So sorry for the delay! Real life has been busy, but I also got a little distracted by a BMWW one-shot I'm working on and hope to post soon! Hope you enjoy the update! :)
Chapter 26
Diana awoke to the feel of warm lips leisurely trailing across her shoulder blade and down the length of her spine, powerful hands moving to grip her slender waist as he worked his way lower. Her lips curled as she reveled in his touch, the slow sensual slide of his lips and tongue, the teasing caress of his fingers along the sides of her breasts.
She moaned softly as he kissed his way back up to her neck, brushing her long hair aside to allow him more access to her. The muscular dips and curves of his chest pressed against her back, his hard arousal against her hip as he leaned over her.
His mouth found the sensitive spot behind her ear that always caused her to shiver in response to his focused attention. His teeth repeatedly raked over it causing her to tremble slightly, a soft gasp filling the air as her fingers curled deep into her pillow. He took her earlobe into his mouth, nibbling gently on it before lightly blowing on it.
"Morning, Princess," he huskily murmured in her ear. "Did you sleep well?"
Diana chuckled throatily, causing her body to gently shake beneath him. "Sleep? I think that is one thing we didn't do much of last night. You were insatiable, Mister Wayne."
"I had to make up for lost time," he replied, his large hand working its way down her side to grip her hip firmly. "You were rather voracious yourself. I'm going to be lucky if I can walk right today."
Diana's melodious laughter filled the air as she rolled over beneath him, her lips finding his in a heated kiss as her arms slipped around him. "You poor thing," she teased him with a sultry tone, trailing kisses along his jaw. "I guess maybe I should just leave you alone so you can recover."
Bruce abruptly shifted further over her, pinning her to the mattress and grinding his hips against hers as he broke the kiss. "I am nowhere near done with you yet, Princess. I have to make sure that you have been thoroughly ravished…" he paused to kiss her again before continuing "…and know beyond a doubt that you are the only one that I have ever truly loved. I wanted this to be perfect."
Diana smiled softly up at him as her hand moved to cup his cheek, her thumb lightly tracing over his lips and causing a shiver to race up his spine. "Last night was absolutely perfect in every way, but I'm not ready to let you go either."
She slanted her mouth over his, choosing to allow her body to show him what beat in her heart for him. He returned the kiss with a fierce intensity of his own as he allowed his full weight to settle over her, planting his knees between her thighs and forcing her to spread her legs even further for him.
Even after a night filled with passionate love making, he was still hungry for more of her. He could already feel that sweet desperate draw to be inside of her again. He knew it was a need that would never wane, his desire for her only growing even stronger with time.
His hands began to roam over her with skillful precision and the knowledge that came with the supreme privilege of being her lover. He knew what her body loved, what she craved and what drove her wild, pushing her over that titillating precipice.
Knowing that he was the only man in the world who knew her this intimately, the only one who could reduce her to a quivering incoherent mess turned him on even more than he already was. It was overwhelming to him at times how much he truly loved this woman and that she loved him just as deeply in return, surrendering so much just to be with him. It still staggered his mind.
Bruce's hand began to slide down her body, pausing to caress her toned abdomen as thoughts of the baby that they might have already made last night briefly flickered through his mind. His fingers finally arrived at their intended destination, finding her more than ready for him.
He began to stroke her gently, teasing her and gradually building her need for more until she was moving her hips uncontrollably against his hand, demanding more from him. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, kissing and sucking gently.
Diana gripped his upper arms, her fingers digging into his muscular biceps as pleasure built and roiled to almost unbearable levels, rising and falling like a tidal wave that Bruce refused to allow to fully crest. He was teasing her with what she wanted, what she needed, dangling it in front of her and tormenting her.
"Bruce..." she growled in frustration.
"Need something, Princess?"
She made a noise in the back of her throat followed by a string of panting Greek curses, her breathing ragged as she twisted and squirmed beneath him. "I will make…you pay for this…Bruce."
"Is that a promise?" he asked as he kissed her breathless, his tongue mimicking what his fingers were doing to her at that moment.
Unable to bear it a moment longer, Diana pressed her thighs firmly against him before abruptly rolling him over onto his back. Bruce smirked as he gazed up at his flushed Amazon, her breasts heaving and a passionate fire blazing in her blue eyes like twin flames.
He knew that he was in trouble now, anxious to see what she was going to do to him in retaliation. Riling up his fiery Amazon was his favorite thing to do next to making love with her. He knew it was dangerous to do, but he'd lived dangerously most of his life and there was nothing more dangerous than a very determined Amazon straddling him.
Why change now when Diana made things so much more gratifying?
"You enjoy torturing me…a little too much, Mister Wayne," she breathlessly said, leaning forward to grasp his hands and pin them to the mattress on either side of his head as she rubbed herself against him.
Bruce's eyes rolled back in his head with the amazing feeling of her stimulating him even more like that. He raised his hips in an effort to get inside of her only to have her lift her pelvis away from him, a devious smile playing on her face.
"Want something?" Her sultry question cut through the thick fog of pleasure that clouded his mind as she took his lower lip between her teeth to tease it mercilessly.
He gasped as her breasts continually brushed against his chest, her meticulous assault on him causing him to become frantic to touch her. Unfortunately…or fortunately, this was the pay back he was receiving for denying her release a few moments ago.
Releasing his lower lip, Diana blazed a tortuous trail along his jaw, down his throat to his chest. She nipped and sucked, stoking a fire within him that was burning him up from the inside out. He bent his knees and forcefully raised his hips, finding some measure of relief as he skillfully forced himself deep inside of her.
Diana gasped at the unexpected intrusion, crying out as she sank back to take the rest of him inside of her. She paused for a moment to catch the breath that he had just stolen with his unexpected move. "Impatient, aren't we?"
"I always get what I want, Princess," he told her with a self-satisfied smirk.
Diana chuckled softly, unable to resist the smug grin that he was giving her. He lifted his pelvis in an effort to get her to move, causing her laughter to turn into a throaty moan, her eyes falling closed with the pleasure rippling through her with his movement.
She slowly began rocking her hips, keeping a firm hold on his hands as they made love. She yearned for this intimate connection with him, not only with the way their lower halves were joined as one, but even with something as simple as holding his hands like this as they expressed what they felt. She loved the way that he was staring up at her now with such desire and adoration burning in his eyes that it nearly overwhelmed her as she met his gaze with one of her own.
His piercing blue eyes were dark with lust and love and a hunger that made her shiver inside. His chest was rising and falling rapidly as his gaze repeatedly raked over her, openly appreciating what he was seeing. No one had ever made her feel this way before him. There were men who always stared at her, ogled and leered at her, but no one ever looked at her quite the way Bruce always did.
It was an appreciation for not just her physical beauty, but also for what lay beneath. She found she had come to crave that look from him, the intense way his eyes practically bore through her in an effort to devour her whole with his gaze alone when his body couldn't.
She suddenly leaned down and kissed him hard, earning a growl that rose up low in his chest. He moved his hips faster in response, anxious to find release within her. If she wasn't pregnant by the time they left here, it was definitely not from lack of trying.
She finally released his hands, needing to touch him everywhere she could reach starting with his chest. His hands instantly reached for her hips, gripping her firmly as they moved as one body in an intimate demonstration of absolute love.
He abruptly sat up with intense need, his hot mouth latching onto her breast. Her head flew back with a cry of his name, her hands finding the hair on the back of his head in an effort to hold him against her. His hand moved to stroke the other, pinching and massaging and exciting her even more.
He nipped at her sensitive flesh, teasing it incessantly with his tongue and lips until she was writhing against him. She came with a strangled cry, coming undone as her inner walls clamped down on him. His arms moved to cradle her trembling form before laying her back on the bed.
He began to thrust deeply, desperate to find his own release within her. Diana raked her fingernails over his sweat-slick back, determined to push Bruce over the edge with her. His body bowed as he came hard, his muscles flexing and locking before giving out on him completely.
She wrapped her arms around him, holding him close to her and savoring the vulnerability that he was allowing her to see in him as he shuddered against her. It was a cherished gift that she'd never take for granted.
He softly brushed his lips against her throat as he struggled to recover, his fingers tangling in her damp hair. He kissed his way to her ear, his breath hot against her skin. He lifted his head, kissing her deeply before finally rolling off of her, pulling her with him. She settled on top of him, covering the length of his body with her own as they shared languid kisses.
"I never want this to end and yet I know it will," he breathily confessed as he brushed a raven curl behind her ear.
"I would love nothing more than to just stay here with you forever. We'll just have to plan on hiding here when we need to get away from the world," she replied, sitting up to straddle him once more before poking him in the chest with her finger. "And you need to make damn certain that you come home to me every night after patrol, Dark Knight."
Bruce swiftly grabbed her pointer finger, bringing it to his lips and kissing it lovingly before sucking on it. "I promise I'll do my best as long as you promise to come back to me after every mission. You know you're not immortal anymore, Diana."
She stared down at him, noticing the fear that briefly flashed through his eyes, the tension that all of a sudden gripped his body. "It'll be alright, Bruce," she gently reassured him. "I'm still me. I'm just going to grow old with you now. You, on the other hand, need to be more careful. You don't need any more scars."
He watched her intently as she lightly traced the new scars he'd received during his time in the Underworld, detected the sadness and guilt that veiled her face. His hand moved to cover hers where Cerberus had sunk his claws into him.
"I bear these proudly," he told her, lacing his fingers with hers. "I earned them fighting for you."
"Do you ever regret being forced to go through everything that you did?"
"Not for a second," he readily replied. "Do you regret giving up your immortality?"
"Never," she murmured, staring down at him with love in her eyes as her lips curved into a wicked grin. "Care to join me in the shower?"
"Only if you promise to let me scrub every inch of you."
"Hmmm…" she thoughtfully hummed, pressing a finger to her chin as she looked to the ceiling in thoughtful consideration. "As long as I get to do whatever I want to you while we're in there then you have yourself a deal."
"Deal," Bruce nearly cried as he practically threw Diana off him in order to race her to the bathroom. "Oh, by the way, we have another fund raiser to attend tonight. I hope you don't mind."
"What's this one for?" she asked as she followed him into the bathroom.
"I think Alfred said something about the new battered women's shelter," he informed her as he turned the water on in the shower.
"Will tonight's date end like last night's did?" she asked with a seductive purr as she pushed him under the water.
Bruce instinctively reached out, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her inside with him before closing the glass door. "Only if I'm lucky."
"Oh, I have a feeling you'll get very lucky, Mister Wayne," she teased as she swiftly pushed him up against the wall of the enormous shower.
He was greeted with a heated kiss, one that all too soon left his lips only to travel down his chest, her hands exploring every inch of him as she knelt before him. He pressed his head back against the wall of the shower as the hot water rained down upon them. He gasped sharply as she began to tease him, his fingers tangling in her hair as he swiftly lost himself to her all over again.
XXX
Bruce stood with a group of fellow businessmen holding his untouched flute of champagne, his expression one of mild amusement as Jason Stanton regaled them with some preposterous story involving a visiting diplomat, a case of brandy, and a stolen golf cart.
Bruce never put too much stock in any part of the story mostly because Jason had a terrible reputation of inflating his tales. It usually made for a good laugh, though. Lifting his glass to his lips, he peered over the rim, searching the room for the object of his desire as he chuckled at the appropriate time.
He was having a hard time focusing on much of anything of importance after the night they had spent together. It had only been topped by this morning's energetic activities that had ended with a very erotic encounter in the shower.
It had not only been the longest shower that he'd ever taken, but the best of his entire life. Thinking back on it even now was heating his blood all over again. When it came to Diana, he found his appetite for her was never satiated for very long. For someone who had no experience with men, she had most definitely been doubly blessed by Aphrodite with an innate knowledge of what he loved and what he needed.
She just seemed to know just what to do to drive him right to the brink only to cause his body to explode like fireworks with incredible pleasure like he'd never known before. The woman was simply amazing in every way imaginable and she was all his.
"She's over there," Craig Finley leaned over to whisper knowingly in Bruce's ear as Joe continued with his story that now included an ostrich and a pack of razors.
Bruce followed where Craig was pointing, finally spotting Diana amongst the countless guests talking to a couple of women Bruce knew from Gotham's wealthy society circles.
Craig smiled knowingly as he watched the billionaire. "You have really fallen hard, Bruce," he murmured, chuckling to himself as he clapped him on the back.
"You have no idea," Bruce muttered in response as he stared at her.
Diana was searching the crowded ballroom looking for him as well, fear gracing her face. He hated seeing her so worried, so unsure of herself when he wasn't there beside her, but he understood the panic that he could see in her eyes. He felt it at times too, gripping him when he least expected it.
His heart skipped a beat as their eyes at last met, locking in that moment. She flashed him a radiant smile that seemed to light up the whole room, visibly relaxing at the sight of him as if gaining a full breath of fresh air. He returned it with a grin of his own, both of them obviously thinking of this morning at Wayne Towers and wishing they could be back there now.
His grin broadened as Diana averted her eyes, a faint blush rising to her cheeks as she took a sip of her water. She looked radiant in a lavender gown, her hair swept back into a loose braid. She practically glowed, the light that had been missing from her eyes since being in the Underworld back and brighter than ever.
He knew they both had a long way to go in order to get over everything that had happened, but they were definitely on the right track. She was obviously still struggling even now with being separated from him at times.
It wasn't the first time tonight that she'd been near panic only to suddenly spot him in the ballroom teeming with rich socialites, relaxing the moment she saw him. It was unnerving to see her so unsettled and afraid. She was always so strong and fearless that he sometimes forgot that despite being an Amazon she was still very much a woman underneath it all, one with real human emotions.
Of course, last night had thoroughly reminded him just how remarkable of a woman she truly was.
"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen, I think that I need to dance with my future wife," Bruce abruptly announced.
"If you decide you can't handle her, Bruce, just let me know," Jason called to him as Bruce began to walk away. "I'd be more than happy to step in and take over for you."
"When hell freezes over," Bruce mumbled under his breath in annoyance.
He continued to watch her as he worked his way around people, trying to avoid getting drawn into any conversations. He noticed how Diana began searching the room for him after losing sight of him, the panic storming in her blue eyes. She set her glass down; excusing herself from the two ladies she'd been talking with.
She began to walk away, needing to find him when a hand firmly grasped her elbow, warm breath against her ear. "It's alright, Princess," he whispered. "I'm right here."
Diana whirled around, worried blue eyes meeting warm azure orbs filled with understanding. She released a breath as she took his hand in hers. "There you are," she replied with a strained smile, trying to hide her anxiety from him. "I thought maybe you had run away from me."
"Never," he reassured her, seeing through her attempt to cover her distress. "I just wanted to dance with my future wife."
"I think I'd like that very much," she agreed, allowing him to lead her to the dance floor.
Bruce pulled her into his arms, holding her close against him as they began to dance. "I'll never leave you, Diana," he softly promised her, gently kissing her temple.
His words as well as his lips brushed against her ear causing tingles to shoot through her. She pressed her cheek against his, forcing herself to relax and enjoy the evening. She knew it was foolish to be afraid. It was against her strong Amazonian upbringing, but she just couldn't get past watching Bruce die right before her at the hands of Lex Luthor. It was something that would haunt her for a long time to come.
She turned, nuzzling her nose against his cheek, wishing for the hundredth time that they could be alone right now. "I'm sorry, Bruce," she murmured. "In my head, I know I'm being irrational, but my heart tells me otherwise."
"There's nothing to apologize for," he insisted, pulling back to look into her eyes. "You may be an Amazon, but you still went through a traumatic experience. It's going to take some time to get past it."
"How are you managing so well now?"
"You," he simply replied. "If it weren't for you, I would've locked myself away in the cave long before now, but I still have my moments too."
"You do?"
"This morning when I woke up beside you, I just laid there watching you sleep and all I could think about how I had actually lost you for a short time there. Everything inside of me wanted to run away like I always have in the past, but I stayed because I love you and I don't want to be the man who I was before I met you."
Diana kissed him tenderly, losing themselves in the moment. The abrupt flash of paparazzi cameras interrupted the kiss, forcing them to retreat. "Sorry," Diana murmured in embarrassment as they continued to dance.
Bruce smirked at her as he tightened his hold on her. "Don't be."
She chuckled softly with his response, reminded of the incident in the Indian restaurant when she had grabbed him and kissed him to avoid being caught. She remembered that kiss fondly. Even though it had been a kiss rooted in urgent necessity, but there had been so much more behind it.
It had been the culmination of the flirtatious dance they had been engaged in for some time and both knew it. She had sensed it from him, felt it in the way that had responded, kissing her back in that moment and allowing her a brief glimpse of his true self without the mask of the Bat.
Bruce turned her on the dance floor, pulling her in close to him again and savoring the feel of her in his arms. His attention was caught by a bald-headed man on the other side of the room. The man's back was to him and yet he had a sinking feeling he knew it was.
Diana felt his hold on her tighten, his body growing tense. She pulled back to look at him, concerned. "What is it?"
"Nothing," he muttered with a smile, but his intense gaze told her otherwise.
"What did you see?" she pressed, turning her head in the direction he had been looking at.
"I just thought I saw someone I knew," he told her, forcing himself to relax.
She had been through more than enough to last a lifetime. He didn't want to alarm her if Luthor was truly here. He briefly toyed with the notion of signaling Robin and Nightwing, but he wanted to wait until he knew more. He didn't want to drag them in here just because he was being overly paranoid tonight because of all that had happened in the Underworld, but he couldn't help it. Lex Luthor was still on the loose and still after Diana.
Luthor's attack on the manor while they had been in the Underworld had only added to his fear and stress, putting him even more on guard than usual. He had studied the crushed bug that Alfred had found attached to the vase. It had been made by LexCorp.
He knew there was far more to it than just Lex trying to plant a listening device in the manor. He just hadn't been able to discover what that was yet. He was furious with himself for not focusing more on finding Luthor since returning to Gotham. He'd focused so much on coming to terms with his own issues that he'd not only hurt Diana, but he had also failed to find Luthor. Now, he could be here with some insane plot to get her back.
"Bruce, I know you saw something or someone," Diana pressed, her mouth close to his ear. "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure yet," he softly confessed. "Just keep your eyes open. There could be trouble."
"Do we need to call in the League?"
"No…don't," he quickly replied a little harsher than he had intended. "It's just a gut feeling I have."
"Bruce, you're gut feelings are never wrong," she reminded him, trying to keep the tension that had settled into her shoulders from reaching her face.
At that moment, one of the servers came up to them. "Excuse me, Mister Wayne. This is for you," the young man informed him as he handed him a folded piece of paper before walking away.
"Thank you," Bruce said with a frown as he took the note.
Opening it, his heart nearly stopped as he read what was written.
"Meet me on the terrace alone right now or I will kill her right here."
Luthor
Noticing the rage that suddenly flashed through his eye, Diana reached for his free hand, squeezing it an effort to calm him. "Bruce, what is it?" she asked with an edge of urgency to her voice. "You're starting to scare me."
His fingers curled around the piece of paper, crumpling it. He forced a reassuring smile to his face, one that he knew that Diana would see through it, but he had no choice right now. "It's just one of my business associates. He wants to talk to me about some concerns he has about a deal we recently made," he lied, praying she wouldn't push the issue, but he knew otherwise.
Diana's face fell, her eyes clouding with hurt. "Bruce, you're lying to me," she softly stated, releasing his hand and taking a step back away from him. "Why would you do that to me?"
Guilt swam in his gut, his heart in his throat trying to strangle him as he thought furiously for a feasible way out of this without it ending in her getting killed. He took her hand in his before leading her off of the dance floor as he shoved the note into his tux pocket.
He pulled her to a stop away from the crowd before finally turning to answer her. "I can't talk about it now, but you need to trust me, Princess. I just need to talk to someone on the terrace and then I'll be right back."
Diana studied him for a long moment, anger quickly rising to mingle with her hurt. "You're trying to protect me from something, aren't you? I am not some fragile girlfriend who can't take care of herself, Bruce."
"I know you're not, but you have to trust me, Diana," Bruce replied, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I have to go now. Just please promise me you'll stay right here. Don't go anywhere without me."
"Fine, we'll do it your way for now," she tightly relented as she folded her arms against her chest, "but if you're not back here in ten minutes, I'm coming out there to get you no matter what you say."
Bruce relaxed slightly with her acquiescence, but he knew they were far from out of the woods just yet. "I'm coming right back, Diana, and when I do I'll tell you everything. Just please let me take care of this first."
She silently nodded her head agreement, her anger more than evident, but he didn't have time to assuage it right now. He leaned in and kissed her before quickly turning on his heel and leaving her alone. She watched as he disappeared into the crowd, the familiar feeling of panic rising once more.
He had exactly ten minutes or she was going out there whether he liked it or not.
XXX
Bruce quickly began to weave his way through the crowd, desperate to get out there before Luthor did something rash. He carefully pushed a button on his watch alerting Robin to trouble, hoping that Nightwing was nearby as well. He didn't want to call in the League, preferring to take care of this on his own. He just hoped that if it truly was Luthor he could control himself long enough to keep from killing him with his bare hands.
He quickened his pace past a gossiper known for talking incessantly. He couldn't afford to get stopped by her, not with Lex Luthor waiting outside for him and Diana planning on following him in eight minutes now.
"Bruce!"
Damn.
"Hi, Evelyn," Bruce greeted her with his playboy grin as he hurried past her. "Sorry, I can't chat now. Gotta run."
He swiftly pushed on, ignoring her squawking as she prattled on about not getting an invitation to the wedding which still had yet to be rescheduled. That was something he definitely planned on taking care of soon.
Approaching the terrace doors, he spotted Lex Luthor standing along the wrought iron railing, his back to him. He felt his chest tighten, his every muscle coiled with anger and more than prepared for a fight. His senses were on high alert as he stepped outside into the warm night air. There was no way Luthor would be out here unarmed or alone, not when what he wanted was still in the ballroom by herself.
Luthor was separating them.
The thought caused his stomach to twist sharply, his every instinct telling him to race back to Diana right now before Luthor could get his hands on her, but he couldn't risk him just killing her outright either. He was too unpredictable to try to second guess.
Bruce came to a stop, his hands instantly clenching into fists at his side. "What are you doing here, Luthor?"
Lex turned around, a grin plastered on his face as he leaned his elbows back on the railing, his long legs crossing at the ankles. He was dressed in a black tux as well in an effort to blend in with the crowd. "So good to see you again, Wayne," he replied. "Diana is looking as stunning as ever. How is she? Does she still have that adorable stutter?"
"If you think you're going to get your hands on Diana again, you're sadly mistaken," Bruce ground out.
Luthor laughed with his threat, his dark eyes gleaming. "What are you going to do to me? It's not exactly like you incite fear in people."
Bruce took a threatening step closer, his nostrils flaring with barely restrained fury. "I think you might just be surprised at what I am capable of."
"That's close enough," Luthor stated, holding up his hand as he straightened to his full height.
"Tell me what you want," Bruce demanded.
"There are six snipers currently planted throughout the area. All of them have their rifles trained on our beloved Diana as we speak," Lex revealed. "You come with me quietly and she won't get hurt. Create a fuss or attract any attention and they will shoot her where she stands."
"I don't believe you," Bruce shot back. "I doubt you would kill the woman you supposedly love."
"I would if it meant that you couldn't have her either," Lex countered with a dark sneer. "Yes, I want her for myself, but if for some reason I can't have her, then no one else will ever have her either."
Bruce glanced back over his shoulder, his heart threatening to pound right out of his chest. He spotted Diana already beginning to make her way towards the terrace, her anger palpable even from here. His time was up.
"Alright, I'll go with you," he spat out. "Just don't hurt Diana."
"I never make a promise I don't intend to keep," Lex replied with a smirk.
Bruce's eyes narrowed as Hush abruptly stepped out from the shadows, confirming Bruce's suspicions that Luthor wasn't alone. It was just the last person he would've expected. "Good to see you again, Bruce," Hush said as he pulled out a small gun, a grin on his face. "It's high time the two of us get reacquainted."
XXX
Diana stalked towards the terrace more than a little angry that Bruce had lied to her. He was hiding something from her, trying to protect her and it angered her. She didn't need protecting. Just because they were both still struggling with everything that had happened to them didn't mean that he needed to shelter her from everything now.
Her fingers curled into fists, her fingernails digging into her palms. She was not some child that needed to be coddled. Just because she was struggling with some fear at times didn't mean that she was incapable of dealing with life. Hera, she was still Wonder Woman…still Diana.
Walking out onto the terrace, Diana was stunned to find no one out there. She quickly began to scan the area, fear swelling in her chest. "Bruce!" she called, moving to the railing to look out onto the grounds that surrounded the building. "Bruce!"
There was no response and no sign of him anywhere.