Taming the Bachelor (A Dickerman Moretti Novel)

by MJ Carter

  “I know.” Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. His skin was so warm and she wanted to melt into his arms. “I gave you five minutes.”

  He bent down to her ear. “That isn’t what I meant.” His breath tickled her ear and her nipples instantly hardened. He took a step closer to her and pulled her chin up to meet his eyes. Her eyes were teary and he couldn’t help himself. His mouth brushed her lips so lightly she wasn’t sure it was real. He stepped back and waited for her response. She crushed her mouth back into his, her tongue running along his lips asking permission for entry. He opened his mouth and the kiss deepened. His hands tangled into her hair and she ran her hands down his sides and around to his back. A small moan escaped her lips and he smiled. He was a goner.

  Mark broke the kiss and took a step back. “Where is Chad?” He asked out of breath.

  “I sent him to my room for a few min…”

  He threw her on the bed and the kiss became frantic. Flipping onto his back, he pulled her on top of him. The towel came loose but he never broke the kiss. His hands ran up the back of her legs and cupped the most perfect ass he had ever touched. She rocked her body against his erection and he sucked in a gasp of air. She sat up and wiggled to where she wanted to be. The boxers she wore were so loose, his erection slipped into one of the stretched out openings for her legs. He could feel her hot skin and the moisture pooled there just for him. He rubbed himself lightly through her folds and found the hard nub waiting for his touch. She rocked hard and he almost entered her.

  “Stop.” Mark’s hands grabbed her hips and held her in place. Her eyes were glassy with need and her lids heavy over them. She wiggled in protest. “Sophie, Stop. We have to think about this. You know how I am. And I don’t think this is you.”

  She stroked his face. “This is me with you. Something about you drives me nuts. And you aren’t the person you think you are. You are a good man, Mark.”

  “I don’t do relationships. I can’t.” Mark’s heart thundered through his chest. Was that true? He didn’t know anymore. She drove him crazy and he didn’t want her to leave his sight.

  She gave him a small reassuring smile. “If you don’t want to do this, I understand. You drive me crazy and I will take whatever I can get from you, even if it’s just this trip.”

  He scrubbed his hand down his face. Was he going to turn her down? If he did this, could he walk away? His brain spun. He wanted her. Hell, he wasn’t even in her yet and he was ready to lose it. She was so wet for him and she was so innocent.

  He rolled her onto her side. “Give me a minute.” He grabbed his phone and sent the text as fast as he could.

  Can’t make breakfast. Please remove Caleb and Chad from Sophie’s room and keep them

  busy. I need one hour - M

  Chapter 8

  “You are OK with just this? Just Jamaica?” Mark held tight to her hips watching her nod her answer. “And, what about Caleb? He’s my friend.”

  She sighed and nuzzled against his neck. “I know. He’s great. But I don’t feel the same way he does. Does that make me have to stop going after what I want?” She traced the line of muscle along his shoulder and down his chest. “Just Jamaica. And after that, you have no ties to me if that’s what you want.”

  In one quick move, he had her shirt off and was kissing her from her neck to her stomach. Her nipples grew hard as he gently sucked each one, giving them the attention she was craving. She arched into his touch. He groaned when his hand traveled into her boxer shorts. She was so wet and it was all for him.

  “Can I take these off?” Mark’s gaze burned into her. She nodded and bit her bottom lip as he slowly removed her shorts. “Oh Sophie, You are so beautiful.” He bent down to kiss her. The kiss was slow, breathing her in, memorizing every part of her mouth. She wrapped her arms around his neck, heat shooting to every part of her.

  His hand trailed down her belly and stilled. Her whole body trembled. “Are you sure?” His breathing was jagged and his voice was low and sexy.

  “Yes.” She smiled but her body continued to tremble. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s happening. I have never felt like this before. I need you to touch me. This is already so much better than anything I have ever felt.”

  His fingers caressed her folds and one slid slowly into her core. He hissed at how hot and tight she was. He needed to please her first because he didn’t know how long he could hold on. His thumb found her hard nub and rubbed it slowly. Her hips bucked and she dug her nails into his arms. He smiled at her and continued his sensual torture. Her eyes were wide and bright and never left his. As he slid a second finger in, she moaned. His pace increased as her eyes began to close. His thumb rubbed harder over the bundle of nerves begging to be touched. She threw her head back and yelled his name, eyes shut, room spinning, as her release overtook her. Her body clamped down around his fingers and he growled. He had to have her now.

  He reached into the drawer to grab his wallet. He prayed he still had a condom in it. Sighing in relief, he pulled out the foil packet and ripped it open. Her eyes were wide and satisfied and she pulled him on top of her. “I’ll go slow. I promise. And if you want me to stop, I will.”

  “No,” Sophie was out of breath. “That was amazing. I don’t want gentle. I want all of you.”

  He entered her in one slow stroke. She was so tight he had to stop and take a breath. She wrapped her legs around him to allow him to sink deeper and met him stroke for stroke. Her body was so responsive to his every move. As he picked up his pace, he kissed her mouth, then her breasts and she fell apart again, more moisture pooling around him and he couldn’t hold back any longer. With one final stroke, he threw his head back as his own release shot through him with more force than anything he had ever felt.

  He collapsed against her on the bed, his breathing erratic and took her mouth in a kiss more frantic than when they had started. “Holy hell Sophie.” He gasped. “You are amazing.” He pulled out of her, his body instantly regretting the separation. He tugged her into his arms and nuzzled her neck.

  Her whole body shook as she hugged him back. His eyes met hers with a look of panic. “I’m ok.” She smiled. “I have just never.. It’s never..” Her eyes dropped to his dog tags.

  He put his head into his hand, leaning up off the bed to get a better look at her. His smile widened at how shy he had become. “You are so responsive to my touch.”

  She smiled and met his eyes. “It’s never been like that.” A deep blush crept up her neck to her cheeks. “Can we do it again?”

  Mark laughed and leaned down to kiss her. “We can if I have another condom in my bag.”

  “If you don’t, you better text your boy Ryan because you aren’t leaving this room until we do that again.”

  Her sudden self confidence made Mark jump off the bed and fish through his bag. When he found what he was looking for, he held it up to her. Her grin widened and she held her arms open to him. “Come back to bed.”

  ****

  “There’s the man of the hour.” Rich yelled and waved to Mark as he entered the restaurant. There was an unspoken secret between them that Rich would never betray.

  “What took you so long? I thought you were just showering?” Caleb glared at him.

  Mark smiled. “My real estate agent called. She found a couple places she wants to show me and it took longer than I thought. She’s faxing them over now.”

  “Are we losing you already?” Rich winked as he finished his last bite of breakfast. “Molly will be sad when she hears you are already moving on.”

  Mark just laughed as he signaled for the waitress. “Well, she found me two places in Beverly Hills and one in the Hollywood hills so it’s not a done deal yet. I have to like something first.” He took a sip of his juice and noticed Caleb still glaring his way. “What?”

  “Have you seen Soph?” Caleb’s whole body was tense.

  “I did,” Chad got up from the table. “She was leaving your room about an hour ago. I’m h
eading back up to brush my teeth. You want me to find her?”

  “Speak of the Devil,” Rich waved as Sophie and Molly rounded the corner. They were both wearing bikinis and carrying towels.

  “Mark, these were at the front desk for you. Do you need to tell me something?” Molly shoved a bunch of papers in front of his face. “Are you leaving us? You stayed with us all of two nights.” Molly pouted and took a seat on Rich’s lap.

  Mark grabbed the papers Molly had thrown and looked at the faxes as he ate some pineapple. “No offense Molls, but when you and Rich get back from the honeymoon, I don’t want to be aware of anything you two may be doing.” He looked up at Sophie and patted the chair next to him. “Hi.”

  She blushed. “Hi.” She took a seat next to him and smiled at the rest of the group. She was sure she imagined the stare she got from Caleb. No need to be nervous now. She wouldn’t keep it from him if he asked. But she would not intentionally bring it up. Her eyes scanned over Mark’s body and up to the papers he was so carefully examining. “What is that?”

  His eyes met hers. He pulled her chair a little closer and handed her the top sheet. “This, my dear, is a house that I am looking at next week.” He studied the second sheet and her gaze dropped to the paper. She gasped when she saw the 2.4 million dollar price tag. Reaching under the table, his free hand found her knee and she settled. “You like it? Or this one maybe?”

  Why he was asking her, he had no idea. Two times in the heat of passion did not a relationship make. Relationship? He froze. Did he want that? She took the second page from him and looked it over. He felt her body completely relax under his touch. He liked touching her.

  He jumped when Ryan’s hands came crashing down onto his shoulders. “Package delivered bro. Now let’s go and check out the nude beach.”

  “I’ll be right behind you. I have a couple calls to make.” Mark handed Sophie the third sheet and smiled at her. “What do you think?”

  “Um, I don’t know.” Sophie cleared her throat. “It’s hard to tell from the pictures. They look nice.” She offered Mark a sexy smile and he took the hint.

  “They have a business center here, right? Come on, let’s go look at the virtual tours. I need a woman’s opinion.” Mark grabbed her hand and pulled her a little too quickly from the group. “We’ll be back.”

  When they hit the stairwell, he slammed Sophie against the wall and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him hard. He cocked one eye brow and looked at her “Again?”

  “Again.” She held him tight as he carried her up the stairs.

  ****

  She was completely satisfied. She had never been touched like that. She had never been kissed like that. And her body had certainly never responded like that. All those stories from her friends about how great sex was and she finally understood. Mark was nothing like Shawn. Heat poured from Mark’s fingers, his eyes were hungry, and his skill was unmatched. She knew she was in trouble. They only had one more day in Jamaica and she would have to let him go. The instant connection she felt with him scared her.

  “I lost you for a minute,” Mark rubbed his hands down her arms and pulled her closer. “You ok?”

  She traced her finger over his dog tags and down onto his muscular chest. “I am better than OK. I was just thinking about how crazy it will be when we get home.”

  “A lot will happen. Molly is going to be married.” He took a deep breath. “I haven’t seen my parents in a few years. And I have got to find a house. Hell, my office isn’t even unpacked yet.” Her trailed kissed down her neck and into the crook of her collar bone. “Tell me more about you. I want to know everything.” The words were out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying. Did he want to know everything? His head spun.

  “Well, I have a sister, Layla. She lives in Atlanta. She practically raised me. My dad left when I was little and my mom didn’t handle it well. We moved around a lot until she had enough heartbreak and started drinking. Layla was in high school by then so she took over being the parent. We haven’t had any contact with her since I graduated from high school.” She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I went to a small college in Georgia and met Shawn. You pretty much know the rest. I love my job. I love LA. And I have a huge fear of becoming the crazy cat lady.”

  Mark’s laugh was deep and he kissed her on the mouth. “There is absolutely no way you are becoming the cat lady. Don’t ever let what the prick did to you doubt yourself. You are gorgeous and you are smart and my guess is you’ll never even own one cat.”

  She laughed, “Well, that’s good because I don’t think they allow cats in my building.”

  ****

  Mark spent the better part of the afternoon talking with his Realtor and trying to get Sophie out of his mind. He knew this needed to remain a secret so nothing would tarnish Sophie’s reputation. And they still had one day. His phone buzzed and he looked down at the screen. “Can’t reach my back. Where are you? Getting burnt.”

  Mark smiled as he sent a message back. “Not your back I want to reach.”

  A minute later she responded. “Mr. Moretti, Are you getting fresh?”

  His smile grew. “Meet me in the ocean in ten minutes and find out.”

  Bing. “The waters warm. Come find me.”

  Mark grabbed his key and headed down the hall. He was almost in a jog when Rich yelled from down the hall. “Marco, we are heading out to parasail. You down?”

  He stopped and turned to see Rich, Ryan and Caleb looking at him. “I would love to boys. But I have something I need to do. I will catch you after.” As he turned around and picked up his stride, he swore he heard Ryan say something rude but he didn’t care. He had somewhere he needed to be.

  Stepping out onto the beach, he noticed the dark clouds rolling in. It had rained for a half hour every day here. People were beginning to pack up and head inside. He noticed a beautiful blond about waist deep in the water and couldn’t help himself. He kicked off his shoes, threw down his towel and sprinted into the water. The splashing caught her attention and a big smile appeared on her face.

  Without even looking around, he grabbed her into his arms and kissed her passionately as the rain began to fall. She wrapped her legs around him and he walked her deeper into the ocean. She rocked against his erection and he moaned. “What are you doing to me Sophie? I can’t get enough of you.”

  She smiled as the rain fell hard around them. “Should be go in?”

  Mark laughed. “Hell no. This is exactly how I like you. Hot and wet.”

  ****

  “What’s with the shit eating grin?” Caleb smiled at Mark as he took the stool next to him at the swim up bar.

  “I’ve been looking for you guys. Guess parasailing was out, huh?” Mark ordered a Red Stripe and winked at Rich.

  “Now you with the shit eating grin. What am I missing?” Ryan shoved Rich off his chair. “What’s up Marco? You finally get some?”

  Rich came sputtering out of the water. “Can I not just be happy my boy is back? When the rain clears, we’re going to try to go up. Guy says he can take us up whenever.”

  “Sounds great. Sign me up. I’m yours for the night.”

  “No more house hunting?” Caleb gave him a questioning look that had Mark feel his first wave of panic.

  “Nope. I’m leaving that for when I get home. Have someone in mind to help me look.” Mark tipped his beer to the bartender and was served another one.

  “Let me guess.” Ryan laughed. “You already have a chick back in LA. Three nights home and my dog’s still got it.”

  “Actually, no. This girl’s on the east coast.” Mark ignored the looks the men were giving him.

  Rich choked on his beer. “I’m sorry. What?”

  “Don’t read too much into this. It’s just someone who is going to have a much better opinion on houses than I would.” Mark faced them all as they stared. “Ok if I bring a date to the wedding?”

  C
hapter 9

  Mark jogged down to meet Ryan at the nude beach. “Two days in a row? There has to be more to do than lie here checking out the competition. It’s our last day. Let’s go do something else.”

  Ryan settled on his elbows. “No competition baby. You’re late. You’ve been missing the show.” He pointed a thumb over to where Molly and the rest of the bridesmaids were sunbathing topless.

  “Holy hell, don’t ever make me look at my sister if she isn’t wearing a top.” Mark buried his head into the towel. He grabbed his phone and shot off a quick message. “I see you.”

  Bing. “I see you too. You’re wearing too much.” Eye contact and sizzle, Mark licked his lips.

  Sophie squirmed on her towel as the butterflies took flight in her stomach. This was their last day in Jamaica and her heart hurt. After their tryst in the ocean yesterday, she knew she was gone. The power that this man held over her heart in such a short time was incredible. And he had said she was doing something to him too. She couldn’t dare dream this could last longer than this trip. He had been very honest with her about what he wasn’t looking for. She returned Caleb’s wave and lay back down.