“This game doesn’t have a winner or loser.” I stride through the anterior chamber, giving a cursory glance at the fire, ensuring it remains contained in its firepit.
“Then what’s the point?” Tilly’s fingers work at the top two buttons of my flannel shirt, recovered from a clothing stash from when I’d been here before.
Back when I ran from the nightmare I’d helped unleash on humanity.
“The point, my little hellcat—” I wind my way through a half dozen tunnels, careful not to jostle or scrape her body against the rough, narrow passages. “—is to have fun.”
“And here I thought you always played to win, no matter the cost.” She places her mouth at the hollow of my throat and nips the skin gently.
I grip her tighter. “If you don’t stop that, I’m going to strip you naked, hold you down, and tortureyou, starting with your mouth and not stopping until I reach your toes, paying special attention to my favorite parts in-between.”
Even in the dark, my enhanced vision picks up the heat flushing her cheeks as she pulls her mouth away, a shy grin curving her pink, tempting lips. “Is...is that supposed to be a threat?” she whispers.
“Oh, Red. It’s a promise.” Increasing the pace, I reach my destination and carefully lower her feet to the smooth stone. “No more lies and no more threats, but plenty of sweet, sweet promises.” I slide a hand under her T-shirt, skimming up the smooth flesh of her waist until I reach her bare breasts and tweak the sensitive skin, grinding myself against her hips.
She gasps, then lets out a soft moan as my fingers stroke and tease.
“Now,” I breathe into her ear, kissing her neck. “This game is calledlet’s see who can get naked the fastest.”
A shaky laugh escapes and she pulls back to gaze at my face. “I’ve missed you so much.” Her fist bunches the front of my shirt in a tight grip. “Promise you’ll never leave me again, even if you think it’s the right thing to do.”
“Never again.” My desire cools and I move my hands to cup her cheeks, tilting her head upward.
“Promise, Jareth.” Desperation clouds her eyes. “Say the words. Please.”
“Red”—I place my forehead against hers and look her straight in the eye—“I will never, ever leave you again. Period.”
“Good.” Unshed moisture glimmers along the base of her lashes. A faint line mars the skin between her eyebrows. “I can’t ever go through that pain again. It was even worse than losing my parents and friends.” She grimaces, then buries her face into my chest and clings. Terrible, desperate sobs wrack her body and echo in the darkened room.
“It’s okay,” I murmur, stroking her hair then pulling her tight against my body. “Things are going to be better—for both of us.” Reaching out to a table against the wall, I snag a disposable lighter and flick the wheel, setting the flame to a fat candle, lighting the room so Tilly can see.
“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be such a big fucking crybaby. I’m happy, I truly am, it’s just being held by you again after seeing you burned and broken, then watching your body go into a grave feels like a dream, like any moment someone’s going to grab me by the shoulders and shake me awake, crashing me back to my old life.”
A quick scan reveals her progesterone and estrogen levels have risen over the past few hours.
“You’re not a crybaby, Red. It’s just the pregnancy hormones. But...” With my lips, I brush the tracks of her tears, the saltiness mingling with the sweet taste that’s hers alone. “I willnever”—a tiny kiss on her temple—“everleave you or our son again. I swear it with my whole heart. You will not be alone. You will not be unloved. You will not be sad. Never again.”
She nods, then sniffs and wipes her nose, looking around. “I love you.”
“I love you, too. So damn much.”
She points to thecenotethat takes up most of this chamber. From a small hole high in the cave roof, faint morning sunshine slants downward, shining on the calm surface of the water. “We going for a swim?” A mischievous grin tips a corner of her mouth, the sadness in her eyes morphing to slyness.
“More specifically a skinny dip.” I grab the hem of her shirt and lift, exposing the cute little belly just beginning to show.
“Do you love me enough to letmepick a game?”
I return my attention to her face, cock my head, and pull her hips closer. “Hmm. Is it going to be a kinky kind of game?”
Her laughter rings throughout the steamy cavern. “You’re so bad.” With a coy glance through her lashes, she places her fingers on the band of my jeans and unsnaps the metal button. “First rule—” She pushes my arms to my sides. “—hands to yourself.”
“Red, come on. How can I have any fun if I can’t touch you?”
She pulls my zipper down, the sound of the rasping metal teeth broken by an occasional drip of water into the pool. Lifting onto her tippy toes, she yanks me down to her level. “Lose your pants and briefs. Now, pretty boy.”
In a nano second, I tear the denim jeans and cotton underwear from my body. The material resembles torn rags with the force of destruction. I toss them behind my shoulders.
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. “Sometimes, I forget how strong you are.” She shakes her head, smiles, then leaves my lap to lower herself to perch on a rocky edge of the pool, her back to the water. Sliding her gaze over my body, she twirls a finger. “Let me see those tattoos on your spine, too.”
