~ Marcus in the bedroom with the others ~<br/><br/>The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, sounding more commanding than he had originally intended.  He was joking of course, and really didn’t expect her to follow them, but when Mari ran her tongue along her lip and then dropped onto all fours, his eyes widened.  The male in him hadn’t failed to notice her erect nipples as they pushed against her top, nor the look she’d gotten in her eye when he spoke, and he suddenly wasn’t entirely sure what she had in mind as she crawled towards him.  Every muscle in her body moved with a sensual grace, the feet that separated them disappearing fast, and he could do nothing but sit and stare, enthralled by her beauty.  She stopped and lifted her head, brushing her cheek against his in a loving nuzzle, and his body virtually trembled with emotion as it raced through his nerves and flowed through his veins, swamping him with sensations.  The kiss, when it came, was almost indescribable, her lips soft and moist against his, sending instant fire flaming to his soul and his groin.  Her whimper was matched by his low moan and when she broke it off, the loss was immediate and devastating.  Watching her crawl backwards, he licked his lips and stared at her, transfixed by the moment that had just occurred. Oh, he couldn’t wait to repeat that kiss and take it further but now wasn’t the time.<br/><br/>It took him a moment after that to see the others in the room, his body finally coming down from the arousal high it had soared to when Mari kissed him.  When his gaze passed from person to person, the first thing he saw was the sisterhood that had formed, Mari’s hands touching Mila and Nicci, banding them together.  The sight caused his heart to miss a beat or two as the realization of what he saw sunk in.  The women were beginning to bond, no, more than that, to care for each other.  It was only the first day and that connection was tenuous at best but faced with the situation they were in, it was clear that something was happening between them.  Whatever it was, it seemed to be a very good thing.  He knew he should pick the next woman to kiss him, to keep this challenge and intimate moment moving forward, but he hesitated as Nicci spoke next.  Her words were ones of denial, saying she wasn’t part of this challenge, and they made Marcus frown.  Of course she was part of the challenge; she was part of this new family, or what he hoped would be his new family, and she should participate just like the others.  It was all in fun anyway, no hard relationships would be built from this, no commitments.  Just good old fashioned adult fun was all that mattered right then.<br/><br/>He was going to say something to that affect but before he could, two things happened first.  One was so subtle, so casual, that he almost missed it but when he realized what had happened, he blinked and turned his gaze to Bo.  Marcus sensed how the man felt about Nicci, saw the way they touched that night, so when he removed his hand from hers in that moment of denial, it spoke volumes.  Without knowing for sure, Marcus suspected that the ex-soldier had just sent a message about unity, about one for all and all for one, a message Marcus understood well.  It was appropriate right then, and needed to be said, and without uttering a word, Bo had done it.  Mila took care of the spoken piece, immediately jumping on Nicci in a friendly way.  Her words were spoken from her heart, making a clear comparison to the very same words Nicci had uttered to her after her chaste kisses, and it made Marcus smile.  Human interactions on this level didn’t happen often, especially not between strangers who’d just met that day, but it was happening now and he realized that keeping silent in that moment was perhaps the best thing he could do for the greater group so he simply sat and watched, his eyes following the activities with interest.<br/><br/>Nicci’s answering comments were filled with emotion, so strong he could see the tears that were threatening to break loose.  He could only imagine what was going through her head right then, what she had to be thinking and feeling, but they were her thoughts to have and keep and he would not disturb them.  Instead, he marveled at the way her beauty seemed to glow when emotional, the way her face took on a whole new life, and he felt his protective instincts flare to the surface, the need to hold her, rock her, kiss her overtaking him almost immediately.  He swallowed hard, keeping those urges buried for the moment, and watched as Mari shifted in her position so she now faced Nicci.  Words were exchanged but it was the physical step that caused his mouth to drop open, the sensual sexy woman leaning forward to plan a soft kiss on Nicci, woman to woman.  It wasn’t sexual, it wasn’t intimate, it was...loving but not quite at the same time.  It spoke of solidarity, understanding, and empathy all wrapped up into the single gesture and it caused Marcus to rock back a little, shocked and awed all at the same time.  In one simple movement, Mari had taken the emotions in the room and pulled them together into a nice neat package, contained yet simmering.<br/><br/>The whispered exchange had been to low for Marcus to hear but when Nicci turned her gaze back to him, he had a guess.  Meeting her look with a soft smile, he considered what to do next, moving from her to the others slowly, his gaze taking it all in, coming to a final decision.  When he was done, he closed his eyes for a moment and then pushed off the floor, slowly coming to a stand.  The move had been effortless and once on his feet, he gave them each a final glance and then began walking, moving between everyone heading for the door.  Once he was behind Bo and Nicci though he suddenly stopped and dropped, scooting forward immediately to press his chest to Nicci’s back, his arms going around her waist.  Dipping his head down, he placed a delicate kiss to the side of her neck then moved upward until his lips just barely caressed her ear.  “Never doubt your place in this family” he murmured, his breath teasing her skin.  Moving his head away briefly, he looked at each of them in turn for a third time.  “That goes for all of us.  We had an old motto on my college team – one for all and all for one.  That’s us, right now, tomorrow, and six months from now.  Never doubt your place in this family.”  Turning his head so it was close to Nicci’s again, he kissed her ear delicately, running his tongue along it, and then suddenly shifted his body to the side.  At the same moment, he pulled her backwards so that her body fell, bringing her face in view.  Wasting no time, he pressed his lips to hers, kissing her fervently, almost crushing their faces together.  His tongue stroked out just long enough to tease her lower lip and then he pulled away, slowly setting her back upright.  “And never doubt my attraction for you” he whispered against her ear one last time before slowly standing and moving back to his spot.  Plopping back down next to Mila, he moved to take his third kiss, immediately cupping her face and turning her towards him.  His lips descended on hers, stealing a taste from her sweet, sweet lips, letting her feel a not so chaste kiss that came with heat.  When he pulled away, he smiled.  “Nor my attraction for you” he said.  Looking over at Mari next, he nodded.  “Challenge issued…and met.”<br/>