Merry & Seduced Page 14

  “What’s taking so long?” Camryn asked through the dressing room curtain. “Doesn’t it fit?”

  Amme tugged aside the curtain. “It’s a perfect fit, but I need help with the zipper.” She turned to present her back and Camryn pulled up the zip.

  Camryn clapped her hands together when Amme turned in her direction to display the strapless dress with the embroidered flowers on the bodice. “It’s perfect. This is the one. Now on to the mall and shoes.”

  * * * * *

  “I’m going to ask Amme to marry me.” Marcus blurted the words to Olivia during a quiet moment with just the two of them.

  “You what?”

  “You resemble a fish. You’ll catch a fly if you’re not careful.”

  “Well, you took me by surprise,” Olivia said and smacked him on the shoulder. “I thought you were a confirmed bachelor.”

  “I didn’t think I had it in me to be a father either. Hell, look at our parents.”

  “I’d rather not,” Olivia said. “They still don’t know I’m here. As far as I know they haven’t tried to contact me.” Her mouth twisted. “I don’t think they’d miss me if I left Earth.”

  Marcus reached for her sister and gave her a quick hug. At first she resisted then she pressed against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her, giving her the comfort she needed.

  After a long moment she pulled back. “Would you miss me?”

  “Yes.” Amme’s presence had done more than help him with his daughter. She’d help him become closer to his rebel sister. “In fact, I was going to ask if you want to stay with me.”

  “And crash a couple of honeymooners?”

  “The house is huge,” Marcus said. “Say yes.”

  “But I need to do something,” Olivia said. “I can’t just mooch off you.”

  “So work out what you want to do and make this your base. You’re my family, Liv. I want you here.”

  Olivia stared at him, then brought a shaky hand to her chin. “You haven’t called me that for years.”

  “I know. I lost my way for a while. Amme has made me take a hard look at my life, and I didn’t like what I saw. Slowly, day by day, I was turning into our parents.”

  “Yuck.” Olivia wrinkled her nose. “A fate worse than death.”

  “So you’ll stay?”

  “Yes, for the time being anyway.” She hesitated. “I’ve thought about doing something in travel. Not the same as Mum and Dad’s business, but more adventure-related travel.”

  Marcus grinned. “Adventure like our ancestor the great Marco Polo?”

  “Yes.”

  “So do it. I’ll help you in any way I can.”

  Olivia flew at him and wrapped her arms around him in a fierce hug. “Thank you.”

  “So I guess this means you’re happy about Amme joining the family?”

  “It’s the best move you’ve ever made,” Olivia said. “Amme is perfect for you. Don’t you dare let her escape. When are you going to ask her?”

  “I pick up the ring tomorrow. I need you to babysit Autumn tomorrow night so I can take Amme out for a special dinner.”

  “Done deal.” Olivia rubbed her hands together. “I love Amme. I can’t wait for her to join our family—the new, improved Polos.”

  Chapter Nine

  “My feet are sore,” Amme said.

  “Mine too,” Camryn said, stretching her bare feet out in front of her and wriggling her toes.

  “I’m not surprised,” Ry said. “I think you bought out the shops.”

  “It’s a special occasion,” Amme said. “I can’t wait for the wedding.”

  Marcus lifted one of her feet and placed it on his lap. He rubbed her arches with gentle pressure, and a soft groan of pleasure rushed past her lips.

  “Ooh, that’s good. Don’t stop,” Amme said.

  Camryn sighed. “We should go back to the cottage. I promised Max I’d help with the training in the morning. Early morning,” she added. “I don’t want to miss this since we’re leaving soon.”

  Ry stood and pulled Camryn to her feet. “Let’s go then. Are the others still out?”

  “Olivia has taken them night clubbing. I doubt they’ll be back for hours,” Camryn said.

  Marcus gave a theatrical shudder. “It’s kind of scary knowing my sister is legal now. She got into enough mischief before she turned twenty. She got herself expelled from countless schools for sneaking into pubs.”

  Camryn laughed. “The way I hear it, daughters can be a lot of trouble. You have that to look forward to.”

  Marcus groaned. “Don’t tell me that.”

  “I need to recharge,” Amme said. “We have to start party prep tomorrow.”

  “It’s not too late to hire a catering company,” Marcus said. “We can find one somewhere willing to cater the party.”

  “No, we want to do this. It’s our way of saying thank you for sharing your holiday and home with us,” Camryn said.

  Amme nodded. “With all of us helping it’s fun, not work anyway.”

  “Good night,” Ry said and urged his mate to the door. “We need to rest.”

  “Is rest a different word for sex?” Camryn asked.

  “It’s a word meaning bottom spanking,” Ry said.

  Marcus grinned and walked them to the door. “See you tomorrow.”

  Amme stood too and went to check on Autumn. The little girl was just as exhausted as the rest of them. Her arm and leg stuck from beneath the covers, and Amme resettled the sheet. She looked cute and peaceful. Although she was a serious child, she’d blossomed under Marcus’s attention. Amme smiled as she exited Autumn’s room and broke into a little dance shimmy, which took her into Marcus’s bedroom. She liked to think she’d helped too.

  “Is Autumn asleep?” Marcus wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed a kiss to her temple.

  “Yes, I think we tired her out today.”

  “I’ll run a bath for you.”

  “You’d don’t have to do that.”

  Marcus placed his lips on hers then took the contact deeper until their tongues tangled and excitement flared in a bright burst. She clung to him, gloried in the quivers of pleasure, of desire. The roam of his fingers. When their mouths parted, her lungs labored to catch a breath and Marcus seemed in the same condition.

  “I love you, Amme. Go and grab whatever sexy lingerie you’re going to torture me with tonight. I’ll start the water running.” He strode away and disappeared into his en suite, leaving her staring after him. Secs later the sound of water splashing into the tub drifted to her.

  He loved her?

  Amme blinked. Other people loved, spoke of their feelings. She was a childcare cyborg because she’d exhibited the trait in early childhood. Cybertronics enhanced her body to increase the characteristic.

  Love wasn’t meant for her.

  She wasn’t meant for love.

  Yet, Marcus’s words made her knees tremble, and she tottered to the drawers containing her lingerie to follow his instructions.

  He loved her.

  “The bath is ready,” Marcus called, and the water shut off.

  Amme hurriedly grabbed the first nightgown to hand. It didn’t matter which one because she usually ended up naked anyway. Besides, the ability to think seemed to have packed up and gone on holiday.

  She stepped into the bathroom and found Marcus stripping off. Soft music played from concealed speakers and several candles flickered, saving the room from full darkness and giving it an intimacy that increased the boom, boom, boom of her heart-pump. She halted, her gaze tracing his muscled chest, trim waist and strong thighs. Immediately, she went gooey inside.

  Gooey.

  It wasn’t a word Amme had used or understood until she met Camryn. Evidently, Ry made Camryn go gooey, but Amme had never quite comprehended the feeling, not in the same way as her friend.

  Now she did.

  Marcus made her feel this way, and she liked it even if it meant she should seek a tune-up from Mogens.

  “I thought we’d share,” he said.

  “I like the way you think.” Boom, boom, boom. Was this love? Grata, she didn’t know. All she knew was that the idea of leaving Marcus and Autumn made her eyes sting and her stomach churn. And her heart-pump…out of control.

  “Let me undress you,” he murmured, his breath warm against her ear. A tremor went through her, and she shivered again at the touch of his fingers against her ribs. When she was finally naked, he helped her step into the bath and turned on the jets. Soon Marcus settled into the bath behind her and drew her against his chest.

  “You always smell good.”

  One of her cyborg traits, but she couldn’t tell him that. “Thank you.”

  “I love spending time with you. These last few weeks have been amazing.” Marcus paused to pump liquid soap into his palms. He ran his soapy hands over her shoulders and breasts, using seductive strokes that pushed at her desire.

  She relaxed against him, her neck pillowed by his shoulder. “It’s been special for me too. It’s hard to believe it’s almost time to leave.”

  “What if you didn’t have to go? Would you want to stay?”

  “Yes.” She didn’t even need to think about it, but secs later the problems, the differences between them pounced into her mind like a big cat. She bit her bottom lip and pushed away her fears. Somehow…there might be a way. Her teeth dug deeper into her lip. Kuf! Who was she trying to fool?

  Staying with Marcus would be like living a lie, and she wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the pretense. What would happen if she malfunctioned?

  Not that this happened on a regular basis, but malfunctioning was always a remote possibility.

  Unaware of her inner turmoil, Marcus kept touching and stroking and
caressing until she wriggled in his embrace.

  “Well, we’ll have to see if we can manage that.” Marcus’s hands slid over her breasts and he kissed her neck. “We’ll talk about a plan tomorrow because right now I want to enjoy you.” His hands slipped down her torso, over her hip and between her thighs. His finger stroked and delved, her flesh soft and hot and needy. Pleasure swirled through her. Not with an urgent tempo but something gentler and sweeter.

  A plan? The thought pierced her foggy pleasure then dispersed like Martian mist.

  The bubbles forced from the jets helped to soothe her aching muscles, and she floated in a blissful state. Marcus stroked her—oh yes—did some precision work on her clit, rubbing and teasing until the pleasure burst over her.

  “Marcus,” she whispered, her internal muscles moving in hard spasms for long moments. The press of his cock into her back reminded her this loving was very one-sided. She attempted to twist her body, but he held her in place.

  “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “We have the rest of the night.” He nibbled her neck and her head fell back, exposing more flesh for his attentions.

  “That feels so good.” Her cybertronics jumped and gamboled like a playful puppy.

  He teased one nipple, alternatively plucking and pinching until enjoyment radiated from each point of contact.

  “We’re turning into prunes,” Marcus said.

  An unfamiliar term. She opened her mouth then clamped it shut. It couldn’t be life-threatening since there was no panic in his voice.

  “We should get out before your beautiful skin goes permanently wrinkled. Out you get. I’ll take care of things in here. You keep warm.” Marcus gave her a gentle push and she rose to her feet and stepped from the bath.

  She lifted her hand and saw her normal smooth skin, yet prunes related to wrinkling in some way. She made a mental note to ask Camryn about this phenomenon.

  Marcus grabbed a handful of soap and washed himself briskly.

  She stared for an instant, the towel she was drying herself with stilling. A cool shiver went over her, pebbling her skin with tiny chill bumps. She cocked her head, listening closely, frowned. She dropped the towel and smoothed on a black lacy gown.

  “You look beautiful,” Marcus whispered. “Don’t get cold. Go and climb in bed.”

  His heated look warmed her through and she nodded. “Don’t be long.”

  “With you waiting for me? Not a chance.”

  Amme padded through to the bedroom, and another chill swept over her. Autumn. Something wasn’t right. Instinct had her moving before the thoughts formed into solid commands to act. She burst into Autumn’s room and discovered an empty bed.

  “Autumn?”

  “Amme!” Panic filled the child’s voice.

  Amme charged in the direction of the stairs. Three-quarters of the way down Autumn struggled with a strange woman. “What are you doing? Autumn, come to me.”

  “Stay away from me,” the woman screeched, her eyes wild, her blonde hair unkempt. The chipped scarlet fingernails of her right hand dug into Autumn’s upper arm. The blade of a knife glinted in the other. “Stay away or…or I’ll hurt her.”

  The knife wavered in her trembling hand, and a bead of blood formed on Autumn’s cheek.

  Amme froze, her mind fumbling for English. “A-Autumn is an innocent. Please, please let her come to me.”

  “Get back!”

  Amme summed up with cyberspeed. If she got close enough, she’d grab Autumn. Her strength and speed would aid her.

  “Amme.” Autumn wriggled. “I want Daddy.”

  “It’s all right, sweetheart,” Amme said, not taking her attention from the woman. “I’ve seen you before. In the mall. Have you been following us?”

  “S-stay where you are. I’ll use my knife. Cut her pretty face. Marcus won’t want her anymore.”

  “Marcus loves her,” Amme said. “He’d love her no matter what.”

  “Marcus loves me.” The woman’s voice wavered, and her gaze bounced from Amme to the landing above and back.

  “What do you want?”

  The woman cleared her throat, hesitated before bursting into speech. “M-Marcus is mine. Tell him I’m taking his daughter. He can come for her. W-we’re gonna be happy. I love him.”

  Amme gathered herself. She could do this, move before the woman reacted.

  Autumn snapped her teeth, diverting the woman’s attention. Amme leaped, struck the woman’s hand. The knife flew over the banister. But the woman reacted quickly. She shoved Autumn against the wall and sprang at Amme, fingers outstretched. Pain receptors registered the gouge, the damage to her chin.

  “You can’t have him,” the woman snarled, and she grabbed Autumn and pushed her down the stairs.

  “Autumn!” Amme shrieked.

  Autumn screamed, legs and arms flailing as she toppled backward. Amme practically flew after Autumn, grabbing her, using every bit of her strength to save the girl from harm.

  She managed to grip the banister and halt their downward roll. She dug in, taking their combined weight on her legs. Exhaling a shaky breath, she set Autumn down, made sure the child had her balance.

  Marcus appeared at the top of the stairs. “What the fuck? Sophie?”

  “She can’t have you,” the woman shrieked and she jostled Amme, elbowed her then rammed her hard.

  Amme went airborne. She tumbled backward and hit the bottom stair with a thump that reverberated inside her skull.

  Pain struck her like a blow—a blast of agony doubled by her receptors and echoing through her blood network. Move. She had to move. A groan escaped as she ordered her body to move. Her leg. Grata, her leg. It bent at an impossible angle. She gasped, tried to propel herself forward with her arms. Her right arm crumpled, and she realized she was broken.

  Summoning every bit of energy, she forced her head to move and glanced at her arm. The skin covering her arm circuitry had split and some of her cybertronics were visible.

  Panic roared through her mind, her thoughts tangling as she attempted to pick herself up again.

  Camryn. Camryn would help. She had to…to com Camryn.

  “Amme,” Marcus shouted.

  Amme managed to croak a garbled message via her earpiece before blackness clouded her mind. “Emergency. Code blue. Code blue!”

  Marcus shoved past Sophie, ignoring her shrieks to get to Autumn and Amme.

  “Marcus, I love you,” Sophie sobbed.

  “Get the fuck out of my way.” He reached Autumn, her small face pale and tear-streaked, a little bloody. The red brushed away with his thumb. Superficial. Thank God. “Autumn, are you all right? Do you hurt anywhere?”

  “She…she…is Amme dead like Mummy?”

  “No, of course not.” He picked up Autumn and continued down the stairs, hoping like hell he wasn’t lying to his daughter. “Stand over there, sweetheart, while I check Amme.”

  “Marcus, you’re mine,” Sophie screamed. She wrapped her arms around herself and curled into a weeping ball on the landing. “It’s not fair. You belong to me.”

  He ignored her to crouch beside Amme. Her eyes were wide open, blank and staring. Grief and pain struck him as he fumbled to check her pulse. His fingers touched cool, clammy skin at her throat.

  No pulse.

  He reached for her wrist and— “What the fuck?” Those were wires. Some kind of circuits. “Autumn, I want you to run and get my phone. It’s on the kitchen counter.”

  Without warning a window smashed. Marcus whirled around in time to see a huge black leopard leap into his house. Seconds later another one followed. Marcus blinked and blinked again when the biggest leopard suddenly morphed in a man.

  Ry.

  The second leopard transformed into a topless Camryn. Ry let out a snarl and Camryn immediately crossed her arms over her bare breasts.

  “Is she all right?” Camryn demanded. “What happened? Where’s Autumn?” She paused to listen. “The others are almost here.”

  “What the fuck?” Marcus said. “You…you…”

  “Broken arm. Broken leg. Must be shock. She’s gone offline. We need Mogens and Nanu,” Ry said in a terse voice. “Shut up,” he snarled at Sophie.

  “Daddy, here’s the phone,” Autumn said. “Where are your clothes?”

  “I was in a hurry,” Camryn said. “Marcus, what happened?”

  “I don’t know. I was in the bathroom. I heard a scream and came out in time to see Amme hit the ground.”