“I’m sorry, Lisa,” he says, just as a knock sounds on my door.
“So am I.” I wipe my hand down my face as Perry rushes to the front window. “But I know it’s for the best. We could never work.” I’m about to hang up, say one final goodbye as I follow Perry to the door and greet my visitor. But then Perry barks, and I hear it echo back at me. “Marcus?”
“Yes, Lisa?”
Perry barks again. I press my lips together when I hear him over the phone. “You’re here?”
“Yes. Open the door.”
I cover my eyes with one hand, a sob escaping as I press my phone to my ear, hands sweating. “I can’t.”
“Open the door. Tell me you don’t want me to my face.”
“No. I already did that. You never believe me.”
“That’s because I know you’re lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Then open the door. Tell me again. Maybe this time I’ll believe you.”
Pressing my lips together, I end the call and slide my phone in the pocket of my track pants. My entire body shaking as I reach for the handle and turn. Heart thundering, breathing shallow, I pull. And there he is, looking like my favourite dream mixed with my worst nightmare.
“I…” I start, meeting his soulful brown eyes. “I don’t…”
“Want me?” He steps forward, capturing my face in his hands, thumbs on my cheeks, fingers in my hair. “I still don’t believe you,” he whispers, bowing down until his lips brush mine.
“Marcus.” I close my eyes, overcome by his proximity. How can I deny this when we both know it’s a lie? I’m powerless.
“I have never understood want until I wanted you,” he whispers, and my body trembles. I’m mush. Trembling mush, held up only by his hands. Then his lips touch mine and lights explode behind my eyes. Holy fuck.
He tastes. He sucks. He teases.
I shake. I whimper. I…succumb.
My lips part, inviting him in, the intensity of his emotion clear with each gentle stroke of his tongue. My head spins. His mouth moulds against mine like we’re made to fit together, and I step back, fingers curling against his shirt to bring him with me.
He lets out a low moan as he deepens the kiss and kicks the door closed, walking with me until we hit the entrance of my bedroom and he kicks that door closed too. Perry huffs on the other side, scratches at the door. Sorry, Perry. Grownups only.
Marcus’s hands move over my body, our tongues tangling as he walks me until the backs of my legs connect with the foot of my bed. I moan into his mouth, pressing my body against his ridiculously firm chest. “What are we doing?”
He pulls my shirt over my head. “Everything we said we wouldn’t.” Rough fingertips travel down my spine as his mouth hovers over mine, chest heaving.
“This is crazy. We should stop.”
His fingers wrap around my ribs, thumbs caressing the underside of my breasts. “I don’t want to.”
My hands go into his hair as his lips move to my neck, teeth grazing against my collarbone as he presses himself against me, the undeniable hard length of his cock pressing into my lower stomach, causing my insides to clench with longing. I gasp. “Marcus.”
“Don’t ask me to stop, Lisa. I can’t.” He hooks his fingers into the back of my bra, flicking open the clap and releasing my breasts as he urges me to sit, and I do, my fingers still in his hair as he lowers to his knees and buries his face in my cleavage.
I drag my nails down his back, pulling his shirt until it bunches around his arms. He sits back and helps me remove it, and I drink in the tanned muscle, salivating with a need to run my tongue over every single one. “We should definitely stop,” I gasp, dropping his shirt on the floor with mine.
His breathing laboured, he cups a heavy breast in his hand, brushing his thumb over my erect nipple. I mew, my body and actions completely belying my words. “We could.” He leans in and takes my nipple into his mouth, sucking back and running his tongue around the hardened tip. My hands move over his taut shoulders and into his hair, clinging to him for dear life. “If that’s what you want.” He bites. And I drop my head back, crying out as his tongue laves the tender bud, adding pleasure to the slight pain.
“Marcus.”
He shifts from his position on the floor, gripping my hips as he climbs over me, dragging me up the bed then running his tongue between my breasts, kissing and sucking upward, his teeth grazing over my chin before he captures my mouth and kisses me until I can barely breathe. “Tell me you want me, Lisa.” He holds himself above me, the softness of my breasts jammed against his chest. He’s so beautiful.
“No,” I whisper, meeting his eyes as I roll my hips against his.
He groans, his eyes losing focus before he pulls back, fingers dragging down my body until he pauses at the waist of my pants. “Then get up and walk away.”
My chest heaves, my core aching with desire as my skin tingles from his touch. “This is my room. You go.”
“No.” He hooks his fingers over the elastic and pulls, cool air sweeping over my body as I’m completely bared to him. “Last chance to run,” he says, sliding an arm beneath my knee as he lifts my leg and drags his teeth along my inner thigh, his hot breath sweeping over my core when he’s in position.
“Oh god.”
“Not god, Lisa. Marcus.” His mouth collides with my pussy, sucking back on my clit with such force I grab onto his hair and scream out.
“Holy fuck.”
His tongue works in rapid circles, the intensity causing my back to arch as my mouth falls open with a long, deep moan. He hums then slides two fingers into my welcoming entrance and I lose my mind.
“Marcus.” My hips lift, my body rocking with my release as I call out and writhe beneath him, wave after wave of pleasure undoing me completely.
“You taste so good,” he murmurs, withdrawing from my body and placing his two fingers in his mouth, sucking off my juices. Holy fuck. I’m about ready to come all over again. I sit up slightly, resting on my elbows as I watch him unbutton his jeans and drop them to the floor. My insides clench at the sight of his big cock, standing straight and proud, tip glistening. I lick my lips as Marcus takes it in his hand, giving himself a few pumps as he looks at me through slitted eyes. “Still want me to leave?” he asks, running his thumb over his tip.
“More than ever,” I gasp, opening my legs wide, inviting him in.
His tongue snakes between his lips as he focuses on my opening and places a knee on the bed. The tip of his cock drags along the inside of my thigh as he climbs over me. “Are you on the pill?”
“Yes.”
Pressing his teeth into his bottom lip, he positions his cock at my entrance, teasing me without pushing in. “Do you want this?” he asks again, his hands entwining with mine and holding them either side of my head.
“No,” I whisper, rocking my hips to capture the tip of him. I gasp at the sensation, eyes rolling. Then he thrusts forward, filling me with one swift movement. I cry out from the size of his intrusion, stretching around his girth, my insides quivering as he pumps in and out, driving me further into ecstasy than I ever thought possible. Sex has never been this good. I don’t know if it’s him or the both of us combined, but something about our bodies joining has me soaring.
I don’t want him. But I think I need him. That much seems clear. We’ve known each other only a short time, but the pull between us is undeniable. I don’t know how this is going work. Our lives won’t mix no matter which way we look at things. But our bodies don’t seem to care about trivial things like logistics and messy pasts.
“Marcus.” I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling his thrusts even deeper as my fingers dig into his back.
“Lisa.” His mouth finds mine, tongue pushing between my lips as he kisses me with a force that matches his thrusts. I can taste myself on his tongue, sweet and earthy. I moan and our teeth clash. Slick bodies rolling together as heat pools in my lower belly, tightens then bursts.
“Holy fuck.” I break the kiss upon my release, pulling back as Marcus holds onto my bottom lip with his teeth, sucking our mouths together as he grunts and spills inside of me.
“Holy fuck,” he echoes, dropping his forehead to mine as he stills and releases my fingers and mouth. “Holy fucking fuck.” He pulls from my body and rolls to the side, his warmth spilling between my legs. “Did I hurt you?”
I pull my lip into my mouth running my tongue over the swelling. “No,” I whisper, looking up to the ceiling.
“Fuck. I was supposed to go slow with you.”
A smile forces its way on my lips. “There were slow moments.” I turn and meet his eyes as he chuckles and turns to me. My chest jolts at the connection, and the smiles fall from our mouths. His hand slides against the curve of my neck, moving to cradle my head.
“Have you felt like this before?” he asks in a startling moment of vulnerability. My eyes prick and I shake my head. “We’re fucked up, yeah?”
I nod and lick my lips. “Yeah. You can’t listen and I can’t tell the truth.”
His thumb moves along my cheekbone, and my eyes flutter closed as longing flows through me. “Do you still want me to leave?”
Reaching out, I place my hand on the centre of his chest. “Yes.”
Pulling me closer, he closes the gap between us, his nose brushing against mine. “I still don’t believe you.”
“I had a feeling you’d say that,” I whisper, just as his mouth covers mine and we refuse each other all over again.
Nine
Marcus
“You should probably go,” Lisa murmurs, her voice sleepy as she drapes herself across my chest and I run my fingers up and down her spine.
I frown. “I’m not fucking you then leaving like you’re some groupie.” She lifts her head so she’s looking at me. “Besides, I have tomorrow off. I’m spending it with you.”
“No, Marcus. I’m not mixing my life up with yours.”
“Spending Sunday in bed is hardly mixing our lives together.”
She sighs as she pushes away from me, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. “I don’t know why I’m wasting my breath.” She pulls a hair elastic off her bedside table and winds her hair into a bun. I love watching the way her skin ripples with her movement. “You’ll just do what you want, anyway.”
My eyes drift to her arse as she stands. “I’m glad we’ve reached an understanding.”
“If you can call it that.” Pressing her lips together, she gathers the top sheet and balls it up in her arms. I stand and help her pull the bottom sheet off the mattress. Note to self, use a towel next time.
“I need you to know I’m clean,” I say as she takes the soiled sheet from my grip, seeming flustered. “I’ve never gone without protection before.”
“I’ve no doubt, Marcus. Men like you, they’re so very careful. Then they meet someone and they say all the right things, make all the right promises. Then the girls like me are left feeling stupid, changing dirty sheets and wondering if anything that man said was real.”
“Men like me?” I point to my chest, not understanding where this scenario is coming from.
“Yes. Men like you.” Hugging the sheets to her chest, she makes a beeline for the bathroom, dumping them in the laundry basket before pulling a terry towel robe off the back of the door and covering herself with it.
“Have I given you any reason to doubt me?”
“Not yet.” She pulls her wardrobe open, taking a new set of neatly folded sheets from the vertical shelving and dropping them on the end of the bed.
“Not ever.”
“How can you say that with such confidence when you’ve only known me for three weeks?”
“Because in those three weeks I haven’t even thought about another woman, let alone looked at one. Yours is the only face I see.”
She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as she pulls her robe tighter. “I know you don’t like to hear me when I tell you what I want, but can you at least promise me one thing?”
“Anything.” I’d promise to donate a kidney to her at this point. I’m so damn smitten by her.
“Don’t pretend we’re something we’re not. Fuck me all you want, get me out of your system any way you can. But the moment you find yourself scanning that front row looking for a pretty face, walk away from me. You don’t even have to say goodbye. Just go back to your life and leave me in mine.”
“You’re talking like we’re water and oil,” I say, frustrated by her defeatist attitude towards us while I pick up the clean fitted sheet and shake it out.
“You don’t think we are?” We tuck in opposite corners then move on to the top sheet. “Look around, Marcus. This is my world. This is my life.”
“And?” I lift the end of the mattress as she tucks in the excess sheet.
“And it’s not yours. It’s not expensive apartments or waterside properties. It’s not personal assistants and staff who do everything for you. It’s regular, boring life. I don’t collect stamps on my passport. I don’t have to wear a hat and glasses every time I go out in public. I don’t have to watch my behaviour everywhere I go. This is me. It’s not you.”
“You think I don’t know that? I grew up in a place like this. With immigrant parents who worked their arses off to make ends meet. I never appreciated it as a kid, but now I look back and it was the best part of my life. Don’t tell me what you think I want, Lisa.”
“Why not? It’s what you keep doing to me.”
“That’s because you’re too scared to admit what you want. I’m the only one of us brave enough to grab hold and refuse to let go.”
She sucks in a breath, her eyes dropping to the floor before she turns away and clears her throat. “You might want to put some pants on. I’m about to let Perry in. He sleeps at the foot of the bed, and you don’t want him thinking that thing’s a chew toy.”
I just manage to get my boxer briefs on before she pulls the door open and Perry comes bounding in, making a commotion as he spins excited circles while I rub his sides. “I’m sorry, buddy. I walked right by you,” I say, scratching him behind the ears before he steps onto his dog bed and hurumphs as he lies down.
“Since you’re staying, you can make yourself useful. Refill his water and make sure the house is locked up. I’m going for a shower.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say with a salute as she disappears into her ensuite, obviously needing a moment alone to process. “Where’s your water, buddy?” Perry jumps up and stands at my feet, panting with his mouth open and his tongue hanging out the side of his face.
Figuring it’s either in the laundry or outside, I head in that direction, hearing the shower switch on as I do my rounds.
“Look at this, Marcus Bailey locking up at night and filling the dog water. Who said I can’t be normal?” I say as I kneel to place Perry’s water bowl back in his tray. He has this little picnic table looking thing that holds a water and food bowl. He laps at the cool liquid and I scratch the back of his neck. “She’s pretty closed off, huh?” He lifts his eyes to me. “And what has she got against famous people?” Perry licks the side of my face and I laugh. “You don’t know either? Figures.”
Letting out a sigh, I sink to the ground and lean against the wall, scratching the dog’s chest as he pants and I ruminate out loud. “She’s crazy about me, you know? Not as crazy as you, but still, she’s feeling this…pull that’s going on between us. And I know I’m coming on strong, but who has time to wait around and play games? I have two-and-a-half months left in the country, if I don’t go after what I want when I want it then who’s to say it’ll be here when I get back? Who’s to say some other rock star won’t come along and sweep her off her feet? It could happen. I’m not the only famous musician in the country, and she works for that magazine.” Resting my head against the wall, I chew on the inside of my lip. “Do you think that’s what it is? She met some famous guy through work and he fucked her around?”
&nb
sp; “He’ll never talk,” Lisa says from the doorway, looking fresh and smelling of warmth and floral scents.
“I’m beginning to realise.” Rising to my feet, I move so I’m standing in front of her, my hand snaking around her waist as I pull her flush against my body.
“You haven’t showered. You’ll make me all dirty,” she says, a grin teasing her mouth as her fingers play against my chest.
“I’m covered in you. I can smell you every time I breathe in.” I inhale deep then hum my pleasure. “I can’t get enough.”
She lifts her hand and plants it over my mouth before I can move in for a kiss. Lifting my chin, I capture the tip of her index finger in my teeth and bite on it playfully. “It was an actor,” she says, eyes meeting mine as she runs her fingertips down my chin.
“Anyone I’d know?”
She shakes her head and bounces a shoulder. “It was a long time ago. He drew me into his world, promised me everything, but forgot to tell me I wasn’t the only one.”
“I see. That’s why you don’t want to trust a known womaniser like me?”
“That’s exactly why I don’t want to trust a known womaniser like you. I promised myself I’d be smart about who I fall for in future.”
I grin and pull her a little closer.
“What’s so amusing?” she asks, hands running over my shoulders.
“You’re falling for me.”
Now she’s smiling. “I am not.”
Leaning in, I press my lips against hers. “Liar.”
“I don’t even like you.”
I lift my hand, sliding it from her waist to the exposed skin of her chest, pushing past the fabric until I can feel the swell of her breast. “I can feel your heart. It’s beating so fast. Do I excite you?”
“Not in the slightest.” The glint in her eye tells me she’s playing, and damned if I don’t get off every time she tells me no and I take what I want, anyway.
“And yet”—I slide my hand further inside her robe, palming her breast and rolling her nipple between my fingers—“you came looking for me in nothing but a robe.”
Rock (Beautiful Book 4) Page 10
