“Would it be ok if I kissed you?” he whispered, running his fingers through slowly through my hair.
My heart skipped a beat as he said ‘kissed’ and my mind started spinning. I’d had kisses before, I wasn’t that innocent, but something about him made this seem like a big deal, like I may as well have had no kisses before now.
I nodded. “That would be lovely.”
That would be lovely? What the hell was wrong with me? I wanted to cringe and hide in embarrassment from my own stupid remark. Jeeze, Hannah would be screaming at me right now if she could see this.
For whatever random reason, I suddenly remembered I hadn’t sent her the pictures of me and Marcus yet. Why had I suddenly thought of that as this hunk of a man leaned in to kiss me? I forced thoughts of my best friend to the back of my mind and focused on the moment.
He moved his hand to my cheek, his thumb moving ever so slightly in a gentle rub. My heart no longer had a rhythm, just a blurred beat of excitement and nerves. I closed my eyes and waited for his kiss.
His lips finally touched mine and I found myself swept away with everything—the stunning scenery, the amazing house, the romantic music, and this handsome man making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.
His kiss had a feather light touch, almost as if the wind had touched me and not him. I gasped and opened my eyes to see him looking at me, his blue eyes shining like the stars above.
“Don’t be so nervous, sweet, sweet, Caitlyn,” he whispered. “Just relax and enjoy yourself. Don’t think too much.”
My cheeks started to burn with heat. Was I just making him think I was a pathetic virgin who didn’t know anything about romance? In all fairness, my limited experience of the male species would make that statement not far from the truth.
“Ok,” I replied.
All I could think then was don’t think too much over and over as he gave me another kiss, this time firmer, letting me know that it definitely wasn’t the wind.
With my right hand, I reached for him, needing more than the balcony railings to steady myself. I grabbed hold of his arm, holding onto him for dear life as he opened his mouth and deepened our connection. He moved that arm, curling it around my waist and turning me into his body. I reached further up and rested my hand against the back of his neck.
He pressed me against his body, letting me feel his solid warmth. Electric tingles surged around me like crazy, sending intense heat straight between my legs. My mind ran wild with wishes of what I wanted to happen.
As if he read my thoughts, Marcus ended our kiss, pulling his mouth from mine. I had half a mind to protest when suddenly, his silky lips were on my neck, caressing my skin with such gentle brushes of his mouth, I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my lips.
I leaned my head back, grasping hold of his shirt with my free hand, and immersed myself in this divine sensation flooding my body. He stilled momentarily, making me open my eyes in a hazy fog of delirium.
“Everything ok?” I asked.
His attention pinpointed on something behind me, he flickered back to life at my words and smiled down at me. “Of course. Are you comfortable with moving this inside?”
My throat ran dry, nerves suddenly wrecking me again. I nodded.
With a final glance to whatever caught his attention, he took my hand and led me back to his room. I looked around quickly, trying to see what he’d seen but I saw nothing.
He closed the glass doors and locked them before pulling the thin drapes over them. “You have all the power here,” he said, motioning towards the bed. “Whatever you say goes.”
All the romance from the balcony and the sea views had gone. This here, in his room, became something else entirely. The bed, the soft music, the lust in his eyes, it all suddenly seemed awfully real and rather scary.
“I…I don’t know…”
Nothing about this now seemed to be about going with the flow, it seemed clinical and about stating the obvious.
“That’s ok,” he said. “We can just go to sleep if you like.”
My heart dropped. I didn’t want that. I wanted his lips on me again, to feel the rush of euphoria driving through my body as he treated me to things I’d never yet experienced.
I shook my head.
“Lead the way, my lady. Tell me what you want.”
I wanted to say it so badly, but something kept stopping me. To think something and then to say it were two entirely different things. If I said it out loud, I knew I’d sound stupid, like the inexperienced virgin I really was.
“Don’t be shy,” he said, gently rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb.
I looked away, embarrassment and panic now colliding together.
“Would you like me to kiss you?” he asked, leaning in close.
I nodded, peeking up at him from beneath my lashes.
“Where?” he whispered. He took his index finger and ran it ever so lightly over my lips. “Here?” He then slid it across my face and down my neck, covering me in goose bumps. “Or here?”
Our eyes still connected, I nodded, silently begging him to put his lips on me, right there, on my neck. I want your lips on my skin repeated over and over in my head, but I couldn’t force the words out, they were stuck in my throat.
Before I knew it, he’d scooped me up in his arms and laid me down on the bed. “Close your eyes.”
I did as he said and shut my eyes, concentrating on the touches of bliss he blessed upon my skin. One arm draped over my stomach as he nestled into my side, kissing every millimetre of my neck. As he moved towards the middle of my throat, I turned my head, nuzzling into his chest to give him access to the other side of my neck.
Burning with heat, I became almost irrational as I focused on the fact he’d put his hand on me but made no move to touch me anywhere else. I wrestled with myself as I fought the urge to tell him to give me skin to skin contact with his hand.
When he lifted his mouth from my neck, my body was covered in a soft sheen of sweat. He really brought the literal meaning of making a girl hot and bothered.
Without putting any thought into it, just going with the flow, I said, “Take my dress off.”
I didn’t open my eyes because I knew if I did, I’d meet a questioning curiosity. He hesitated for a fraction of a second before gently pulling it up my legs. As he exposed my black lace thong, I felt a sense of sexiness wash over me, like I might finally be seen as a woman, not a girl.
He continued lifting my dress, exposing my stomach, then my matching black lacy bra. I felt confident and powerful, like I knew I had his attention now, no matter what. I dared to open my eyes to find his eyes blazing with a primal hunger that didn’t scare me, it actually made me want to add more fuel to his fire.
I lifted my head so he could remove my dress completely. Our eyes were locked onto each other, bonding us into an unspoken realm we had yet to explore.
Moving my hand to his, I whispered, “Touch me.”
His eyes instantly lit up, more fire radiating through them. Obeying my wish, he started to skim across my skin with his fingertips. His touch fell nothing short of heavenly. I had nothing on this world to compare it to.
The longer we were skin to skin, the more I wanted. I wanted it more intense, harder, firmer, I wanted to feel him against me properly, not dancing his fingers over me as if I were a delicate china doll.
He ran his fingers down the outside of my legs, then back up the inside. I groaned and squirmed as tiny explosions sent me insane with desire. He continued upwards, gliding over my stomach, and then into my cleavage. I shivered violently, relishing the moment.
Sliding his hand over my chest, he gently grazed his fingers over my left breast. Through the black lace, it caught my nipple in such a way it sent a powerful buzz of fiery tingles straight between my legs. I gasped and flinched, jumping away from his touch.
“Are you ok?” he asked, in a very low, quiet voice.
I nodded, my cheeks flushing red. “I...sor
ry. I wasn’t expecting that.”
“It’s fine, you have no need to apologise. Would you like to stop now?”
Suddenly feeling a little bashful, I nodded and felt a strong urge to cover myself up.
Marcus rose from the bed and walked over to his set of drawers. He pulled out a light blue shirt and handed it to me. “It’s cotton so you won’t get too hot.”
I threw it over my head and instantly relaxed. A wave of guilt started to rise inside me as I realised I'd just teased this poor guy into thinking something more may happen.
He walked over to the empty side of the bed and pulled back the quilt. “Time for sleeping beauty to get some sleep,” he said, patting the mattress.
I scrambled over and slid under the fluffy duvet, revelling in the feel of silk sheets against my skin. This I could definitely get used to. I watched him walk around the bed to his side and waited for him to take his clothes off. However, it didn’t happen.
“I think you’ve dealt with enough for one night,” he said, laying down on top of the quilt. “I don’t want to give you a heart attack by letting you see my poster worthy body.”
I laughed. “Thank you for your concern for my health.”
He smirked and held his arm out, inviting me into him for a cuddle. With a smile on my lips and warm strong arms around me, I snuggled into his chest, inhaling his familiar scent, and closed my eyes.
Chapter 20
I’d never felt fear like this. Pure, unfiltered, raw primal terror filled every part of me, mixing with the adrenaline pumping through my veins. I ran like I’d never ran before. I couldn’t even feel my legs anymore, couldn’t risk thinking about them in case it interrupted the insane pace I flew across the ground at.
Darkness surrounded me. I’d never seen such blackness, it felt thick and heavy, like I could almost feel it, touch it, taste it. I ran blind, my arms outstretched in front of me, crashing through the sparse woods. Suddenly, the branches fell away, and I catapulted myself into an open clearing. The clouds blocking out the moon moved away, revealing a dull silver glow of light.
A cliff edge no more than twenty metres in front of me ended my path forwards. Panicked, I turned around, spotting Marcus’ house to my left. A sigh of relief battled with screaming fear. Part of me wanted to run to the house, the other part of me wanted to bolt as far away from here as possible.
“There’s nowhere to go, Katherine.”
A male voice sung along the cool evening breeze, soft yet taunting. A barb of fright lodged in my heart. I knew that voice.
“Come on now, Katherine. It won’t hurt.”
My whole body trembled; my muscles were paralysed with dread. I couldn’t move. The shadows moved out of the corner of my right eye. I sucked in a breath and watched as Marcus emerged from the trees.
He looked different. This wasn’t the Marcus I knew. His eyes were cold, devoid of any emotion. A predatory glint glistened through them as he approached me, step by step, careful yet precise, like a lion stalking a gazelle.
“You knew the deal, Katherine. Come now, don’t be scared.”
I glanced down at my hands, my hair falling forwards. Except, this wasn’t my hair. Long golden waves fell down, and beyond, my ample breasts. A white lace nightgown covered me right down to my ankles, its cleanliness streaked with dirt from my run through Marcus’ grounds.
My hands moved, still shaking, but with a degree of forced determination. As my palms faced each other, a burning sensation of pins and needles coursed through my arms to my hands, tingling the very edges of my fingers.
Orange crackles of energy jumped from each finger and thumb, alive and crackling with heat. A scream of desperation and effort left me as I threw a football sized fireball at Marcus. The ball hit him square in the chest, a rumble of thunder echoing around me as it did so.
But Marcus didn’t even flinch. All he did was close his eyes and draw in a deep breath. “That feels so good. Sweet, sweet, Katherine, thank you for such a gift.”
Sheer horror flooded me, and I ran backwards. Confusion flooded my mind. I remembered the cliff edge, but I could do nothing as my legs carried on forcing me away from this lethal creature. Suddenly, the ground fell away, and I found myself falling through the air. I felt almost weightless as I waited for the impending hit that would take my life…
I startled awake, trembling. My heart pounding and my entire body covered in sweat, I sucked in several deep breaths to calm myself down. It took me a moment of staring at the high ceiling and the gothic chandelier to remember I was in Marcus’ bed.
My bad dream was pushed aside as a beaming grin spread over my face. Nothing could override my joy of being around him. I rolled over to cuddle him only to find the bed empty. My panic returned in an instant. I sat up, a light from the hall streaking through the small gap of the ajar door.
“Marcus?” I whispered.
Nothing.
“Marcus?” I said, calling louder.
Still nothing.
I grabbed the bed sheet and wrapped it around me before skulking to the door. Opening it fully, I stood and strained with my ears to hear anything, something. But there was nothing. I frowned. Had he left the house? Where had he gone?
“Marcus?” I shouted.
Nothing.
What should I do? Should I go back to sleep and pretend I never knew he’d left me, or should I get dressed and go home? A feeling of revulsion swamped me in an instant. I’d put a stop to anything more than passionate kissing. Was that why he’d left? Had I teased him too much?
I sighed, biting back tears of disappointment, and headed back to the bed. I woke my phone up to see the time—three a.m.—and then called him. His phone burst into life on his bedside table. I frowned. What was going on?
Cursing him mentally, I laid back on the bed and told myself if he weren’t back in an hour then I’d leave. This was beyond rude, and downright odd. Why the hell would he leave me alone after a night like that? If this was some sort of precursor to how our relationship would be then I didn’t know if I wanted it.
Now wide awake, I had no hope of going back to sleep so I decided to scroll through Facebook, see what drama I’d missed overnight. I’d been online for all of about thirty seconds before a message popped through from Luke.
Luke: Hey, hey, hey. What’cha doin’ up at this hour?
Me: Lol, I could ask you the same thing
Luke: Couldn’t sleep
Me: Yeah, me neither…well, that’s a lie, I was asleep, until I discovered I’ve been dumped
Luke: What?
Me: Stayed at Marcus’ last night, woke up five minutes ago and he’s not even in the house. Hint much?
Luke: Aww, Cat, I’m so sorry. That’s awful.
Me: *sad face* you know what they say, if something is too good to be true, then it usually is
Luke: What you gonna do?
Me: Get dressed and take a long walk home I guess
Luke: Do you want a lift?
My heart skipped a beat. Would it be totally wrong to get Luke to come and pick me up? A three-mile hike in the early hours of the morning did not seem appealing but as time ticked by, I realised Marcus wouldn’t be returning.
Me: Would you mind?
Luke: I’ll be there ASAP
Me: Thanks, Luke. You’re the best *heart*
Luke: *smiley face*
Swearing at myself for being so damn stupid, I hastily pulled my dress on, all the while trying to ignore the climbing feeling of disgust and shame swirling about inside me. I ran my fingers through my hair quickly to get rid of the bed hair and then used my phone camera to check my makeup hadn’t smeared all over my face.
Happy that I looked presentable enough for half-three in the morning, I trudged downstairs, admiring the beautiful house along the way. I would be sad not to see this place again, it was a work of art in its own right.
I walked across the marble floor to the front doors, took one final look behind me, and slipped outside, surpri
sed to see Luke already waiting for me. His huge Dodge Ram looked so out of place in Marcus’ delicate carriage driveway.
Before the front door had even closed behind me, Luke hopped out of his truck and strode across the gravel.
“Hey, Cat,” he said, his voice soft and gentle. “You ok?”
I nodded and forced a smile onto my face. “Thanks for this, Luke. I really appreciate it.”
He offered me his hand which I gladly took. His grip felt strong yet somehow tender, his skin warm and inviting, smooth yet hard at the same time.
“I did think of a slight flaw in your escape plan though,” he said, escorting me around to the passenger side of his truck.
“What?”
“Your dad’s curfew.”
I groaned. I hadn’t even thought about that in my desperate bid to get out of here. “Oh shoot,” I said, hitting myself in the forehead. “I may as well stay then, hadn’t I? Sorry, Luke.”
“Or you could come to mine?”
I faltered. The passenger door was wide open, giving me a clear option here of going with Luke or staying here until seven a.m. when Dad’s curfew would no longer be in effect. Then I remembered that Marcus’ front door is one of those that locks itself when closed. Looks like my options were being rapidly taken away from me.
“If that’s ok?” I said.
“Of course it is. I don’t mind you doing a walk of shame home from mine in the morning at all.”
We both laughed and I swatted his arm playfully. “Stop it. Not funny.”
I climbed up into the truck and sorted my seatbelt out. Luke shut my door and jogged around to his side. Seconds later, we were on the road, on the way to his farm.
“Do you live far from here?” I asked, thinking about how quickly he’d gotten here.
“Not really. About four miles. I live out at Ruswarp.”
“You got here really fast.”
He flashed me a cheeky grin. “I’m afraid I’m a bit of a Colin McRae. Flat out or nothing.”
I giggled and stared out of the window, watching all the scenery whizz by at goodness knows what speed. He flew over a set of train tracks, over a bridge, and then around the tight country lanes at a sickening pace.
Love, Lies and Immortal Ties: A young adult paranormal romance (Love, Lies and Ties Book 1) Page 17
