“Do you know what I see when I look at you?”
I shook my head, biting my lip to keep from crying.
“First, your beautiful face.” His fingers stroked my cheek. “When those big, honey-brown eyes of yours landed on me at the party, I knew I was a goner.”
I couldn’t have been more surprised. “Even after my verbal vomit?”
He chuckled. “Especially after that. I kept thinking I should try harder to get you to stop talking when I realized you thought I was Dr. Mac. But at the same time, I was absolutely intrigued by every word.”
To hear his perspective on what I’d considered the most humiliating experience of my life was completely flooring.
“And your hair. I thought you were beautiful as a blonde, but this brunette brought out your eyes and made me have fantasies of pulling on this ponytail while you were on your knees, your mouth wrapped around my cock.”
Goosebumps appeared on my arms, the kind from getting turned on.
“Sorry, too crude?”
I shook my head, smiling. “Nothing out of your mouth ever is. Instead, it takes me out of my head when you talk dirty to me.”
He kissed the back of my neck. “Thank God. And speaking of mouths. You have the very best one, from your sweet Southern accent to the way you can give the greatest blow jobs on the planet.”
I chuckled, beaming on the inside from the compliment.
“Now, moving onto your body. How about we first take off your pants? You have amazing legs, so I want you to show me those first.”
His fingers hooked into my sweats and pulled them down slowly, exposing my legs to my gaze in the reflection. I exhaled a shaky breath, thinking at least that part of my body didn’t look too bad. I stepped out of the sweats and watched him throw them to the side.
His hot breath tickled my ear. “Your legs are unbelievably strong and toned. I picture how many times they’ve been wrapped around me and fantasize kissing down the insides of your thighs up to your hot center waiting for my tongue.”
Oh, good Lord. He was going to make me climax before he even touched me.
Next, he slid my panties down, moving my legs slightly wider. I shuddered when he cupped me fully with one palm, shielding my center from both our views and putting my fears to rest one at a time.
“Obviously, I’m biased when I say your pussy is one of my favorite places to spend time. You’re so wet and the perfect fit for me.”
Moving his fingers slowly, he massaged me but made no attempt to rub my clit or put his fingers inside of me.
I pushed my ass back into the impressive erection contained in his jeans. I wanted—no, needed—more.
He shook his head, smiling. “Not yet, beautiful. Although I certainly crave you that way always, this moment isn’t about sex. This is about showing you how very sexy you are.”
I noticed my body had started to relax under the influence of his hypnotic, erotic voice. But I sucked in a large breath once he started unbuttoning my shirt. My mind hyper-focused on the stretch marks evident on my stomach and exposed to his gaze once he was finished. Closing my eyes, I felt my body tense until his fingers caressed me softly.
“Open your eyes and look at mine.”
I did so hesitantly, feeling myself start to tremble.
“Look at how sensual you are in the mirror, Jules, with my hands on your beautiful skin.”
I tried, I truly did, to see what he did, but he must’ve detected the disbelief in my expression.
“You’re focusing on flaws, aren’t you?”
I nodded, a tear leaking out in spite of my best efforts. Nothing said provocative like crying in front of the man undressing you. Good one, Juliette.
“Do you know what I see?”
Shaking my head, I braced myself for whatever he would have to say.
“I see a petite body that carried a big, healthy baby boy. It took some stretching to hold him in there for nine months. I see strength. A badge of honor, if you will, that says ‘you’re a mother.’ You should be proud to wear those marks.”
He was doing it. I was completely distracted from the fact he was viewing my stomach in the mirror. Instead, I relaxed into him and his beautiful words.
His gaze traveled down my body while his fingers ghosted over my skin, from my stomach down to my clit. “You’re absolutely beautiful, Jules. These slight imperfections that you see make you even more perfect because of the reasons you have them. Witnessing the way you mother your amazing son only cemented for me how very special you are.”
Next he unclasped my bra. Both his hands came around to cup the weight of my breasts, which didn’t sit as perky as they used to.
“When I look at your breasts, I think of how you must have looked while rocking your baby and feeding him at night. How beautiful it must’ve been to know you were sustaining a life with your body.”
How? How could there be someone this perfect on the planet who wanted me? His moving, heartfelt words had tears tracking down my face.
He spun me in a half circle and knelt down in front of me, kissing those marks that I’d been so embarrassed about and had concealed for years. “No more hiding. You’re exquisite. The moment you have any doubt, I want you to remember right now, me in front of you wanting nothing more than to worship your gorgeous body.”
My breath caught. In that moment I knew I was undeniably in love with this amazing man. He was making me feel like I was the most incredible thing in the world. “Thank you,” I whispered, the tears falling freely now.
He kissed my stomach and then stood so he could travel his mouth up to my breasts, my neck, and finally capture my lips. “Don’t cry, beautiful.”
“They’re happy tears, I promise.”
He smiled tenderly, wiping my cheeks with his thumbs. “Let me hold you on the bed?”
Calming my nerves, I took a deep breath. This. This was what trust and intimacy were all about, and I wanted all of it. That meant I needed to let go of my insecurities and believe the words he’d told me. “I want you to make love to me. In the light.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
I framed his face with my hands. “I’ve never been surer about anything or anyone in my entire life.”
He met my lips, pouring so much emotion into the kiss that it left no doubt how much this meant to him. Backing me up to the mattress, he lay me down gently. I watched him pull his shirt off first, followed by his pants, boxers, and socks. My eyes immediately tracked to the small S tattooed above his heart on his chest. It was the first time I’d seen him in the light, as well.
S had to be for his fiancée’s name. I wasn’t prepared for the emotion that hit me upon seeing it. He was clearly devoted to the memory of the woman with whom he was supposed to have spent the rest of his life.
“I can put the shirt back on if you want.” He was watching me, honing in on my fixation with his tattoo.
“No. It’s part of you. And I don’t want anything more between us.”
His tender smile almost caused me to tear up all over again. Then he covered my body with his. Skin on skin, he rolled me slightly onto my side. In this position, I wasn’t supporting his full weight, and he could put his thigh between mine, entwining us together naked.
The kiss he gave me could’ve melted steel. It was hot and sensuous, leaving no doubt how very turned on he was. Nuzzling my neck, he whispered, “You know this is more to me than sex, don’t you?”
I murmured, “It is for me, too.”
“I want to be part of your life and that of Tristan’s. And I realize the timing—Jesus—I shouldn’t be saying these things to you on the day of your husband’s funeral. I’m sorry.”
I leaned back, so we could be eye to eye. “Today made me sad because someday I’ll have to tell Tristan that his father chose drugs over him, over us. And that he ultimately died because of it. You knew I’d need you here, and you came. Please don’t apologize.”
“I want—No, I need you in my life.
Both of you.”
His expression was so intense that I swallowed hard. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying I want a future with you.” He muttered a curse, running his hand through his hair. “And again, today isn’t the day I should dump all of this on you.”
“No, no, don’t stop. I want to hear it all.”
He took a deep breath. “When you left, I felt lost. Instantly. I never argued with you against the idea I should leave the morning after sex in the dark because I didn’t want to scare you off. Especially when I realized I wanted more.”
“I want more too.”
He peppered my face and throat with kisses.
It was strange. It seemed I’d said yes to something undefined and completely arbitrary, and yet I couldn’t remember a time I’d been happier.
We rolled around on the bed, teasing one another with touches and kisses before Mark uttered a request.
“Will you sit on the edge of the mattress and show me your pussy?”
I gulped, thinking this man’s dirty mouth and unexpected alpha side would be the death of me. Moving on shaky legs, I got into position, spreading my legs and baring myself for him.
He moved a bench, which had been across the room, in front of me. Much to my confusion, he took a seat there.
“Spread your legs wider.”
I did as he asked, watching his expression darken while he shifted in his seat and palmed his erection. I licked my lips at the sight. He was so sexy. Watching him grip himself notched up my level of arousal.
“Now touch yourself. Show me how wet you are.”
I moved my fingers down, separating my lips and then running them through my wetness. All reservations were gone. The only sounds in the room were our heavy breathing and the slick sound of my exploration.
“Put your fingers inside your pussy.”
My hips arched involuntarily when I complied, a small moan leaving my lips.
He wasted no time in moving closer, this time getting on his knees in front of me with a hand on each of my legs, burning hot on my skin. “Will you let me taste you? Put my tongue inside of you. Have you come in my mouth?”
My heartbeat kicked into overtime with his delicious words, and I did my best to keep my anxiety from rearing its ugly head.
“I can smell your arousal, and it has me unbelievably turned on. I can barely keep myself from diving into you.” He removed his glasses before skimming his hands up my trembling thighs, his eyes searching mine for permission.
Fueled by pure lust and a great deal of hope, I gave him a slight nod, trusting him and his words.
He wasted no time putting his mouth on me. “Fucking incredible.” His murmured praise was barely audible as he swiped his tongue over my clit. Softly at first, until his hands gripped my hips, pulling me into his face like a man starved.
A gasp escaped my throat with the intimate contact of his lips. Teeth, tongue, and, oh, now his fingers completely overwhelmed me. When his mouth fastened on my clit, my hands tangled in his dark hair, pulling him in closer.
“You taste amazing. I could never get enough,” he murmured against my thigh, trailing kisses while he worked my wetness in and out of my entrance. “Lie down, beautiful.”
The back of my head hit the soft bed, my hands finding purchase by gripping the sheets. Gone was any residual insecurity, replaced by sheer desire.
In this new position, he shifted, pulling me closer to the edge and putting both of my legs over his shoulders. Then he lifted my ass off the bed and buried his face back between my legs.
“Mark—” My moan was cut off with the climax that slammed through me. Its force completely annihilated my senses. I was barely aware that he remained between my legs, licking, biting, and sucking and evidently going for a gold medal in oral sex as he went for another orgasm.
“I can’t,” I pleaded, knowing I didn’t really mean it. Instead, curiosity took over. Was it possible? Sixty seconds later, I discovered it was. I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming when the second wave washed over me, my internal muscles gripping him while I came around his mouth and fingers. When I finally found the ability to open my eyes, I saw Mark’s handsome face hovered above mine.
“You’ve been quiet for more than a minute. Should I call the paramedics?”
I giggled. “In addition to your super-talented tongue, you’ve got jokes.”
He smirked, and I pushed up and kissed him. His surprise was evident when he pulled back. “You don’t mind?”
I shook my head. “Call it research. Does that make me dirty?”
“Only in the very best way. Now then, time to expand upon the talented tongue compliment.”
Yes, please.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
I woke the next morning in my hotel room bed to find Mark wrapped around me. Judging by the hard length poking the small of my back, he was wide awake.
“I like mornings with you,” I murmured, stretching my limbs. I hadn’t had such a good night’s sleep in months. Must have been the heady combination of multiple orgasms and the human heater behind me.
“Good, because I intend to do it more often.”
I entwined my fingers with his and relished the feel of his hard body behind me. “No arguments from me.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve gotten more consistent about taking the Pill?”
He shifted, notching his cock between the cheeks of my ass. It would be so easy for him to slip into my heat at this angle, which would also allow him to move his hands to my breasts.
“I was, but then I up and forgot them in the craziness of traveling down here. Sorry. What I should do is get the shot, then we won’t need to rely on me remembering to take the Pill.”
“Nothing to apologize for. Luckily, I have another condom.” He kissed the top of my head regretfully before getting out of the bed and searching his wallet.
Turning, I saw him hold up a foil square. Rather than the packet, I focused on his gorgeous body. Strong shoulders topped a firm chest with a smattering of dark hair that went down, down. Good Lord, his happy trail was turning me on now that I had a clear vision of its endpoint.
“Last one, so we better make it good.”
I wanted to ask if his warning meant he was leaving today, or if it only meant he’d have to go to the store later. But I kept quiet as I didn’t want to ruin this rare morning to ourselves by trying to define our relationship, especially when so many things were up in the air.
He hopped back into the bed. Once he’d assumed the same position as before, he pulled my hair to the side and kissed where my neck met my shoulder. “Miss me?”
I giggled, absolutely enjoying this playful side of him. “I counted the seconds until —ahhhh.” I lost my thought and words as he pushed inside of me, splaying one hand across my stomach and pulling me onto him, going deeper.
“I’m a fan of this position.”
“Me, too.”
The sex was unhurried, languid, and felt decadent in the morning light. Once his fingers trailed down to find my clit, I was completely done for, coming in spectacular fashion.
Just as I was about to doze off in post-coital bliss, the hotel phone rang.
Picking up, I heard a woman who sounded like she was from the front desk. “Ms. Walker, there is a woman from Child Protective Services here with a police officer. We can’t give out your room number without your permission so—”
“WHAT?”
“Do you want me to send them up?”
“No, no. I’ll come down.”
“Okay. I will let them know.”
I hung up and immediately dialed my mom, trying to explain to Mark in the interim what was happening. “Child Services is here with a police officer. Why would they be here?”
My mother picked up on the first ring.
“Mom, is everything okay this morning with Tristan?” I’d gone by their room last night to kiss him goodnight and he’d been very content to spend the night with his grandpar
ents.
“Yeah, honey. He woke up about ten minutes ago. I was about to text you. We planned to take him downstairs to breakfast.”
I let out a breath. “Unfortunately, there is someone from CPS downstairs to speak with me. With a police officer. I, um, I don’t know what to do. Part of me wants you to take him and run.”
Mark shook his head. “As hard as this is, they may need to see him to check on his welfare. Rob’s parents are probably behind this.”
I couldn’t believe it. I’d realized his parents were upset, but this was a whole new level of evil. Turning my attention back to my mom on the phone, I spoke. “Keep him in the room. I’ll update you soon.”
I hung up, fighting the angry tears that threatened. “Why? Why would they do this?”
Mark pulled me into a hug. “I’m sorry, Jules.”
After taking a deep breath, I knew I needed to pull it together and wiped my eyes. “I have to get dressed and brush my teeth.”
He let me go and finished dressing himself. “I’ll go to my room and then join you down there.”
I stopped mid-shimmy into my jeans. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” Hypocrite much? But when it came to Tristan, I didn’t need any additional possible judgment against me. Such as one about my sleeping with a new man during the same week my estranged husband was buried. Not now. Not with CPS involved.
“Tell them you called your attorney, and I’ll come in from the parking lot instead of from inside the hotel. You can say I’m in town to assist you since Rob’s mother threatened to go after Tristan’s inheritance.”
“Okay. That might be good. Thank you.”
He stepped closer and lifted my chin. “We will get through this.”
We. It sure felt good to hear.
***
My level of anxiety rose with each floor that dinged in the elevator ride down to the lobby. Once the doors opened, I immediately spotted the police officer in uniform. Alongside him stood an older woman dressed in a suit, clipboard in hand.
Swallowing hard, I squared my shoulders and approached them.
“Hello, I’m Juliette Walker.”
The officer let the CPS representative take the lead. “Ms. Walker, I’m Tamra Fields. This is Officer Duncan. I apologize for the early morning visit, but our office received a call yesterday alleging child abuse.”
Show Me Something (Something Series Book 5) Page 16