by Mara Jacobs
His tongue ran along her neck, imitating the soft, circular symphony that his fingers played out below. She felt the softness of something else as well, and her fuddled mind realized it was the yellow scarf. That raggedy-ass scarf, that was so out of place on the polished hunk, was softer than any fabric Marlee had ever felt on her skin before. It was an incredible contrast to the rough texture of Declan’s tongue and his callused fingers.
He slipped one inside her, gliding it in easily due to her wetness. With his thumb, he continued to stroke her, circling her pulsating clit. He picked up speed with his thumb while he edged another finger inside her, then pressed up with both fingers while he scraped his thumbnail across her.
That was all it took. Marlee’s entire body stiffened, then began convulsing. His right hand, which had seemed permanently attached to her breast, lowered, and he held her tightly around the waist as his left hand continued administering the touch that was taking her over the edge.
She bucked back against him, her head thrown back. She heard several of her hairpins fall to the floor as he guided her through her climax. Portions of her hair fell down her back and over Declan’s brow as he sucked on her neck. Her trembling continued as he deftly worked his magic on her body.
She’d never had such an intense orgasm; it seemed to go on and on. Her eyes closed, flashes of white lights passed before her and the term “saw fireworks” briefly ran through her mind. Ragged exhales escaped her lips, and then she sucked in a huge breath as another wave was upon her. She silently prayed for Declan to take away his hand lest she pass out, but she also wished that he would never stop rubbing her there. And there. And also there.
He lifted his fingers inside Marlee one last time and then eased them out. He drew his thumb away from her as well, and raised his hand to join his other one, clasping them both around Marlee’s waist.
One last surge of pleasure wafted through Marlee, and then slowly, so slowly, her breathing began to return to normal. Her heartbeat, which had surpassed erratic, once again became a strong thump-thump. Happy that Declan was for all intents holding her up at the waist because her legs had become limp, she leaned forward and slumped her head on top of her hands, resting her upper body weight against her front door.
Declan waited another moment, as if making sure Marlee was all the way down after her exhilarating high. He then turned her around to face him. Pushing back the hair that had come undone, gently tucking it behind her ears, he leaned forward, kissed her gently on her forehead, and tilted her chin up so that she looked straight at him.
“Nice orgasm.”
“Thanks.”
She wanted to say more than the simple word. She wanted to get down on her knees and kiss the ground he walked on for giving her such an intense gift. She wanted to sing his praises to all who would listen about the magic of his fingers, the knowledge of his touch. All she could manage was thanks.
Declan smiled at her. Not his trademark killer cat-that-ate-the-canary smile, but a soft grin, something Marlee had not seen from him before now.
He squatted down so that his shoulder was even with Marlee’s waist. He reached up behind Marlee and pushed her down at her middle, causing her to bend over Declan’s incredibly broad shoulder. He came up fast, taking her with him, her feet dangling until he reached an arm around and anchored her to him by holding the back of her knees and placing his other hand across her fanny.
The rush of blood to her head was quick and strong, but not as exhilarating as what had just happened to her.
“Now,” he said, “which way to the bedroom and I’ll show you some ways you can have me saying thanks.”
Chapter Seven
Marlee was lean, but a substantial woman, though she felt light as a feather in Declan’s excited arms. He carried her toward the stairs that he could see with the help of the streetlights shining dimly through the windows of her living room. He took the stairs nearly two at a time, now oblivious to Marlee’s encumbrance.
Sounding as impatient as Declan felt, she guided him to her bedroom. “Straight ahead, last door.” Declan made a beeline and turned on the wall switch as he entered the room.
The room was just what Declan expected from the—albeit limited—time he’d spent with Marlee. It was warm and cozy; there was a large cherry sleigh bed with a comforter set in a design of deep greens and maroons. The dresser and tables were of the same dark cherry wood. There were picture frames on the dresser and womanly things: bottles of perfume, brushes, what looked to be an antique jewelry box.
Books were stacked next to the nightstand on the right side of the bed. Declan felt a moment of glee when he saw no books on the left side. There was no man that was here on a regular enough basis to have books on the nightstand. Declan didn’t read too much into that, but he did like the thought. A brief vision of the novel he was currently reading lying on that table went through his mind. Yeah, it would look good on cherry.
A large walk-in closet on the right side of the room, and a door that he assumed led to the master bath on the left. Together, it all took up the entire width of the house. Declan liked it. The whole room was neat and orderly, but didn’t scream anal-retentive. Just like Marlee—neat, orderly, but approachable, comfortable. And definitely touchable.
He ran his arms down her calves and took her pumps from her feet. In their hurry to leave the studio, Marlee had left her shoes on instead of changing back to her boots. Which was good, because it would’ve taken a bit more balance than he had to unlace and remove Marlee’s boots with her hanging over his shoulder. The pumps slid easily from her feet and dropped to the floor.
He moved his hands back up her long and shapely legs until he reached the top of her trouser socks at her knees. One by one he removed both until she was barefoot.
Declan squatted, bent slightly at the waist, and let Marlee’s body slide down his until her feet touched the floor. He slowly rose up, allowing his torso to glide against Marlee’s as she righted herself. The shock of the face-to-face contact sped through them both. Declan was just a little out of breath from the exertion of carrying Marlee up the stairs, and she seemed a tad dizzy from being suspended upside down. It only added to the physical sensations they both were feeling.
Marlee reached for Declan’s belt, obviously wanting to reciprocate, but he held her hands and pulled them away from his body.
“Slow down, baby, we’ve got all night. And you’ve got a lot to learn.”
“Excuse me?” Marlee’s look was a little stung. Her body stiffened and Declan realized his mistake.
“About football, Marlee. Football. A lot to learn about football.” He waited till this sank in and her stance relaxed just the smallest amount, but Declan noticed it and smiled. He was already attuned to her body. When a woman shatters in your arms with her sweet ass grinding against your hard-on, you sort of got to know her rhythms. Fast.
“We’re going to talk football? Now?” She stepped back, away from Declan, deeper into the room.
“Not talk. Show. You picked that stuff up today really quickly. But now it’s time to really delve into what you’ll be talking about. We don’t want anyone picking up on your lack of knowledge, do we?” As he said this, his eyes left Marlee’s face and went to her breasts, which were still bared, her bra and blouse open and hanging at her sides.
Declan knew their size and shape, had nearly memorized it when they were against the door, but this was the first time he had seen them. They were full and large and he now knew how the euphemism “melons” came into being. He was never one for slang when talking about a woman’s body, he was much more titillated by the real words, but that’s what they were—ripe, heavy, firm melons.
Her nipples were a dusky rose and sizable; they were also pebbled, puckered. Declan wasn’t sure if they were still hard from his touch downstairs or from the growing arousal he now saw on Marlee’s face. It took an effort, but he raised his vision from her beautiful breasts and met her eyes. He knew his eyes radiated w
ith desire; there was no way he could hide it—and didn’t want to. He could feel his already hard cock stiffen even more when he saw the same desire in Marlee’s gaze.
Her chin jutted out, and her shoulders squared, causing her breasts to sway. “Okay, Mr. Football Hero, show me.”
“That’s my girl—never step back from a challenge, do ya, baby?” He walked further into the room, slipping his leather jacket from his shoulders and draping it across a rocking chair that sat in the corner. He reached his arm over his opposite shoulder, grabbing the back of his shirt and pulling it over his head and throwing it to the floor. The yellow scarf came with it.
Marlee gasped at the sight of Declan’s shoulders and chest. He could tell she didn’t want to make the telltale sound, but his chest puffed out with pride that she had. She moved to him, poised to reach once again for his belt, but seemingly waiting for Declan’s lead.
“Like what you see, darlin’?”
His little minx gave a nonchalant shrug. “Meh. It’s okay.” But she wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all him.
He chuckled at her feigned indifference; he’d seen her eyes widen in appreciation when he’d taken his shirt off. Declan’s grueling physical regimen was solely designed to keep him at his best on the playing field. He’d taken good care of his body, and that had allowed him to play longer than most at this level. He didn’t have the size of a Cole Taylor, but he’d spent plenty of time in the weight room. The effect his body had on women was an added perk.
Marlee moved to Declan and he brushed her blouse and undone bra from her shoulders to the floor, leaving them both naked from the waist up. “Just leveling the playing field.” His hands swept back up her arms after discarding the garments, and came to rest on her shoulders and neck. He stroked her lightly, loving the softness of her pale skin.
Marlee eased her neck back slowly, seeming to delight in Declan’s touch. Her neck going back caused her breasts to edge forward so that they came to rest against his chest. The texture of his chest hair tickled her sensitized nipples and her breath left her in a soft hiss. Her hands came to rest on his waist, and he loved the feel of her hands on him.
He pushed her slacks down, past her slim waist, over the flared hips, along the toned thighs and legs that seemed to go on forever. Declan followed the pants path with his hands, and when they had reached the floor, he slid his hands slowly back up her calves and then her thighs, resting his hand on her hips. Her skin was so soft to the touch, with just a sniff of jasmine reaching him. There was definite muscle tone in her legs, but not the hardness of a runner. Probably yoga. It was tone, without the bulk, which, when compared with the linemen on the team, was how Declan would describe his own body.
She was only in peach satin panties, trimmed with the smallest hint of lace. Peach. It had matched the now unneeded bra. Classy, yet hot. Declan liked that. He liked it a lot.
“Then, by all means, let’s keep the playing field…level,” Marlee nearly whispered, her throat catching a little bit, as she undid his fly. He ached for her hands to touch his cock, but she slid his jeans down to knee level, then lifted her leg, sliding her toes up Declan’s shin. When her foot reached the waistband of his jeans, she edge her toes into the fly and pushed the jeans to the floor with her foot. Her knee and outside thigh brushed against the inside of Declan’s, along his boxer briefs.
He hurriedly kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks, then stepped out of the fallen jeans. He walked her backwards until her legs came in to contact with the side of the bed. “You see, Marlee, in football, it’s all about downs.” He stepped back and pushed her gently at the clavicle until she fell back on to the bed, her knees dangling off the edge. Declan swiftly stepped forward and, in one smooth motion, took the back of her knees, one in each hand, and spread them apart, allowing space for him to move his body to the edge of the bed. To the edge of Marlee. The skin at the back of her knees was baby’s-bottom smooth and just as soft.
“Downs?” Marlee asked as she raised her knees, her feet sliding up his legs. She placed the soles of her feet against the back of his thighs, her legs akimbo, giving Declan an open view of her. He sensed it was a bold move on her part, but he wanted to make her feel bold. Plus, she still had her panties on so she wasn’t totally exposed to him. Yet.
“Yes. Downs. A team has four tries, or four downs, to move the ball ten yards. If they make it, they get another four downs for another ten yards. If they don’t, the other team gets the ball and it’s their turn to try.” He edged forward, still standing straight, not wanting his whole body touching her. Not yet. Declan was a professional athlete and he knew about pacing himself. You wanted to have something left in the fourth quarter.
With Marlee, they could be talking about an overtime situation.
“We’ll call this first down.” He pushed his erection, clearly outlined by his briefs, into the juncture of Marlee’s satin panties. The connection was exquisite pain and sounds of pleasure escaped from both of their mouths. Marlee gave a soft sigh and Declan offered up a harsh groan as he began to rub himself against her.
“First down. I get it. God, that feels good.” She lifted her hips slightly so that his motion would touch more of her where she needed it. Heat poured through his body as he watched her move.
“First down always does. Feel good, that is. Getting a first down is like dodging a bullet. You always strive for a first down. The quarterback always knows where exactly on the field the first-down yard line is. Always.” He rubbed against her again, creating a slow, torturous rhythm. “A good QB knows how to get to that spot.”
He pulled slightly away from her and gave a self-satisfied growl when he looked down and saw a darker peach on her panties from her wetness.
“QB?”
“Quarterback.”
“Oh, right. Sorry. I’m trying to grasp it all, really.” With that she reached forward and tried to grasp something else as well.
“Nah unh, you don’t want to get penalized for offsides, do you?” He moved just away from her reach, swatted her hand away, then moved back in.
“Offsides?”
“Moving before the ball is snapped.”
“Oh, no. I definitely want to see the ball snapped.” Her eyes devoured him, and his erection seemed to jerk under his shorts.
“You see, on first down, most quarterbacks will try something a little daring, because they’ve got three more downs, so, you know, why not go for it. But me, I figure that’s what they’re looking for, so I usually try something safe, a little old school, and hope for a good reaction.” He leaned over her, bracing his arms on either side of her shoulders, and with no warning, took a taut nipple in his mouth and began to suckle her.
Marlee nearly leapt off the bed, and her arched back did clear the comforter. As though she couldn’t handle the erotic sight, she closed her eyes and put her head back and listened to his hard sucking noises. He noticed she liked to listen to him, responded to his voice, his commands. That was good, ’cause he sure had some commands he wanted to give her.
She brought her hands up and buried them in his hair, combing her fingers through his mane. She held his head, pulling him closer to her breasts, which was nearly impossible as Declan was already as close to her as he could get. Except he felt like he could never be too close to Marlee.
His head moved over to her other breast and this time he teased the nipple with his tongue, laving the breast completely, before he took it in his mouth and continued sucking.
Bolts of electricity flowed through them both, and she ground her panties into Declan, seeming to desperately wish the cloth barriers would disappear. He was totally with her in that desire.
Needing to feel her flesh, Declan’s arms moved from the bed to Marlee, skimming her sides, playing with her breasts, circling her tummy and then dipping his fingers into the waistband of her panties. He reluctantly took his mouth from her and straightened up, standing above her. The despair of leaving those incredible breasts was qu
ickly replaced with pure lust as he looked down at Marlee.
She looked dazed. Her elegant neck was arched, and her hair, coming undone and in disarray, was tangled about her head, the auburn waves spread out over the maroons and greens of the comforter. Her breasts, reddened and glistening from Declan’s mouth, rose with her excited breathing. The pale alabaster skin now had a blush across it, reaching all the way up to her face.
And that face. Marlee’s face. Declan felt a wave of possession just seeing the way she looked up at him. As if he were the only man who had ever made her feel like this. As if he was the only man who could give her what she so needed. Feelings that were too intense to identify raced through him, but he brushed them aside. He’d think about them later. Right now, he had to satisfy Marlee. Instinctively, he knew that to satisfy Marlee would satisfy himself as well.
“If your play on first down works—” Declan began.
“Oh, it definitely worked.” Her hands went to her breasts, feeling the moistness Declan had left. She fingered her nipples, mimicking his motions when they’d been downstairs. The sight of her touching herself where his mouth had just been turned Declan on even more, though he would have sworn that was impossible to do.
“Good. If first down works, then you usually have three or four yards left to get, and you have a choice. To be conservative and run something small to get the yards, or say, ‘Screw it, we can get those on third down, let’s try something to get their attention now.’”
“And what do you do?”
His hands were just inside her panties, one at each hip. “Darlin’, I like to get people’s attention.”
He curled his fingers around the material and, in one quick motion, ripped Marlee’s panties from her, the satin making a loud tearing sound. He took the shredded panties and raised them in his right hand to his face. While his eyes locked on to her green-gold ones, he put the panties to his nose and inhaled deeply. “Mmmm. Baby, you smell wonderful. Jasmine, satin and…Marlee. I can tell how excited you are from these. How much you want me. You do want me, don’t you, Marlee?”