Page 43 of The Hero
Marlowe lifted her head and frowned. “Really?”
“Nope. I take care of the women I sleep with, but I’ve never been inside one when she came.”
Marlowe supposed she should feel weird about her man talking about sex with other women, but since he was basically saying she’dgiven him an experience he’d never had before, and because she was the one he was still buried deep within, she wasn’t concerned.
“I’m gonna want that again,” he warned. “Probably every time you come. That going to be a problem?”
It was her turn to laugh. “Did you seriously just ask that?” she said as she lowered her cheek back to his chest.
“I wasn’t sure if you thought it was weird or anything,” he defended.
“Anytime you want to make me come, you just go right on ahead,” she teased. She felt his cock twitch inside her and couldn’t stop the grin from forming on her face. He didn’t seem as if he was in any hurry to move. He simply lay under her, letting her use him as a pillow as he stroked her back, her arms, her hair.
“Kendric?”
“Yeah?”
She hadn’t missed the way he’d called her Marlowe Evans when they’d been in the middle of making love. She wanted to be his wife for real, more than she wanted almost anything in the world, but she was well aware that their situation wasn’t normal. It was incredibly intense, and they’d been relying on each other in ways that some couples never would. She couldn’t hold him to anything once they got back to their real worlds.
“Do you really think we’re going to make it home?”
“Yes.” His answer was immediate and almost forceful. “I’m going to get you home, Marlowe.”
She sighed. Was it weird that she almost didn’twantto go home now? Probably. She knew things between her and Kendric would change when they left.
“It’ll take three or four days to get to the airport,” Kendric told her. “Once there, I’ll get a hold of my contact, and he’ll arrange for us to have passports, in fake names if he deems it necessary, once he sees what’s going on with Thailand and your situation. We’ll be home in less than another week.”
“That’s good,” she said, her reply sounding a little weak to her own ears.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, completely in tune with her feelings.
“I just ... I want to go home, don’t get me wrong. But ...” Her words tapered off.
“You can tell me anything,” he reassured her.
“I’ve gotten used to having you around,” she said, trying to lighten her tone so her words didn’t feel quite so serious.
But Kendric didn’t laugh. Didn’t make a joke. Instead, he said, “Look at me, Marlowe.”
Taking a deep breath, she lifted her head so she could see his face.
“I want to see you when we get back. I don’t know how it’ll work, since I’m ready to settle down in Maine for good and you’ll be wherever you’ll be. But I don’t want us to lose touch.”
Her heart sped up. What was he saying exactly? She was too chicken to ask him outright. “I want that too.”
“Good,” he said, sounding relieved. “I want you to meet my friends. They’re going to love you. They’ll probably try to convince you to move to Newton. If you’re not careful, April will have rented an apartment for you before we can even get home.”
Marlowe rested her head back down on Kendric’s chest and used her fingers to trace little circles on his skin. She didn’t think she’d mind living in Newton. It sounded like the kind of town that would be safe for raising kids. She’d had more than enough adventure to last her a lifetime. “My brother is going to love you too,” she told him.
“I’m looking forward to meeting him,” Kendric said.
Unexpectedly, tears sprang to Marlowe’s eyes. She wanted this. Lying in Kendric’s arms, talking, sharing. But she was smart enough to know nothing was ever this easy.
He’d have to deal with his friends being upset for not telling them about his missions. And while he might say he was ready to settle down, she wasn’t sure that was exactly true. He’d go back to Maineand inevitably get bored once again. How could she compete with the adrenaline rush he got while saving others? She couldn’t.
The thought of him going who-knows-where and putting himself in danger wouldn’t be something she could stomach. Not when she’d experienced firsthand how dangerous his missions could be. Asking him to stop wouldn’t be fair to Kendric, though. He was who he was, and she’d never want to hold him back.
The truth of the matter was that being with her would be boring. She wanted a slow and easy life from here on out, and this man would never do well with slow and easy. He was born to help others. To live on the edge.
