by Missy Jane
Seeing Marc angry had been a relief. He knew the man wasn’t the violent type and Darina would never goad him into actually hitting her. What his overactive imagination kept telling him, as the seconds ticked by and the elevator doors remained closed, was quite different. Sol’s fear had been of finding them in an embrace. Every time he looked at her beautiful lips he barely restrained himself from stealing a taste. He didn’t know what he would’ve done if Marc felt the same way. One thing was for certain, he wouldn’t have given a damn about his job.
I would’ve beaten the hell out of him without a second thought. Damn, I’m getting way too attached here.
Darina had sensed the shift in Sol’s mood from the moment she had turned her attention away from him to Marc. She wished she could undo whatever action had upset him, but she had no clue which it had been.
Does he know I was trying to protect him?
Marc could easily cost Sol his job and there wouldn’t be a damn thing either of them could do about it. Sol didn’t seem angry exactly, but he certainly wasn’t happy either. She would’ve given up chocolate for a year to be able to hear his thoughts as they walked out to the parking lot. Unfortunately no one was offering that deal and Sol seemed so lost in thought she was surprised he remembered to open her door for her.
She mumbled her thanks and moved to slip into her car when he gently grabbed her arm and stopped her. She turned to look at him and found herself pulled into his embrace, his warm lips capturing hers in a hungry kiss. He moaned and she echoed it as his tongue slid against hers and his arms tightened around her. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers, panting slightly.
“Darina, I’m sorry if I upset you back there.”
His apology confused her, but before she could question him he turned her around and gently pushed her into the car. She went willingly, tucking herself in so he could close her door. He smiled at her through the window and mouthed “see you soon” before heading to his truck. She watched him walk away before putting on her seat belt and turning the key in the ignition. She had no clue why he’d apologized but relief filled her at seeing him smile.
We have all night to straighten it out.
Chapter Five
Sol closed the front door and locked it, then turned to find Darina facing him with a wary look on her face.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked quietly, stepping toward her slowly with his hands stretched out as if she were a frightened animal.
He almost expected her to scurry away like one, or to yell at him for his behavior in the foyer. She bit her bottom lip and it took all of his control to keep from pulling her close enough for him to do the same. He stopped a breath away, leaving the final millimeter up to her. If she wasn’t angry and wanted to be in his arms, he had them ready to receive her. Somehow he feared they were about to have their first official fight.
“Yeah, I’m okay. Why wouldn’t I be?”
There was something in her voice he couldn’t quite place. He widened his stance and clasped his hands behind his back to keep from grabbing her. They needed to have this discussion without the distraction of sex.
“You seem upset. Did I make you mad when I interfered on the elevator?”
Surprise lit her face, but he didn’t know if it was a good sign or not.
“Um, no, not exactly. I mean, I wasn’t angry with you for interfering between me and Marc. I’m just worried about you losing your job. Remember, I have something else lined up if I go off the deep end with him. You don’t…do you?”
He smiled and shook his head. “No, I don’t.”
“Well, see? You need to keep your temper with him, even if he is a complete dumbass.”
He chuckled and finally gave in to the urge to pull her into his arms. He breathed in the scent of her hair and closed his eyes as she wrapped her slender arms around him. He squeezed her for a second just to show her how much he enjoyed holding her, then pulled back to look in her eyes.
“I promise to keep my temper so I don’t lose my job. Okay?”
Her smile lit up her face, stealing his breath. He leaned down and kissed her, the last of his control finally slipping away.
So beautiful. So perfect.
“Why did you do it?” she asked as he drifted from her mouth down to the side of her neck.
He rubbed his lips against her skin and he tried to think of what she was talking about.
“Do what?”
“Grab Marc like that on the elevator. How long had the doors been open?”
He ran both hands down her back to squeeze her ass. He loved filling each hand with one delectable cheek as he gently ground his erection against her.
“Only a second or two. But I couldn’t stand the thought of you on that elevator with him…alone.”
He let her digest his declaration as he kissed along her collarbone, bringing one hand forward to unbutton her blouse. She was holding on to his shoulders, not helping in any way, but not stopping him either. He tried not to worry.
“H-how did you know we were on the elevator together? Were you watching me on the monitors?”
“Yes. Every day for the past ten months I’ve watched you round the corner to wait for the elevators at just a few minutes past five. Then I wait for what feels like an eternity to see you walk out of that metal box and come past my desk. I love it when you lose your name badge. That’s when I know I’ll get to speak to you both in the morning and the afternoon.”
She shivered as he pushed her blouse off her shoulders and pulled down a bra strap. One perfect nipple popped into view and he immediately devoured it, making her moan.
“Sol…I… Oh, I can’t think when you’re doing that.”
“Don’t think. Just feel what I’m doing to you.”
She shivered again as he released the clasp on her bra in one swift move. He suckled the other nipple with the same rapt attention he’d given the first.
“Sol, you don’t have to worry about Marc. I don’t want him anymore, even if he decided he didn’t want Heather.”
“I don’t want to talk about Marc.”
“I…oh my God…I d-don’t either, but—”
“But nothing. Darina, just relax and let me love you.”
She gasped but he kept going. He hadn’t meant to use that particular word but this felt like so much more than just sex, and he’d be damned if he’d use any of the other crude analogies to name the magic between them.
This is love, or will be soon. I’d be a fool to deny it.
The groping reached another level and he finally gave in to the urge to lift her into his arms. He carried her up the stairs to her bed and gently placed her in the center. As he crawled over her, she ran her hands through his thick hair, pulling ever so slightly and sending a shiver down his spine. He loved it when she played with his hair. Hell, he loved it when she played with his anything. Just having her hands on him was a pleasure he’d never expected in his lifetime.
I’m so damn lucky.
He ran his lips softly over her skin, causing the flesh to ripple in small bumps as he whispered endearments. He wanted to say all he felt out loud. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops, acknowledging to himself he was falling in love with her. He paused over her bellybutton and let a smile spread across his face at the thought. Yup, he was definitely falling in love with her. Would he be able to hide it?
Do I truly want to?
He mentally shook his head at the thought and finished licking his way south. Her moans grew louder, making his cock harder by the heartbeat. He slipped a hand between her thighs and felt the moisture pooled between her lips, all for him. He smiled as he raised himself up to slip on a condom before aligning his rock-hard erection with her soft, glistening entrance.
“Ready, kitten?”
“Yes. Oh, yes, Sol. Please, please, please.”
Warmth filled his chest at her words and the desire he heard in them. He slid into her in one solid thrust, closing his eyes as his balls pressed against h
er ass. He groaned and opened his eyes as he rested his elbows on either side of her head.
“You don’t have to beg me, ever. Just tell me what you want and I’ll always give it to you, I promise.”
She smiled up at him and his heart sped up in time with his thrusting hips. He pumped into her heat while he devoured her lips. He loved the mewling noises escaping unbidden from her as he nipped at her jaw. She was so beautiful, his emotions welled up. Shaking his head at the unexpected moisture in his eyes, he grabbed her thighs and pulled them over his hips for a better angle. She thrashed her head back and forth, her brown curls cascading around the pillow. He groaned as his climax approached, trying to hold off as long as possible. He continued thrusting as he placed his thumb on her clit. She moaned and bucked her hips harder. He moved his finger slowly and steadily, somehow in a calmer rhythm than his hips. Within heartbeats she screamed his name.
“God,” he growled, coming hard enough to see stars.
He peered down at her face, smiling at the dazed look in her eyes.
You’re mine, and I don’t give a damn who knows it.
* * * * *
Darina woke with a chill and reached her hand out to find emptiness beside her. She immediately turned to see Sol gone and the morning sunlight spilling between the blinds. Her head dropped back onto the pillow and she sighed, surprised to feel Sol’s absence so deeply. Her stomach fluttered in nervousness and her heart rate sped up. Confusion filled her as she tried to truthfully examine her feelings for him.
Why can’t I seem to be truthful with myself?
She closed her eyes and imagined his touch, his kisses, his scent, the sound of his voice. All of those warmed her inside and out and she was suddenly starved for him. Had she ever fallen for a guy so quickly?
No. Not even Marc made me crave him like this after so short a time.
She tried to remember what it felt like to be touched by Marc but couldn’t. Her thoughts, and apparently her heart, were now filled with Sol. She smiled.
“That look isn’t for me, is it?”
Startled, she sat up quickly and yanked the sheet to her chin.
“Marc! What the hell are you doing here? How did you even get in?”
His gaze roamed over her body, head to toe, and he took his time answering as he leaned back against the closed bedroom door.
“Remember how I lost the key you gave me a few months back? I found it last week in my gym bag. Just thought I should return it to you.”
She slipped out of bed, careful to wrap the sheet around her body completely. She raised her chin and let her anger show on her face as she took a step toward him.
“Good. Give it to me.”
A look she’d never seen crossed Marc’s face and turned into what she could only think of as an evil smile.
“Be careful what you ask for, sweetheart. You just might get it.”
Oh shit.
She dropped her hand and took a step back, feeling the nightstand press against her lower back. She nonchalantly reached a hand back and found her cell phone, pressing the button programmed to call Sol.
“That’s not funny, Marc. I want you to give me my key then turn around and leave.”
He uncrossed his arms and straightened to his full height, towering over her even at a distance. She fought the panic building inside. The Marc she knew would never physically hurt her.
But that Marc never would’ve cheated on me either.
“Just thought I’d drop in to check on you, sweetheart. I knew you’d be all alone on what should’ve been the beginning of our wedding weekend, and I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
His face didn’t match his words or the concerned tone of his voice. He almost looked angry, and she tried to imagine the image she presented to him in the harsh morning light. Her rumpled bed stood as a testament to the night she’d spent with her lover, as well as the love bites still stinging her skin. She didn’t know how much was obvious or what he might make of it, but Marc seemed to be staring at her too intently for a man who no longer wanted her.
“I’m fine. I need to get dressed to go out. Just give me the key and go so I can get on with my day.”
“Where are you going?”
“It’s none of your damn business where I’m going. You need to leave—”
“So you can be with him? Where is your precious security guard this morning, Darina? He sure as hell isn’t at work. I made certain of that over an hour ago.”
Everything in Darina froze and her panic turned to anger.
You son of a bitch.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He chuckled and took the few remaining steps toward her, crowding her against the nightstand.
“It seems we no longer have a need for two daytime guards. You know how it is, sweetheart, with the way the economy is right now layoffs are a fact of life.”
“You bastard,” she whispered, as she pressed the speaker button on her phone.
“I might be a bastard, but at least I’m a man worthy of you. What the hell were you thinking, fucking security? I really thought you were better than that.”
“Oh I don’t know, Marc. Seems I’ll fuck just about anything seeing as I fucked you for two years.”
“Bitch,” he hissed between clenched teeth as he grabbed her upper arms violently.
“Let go! You’re hurting me!”
“You think this is pain? What do you think I felt when I saw you touch him, huh?”
“It shouldn’t matter, you bastard. You’re with Heather now, not me.”
“Heather is nothing but a means to an end, Darina. It’s you I want. You’re what I’ve always wanted. You just couldn’t wait for me to make it to the top and come back for you, could you? You just had to start fucking around with someone else.”
He shook her, causing the phone to fall from her hand and hit the ground. She prayed Sol had answered and could hear the trouble she was in. This was a side to Marc she’d never seen, never suspected existed. She had no idea how to get out of this on her own. The sheet she held in a death grip by one fist began to loosen, and she used her other hand to push against Marc’s chest.
“You’re hurting me. Marc, let go!”
His grip tightened, bruising her flesh, and she opened her mouth to scream. Just as she took a deep breath, he suddenly lifted her and tossed her onto the bed. The air was knocked out of her and she fought to breathe.
“All I wanted was to be successful, Darina, to show you I could make it to the top. Girls like Heather never stick around for long anyway. She would’ve gotten sick of me eventually, but I wanted to be her father’s right-hand man before that happened.”
Darina scooted to the other side of the bed, as far away from Marc as she could get. He approached the bed slowly, unbuckling his belt on the way. Finally able to draw in enough air, she gasped as she began to shake her head.
“You’re insane. How could you think I would ever take you back after you cheated on me?”
He removed his belt and pulled his shirt from his pants. He stopped at the side of the bed and toed off his shoes, still watching her.
“You love me, Darina. We had two good years together. I know you hate to be alone. If I came back to you with an apology on my lips, I knew you’d take me back.”
She shook her head more adamantly as she gripped the sheet tighter.
Oh God, he’s insane.
“No. Never, you asshole! I would never trust you again and nothing you could say would change that.”
His face showed his anger before he yanked his shirt off and dropped it on the floor.
“Perhaps not, so what do you say I fuck you one last time then?”
She opened her mouth to scream as Marc placed a knee on the bed. Before he could move toward her a hand fell on his shoulder, pulling him violently away. He fell back against a wall as Sol placed himself between Marc and the bed.
“You.”
The venom in Marc’s voice made
her shiver, but the tension in Sol’s stance calmed her fear. She wanted to burst into tears of relief, but fought to remain silent until this was over.
“What the hell are you doing here, Marc? You aren’t welcome here anymore,” Sol replied quietly.
Marc’s out-of-place laugh sounded bitter and angry. She wanted to cry at the strange sound coming from the man she thought she knew so well.
“That isn’t for you to say, security guard. Oh wait, you’re not even that anymore are you?”
“Oh, I don’t know. There’s always a job waiting for men who are hard-working and…honest.”
Marc chuckled and tightened his hands into fists.
“I don’t know what you think you heard, security man, but what’s going on between me and Darina is none of your business.”
“There’s nothing between us—”
“Shut up, Darina. You don’t know what you’re saying. As soon as I get this garbage out of here we’ll straighten things out between us, sweetheart. I promise.”
“You sure are good at making promises aren’t you, Marc? Just really bad at keeping them.”
All eyes turned to the new voice in the room, just as Heather walked through the door.
Sol’s anger receded slightly as Marc seemed to realize what was happening. Heather had heard everything, just as she’d heard everything from Sol’s phone while they stood in her office. He’d been trying to get his job back when Darina’s call came through. Heather had been more than willing to listen in when he told her what was happening on the other end.
“Heather, honey, what are you doing here?” Marc asked in a shaky voice.
The look she gave him should have made him burst into flame. He simply paled and took a step back, looking down at himself as if suddenly realizing the picture he presented. Sol was furious, but his main concern was for Darina. He glanced behind him to find her still on the bed, watching Marc warily.