Marco must’ve heard her too, because he grinned and said, “Cara is something a man says to a woman, like,” he stopped for a moment to consider, “honey, or dear.”
She felt a wave of heat rush up her neck. Did he assume they were a couple?
“Oh really? Oh.” She looked from Marco to her and back to Marco as if she were at Wimbledon and Natalie seriously considered digging a hole right where she stood.
“Yes, oh,” Marco answered. Apparently he did consider them a couple.
“Not, oh,” Natalie said. “We are not dating.”
Marco smirked. “The kiss you gave me in the lobby a little earlier and the one this morning say otherwise.”
Conner tsked. “Hey, now, a gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
Marco had the grace to look embarrassed, but the damage was done.
She cleared her throat, frantically searching for another topic of conversation. “Maybe I’ll just go back to my mo— Shit!”
“Cara, what?”
She glanced around and then sighed. There was no way to hide her flightiness. “I forgot to get a hotel room. I was late for the event and I just drove straight here. I can’t believe I did that.”
Marco took her elbow and led her off to the side of the group, calling over his shoulder, “Text me where you end up and we’ll meet you there.”
“Marco, I can’t—”
Marco’s expression turned stormy. “If you didn’t get a hotel room you’ll stay with me again. I don’t want you in some dirty place again anyway.”
“I can’t keep staying with you.”
“Why not?” He looked genuinely perplexed, and Natalie rubbed her forehead where a headache was coming on like a freight train.
“Because if I do you’ll think…” She wasn’t used to just spitting stuff such as this out and was trying to come up with a delicate way of putting it when Marco leaned forward and cocked his head to the side.
His breath was hot on her neck when he said, “I’ll think you and I are dating? I’ll think it’s okay to try to sleep with you?”
Natalie swallowed and then took a shuddering breath. “Yes.”
“Cara, we are dating. And as for sleeping together,” he licked up the side of her neck to her ear and gently bit down, “that will happen too.”
Her chest was heaving and she turned her head to the side. “You’re pretty sure of yourself. Besides, we shouldn’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m here to do a job. I can’t be distracted.”
“What fun is that?”
“Not everything in life has to be fun.”
“Ah, that’s where you’re wrong,” he responded, his accent growing thicker. He nipped at the pulse point hammering away where her neck met her shoulder. “Come on. You’re staying with me. Now let’s eat.”
As he strode toward the exit of the arena, Natalie considered her options. True, she could find some fleabag motel that still had room. That would cost money. Or she could stay with Marco again and save the money. Not the best idea for her sanity, but she was desperate. Basically, she was out of good, sane options.
* * * * *
Marco got a cab and helped Natalie into it. The woman was driving him insane. She would give a little and then take it away, leaving him wanting her even more. He fought not to touch her as the cab zoomed toward dinner. At the restaurant, they sat down opposite Conner and Jessica.
After ordering, Natalie said to Conner, “Should I quiz you now or wait until you have a little alcohol in you and your tongue loosens up?”
Conner laughed. “Darlin’, I’m six-foot-four, one beer isn’t going to make much of a difference. Plus, my tongue’s usually plenty loose.” Jessica put her hand over her mouth to try to contain her giggle and he shot her a look of pure heat that made Natalie’s breath catch. Yeah, he was a man who got what he wanted, when he wanted it. That much was obvious.
Forcing herself back to her reason for coming to dinner, she said, “Actually, my first question does have to do with height. How are you a successful bull rider at your height? I’ve heard the shorter you are, the better.”
Marco scoffed. “I am not short and I am successful.”
Natalie looked him up and down. “You’re not six-four.” Turning back to Conner, she said, “Pardon the interruption.”
“I like this girl,” Conner replied, smirking at Marco. “Natalie can stick around for a while. I think she’s good for your ego.”
“She keeps giving me setdowns. How is that good for my ego?”
“Makes it a little bit smaller.” Refocusing on Natalie, he said, “Normally, you’re right, the closer you are to the bull the better off you’ll be. To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m successful at my height. Maybe I’m able to compensate better for it.” He shrugged and took a sip of beer. “How tall are you?”
“Five-foot-two.”
“Then you should be fine,” Conner answered with a wink.
“Stop flirting with my girl,” Marco said, giving Conner a mock glare. Natalie elbowed him. “What was that for?”
She raised one eyebrow. “I’m not your girl.”
“We’ll talk about that later.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be good at it,” Jessica put in. “I grew up around bulls and broncs on my daddy’s ranch. I never rode either, but it seems to me that in addition to all the technical stuff, there’s a huge element of sheer will and determination. If you have more than the bull does, you’ll be all right.”
Conner leaned over to give her a quick kiss. “Well said, Jessie girl.”
“Why, thank you.”
“I knew I had you around for a reason.”
Jessica barked out a laugh. “Is that all you want me for?”
Conner’s voice dropped. “You know it’s not, sugar. Do I need to do some convincing tonight?”
Jessica blushed and Conner smiled. Marco’s chest constricted a little as he watched the couple banter. It was obvious they were crazy about each other. What would happen if he and Natalie ever reached that stage? An image of a blond-haired, blue-eyed little girl flashed into his mind and he shook his head to clear it of the ridiculous notion.
Natalie leaned back in the booth and crossed her arms. The action forced her small, high breasts up even more and his mouth watered. Screw dinner, he’d just found what he wanted to eat. He shifted to relieve some of the ache in his too-tight jeans and when he looked up Conner was trying to hold in a laugh, most likely at Marco’s expense. So he’s married, but not blind. Good to know marrying doesn’t neuter everybody.
“What part of the physique do you think is most important to having success in the arena?” Natalie asked.
Conner considered the question for a moment. “The core. Everything radiates out from there, know what I mean?”
“I guess I’d better start doing crunches, then,” Natalie answered with a chuckle. “Even though I’m in fairly decent shape from helping my father out on the ranch.” Her voice broke and she reached for her water. Tears welled in her eyes but as Marco watched her, a mask of sorts came over her face and it was as if nothing had ever happened. He didn’t know how Natalie managed to keep her emotions under control like that and wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
Jessica’s eyes showed she was troubled and Marco figured she was feeling bad about Natalie’s sudden discomfiture. She didn’t show it, though, mercifully changing the subject. “So how long are you planning to stay on tour?”
“I’m not sure,” Natalie answered, fidgeting with her napkin, and Marco groaned to himself. Another sore subject. Natalie looked up and sent him a watery smile. He laid a hand on top of hers on the table and her fidgeting stopped. He brought both their hands to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before dropping them into his lap. She darted a glance at him when he smoothed her hand over his thigh.
“So when are these tryouts?” Conner asked Natalie.
“In about eight weeks. I’d like to stay on the
tour for a month or so and then a friend of mine thought he could squeeze me into one of the bull-riding schools for a week or two on a kind of a work-study thing.”
“That would be great,” Conner answered softly and Marco was glad they’d come to dinner. It would be nice for Natalie to have some friends on the tour and both Conner and Jessica seemed to like her.
His hand was still planted firmly over hers on his thigh and since she hadn’t tried to yank it away yet he considered that progress. Tonight, and every other night if he had anything to say about it, she would be with him. He grinned as he thought about waking up next to her, fucking her every way imaginable, and just generally getting to know her.
Their dinners were delivered and conversation thinned as they ate. When they finished, Conner picked up the check and they all shared a cab back to the hotel. Conner and Jessica stopped in front of the regular bank of elevators. “We aren’t staying in the penthouse, so we’ll bid you goodnight here.” He grinned at Marco, who shook his head and then held out his hand.
“See you tomorrow, amico. You too, femmina.”
Jessica smiled and they stepped onto the elevator, Conner’s hand on Jessica’s back to guide her. The doors closed and Marco continued to the special elevators for the penthouse and ran his card key through the system to activate it. The doors opened and he placed his hand on Natalie’s back to help her inside. He suspected it was just Conner’s way, but for Marco, it was a way to touch Natalie in order to keep from going insane.
He unlocked the door to the penthouse and they stepped inside. He’d thrown his luggage here earlier but had otherwise not been in the room at all since he’d arrived in Houston. Natalie looked around.
“I’ll never get used to this. People live like this every day?”
Marco figured now would be a bad time to tell her about his family’s estate, so he kept quiet. She continued through the living area and into the bedroom and he followed with her suitcase. He grinned. Only one bed.
Natalie seemed to realize that at the same time she stopped dead and a blush crept up her chest and onto her face. God, he wanted her. Turning away to keep from finding out what else might be blushing on her beautiful body, he put both their suitcases on luggage racks and grabbed a few things out of his to take to the bathroom.
“Would you like to take a bath or a shower, cara?”
“Do I smell?”
Marco hadn’t expected that answer and snickered. “No, of course not. I just thought you might want to relax after your long drive. I would be happy to draw you a bath.”
Natalie chewed her lip and Marco very nearly went to her to take over the task, but forced himself to remain at a safe distance. “That would be very nice, thank you.” She stretched and he watched her roll her shoulders and move her neck around, saving that information for later. He was good at giving massages that had women putty in his hands.
After he got the bath ready he went back into the bedroom. Natalie was flipping through stations on television, wearing the hotel’s robe, with her small feet showing at the bottom. Her toenails were painted a soft pink and he thought about how much the color suited her. “Your bath is ready.”
She seemed to start a little as she looked up at him. “Oh, okay. Thank you.” Rising from the bed, Natalie then padded into the bathroom and Marco watched her depart. He waited a few moments and knocked on the door. “Yes?”
“I noticed your neck and back seem stiff. Will you allow me to give you a massage while you soak in the tub? There should still be enough bubbles to keep you completely covered if you feel uncomfortable.” He had every intention of finding out exactly what her body looked like, but wouldn’t press the issue of actually having sex. It wasn’t his style. If all Natalie was ready for was kissing and cuddling, then that’s what they’d do. He had too much respect for women to ever pressure one.
“All right.”
He grinned, but schooled his expression before entering the room. There, nestled under the bubbles, lay his personal paradise. She looked up at him with wary eyes.
“I promise my hands will stay on your neck and shoulders unless you say otherwise.” She nodded and he moved farther into the room, willing his cock to stand down without much success. Grabbing a towel, he placed it on the edge of the tub behind her and sat down. “My hands might be a little cold compared to your body. I apologize for that.” He put his hands on her and she jumped. “Told you.”
“A little cold? Did you submerge them in ice or something?”
“It will probably feel good on your sore muscles.” Natalie made a noncommittal sound and he set to work. “Tell me if I’m going too hard or too soft or if something hurts.”
After a few moments Natalie seemed to loosen up a little. “Oh God, that feels incredible. Where did you learn to do that?”
“They teach it to us in school in Italy.”
Her head fell back and she looked at him. “They do not.”
He smirked, but the smirk faded when he realized her head being tipped back had caused her breasts to rise out of the water. Swallowing around the sudden lump in his throat, with reluctance he returned his gaze to her face so she wouldn’t notice anything amiss. “Well, okay, they didn’t.”
Natalie leaned forward again. “I didn’t think so.”
Marco continued to massage her, using lighter and lighter strokes as she continued to relax and the multitude of knots loosened. Finally he wasn’t even really massaging anymore, but rather caressing her soft skin. She hadn’t pulled away, so he leaned down and placed a soft kiss on the back of her neck. Her breath caught and he did it again, adding just a little flick with the tip of his tongue. Her head fell back again and his gaze latched on to those beautiful breasts and refused to waver, so as he continued to kiss her neck, he watched as her nipples hardened into points. His own cock was about to strangle him, but he didn’t want to break the spell Natalie appeared to be under, so he ignored it.
She reached up with one arm, still dripping with water, and curled it around his head, pulling him down to her lips. As soon as their mouths met it was as if someone had set fire to a field of dry timber as the flames of passion ignited inside him. He wanted Natalie more than he’d ever wanted anything before.
Natalie teased the seam of his lips with her tongue and he readily opened his mouth, drowning his surprise in the taste of her. Their tongues dueled and then he chased hers back into her mouth, moaning as she sent him closer to the edge. Her arm tightened, soaking his shirt more thoroughly, and then before he could react, he lost his balance and fell into the tub. Natalie gasped as he landed on top of her, now soaked from head to toe.
“Oh my God, are you all right?” she asked.
Marco looked down at himself. He was a mess, but it was a small price to pay to be in the tub with Natalie. A good amount of the water had splashed out when he’d fallen in and he eyed it, wondering if he should try to clean it up. The floor was ceramic tile and he figured it could take a little water, so he turned back to Natalie.
“I am fine, cara. Did I hurt you?”
“No, no, of course not.”
His eyebrows drew down. “Are you sure?”
“Yes, but now you’re soaking. What are you going to do?”
He grinned. The state of his clothes was hardly even on his radar screen. He had much more important things to worry about, such as getting out of said clothes so he and Natalie would be skin to skin, not skin to sopping wet jeans and Western-style shirt. Climbing out of the tub, he said, “I cannot go back to the bedroom to change like this. It will make a mess. If you don’t want to see, I suggest you turn around.”
Before she had time to avert her eyes he’d pulled the snaps of the shirt free, and he watched as Natalie’s eyes widened and darkened with heat. He let it drop to the floor with a wet thud and went for his belt. “Wait!” She looked away and he grinned. That was fine. She could hide—for now.
Sitting down on the toilet, he attempted to tug his wet jeans off his l
egs without success. “Uh…”
Without turning around, she asked, “What?”
“My jeans won’t come off.”
Now she turned, her eyes narrowed. “How are they not coming off?”
“They’re wet.”
“So?”
“So they’re not easy to get off when they’re wet. Can you help?”
“What could I do?”
He tried not to sound exasperated when he answered, “Pull them off. You will have a better angle than me.”
“Fine,” Natalie said with a sigh. “Close your eyes while I get out and put on a robe.”
It was hard to stop the snort that wanted to work its way free, but he managed. Placing his hands in front of his eyes, he said, “Go ahead.” He heard Natalie get out of the tub and then what he assumed was her drying off with a towel. Marco wanted to peek but knew if she caught him he’d be sunk.
“All right. I’m ready. What do you want me to do?”
He pointed at the hem of his jeans. “Try taking hold down there and tugging. I’ll do what I can to push them.”
She got down on her knees in front of him and his cock took immediate notice. Now was not the time to scare her with a hard-on popping out of his jeans once they wrestled them off, but he didn’t know how to force his dick down. This wasn’t how he’d planned to get them naked, but it would achieve the same end, so he really couldn’t complain.
Natalie tugged and he pushed and they finally got the pants down a few inches, nearly taking his boxers with them. He made a grab for them at the last minute so his cock didn’t wave in her face and she took a deep breath. After that, Natalie gave one hard yank and the jeans gave way, propelling her backward and giving him a tantalizing glimpse of her pussy before she was able to cover herself. Pushing herself up, she refused to meet his gaze, pulling her now also-wet robe more tightly around her. At least there was less water on the floor. “Can you do it from here?”
“Yeah, thank you, cara.”
“You’re welcome,” Natalie mumbled before fleeing the room.
He wrestled with the damn pants and finally got them all the way off. Hopefully Natalie wouldn’t be asleep by the time he was finished. After hastily hanging his clothes from the shower curtain rod, he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist and made his way to the bedroom to check out the situation.
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