by Lauren Dane
Edward laughed at the sight of his sons’ faces.
“What? I’m not that old, boys. Your momma is a willful creature and needs lots of space to do her thing. Needs a man who’ll let her be herself and love that about her. I do. But she also needs a man who won’t take any nonsense and pushes back when she gets cranky. Liv is that kind of woman and our Marc, although he tries to fool everyone with that easy going smile, is that kind of man. Aren’t you, boy?”
Marc chuckled. “To be honest, Daddy, I never thought of it that way. I’ve never felt any compunction to be like that with a woman before I met Liv. But yes, I’ve learned a few things about myself in the last months and that’s one of them.”
“The truth is, not every woman is worth the effort. You’ve found your woman, Marc. Let your Liv think she’s on the search for Mr. Right when you’re right there under her nose. Give her a few weeks to get the picture and then close the trap. It’ll be hard to let her go like that, but you know, I get the feeling it’s all going to be a big charade for her. She’s not looking for anyone but you. Patience and you’ll win this through.”
“You’re more diabolical than Momma. How come I never figured that out?” Kyle asked.
Edward chuckled. “If I have to tell everyone how diabolical I am, how diabolical could I really be?”
Chapter Seven
“Okay, you and I are going out for coffee when you’re done tonight. We have some talking to do,” Marc murmured as Liv came out of the locker room to stretch and warm up.
“I don’t suppose I get a say in this?”
“Nope. Now get working.”
The infuriating man actually sauntered off to help another one of his clients while she warmed up.
It helped that she was distracted while she worked out. Sort of. Marc’s presence was nearly overwhelming. He leaned over her and touched her like he had a right. At one point he even brushed his lips over her temple surreptitiously.
She went through her workout quickly and efficiently. He shadowed her, making sure she did everything right, adding some reps and extra weight to a few of her machines.
Liv saw he was speaking with another client when she’d finished her warm down and hurried to the back to change clothes. She really didn’t want to talk to him. She was weak, she’d missed him and had looked forward to seeing him that evening. He’d also left a mug on her desk with some of the tea she often drank at The Honey Bear. How did he know? It touched her way more than she wanted to be touched. No one ever did that sort of thing for her before. He noticed things like that, little things, small things but things about who she was.
When she came back out he was locking the front door, standing next to the other one. He turned and crossed his arms over his chest. “Going somewhere?”
“I have work in the morning.”
“Mmm. It’s only seven. We can even have coffee at your place, save some time.” He grabbed his bag and waited for her.
Sighing, she took his outstretched hand and they left.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Your ridiculous idea of boundaries.”
“Ridiculous?”
“Look, it’s a crock and you’re using it to hold me back. Okay, fine. Here’s what I’m willing to do. You and I will continue to see each other, naked and clothed. I will continue to show you that I am this forever guy and you will date blandoids like Bill. At some point, you will have to admit you and I are it, and this silly charade can end. Then we can move forward with a relationship.”
“And you?”
“What do you mean, sugar? I’ll be pining away while you’re out on the town.” He winked.
“You’re such an ass.” She was unable to stop the upturn of her mouth into a smile. He was infuriatingly adorable. And very accommodating. It made her nervous.
He took her keys from her hand and unlocked her door, following her inside.
“I am an ass. But in this I’m right.”
“And I suppose you’ll be dating all the twinkies in town while I continue my serious plan to find love.” It hurt even to imagine it.
He laughed. “Do you want me to? Liv, sugar, I don’t like twinkies. I far prefer pie and cobbler. In any case, no, I won’t be dating anyone with creamy filling but you. Because I only want yours.”
“You’re such bad news.” How could she resist? He was funny. He made her laugh and what did she have to lose anyway? She could keep him and keep the plan in place. And a small part of her wanted to believe his claim about wanting a relationship with her. Okay, a big part. The part that beat then, just for him.
“I am. I’m very bad. And so are you. I think you need a little discipline.” He waggled his brows at her.
“Oh man. I’m in trouble,” she mumbled just before sprinting out of the room with him on her tail.
Laughing, he yanked her clothes off when he caught up to her.
“Bathroom. I need to shower. I’m all sweaty.” She tried to fend him off, giggling.
“I could lick you clean. You taste mighty fine. But we haven’t showered together yet so I’m all for firsts. I’ll lick you dry.”
He pulled his clothes off and she sighed happily, turning around to run the water.
“Nice bathroom you’ve got. That’s some tub. Next time I foresee a long bath together. I do like you wet.”
Those blue green eyes went to deep, dark green. Shivering, she took in the long look up and down her body he gave her. His cock was hard and standing at attention. He pulled the door to the enclosure open and she stepped in, leaning back to get under the spray.
His hands, slick with soap, began to explore her body and she fell back into his spell. With his hands on her, she couldn’t think about anything else but him so she stopped fighting and let go. It seemed with him, there was nothing but to let go.
Fingers rolled and tugged her nipples, over and over in a slow, sensual rhythm. The wall of his chest felt sure, strong as she leaned into him.
“Just an appetizer before the main meal,” he murmured before nibbling her ear.
Still rolling and tugging, Marc moved his other hand down to find her clit, swollen and ready. With the same leisurely rhythm, he brushed his middle finger over it, building the pleasure bit by bit until she was blind with it, aching for release.
Pleasure sucked her under as she gasped. Climax roared through her body as her back bowed.
Muscles still jumping, she dimly registered movement as he turned off the taps. Warm and lazy, she dried off, watching the water roll down his body in rivulets over the hard-packed muscle.
“What’s that smile for? Where’s the bedroom?” He took her hand and she sashayed past, naked and satisfied, drawing him toward the end of the hall where her bedroom lay.
“The smile is because you look so good. And this is my bedroom.”
Marc looked at her, bathed in the yellowish light of the streetlamp out front, dark hair wet and plastered to her head, only emphasizing the sexy shape of her eyes. Her body was mouthwateringly beautiful but what was most alluring was her comfort with her shape and size, the way she owned her sensuality and had no shame as she stood naked before him.
Her room was a lot like her. Simple, strong and straightforward. Deep blues accented by lighter blues colored the walls and bedding. No frilly stuff anywhere. Black and white photographs hung framed on the wall, southern landscapes if he guessed correctly.
A laptop sat on a desk in the corner and in the other corner a single, overstuffed chair, flanked by a low table with a lamp and an open book. The space smelled like her. Minty but also, he paused, thinking as he had so many times trying to identify it…coconut?
“Liv, sugar, what perfume do you wear?” he asked her as he nuzzled her neck, rubbing the entirety of his naked body against hers, walking her backwards to her bed.
“I don’t wear perfume.”
He liked the way her breath hitched before she could answer him.
“What’s that smell then? Mint a
nd is that coconut?”
She laughed as he pushed her back onto the bed. “Oh, that’s the stuff I put on my skin. Coconut and mint. Smells delicious doesn’t it? Oh, my!”
He teased the entrance to her pussy with the head of his cock. He’d never wanted to plunge into a woman without protection as he did at that moment.
“Condom? Please say you have one in here or I have to go back into your bathroom for my pants.”
Stretching her arm out, not leaving his embrace, she opened a drawer in her bedside table and rustled around, holding up a foil package in triumph.
Within moments he sheathed himself and sank into her body with a groan. When he was inside her, it felt like home. It felt so good there, deep within her, he wanted to yell it out to the whole world.
Each breathy gasp, every moan and sigh and squeal she made shot straight to his cock. He made her feel that way, no one else. And no one else would.
He had no problems telling her she could date these other guys while she figured out he was the right one because he knew, despite her attitude, she wouldn’t be with anyone else but him. No, what they had between them wasn’t simply sex, not only sex, but the sex was part of it and she’d know it. Deep inside the way he touched her, the way he made her come would be there no matter what she did or who she was with.
It was a matter of seducing her heart because her body was his.
When he looked deep into her eyes, their faces just inches apart, he felt as if he were drowning in her. He kept returning to kiss her lips as he slowly thrust into her pussy over and over, taking in her breath as he captured her lips.
“You feel amazingly good,” she gasped out.
“Yes, oh yeah. I feel good. You feel like heaven around my cock, Liv. I was made to be here, inside you.”
He changed his angle, rocking back to push her knees up, opening her to his thrusts. He knew he had it perfect when he swiveled a bit, grinding himself over her clit.
“Ah, you’ve got another one in you, don’t you, sugar? Give it to me.” He wanted to give her pleasure, wanted to make her happy and fulfilled. And right then he was. He felt the first tense and flutter of her inner walls around him and her nipples hardened. A low moan tore from her.
“Come on, Liv, come. I can’t until you do and I want to. I need to.” He felt climax build and build, threatening to overflow and take over his system.
Arching her neck back, she rolled her hips to meet his thrusts and cried out as she came, pulling him down with her as he let go and orgasm rushed through him.
He continued to thrust until he was soft, finally rolling to the side.
Moments later, he pulled her into the curve of his body and kissed the top of her head.
Liv woke up, warm and safe. Before she opened her eyes she knew why. Marc lay curled around her. As she wasn’t fully awake she could admit to herself that it felt good.
Waking up with Brody never felt like that. Waking up with Matt never felt like that. Before thought fully returned, she snuggled into him, breathing in his skin, listening to the slow beat of his heart as she laid her ear against his chest.
He made her want to melt, made her feel feminine and soft. Vulnerable in a way she hadn’t imagined she ever could. And yet, all that outer stuff was stripped away. She was who she was, no artifice, no bull and he stayed.
How long would that last? How long would he be all right with her dating other people and how long would he not do it too? He’d use her dating as an excuse to see other women too. And he’d be right to, after all she was. God, she’d built in her own damned self destruct for this thing. When it went bad, there’d be a reason, one she could accept.
She would just ride it out between them until she found the right guy and Marc was ready to move on. Hopefully, she’d find the right guy first because she was pretty sure her heart would break when he walked away.
She eased away from his sleeping body, standing next to the bed to look at him before she jumped in the shower to get ready for work. His face was partially hidden by strands of his hair. A morning shadow of beard covered his chin and cheeks, making him look sexily disheveled instead of messy.
Reluctantly she turned to go into the kitchen, start coffee and head to the shower.
He was sitting at her kitchen table, reading the newspaper when she came out, dressed for work.
“You look nice today.” He smiled.
As the only thing he was wearing was a patch of sunshine across his shoulders, she thought nice was a relative term for what he looked.
“You look mighty sexy, Marc.” His hair was wet and combed back away from his face, only highlighting the lines of his face. He had the kind of good looks that could sell men’s sportswear and casual clothing. Boy next door with a healthy heaping spoonful of sin twinkling in his eyes.
He stood and kissed her, careful not to smear her lipstick.
“Are you late for work or anything?”
He shook his head. “Nope. I have a client in about forty-five. I go to her place though.”
Liv took a sip of coffee and said nothing, although silly jealousy ran through her. She hated jealousy. It was a useless, base emotion and she should be above it. However, right about then all she wanted to do was let this mysterious client know Marc woke up in her bed that morning. Hmpf.
Marc smiled as he watched her face change. Ah, jealousy. And not the petty kind that he’d experienced from women before. She didn’t pout or throw a tantrum. But she had started to think of him as hers on some level. Good. He sure as hell knew she was his.
She was so beautiful and sexy, watching her move through her kitchen, getting herself breakfast—after asking if he wanted any—with that pretty, bright red dress floating around her legs made him crazy. He wanted her. No, he needed her. Thinking that other men would see her and have naked thoughts about his woman made him edgy. He’d never actually been jealous before. It was another indicator that he loved and adored this woman. Or something.
“What’s that smile for? Makes me nervous,” Liv sat across from him and ate her oatmeal.
“It should make you nervous. I was thinking about waking up next to you on Christmas morning with my mother yelling up the stairs for everyone to get their lazy butts out of bed and get downstairs for breakfast and presents.”
Okay, so he shouldn’t have enjoyed her reaction to that so much but it did make him chuckle. Because she would be there for Christmas, next to him, opening presents and eating breakfast with his family. She belonged with him and there was nothing else that could convince him otherwise.
“You’re skittish. Like one of those little dogs. Never know when you’re going to go off and snap at me. My client this morning is Lula Parsons. She’s heartier than her seventy years yes, but you’re way hotter.” He winked, just to poke at her more.
“Marc Chase, I do believe you enjoy fucking with me.”
“I enjoy fucking you, yes. A lot. More than I’ve enjoyed anything. Ever. It’s not generally what I mean when I say your insides are beautiful, but that’s part of it.”
She blushed, touching him deeply. Had no one ever really complimented her? Made her feel special? It wasn’t like Matt to not treat the woman he dated with extra care but clearly she seemed uncomfortable and unused to it. Maybe it was him. He’d need to think on it more, watch her reactions. But he planned to put Liv on a pedestal and treat her like a queen because she deserved it.
She stood and put her dishes in the sink. “I’m going to get on. Lock up when you’re ready to go.”
“Oh hang on, let me walk with you.”
She leaned against the sink, watching him as he pulled on his clothes.
“Wait a sec.” She went into her bedroom and came back out a few moments later. “I can’t help you with underwear. Not that I want to, I like knowing you’re naked under there. But here’s a pair of gym socks and a clean T-shirt. It’s way too big for me but it should fit you.”
Smiling he took the shirt and pulled it over
his head and got the clean socks on. The dirty stuff went into his bag. He hadn’t the heart to tell her he had clean shirts and underwear in the messenger bag. He liked wearing something of hers. If they were hers.
“Hey, whose clothes are these?”
“Mine, silly. The shirt was some contest win and they just gave everyone extra-larges And everyone has gym socks don’t they? Do you think I’d be so tacky as to give you some other man’s clothes?”
He laughed. “No. I don’t think you’re tacky. I think you’re fabulous.”
They walked hand in hand to city hall and parted ways at the front steps with a quick kiss. He liked that she didn’t shy away from the public affection and he really liked the sway of her ass as she took the steps toward the front doors.
“Saucy.” Grinning, he turned and jogged toward his place.
Chapter Eight
Friday night some weeks later found Liv staring at him as he played pool. And the damned little chickies who seemed to follow him around everywhere.
“It sucks. Just get used to it now.”
Liv looked back at Maggie. “What are you talking about?”
Maggie snorted. “Puhleeze. Girl, don’t you play coy with me. I’ve watched this thing blossom between you and Marc. You’re watching him with hungry eyes right now. But you see the fan club too. Chase brothers come with a fan club. You’re going to have to accept it. If you let it agitate you, you’re going to be agitated all the time.”
“I’m not agitated.”
“Yeah, I can tell. Olivia Jean, you have got to stop lying to yourself or this is never going to work. All these women can do is look. He’s not doing a thing to lead them on, not giving them any attention other than a how do you do.”
“Don’t you let this silliness hold you away from something real with him. Speaking of silliness, how’d the date with Rancher Bill go?”