by Kim Law
She shook her head, the slow movement signifying her bewilderment. “Mom never wanted to be a mother, and Aunt Ginny couldn’t get pregnant.” She turned her gaze back to his. “Fate. That’s what Aunt Ginny said. I was somehow their fate?”
Confusion marred her features, but he thought he got it. Ginny saw the good side of things.
“Ginny has always loved you like a mother, hasn’t she?” Mark asked.
“Since the day I met her. More than my own mother ever did.”
The lost sound of Andie’s words pained him. “And she wouldn’t have had you to dote on if James and Cassie hadn’t gotten together, right?”
Andie nodded again. “Right.” She glanced down where their hands were clasped. “But fate? He cheated on her, Mark. Broke her heart, and Aunt Ginny calls it fate.”
Mark shrugged. “She believes that everything happens for a reason. Exactly when it should.”
He was starting to wonder if that wasn’t actually the case. He had Andie back in his life, after all. Maybe it simply hadn’t been their time before.
“It’s an interesting concept,” Andie murmured. She let go of his hands and turned to the railing. She wrapped her fingers around the metal and leaned the top half of her body out over the deck, sucking in deep gulps of air. He mimicked her breathing, pulling in the scent of the flowers from below. The scent was sweet and potent, and he realized it was the same fragrance that Andie often wore.
“It smells like you out here,” he said.
She turned her face to him and he smiled at her in the dark. She was still leaning over the railing, and she reminded him of a little girl — a child with her head hanging out the car window, her hair blowing in the wind.
“It’s honeysuckle,” she told him. “I’ve loved the smell since I first discovered it here as a kid. Aunt Ginny always buys me perfume as one of my Christmas gifts. She gets me honeysuckle.”
Her words stopped, and he sensed she was wrangling with something else. All he could do was wait to see if she wanted to talk. In the past they wouldn’t have even made it this far.
Finally, she straightened and put her back to the railing. She crossed her arms over her chest. “You know those scholarships I worked so hard for?”
He nodded. She’d earned scholarships all through her undergrad years as well as during her master’s program.
“I apparently could have slacked off.” She glanced at him, the look hard and angry. “It came from a trust my father set up.”
Wow. “That was—”
“Underhanded,” she stated, the word blunt. “Why didn’t anyone ever tell me it was coming from him? Hell, why didn’t anyone ever tell me who my father was?”
Anger burned brightly in front of him. She was a sweetheart, but when she got angry, she held nothing back.
“Did you ask Ginny?”
She glared at him as if he’d said the wrong thing. Before he could come up with anything else to try, she huffed out a breath and stomped back into her room. As she stepped through the doorway, she glanced over her shoulder. “Will you come in with me?”
Into her bedroom? He pushed off the rail. Oh, hell yeah.
Though he had no idea what was going to go on in there. This evening was not going in any way he’d imagined.
Andie’s mood made him wonder if they’d even get to the topics that had come up on the boat earlier that day. They’d eventually need to talk about them. What Rob had said about Tiffany — he supposed Andie deserved to know how badly he could let someone down — as well as what Andie had said about him having issues with marriage. Not to mention, her accusing him of wanting to leave instead of risking getting involved with her again.
He didn’t want to leave.
And he did want to get involved.
Also, he didn’t have issues with marriage.
Maybe he had been looking for excuses to end their engagement before. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but the instant the words had come out of Andie’s mouth, he knew they were likely correct. Something between the two of them just hadn’t been quite right. Not back then.
He’d started arguments during those last months, just as she had. He’d also jumped at the excuse that she was using him when he’d heard her on the phone the morning of their wedding.
He had known she loved him, yes. But he still maintained she’d loved her job more. That it would have eventually come between them in their marriage.
That didn’t mean it had been right to send Rob to the church instead of him.
But history couldn’t be changed. They could only move forward.
And he most definitely didn’t have issues with getting married. Marriage and a family were what he wanted. Tiffany and his past played no part in anything.
Once he’d stepped inside, Andie pushed the balcony doors closed tight and then pulled the curtains over them, leaving Mark and her standing in the dark.
“You don’t want to hear the ocean tonight?” he asked. And then it occurred to him. This was her house — or it would be. She could listen to the ocean for the rest of her life. He wondered vaguely how that might play into the two of them.
Heck, he didn’t even know what he wanted from the two of them. But he loved her. That was a fact. So it wasn’t as if he could just walk away without trying.
“I don’t want to risk Aunt Ginny overhearing us talk,” she said. “Or Phillip Jordan for that matter.” She grumbled the last words as if the man had done something to annoy her. She turned on the corner lamp. The one they’d knocked to the floor the day before.
“Did he say anything to you today?” he asked. At Andie’s glance, he added, “On the boat. After …”
Mark knew Phillip had his nose stuck in the air about catching Andie and him on the beach together that first night. After the bathroom escapade, he could only imagine what the man thought of them now. He hadn’t looked Mark in the eye once all afternoon.
Of course, that could also have been because Mark had punched out his daughter’s fiancé.
“He didn’t say anything on the boat,” Andie answered him as she clicked on another lamp. The room was cast in a warm, inviting light, showcasing that it was as pristine as ever. “Though Lord knows, he shot me enough venomous looks,” she continued. “But he did catch me downstairs as I came in.”
“What did he say?” Mark had the fleeting urge to go upstairs and pound a fist into Phillip’s face, too. Seemed like a great way to end the evening.
“That Penelope is upset.” She crossed to the bed.
“Oh?” Not what he’d expected.
“Apparently she’s been humming a lot.” Andie turned down the covers on the side of the bed closest to them. “Seems she does that when she’s upset.”
What did humming have to do with anything? And were they about to crawl into bed together like a couple? His heart picked up speed. He hoped so. He forced his mind back to the conversation. “Did he bother to ask her about it?” he asked.
Andie shrugged as she moved to the other side to turn down the covers over there. “Her mother did, apparently. But Penelope’s not talking. However, Phillip knows she’s upset, therefore he assumes it has something to do with the wedding.” Andie gave Mark a tight, sarcastic smile. “It is now my responsibility to figure it out.”
“The man wouldn’t abuse a bonus clause, would he?”
“Just like he wouldn’t sneak his future son-in-law into office.” She shook her head as she headed to the small kitchen area that held the minifridge and a microwave. “What a piece of work. Both of them.” She whirled on him, her eyes wide. “Rob wants to be in the state’s attorney’s office? Why? Is it purely the notoriety?”
“Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if he isn’t serious about wanting to go all the way to the Supreme Court someday. He’s got to start somewhere, I suppose.”
“So he’s using them as bad as they’re using him.”
“Probably worse.” Mark was still pissed at Rob over that. Even without eve
rything else that had been said, the guy should not be using marriage simply to slide into office. “He’s made a habit of using people over the years.”
Their friendship. Mark’s father to get a job. No telling what else.
“Poor Penelope,” Andie said softly.
Mark nodded in agreement. The girl didn’t deserve the mess she was walking into.
Andie grabbed two bottles of water and a plastic-wrap-covered piece of pie from the fridge, and they met on the small couch. She handed him a bottle, and he noticed the pie was, in fact, cheesecake. His favorite.
“I feel like I should say something to her.” Andie sat on the couch, one leg bent underneath her as she unwrapped the cheesecake. “If I was that madly in love with someone and he didn’t love me back, I’d want to know.”
Yet telling Penelope would put Andie right back where she’d started the day. With no wedding. No bonus money.
Mark wondered what she would do.
She suddenly looked up, studying him as if she were working to figure something out. “After you punched him, I thought you’d leave, you know? If he didn’t tell you to get lost first.”
Mark reached out and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his fingers linger for a moment. He hadn’t even considered leaving. Instead, he’d had more of a quiet celebration because he no longer had to.
“He won’t kick me out,” he said. “It would mess up the symmetry of the wedding party. The pictures would be off.”
Andie nodded in understanding and took a bite of the cheesecake. Brides weren’t known for being happy if the wedding didn’t go off as planned. Rob may not love Penelope, but he respected the trouble she would make if he sent his best man home.
“And I stayed because of you,” he told her.
Her eyes widened slightly, and then she reached out and fed him a bite.
The creamy filling was rich and decadent, and he had the urge to smear the rest of it all over her before licking it off.
“You stayed so we could have a fling?” she asked. Her tone was light and teasing, but he could see beyond the words. She was wondering, as much as he, where they were headed.
“I stayed because I want to be with you,” he admitted. “To figure this out.”
He didn’t want to scare her away, so he kept the tone easy. She bit down on her bottom lip and fed him another bite.
After he swallowed, he took the plate from her and set it aside. Then he wrapped her hands in his. “You were pretty upset outside, babe. About the house. Your father. Want to talk about that some more?”
“I do,” she admitted. “Just like I want to know about this ex that you supposedly killed.”
Mark froze. He did not want to talk about that. Not tonight. He wished he could get away with never.
However, knowing Andie was ready to share things with him warmed him. That was different than the past. Even different than a day ago when her mother had shown up. They could start off slow. Build up to his past.
“Okay.” He nodded, keeping hold of her hands. “Then let’s talk. You go first.”
She peeked up at him, her nose crinkling with a grimace. “Don’t think I’m avoiding the issues, because I’m not. But everything has just been too much today. How about we finish the dessert I stole for you from downstairs, I return the favor, and then we talk in the morning?”
He was about to argue, thinking she was just trying to get out of a tough conversation, when his brain engaged to decipher what she’d just said. “Return the favor?” he asked. He’d heard those words earlier that day. On the boat. As he’d been pulling up her panties.
He gulped.
She grinned.
“I have to tell you, though,” she spoke in a loud whisper, “you’re going to need to try to be quiet. Aunt Ginny already heard us going at it up here yesterday.”
Mortification had him jumping to his feet. “She heard us?”
Andie nodded. “Asked about it, too. She wanted to know if it was any good.”
“I hope you told her it was none of her business.” He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if his mother questioned him about a similar situation. What was wrong with the woman?
Andie only smiled sweetly and stood, cheesecake in hand. “I told her it was off the charts.”
She forked a bite of cake and slipped it between her lips, and he went hard.
“Take your pants off, Mark,” she said after slowly chewing and swallowing the bite. She licked a spot of cream cheese off her lip. “Then climb into my bed.”
No dummy, he had his pants off before she’d finished the request.
He lowered himself to her bed, stacked two pillows together, and lay down on them, legs stretched out down the middle of the mattress. Then he realized he was still wearing his shirt. He quickly sat up and shrugged out of it, tossing it to the floor.
“You shaved,” she said. She made it sound as if he’d done something wrong.
“I showered after I got back.” He rubbed a hand along his cheek. He hadn’t shaved that morning since they’d only been going out on the boat. “Figured I should clean up.”
She set the plate down momentarily, then slipped her dress off over her head. She had on white bikini panties and a white strapless bra underneath that did amazing things to her breasts. They were lifted and separated just right. With the bracelets she wore, the mix of colors and shapes circling one arm up to her elbow, she looked like a mythical goddess.
His breathing became a short pant.
“I liked the rugged look,” she admitted. She picked up the plate and climbed onto the bed with him, then straddled his feet. “Did you want another bite?” she asked.
He nodded. He had no clue what he wanted at the moment, but he would say yes to anything she asked.
She forked up a mouthful and leaned forward on her knees, holding it out to him. At that angle, her breasts looked as if they were about to slip right over the edge of her bra. He was prepared to catch them, but they stayed firmly tucked away.
“You left your underwear on,” she accused.
He nodded again. “Seemed forward to remove them,” he explained.
“Yet I just told you that you are about to get a blow job.”
His dick turned to stone, and he smiled. “Yes, ma’am.”
She lifted her ass up off him and slid another bite of cheesecake between her lips. He kicked his boxer briefs past his feet.
Then he lay back, splayed out before her, his cock waving like a flagpole, and she still didn’t touch him. She only scooped up another bite and made love to the damned fork.
“You’re killing me down there, babe.”
“I’m trying to decide how I want to start,” she said. “And what will get you to make the most noise.”
His eyes bugged. “I won’t be uttering a sound.”
“Yet everyone heard me on the boat.”
“That was different.” That wasn’t him. And he knew it would be a sexist thing to say, so he kept his mouth shut.
She grinned wickedly. “Guess we’ll just have to find out if you want to finish or not.”
She set the plate aside then dipped and immediately took him into her mouth. He gasped and came up off the bed but held in the groan. The woman was naughty.
Long reddish-brown hair brushed against his stomach. He reached down to sweep it back out of her face so he could watch. She was beautiful. And he was going to lose his mind trying to stay quiet as she worked him with her mouth.
One of her hands reached out to the side and scooped cheesecake with her fingers. Then she stretched her hand up to his mouth. She lifted her heated gaze from his crotch and watched as she slid one finger at a time into his mouth. He licked the sweet dessert from her fingertips, all while she continued tugging on him with her lips.
When she lowered her gaze and once again completely focused on what she was doing, he dropped his head back against the pillow. His eyes crossed with the sweet torment of her mouth. It became a struggle to brea
the.
Her fingers now sought him out, wrapping low around the base of his cock, and then she squeezed. He gritted his teeth.
He moaned — just a little — as she looked up at him again from under her lashes. She pulled back slowly, sucking the tip of him hard before popping him out of her mouth entirely and licking her lips. His moan turned to a groan.
He took in the smattering of freckles across her nose, her wickedly evil grin, and he knew he’d do whatever he could to get her back in his life. Permanently. He loved her that much.
He wanted to tell her but feared that would ruin the moment.
She reached behind her and undid her bra, and his hands suddenly burned with the desire to touch her. Everything about her was exactly what he wanted. Her insides, her heart. Her body. He just wanted her.
Her full breasts swayed as she once again dipped forward, letting them lightly rub against him. The softness of her contrasted starkly with the hardness of him, and he couldn’t help but take her in his hands and press her around him.
He pumped a little, involuntarily — and then she lowered her head and he let out another sound as her mouth once again found him.
He shuddered. There was an overload of sensation going on, and he suddenly didn’t care who heard him. It had been too long since she’d touched him like this, and he almost shouted at the joy of it. He didn’t want to be without her ever again.
Wednesday brought sunshine, blue skies, and the fourth day without Mark.
Before they’d gotten out of bed on Sunday morning, his cell had rung. His brother was calling from Boston. One of their longest-standing clients was in the middle of a crisis, so Mark had rushed back to help with the situation.
It had been three and a half long days since he’d left, and he wasn’t supposed to be back until the following evening. To Andie it felt as if he’d been gone forever. Which was no good at all. It made her needy. Left her open to hurt.
They were having a fling here. Nothing more.
They were having a good time.