by Faye Avalon
“Well, Marco mentioned you were always short of blankets and newspapers, so I did a rally around at my office. I hope you still need them.”
Beth took a bunch of newspapers off the top of Amber’s pile. “Thanks. We always need them, especially when it’s been raining so much like it has of late.”
“That’s good. About the blankets I mean, not the rain. Have you got time for a coffee?”
Beth scrambled for an excuse as Amber glanced toward the Center’s café. Passing the time of day discussing the weather while standing in the foyer was easy enough, but coffee? That meant chatting. Talking about other subjects. About Marco.
Stupid, Beth thought, annoyed at herself. She and Marco were having such a good time together, and Amber and Ethan were his best friends. It wouldn’t hurt to make the effort to get to know Amber a little more. It might even help stop this unwarranted irritation with Amber from ruining her happiness. “Sure. I can take a break.”
When they’d ordered their coffee, Beth indicated a table by the window that looked out over the meeting area. If it looked like it was getting too busy, she could make her excuses and leave.
“I think it’s lovely how you have photographs of the animals for adoption up on the notice boards. It’s amazing that you can work here and not want to take all of them home.”
“Well, practicality wins in the end.”
“I suppose so, but I’d still want them all. Marco said you were thinking of adopting a dog though.”
It seemed Marco said a whole lot.
“Roscoe.” At the thought of the big softie who had wormed his way into her heart, Beth smiled. “He’s a mastiff and seems to have bonded with me. I love him with a passion.”
Amber studied her with an expression that was a mixture of coy and determined. Beneath her delicately feminine exterior, Beth suspected there was a backbone of steel. She could see how men would fall head over heels.
“I might be wrong,” Amber said at length. “But I get the feeling you don’t like me very much.”
The concern in Amber’s green eyes made Beth feel like an unreasonable shrew. “I don’t know you well enough to have decided not to like you.”
“Which is one of the reasons I thought with the guys away it would be good for us to grab a coffee together.”
Beth nodded, wondering how it was possible for anyone not to like this amiable woman. That was assuming she hadn’t slept with the man you were currently heating up the sheets with.
Amber slid her spoon over the topping of her latte. “The thing is, I was hoping you didn’t refuse my invitations to supper because of what happened.”
As Amber’s gaze held hers firm, Beth picked up her own spoon. “I was on shift.”
“Both times?”
Again Beth nodded. What was she supposed to say? That she’d refused Amber’s latest invitation because, despite her assurances to Marco, she still wanted to scratch the woman’s eyes out? That she wanted to slap her silly purely because Marco had fucked her long months before Beth had ever met him?
As Beth deliberated, Amber blew out a breath. “I thought so. The first time I wondered, but then when you didn’t come the other night either, I worried.”
Feeling like an insensitive, ungracious bitch, Beth offered Amber a wan smile. She owed the woman some sort of explanation, seeing as how she’d come all the way out to the Center. “It’s pretty hard to swallow. Knowing you slept with Marco and, well, the circumstances surrounding it.”
“I can understand how you must feel.”
Still Amber stared her direct in the eye. A straight-shooter, Beth thought. No embarrassment, no hedging, not a hint of nervousness. “Can you?”
“Sure.” Amber shrugged. “I felt weird when I found out that Ethan and Marco had shared that woman they met in Marco’s bar. I didn’t even know the woman, but it was hard to accept. At the time, it was out of my comfort range, you know? I wasn’t particularly confident in my own abilities in the sack and finding out Ethan liked to…”
“Mix things up a little?” Beth glanced around the almost empty coffee bar before returning her attention to Amber. “The whole group sex thing?”
Amber nodded. “What I wanted to say is I didn’t know that woman, but you know me.”
Beth felt a growing camaraderie with Amber, seeing as how they’d both experienced the discomfort of knowing their men enjoyed activities outside the boundaries and limitations of their own. She took a breath and let her guard down. “I feel sort of left out.”
“I get that. I really do. Which is why I thought it might help. I suppose it was a ridiculous suggestion. I didn’t mean it to offend you.”
Suggestion? What suggestion? Beth’s chest tightened once more. Was this something else Marco had discussed with Amber? Another scenario Beth had been excluded from?
“I suppose I thought it would make you feel less out of it,” Amber continued. “Stupid really.”
As Beth continued to speculate, Amber straightened. “Oh damn. I’ve done it again haven’t I? Put my big foot in it.”
“Looks like. Seeing as I haven’t been party to this suggestion.”
Amber gathered up her bag and Beth sensed she was about to make an escape. “Oh no you don’t. You’re not leaving before you spill.”
“You should speak to Marco.”
“Right now, I’m speaking to you.”
“Shit.” Amber clutched her bag on her lap as if she was hedging her bets and could still try for freedom if the situation required it. “Like I said, it was stupid. I knew Marco wouldn’t go for it, but I had to suggest it anyway. I was only trying to help.”
Since her mind had been working overtime speculating what this suggestion might be, it didn’t take Beth a moment to piece things together. Amber had thought a threesome might help.
“The idea was probably not so stupid,” Beth confirmed. “Seeing as I actually suggested it to Marco myself.”
Amber’s green eyes widened in disbelief. “You did?”
“Thing is, I realized I didn’t want a threesome with another man in the mix. I only want Marco.”
Those green eyes narrowed as Amber hesitated, then she looked visibly relieved. “And he only wants you.”
The knot in Beth’s chest began to ease. “I hope so.”
“Believe me, I know it for a fact.”
Beth smiled as her cheeks heated. Amber had been honest with her. It was time to return the favor. “I did work those shifts each time you invited me to dinner, but only after I’d rearranged them to ensure I couldn’t come. And you’re right, I do feel weird about this whole thing you had going with Marco and I don’t really know how to get over it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If anyone should apologize, it’s me.”
“Why don’t we agree to just put it behind us? Start again.”
“That’d be good.” Beth decided it was her turn to reach out. Amber was actually really sweet and she appreciated she’d taken the time to come out to see if they could sort this through. “Would you like another coffee? Maybe a slice of that carrot cake to go with it?”
Amber laughed. “Considering Ethan’s seen far worse on me than a few surplus pounds, I’m going to say yes. As long as I can get into my wedding outfit, and I’ve got a few more days to minimize the damage.”
Beth waited until they were tucking into carrot cake before she ventured the question she wanted to ask. “You said Ethan’s seen worse in you than a few surplus pounds. What did you mean?”
Amber toyed with a few errant crumbs. “I was in an accident a while back and it left me with some scarring on my shoulders and arms mostly. I was really hung up on it after my fiancé dumped me for my best friend and said it was my fault. He said he found my physical appearance disgusting.”
“Bastard.”
Amber laughed and Beth thought how it turned her from pretty to beautiful. Exactly the woman to turn the heads of men like Marco and Ethan. “He really was. But my scarring di
dn’t matter one jolt to Ethan.” She glanced up at Beth and held her gaze. “Or to Marco.”
Beth gave a tentative nod. “I suppose we should be open about it. No point in hedging around anymore. Sharing carrot cake forms a certain bond.”
Amber smiled. “I’d really like if we could become friends. It seems Marco’s fallen pretty hard for you and I’d hate if we couldn’t get past this.”
“I should grow up and get over it. I’m working on it.”
Amber smiled. “That’s good.”
“I really appreciate you coming here. Being honest with me. There’s just one more thing I’d like to ask.”
Although she looked wary, Amber nodded. “Ask away.”
“After you and Ethan really got together and you knew you were in love, did you ever … did Marco ever…”
“No.” Amber gave her head an emphatic shake. “Not ever.”
“Okay.” Beth let go of the remaining tension in her chest as she released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thanks.”
Amber leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Beth. I love Marco, I really do, but I’m in love with Ethan. He’s the only man I want. And the only woman Marco wants is you.”
Amber’s announcement pushed a warm glow into Beth’s chest. She loved knowing Marco felt that way about her, especially since she felt the same about him. “Hell.” She huffed out a laugh. “I was never like this before. Never so paranoid.”
“Before what?”
“I was married.”
“Marco said you were divorced.”
Beth nodded. “Did he tell you I found out my husband was having an affair with my younger sister?”
Amber’s eyes widened. “No. Hell, Beth.”
“At the time it was. Absolute hell. I thought I’d come to terms with it, but it seems it’s left me with a real problem trusting people.”
“Hardly surprising.”
“It wasn’t until the conversation you and I had in the cloakroom at that charity dinner that I realized there was more to your relationship with him than he’d told me about. When I finally found out you’d slept together…I suppose it brought back all my insecurities.”
“I can imagine.” Amber sighed as she picked up her coffee. “Men really were at the back of the queue when they handed out common sense, weren’t they? Do they really think we, the more intelligent of the sexes, won’t find out these things eventually?”
“They probably don’t like to admit our superiority.”
Amber laughed, then sobered as she looked at Beth. “No doubt they can screw things up, can screw us up. But some of them, the good ones, can help put us back together again. Thanks to my bastard ex, I thought I was rubbish in bed. It took a long time to regain my confidence, not only in the sack but as a person. Ethan helped me.” She reached out and touched Beth’s hand. “Marco’s got his faults, but he’s a good guy, Beth. Being with someone like him could help you learn to trust men again. All you have to do is open yourself up and let it happen.”
Beth replaced her coffee cup and glanced out the window. “I’m trying,” she whispered. “I’m really trying.”
Chapter Fourteen
Beth recalled Amber’s words as she parked her car. Was it that easy to trust again? To let go of the past and move forward? What were the consequences if she didn’t? Living her life being guarded, suspicious, and seeing betrayal around every corner. She didn’t want that. She wanted to handle her fears before they threatened to destroy all the good in her life.
As she gathered up her overnight bag the car door swung open. Before she could register what had happened, Marco leaned down and claimed her mouth in a breathtaking kiss. “Damn, I’ve missed you.”
He all but pulled Beth out of the car and wrapped her in his arms before taking her mouth again.
When they surfaced, Beth’s knees were decidedly weak. She hadn’t even hesitated when Marco’s surprise email arrived inviting her to join him on Sunday night at a London hotel for dinner and a show and a night of—his words—debauchery. She couldn’t believe how much she’d missed him while he’d been away, and it had only been two nights. Now, in his arms, she could barely believe how much she wanted him.
Marco nibbled at her mouth, along her jaw, down her throat. “I’ve got a very large bed just waiting to be filled with you. You underneath me. Over me. Any fucking way I can get you. I want you naked. I want to drive my cock so far inside you, fill you, so you’ll always feel me there. You’ll feel empty without me there.”
“I want that, too,” Beth admitted between snatched breaths.
Her fight for oxygen continued as Marco subjected her to a series of punishing kisses. She’d never been kissed quite so thoroughly in her life.
When they eventually made it through reception and into the lift, Marco dropped her overnight bag and grabbed her again.
Beth laughed. “There might be security cameras in here.” Unable to resist touching him, she wound her arms around his neck.
“Then whoever’s manning them will see me kiss my girl.” He snuck his hands down her back and grabbed her backside. “They’ll see me feeling her ass, grinding my dick against her pussy, which if I know her at all is probably soaking wet for me right now.”
Beth tried to be the voice of reason but her mouth slid into a grin. “I hope the cameras don’t have audio.”
Marco grinned back as he kept his hands on her ass and held her pressed to him. “If they do, they might learn something.”
Thankfully, he kept from doing anything more suggestive as the lift continued its journey then came to a halt. When he slipped the key card into the lock and pushed open the door to their room, Beth felt her jaw drop. She’d expected a decent room, knowing Marco’s taste for comfort, but what she stepped into wasn’t just a room, it was a suite.
“It’s gorgeous.” She turned a circle trying to take it all in. “Have you been staying here all weekend?”
“Nowhere quite so grand.” He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “All us guys needed was a place to crash, a bed to fall into after one too many beers. I wanted better for you. For us.”
Beth placed her hands over his and leaned back against him. “All we need is a bed.”
His lips grazed the side of her neck as he nuzzled against her flesh. “We’ll make it there. Eventually.”
Beth tilted her head and looked back at him. “Eventually? From the way you’ve been manhandling me, I thought we’d make that the first stop.”
He returned her grin. “I’ve got an interim stop I think you’ll enjoy. Start walking.”
He manoeuvred them toward the door off to the right, and pushed it open with a nudge of his foot.
A bathroom the square footage of her cottage opened up before her. There was a giant bath off to the left and just beyond an archway beckoned. As Marco guided her through the tiled arch, Beth simply gawped as she caught sight of the big round Jacuzzi sitting resplendent in the center of the space, billowing steam. Soft spotlights threw a muted glow over the space, while champagne chilled in a silver bucket on the ledge accompanied by two crystal flutes.
Her heart skipped at the romance of it. “How lovely.”
Since Marco’s hands tugged at the hemline of her tee shirt, she raised her arms and let him shrug it off. “Red lace,” he said as his hands cupped her bra-covered breasts. “My favorite.”
She closed her eyes and drew in the scent of sandalwood and citrus. “I know.”
He continued to torture one nipple through the lace, but let his free hand drop to the waistband of her skirt. Beth barely felt him unzip her skirt but seconds later it pooled at her feet. She dropped her head back on his shoulder when he cupped her pussy and began to massage her heated mound through her panties.
She felt lost in a sensual haze as the warmth of the room fused with the heat from Marco’s body and the fragrant steam blended with his own unique scent. The gentle hum of the Jacuzzi’s motor became a sensu
al accompaniment to the deep craving in his voice as he told her how much he wanted her.
As she gave a contented moan, Marco tightened his arm around her waist, then with his free hand took hers and guided it down her body.
“I want you to touch me,” she complained as his intention became clear.
“We’ll do it together.”
With his hand over hers, he guided her forefinger beneath the lacey panel covering her pussy and pushed her finger inside.
She felt his own fingers surrounding hers, brushing against the side of her opening as he set up a rhythm that soon sent her hurtling toward the edge of bliss.
Trying to increase the pressure, the friction, she bucked her hips, but Marco held back, controlling her movement.
“Impatient little witch, aren’t you?”
“Let me come,” Beth pleaded on a breathy moan. “Let me come. I’ll do anything you want.”
“Anything?” His voice sounded raspy, his breathing ragged.
“Yes.”
Before she knew what was happening, he released her and spun her around, pushing her back against the tiled wall. He unclasped her bra, tossed it aside. Yanking down her panties, he ordered her to step out of them, then he tossed them aside too.
Beth had a moment to wonder how she’d ever lived her entire adult life without the pleasure of being ravished by a man as skilled as Marco, when he shoved her legs apart and dropped to his knees.
He looked up at her with slumberous chocolate eyes as he parted her pussy lips with his fingers. He kept his gaze locked with hers as he lowered his head, before finally pushing his tongue deep into her slit.
Beth lashed out with her arms, trying to gain purchase against the flat tiled walls as her knees buckled against Marco’s assault. All it took was the touch of his finger against her clit and she flew.
Before she could linger in a post-orgasmic daze, Marco had risen up, pulled a towel from the rack beside them and thrown it on the floor. “On your hands and knees.”
Beth stared at him. She’d never been so sexually dominated, had never wanted to be. But with Marco, she found it exciting, thrilling.