As they danced, he kept feeling her fingers gently brush the back of his neck and shoulders while her breath was softly tickling his chest. At this point, he was trying to think of sports stats or work or anything to keep himself from getting hard. He assumed it was fairly pointless though, there was no way she didn't know how she was affecting him right now.
"Robbie, you're killing me." He groaned. "We should probably stop dancing and figure out a movie to watch."
She lifted her lust-filled eyes to meet his and nodded, "Robbie? You started it, Marcus." She said pressing a little closer. "But you're also right." They stopped swaying to the music but continued to look at each other for another long moment. Finally, Robyn took a step back and Dante's arms reluctantly released her. They walked back to the couch and took their seats next to each other.
He handed her a bottle of water as he grabbed his mug and the remote. "What are we watching?"
1Robyn couldn't form a clear thought right now. "Let Netflix randomly pick something," she recommended as she drank some water.
"Good idea," he said, opening the app on the TV. He couldn't imagine trying to think coherently enough to agree on a movie right now anyway. He pressed the appropriate sequence of buttons to start a movie. He set his mug and the remote on the table and settled back into the couch. He immediately stopped paying attention to the screen when Robyn leaned against him. He shifted to face her a little more and lifted his arm to draw her against his side. He inhaled her scent as she snuggled close and laid her head against his chest. He pulled a blanket off the back of the couch and tucked it around her. He tried to turn his attention back to the screen, but he kept getting distracted by her body next to him. His semi-focus lasted for less than half an hour until he noticed Robyn's head was on his leg and was dangerously close to what he'd been trying to control all night.
"Robyn?" He questioned quietly. When he didn't get a response, he gently tilted her head towards him so he could see her face. She was asleep, like, completely knocked out and she had somehow managed to slide, twist and slip into what looked like a very uncomfortable position. He thought about letting her stay that way, but he knew it wouldn't help her pain level come later on. He gently slipped out from under her to try to figure out the best position to move her into. When he stood up and looked down at her, he saw that not only was she in some weird twisted position, but she had somehow managed to get tangled in the blanket too. He was pretty sure there was a pillow or two in there with her as well. She must have magic powers because while he had felt her shifting, he didn't think she'd moved around that much. He really didn't want to wake her up, but she couldn't stay that way.
"Robyn?" He tried again. She didn't even stir. "Robbie?" He said reaching out and taking her hand. She barely mumbled but she did grasp his hand. He gently tugged her hand and noticed she seemed to be following his actions. He knew there was no way she could drive home right now if he did wake her up, so he figured he may as well get her to the guest bedroom to sleep. It would be far more comfortable for the amount of pain he knew she was in. He had a feeling she would go back to sleep easily anyway.
He took both of her hands in his and gently tugged. He was surprised when he was easily able to get Robyn into a standing position. He untangled her from the blanket and pillows and then entwined her fingers with his. He took a few steps to test her willingness to follow him. Again, he was surprised when she followed behind him without resistance. Leaving the lights off, he led her to the guest room, pulled back the covers on the bed, and guided her to lie down. He removed her shoes and then pulled the covers up over her. She immediately rolled over onto her side facing him. He turned to leave but she reached out and softly grabbed his hand.
"Stay," she whispered.
"Robyn?"
"Stay," she mumbled.
He stood and looked at her while she held his hand. Considering the fact he was looking at her in only the streetlight, he couldn't tell if she was awake or not. He tried to gently remove his hand from hers but she seemed determined to hold it hostage. When he sat on top of the covers next to her she loosened her hold. He laid down and she released his hand. Within seconds, she was curled up against him.
"Stay," she repeated softly. He knew then she was still asleep, but he couldn't resist the opportunity to hold her. He grabbed the extra blanket from next to the bed, pulled it over himself then curled into Robyn's sleeping form. Moments later, he too was asleep.
Robyn was having a good dream. She had been slow dancing with Marcus before they started a movie. She had curled up against him and he had pulled her close. She didn't remember what movie it was and she didn't remember the full dream, but she did remember going to a bedroom with him and asking him to stay. She wished she remembered the details of what happened after because she was certain they would have been amazing. Hell, she could still smell his scent and cologne. She was so tired she didn't even remember driving home and going to bed.
She moved her arms to stretch and was surprised to find a firm warm body stopping her actions. She opened her eyes to find a sleeping Dante holding her. Her eyes traced his sleeping face while she mentally traced what she remembered. Looking around the room, she saw a streetlight reflecting off of a mirror. She realized what she thought was a dream had partially happened. She noted that he was on top of the covers and she was fully dressed under them. That explained why she didn't remember the amazingness that happened after asking him to stay. As was his nature, he'd been a perfect gentleman. She had such mixed emotions about that.
She knew he'd wake up soon enough, so she figured she'd enjoy a few more minutes of being in his arms. While it hadn't been very long, she had slept soundly. She knew it had to do with trusting the man currently holding her and feeling safe with him. It wasn't in her nature to let her guard down otherwise. She saw the scar on his shoulder and thought back to the time he'd been kidnapped and shot. She remembered the panic of answering the phone to hear the voice of his terrified son. She had rushed to get to the boys as fast as she could. While she was as scared as them, there was no way she was going to let them see it. Fortunately, their mom arrived right after she did. It allowed her to focus on what she was good at, helping someone. She'd almost been too late to find him. She had almost lost him.
She remembered the terror of finding him bleeding out on the ground next to a dead officer. She remembered racing over to him and yelling his name, calling him Dante a couple of times. It wasn't until she called him Marcus that he opened his eyes and looked at her. She had him and she wasn't going to let him go. Ever since then, when they were in public or when she was talking to someone about him, he was Dante or Detective Dante. When it was just the two of them, he was Marcus to her, even if she didn't always say it out loud. Reaching her hand up, she gently traced her finger along the side of his face, down his neck, and to the scar on his shoulder. She would be forever grateful for his strength and stubbornness. She felt his breathing change and knew he was awake.
"How did you sleep?" He asked without opening his eyes.
"Well, thanks," she answered, still gently tracing his scar. "How about you?"
"Better than I have in a long time," he said, opening his eyes.
Robyn's hand stilled when their eyes met. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you."
"I don't mind," he said. Seeing her ponytail had fallen out and her curls were loose, he reached up and tucked a stray curl behind her ear. He glanced at the clock behind her and saw that they'd been asleep for almost 2 hours. "Did you enjoy the movie?" He smiled.
Returning his smile she said, "I have a feeling we were watching different movies."
He laughed and ran a finger over her cheek. "You had slipped into some weird position and I didn't want you to add to your current pain level. You were completely willing to walk with me, so I moved you to the guest room," he explained.
"You stayed with me," she said, resuming tracing her finger across his shoulder and collarbone.
"You asked me too."
"You listened?" She said, pressing her palm over his heart.
"I always will," he cupped her cheek and brushed his thumb against her lower lip. "I have a hard time resisting you, Robbie." He felt the sharp intake of her breath as she processed what he said.
"Marcus," she said with a sigh. "I don't want to move too fast and mess this up."
"You matter to me," he replied. "I'm willing to move at whatever speed you need me to. I'm not going anywhere. I meant what I said about not pushing."
"Thank you for understanding," she whispered. After a moment she rolled over onto her back, stretched, then released a deep groan. "I regret that stretch," she said as she felt a muscle spasm.
"Roll over, " he said standing up.
"What?" Robyn asked.
"Roll over," he repeated, folding the blanket that had covered him and putting it back next to the bed.
She looked at him and then rolled over onto her stomach next to where he was standing. She placed her hands under her head and watched him. He turned on the lamp and pulled the covers down to her waist. He saw her shirt had shifted up to reveal the lower half of her back. The outline of a large bruise was beginning to form in the middle of her back.
"Oh, Robbie." He said gently tracing the bruise. "This is gonna be bad."
"Yeah, I've felt that one forming," she admitted.
As he watched, the right muscle in her lower back spasmed again. He grabbed a bottle of lotion he saw had been left on the dresser and poured some into his hand. He rubbed his hands together and then gently began to massage them into her lower back muscles. At the first touch of pressure, she released a growling hiss.
"You okay?" He asked.
"Yeah," came the strangled response.
He watched her eyes flutter closed as he worked out the knots in her lower back. He made sure to avoid any areas where he saw bruises forming. He did his best to try and ignore the feeling of his hands rubbing against her soft smooth skin. This was about helping her, not his desires. After a while, he checked on her again.
"Robyn?" His hands slowed into more of a soft rubbing motion than a massage. Her eyes opened and locked with his. The fire that he saw there reflected his exact lustful feelings. Thinking about their earlier talk, he slowly removed his hands and slid her shirt back down. He took a step back to put some space between them. He needed to walk away before he ended up jumping her. "I'm going to go back out into the living room. You can stay here as long as you want." He reluctantly tore his gaze from hers and left the room.
