by Cathryn Fox
She wouldn’t mind doing a little banging of her own. “Must be Brad tearing down that wall.”
Marc inclined his head, and heat churned in his eyes. “Yeah, must be,” he agreed, his voice deeper, huskier. When she caught the strange look moving over his face, she followed his gaze. For a brief second she thought she caught the outline of Lindsay pressed against the window, but the image disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
Marc cleared his throat, suddenly flustered, and she wondered exactly what he’d seen in that window. What was going on up there?
“You’d better get back at it,” he said. “I’m close to finishing the bedframe.”
With that they both went back to the task at hand. Candace made her way through the old house, calling out to Pamina but unable to find her anywhere. Everyone was hard at work, she supposed. She hurried up the gorgeous winding staircase, climbed into her coveralls and readied her supplies.
Now here she was, her mind wandering, thinking about how she wanted to set up the furniture and how she’d like to try out every sinful piece with Marc. God, she couldn’t believe how intimate she’d been with him, a man she barely knew but felt completely comfortable with. A man who was concerned with her needs and desires, and admitted that pleasuring her had pleasured him. Nor could she believe how he’d so easily read her, and the excitement she felt from having sex outdoors with the possibility of getting caught. A fine shiver moved down her spine and she knew she wanted to do that again.
He had to be some visiting alien, she decided.
But seriously, who was he and where had he come from? He’d only recently moved to Mason Creek. Where had he moved from, and where exactly was this shop he was setting up? Perhaps Pamina would know, since she’d hired him in the first place.
And why did he go from hot to cold so quickly, displaying passion one second and hesitation the next?
As she pondered that longer, wondering if past hurts were holding him back, Candace wiped her brow, then put the finishing touches on the back wall. She stood back to admire her work. Satisfied with the job and happy she was half-done with only two walls left, she glanced out the window and spotted Marc walking to his van. Would he be sleeping in there tonight? She noted the king-sized mattress on her floor, brand-new sheets and plush comforter beside it. Sure the room wasn’t ready yet, but even if he didn’t get the frame made, there was no reason why he couldn’t crash on that perfectly comfortable makeshift bed.
Returning to matters, Candace went to work on finishing her painting just as Abra came sauntering into the room.
“Hey, kitty.” She stopped to give him a pat.
Abra curled around her legs, brushing up against her and purring in delight. She stroked his massive underbelly and made a tsking sound.
“You know, Abra, maybe you should come on one of my runs. It wouldn’t hurt you to shed a few pounds.”
With that he hissed and hopped up onto her windowsill, where he gave her his back and proceeded to groom himself.
Candace laughed at his ornery behavior. “You really are a strange kitty.” Paying him no more attention, she went back to painting. Day bled into night as Candace completed the walls and cleaned up her supplies. The grumbling of her stomach told her it was dinnertime.
When she heard loud banging noises coming from Lindsay’s room, she thought about investigating, but Anna popped her head in, her cheeks flushed, her big blue eyes wide and glossy.
“You okay?” Candace asked and furrowed her brow in concern.
“Fine, just wanted to let you know I can’t meet up for dinner after all. Looks like we’ll be working well into the night.”
Candace frowned. Lindsay had been unable to join them for lunch and she could only assume she was still too busy to quit for the night. “Is your project going okay? Do you need help?”
“No,” Anna rushed out. “We’re right on schedule. But my masonry guy doesn’t want to leave smack-dab in the middle of the…job.”
Okay, so why did she pause before saying job? What exactly was going on in there anyway? Not that it was any of Candace’s business. After all, she’d broken the pact. Or had she? Did oral sex count as breaking the pact? Nah, she didn’t think so. She’d simply dented it. Only full-blown intercourse counted as breaking it, right?
And if she’d gone so far as to dent it…
“Will you be driving home tonight?” Anna asked.
“Yeah, why? Do you want me to wait and give you a lift?”
“No, I just wouldn’t want to keep you up with any noise next door. Laying brick can get noisy.”
“No worries, I’m heading home.”
“I’ll see you in the morning,” she said, a twinkle in her eye as she disappeared. Feeling fatigued, Candace carried her brushes to the washtub on the main level, off the laundry area, and rinsed them out. Once her task was complete, she pulled off her coveralls, hopped into a warm shower and washed herself up before heading back to the room to climb into a fresh pair of clothes, which she always brought with her when there was a possibility of staying overnight on a job. She moved through the old inn in search of Pamina but when she couldn’t find her, she stepped out into the night.
A refreshing burst of cool evening air brushed over her, giving her a second wind, and her eyes went from Marc’s van to the track and back to his van again. There was nothing she liked better than a brisk run after sunset, then maybe she’d grab something to eat.
She wondered if Marc was interested in eating with her…
* * *
Marc paced in his van with half of his brain kicking his ass for his stupidity at the lake and the other half unable to stop thinking about the way Candace had felt in his arms or tasted on his tongue. Wincing, he threw himself into his small desk chair and ran his hands through his hair, noting that the erotic scent of her still lingered on his skin. Jesus…
Restless in his wobbly seat, he moved from side to side and turned on his security monitors. Apprehension moved through him as he zeroed in on the camera overlooking the lake. Son of a bitch! He’d been so caught up in the moment he’d forgotten the camera had been on them, recording their every salacious action. He held his hand over the delete button, knowing he had to remove any evidence of them together, but then suddenly, he couldn’t seem to bring himself to do it just yet. Perhaps a quick look, purely for research purposes, he assured himself, to confirm that the cameras were in working order before he deleted the entire file. He hit the rewind button, taking it back to the exact time he’d jumped into the water.
The erotic sight of him pleasuring Candace came on screen and he immediately hardened. His cock thickened and his balls tightened, demanding he finally do something about his rock-hard erection before he went off like a supernova.
Groaning and feeling like a hormonal teenager, he slipped his hands inside his shorts, gripped his cock and began to stroke himself. Hard. If he wanted to get his mind back on the job, the only way to do it was with a clear head. Both of them. And if this was the answer, then so be it.
When he heard Candace’s cries of ecstasy, he pumped faster, the need to release the brewing pressure inside him growing at an alarming rate. Another low groan crawled out of his throat as he worked his palm over his throbbing cock. He closed his eyes briefly, letting his wild imagination take him back to that lake with Candace.
Erotic visions of the way she’d offered herself to him filled his thoughts; her pussy poised at his mouth and his fingers pumping inside her and brushing over her G-spot until she quaked with urgency. Jesus he loved how he’d made her quake.
He opened his eyes in time to watch the way he licked her pussy, his face moving between her thighs and inching open her swollen lips as he ravished her sweet spot. With his senses exploding he dragged in air and knew his orgasm was only a stroke away. His hands began to work harder over his dick as he fantasized how it would feel to slide his cock into her tight sex, and pump in and out of her until they both shattered into a million pieces,
their orgasms overtaking them and leaving them drained, sated.
“Fuck…” He moaned out loud as pressure mounted inside him. He cupped his sac and stroked his dick faster. With his cock thickening to the point of no return, he bit down on his bottom lip, his brain no longer functioning.
But then, seconds before he found release, a knock came on his door and had his mind careening back. He grunted something incoherent, summoned what little brainpower he had left and flicked off the monitors, praying that whoever was on the other side of that door hadn’t heard anything.
The knock came again, and he worked to stuff his swollen cock back into his shorts and adjust his T-shirt to hide the huge bulge.
“Marc, are you in there?”
Holy hell!
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, just a second,” he bit out and drew on an old teenage trick, thinking about sports and old television shows, in an effort to shrink his erection.
“Is everything okay?”
Hell no, everything wasn’t okay. Here he was whacking off in a van while he watched himself pleasure his boss’s daughter on video. Not only that. He liked her. Really liked her. Candace was open, giving, fun and refreshing. She was natural and lacked pretense. So unlike any other woman he’d ever met. And what was he doing in return? Deceiving her.
“Yeah, I’ll be right out.” After taming his arousal, he erased the video, drew a centering breath and pulled open the door. He stepped out and inched the door closed behind him, but the minute she leaned forward, breaching his personal space, a rush of sexual energy hit him. Hard.
“What was that noise I heard?”
Feeling flustered, something that never happened to him—until he set eyes on Candace, that is—he rushed out. “Radio…yeah, the radio.”
She tried to look past his shoulders, but he moved, blocking her path and slamming his door tight.
“Are you finished for the day?” she asked.
“All done.” He put his hands into the pockets of his shorts to inconspicuously adjust himself. Christ, everything about her reduced him to a hormonal juvenile.
“I was just thinking about taking a run, then afterwards grabbing something to…eat.”
Marc’s heart missed a beat as he took in the lust in her eyes and something about the way she said eat had his libido roaring to life once again. He should say no and just get the hell out of there and ask his boss to put someone else on the case. But he didn’t trust anyone else to look out for her. Or touch her.
That last thought made him realize he’d gotten himself in deep.
Too deep.
If he knew what was good for him, he’d just get the fuck out of Dodge. Tonight.
She began to back up, picking up the pace to give herself a head start. “Come on. I’ll race you to the lake. Winner takes all,” she said with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. When she turned her back to him and took off on a flat-out run, he bent down and tightened his laces.
So it would appear he didn’t know what was good for him, after all.
5
Candace darted a glance over her shoulder to see if he was coming as she raced to the lake. Oh yeah, he was coming all right, and quickly closing the distance between them. A smile pulled at her and she knew if she wanted to win this race she’d better put everything she had into it. Deciding to do just that, Candace lengthened her stride, but Marc was too fast and too strong.
He caught up to her in seconds flat and hadn’t broken a sweat yet. “What exactly do you mean, winner takes all?” he asked, keeping pace beside her.
“You see,” she managed through labored breathing, knowing she needed to throw him off his stride the same way he’d thrown her off her game the other day. She planned to win the race using any means possible. “When I win, I’m going to take you back to the inn and show you another way to exercise.”
His eyes lit. “Yeah, how?” She could see the genuine interest in his gaze.
“Well there is the new Tantra chair I’d like to try out. You know, to ensure it works properly and is sturdy enough before we open the room to guests.” She watched his face change as understanding dawned. Deciding to play, to push him a little more, she added, “And then there’s the hanging sex swing, the love glider and the floor-to-ceiling pole for a little seductive dancing.”
His jaw dropped and his stride slowed, his body language conveying his shock at her boldness. Or perhaps he was too busy thinking about what they could do on said equipment to focus on running. Fortunately his reprieve gave her the opportunity she needed to win. Once she reached the embankment, she stopped running and twisted around to glimpse Marc, who still stood there gawking at her, need and desire flitting across his handsome face.
He quickly caught up to her, grabbed her hips and anchored her to him, and her entire body shivered in sensual delight. He put his back to a tree and cast a glance around. “What the hell are you trying to do to me?”
There was something about the way he moved, talked and continually scanned the area that reminded her of a cop or a bodyguard. With her father’s line of work, she’d been around enough of them to pick up on their little nuances.
But as heat poured through her and her pussy throbbed, aching to feel him again, her brain was too far gone to consider that point further. Right now all she could think about was the way his hands were touching her body, the feel of his growing arousal pressed against her abdomen. The way her mouth watered, thirsting for a taste of him.
“Well, I’m trying to get you naked so I can have my wicked way with you. It’s only fair, don’t you think? After all, you’ve seen me naked.”
Hot. Wet. Needy. And naked.
His eyes smoldered, as if he was remembering every delicious detail of their erotic encounter.
Candace wet her lips, and he watched the action very carefully as his eyes moved over her face. Candace shifted her hips, positioning his cock right where she needed it as she gauged his reactions. His hard erection told her how much he wanted this, but would he hesitate or would he go for it?
“You know. A little tit for tat…” she added for good measure.
His laugh was edgy, churning with passion. His nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched like he was fighting some internal battle. Then something came over him, a shift of some sort, and he grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
“Go?”
“Yeah, you won, and winner takes all, remember?”
“Oh yeah. I remember.” Candace’s heart began to pound, as she was both excited and frightened by the intensity she’d spotted in his eyes.
Without preamble, Marc ushered them back to the inn, up the stairs and straight into the room. Once inside, she watched him close the door, set the lock and press his back to it. Candace drew a breath as excitement coiled through her veins. God, she hadn’t seen such fervor in his eyes before. He tossed her a wild, predatory look and panned the length of her. “So tell me more about this tit for tat,” he said, his voice husky with desire.
As moisture pooled between her thighs, she stepped back and ran her hands over the Tantra chair, wondering if he caught the sweet tang of her arousal. She lifted one eyebrow. “Have you used one of these before, Marc?” She pulled out the brochure and scanned the numerous positions, her hands trembling with need. “It’s great for a thigh workout, if you’re riding on top, that is.”
The air around them charged, and her body quaked as she pictured herself on top of Marc, riding his cock with wild abandon. Then she took note of another possible position. Her on her knees, Marc’s cock in her mouth, and she knew exactly what she wanted to do first. She placed her hand on her stomach, where need gathered in a ball, and Marc’s gaze shifted to her breasts.
Before she knew what was happening, he took charge and was on her, his hungry lips on hers, his hands moving over her body, pushing, pulling, giving and taking like he couldn’t get enough of her. As much as she wanted him to take her again, pleasure her the way no other man ever had, she grabbed his hands and
anchored them to his sides.
“Uh-uh. I’m the winner. I get to play it my way.”
“You’re only the winner because you cheated.”
She put her hands on his abdomen, taking pleasure in his tight muscles, and grinned. “Such a sore loser.”
“I’m not—”
Candace slipped her hand into his shorts and captured his cock, his words of protests suddenly forgotten, replaced by a heated moan. Now that she had him right where she wanted him—not a speck of hesitation on his face—she tugged at his shirt determined to find out if there could be more between them. If he was a man who could like her for who she was, because so far she liked everything about him.
She gestured with nod of her head. “I want these clothes gone, and then I want you to lie down on that chair for me. I’m in need of a thigh workout.”
He brushed the back of his hands over her face and his touch went right through her. “Only if you let me undress you. I want you naked with me.”
She sensed he was a man used to taking charge and taking care of others. But she wanted him to let his guard down with her so she could show him how good it was let someone take care of his needs. She was so used to men taking what they wanted that until Marc she had no idea such giving, considerate men existed.
“Will you get naked with me, sweetheart?”
The vulnerability she heard in his voice tugged at her insides. When she nodded, he slipped his big rough hands under her shirt and slowly removed it, her bra quickly following. He then dropped to his knees and inched her shorts and panties down, his mouth so close to her skin she could feel his hot breath whispering over her thighs.
Once he had her naked, he stood, took a step back and just stared at her, his gaze caressing her body. “You’re so damn sexy.”
Candace quivered under his lusty glance, her breasts swollen, hot, aching to feel his mouth. But first, she wanted to taste him, to have her wicked way with him, the way he’d had it with her.
“You’re still overdressed,” she murmured seductively, loving the easy intimacy between them, the way she felt so comfortable with him as she stood there completely naked. There was no shyness, no awkwardness.