, this man knows all the right things to flick the switch that turns meferal. I shift forward, letting my legs slide a little wider whilst I place my hands on the cold ground beneath us, the contrast from the warmth of my skin making me moan in appreciation. I tighten my thighs against his as I begin to move up and down, getting into a pleasure-filled rhythm as I push up, bringing him deeper inside me.
Noc’s voice is like a midnight murmur, his words pushed through gritted teeth. “Fucking hell.” The door rattles against the lock, the force of my thrusts now meeting his own. I glance over my shoulder and the sight is devastating. His eyes are half closed, they're entranced by where our bodies connect, his jaw slack and brisk breaths brushing my lower back. He shifts himself firmly against the wood, allowing his hips to come up, shoulders and abs flexing with the sheer effort he's putting into our thrusts. I'll have this image of him sealed in my memory forever as I watch him come undone beneath my hands. His own climax mixes with mine.
There's nothing more empowering knowing you're able to unravel a man like Nocturne. Knowing that I have the same effect on him, that he has on me. He slows to a stop, and I match his pace, grinding my hips to ride out the aftershock of my own orgasm.
His lips trail kisses up my spine and along my shoulder blade, biting down and making me cry out again. But the pain and pleasure are desires I love to combine. “Keep doing that Brodie, and you'll not be able to walk for a week.” I smile coyly as I slowly lift myself off him. Another growl comes from him as I turn round to glance into my favorite set of blue eyes.
“Careful, I might take you up on that.” He barks out a laugh and slaps my ass.
“Later, we need to try to get some sleep before we leave tomorrow.”
I pout my lips, but then I remember we'll actually have our own room at the safehouse, so I swap it for my own smirk. But I still feel slightly mischievous, and I know I still have him wrapped fully round my finger “What's wrong Lev? Not got another round left in you?”
