Save Me, Sweetheart

by Tia Wylder

  “You’re being so weird right now,” she couldn’t help but say to him.

  “You mean, I’m being a gentleman? Come on, Crystal, you wound me. I’m always a gentleman.”

  “I think you’re overestimating yourself a little bit.” She looked down at their entwined hands.

  Mark followed her gaze but, to her surprise, he didn’t pull away. Instead, he swung an arm around to the amusement park alive with lights and excitement. “Shall we?”

  Crystal smiled.

  The rush of the park hit her instantly. The moment she was within its grasp, past the gates and moving with the crowd to the different stations, Crystal felt an excitement rise in her that she hasn’t felt in a long time. She’s been wanting to do this since forever, but she had always put it off, using one excuse or another as to why she couldn’t go. Now, she didn’t have any. The person she was supposed to protect was right here with her, dragging her along to the first stall they came across.

  “Something tells me you’ll be able to do this with ease,” he said. It was the game where she had to shoot ducks to win a prize.

  Crystal crooked a brow at him. “Do I look like I know how to shoot a gun?”

  “Yes,” he said without hesitation. “Or at least I would hope so.” He came a little closer as he asked, “So are you saying you don’t know?”

  Crystal didn’t pull away, loving how close his lips were to her. She couldn’t help the smile. Damn, she was smiling a lot today.

  “Let’s see, shall we?”

  Mark stepped aside, smirking. The attendant handed her the gun after Mark paid for it and she tested the weight of it in her hands. Crystal could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move, and instead of feeling nervous, she was confident, bolstered by the heat of his gaze. She caught his look and, with the way it smoldered with intensity, it was almost as if they were the only two people here.

  Energized by his presence, Crystal aimed and shot. Every shot made its mark and the people around her cheered the moment she lowered the gun. The attendant was grinning from ear to ear. “Would you like to go again?” he asked eagerly.

  Crystal looked at Mark. “Do you want to go?”

  “I’m quite fine with just watching you.”

  The low tone made her stomach go hot. She dragged her eyes away from him, looking back at the attendant. “I’ll just take my prize.”

  She chose a bear so big; it took her two arms to hold it. As they walked away from the booth, Mark plucked it out of her hand. “I’ll hold it for you,” he said.

  “Stop doing that.”

  He smiled. “Stop doing what?”

  “You know what you’re doing. Keep it up and I just might jump you right here.”

  Mark’s eyes grew dark. “There are people here.”

  Crystal stepped closer, running a finger down his chin. “We can let them watch.”

  With that, she walked away, her face on fire and her body trembling with need. After a few moments, she looked over her shoulder to see she had him frozen to the spot, staring after with hunger in his eyes. She merely smiled and continued along.

  The hunger didn’t diminish as the night wore on, but Crystal’s excitement grew. She stopped at every booth, trying everything she could. She failed a lot of them but Mark was always there to win her prize after prize. After a while, they had to buy a pulley to carry everything behind them.

  Mark watched his bodyguard, the stoic, professional woman he had grown used to turn into an overexcited child as she got into the swing of things. The sight threw him, made him want to see more. He’s never seen her smile this much before, always ready to move on to the next thing. At one point, she whirled on him, pointing up at the ferris wheel on the other side of the park, stating that she wanted to save that one for last. At that point, Mark was willing to do whatever she asked of it, no matter what it was. Seeing her like this made him a strong emotion come over him, one he didn’t recognize until later.

  Intense happiness, so strong he was taken aback by it. He was happy to see her be happy, seeing her enjoy herself like this. Mark thought he’d be quite content just following her around all day, watching her tight ass sway in that little black dress, looking out of place yet so sexy he had half a mind to take her back home.

  He was crossed between the two needs — one wanting to ravage her in the privacy of his home and the other wanting to explore more of this side of her before she let her guard back up and locked her inner child away. As Mark watched, he felt something else grow in him, but the feeling was something he felt before, something he didn’t want to think about at a time like this.

  “Ferris wheel time,” Crystal announced after about an hour or so, her cheeks flushed with excitement. They had left their now two pulleys of prizes with an attendant by the lost and found booth after Mark slipped him a crisp hundred dollar bill. Crystal was tugging on his hand, steering him in the direction of the massive ride on the other side of the park.

  “What’s with you and ferris wheels?” he asked, genuinely curious. “What’s with you and amusement parks on a whole, actually? I’ve never seen you so … excited before. In fact, I’ve never seen you excited at all.”

  “How long have you known me, Mark?” she asked. To his surprise, she linked her arm with his. The touch, though a bit basic, made him hot to the touch.

  “Is this a trick question?”

  She chuckled. “I’m trying to say that you haven’t known me very long so you have no idea who I can be.”

  “The strict bodyguard I hired didn’t look like she could possibly smile more than two times a day, if so many.”

  “I just didn’t have a reason to smile.” Then she grinned at him, the full force of it hitting him square in the chest. The foreign yet familiar feeling grew and Mark staggered in his steps, taken aback. Crystal smiled even wider and ran along to the ride, yelling at him to hurry along.

  Mark made his way to her in slow, unfocused steps. He kept staring at her, trying to piece together what was happening to him. The answer felt like a dandelion, dancing on the tips of his fingers but hard to grasp. Yet, he kept going after it, going after her, following behind her in the slight daze that fell over him as they piled into the tiny car. The car jerked and they began to ascend. Mark watched Crystal as she peered through the small window, watching the ground go farther away.

  “What are you doing to me?”

  Crystal looked at him, the smile slipping a bit. He hadn’t realized he had asked the question out loud but he didn’t take it back. It was too late now.

  He expected her to ask what he meant by that. She didn’t. He expected to have to explain what he was talking about. He didn’t have to. He expected her to dodge the question or say something vague. She didn’t say anything at all. Instead, she crawled over to his side and kissed him forcefully. She kissed him hard and fast and needy and the question melted from the brain as his insatiable lust for her bloomed. Crystal was right there with him, stripping his clothes, kissing his neck, biting his ear the way she found out he liked.

  “Crystal,” he murmured against her skin. He didn’t know what he was planning to say but he didn’t need to say anymore. She pulled away from him, her fingers interlocking around his neck. The way she gazed into his eyes was filled with emotions he both recognized and was confused by.

  “Should we put on a show?” she asked him, a smile spreading across her face.

  It was contagious. “Let’s give them something to gasp about.”

  She grinned, full and cheeky. This time, Mark pulled her panties to the side and the first finger he slid inside made her eyes grow hot. The second finger made her gasp and she clutched him a bit tighter. He moved them slowly at first, staring into her eyes, loving to see the way she reacted to him. But then she sped up, pumping his fingers inside her until she was shuddering through a chaotic orgasm. She sagged against him, gasping, eyes unbelieving. His favorite expression so far.

  “Screw you,” she said with a laugh
and pushed him back against the car. Mark didn’t fight it. She was ready for it and so was he. So when she sat on top of him, moving to her own rhythm, he grasped her hips, groaning aloud.

  “Just like that,” she murmured to him, eyes rolling to the back of her head. He could hardly see her at this point, his own eyes having a difficult time staying in one place. He wanted to moan but held it back. The more she rode, the faster she went, the harder it was to hold in—until he just didn’t bother anymore… They rocked the car much more than it should have and though it was dangerous, Mark thought there was nothing more dangerous than the beautiful woman that laid in his arms.

  Chapter 7

  Crystal woke the next day with a smile on her face. She couldn’t wipe it away, no matter how much she tried to and after a while, she just gave up on trying altogether. The reason for her foolhardy smile was just a few doors away in his bedroom, the guy who was no longer the scared, anxious man wearing a mask of bravery but the suave, lady-killer she knew him to be from the beginning. Crystal thought she would be immune to his charms, setting out to make her money and hone her experience as a guard. It didn’t matter that she had been attracted to him from the start, Crystal was nothing if not disciplined and riddled with self-control.

  Mark Gooden broke that all down in a matter of days. If she was being honest with herself, she would say hours, but she wasn’t ready to admit that quite yet. The only thing Crystal could admit to herself right now was that she liked him, a lot. So much that she was starting to wonder if it was turning into that thing people called love, the thing she never experienced in her entire life. Would she recognize it when it came? She would, wouldn’t she? Would he be willing to accept it?

  Though she was a natural realist, Crystal had to wonder if the belief she had that Mark had real feelings for her was a little too optimistic. She knew what he was known for and love was clearly never an option for him. He lived a life too wild for that and Crystal was the sort of person who liked to stay grounded in certainty. They didn’t mix well. She knew that. She knew that from the very start. But maybe that was what made them so perfect?

  God, she was getting ahead of herself. Though it was so early in the morning that the sun hadn’t come up yet, Crystal was dressed and ready to go. She knew that in an hour or so, Mark would be up, keen on grinding the day away still in search of his elusive spy. It didn’t matter that, after coming back from the amusement park last night, they had made love again and again before falling asleep. He would always be up at the same time.

  Would he ask why she had slipped out of his bed in the middle of the night to return to the one she was using while she stayed here? She hoped so. She hoped he asked with a twinge of disappointment. She wanted to see if he wanted her to be there, if he wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms and wake up the next day to her sleep-ridden face. God, she was beginning to sound like an idiot.

  She slapped her cheeks, hoping to send the rushing blood back where it came from before she went out in search of the man who was turning her mind to mush and her heart into a puddle. Just as she was approaching his bedroom, to stand outside the door until he was ready to come out, he walked out. He was in nothing but a pair of grey sweatpants and Crystal’s eyes went straight to his pecks. She loved them. It was one of the favorite parts of his body. A man who, despite not knowing how to fight as well as her, could hold his own in a show of strength was always a turn on to her.

  “Good morning,” he greeted, all grins.

  She held back her own. It wasn’t last night anymore, where she had allowed herself, just for the night, to let her guard down. It was a new day, with the same old responsibilities and she had to be the same bodyguard.

  “Good morning,” she greeted back. She was in all black again, though she had purposely made her outfit a little bit skimpier than they normally were. For one, she was in a pair of shorts that Mark was taking in at that very moment. She nearly wanted to model her legs for him but she stopped herself. “How did you sleep?”

  “Terribly,” he said, dragging his eyes back up to meet hers. “At first, it was great but then the bed got cold all of a sudden.”

  And now her cheeks were getting warm. She prayed he wouldn’t see the blush. “Please don’t tell me you’re about to—”

  “Yep,” he said with a grin. “It’s tacky but I couldn’t help myself from saying it. You make me feel nice and warm at nights, Crystal. Why did you leave?”

  She only shrugged. “That isn’t the bed you gave me.”

  “Oh, right in the heart with that one. You don’t ease up, don’t you?”

  “You and I both know I can when I want to.” With that, she walked away, heading to the kitchen and knowing his gaze was following her. “What’s for breakfast?” she asked over her shoulder.

  Mark was grinning when she faced him again, this time in his exorbitant kitchen. She usually stood to the side and let him do whatever he’s doing, having fixed herself something to eat before he even woke up. He would always offer her some. She would always decline. Today, she was weirdly yearning the chance to share a meal with him.

  “Oatmeal,” he said.

  “Yuck.”

  “You don’t like oatmeal?”

  “Does anyone really like oatmeal?”

  “I do,” he said matter-of-factly. “And so does my mother. We used to eat it all the time.”

  “You and your mother are very weird people.”

  He laughed. “My mother would be so taken aback if she heard you say that. She thinks she’s anything but weird. The perfect wife, the perfect host, the perfect everything, that woman.”

  “Is she?” she probed.

  As Mark began taking this out to prepare his oatmeal, he nodded without hesitation. “She is. I don’t know how she even manages it but she is perfect in nearly every way. Even her flaws are perfect.”

  “How can someone have flaws and be perfect?”

  “Harmless little things that make them the best version of themselves,” he told her. “Like the way you scan your eyes over everything before you make a comment.”

  Crystal blinked in surprise. She hadn’t expected him to turn it on her. “How is that a flaw?”

  “It’s bound to make people uncomfortable. They’ll think you’re judging them. Your eyes do look very judge-y.”

  “Is that what you thought the first time you met me?”

  “The first time, no. The second time, yes. I thought you were reading into everything about me and already coming to a conclusion before I could even think to show you otherwise.”

  “I didn’t expect you to care.”

  “And there you go. Your first judge-y observation.”

  Crystal blew air out her nose in frustration. “I’m not judge-y.”

  “I never said you were. I just said you looked it.”

  “You said I made a judgey observation about you which wasn’t the case.”

  Just as he set the pot on the stove, Mark looked over at her, noting the annoyance in her tone. His lips twitched despite this and he made his way over to her. Crystal met his eyes, nearly getting lost in them and forgetting she was upset at all.

  He laced his fingers with hers and kissed her on the forehead. Just like that, every bad feeling flew out of her body. “As I said,” he murmured. “Even someone’s flaws can make them perfect.”

  She nearly said the words. It was right on the tip of her tongue, bolstered by the way they held hands and the way he kissed her forehead. She actually opened her mouth, ready to say the words she didn’t expect to say to him.

  But before she could get anything out, he stepped away, as if suddenly remembering something. “I didn’t text Jen yesterday,” he said, moving away. “I should call her.”

  Crystal deflated. She let the mask fall back in place, disappointed that she’d taken it off in the first place. She stepped back, away from Mark though he was already moving away from her, searching for his phone to call his best friend. He didn’t notice the wa
y she re-erected her walls. He didn’t see the ice slip back into her eyes.

  Crystal stayed in one corner but she kept her eyes on him. She couldn’t deny the jealousy that was consuming her, angering her. She watched him, the way he paced as he waited for her to pick up then the wide smile when she finally did. He had wandered over to the other side of the kitchen so she couldn’t hear what was being said. She supposed that was a good thing.

  She straightened a bit when he did, noting the concern that shadowed his face. Suddenly, he hung up the phone and began rushing out the kitchen. Crystal followed him. “Where are you going?”

  “To Jen’s.”

  “Why?” She watched as he threw a shirt on, one of the random shits he had put on last night before Crystal had taken it right off.

  “She sounded off on the phone. I’m going to go see if everything is okay.” When Crystal reached for her own coat, he said, “You don’t have to come. I’ll be fine.”

  He was out a second later. Crystal only stared after him.

  **

  “Mark? What the hell are you doing here?”

  Mark blinked in surprise at Jane, who was standing at the door like a dragon guarding its lair. She raked her eyes down the length of him then back up, frowning. “You didn’t think to take a shower first?”

  As much as he liked Jane, he wasn’t in the mood to deal with her right now. “Where’s Jen?”

  Just as he asked the question, Jen popped up behind her sister, frowning. She was drying dishes, her hair pinned to the top of her head and a few strands falling around her face. Mark knew that must be driving her insane. She frowned at him. “Hey, Mark. Why do you look so out of breath?”

  “You okay?” Forgetting all about Jane now, he shouldered his way into the apartment. He considered the place his second home, seeing that he spent nearly all his time here before Jen got her boyfriend.

  “Yeah.” She turned and made her way back to the kitchen. Mark followed her. Jane followed them both. “Why wouldn’t I be?”