“Wow. This place is so amazing.”
I’d been in luck when I called the Garfield Park Conservatory this morning. They only allowed people to rent the whole place out on certain nights, and Thursdays were one of them. They’d balked a little at the short notice, but it hadn’t already been booked by someone else and I was willing to pay extra for the inconvenience.
“I know you’re having a hard time with the difference in weather between Chicago and Vegas.” She always shivered into her coat whenever we stepped outside, and she’d mentioned how cold it was here more than a few times. “I thought you’d enjoy how tropical it is in here.”
“I do.” She wandered over to sniff one of the flowers. “I really do.”
I led her through the Show House, through the Horticulture Hall, and into the Jensen Room where I’d had the caterers set up our dinner. Off to one side, there was a long table covered by a white tablecloth with about a dozen silver dome covered plates in a row on top of it. In the center of the room, there was a smaller, wrought iron, round table with two chairs. An ice bucket holding a bottle of champagne sat on top of it, and there were two place settings of napkins folded into intricate flowers atop the plates.
Ariana started lifting domes off the plates of food and setting them to the side. “This is incredible. You really went all out.”
I grabbed our plates and brought hers over to her. “It’s just a bunch of appetizers. That way, we can walk around while we eat if you want.”
“I love finger foods,” she said before she popped a brie and apricot tartlet into her mouth.
I had fun watching her pile a variety of choices onto her plate. It was refreshing to date a woman who appreciated good food as much as I did. I followed suit, and we sat down at the smaller table and munched on our selection of appetizers and sipped champagne for about half an hour.
“I think the fontina risotto balls were my favorite.”
I wasn’t surprised since she’d let out a little moan that drove me crazy each time she bit into one. “It’s a tie between the chicken satay skewers and the roast beef parmesan puffs for me.”
“Grr. Meat,” she grunted, her eyes dancing with humor as she teased me. “You’re such a guy.”
“Damn straight.” I grinned and flexed an arm. “And I need all the protein I can get to keep up with you.”
“I’m so glad you said protein,” she gasped, covering her mouth with her hand while she giggled. “Because if you’d said meat instead it would’ve taken on a totally different meaning.”
I roared with laughter when her meaning hit me. After we both settled down and caught our breath, I stood up and offered her my hand. “We should probably walk off the champagne since we went through the entire bottle in less than thirty minutes.”
Her palm slid against mine, and that same spark was there as the first night. “If I’m breaking out the teenage boy jokes, you’re probably right.”
“I don’t know. I like this side of you. Maybe I should break out another bottle of champagne instead,” I half-teased as we walked through the conservatory. She stopped here and there to read about different types of flowers that piqued her interest.
We made it halfway through the place when she suddenly stopped and looked up at me. “It’s so quiet. We really have the whole place to ourselves?”
It might have been overkill on my part since it was a multi-room greenhouse with more than one garden, but I hadn’t wanted to be surrounded by other people during our date. And it’d only cost a few thousand dollars to rent it out, so it hadn’t been completely ridiculous. “There are probably a few employees wandering around somewhere. But other than that, it’s just us.”
She wrapped her arms around my shoulders, lacing her fingers behind my neck, and smiled up at me. “You know that I don’t need all of this fancy stuff, right? I’m with you for you. Not the things you can do or buy for me.”
“I know.” But it sure didn’t hurt to hear her say it. Especially after my time spent with my ex, whose priorities had been the exact opposite of Ariana’s. Ironically enough, the fact that she didn’t expect anything from me made me want to spoil her that much more. “It didn’t cost as much as you’d think, and it was worth every penny to see that smile on your face.”
“Do you have any idea how amazing you are?”
“As long as I’m amazing enough to have you, that’s all that matters.”
“Shit.” Her forehead dropped against my chest and her arms slid around my back. I cradled her against my body while she held on tight. After a couple of minutes, she leaned back to peer up at me and her eyes were slightly damp.
I swiped my thumbs over her cheeks, brushing away her tears. “What’re these for, gorgeous?”
“They’re a weird mixture of relief, gratitude, and happiness.”
“I’m hoping the happiness is because of me?”
She offered me a watery smile. “Yeah.”
“What about the relief and gratitude?”
“A lot of the gratitude is for you, too. I’m lucky to have met you, and I’m so incredibly thankful for all of the thoughtful things you do for me,” she explained. “And I’m also appreciative of how nice everyone in Alessia’s life has been to me. The hotel suite. The job offer. Welcoming me with open arms.”
“They’re not just in her life anymore. They’re in yours too. Take Andrew and Josie, for example. You’re related to them by marriage through your sister, but you’re also connected to them through me because Andrew is my best friend. And I’m your”—I paused for a moment, searching for the right word since boyfriend didn’t make a strong enough of a statement for me—“man.”
Her smile grew wide, and the sadness cleared from her eyes. “My man, huh? Is that what you are?”
“Man. Boyfriend. Yours. Whatever label you want to put on this is fine by me as long as you’re mine.”
“Mine,” she echoed. “I like the sound of that.”
“Me, too,” I whispered against her lips before claiming them in a deep kiss.
“How long can did you say you rented this place out for?” she asked when it ended.
“Until ten o’clock. We have three hours until they’ll kick us out.”
“Three,” she echoed. “What a funny coincidence. Remember that dating rule we talked about on Monday night?”
“Of course I do.” I wasn’t going to forget any details from that night. Not when it was the first time I kissed her. Saw her perfect tits and pussy. Tasted her body. Felt her fly apart around my fingers. Every single moment was etched into my brain.
“Like you said then, if we fudged the rules a little and counted the time we spent together while you were at work, that was our third date.” She held up three fingers on her right hand. “Then we had lunch together twice this week. Which makes tonight another third date for us.” She pointed up three more fingers, this time on her left hand. “That’s six dates in all.”
“I’m not sure where you’re going with all of this.” I kissed the tips of each of the fingers she had raised. “But I really enjoy how you like to list things.”
“I think you’re going to enjoy this a lot more.” She rose up on her toes and whispered in my ear, “Because the whole point of this particular list is to point out that we’ve smashed the dating rule twice over now.”
My cock got the message before my brain, pressing against my zipper in an effort to get to her. “I’m sure the staff would be thrilled if we left early. It would allow them to close up and go home.”
“Then I guess that’s what we should do.”
We headed for the room where we’d eaten dinner to grab our coats. Someone had packed up the leftovers into to-go boxes they’d stacked into bags. I handed one of them to Ariana and picked up the other two. My car was parked in the spot closest to the building, and it wasn’t long before we were on the road.
“My place or yours?” she asked.
I did a quick calculation in my head, and the answer made me
smile because I wanted to see her spread out on my bed. “My condo is a few minutes closer than the hotel.”
“Your place it is, then.”
I gunned the engine, determined to shave a couple more minutes off the drive. Now that she’d given me the green light, I hoped all the ones on the way to my place were green too.
Chapter Eleven
Ariana
“Whoa,” I breathed when I walked into Mark’s home. “This isn’t what I was picturing when you said you lived in a condo.”
I’d already mentally added another pro to the list since he was a homeowner. If that didn’t say stability, then I didn’t know what did. As someone who’d always lived in apartments, buying a home seemed so far out of reach. But I’d never imagined anything like this.
The brick building was older, but very well maintained. Mark’s condo took up an entire floor, and the elevator opened straight into it. The living room, dining room, and gourmet kitchen were all open and flowed into each other. The ten-foot ceilings had crown moldings. It was all so expensive looking. “How many bedrooms do you have?”
“Four, and I swear I’ll give you a tour of each and every one of them,” he promised. “But later. Right now, there’s only one bedroom I want to show you. Mine.”
I slid my hand against his and laced our fingers together. “Lead the way, and I’ll follow.”
“Fuck that,” he growled, sweeping me up into his arms. “I’d rather carry you.”
That’s exactly what he did. Down the hall, until he kicked open the door to a huge bedroom. He tossed me onto the mattress on the king-sized bed, coat and shoes included.
“I’m going to get your comforter dirty!” I squealed.
“Don’t worry about that,” he urged. “Not when we’re going to spend a fuck of a lot of time tonight messing up my bed.”
I shivered at the sensual promise in his voice as I kicked off my shoes and tossed them on the floor. My coat quickly followed, and my breathing quickened when he did the same with his shoes and coat before joining me on the bed.
“How is it that you grow more gorgeous each and every day?” He brushed a kiss along my jaw. “It shouldn’t be possible when you’re already the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
His eyes were sincere, and I knew he truly meant what he was saying. But the compliment still made me blush. “It’s probably the same reason you seem to get hotter every time I see you.”
He unbuttoned his shirt and stripped it off. I slid my palms up his chest, enjoying the feel of his taut skin and firm muscles, before tracing his tattoos with my fingers.
“I love your skirts.” He flicked the button on the side of my skirt through the opening and lowered the zipper. “They make your legs look incredible, but I’m willing to bet this one will look even better on our floor.”
“How about you take it off me and see if you’re right?” I suggested.
He rose up on his knees and gently lifted my hips to pull the skirt down my legs. “Just like I thought, fucking gorgeous.”
I stripped off my shirt and bra while he bent low and licked from one knee, along the sensitive skin of my inner thigh, and up to the seam of my panties. “Holy shit, that feels so good,” I whimpered, and a growl rumbled up his chest.
“Your skin is so soft. Sweet. Perfect. It makes my mouth water.” He pressed a kiss against the gusset of my panties before continuing up my belly to my breasts. I shoved my fingers in his hair as he wrapped his lips around my nipple, tugging his head closer. He used his tongue and teeth to torture me, toying with my breasts until I was writhing in need beneath him. “It’s been fucking torture these past three days not being able to touch you properly. To taste you.”
‘Then don’t wait any longer.” He crawled down my body and settled between my legs. I whimpered when his fingers teased along the edge of my panties.
His dark eyes burned with a possessive gleam. “This is mine, isn’t it?”
I liked the way he said it even more in that moment then I had back at the conservatory when he’d said “mine” was one of the labels he’d be happy for me to use. It was downright filthy to think about my pussy belonging to him. “Yeah, it is.”
His head dipped lower, and one hand slid up my leg to move the gusset of my panties to the side. “So fucking wet for me.”
Using his thumbs, he opened the lips of my pussy and licked me from top to bottom. A growl rumbled up from his chest and he devoured me with his mouth. He scraped his teeth against my clit and thrust his tongue in and out of me, holding me in place with a firm grip while he tortured me until I was begging him to let me come.
“Soon, gorgeous. Give me another taste first, then I’ll let you come.”
My hands gripped his hair as he swirled his tongue around my clit. When he worked one of his fingers into my tightness, my hips lifted to meet each plunge. Pressure started to build inside me, and I panted, “Please, baby. Just a little bit harder. I’m so damn close.”
He added a second finger, and it was exactly what I needed to send me over the edge. My back arched off the mattress and my nails dug into his scalp as I screamed his name. “I swear, I could eat your pussy for hours and still be starving for more.”
He rose up on his knees, and I stared at the flex of his muscles as he unzipped his pants and slid them down his thighs. But then my attention was riveted on his cock when he shoved his boxers off. I wanted that thick, hard length inside me. “Please, please, please tell me you have a condom.”
“Fuck,” he groaned, his fist circling the base of his cock and sliding up to the tip. “I don’t, but I’m clean. It’s been almost a year since the last time I had sex, and they tested me at my physical a few months ago.”
At my questioning look, since the timeframes didn’t add up to me, he clarified, “My last relationship was over long before it officially ended.”
“I’ve never had sex without a condom before,” I admitted.
“Neither have I. I’ll understand if you want to wait. Our first time having sex is already a big deal, without having to think about letting me go bare.” He gave himself another stroke. “I’m super close to the edge already.” His gaze dropped to my tits. “Maybe you’ll let me mark you as mine in a different way?”
The thought of watching him jack himself off and coming against my breasts was insanely hot, but I wanted something more. “Next time.”
I rose up on an elbow and tugged him down to me. “I’m on birth control, haven’t had sex in about as long as you, and I’m clean, too.”
His dark gaze burned into me. “Are you going to let me take you bare, gorgeous?”
“Yeah.”
He positioned himself with his cock pressed against the entrance of my pussy. “You’re one-hundred percent certain about this?”
I wrapped my legs around his waist and dug my heels into his ass. “Show me you’re mine, Mark.”
My head dropped back on to the pillows when he pushed into me, going deep with one thrust. He gave me a moment to adjust to his invasion, our eyes locked together. Then he slowly slid his cock out of me. “You feel incredible. Like you were made for me.”
I held on for the wild ride, panting as he moved faster. I watched the play of his muscles as he hammered into me. The brutal possessiveness stamped on his face. The fierce need in his dark eyes. All of that, combined with the feel of him taking me hard, quickly had an orgasm building inside me. My walls started to clench around his hard length, and my body bowed beneath his.
“Mine,” he growled on a forward drive. “Come for me, gorgeous. I want to feel your pussy squeezing me tight while you come all over my cock.”
His command sent me over the edge, and the pleasure was almost too intense as it rolled over me. I cried out as my pussy clenched around his dick. Mark kept going, riding me through my orgasm until he planted himself deep. His fingers dug into my hips while he came inside me, his hot come filling my pussy.
We were both panting, our hearts racing,
and he dropped onto the mattress next to me. A few minutes later, while I was still trying to catch my breath, Mark rolled off the bed and strode into the bathroom to grab a warm washcloth.
“I can do that,” I whispered as he started to gently clean between my legs.
“I’ve got it, gorgeous. I like taking care of you.”
He dropped a kiss on my hip when he was done, and then he turned to toss the washcloth away. It must have been one hell of a throw since it sounded like it hit the tile floor in the bathroom.
My eyes welled up when he moved us to the center of the bed and settled next to me. It was his gentleness that got to me, along with how intense the sex had been. I wasn’t sure if it was because there hadn’t been anything between us, or if it would always be more intense with Mark. It wasn’t something I was going to be able to figure out right at that moment, so I dropped my head against his chest and squeezed my eyes shut.
I sat cuddled against him for a few minutes, listening to the beat of his heart. His fingers stroked through my hair, and my eyes started to feel heavy. I was just starting to drift off when he tilted my head back to ask, “You know what I just remembered? You never explained why your tears earlier were because you were relieved.”
My heart sped up a little as I thought about my mom, her debt, and the man she owed it to. But I didn’t want to ruin our perfect night with all of that, so I kept my answer simple. “When I left my old life behind in Vegas, I never expected my journey would lead me to a guy like you. But even more than that, it just wasn’t something I ever thought would happen to me.”
Chapter Twelve
Mark
Chased into Love (Bachelorette Party Book 4) Page 7