Mark wanted to beat his head against the steering wheel. This wasn’t going at all as he’d planned. She was testing his resolve, and he wasn’t even sure why he wanted to resist in the first place. Now it was almost like some sort of contest that he was determined to win—or at least survive. “Baby, can you just please let me be the better man for once? I’m trying so hard not to treat you like I have other women, and you’re making it hard—like really hard.” When she opened her mouth to say what was probably something else that would blow his mind, he quickly added, “Let’s wait until we’re at the restaurant to finish this conversation, okay? I’d like to avoid wrapping the car around a pole tonight if that’s okay with you.”
He switched on the stereo to a soft-rock station and tried to relax as the music filled the car. Maybe this was the grown-up version of a time-out, because that was exactly what he needed right now. A moment to regroup and start thinking about stuff like his parents, grandparents, and anyone else who would be a complete turnoff. Because focusing on Angel was out of the question right now or he’d do something crazy like park behind a deserted building and take her on the hood of his car. His mind raced with the least sexy images he could come up with: Denny, the little old lady at Starbucks, bad sushi, Angel throwing up on his shoes . . .
• • •
I must have said something wrong, Crystal thought glumly as Mark sprinted from the driver’s seat as soon as they reached the restaurant. Mia had advised that she should simply be honest with him about what she wanted, and she figured asking to go to his house made her feelings pretty clear. Only something about it had freaked him out. He’d almost run off the road, but even more alarming was the fact that he was chanting something under his breath repeatedly. She thought she caught Denny’s name and something about his mother. Was he on some type of medication? If not, maybe he needed to look into that, because he was acting kind of crazy.
She saw a valet approaching her door, before Mark waved him away. She reached for the handle just as he flung it open. The result was her almost tumbling from the low-slung seat and onto the pavement. Luckily, he managed to catch her before that happened. Dear God, so far, they were almost a disaster together. She was awkward enough on her own; she certainly didn’t need any help in that area from a man who normally seemed so smooth and polished. He mumbled an apology before helping her to stand.
“Oh wow, I’ve always wanted to come here.” She beamed at him once she noticed they’d arrived at a seafood restaurant located on one of the quieter piers in Myrtle Beach. He smiled in reply before putting a hand on the small of her back and leading her toward the door.
“Mr. DeSanto,” the hostess gushed. “How wonderful to see you again, and you’ve brought company this evening. I have a quiet table in the corner that would be perfect.”
Both the hostess and Crystal gawked at Mark when he said loudly, “No! Er—I mean, how about that one right there?” he asked, pointing toward a small table in the middle of the room with absolutely no privacy.
Nonplussed, the hostess stammered for a few moments before finally saying, “Of course, Mr. DeSanto, if that’s your preference. Right this way, please.”
Mark could barely pull her seat away from the table thanks to a rather large man behind them, but he somehow managed. Why in the world would he have wanted to sit here? Maybe he was one of those people who liked to herd with others. She’d never pictured Mark as a pack animal, but then again she wouldn’t have imagined him panicking over having sex either.
“This is great, don’t you think?” he enthused, as he appeared not to notice that she was wedged up in her corner with barely an inch to spare.
“Sure,” she agreed, determined to make the best of it. So Mark had some strange quirks. That was to be expected, right? Lord knows Bill had issues. Maybe she attracted that type of man. Looking at how handsome he was across the table, she decided that even if she had a permanent indentation in her side after their cramped meal, it was a small price to pay for a night out with the man of her dreams. After all, he looked delectable in the suit he wore so well. Needing a diversion to keep from drooling, she craned her head to see the view from the wall of windows. “Wow, what a beautiful place. Do you come here often?” Probably a stupid question since the hostess knew him by name.
Mark took a sip from his water glass. “I have dinner meetings here occasionally. I’m glad you like it.” They continued to do well with their polite conversation after ordering their entrees when her first embarrassing moment of the evening occurred. The waiter was adding fresh ground pepper to her Caesar salad when she made the mistake of taking a deep breath and inadvertently inhaling what seemed like half of the shaker. Instantly, her eyes watered and her nose burned. Then the sneezing started. Considering where they sat in the restaurant, it was impossible for those nearby to miss her attack. Sadly, she’d never been a dainty sneezer and tonight was no exception. She grabbed her napkin, trying to cover her face while fumbling in her purse for a tissue. The waiter was apologizing profusely even though it hadn’t been his fault, while Mark jumped to his feet to offer his assistance.
“Kleenex,” she managed to choke out between rounds of both coughing and sneezing. He took her purse and upended it on the table until he found what he was looking for. Considering how close they sat to the other diners, she had little choice but to blow her nose right there for all to see and hear. Mark handed her a glass of water, and she managed to take a couple of small sips without spraying the table. Finally, she was able to regain control and wanted nothing more than to climb under their table and hide.
Mark was rubbing her shoulder, looking down at her in concern. “Are you all right now?”
She nodded, giving him a rueful smile. “Other than being mortified, I’m fine,” she added. “I can’t believe that happened.”
Mark returned to his side of the table and took his seat. “You certainly keep life interesting,” he acknowledged. Crystal was surprised to see that he still looked concerned, but there was also a flash of amusement in his eyes as he looked at her. Bill would have spent the rest of the meal berating her for causing a scene, but it appeared that Mark couldn’t care less what others thought. She’d yet to catch him looking at anyone other than her.
Within moments, he’d had her salad and water replaced with fresh ones and she’d put the items that had been thrown from her purse back inside. He was sweet, considerate, and thoughtful—in other words, the perfect guy. She was relaxed and enjoying her meal when their waiter—possibly trying to atone for the pepper incident—bent to pick up something from the floor. He had glanced at it, his eyes widening as he hastily handed it to Mark, and then left without a word. Mark looked at the paper curiously before dropping his fork. The sound of it hitting the glass plate echoed loudly, causing Crystal to jump in her seat. “Are you—is everything okay?” she asked in concern. He shifted in his seat, before swallowing a few times.
He tucked the paper into his jacket pocket and asked, “Are you almost finished, Angel?”
She looked down at her half-eaten meal before shrugging. “Sure, if you are.”
He paid the bill quickly, and they were outside once again. He put a hand on her back, helping her down the steps. Not a word was spoken between them until they were in his Porsche. Instead of leaving though, he pulled the paper from his pocket and carefully unfolded it. “Angel . . . is this yours?” he asked, sounding stressed.
She noticed that it was actually some kind of booklet instead of a single sheet of paper. She took it from his hands, and then gasped in horror. “Oh crap! I—Mia—I mean . . . you weren’t supposed to—God!”
Dropping his head onto the steering wheel, he said softly, “I was afraid of that.”
“Mark—I can explain. Mia brought it by earlier. One of her friends sells this stuff, and Mia is hosting a party for her. It was lying on the table when you got to my apartment earlier, and I stuck it inside my purse so you wouldn’t see it.” Putting her hand over her ey
es, she whispered, “But now both you and the waiter think I’m some kind of pervert.”
Without looking at her, Mark asked thickly, “Did you make those notes?”
Crystal looked down at the page that the booklet was open to and cringed. She’d been thumbing through it while waiting for Mark and had listed a question down beside one particular product. It was intended as a joke for Mia—not for Mark’s eyes. “Yes,” she finally squeaked out. “I was going to tease Mia about it.”
“Did you get wet when you were looking at this book, Angel?” Mark asked as he turned to look at her intently.
Her mouth dropped open as she stared at him. “Wh-what?”
He put a hand on her exposed knee, slowly trailing his fingers up her thigh. “You heard me. Were you turned on when you imagined using one of these on yourself? Did you imagine me using them on you?”
Crystal was in serious danger of swallowing her tongue as his words ignited a fire of desire within her. She straightened her spine and forced herself to maintain eye contact with him as she admitted, “Yes—to both questions.”
He took the booklet back from her nerveless fingers and pointed to the item that she’d written beside. “To answer your question, baby, that toy is for double penetration.”
Gawking at him, she asked, “How can you put them both in at the same time?”
He squirmed in his seat before turning the key in the ignition. “Baby, one of them is for your ass.”
When his meaning hit her, she breathed, “Ohhh.”
“Exactly.” He grinned as he pulled out into traffic. “Angel, I want you to know that I really tried to behave tonight. I had every intention of taking you to dinner and then delivering you back to your door. But you’ve made that impossible.”
Uncertain what he was getting at, she timidly asked, “What do you mean?” Without answering, he took her hand and pulled it across the console, putting it against his crotch.
She hissed as her fingers wandered over the steely length.
He did a combination of a laugh and a groan as he gently pushed her hand away. “Do you want to come home with me and help me take care of that?”
Sitting up straight, she tried to hide her sudden giddiness as she asked, “Tonight?”
“Yes, Angel, you broke my resolve. I couldn’t even make it through the first date with you. If this isn’t what you want, then tell me now and I’ll take you home. Otherwise, I’m going to lick and suck every inch of your body before I fuck you—all night.”
Eyes going large, she mouthed, Oh wow. “That’s the best thing that anyone’s ever said to me, and I’d like to accept your offer of everything you just mentioned. Plus anything else you might want to throw in.” Then remembering his earlier explanation of the sex toy in the catalog, she hastily added, “But not the rear thing, if you don’t mind. I mean, I’m not saying it’s an absolute no, but that’s something I’d need to think about—a lot. And maybe do some research. Do they have books with detailed descriptions of how that would happen and what it would feel like? And with a pain level listing?” When she realized that she was rambling, she abruptly stopped and saw that Mark was shaking with laughter in his seat as he drove.
“Angel,” he managed to get out. “Baby, I don’t know if they have books like that or not, but you don’t have to worry about it. There is no way I’d expect that our first time together. If everything we do in bed isn’t a ten, then I’m not doing something right. I’m not a selfish lover, so you can be assured that you’ll get yours—several times—before I do.”
Rubbing her thighs together in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure building within her, she admitted, “That sounds amazing. I—please don’t be disappointed if that doesn’t happen. I can’t have one of those during sex. It’s a more common problem than you know,” she added, not wanting to sound like there was something wrong with her. She had read that many women couldn’t come through intercourse.
“That’s a fucking cop-out.” Mark shook his head. “A man needs to make sure a woman is satisfied. I promise you that you’ll come on my tongue, my fingers, and my cock. I’ll never leave you hanging unless it’s just to delay your pleasure.”
Dazzled by his promises, she asked unsteadily, “Are we almost at your house?”
Mark laughed softly as they turned into his driveway. Before he turned off the car, he asked softly, “Last chance, Angel. Do you really want this?”
Instead of answering verbally, she opened her car door and stepped out. Sometimes actions spoke louder than words, and Mark seemed to have no trouble interrupting hers.
Chapter Ten
He’d never been this hard in his life. He needed to dominate and devour her, but a part of him wanted to make love to her in a way that neither of them had ever experienced before. They were standing in his foyer and he was back to that odd, awkward feeling. She was different from any woman he’d ever known. He didn’t know why she had come to matter to him, but she had. He’d known deep down in his gut from the moment she passed out in his arms that she was special and would be a game changer for him. He’d proven his own point that day by taking her home and watching over her. It was inevitable that they would end up at this point. The fact that he’d waited as long as he had was a testament to his confusion and denial over what she made him feel—and the things he longed for when he was with her.
She was looking at him now in a kind of nervous anticipation. Funny—that was exactly how he would describe his present state of mind as well. His body was raring to go, but the rest of him was jittery, as if afraid of screwing up something vitally important. Clearing his throat, he asked, “Would you like something to drink?”
She looked surprised by the question. Shaking her head, she murmured, “No, I’m fine.” Then she blurted out something that had his jaw dropping open. “Did you know that your nickname at the office is DeStudo?” As if thinking better of her revelation after the fact, she slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God, I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just when I get nervous, I lose the filter between my mouth and my brain and things pop out without me thinking them through. Please ignore that.”
After his initial surprise, Mark couldn’t control the grin that spread across his face. “‘DeStudo’? Did you come up with that name, Angel?” he asked, prowling closer to her.
“What? No! I don’t know who did,” she stammered.
“So you don’t think I’m attractive?” he asked, watching her gulp at his question. Teasing her was fast becoming one of his favorite pastimes.
A few seconds later, the joke was on him, though, as she admitted in a rush, “I think you’re the sexiest man I’ve ever seen. I’ve never lusted after anyone before, but I can’t stop thinking about trying out all of my secret fantasies with you.”
“Ah hell,” he groaned as he stopped just inches away from her. He raised a hand, stroking a finger down her soft cheek before cupping her face. “I’ll tell you again, baby, that you had your chance to let me run the other way. But since you didn’t, you’re mine.”
“Yes, please,” she replied sweetly as she stood up on her toes to press her mouth against his. That was it; he was gone. There was no Declan to discover them together and interfere this time.
Mark forced himself to remain still as she licked at his lips until he parted them and let her inside. When her questing tongue met his, he lost it. Without breaking contact, he leaned down and picked her up in his arms before striding down the hallway.
When they reached his room, he walked forward to the end of his bed before easing her gently down onto the soft surface. He positioned himself on top of her, carefully bracing his weight on his forearms. For now, he simply wanted to devour her mouth. With Angel, he felt like he could happily kiss her for hours. When she wrapped a leg around his and ground her hips against him, the kiss became pure carnal activity.
“I want our clothes off,” she moaned in his ear.
Ah fuck! Me too, baby. He reluctantly pulled
back, getting to his feet and tugging her up with him. He walked quickly to one of the bedside lamps and clicked it on before returning to her. He lowered the zipper on her dress and he pulled it from her shoulders. The material slid past her hips and into a pool at her feet. “Sweet Christ,” he said feeling dizzy. “You’re beautiful, Angel—simply stunning.” And she was. Standing before him in a lacy black bra and tiny matching panties, she would fuel any man’s fantasies. Flawless skin, legs that seemed to go on for miles, a flat stomach, and breasts that were more than a handful.
“Can I?” she asked, pointing to his shirt. He’d imagined her being shy in the bedroom, so he was blown away that she was asking to undress him.
“Hell yes, baby; I’m all yours.” He’d worn a suit tonight but skipped the tie and left a couple of buttons undone on his dress shirt. Her fingers went straight to the next ones in line and began slipping them through the holes until she reached his slacks. He remained quiet, wanting to see what she’d do next—and she didn’t disappoint. With barely a pause, she unbuckled his belt and released the hook closure on his pants. He fought to keep a straight face as she chewed her lower lip while she concentrated on her task. Too fucking adorable. He had to give her credit because within moments—with no help from him—she had his dress shirt on the floor and was tugging his undershirt over his head.
Then her hands went to his zipper, and his legs went weak. His cock was already peeping from the top of his boxers. Her fingertips were all over it, and he had a horrifying moment of fear that he would blow his load before he was fully undressed. That was only acceptable if your pants were around your ankles while you were buried deep inside a woman. Having it happen from some very light contact was strictly a high school mistake. One he’d never made, even back then. So—he grabbed her hands and held them in one of his while he finished the job for her. His cock sprang free. “Oh, my goodness,” she said, looking astonished, before licking her lips. And there it went—the last of his self-control. He had to have her—now. There’d be time to take it slow later.
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