by Shauna Hart
Even in the dim light, he could see her face flame with embarrassment.
“No ... I just meant...” She trailed off.
He reached over to stroke her cheek with his hand. “She's just a member, Mara,” he repeated.
Her eyes met his, and she smiled.
“So, what about you? No old boyfriends who might be lurking around?”
She shook her head. “No,” she replied.
One side of his mouth tilted up. “Somehow, I find that hard to believe.”
Shadows passed over her face as her expression turned serious. “My last boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend,” she confessed.
“Ouch,” he replied with a wince.
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I guess I wasn't adventurous enough for him.”
A wry smile slid across his face. “I think we've definitely proved that's not true,” he chided.
Her lips curved into a shy grin. “I guess that you have shown me the joy of giving up control.”
“You guess?” he challenged.
She threw back the sheet to climb on top of him, her thighs straddling his hips. “So, what about you? Do you ever give up control?” she inquired.
When his hands reached for her hips, she captured them, pulling them high over his head.
“Mara...” he said, starting to stop her.
She silenced him with a long, sensual kiss. When she pulled back, the intent look on her face stopped him from further protest.
“Are you willing to give up control?” she asked.
One eyebrow arched. “I think I proved that the other night.”
She leaned down, her lips coming dangerously close to his, but just out of reach. “Feel like proving it again?” she questioned.
He chuckled, a low deep rumble low in his chest. “What did you have in mind?” he countered.
The side of her mouth quirked up. “I've found that it's best not to ask questions when you're the student,” she explained against his mouth.
“Is that what I am?”
Her tongue traced the shape of his lips, dipping seductively into the corner. “Tonight, it is.”
She rubbed her breasts against his chest as her mouth moved over his. When he started to move his hands, she stopped him.
“Uh-uh. No touching until I say,” she commanded.
“Exploring your dominant side?” he prodded.
Her grin tickled his lips. “You said I needed to experiment,” she reminded him softly.
“That I did.”
Her tongue traced a path of fire across his throat, stopping at his nipple. Lightly, her teeth grazed the tip, making him curl his fingers into fists to keep from grabbing her. Full lips moved across his stomach, making it flutter uncontrollably. When she reached his penis, he thought he might explode with need. His cock hardened at the feel of her breath wafting over it. Her tongue snaked out to tease the head, making him squeeze his eyes shut. As her lips closed around his shaft, he fought the need to come. Watching her head bob up and down brought him closer and closer to a conclusion he wasn't ready for.
“Mara...” he muttered.
She raised her head and stared at him, her eyes glittering with lust.
Reaching over, she grabbed a condom from the nightstand. He heard the packet rip open seconds before he felt her slide it over his length. Straddling him, she hovered, her hands on his chest. She rubbed her pussy against his cock, which jerked in approval. He gripped the headboard as he felt how wet she was.
“Mara...”
Slowly, she slid onto him, taking him fully. Rising over him, she rotated her hips in a circle before sliding down. When she did it again, his cock barely parting her folds, he wasn't sure he could take much more.
“Mara, stop teasing me,” he warned.
She tilted her head to the side. “Too much?”
Her cocky expression shredded the last bit of his control. In one swift move, he flipped her onto her back, driving into her with a force that left them both breathless.
* * * *
Mara stared up at him, his broad shoulders outlined in the moonlight.
“You like to play games?” he challenged.
“I...”
Before she could finish, his hand slid between them to find her clit. His thumb rotated over it in slow, maddening circles. All thought vanished as he brought her closer and closer to the edge. She arched her hips to entice him, but he didn't move, buried inside her to the hilt. Her body ached for him to move, to give her what she needed. But he remained still, except for the movement of his thumb. Each time he brought her to the brink, only to stop before she could climax. A sweat broke out on her forehead as her body strived for a release he would not allow.
She knew what he was doing. He was proving to her that he was in control. He always had been. No matter what games she wanted to play, he had the power to give her what she wanted or deny her.
“Joe...”
He turned to kiss the side of her cheek, his eyes lit with devilish amusement. “What do you need?” he asked.
She let out a huff of aggravation that made him smile.
“You know what I need,” she replied, her frustration evident.
“Say it,” he instructed.
“I need to come,” she admitted.
He rose up over her. “Okay, baby. No more games.”
With that, he gripped her hips, pulling her up to meet his thrusts. She closed her eyes at the exquisite sensations that were spreading through her body. Looking down, she watched him moving inside of her. Her gaze drifted over his naked chest, which glistened in the dim light. When her eyes met his, her climax washed over her, making her cry out. In seconds, he followed her, his head falling forward as he let out a hoarse groan.
In that instant, she realized that all of her careful planning to avoid falling in love with this man had been in vain. She was already there, and no amount of lying to herself was going to change that.
She was in love with Joe Gates.
She could only hope that it didn't destroy her.
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* * *
Chapter 17
Joe stared at the manila envelope sitting on his desk. It had been two days since Mara showed him the photos. Two days of her living in his house, sharing his bed. The thing that worried him the most about their current living situation was that it felt ... comfortable.
Nice, even.
All these years he had done everything he could to avoid this exact situation, and now that he was here, he wasn't sure he wanted it to end. Sleeping next to her, showering with her, talking to her over breakfast. They were things a man like him shouldn't enjoy.
So, why did he?
Even now, he was looking forward to seeing her at night. God, he was definitely losing it. His feelings for Mara weren't the only problem. After an exhaustive interrogation of his staff, he was no closer to finding Mara's stalker than he had been two days ago.
With time ticking like a loud clock in his head, he was left with little choice but to tell Cal the truth. Cal was one of his oldest friends. No matter what the risk, he owed it to his friend to tell him the truth about what was happening. So he had placed the call that could potentially seal his fate and hoped for the best.
The back door opened to reveal a slightly dampened Cal. He shook his head, several raindrops dancing around him.
“Damned New Orleans rainstorms,” he muttered as he shrugged out of his jacket. He took a seat in front of Joe. “So, what's up? I left an extremely willing woman at home because you said you had to talk to me. This had better be good.”
Joe hesitated for a moment before pushing forward. “I didn't want to bring you into this, but I thought you should know,” he admitted.
Cal's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward. “Well, don't keep me in suspense, man. What is it?” he asked.
He sighed heavily. “Someone's been watching Mara.” After a minute, he continued. “Photographing her.”
Cal's eyes widened. “Photographing her?”
His lips formed a grim line as he nodded. “Whoever it is has been taking pictures from inside the club.”
His face fell. “What are you talking about?”
Joe slid the envelope across the desk. He watched as Cal opened it. Shock washed over his friend's face as he stared at the pictures. After a few seconds, he raised his head to look at him.
“How do you think they got in?” he inquired.
Joe ran a hand over his face as he shook his head. “I don't know. I've questioned the staff, checked all the exits, but I can't find anything.”
Cal set the envelope down on Joe's desk before leaning back in his chair. “So, who do you think could have done it?”
“I'm not sure. Maybe a member who has a thing for her,” he suggested.
One eyebrow quirked up. “How can you be so sure that she's the one they're watching?”
His eyebrows drew together in confusion. “What are you talking about?”
Cal raised a hand for a moment before dropping it. “All I'm saying is there are a lot of female members that might have developed a fixation on you. I personally don't see the draw, but it's not impossible.”
Joe thought of his earlier altercation with Andrea. Was it possible? Was the person who left the pictures for Mara warning her to stay away?
“It can't be,” he murmured.
Cal chuckled. “I swear, man. You're the only guy I know who is completely oblivious to female attention.”
His eyebrows bunched together in frustration. “It's just not...”
“Possible?” Cal offered him a wry grin. “Don't tell me that you don't know that half the women out here have a thing for you? Hell, I saw Andrea out there the other day, and she chewed my ear off about it for half an hour,” he said.
He shook his head. “I don't know what's going on with Andrea,” he confessed.
Cal's mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding? She's wanted to jump you ever since she became a member,” he explained.
Joe shook his head. “Andrea may be a little extreme, but I can't imagine she would do something like this.”
Cal tilted his head to the side, one eyebrow arched. “You'd be surprised at what people are capable of. Look at what happened with Zoe and Talbott.”
Joe ran a hand over his face. He didn't want to think about what had happened. He would never have believed that Alex Talbott was capable of the things they had told him about. And Zoe ... He still couldn't believe what she had done. She was the worst. He had seen her around the club many times. He'd always thought she was a little off, but he never would've believed that she was capable of murder.
Could it be true?
Could Andrea be the one watching them?
“Look, man, all I know is you need to be careful. We can't afford to have another incident, not with the campaign starting up. It's risky enough that I'm still financing this place.”
Joe leaned back in his chair. “Your dad's really going to go for it this time?” he inquired.
Cal let out a low huff of aggravation. “Are you kidding? All I hear anymore is ‘next stop White House,'” he replied sarcastically.
Joe smiled. “You're not a fan, I take it?”
His eyebrows rose. “Oh, I'm a fan of him being President, I just don't want to take the ride with him. It seems like the perfect family needs a little polishing, and my dad has decided he's the man for the job.”
“How's the rest of the family taking it?”
Cal leaned his head back on the chair. “Does it matter?” he challenged.
“It should,” he replied.
“Not to my father. All that matters is how things look, not how they are,” he explained bitterly.
Joe cocked one eyebrow up. “Does he even know how things are?”
Cal let out a harsh laugh. “He spends his life trying not to.”
“And you spend yours making sure he's in the dark,” he prodded.
Cal reluctantly met his gaze. “Maybe,” he conceded.
“Isn't it time your brother and sister stood on their own?”
His lips formed a grim line. “If only,” he mused.
Joe released a sigh. “All I'm saying is...”
Cal held up a hand to stop him. “We all have our burdens. Sometimes, they're heavy. Other times, they're light, but they're always there.”
He got up to walk across the room and stop at the door. Joe looked over at him.
“Be careful with this. I know you feel something for this girl, but don't blow everything we've worked for,” Cal warned him.
Joe stared at the door long after Cal left. He knew Cal was right. No matter what he felt for Mara, he couldn't let it ruin what they had worked so hard to build. He would find whoever was doing this, and then he would do what he should've done a long time ago.
He would end things.
Before they got completely out of control.
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* * *
Chapter 18
“Where the hell have you been?”
Mara's eyes widened. She looked around the small courtyard of the Court of Two Sisters Restaurant to see several people glance at them. Turning back to Lexi, she glared.
“Lexi, will you keep your voice down?”
“No, I will not keep it down. You find out you're being stalked, and then you disappear for two days. I was scared to death,” she said.
Guilt speared through her as rough as any lance. “I'm sorry, Lex. You're right. I should have let you know what was going on,” she conceded.
Lexi shot her a look that would have made a lesser person wince. “After everything we've been through together, we owe it to each other to be there when things happen.”
She looked away from the pain she saw in Lexi's eyes. Her friend was right. They had been through too much to be careless with each other's feelings. She'd known Lexi since college. Being a small-town girl from Indiana, New Orleans had seemed like a playground. A dangerous playground. Lexi had been kind enough to take her under her wing. She had also helped her through one of the worst times of her life.
After graduation, when she'd moved back to Indiana to be with Dan only to find him cheating on her, Lexi had insisted that she move back to New Orleans. She had even let Mara stay at her apartment for a while. Despite her best efforts to become a hermit for the rest of her life, Lexi had made Mara break out of her shell. She was the best friend Mara had ever had.
“I'm sorry, Lexi. I should've called to let you know. Things ... things happened pretty fast.”
Lexi took a sip of wine. “So, where were you?”
Mara licked her lips before answering. “I was with Joe,” she replied.
Lexi leaned in, her gaze intent. “What exactly do you mean when you say ‘with Joe?'” she challenged.
She couldn't help but smile at her friend's obvious interest. “After seeing the photos, Joe thought I should stay with him for a few days,” she explained.
Lexi's eyebrows arched high. “Oh, he did, did he?” she quipped.
She pursed her lips. “Lexi, it was purely for safety reasons,” she admonished.
Lexi rolled her eyes. “I guess that's why you look like a woman who has thoroughly enjoyed her hideout?”
She grinned ruefully. “Okay, so maybe hiding out wasn't the worst time I've had in the past few years. Besides, it gave me a lot of time to write,” she reasoned.
“I'll just bet it did.” Lexi lifted her glass in mock tribute. “Then, to you. God knows after all that you went through with that jerk Dan, you certainly deserve some happiness,” she toasted.
Mara lifted her glass, her lips curving as the glasses made a clinking sound. “You're right. I do deserve it,” she agreed.
Lexi took a sip before lowering it to the table. Her head bobbed in agreement at Mara's reply. “Damn right, girl. After being cooped up in that apartment, it was high time that you started living life again.”
/> She stared into her wineglass, cradling the stem gently. After everything that happened with Dan, she did deserve it. But it was more than that. Joe was giving her something back that had been taken from her. He was giving her back her sexuality. When things ended with Dan, she'd wondered if she would ever be able to feel sexy again. For a while, she'd thought she never would. Now, with Joe's help, she did.
Still, as thankful as she was, she couldn't stop the feeling that their time together came with an expiration date. As much as she tried to ignore the feeling, she also had the terrible suspicion that that date was getting closer by the minute.
Every moment that she spent with him, she lost another piece of her heart. If she didn't do something soon, she would be devastated when he decided to end their little arrangement. And he would. She was sure of that. No, it was better to do what she knew she had to now, before things got even more complicated.
Still, that wasn't the real reason she was leaving. After thinking about it all day, there was only one solution. She refused to live in fear. Dan had stolen her confidence, but she would not allow some unknown person to steal her sense of security too. No, she was done with it. It was time for her life to belong to her. She wasn't going to wait for some guy to make the decisions for her, and she sure as hell wasn't going to hole up in her house because some pervert was getting a cheap thrill.
Not anymore.
Not ever again.
She put her glass down and looked at Lexi. “Lexi, what do you have planned tonight?” she asked.
“Oh, I don't know. Why?” she inquired.
“Would you help me get my things from Joe's?”
Her eyes narrowed. “But I thought you said things were good between you two,” she reminded.
“They are, but it's time for me to stand on my own,” she stated firmly.
Lexi leaned in. “Mara, are you sure that's a good idea? I mean, if someone really is following you...”
Mara cut her off. “Lexi, I refuse to live in fear over this.”
Lexi pursed her lips. “Just don't sacrifice your safety so that you can protect your heart.”
When Mara didn't reply, she continued. “Look, Mara, I'm your friend. I know how you feel about Joe even if you're not ready to admit it to yourself. I just want you to be smart about this,” she warned.