Seducing Phoebe: Lovers Unmasked: Book 3

by Flockton, Nicole

  “Marco?” she squeaked out. He was the last person she expected to be joining her in the shower. Which was a really silly thought since it was just the two of them in the house. She pulled away and looked up at him, and gasped at the look of desolation in his eyes. “What’s wrong? Has something bad happened?”

  “No, nothing bad has happened,” he said as he pulled her closer to him again. He captured her lips in a kiss that took her completely off-guard. She couldn’t deny him, and she wanted it just as badly. After seeing the accident site and seeing a dead man, she understood his need for affirmation that life still continued on.

  She opened her mouth under his, their tongues dueling, and she went up on tiptoes to deepen the embrace. As she wrapped her arms around his neck she could feel the power of his need against her belly. She shivered at the thought of him thrusting into her. Even as badly as she wanted him to take her right now, she had to know why he needed to kiss her.

  She pulled back and looked deeply at him. His eyes were slumberous with desire; the desperation she had seen moments before he kissed her had disappeared. “Why?” she asked.

  “I need you,” he uttered, a wealth of emotion in those three little words. “I need you.”

  She turned the water off. It might not have been the three words she wanted to hear from him, but they still meant something to her. “You have me,” she whispered.

  Phoebe hung on tight as he swept her up in his arms and out of the shower. After drying each other off, he laid her on the bed reverently, as if she were made of a precious metal.

  “I need to feel something other than the emptiness I’m feeling right now.” He whispered the words against her lips. She couldn’t say anything. Words wouldn’t make a

  difference to what he was going through now. She could understand his need. The first time a patient had died on her shift had been the hardest. She’d done something completely out of character after her shift had finished—she’d gone out to bar, got roaring drunk, and had her one-and-only-ever one-night stand. She knew how life affirming making love with someone could be.

  She would let Marco feel with her again. “Then feel with me. I’m here for you.”

  She pulled his head down, initiating a kiss. She put everything she had into it. The emotions she felt for him poured from her soul to his. He accepted her gift and pulled her closer, moving his hands down her body to lift her, bringing her into direct contact of his straining erection. She wanted him to take her that second, but he pulled back and moved his hands back up her body to her breasts.

  She moaned as he massaged first her right then her left breast. All the while his mouth was creating havoc on her neck. Nibbling and teasing. Tasting and tormenting. She was so ready for him. Running her hands down his back she grabbed his ass and give it a squeeze before changing direction and reaching in between them to take a hold of his hard length. She stroked from base to tip, loving the feel of his smooth, hot flesh. She rubbed her thumb across his tip, and he moaned against her mouth.

  He quickly dealt with protection before capturing her lips in another kiss. He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. “I want you so badly, sweetheart.”

  “Then take me, I’m not stopping you.” She tilted her hips up and guided his length to her hot entrance.

  “Thank you.”

  It seemed a strange thing to say but all thought was lost as he thrust into her. She hissed out a breath at the sensation. He’d always been able to do this to her. Fill her completely where all rational thought was lost and she was swept up in being close to him.

  He pulled out, teasing her with a roll of his hips before he plunged back in. He slowly built momentum and she met his increase in pace. He reached down in between them and his fingers found her sensitive bud, sending her spiraling over the edge. She cried out his name in completion and as her body still vibrated he reached his own climax, shuddering in her arms. He collapsed on her in exhaustion and she held him tight, never feeling closer to him than she did right at that moment.

  8

  Marco woke up, relishing the feel of having Phoebe back in his arms. Apart from the interlude on the beach, it had been too long since they’d been like this. She sighed in her sleep and he tightened his hold on her.

  “What time is it?”

  His body immediately responded to her husky words. He glanced over to the clock sitting on the bedside table. “It’s just after seven. Are you hungry?”

  As she sat up and pushed her hair out of her face, and he had to stifle the groan as his body hardened even more.

  “I can see you’re hungry but I don’t think it’s for food.”

  He chuckled, pulling her back down and fusing their lips in answer to her question. He was making up for lost time. He wanted to show her that together, they were made for each other.

  He rolled onto his back so that she was lying on top of him, her hair falling around them, enclosing them in a curtain of gold. He could feel her starting to break the contact and he raised his hands to either side of her face, holding her there, deepening the kiss. After everything that they’d experienced that afternoon, he still needed to feel the contact of a warm body against his. He didn’t want to think about what he might do if he had to let Phoebe go for good.

  She took advantage of his momentary lapse and pulled away, panting heavily against his chest.

  “I need to breathe.” Each word seemed to wheeze out of her.

  “I can keep myself occupied while you catch your breath,” he muttered as he trailed kisses down her neck, losing himself in her taste.

  She arched her back in response and he bit down gently on her sweet tasting skin, before he swirled his tongue over the same spot. He wanted to mark her as his. He’d never felt so possessive as he did right at that moment.

  With his free hand he found her breast and rolled her nipple with his fingers; his body jerked when she moaned.

  God, how he wanted to thrust deep inside of her. His hand left her breast and moved to her hips, lifting them so that he could position her, ready to fulfill his need to possess her again.

  He teased her entrance with the tip of his cock. Lifting his to penetrate a little before lowering them again

  “Marco,” she moaned.

  “What?” he asked as he entered her a bit more, before pulling away again. “Please.”

  “Please, what?” he asked as he took the nipple he was caressing earlier into his mouth, swirling his tongue around her hardened peak.

  “Take me now,” she demanded.

  “My pleasure,” he answered as he pulled her hips down and took her fully. He almost lost it when she arched her back and her head fell back in abandon. She ground her hips against him, encouraging him to increase the pace. He couldn’t hold back and flipped her over so he was on top. He drove into her, lifting her hips so that he could drive further into her. Her body vibrated around him and as she cried out his name, he pumped into her one last time before he, too, lost himself again.

  * * *

  Phoebe stepped her fingers up Marco’s spine before she loosely ran them through his hair. If she was totally honest with herself, she’d missed this intimacy with him. She’d started keeping her distance physically from him the moment John had first contacted with her again.

  What she and Marco had shared since they’d returned home from the beach was the strength of their relationship. There was nothing wrong with their sex life. It was the other side of their relationship that needed work. The part where they shared things with each other.

  She gasped as Marco shifted their positions until she found herself sprawled across his chest. She instinctively turned her head and laid a soft kiss just below his heart.

  It would be so easy to forget her wish to cancel the wedding, tell him she’d made a mistake, but still she held off from saying the words.

  She wanted a man who gave all of himself to her, and she wanted to give all of herself to him. She just wasn’t sure if she and Marco wer
e ready for that. None of the issues between them had been sorted out. They were still in the exact same position they’d been before she’d broken their engagement.

  “You still hungry?”

  Marco’s question jolted her out of inner thoughts, and she was glad for the interruption. Her thoughts were heading in a direction she didn’t want to examine too closely.

  “Starving,” she replied. “Lunch was a long time ago.” “You know it’s your turn to cook for me.”

  She was affronted by his statement until she looked at him and saw the teasing glint in his eyes. “Only if you’re going to help me.”

  “It will be my pleasure.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at the smile he sent her way. She wanted to lean in and kiss him. Instead she laid her hand on his chest and with a gentle touch, pushed him back on the bed and got out. “Last one to the kitchen has to do the dishes,” she called over her shoulder as she scooped up a sarong that was slung over the chair in her room and wrapped it around herself.

  * * *

  Phoebe placed her knife and fork on the plate, her appetite for food sufficiently satisfied. All the time they’d been together they’d never worked as a team in the kitchen, preparing a meal together. Usually one of them cooked while the other one sat and drank coffee if it was breakfast being prepared, or wine if they were having dinner.

  “I suppose I need to do the dishes now.”

  She looked over at Marco, smiling at the pitiful look he was sending her way. “I’m sure you can handle a few dishes by yourself.”

  “But it would be much more fun if you were helping me. Besides with another set of hands things will be done quicker.”

  She laughed and pushed her chair back, picking up her plate and glass. “Fine, you win.

  Come on let’s get these dishes done. Do you want to watch a movie after we’ve finished?”

  Marco stood too. “Sounds like a great idea. I’ll even let you watch a chick flick in return for helping me.”

  “You’re a real hero.”

  Phoebe couldn’t help but enjoy the closeness they were now sharing. It was funny how looking back, she could see all the holes in their relationship that she hadn’t noticed before.

  “What are you thinking so hard about?”

  Phoebe looked up and saw Marco standing next to her. His eyes full of concern and her heart warmed at the sight. “Nothing too important. Just how different tonight is from most of the other nights we’ve spent together.”

  “We never did the casual thing, did we? It was either a quick meal because you were off to work, or some charity function, or one of my work dinners.”

  He was quiet for a moment as if he too was realizing just how much they’d missed out on before.

  She reached up and laid her hand on his cheek. “I enjoyed our evenings out, Marco.”

  He threw back his head and laughed. “No you didn’t. Most of the things we went to were stuffy events.” He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips, lingering for a moment. He broke the kiss and whispered against her lips, “I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry for what?” she asked.

  The next instant she found herself pulled against his chest, his arms wrapped around her in a tight embrace. “I’m sorry that I dragged you to places where you didn’t know anybody, and I left you to fend for yourself most of those nights. It was selfish of me.”

  Phoebe didn’t know what to say. What he’d said was true, he had left her alone, and she had been uncomfortable. What she’d also been was happy to be there as his date. She was proud of his achievements with his work. He was so dedicated and caring and it showed in every one of his projects.

  She reluctantly pulled away from his embrace and took a couple of steps back. She wanted to be able to look at him when she told him what she was feeling.

  “I accept your apology, but it’s unnecessary. I was proud to be your date. Sure, I didn’t know anybody, but I was getting to know people with every one we attended.” She smiled. “It wasn’t too bad.”

  “I think you’re only saying that to make me feel better.”

  Was she? Was she still trying to keep the peace? It was possible. If she wanted the truth from him then she would have to be truthful with him. “Okay, so maybe it was bad and you did leave me alone more times than you were with me, but I did know it was business and it was better for me to stay on the sidelines so I didn’t embarrass you.”

  Marco stopped from loading the dishwasher and looked at her, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Why would you embarrass me?”

  “Well, you know, I’m a nurse, and most of the people attending those functions are socialites and, well, some of them were pretty condescending when I said I was a nurse. In the end it became easier to say nothing at all about my career.”

  Marco took the plate she was holding and put it in the dishwasher, slamming the plate down so hard in the rack she was surprised it didn’t break. She could feel the anger radiating off him and wondered what had caused it. Surely he wasn’t angry with her for being truthful with him? If he was then he really wasn’t the man she thought he was.

  “Marco, are you alright?”

  He closed the dishwasher and stabbed at the buttons. Once the machine started humming away on its wash cycle he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the living room. He sat down on the couch and she had no choice but to take the cushion next to him.

  “No, I’m not alright, I’m mad as hell.” “Why?”

  “Because you just told me that the people I work with, people whose buildings or houses I spent days and weeks and months designing and redesigning, looked down on your profession. A profession that not one of them would be able to handle. A profession that you are amazing in. A profession that is noble and should be admired and never, ever ridiculed.”

  Phoebe was speechless at the passionate way he defended her. “Thank you,” was all she could say.

  “If I’d known what was happening I never would have left you alone. I’m so annoyed at myself for thinking that the people I associated with would be as proud of you and your choice of career as I am.”

  She crept closer to him and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and with the hum of the dishwasher in the background they held on to each other.

  This was yet another side to Marco she wasn’t used to seeing. The arrogant side when he’d showed up a couple of days ago had hit a chord with her. Then this passionate defending nature of him was also new. If she’d seen these signs of him earlier, would things have been different? Would she have been confident enough in their relationship that the appearance of John wouldn’t have caused her to have these second thoughts?

  Maybe, maybe not. Even after everything that had happened in the last few hours, she still didn’t know much about him.

  “How do you do it?” He asked the question so quietly she wasn’t sure what he said. “What do you mean?”

  His hand started to stroke her hair, the movement hypnotizing. “Being a nurse. How do you do it day in, day out? Seeing people come in so severely hurt that they might not make it. How do you keep yourself emotionally distanced from all of that?”

  Phoebe pulled away from his embrace. She’d never really thought about how an outsider would view her job. To her it was what she’d always wanted to do. She’d always wanted to help people and look after them.

  “I’ve never really thought about it, to be honest—it’s my job, Marco, it’s what I was trained to do. It’s what I love doing. It’s nothing special.” She finished on a shrug.

  Marco got up and started pacing. “Don’t demean what you do, Phoebe. Like today for instance, you managed to keep that girl so calm as you treated her, while her boyfriend . . . ” He broke off and squatted down in front of her. “Her boyfriend was lying on the ground dead.”

  Phoebe could feel the anguish pouring out of him. At the scene, she’d never given a thought as to what he would be going through. It would’ve been the first time
he’d have seen someone who had died. She felt awful that she hadn’t even considered his needs. It confirmed what she’d thought when he’d come for her when she’d been showering. He had needed to connect with someone who was alive.

  She slipped off the couch and grabbed his hands. “It’s my turn to say sorry.” Phoebe pulled a hand away and touched his cheek. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that today. I didn’t give any consideration to how you must have felt seeing the driver lying there. It’s not easy seeing someone who’s passed away for the first time.”

  “It wasn’t the first time.”

  His words had her looking up at him in surprise. “What do you mean?” “I watched my best friend die in a car accident.”

  Sitting on the ground wasn’t the place to be having this conversation. “Let’s get off the ground and back to the couch.” She spoke softly, as she could see he wasn’t aware of all that was going on around him. She also felt a little thrill go through at the anticipation of Marco sharing something that had defined him with her.

  They settled themselves back on the couch; she was once again leaning against him. “Can you tell me what happened?” she asked.

  * * *

  Marco closed his eyes and the image of Tomasso coalesced with image of today’s victim. Sometimes he wished he could go back in time and change the outcome of that day when he, Alex, and Tomasso had all set off for a drive in the country. He still couldn’t remember why they hadn’t taken one car instead of all of them taking their own cars. But if they’d done that would he or Alex have been seriously hurt, or maybe worse, even died like Tomasso?

  “Marco, if it hurts too much you don’t have to tell me.”

  He looked down at Phoebe as she gazed up at him. He could see the concern and caring in her eyes. There was also something else in their depths, as if she was expecting to be disappointed. As if she was expecting to be let down by him. He knew he didn’t want to cause that look to come fully into her eyes and take over the caring that she was showing for him. As hard as it was, he knew he had to tell her. He’d never shared this with anyone, not even Veronika. He’d always kept the things that hurt him secret. He thought he was protecting himself. In reality he was only hurting himself and those who cared about him. His actions had cheated everyone.