by Francis Ray
The words spilled from her lips in the opposite way she’d planned. Seeing the shock on Marcus’s handsome features, she rushed on. “I mean . . . nothing would change between us. We’d still be friends. You know, no strings attached.”
Marcus neither moved nor said anything. He simply leaned against the counter, his feet shoulder-width apart, his arms hanging by his sides. One hand held the untouched beer. The other was a fist. Though he schooled the emotion and surprise on his face, Nicole thought she saw a frown dance about the corners of his sensual lips.
As well as she knew him, she had no idea what to expect. The longer it took him to reply, the more worried she became. The self-doubts resurfaced, all of her old insecurities nipping at her heels.
Biting down on her bottom lip, Nicole swallowed back her moan of dismay. She’d been a fool to suggest this, despite how badly she wanted him. With her heart racing, she lifted the glass and drank another full gulp. Over the clear rim, she took a long look at Marcus.
His clean-shaven head glistened. She longed to run her hands across the smooth, dark skin reflecting the under-cabinet lighting. Her gaze dropped lower, lingering where his brown skin disappeared into the black collar of his shirt. The tic of his pulse in his neck matched the rhythm of her own.
A muscle in his shoulder bunched and drew her attention. His bulging arms pressed against the material of his shirt. Nicole ran her tongue along the edge of her bottom lip, thinking of how those strong arms would feel around her. Realizing she’d been staring, she quickly slid her gaze away, heat covering her cheeks.
Still, Marcus didn’t respond.
Clearing her throat, Nicole spoke, her voice just above a whisper. “Marcus?”
“Did you want to start tonight?” His rich voice split the silence. Lifting the beer to his mouth, he drained almost half of it, his dark eyes never leaving hers.
“You’re interested?” she choked out, surprise and delight resounding through her.
“Do I look interested to you?” he asked, lowering his beer to the level of his crotch and tilting the bottom toward the apex of his legs. He grabbed her hand and pressed it to the expanding bulge beneath his pants.
Feeling Marcus’s swelling flesh caused most of her doubts to vanish. She knew she was blushing, yet her eyes seemed frozen to the spot where her fingers encased the khaki cloth surrounding his erection. She was unsure what to do or say next, yet her hand lingered, Marcus growing thicker beneath her palm.
“Are you sure about this, Nic?”
She yanked her hand away and stepped back. Her gaze snapped up to his. For a long, drawn-out moment they simply gazed into each other’s eyes, searching out the friendship that had been so much of the past six years. This was Marcus, her friend and confidant. This was a man who was both physically attractive and yet humble and caring. Her tension eased.
“I’m sure, Marcus,” she replied, flashing a smile. “I know it seems odd, but I’ve been wanting this for a long time.”
“What prompted your asking?”
“You’re leaving.”
His brows furrowed.
“But there’s more, too. Time? Need? Desire? I just feel like I am missing something—intimacy with a man. You’re my best friend. I love being with you and talking to you. I thought maybe you could satisfy my other needs, as well. Once you’re gone”—she paused to swallow what felt like a marble in her throat—“the chance will be lost.”
“And nothing would change? We can still be friends after? You’ll still be able to look me in the eye and meet for our workouts? You won’t have regrets?”
“I’ve thought a lot about this. I know we can still be friends or I wouldn’t have asked. Will you have regrets?”
“Hell, no.”
“Well, then, neither will I,” Nicole reaffirmed.
Chapter Two
TRYING TO HIDE HIS OVEREAGERNESS, Marcus turned and placed his half-emptied beer on the counter behind him. He closed his eyes. I haven’t had enough beer to be drunk. He’d dreamed of making love to Nic, but with his leaving, he’d thought his fantasies would never come true. Now she was offering him a chance to make them a reality.
Despite his incredible attraction to her, this was Nicole—sweet, caring, sensitive Nicole. Yeah, he wanted her, but more important, he liked her and definitely didn’t want to hurt her by leaping into the sack without making sure she was certain.
Turning back, he swept his gaze over her. She was beautiful, dressed in a pinkish slip of cloth that did little to hide her ripe breasts and showed the sensual slope of her hips. Her supple legs stretched almost a mile to the floor, to where she’d not bothered with shoes. He smiled at the pink dots of polish adorning her toes.
“Come here,” he said, his tone huskier than he’d intended.
Without hesitation Nicole stepped in his direction. He took hold of her, guiding her fingers up his chest to drape over his shoulder. Her other hand splayed across his abdomen, sending a jolt of awareness to his cock like a bolt of lightning. Her thighs brushed against his as she settled into the juncture of his legs, shooting a pulse of blood to his erection.
“I think you’re too sensitive to have sex just for sex, Nic,” he said, cupping her cheek in his palm and turning her face up to his. He ran his thumb over her lush bottom lip.
“I can,” she insisted, as her pink tongue peeked between her lips to touch his thumb.
Marcus growled in the back of his throat at her sensual gesture, then dipped his head and lightly brushed his lips across hers. She was softer than he’d imagined.
In the space of a heartbeat the kiss changed. Marcus slid his tongue along the seam of her mouth, tasting the cherry of her lip gloss and feeling her faint tremor before she opened for him. His tongue slipped past her teeth and into the sultry depths of her mouth. Along with a trace of mint, he was met by a rush of feminine sweetness that sent another surge of blood to his groin, leaving him rock-solid.
Reluctant to lose control too quickly, Marcus slowed the kiss, allowing himself time to become accustomed to the feel of her.
Nicole leaned into him, deliberately brushing the tips of her hard nipples against his chest. Feeling the rush of desire dampen her sensitive vagina, she did it again. She settled the apex of her legs against the length of his rigid penis, which throbbed to life beneath the barrier of his pants.
Despite worrying that she might be moving too fast, Nicole ground her body into him. He joined her, thrusting forward each time she rolled her hips toward him with so much intensity pulses of need buckled her knees. She sagged completely against him.
Marcus wrapped his arm around Nicole’s shoulder and pulled her toward him. His mouth came down hard on hers like molten lava. He drew her bottom lip into his mouth, nibbling on the fullness. His lips moved across her skin, over her jawline, and down the column of her neck, leaving a cool trail of moisture where he’d already been.
With his free hand Marcus cupped the weight of her breast in his palm, rubbing his thumb over her taut nipple until it pebbled into a hard peak that strained against the silk of her dress. The damn dress.
He kissed along her collarbone, following the slope downward until he met the swell of her breasts.
“Mmm . . . you taste good. Sweet, like sugar,” he mumbled against her flesh.
“Honey,” she corrected. “Honey Dust.”
“Honey? Mm-hmm . . . I like it.”
Nicole shuddered as his arm slipped down her back and his large hand came to rest upon the roundness of her bottom. He softly kneaded her flesh. The music paused as the CD changed songs. A deep, sensual rhythm pulsed through her body when it played again. She could feel Marcus sway to the lyrics and beat.
She moved with him, allowing her head to fall back, giving him better access to her neck. His lush lips moved back up her chest, settling where her pulse throbbed against her skin. When the sharp edge of his teeth scraped against her, fine tremors spread across her skin like a wildfire across an August meadow.
/> With deliberate slowness he nibbled and nipped at her, kissing and teasing as he began to make the descent toward her breast.
He reached the line of silk draping from her shoulder. His teeth bit into the fabric and tugged the material lower so the seam pressed into the fullness of her breast. Half of one dark nipple peeked over the hem, exposed for Marcus to devour. Nicole felt her nipple harden further in anticipation of the wet warmth of his mouth.
Liquid heat seeped through her panties. Tension wound in the core of her body as Marcus drew her into his mouth and began to suck. His rough tongue swirled and lapped, his teeth grating against her skin.
Growling deep in his throat, Marcus shoved away from the counter, stalking forward while pushing Nicole back. He kept his arm around her and her body pressed tightly against his.
Marcus’s hands settled on her waist when Nicole hit the resistance of the opposite counter. His fingers gripped the material of her dress and bunched it in his fist, creeping it up her thighs. The coolness of the spring night air swept against her legs in striking contrast to where Marcus was touching her. Sensation shivered down her spine.
Nicole rested her hands on his upper arms, feeling the muscles tighten beneath her palm as he flexed his hands about her waist, lifting her onto the counter before him. Her bottom settled upon the silk of her skirt rather than the cool tile countertop, the front of the material riding high. Glancing down, she saw that her white lace G-string panties barely hid the triangular patch of curly black hair covering her mound.
Marcus wound his index finger around the narrow strip of satin and lace and pulled it upward, digging it into her folds of skin, brushing it against her clitoris in three quick successions. A tingle began deep within her body, while heat danced across her skin. She sucked a gasp of breath between her teeth as he again lowered his head and sucked her exposed nipple into the humid depths of his mouth.
“Damn, Nic. If you’ve changed your mind, you’d better say so now. I’m not sure I’ll be able to stop if we take this much further,” Marcus growled, his lips pressed against the responsive skin of her breast. The vibration of his words echoed through her entire body.
“Don’t stop. Please don’t stop,” Nicole managed between sharp breaths. “You’re making me feel so good.”
She felt his smile upon her skin as he continued to rub the cloth of her panties against her flesh, the muscles on her inner thighs quivering in reply.
Annoyed by the barrier of his clothing, and wanting desperately to feel his smooth skin with her hands, Nicole moved to the front of his shirt, where a row of buttons acted as a prim schoolmaster. She quickly dismissed the shirt, freeing each button until the edges fell apart and his dark sculpted chest was partially visible.
Her hands dove beneath the cloth and skimmed across his skin. Wisps of ebony hair tickled her palm. Masculine heat imbued her skin, making her dizzy with desire. Her fingernails scraped against his flat, hardened nipples. He groaned. She reveled in his response.
With his fingers he spread the lips of her vagina, allowing his thumb access to circle and press against the button of her clit.
“Ahh, Marcus,” she whimpered, her body shuddering.
She heard his throaty chuckle as his tongue left her breast cold, damp, and lonely—begging for the return of his mouth. Instead he settled upon her lips, smiling as he swooped into her, his fingers moving in the same slow, delicious tempo as his tongue.
His finger dipped into her, swirling in the natural spring of moisture signifying her arousal, drawing the silken essence from her core to rub around her labia, into the glistening black hair above.
Wanting to return the treatment, Nicole slid her palms down his defined pecs, across the flat plain of his stomach, over the contours of his straining abdominal muscles, to where a single button and a not-so-daunting zipper secured the waistband of his khakis. With one flick the button popped open, and the zipper slid down with a sigh of relief after struggling to stay up against the strain of his hardened cock begging for release.
Sliding her fingertips down to the elastic waist of his boxers, Nicole broke the kiss. Placing one hand on his chest, she gave a slight push so he was exposed to view. He must have realized her intent, for a slow, devilish grin turned up the corners of his lips.
Nicole smiled when she saw the Oakland Raiders boxers, the ones she’d given him for his last birthday. She’d thought them a funny gift. What else could she give a Raider fan who had lots of souvenirs? She was grateful now for her selection, for they guarded him like a true lineman did the quarterback, and looked stunning in contrast with his brown skin.
Taking the edge between her thumb and forefinger, Nicole pulled the elastic waistband down his narrow hips until the solid length of his cock sprang free. Gasping at the sight of him, Nicole stared at his long, black flesh standing rigid, the head pointing straight at her vagina with undeniable masculine power. The throb of desire beat within her clit with as much force as if Marcus had still been stroking her.
Nicole secured the band of elastic under his tightly drawn balls and wrapped her fingers around his shaft, stroking from the top downward until the side of her hand was met with pubic hair, then reversed up his length. He was so thick her fingers couldn’t meet. Veins bulged from his penis, making the journey a massage for her palm.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, fully in awe at the sight of his male body, flawless and powerful, supremely different from her own, fundamentally made for joining.
“So are you.” His midnight gaze fixed on her damp, pert nipples.
Nicole slid her hand down, tightening as she stroked back up, drawing out a ball of moisture that looked like a droplet of morning dew on the petal of a rose.
“Ahh. Mmm . . . Nic,” he moaned.
She swirled her thumb in his lubricant and dampened the velvet head of his cock until it was slick and ready for entry.
“Hell! We have to stop. I don’t have anything.” His voice was strained with tension.
“I took care of it.” Reaching behind her, Nicole grabbed a ceramic cookie jar shaped and painted like a bouquet of roses. Lifting the lid, she dumped the contents onto the countertops. Silver foil—wrapped Hershey’s Kisses littered the tiles.
Marcus narrowed his eyes, staring. It took a moment to realize what he was seeing. Mixed with the silver-wrapped Kisses were at least two dozens foil packets, each containing a condom.
“Do you always keep condoms with Kisses?” he asked, holding back a laugh, though the grin on his face betrayed him.
“No. I bought them.”
“For this?” he asked.
“Yeah, for tonight.”
He leaned forward and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. “For how long, Nicole?”
“Maybe a month or two? I lost count. I’ve been wanting to seduce you for a while.”
“Seduce me?” Marcus was shocked and slightly disappointed. He could’ve been sexing Nicole all this time; now he was about to move. Marcus tossed back his head and laughed. “It didn’t take much to seduce me, did it, Nic?”
Nicole shot a glance at his erection. “No, I guess not.” She smiled.
Marcus’s dark eyes appraised the countertop. “Why so many?”
“I didn’t know what kind you like—what kind you use,” she whispered, now embarrassed by the sheer number of condoms she’d purchased. “I bought every type the drugstore carried.”
“How about this one,” Marcus said, plucking a foil packet from beneath a few Kisses and handing it to Nicole, hoping she wouldn’t notice the slight tremble to his hand. I’m shaking?
“Good choice.” She took the condom from his fingers and tore off the side. She stared wide-eyed at the slip of lubricated rubber she held between her fingers.
Marcus could see her confusion, so he guided her hand to his erection and used his own fingers to move hers over his cock.
“Like this,” he said, slipping the tight latex down his rigid dick.
Nicole w
as breathing almost as heavily as he was by the time the circular condom was fully extended. Her hand cupped his balls and began to massage them. A groan rumbled from his throat, sounding almost like a growl.
She was damn beautiful sitting there on the counter with her legs spread for him. He settled between her thighs, grinning as she wrapped her bare feet around the backs of his legs and drew him closer.
Placing her hand on the back of his neck, she urged him down to her, closing the distance in the space of a second. He returned his lips to hers, his tongue slipping into the sultry depths of her mouth, swirling, mating, undulating.
Marcus settled a hand upon her breast. Smoothing his index finger over the taut nipple, he plucked and rolled, the weight of her firm globe fitting perfectly in his palm. His other hand went to her slick vagina, ready and eagerly awaiting his attention. She closed around his finger as he added one, then two into the folds of her labia, dipping into a pot of molten honey.
Marcus leaned forward, his body urging him, his mind unable to resist. The lure of Nicole’s lush body, ripe and hungry, slick, yet tight around his fingers, caused his erection to pulse with lust. When he felt her feet flatten against the backs of his knees and tug him toward her, he lost the last bit of restraint.
He brushed the latex-covered tip of his cock against the welcoming heat of Nicole, panting with the need to delve into her hard and fast. But if he did as his body called, this would be over in a few short, hard thrusts.
He slipped his fingers from her and wrapped them around his dick, brushing it against her clitoris, dipping deeper into the folds of her core. She was hot and wet and sweet, like going to heaven, like coming home.
Unable to hold back, and tortured by the tightening satin flesh around him, he thrust into her so deeply that his pubic hair tangled with hers as she ground her hips into him.
“Ahh, hell, Nic!” he growled through clenched teeth, his lips covering hers. His body began to tighten in need of release just from the feel of her.
“Umm . . . mmm.” She shook her head slightly moaning into his mouth. The taste of her breath was feminine and sugary. His body pulsed as her flesh gripped and hugged and tightened around his cock buried deeply within her.