He slid his hand down her rib cage and across her stomach then lower until he had her mound cupped in his hand. She spread her legs for him, panting with need, her hips rising off the bed. Scott’s mouth left her breast to find her mouth, his tongue tasting and teasing, his teeth biting her lips until they were red and swollen. When he finally parted her slick folds, she was dripping with moisture and desperate for his touch.
Sliding his finger across her clit, he buried it deep inside her, while his thumb rubbed her clit in a circle. She was immediately awash in a pleasure so intense it was almost painful, but almost as soon as it began, it ended in a bust of sensation so intense it left her panting and clinging to Scott’s shoulders, her nails digging into his flesh. As the waves of pleasure began to recede, she began to feel a need much deeper than the one before. Sensing this, Scott moved between her legs, grabbed her hips, and pulled her back to him.
His eyes locked on hers, he guided himself inside her, slipping inside her in one slow powerful stroke, burring himself one slow inch after another until he was deeply inside her. The moment Scott was fully inside her, Marissa knew that he was the man she had been dreaming of her entire life, the one who would complete her, the only one who could every truly understand her. Scott felt the world change in that moment as well, knowing that this woman under him was his path to all the love and affection he’d been looking for his entire life.
As Scott began to move inside her, Marissa’s world dissolved into only two of them, her entire focus on the feeling of his body joined to hers. The new and intense feeling of connection she felt to him only making the movement of his body inside her all that more intense. The pressure deep inside her began to build as Scott began to increase his pace, filling her with his hard throbbing length over and over, until with a cry of pleasure her body exploded.
Her throbbing muscles tightening around him drove Scott over the edge, all the pent up passion of the last few weeks draining out of him as Marissa gripped him inside her. Finally spent, he collapsed on top of her, trying not to crush her but unable to separate himself from her yet. Marissa welcomed the heaviness of Scott’s body on hers, his heart beating in her ear assuring her that she was still grounded to the Earth.
After long minutes lost in their mutual contentment, Scott rolled off Marissa and pulled her to him, her head resting on his chest. “You’re quite the woman, Marissa,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “And for what it’s worth, I’m glad we waited.”
“I am too, it was certainly worth the wait,” she said, her hand stroking his chest.
“The best part is that was just the beginning,” he said, flipping her onto her back, his erection pressing against her leg.
Surprised that he was ready again so soon, she giggled. “Oh, really. What are you going to do for an encore?” she asked, taking him into her hand and stroking him.
“Hm, there are a lot of things that come to mind, but for now we’ll just keep it simple,” he said, kneeling between her legs and sliding inside her again. Marissa was just fine with that, she hadn’t nearly gotten enough of what Scott called simple.
The next morning, Marissa awoke with Scott spooned snugly against her back, his erection pressing against her back. His breath was tickling her ear, making little tingles shoot through her which was surprising since he’d only let her go to sleep less than three hours ago. She’d slept the exhausted sleep of a woman who’d been completely pleased by her lover the night before, but this morning her body was already responding to his.
“Mmm, I see you’re awake,” she said, nudging him with her hips.
He responded by sliding down in the bed and pulling her leg up a little then sliding into her from behind. “I see you’re awake too,” he whispered in her ear.
Marissa would have thought that he’d drained every bit of passion and pleasure from her the night before, but the magic that seemed to flow between them was immediately ignited when his body joined hers. Afterward, as they lay entwined in each other’s arms, falling asleep as the sun began to shine into the window of the bedroom, the light of the new day illuminated them in a shaft of light.
Feeling the rays of that sunlight, Marissa smiled. What had at first seemed like the biggest disaster of her life had turned into one of the best things that had ever happened to her. Thoughts of the conversation she’d have to have with Scott about her charity was looming in her future, but for now she’d enjoy their brief honeymoon. All too soon, they’d be back in the real world trying to create a life together that the odds said was bound to fail.
Chapter 8
It was midmorning when Marissa awoke the next time. Scott was still sound asleep, his arm thrown over his head. He looked younger when he was asleep, making Marissa remember that he was older than she was, a fact that didn’t bother her, but was obvious when his face was relaxed in sleep. Sliding out of bed, she got in the shower letting the hot water wash over her sore muscles. Until last night, she’d never had any idea how truly physical sex could be, her other experiences had paled compared to last night and her body tingled just thinking of all the wonderful things Scott had made her feel.
She was just washing the shampoo from her hair, when she felt a pair of big hands cup her rear end. Opening her eyes, she found Scott looking at her, his hair still rumpled from sleep, but clearly wide awake. “You snuck out of bed,” he accused.
She looked at him for a second trying to decide if she should tell him the truth. “Um, I’m a little sore this morning, I thought a hot shower might help,” she said, blushing.
“Oh, Marissa. I’m sorry, I didn’t think,” he said, stepping back.
She smiled up at him, thinking he was sweet. “I’m not broken,” she said, stepping into his arms. “Just a little fragile this morning.” Then she kissed him until he pulled her into his arms.
They took their time, taking turns with the shampoo and soap between wet kisses. Then Scott helped her out of the shower and gently dried her off. “I think we should get out of the cabin today. I don’t think I’ll be able to keep my hands off you otherwise,” he said when she was completely dry.
“What did you have in mind? Normally, I’d be all for hiking, but...” she stopped, blushing.
Scott, who was sitting on the bed, pulled her into his lap and kissed her. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, I just lose all control when it comes to you.”
“Hm, I know the feeling exactly,” she said, running her hands over his chest. “I’ll be fine by tonight, don’t worry.”
“Enough of that or we’ll be back in that bed,” he said, standing up and putting her on her feet.
“Well, you started it,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him then running across the room when he tried to tickle her. “Get dressed, Mr. Terrell, and show me what there is to see in Pleasant Valley.”
“How about if we start with a soak in the hot springs, then a massage, and lunch? Then if you want we can go check out town. There’s a lot of shopping and a couple of great bars if you want to go dancing,” Scott suggested.
“Yes,” Marissa said, slipping on a pair of leggings and a tank top.
“Yes to what?” Scott asked.
“To all of it,” she said, laughing.
Scott watched her getting dressed, thinking that watching her put on clothes was almost as sexy as taking them off her. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to keep up with you. I never should have mentioned the shopping,” he said, groaning.
“But just think what the reward will be at the end of the day,” she said, crossing the room and kissing him, her hand sliding down his body to cup him in her hand.
Scott groaned and reached for her, but she stepped away. “Let’s go, I haven’t had a massage in forever.” Then she laughed when he had to rearrange himself after her touch.
When they got to the hot springs, Scott got them a private room where they soaked naked in the healing mineral waters. After an hour, they emerged weak limbed to a couple’s massage, which was just the thin
g Marissa needed to ease her sore muscles. After a lunch of salad and fresh fruit, which Marissa enjoyed but Scott grumbled about but finished, they headed for town.
“I promise we can have big fat steaks and baked potatoes for dinner,” she said, laughing when he complained that he was still hungry.
“Don’t get me wrong, I like salad, but I want a big steak afterward,” he said, laughing when she handed him a protein bar out of her purse.
“Eat that and you’ll feel better,” she said, then waited while he ate it.
By the time they got to town, Scott was feeling better, the scowl gone from his face. When they got out of the car, he pulled her to him and said, “Sorry, I guess I was just hungry.”
“Well, it takes a lot of energy to, um...” Still not quite comfortable talking about sex with him, she didn’t finish the sentence.
Scott leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Making love to you,” making her tingle all over.
As they walked along the sidewalk through downtown, they held hands like kids on their first date, the need to be touching overwhelming. Scott brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the back of it, then noticed that her wedding ring was sliding around on her finger.
“You’re ring is too big. Why didn’t you say something, we need to get it resized,” he said, holding his hand up to look at the ring.
“I don’t want to take it off,” she said, shyly. “It’s perfect, just like the wedding was,” she said, looking up at him as they walked.
“It took me a long time to pick it out. At first, I went for the biggest, most elaborate ring I could find, but when I looked at it I knew that it wasn’t you. The poor sales girl showed me every ring they had and it was the last one. The ring is simple, but I think the ring suits you,” he said, kissing her hand again. What she didn’t know was that he had an engagement ring to match, but hadn’t found a good time to give it to her.
“Well, it’s perfect, I would have hated a big ring,” she said, tucking his hand under her arm as they walked. “I’ll get it sized but not yet. I’ll wrap some dental floss around it if I have to.”
Scott only smiled at her, thinking how much he loved her, but knew that she wasn’t ready to hear that. Instead, he suggested coffee at the pastry shop owned by one of his cousin’s wives. “I can only think of one thing that sounds better than a cup of coffee,” she said, with a sultry smile.
“Now you’re teasing me,” Scott said, leading her inside the shop.
Fueled by caffeine and sugar, they wandered around town, browsing the shops but not buying much of anything until they came to a huge store full of both antiques and handmade wooden furniture. When they walked through the door, Marissa all but screamed at the sight of all the wonderful pieces jammed into the small space.
“Oh, Scott, look at this,” she said, pointing to the interior of the store. “This is perfect, I have an empty house just waiting for this kind of furniture.” Then, clapping her hands, she started through the store like a kid in a candy shop.
Scott followed her thought the store, then realized what she’d just said. “You have an empty house?” he asked.
She stopped and looked over her shoulder at him, then took a deep breath and came back to where he was standing. “Part of the reason I’ve been staying at my dad’s is that I don’t really have any furniture in the house yet,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.
“Nothing?”
“Well, I have a bed and little kitchen table, but that’s it,” she said. “But I’m going to remedy that situation starting right now.”
“Do we even have a couch?” he called after her as she made a bee line for an oak kitchen table with matching chairs.
“No, but I’ll leave that to you. There’s a room off the kitchen that we can use as a family room, it’s all yours. I get the rest of the house,” she said, getting down on her hands and knees to look under the table.
“What are you doing?” he asked, looking around the store for a clerk.
She looked up at him from the floor. “Looking to see if this is handmade,” she said as if it was obvious.
“Well, couldn’t we just ask?”
“We could, but they could lie and the value between handmade and factory made is vastly different,” she said, taking his hand when he offered it and getting up off the floor.
She dusted her hands off on the seat of her pants, a stylish pair of black slacks that matched her silk blouse perfectly. Scott studied her for a moment, then walked around behind her and dusted of her butt where she’d left hand prints. A surprised squeak came out of her mouth when his hand connected with her rear, but then she giggled when his the brush turned into a caress, then before she knew it she was in his arms.
Someone clearing their throat interrupted what was soon to become an embarrassing situation for them, and they pulled apart. “Um, sorry,” Scott said to the man standing there watching them. “I’m Scott Terrell, and this is my new wife Marissa.”
“I’m Simon Howells,” the man said, holding out his hand. They shook hands, propriety restored. Scott gestured that Marissa should continue shopping while he talked to the man. She started to protest, but then realized that it might be nice to have Scott do all the dirty work, leaving her free to do what she loved best, shop.
Several hours and several thousand dollars later, Marissa and Scott walked out of the store with a receipt for several choice pieces of furniture for the house. Scott wasn’t sure when he’d start thinking of it as his own, but for now he was happy to see her so thrilled with their finds. He’d wait until they were back in California and had a chance to look at the room she’d given him before looking for furniture, but he knew that he wanted a couch big enough to make love to her on.
The rest of the afternoon, they spent gathering an interesting array of souvenirs that Marissa insisted that she needed. It was clear that she wasn’t buying them for herself, but every time he asked her who something was for, she changed the subject or just flat out kissed him to shut him up. Several of the shopkeepers were a bit shocked by their behavior until Scott explained that they were newlyweds.
On a recommendation from Sabrina, they found the little restaurant that would have the steak dinner that Marissa had promised Scott, one of the best steaks she’d ever eaten as it turned out, since it was Terrell beef. Scott hadn’t planned it, but he sensed that this was the perfect opportunity to tell Marissa about the man he used to be. They’d been given a table in the corner, well away from the other diners, the mere mention of their recent marriage enough to score them the best table in the house.
“This is the best steak I’ve ever had,” she said, putting another bite in her mouth and letting it practically melt on her tongue.
Scott was momentarily distracted by the look on her face, but forced the desire away and said, “This is the beef that my cousins raise just up the mountain,” he said, setting the stage for what he had to tell her.
“I noticed that there was some tension between you all,” she said, gently taking his hand when he put it on the table.
For the next half an hour he talked, starting from the time his mother died up until he’d pulled the gun on his brother Michael not more than a block from here. He’d avoided the restaurant while they’d been in town, unable to face the memories the building held. Marissa listened quietly, only interrupting when she needed clarification on some person or place.
“The bottom line is that last spring I was a very different man, one who only cared about making money and avenging a wrong that didn’t exist. I’ve wasted a good part of my life, I don’t want to waste any more.” He finally finished then waited for Marissa’s reaction.
She was silent for a long time, putting together the pieces he’d given her with the pieces she’d already figured out. “I’m glad you’re not that man anymore. I don’t think I could love a man like that,” she said, thinking of all the people Scott had hurt in his conquest for riches and revenge.
“But I’m not that
man anymore and I need to figure out a way to fix some of the damage I’ve done,” he said, shaking his head. “But I don’t even know where to start.”
Marissa wanted to tell him that she had a million ways he could start to fix the problems he’d created but doing that would only lead to questions she didn’t want to answer right now, so instead she said, “I’m sure you’ll figure it out. It’s a new way of thinking for you. Give it some time, it’ll come to you.” She was trying to figure out when she was going to tell him about the other half of her life.
After a decadent dessert that they shared, taking turns feeding one another, they both decided that dancing was out of the question. The weather had turned while they were eating and the smell of rain was in the air. They barely made it back into the cabin before the lightning and thunder began and sheets of rain came pouring down. It was chilly in the cabin so Scott lit a fire to warm them up. Marissa wandered to the window and parted the curtain watching the storm rage outside.
Scott came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and rested his chin on her shoulder. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said, rubbing her arms which were crossed over her chest.
“I was just thinking how nice it was to be warm and safe inside. I was also thinking how much has changed in only a few weeks,” she said, turning in his arms and resting her head against his chest.
“Change for the better I hope?” Scott said, loving the feel of her in his arms.
“Definitely for the best,” she said. “I’m just afraid of what’s going to happen when we’re back in the real world and all this wears off.”
“I don’t know about you, but I don’t think this,” he held her tighter for a moment, “is going to wear off. I know this happened fast, Marissa, but you can’t deny that we’re good for each other and I don’t mean just in bed, although that is a nice bonus.”
Take My Hand: BWWM Romance Page 8