by L. L. James
Marek leaned back in his chair and studied her across the table. He didn’t even try to hide the wicked grin he knew was plastered across his face. Nor did he try to hide the desire he felt for her.
He let his eyes travel slowly over her body, raking every square inch of her with his gaze. He’d never known one of his ratty t-shirts could look so damned sexy on a woman. But with it on and her pale hair damp around her shoulders, she was gorgeous.
All of her make-up had been removed, leaving behind a flawless complexion and that adorable scatter of freckles across her nose. It was a joy for Marek to see her fresh faced and exposed. Without make-up she looked younger and her eyes appeared more wide-eyed and innocent.
Many women felt insecure and awkward without their face made up but he could tell she was totally comfortable in her own skin. She wasn’t afraid to let him see her vulnerable like this.
It aroused the hell out of him.
It was driving Marek crazy just looking at her. The urge to nibble on her bare, full lips was making him hard and uncomfortable. He wanted to grab a fistful of that damp golden hair and devour her.
Instead, he took a long swallow of his wine and teased, “You haven’t seen anything yet, sweetheart. Anytime you want to try out my great hands, just holler.” He took another drink and then set the glass down. “Now it’s my turn for a question.”
Carm lifted her brows and grinned back. By the look of her saucy smile the wine was making her feel relaxed and mellow. Good. He wanted some answers.
“Fine. What’s your burning question?” She asked.
“Have you ever had an orgasm?”
Marek looked on with devilish amusement as she almost spit out her wine. He waited patiently while she collected herself, continuing to eat his chicken. It didn’t take long, which impressed the hell out of him. Carm was no timid virgin.
“Out of all the questions you could have asked, that’s the one you were dying to know the answer to?”
“Oui. What can I say? I’m a guy. We like to know these things.” Along with the quickest way to get you there. Marek swallowed a bite of chicken and waited expectantly.
Carm leaned back and stared across the table at him. From the way her lips were twitching he could tell she was trying not to laugh. He loved the fact that she didn’t get all huffy and offended. No, the woman had a sense of humor.
“Alright, bad boy. If you must know, yes, I have had an orgasm.”
“With a man and more than once?”
She threw back her head and gave into the laughter. Marek found his lips curving upward as well.
“Oh, you jumped right on that, didn’t you? Men. You are such base creatures.”
“It’s part of our charm, cheri. Now answer.”
Carm shook her head at him. “Nope. That was two questions. I get to ask one before I answer yours. That’s the rules.”
Merde, she was right. “Ask away, but don’t think you’re going to get out of answering my question.”
She shook her head again and tore off a piece of cornbread. “I wouldn’t dream of it. I have no secrets—,”
“Everybody has secrets, cheri—,”
“—and nothing to be ashamed of. But my question first. When did you lose your virginity?”
Marek eyed Carm and thought back. Sixteen years. Man, had it really been that long ago? “I was fifteen. Your turn. With a man and more than one?”
Carm snorted and pointed her fork at him. “Is that how we’re going to play this? No other explanations involved, no juicy little details? Okay, then. Yes, with a man and yes more than once.”
Really? Marek was completely intrigued by that statement. So she wasn’t wholly innocent after all. Very interesting.
Rain started to fall softly around them as they sat under the gazebo. The sun was starting to set behind the clouds turning them brilliant shades of purple, fuchsia, and orange. The gentle rain intensified the heady scent of the flowers surrounding them and he inhaled deep.
Carm turned his attention when she asked, “Speaking of orgasms, when was the last time you had one?”
Marek laced his fingers together behind his neck and relaxed. “With a woman, or by myself?”
A grin split his face as a heated flush crept up her neck. He’d embarrassed her with that comment. He couldn’t wait to see if she had the courage to dive in, or if she’d go the safe route. In his experience, inexperienced women tended to go the safe route.
But she surprised him. “Both, and don’t skimp on the details this time.”
Lust poured into him at her bold words. Just when he’d expected her to cower away she hopped with both feet right into the verbal frying pan. If it was a game of naughty truths she wanted, well then she’d better hold on to her panties.
Marek met her unflinching gaze with one of his own and spoke, his voice flooded with heat. “It’s been a while with a woman, cheri. About six months ago with a flight attendant from Martinique. She lathered me up in the shower and rubbed her tits all over me, then dropped to her knees and gave me head before she flew out. And this morning after you stared at my cock when I dropped the towel.”
Speaking of cocks, Marek felt his rise to full erection from the intimacy of the conversation. Watching her closely he caught the slight flair of her nostrils and her quick intake of breath. Letting his gaze drop, he almost groaned out loud at the erotic sight of her full breasts with their nipples puckered and tight against the thin cotton of his shirt.
He wanted her now, on the ground, on the table, he didn’t care. But he wanted her.
“Did you think about me this morning?” She asked quietly.
“Every fucking second.”
She bit her lip on a soft moan and pushed out of her chair. Raking her hand through her hair, she took a deep intake of air and blew it out. Stopping, she turned partially toward him and stated, “I’m going inside.” And then added as an afterthought, “Thanks for the wonderful meal.”
Without a backward glance she left, leaving Marek with a raging erection. He swore into the silence. What the hell did she want from him? She damn well wanted him just as much as he wanted her, he was sure of that. Why wasn’t that enough? He couldn’t give her any more than that. Wouldn’t.
Lurching to his feet, Marek began clearing the table, then stopped and slammed his plate down. “Screw this.” Spinning on his heels, he leapt down the three steps of the gazebo and loped up the lawn to the kitchen door, determined to get some answers from Carmen. He’d had about enough of her twisting his gut into a solid knot of need and then walking away from him.
If he had to be miserable and conflicted then she damned well was going to be too.
Carm heard the slam of the kitchen door and knew Marek was stalking after her. She couldn’t blame him. She’d willingly stepped into the game, had taunted him, and then had run away.
But she’d had to. When he’d said that he’d thought of her like that she’d almost lost it. The temptation to hurl herself at him was almost more than she could take. So she’d done the only thing she could. She’d run away so that she could get her emotions under control.
Now he was stomping up the stairs after her. Like a coward she’d run to her room and shut the door behind her. When Marek reached the barricade he tried the knob and found it open. Apparently she’d been too flustered to turn the lock.
Standing with her back to the wall, Carm watched with wide eyes as he marched through the door and slammed it shut behind him. She’d really pissed him off with her stunt. His eyes flashed green fire and his scowl was hot enough to set the bed on fire.
Hoping to diffuse some of his anger, she blurted out, “I’m sorry, Marek. I shouldn’t have run like that. I thought I could handle some sexual banter with you, but I can’t. I shouldn’t have goaded you.”
“Damn right you shouldn’t have. Do you realize the danger you’re flirting with?” He growled and stalked over to stand in front of her. “Do you realize what you did to me?”
Squaring her shoulders, she shook her head, “No, I don’t know what I did to you. But I’ve already apologized.”
“That’s not good enough.” Grabbing her wrist, Marek jerked her hand away from her side and placed her palm against the hard bulge in his shorts. “You can’t make a man feel like this, Carmen, and then just run away. You’ve got me tied in knots and I’m going crazy with wanting you. And you just walked away, just fucking walked away.” He finished on a low growl.
Carm stood absolutely still as her hand flexed involuntarily over his erection. One of his hands held her solidly against his length, forcing her to feel the extent of his arousal. The rigid line of him pushed unrelentingly against her palm and she felt her fingers curl of their own accord to cradle him.
At his low, deep groan, she jumped and tried to yank her hand away, but he held her close. He flexed in her hand and she instinctively squeezed him in response. At her gentle tightening around him, he groaned again and lowered his forehead to hers.
Carm held still and tried to calm down, but it was pointless. Her body was reacting with amazing speed to the closeness of Marek and his arousal in her hand. She could no more walk away from him than make the moon fall out of the sky.
His breathing was harsh and erratic, like he’d just sprinted up a mountain and she could feel tremors coursing through his body. She knew what he was feeling, she was feeling it too. And she wanted to help relieve some of this excruciating need.
But she couldn’t forget she’d just met him a few days ago—even if it felt like they’d known each other much longer. She also clung desperately to the fact that she still didn’t know much about him and needed to before they slept together.
Most of all, Carm reminded herself that they’d be out of each others lives in less than a month. In six he wouldn’t even remember her. But she’d certainly remember him.
She wanted no regrets when she left the island and she knew, just knew, that if she gave into temptation now she’d leave with more than just regret.
Marek pushed roughly against her hand, gaining Carm’s full attention. Trying to think her way around the intensity between them hadn’t worked. Her body was still straining for him.
She knew she had to give them both something. Wrapping her slender fingers around his thick shaft she squeezed and ran her hand the length of him. She smiled at Marek’s sharp intake of breath and the way his body jerked, eager for her touch.
“You’d better mean that, sweetheart. I can’t take much more. But I won’t beg, damn it. I refuse to beg.” Marek growled, his tone harsh with frustrated arousal.
She lifted her eyes to meet his and stared into the liquid green fire. His eyes held so much emotion in them that he couldn’t hide. She saw in his eyes the truth in his words. He wouldn’t beg. He was a proud man. If she turned him away he’d go without a word of protest or persuasion.
But she couldn’t turn him away. Not this time. But she didn’t know if she could do what he wanted tonight, either. Carm refused to be a half-remembered night of passion six months down the road.
She wanted to be the woman that claimed his heart.
Lifting her other hand to the back of his neck, she gripped a handful of his hair and gently tugged his head down. With his mouth a mere inch from hers she whispered, “I won’t make you beg. When I’m ready, there’ll be no begging.”
“Merde, Carmen. I’m can’t keep coming to you. No more. I can’t take any more of your rejections, they’re ripping me apart. No, I won’t ask, I won’t plead. You come to me when you’re ready and then we’ll see who does the begging.” His voice shook with pent up emotion, his accent heavy and thick.
He tried to pull away, his body coiled with tension. Before she thought it through, Carm grabbed a hold of his hair and yanked his mouth down. She kissed him hard, her tongue thrusting to meet his. Slanting her mouth over his, she turned the kiss downright carnal.
She felt the moment he surrendered. His body melted against hers, his arousal straining against her hand. Carm stroked him, slowly up and then down, gaining a deep, guttural growl from her before he spun her toward the bed.
He became the aggressor then, slamming his body down on hers, pinning her to the bed. Gripping her hands, Marek pinned them over her head with his as he ripped his mouth from hers. Trailing open mouthed kisses along her neck, he stopped at the sensitive point just below her ear and nipped. The bite wasn’t overly tender with his frustration driving him.
Lifting his head, Marek panted heavily and demanded, “Tell me you want me.”
She didn’t even try to play coy. “I want you. But I don’t think I’m ready for what you want.”
Marek slammed his mouth down on hers for a hard, passionate moment and then yanked away. “Then what the hell are you doing to me? Do you enjoy tormenting me?”
Wrestling her hands free, Carm wrapped her legs around Marek and pushed hard. Caught off guard, he fell toward the bed and Carm took advantage of the moment to switch their positions. Rolling over him, she came to a stop on top and pinned his hands to the bed. Grinning at her success, she laughed at his stunned expression.
“Didn’t expect that, did you? Sometimes it pays to be an Amazon warrior woman.”
He just continued to stare at her in silence, his shocked expression melting away. Wiggling on his lap to get a reaction from him, she felt a thrill shoot through her as he pushed instinctively against her and his eyes flared wildly. He swore quietly and tried to jerk his hands free. When Carm tightened her grip and fought his movement, he quit struggling and glared. Both of them knew that he could dump her in an instant if he chose, but he just sighed and rested his head back against the pillow.
In slow motion, Carm began to rock against his erection, the thin barrier of her cotton boxers and his shorts creating exquisite friction. With her eyes locked on him, she saw his nostrils flare at the intimate caress and felt his hips strain toward her.
Finally, he broke the silence. “If you don’ want me, then what are you doing, cheri? Because it damn well feels like you do. I can feel your heat burning through my shorts into me. If I touched you right now you’d be wet and ready. Are you throbbing for me?”
She was. There was no denying the fact that she wanted Marek more than she’d ever wanted a man before. Sweet aches pulsed between her thighs telling her in the most basic terms how she felt about him. Her body was ready for him, but her mind and her heart still had some reservations.
Squeezing her thighs around him, she rotated her hips in a circle and sighed at the incredible feeling it evoked in her. She couldn’t walk away now and deny them both what they so badly wanted. There had to be a compromise somewhere.
Suddenly Marek yanked his wrist out of her grip and grabbed the back of her neck. Carm let him pull her down but stopped before his mouth touched hers. She was going to use the moment to get some answers.
“I’ve got a proposition for you.”
Marek flicked his tongue over her bottom lip as he held her down and murmured, “Oui? You want me to lick your aches away?”
A flood of liquid warmth pooled between her legs at the question. The man was lethal.
“Maybe. If you play along.” Carm answered against his mouth. Letting go of his other hand and running her palms down his sculpted chest, she added, “I’m going to ask you questions and every time you answer one correctly you’ll get to take off an article of clothing. The more honest you are, the more you get from me.”
Marek eyed her from beneath heavy lids and replied, “What happens when we run out of clothing? Do I get to choose the prize?”
Thinking that over for a moment, she rubbed suggestively against his rigid length. She wanted to discover as much as she could about her husband. If this was what it took, then she’d let him choose his prize.
“Fine. First question—,”
“These better be good questions and I get to choose the piece of clothing you take off, sugar.” He growled.
“Fine. We’ll star
t off with a simple question to ease you into this. What arouses you most about a woman?” Taking her hand, Carm rubbed her fingertips below his bellybutton and lifted the hem of his t-shirt. Tipping her head to the side as she waited for his response, she traced the circle of his tattoo with a feather-light touch.
She watched his quick intake of breath and smiled over the way his stomach quivered. Licking his full bottom lip, Marek answered, his voice husky and rough. “I’m a breast man, cheri. That’s what turns me on the most. A pair of hot, delicious tits. Now take off your shirt, I want to see yours.”
Carm swatted his hands away as he tried to tear her shirt off and laughed. Oh, he was impatient. She couldn’t really blame him, though. She was feeling rather needy herself.
Marek growled low in his throat in warning but let his hands drop to her bare thighs. His large palms felt warm and slightly rough against her tender skin. She caught a sigh before it escaped and gripped the hem of her shirt and lifted it over her head.
“Fuck, yeah. That’s what I’m talking about.” Marek said on a soft groan. She hadn’t put on a bra after she’d showered and watched his response to her bare breasts. His hands gripped hard on her thighs and his erection surged to life, flexing hard against her crotch.
She felt her nipples tingle and looked down to find them puckered tight under the scrutiny of his heated gaze. Lust ran hot in her blood at the raw desire in his eyes.
Shaking out of the trance, she asked another question, determined to learn what she could about him. “Next question. No, keep your hands to yourself. Don’t touch. That’s not part of the game yet. Why were you a pick pocket as a child and what other bad things did you do?”
Marek swore under his breath and kept his eyes firm on Carm’s breasts when he ground out, voice heavy with accent, “When I worked at that resort I broke into rooms and stole money and other shit and picked pockets. I used most of the money to pay bills. Yeah. Move like that again. Fuck, that feels incredible.”
Carm stopped moving. “Explain.”
“Merde. All right. It was rough as a kid. I know my mother did the best she could, but it was still tight. So I supplemented the inflow of household cash with stealing. It worked too, until I was eighteen.” Marek finished, voice tight.