by Donya Lynne
“Don’t stop don’t stop don’t stop!” Desperation filled her gaze.
With a death grip on her thighs, he drove in and out of her, teeth clenched. What they had was magical. She made him feel things he had never felt. She made him want to be a better person, not just as part of some plan to be perfect, but because he truly wanted to be. Karma was his own personal guardian angel, and his only wish now was to make her happy. To make her feel good.
“Harder.” She gasped as he gave her what she asked for. “Yes, yes!”
How beautiful. To see her unraveling so quickly was almost spiritual.
She held her breath, her mouth opened in a silent plea, and then…
“MARK!” She cried out, throwing her head back on the pillow, thrashing as her body fell into stunning spasms that made her breasts jiggle.
Not even close to finished, he grabbed her arms and pulled her up and onto his lap as he sank to a kneeling position. Her arms flopped onto his shoulders and she threw herself against him, gasping over and over as he wrapped his arms around her and pounded into her.
It was the hardest he had taken her, but he couldn’t hold back. It was as if the harder he made love to her, the closer they grew.
The bed squawked in protest, banging against the wall.
Sweat poured down his body, his muscles screaming.
“Yes, yes, more…I’m coming again.” She threw her head back, her hair swaying and rocking as he approached climax and fucked her harder.
“Karma!” He slammed into, falling into orgasm as a long, guttural groan streamed from his throat. Their bodies crashed together again as he thrust once more, and then again, draining himself.
Loose and breathless, Karma sagged against him, her arms slung lazily around his shoulders.
He took her face in his hands, brushed back her hair, found her lips with his, and devoured her as the end of his orgasm echoed through his body.
“You’re amazing,” he said, gazing into her eyes.
“So are you.”
They had given each other all they had, and Mark was in awe.
With the flames of their passion still burning the air around them, they collapsed against the mattress. She curled into his arms and he buried his nose in her hair.
“Thank you,” he whispered, pulling the blankets over them.
She made a quiet, happy noise, as if she were smiling, and snuggled more securely against him.
With his arms around her and the warmth of her body giving him comfort, he closed his eyes and finally drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Chapter 45
There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the passion of life.
-Federico Fellini
With their connection re-established, Mark spent Saturday showing Karma around Chicago. Nothing more was said about Carol or the argument they’d had the night before, which was fine by Karma. It was done and over, in the past where it belonged. All that remained were the two of them, and she was ready to get back to enjoying what little time they had left.
It was the Fourth of July, and the city bustled with activities. They enjoyed a couple of hours of the annual music festival in Grant Park, grabbed barbecue sandwiches and bottles of water for lunch from a street vendor, and milled through the crowds in Millennium Park before waiting for over an hour to be seated at a very packed, very popular Giordano’s for dinner. After devouring a small deep dish, it was almost eight o’clock, and they headed back to Mark’s place, where they watched from his balcony as the fireworks were shot off Navy Pier.
“I had fun today.” He stood behind her, arms around her waist. He smelled of soap and shampoo from the shower they had just shared.
A red firework turned the night sky pink.
“Me, too.”
They watched the rest of the fireworks in silence, then after the finale returned inside and sat on the couch. Mark exhaled heavily. “What a day. I’m beat.”
Karma played with the ends of her red scarf, which was wrapped loosely around her neck. “Not too beat, I hope.”
His eyes narrowed on her. “Why? What did you have in mind?”
“Hold on.” She hopped up and went to the bedroom, where she fished the Truth or Dare game from her bag. They hadn’t played since that first time. She returned to the living room and handed it over as she plopped back onto the couch. “I brought it with me just in case.”
He grinned and opened the box, apparently interested in her idea. “Just in case of what?” he asked.
She shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Just in case we wanted to have a little fun.” She had come a long way since playing Sexual Truth or Dare that first time. It would be fun to see just how far by playing another round.
He shuffled the cards then placed them face down on the table. “You first.” He gestured toward the deck.
Karma picked up the top card. “Truth or dare?” She scanned both options.
“Oh, why not?” Mark said with a flippant wave of his hands. “Since our first venture into this game was all about the truth, I say dare.”
She read off the card, “Drop down and give me ten push-ups…shirtless.”
Mark rolled his eyes. “Lame.” He peeled off his shirt and walked around the coffee table.
Karma’s gaze ranged his muscled, lightly hairy chest and abdomen. “Not from my perspective.”
He hesitated on his way down to the floor and grinned. “Well then, in that case, I’m happy to oblige.” He got into position. “Count off.”
“With pleasure.” She sat forward. “One…two…three…” Interesting. She had never thought that watching a man do push-ups could be so sexy, and yet, mmm, yes, she could get used to this. The muscles of his arms popped into defined peaks and lickable crevices that reminded her of pictures of hot men she had seen on Facebook. “five…sex—I mean, six—seven…”
Mark bobbled on “sex,” paused briefly, chuckled, then got back to pushing up…and down…and up…and down…
“Nine…nine…nine…”
“Hey!” Mark stopped and rose to his knees, laughing. “I’m on to you.” He pointed an accusing finger, making her laugh.
“I’m sorry, but I just didn’t want that to end.” Watching him get physical had been a surprising turn-on.
He stayed on the floor and reached across the table for a card. “Uh-huh. We’ll see if I can make you change your tune, little lady. Truth or dare?”
She jutted out her chin. “Truth.”
“Awe, you’re no fun.” He grinned and read the card. “What were you thinking when you first saw me naked?”
“Damn!” she said without hesitation.
He frowned, confused. “Are you saying that’s what you thought, or is that your way of saying that you don’t like the question?”
She laughed. “That’s what I thought. ‘Damn!’”
It had been that first night at his condo. She had been too keyed up to notice much the first time he made love to her, but then he stood, went to the bathroom, discarded the condom, and she had gotten her first glance at just how incredibly built he was. It was obvious he was serious about weight training. His butt was tight and the perfect shape. Some men have bubble butts if they work out a lot, but Mark’s wasn’t. It was just the right size and roundness to grip during sex, which she had done later that night, at his insistence, of course. And his legs were strong and lean, with a perfect teardrop above each knee.
But it was the upper half of his body that made Karma’s knees week. The six-pack abs, the thick biceps and chiseled triceps, the strong forearms, and of course, that pumped chest. The treasure trail—she had never known that was what the line of hair below a man’s belly button was called until she started reading her books—below his belly button created a thin, faint line to his penis. Even now, she couldn’t quite bring herself to call it a cock or even a dick without blushing. But even penis didn’t sound right…not impressive enough for its length and girth. Mark’s penis needed a better name. One
that had impact. She would have to work on coming up with one.
“That’s all?” he said, grinning from ear to ear, obviously pleased with her assessment of his naked body. “Just ‘Damn!’?”
She considered for a moment. “Well, there was one other thing I thought.” Her face warmed and scrunched with embarrassment.
“I can tell this is going to be good.”
She giggled and slapped her hands over her face. “I thought, ‘How did that fit in there?’”
He laughed so hard he fell over. She buried her face against the arm of the couch, giggling uncontrollably.
Propped on his arm, he wiped a tear from under his eye. “Well, thank you. I take that as a compliment that my junk is notably sized.”
She made an “okay” sign with her fingers. “I definitely approve of your…er…junk.” She wasn’t sure that was the word she was looking for, but it worked for the moment. She caught her breath and grabbed a card. “Okay, your turn again. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Bring your lips as close as you can to mine without touching them. Stay that way for two minutes and imagine all the hot ways I kiss you. If you kiss me, we have to start over.” She set the card back on the table and glanced at him expectantly.
He sat up and lifted onto his knees between her thighs, bringing his mouth less than an inch from hers.
“Like this?” he said
“You’re good at this.” She gazed into his intense, grey-green eyes and lifted her hands to his chest.
“I try.”
“I can tell.”
“Are you timing me?”
Her gaze flicked sideways but she couldn’t see the clock. “Sure.”
“So, are you having a good weekend so far?”
Their noses bumped, and she smiled as his cheeks rose and tiny laugh lines broke at the corners of his eyes.
“Yes, and you?” She was beginning to think this dare was harder for her than him. All she wanted to do was pull him to her and kiss him.
He blinked. “I’m having a fabulous time. Did you enjoy the fireworks?”
“Yes. They were nice.”
“You have lovely eyes,” he said out of the blue.
“Thank you. So do you.”
“You’re blushing.”
“Are you surprised?”
“No.” He circled the tip of her nose with his. “Eskimo kisses don’t count, do they?”
“Eskimo kisses?”
He nudged her nose with his again. “Yes. Didn’t you know this is how Eskimos kiss? With their noses?”
“I didn’t know that.”
“Do I have to start over? Because technically I just kissed you.”
“But not with your mouth.”
“Ah, so Eskimo kisses are okay.” He tapped her nose with his again.
“Stop that.”
He grinned. “Why?”
“Because you’re cheating.”
“I’m not cheating. You said they don’t count.”
“You’re so difficult.”
“Only because I really want to kiss you.” He blinked. “How long has it been?”
Her gaze slid to the side. She still couldn’t see the clock. “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” His brow crinkled. “You’re not timing me?”
“I can’t see the clock.”
His eyebrows lifted.
She huffed. “Hey, it’s not my fault. Your big head is in the way.”
He laughed. “My ‘big head’ is in the way?”
“Yes. You have a very big head.”
One of his eyebrows arched. “Do I now?”
“Yes.” Then she quickly added, “But it’s a very handsome big head.”
“Nice save.”
“Thank you.”
“So, do you think my two minutes are up?”
“I’m not sure.”
“How about now?”
“Mark.”
His left eyebrow arched. “Hey, it’s your fault. You were supposed to be timing me.”
“Well, I’m not.”
“And now I have to suffer because of it.”
“Poor baby.”
His eyes narrowed. “This is hard.”
“That’s the point.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth. “I really want to kiss you.”
“You can’t.”
“I’m going to.”
“Mark…”
He rocked forward.
“Mark!”
“I wasn’t going to kiss you.” He rocked back, but his face was still within a couple inches of hers.
“Can’t you just sit there quietly? You’re supposed to be imagining my hot kisses instead of talking.”
“I can multitask.”
“Whatever.”
“Has it been two minutes, yet?”
“I don’t know!”
“Well guess!”
“Fine. It’s been two minutes.”
He pushed forward and locked lips with her, stealing her breath. His tongue danced over hers, and his teeth nipped her lip, then he pulled away and sat back down on the floor, grabbing the next card.
“Truth or dare?” he said as if he hadn’t just blown off her toes.
“Give me a minute.” She held up her hand then fanned herself. Fire still coursed from her lips to parts south of her waistline.
He huffed sarcastically as if she were wasting his time.
“Hey!” She leaned forward and smacked his arm.
He laughed and sat back down beside her on the couch, giving her knee a playful shove. “Did I fluster you?”
“A little, yes. You don’t play fair.” She sat back, took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, truth.”
“What outfit of mine gets you really worked up? Explain exactly what you like about it.”
“This is an easy one. You have this navy blue suit with pinstripes that you usually wear with a white shirt and dark red tie.”
“I know the one.” His grin cut through her soul.
“I like that suit. It fits you very well and always turns me on when you wear it. But you look good in suits, in general. I love seeing you in a suit.”
“Good to know. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I hope you do.” She picked up the next card.
“Dare,” he said.
She giggled when she read what he had to do. “Rub your chest, paying special attention to your nipples, for thirty seconds.”
“What?” He shot forward, snatched the card from her hand, and read it. “Oh, hell.” He disgustedly flipped the card to the table.
Karma snapped her fingers. “Come on, Mark, show those nipples some love.”
“Have I mentioned that I’m going to get you for this?”
“No.”
“Well, I am.” He sat back and, as if it was the last thing he wanted to do, lifted his hands to his chest and began rubbing. “Are you timing this?” He gave her a look as if to warn her that she had better be watching the second hand on the clock this time.
She coughed out a laugh and nodded. “Yep.” She checked the clock.
“You should be doing this for me, you know.” He swirled his fingers over his nipples and made a face. Out of nowhere, he said, “Do I make you randy, baby?” in his best Austin Powers voice.
Karma howled with laughter, waving her hand in front of her. “Stop! Just stop!”
He dropped his hands from his chest and fell into laughter with her. “Was that good or what?” He reached forward and picked up the next card on the deck. “I sounded just like him.”
“Not,” she said.
“Hey, I thought it was pretty good.” He looked at the card. “Austin Powers rocks.”
“And, just like that, the sexy moment of a few minutes ago is gone.”
With a smirk, he said, “Well, let’s get it back. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Oh, now…I do like this one.” Mark trailed the tip
of his finger across his bottom lip and sat forward. “Starting at my lips…” he paused and met her gaze. “Kiss your way to your favorite part of my body.”
This could definitely bring back some of the sexy mood his Austin Powers impression scared away.
Mark set the card down and settled into the cushions, one arm slung over the back of the couch. “I wonder what the lady’s favorite body part is?” He tapped his fingers on his leg.
She slid to the floor between his knees, hands on his thighs. “I guess you’ll find out.” She kissed his mouth, lingering for an extra few seconds, then pulled away and kissed the side of his neck.
“Where will she go? Where, oh where?” His voice rumbled quietly.
Down his neck to his shoulder, she left a trail of soft kisses. She continued to his biceps, where she nipped him with her teeth before skimming her tongue to the crook of his elbow, where she licked back and forth along the crease. Then she kissed down the underside of his forearm to his wrist and finally to his hand. As she swirled her tongue against his palm, she lifted her gaze and found him staring glassy-eyed at her, his eyelids heavy and his lips parted. She turned over his hand and kissed the back of each of his fingers.
“Who would have thought my hands were an erogenous zone?” he said huskily.
She smiled and sat back on her heels.
“So, my hands are your favorite body part?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He grinned. “Do you want me to show you what my favorite part of your body is?”
“Isn’t it my feet?”
“Well, there is that, but no. There’s another part of you I like just a little better?”
“My butt?”
He sat forward and rested his elbows on his knees, shaking his head. “No. Come here.” He lightly grabbed her shirt and pulled her forward. “It’s this.” He lifted his mouth to her eyelids. As she closed them, he kissed one then the other. She opened them again, and they shared an intimate moment, gazes locked, and then he gestured toward the cards. “Your turn, honey.”
He had started calling her “honey” and “baby” lately, and she liked it. He didn’t say it like Daniel did. When Mark called her “honey,” it came out sounding as easy as a breath, and just as tender.