Hot Property (Kingston Bros.)

by Tamara Larson

  “I’m taking you home. You’ve had enough fun for one night, don’t you think?” He said, sounding very much like one of her concerned cousins, but feeling like a complete fraud. The last place he wanted to take her was to her parent’s place. They would still be at the reception, but he knew seeing her there in her childhood home, would remind him of exactly how wrong it was to be with her.

  Her head jerked up and she glared at him. “Why are we going there? I thought you wanted to go somewhere. And talk.”

  He hadn’t said anything about talking, but if that’s what she wanted to believe then he would humor her. “Where did you want to go then?” He asked, already heading out of town.

  “I don’t know. Let’s just drive. Okay? But don’t take me home yet.” She settled her head back on his shoulder and sighed, content to watch the streetlights fade away into the night.

  Mark drove very fast to the most secluded place he could think of. He’d never been to the Valleyview Country Club at night before, but he remembered the guys from his high school talking about using the view from the ninth hole as an excellent lure to get their girlfriends to go parking with them. He’d never been. In fact, those same guys had ribbed him mercilessly for being a virgin. He never told them about his extra duties at work. He wasn’t exactly ashamed of them, but he knew it wasn’t something he wanted getting around. Especially to the Kingstons. He was fairly certain they wouldn’t be thrilled to find out that he was servicing their clients in a manner not intended by their landscaping contract.

  By the time he was Serena’s age he had experienced just about everything on the sexual menu, and yet necking had somehow been missed. It was one of the many adolescent rites of passages he’d been deprived of so tonight he felt ridiculously excited at the prospect of experiencing something so tame.

  Pulling into the parking lot overlooking the infamous ninth hole, Mark held his breath as Serena’s hand settled on his thigh. The muscles there jumped in reaction to the sensation of her soft, warm palm so close to his groin. He wanted desperately to slide her hand into the juncture of his thighs where his erection throbbed painfully.

  He parked the truck and threw the keys on the dashboard. Turning in his seat slightly, he was planning his approach when she launched herself at him. Suddenly, her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck like tentacles and she was kissing him awkwardly.

  “Whoah.” He said, pulling back to avoid having his teeth mashed against his lips.

  Serena jerked away and sat as far away from him as she could without leaving the truck.

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. I’m not very good at this. But I thought it was what you wanted.” She mumbled, looking out through the windshield at the sparkling man-made lake in the moonlight.

  Mark reached his long arms across the bench seat and pulled her gently back towards him, sliding her effortlessly along the cracked vinyl. When she was pressed against his side again, he touched her nose with one finger and said, softly, “Serena, kissing you is exactly what I want. You have no idea how much. But I had something a little gentler in mind, okay?”

  It was too dark to see her expression, but he felt her nod her head against his neck. Leaning down, he found her lips with his and pressed his mouth gently against hers. He did this once and then pulled back. His reaction to that simple touch was totally out of proportion with the physical act itself. His lips actually tingled and he had to fight the impulse to plunge his tongue deeply into her sweet mouth and show her exactly what he wanted to do to her.

  She responded by pressing her own lips against his and pulling away, mimicking his hit and run method of kissing. He didn’t allow her to go very far. Placing one large hand on the nape of her neck to keep her still he followed her lips with his. He angled his head from sided to side, kissing her from different directions, flicking his tongue against her lips with each new touch.

  When she eagerly opened her lips to receive more of his tongue, he licked the inside of her mouth, but didn’t deepen the kiss as he wanted. He wasn’t sure if he could maintain his control if he went too far. This was supposed to be just an innocent little make-out session. Anything more than that would be like playing with fire, no matter ho much he wanted her.

  But Serena had other ideas. The next time he slid his tongue between her lips, she tentatively touched it with her own. Just a quick lick and then retreat, but it was enough to make every muscle in his body got tense with his desire to finish what they had started. It would be so easy. He could practically smell her arousal. She wouldn’t protest if he gently pushed her back on the seat, slid her skirt up her satiny legs, and plunged his aching cock between her moist folds, over and over, until they both found relief. But he couldn’t do that, even though it seemed like the best idea in the world.

  “Mark,” she whispered against his lips. “Am I doing this right?” She was kissing him now, tracing the outline of his lips with just the tip of her silky tongue.

  “Yeah. Just like that,” he rasped, and touched her busy tongue with his own. She got up on her knees and leaned over him, placing her hands on his cheeks to keep him still. Tentatively, she plunged her tongue between his lips, chasing his tongue with hers. He sucked on it for a moment and then allowed her to retreat.

  She pulled back from him long enough to begin undoing the buttons on his tuxedo shirt. He grabbed her hands and growled, “Serena, what are you doing?” If he felt her fingers or her lips on his chest he was a goner. All his good intentions would be out the window and her feet would be on the truck’s ceiling just as fast as he could get a condom out of his wallet.

  “I just want to touch you. Just this once. Please.” She said sweetly.

  How could he say no to that exactly? He’d never heard Serena say ‘please’ in her entire life. He could stand her hands on him for a just a few seconds. He was already going crazy with lust. How bad could it be? “Alright. But just for a second. You’re driving me wild, and I don’t know how much more I can take.”

  “Really?” She asked, sounding delighted.

  “Really.” He braced himself and let go of her hands, gripping his own thighs tightly to prepare for the next onslaught of sensation. It was complete madness to be letting her do this, but better with him than satisfying her curiosity with some other guy. At least she was safe with him. If he could just keep his dick under control.

  She struggled with his tie a bit but eventually got it loose without choking him to death. With agonizing slowness she managed to unbutton his shirt. Then, she paused for a moment as if waiting for him to stop her. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was practically hyperventilating waiting to feel her skin on him. Finally, she slid one soft hand into the collar of his shirt.

  He groaned as her short nails threaded through the soft thatch of hair in the middle of his chest and then brushed one of his nipples. Slowly, her hand trailed back up to his shoulder and then down the other side of his torso, sliding down until she was tracing his ridged abdominal muscles with her fingers.

  As she reached his belt, he grabbed her hand again. He was going to stop it there, fling her hand away before things could get even more out of control, but some horny devil possessed him momentarily and he placed her hand directly on his bulging zipper. “Do you feel that? Do you understand what you’re doing to me? How hard I am for you?” He held her palm there, expecting her to pull away in shock, but she didn’t. Instead she flexed her fingers in a little caress against his straining erection. He eased his grip on her hand and she actually traced the shape of his penis through his tuxedo pants.

  “I do this to you?” She asked softly.

  “Oh God. Yes. You do this to me. But please stop,” he groaned, but thrust his hips forward to give her better access to his package.

  “Just one more minute. Does this feel good?” She asked, sliding her hand gingerly downward until she was cupping his balls.

  He nearly choked. “Serena,” he growled and grabbed her wandering hand before he came i
n his rented tuxedo pants. The meaning behind her questions finally sunk into his lust-fogged brain and sanity returned in an unwelcome wave. He’d managed to ignore her lack of kissing technique, but it was harder to deny her ignorance when she seemed completely oblivious to his body’s reaction to her. The realization that she was actually even more innocent than he’d assumed was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. She really didn’t have any experience at all. None. Until now.

  This made him exactly like those women. The ones who had paid his father to use him. Corrupting an innocent to feel better about themselves. Actually, he was worse because his victim was drunk. And worse yet, he knew she had actual feelings for him. Her infatuation with him had been obvious to everyone since she was 14 and had asked him to her first dance. He’d rejected her then too.

  God, he was like some kind of depraved pervert, preying on her naïveté. What was wrong with him exactly? Why had he brought her out here in the first place? She deserved so much better. He needed to get her home as soon as possible. Before he changed his mind and finished this. Conscience be damned. His aching dick would certainly agree with that plan.

  “I’m sorry, Serena. So sorry.” He whispered, and placed her hands in her own lap. Trembling, he grabbed his keys off the dashboard and started the truck. The lights from the display lit up the dark cab and he glanced at her. He was shocked to see that her eyes were glassy with tears.

  “Mark? What happened?" Her voice was husky with unshed tears, but she didn't let them fall. Not a single one. "Did I do something wrong? If you just show me, I’m sure I can get the hang of it.” She placed one of her hands on his thigh and began smoothing it up towards his groin again.

  “Serena. No. We can’t,” he barked, much more harshly than he’d intended.

  She flinched from him like she’d just been slapped. He looked at her again and saw the shock and humiliation on her face. Then anger took over.

  “Take me home,” she said through gritted teeth. “Take me home. Now.”

  She slid over to her side of the truck with as much dignity as her inebriated state would allow. Crossing her arms protectively over her chest, she stared out the window and wouldn't respond to him for the rest of the drive home. His explanations and apologies were ignored. It was like he didn't exist for her anymore.

  When he finally pulled into her driveway, she scrambled out of the cab without a word or a glance back at him. She walked in front of the truck and stood there, hands on her hips, illuminated by the headlights. He could see the shape of her legs where the light shone through her long lavender skirt, and her fair hair had mostly fallen down from the careful up-do she'd worn earlier. She had never looked more beautiful or more irate. And he'd never wanted someone so much in his entire life.

  He realized in that moment that he was in love with her. Her humor, her innocence, and her basic decency drew him like a moth to a flame. He'd had so little of those things in his life it was no wonder he wanted to drink her in like a sponge. But it was more than that. She was the one for him, even if he could never have her. As simple as that. All other women from this point on would never compare. She'd just ruined him for anyone else.

  He thought about going after her. She was angry and hurt, but he was fairly certain he could seduce her again if he acted quickly. But then what? He was still leaving. If he stayed he would still be too old and tainted for her. And he'd be trapped, watching his dad drink himself to death, and missing out on the professional football career he'd been working toward his whole life.

  The reality of the situation was that there was no way it could last between him and Serena. Sooner or later, she'd dump his sorry ass and go to college where she would flirt with frat boys and eventually find someone suitable to spend her life with. And he'd be working for his dad, developing his own drinking problem and perhaps returning to his old method of dealing with his loneliness. No, it was better like this. She was hurting, but at least she had some chance at happiness. He needed to do the right thing and give her that.

  Right now she was glaring at him through the windshield like he was a particularly disgusting type of insect. Their eyes locked for a moment and then she was gone into the darkness. And so was any chance he’d ever had with her.

  Chapter Three

  Serena stared up at the handsome blonde prospective buyer and contemplated dating him. Karl Bauer was certainly attractive enough by anyone's standards. Those wide shoulders and slim hips made her think of an Olympic swimmer. All long limbs and powerful muscles, but streamlined. Not bulky like a certain overblown ex-football player's physique.

  And Karl was tall. Tall enough that she had to look up at him when they were standing next to each other. This was a rarity for her. And that face. With those pale green eyes and tousled golden hair, he would look very comfortable at the prow of a Viking war ship, or perhaps in a Renaissance painting of an angel. Or possibly sitting shot-gun in Barbie's pink Corvette, she mused to herself, thinking of poor sexless Ken.

  What was it about some guys? How could a man be this handsome and yet not attractive to her at all? It was like those movie actors, Colin Farrell and Colin Firth. Colin Firth was handsome, but she couldn't imagine getting hot and sweaty with him. There was just something not quite sexy about him. He would probably say, 'please' and 'thank you' before getting down to business. Colin Farrell, however, was a different Colin altogether. She could easily imagine doing just about any depraved sexual act he required of her, provided he demanded it in that whiskey-soaked Irish accent of his.

  There was no denying that she had a thing for guys who were a little raw and rough around the edges. But those guys were useless on a long-term basis. And that's what she needed. Someone settled and reliable. Not hot, broody, and a bit tortured by the past. She needed to grow up and find someone eligible, like Karl. He was exactly what she required to move on and settle down. Hotness was overrated compared to good, old-fashioned stability. Wasn't it?

  Karl was a doctor. Her mother would be thrilled if she dated a doctor. Granted, he wasn't a medical doctor. He had a PHD in genetics. But still, a girl couldn't deny the attraction of those letters behind a man's name. Superficial, but true. Fortunately, genetics was a rather interesting field of study. Much better than say, engineering or microbiology. She could almost stand to listen to him drone on about his area of expertise for another few minutes. If it meant selling a house, she would listen to him talk about his bowel movements. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

  More importantly, she was fairly certain he was interested in her but was having some trouble working up the courage to ask her out. He'd shown up at several of her Open Houses over the past few weeks, and was always more interested in talking about himself rather than the properties she was trying to sell. She had no doubt that he would eventually either buy a place or make his move, but she was getting tired of waiting. He needed to get to the point. If she was honest with herself, she'd be much more excited if he put in an offer on one of the townhouses rather than an offer to take her to dinner.

  She didn't know what it was about him that was putting her off. On paper he met all the criteria she was looking for in a potential boyfriend. He was good-looking, financially stable, reliable and unmarried. Maybe he wasn't exactly warm and funny, but otherwise he was perfect. And yet she felt nothing when she looked at him. Not even an itty-bitty fizzle of electricity.

  She thought about her cousin, Jack, and his first meeting with Lacey. The chemistry between those two had been practically nuclear from the second they'd laid eyes on one another. Serena wanted that, or at least a little sizzle. She knew instant passion was rare and didn't usually last, but she couldn't shake the feeling that anything less than spontaneous combustion with her future man would feel like a compromise. She'd only felt heat like that once in her life, and it had been a complete disaster.

  Against her will, she glanced in Mark's direction as Karl blathered on about an experiment at work involving rat gene splicing.
Apparently, it was hilarious, but she really wasn't following the story. She just smiled encouragingly and chuckled when he paused.

  While Karl was occupied with the sound of his voice, Serena thought about her one and only experience with real chemistry. Since Mark's unwelcome return her thoughts often wandered back to that night in his truck after Jack's wedding. She'd kissed many men since then, and had even slept with a few, but those lukewarm experiences paled in comparison to the twenty minutes she'd spent parking at the golf course with the cruel, yet incredibly sexy, Mark Goldsworthy.

  Even now it was difficult to look at him and not think about how warm and silky his skin had felt as she'd ran her hand over his chest. And the few seconds she'd actually touched him between his legs had been so wildly exciting she felt her cheeks heat and her thighs clench just remembering how firm and large his erection had felt pulsing under his zipper.

  She'd been a little drunk that night but she could still recall it all in vivid detail. She'd been so shocked when he'd first danced with her and then had actually agreed to leave with her. He'd been running from her since she could remember, so it took her completely by surprise when he'd seemed willing to spend time with her.

  Until the summer she'd turned fourteen and had developed an embarrassing crush on him, Mark had treated her just like his own cousin. He viewed her as an annoying but lovable pest. But when she'd started trailing after him and asking him why he didn't have a girlfriend, he'd begun avoiding her. It didn't help that her cousins teased him unmercifully about her infatuation with him.

  Between college classes, working for his dad, and playing college ball Mark didn't have a lot of spare time, but whatever leisure hours he did have were often spent at the Kingston's home with Jack and his brothers. Serena's mother, and her twin sister, Maria were pathologically close, so it seemed quite natural for them to have their houses built on the same huge lot and raise their families together. As an added bonus, living next door offered Serena many opportunities to both harass her cousins and corner Mark whenever possible.