by Lynda Aicher
Only then did he look up to catch the appreciative stares of the small cluster of people who’d stopped to watch Quinn’s stunning display. A burst of pride straightened his spine and he hugged her protectively closer to his chest. There was more than one Dom who eyed her with lust and longing. It took everything in him not to snap at them like a rabid dog.
“She’s beautiful,” one Dom commented, his focus holding on the curled-up form of Quinn in his lap. “You’ve trained her well.”
His terse, “Thank you,” came out more like a growl that had the other man’s gaze snapping up to meet his. He gave a short nod and turned away, which effectively motivated the rest of the voyeurs to move on as well.
He reached for his bottle of water and froze. The knowing smirks on Jake and Noah’s faces were countered by the hard scowl on Vanessa’s. He grimaced then grabbed the bottle off the table and took a long drink. Ignoring them, he held the bottle to Quinn’s lips and waited for her drink. Her swallows were shallow and tired, her eyes barely opening to complete the task. She settled back into him when she finished, her bottom wiggling over his aching dick before she went still.
“That was a nice display,” Noah said, breaking the silence that had held at the table. His compliment was spoken without mirth or sarcasm, yet Marcus tensed.
“I trust you know what you’re doing.” Vanessa’s clipped words and tight voice told him she didn’t think he did. Damn it. He was a professional Dom. He didn’t need her questioning his every move.
“Back off, V.” Jake glanced between the two of them. “This is between Marcus and his sub.”
Vanessa looked away, the hard press of her lips saying she didn’t agree. The air around the small table was tense with unsaid words. The pleasure he’d received at watching Quinn had been wiped away with the quick-to-judge attitude from the Domme.
He took a deep breath and pushed his resentment back. His voice was still cool when he spoke. “I don’t understand what your issue is. I’m not a newbie. I know what I’m doing.”
Her expression softened when she met his gaze. She blew out a breath and leaned back in her chair. She wore a black corset that stood out against her creamy skin and matched her hair. “You’re right. I’m sorry.” She studied Quinn who, for all appearances, seemed to be asleep in his arms as she floated in the haze of her subspace. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
“I’m not going to hurt her,” Marcus insisted softly. He was pretty certain Quinn wasn’t tracking their conversation, but it annoyed him that they were having this talk now. He cupped a hand over her ear, rubbing his fingers through her hair in an attempt to muffle their words from her.
“Not on purpose.” Vanessa flashed a tight smile, her eyes holding a sympathy that wasn’t warranted. “But I’m more worried about you. She’s not going to stay. You know that, right?”
“Of course I do.” But that didn’t change his feelings. He wasn’t about to stop caring about her just because she lived in California. They’d figure it out when the time came.
“Does she?”
Marcus stared at Noah, trying to decide if the man was serious. But then, he wasn’t known for his jokes. “That’s a stupid question.”
Noah returned Marcus’s stare. “Is it?”
“Hey,” Jake interjected. “Just be careful.”
Marcus shook his head, trying to understand where the strange concern was coming from. He’d never gotten these kinds of comments before, even when he was spit-shiny new to the scene. “I always am,” he snapped.
“I know.” Jake ran a hand through his hair before pushing his chair back to stand. “But you’ve never been taken with a sub like you are now. She’s new, young and temporary. It screams of a train wreck waiting to happen.”
Marcus got that, but he wasn’t going to let their jaded wisdom taint him. He never held back on anything and he wasn’t going to start now.
Noah glanced at his watch then rose from the table as well. “Her contract ends tomorrow. I’m advising you to formally extend it if she sticks around after that.” The implication being the club would be covered if his thing with Quinn went tits-up.
The lawyer was doing his job, but it still pissed Marcus off that everyone assumed this would end badly. He gave a curt nod and the two men walked away, leaving Vanessa as his final adversary.
“You have something more to add?” he challenged her.
Vanessa crossed her arms on the table and studied him once again. “Can I say one more thing?”
He nodded and willed himself to listen, even though he really wanted to tell her to mind her own fucking business.
“This is all shiny and new and a huge rush right now. It always is in the beginning. Just remember that anything worth keeping is worth working for.” She gave him a grim smile then strode away before he could respond.
What the hell? He couldn’t even begin to process what just happened. His anger simmered right next to his frustration at having the perfect night stripped away by a few choice words.
“I don’t think your friends like me very much.”
Marcus gave a silent curse at Quinn’s soft words. He hugged her tighter, wishing like hell she’d been too out of it to hear that conversation. “It’s not you,” he told her. His voice was still rough with the edge of his anger and he cleared his throat before adding, “They’re just being cautious. We had some unwanted publicity a few months back and they don’t want a repeat.”
“Hmm.” She rubbed her nose into his neck. “That’s not what it sounded like to me. They think I’m going to hurt you.”
“Even if that’s true, I don’t.” That finished it for him. He pulled his phone from his pocket and fired off a quick text to the other partners. To hell with the schedule. He was done for the evening. He’d make it up to them another night.
He gathered her in his arms and stood. She looped her arms around his neck but didn’t question him. At one in the morning, the club action was still going strong. The dance floor was crowded, along with the bar and lounge area. Marcus imagined the voyeur rooms and Dungeon were just as active. Business was great and where that had fired him up last week, now he couldn’t care less. In fact, it’d be really damn nice if everyone would get the hell out of his way so he could get Quinn out of there.
The quick ride up the elevator was blessedly quiet. He hadn’t asked if she wanted to stay with him that night. She’d only stayed over that one night, but now it didn’t feel like a question he needed to ask.
He didn’t bother with the lights once they entered his loft. The moon was shining bright and full through the large windows and it was enough for him to navigate to the bedroom.
Quinn finally stirred when he set her down on the bed. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before giving him a weak smile. “I need to use the bathroom.”
“Sure. Do you want a shower?”
“No.” She yawned again. “I’m too tired.” Her features were lax and soft with sleep, and his heart constricted. The moonlight seemed to match the color of her hair, the natural glow battling to outshine her beauty. The moon lost.
Damn what the others thought. He wasn’t letting the possibility of what this could be go because he was afraid of how it might not go.
He turned down the bed and changed into a loose T-shirt and sleep shorts while she was in the bathroom. He shot off another text to the coat check, requesting her items be brought up, then went to the kitchen to grab some water. He was debating on digging up a snack when Quinn shuffled out of the bedroom.
“I hijacked another one of your shirts.” She plucked at the worn college shirt and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all.” His old maroon and gold football jersey looked great on her. Especially with his collar still circling her neck. “You hungry?”
She shook her head but accepted the bottle with a soft thanks.
“I wiped off your little torture device and left it in the bathroom for you.”
He frowned. “
Torture device?”
“Yeah.” She took a drink of the water. “That innocent toy that almost killed me tonight.”
His bark of laughter shot through the room to bounce off the high ceilings. “The vibrator. Thanks.” He’d actually forgotten about it. Shame on him.
She shrugged. “I’m still deciding which was worse, that or the crop. They’re both deceptively innocent-looking.”
“Just like you,” he added with a wink. She shot him a glare before he opened the cupboard and grabbed a bag of chips. “I was thinking of watching a movie. I’m too hyped up to sleep. You can hit the bed if you’re tired. I won’t mind.”
She covered a yawn as if the mention of being tired triggered the action. “What are you watching?”
He squatted before the stack of DVDs and shuffled through them. “Got any requests?”
Her laugh was low and gentle. “Nope. As long as I’m not in it, I don’t care.” He turned to see her plop down on the couch. “I take that back. No horror. I know it’s all fake, but I still get scared.”
“Got it.”
It took a few minutes for him to dig through his pile and the box beside it before he found a comedy he liked. Laughter would be good for both of them. Once the movie was ready, he dug in another box until he found the maroon and gold afghan his mother had knitted for him years ago.
She grinned when he spread it over her legs. “Is everything you own these colors?”
“What?” He tapped her legs until she shifted over and let him sit down by the arm of the couch. “They’re great colors.” He pulled her in so she was cuddled into his side. “Don’t tell me you don’t like them, because those would be fightin’ words, woman.”
“If you’re rooting for USC they are.” She didn’t even try to hide her smirk.
He stared at her, mouth opened in shock. “I cannot believe you just said that. Are you trying to start a fight?”
She snorted a laugh and covered her mouth until she swallowed her water. “Nope. But your reaction was great.” Her cheeks were flushed and her smile full.
He leaned in and dropped a kiss on her lips. Perfect. Yup. No doubt about.
He started the movie and settled back, shifting Quinn around until she lay over his chest, her long hair spilling white against the faded yarn of the blanket. The remaining tension from the earlier encounter faded away into the simplicity of the night.
Watching a movie with his girl sounded corny in his head, but the feeling in his heart said it was absolutely right. He’d never wanted to do this with any other girl, not even in college. His focus back then had been all football. Yet there was a part of him that always wanted what his parents had. This.
The girls had been plentiful, and he hadn’t been a saint by any means, but he’d never gotten serious with anyone. Not enough to enjoy something as simple as cuddling on the couch.
Shit. He was going backwards. Where most men matured up from cuddling to spanking, he was going in the opposite direction. He ran his finger through her hair, smiling to himself. That may be true, but it was damn fine. Not that he was giving up the other stuff. Not even close. But he could definitely take more times like this with her.
Now he just had to get Quinn to agree with him.
Chapter Sixteen
There was a familiarity to the warm body pressed against Quinn’s front. As was the slow press of the hand that was making long passes down her back and over her bottom. She wiggled into Marcus’s side and hummed in appreciation.
He pulled her leg so it was spread across his lower abdomen then trailed his palm down the underside of her leg until his fingers teased her exposed sex. She arched into the touch, but he moved his fingers to let them drift up her spine.
She nipped his pec. “Tease,” she mumbled into his T-shirt. The fresh laundry scent had been replaced during the night to his natural, earthier smell.
His chuckle vibrated in her ear and he tightened his arms to enfold her in a hug. “Morning, kitten. Feeling feisty today?”
“No,” she said. “Frustrated would be a better description.”
“Oh?” He ran his hand lower and cupped her butt cheek. “Why would that be?”
She buried her giggle in his chest. The light swirl of his fingertips over her skin tickled, but she didn’t want to laugh. When he didn’t stop, she finally had to concede defeat. “Stop,” she puffed between her laughter. She tried to wiggle away, but he wouldn’t let her go.
“What?”
The innocence in his tone didn’t fool her. She struck quick, reaching along his ribs in search of the customary ticklish spots.
“Hey.” He bucked away from her fingers, his laughter deep and throaty. A second later she was on her back, arms held above her head, her man leaning over her. She caught a quick flash of his grin before his mouth was on hers. The kiss was instantly deep and heated. His tongue plundered hers, taking and giving as it swept between her lips and over teeth.
He loomed big and strong in the dim morning light. The soft mattress pushed at her back in contrast to the firm length of him pressed to her front. She looped a leg over his hip and tugged him closer, wanting the weight of him.
He groaned, and the sound transferred to her mouth in a low rumble that played over her tongue and down her throat. The lingering taste of mint told her he’d snuck into the bathroom at some point, but the thought was quickly forgotten. He eased back to nibble at her bottom lip then suck it into his mouth, and she leaned up to captured his again. She couldn’t get enough of his kisses. In fact, she wanted more and more of everything he offered.
She rubbed against him, her blood simmering. His erection pressed against her thigh and seared her skin. She needed the heat of him. Hell, she needed him in her.
She tugged on her arms, but he wouldn’t let go. She ripped her mouth from his. “Please,” she panted, sucking in forgotten air. “I want to touch you.”
His eyes had darkened to a rich shade of chocolate, his breathing ragged like hers. He bundled both her wrists in one of his hands and ran his free hand down her arm to rim her collar before plucking her nipple. She arched into the immediate rush of sensation that shot to her core.
“Are you sure about this?”
She understood what he was asking and she’d never been more certain of anything. “Yes.”
He increased the pressure on her tip until it was tender and sore. “Tell me what you want.”
“To touch you.” That was first and foremost. She wanted to touch him freely, everywhere, wherever she desired, to have his smooth skin under her palms.
“What else?”
Everything was her next thought, but she knew that wasn’t detailed enough. He released her nipple, and she bit her lip against the relief and pain as blood flooded the tip. The throb was sharp but quickly dulled to leave the sensitive nerves tingling.
“More of that.” The words surprised her. Was she asking for pain?
“This?” He pinched her other nipple, her breath holding, the tension building until he let go and she exhaled in a gust of pleasure and release.
“Yes,” she admitted, his penetrating gaze sucking out all of her truths. “I like it. The intensity.”
His eyelids drooped and he kissed her again. It was as consuming and sizzling as the last, his tongue dancing and mingling with hers until she wanted to seal herself to him. He pulled back to kiss a trail down her jaw to her ear. “What else?” he murmured, the low words husky with arousal, his natural scent teasing her nose.
“I want to feel your skin against mine.” There were too many clothes between them. The cozy softness of the cotton shirt was now irritating and nowhere near as smooth as Marcus’s skin.
His hiss of agreement was followed by the slow slide of his hand under her shirt until the material was pushed over her head. But instead of removing it completely, he wrapped it around her wrists and somehow knotted it keep her hands trapped.
“No.” A wave of defeat rushed through her. “I want to touch you
.”
He straddled her hips and leaned down, cupping her face in his big palms. “Soon, Quinn.” The kiss he gave her was light and almost chaste after the heated ones from before. Yet the tenderness burned her hotter than ever. “I promise. Give me this.”
The sincerity was clear in his eyes, his words filled with the soft truth of his pledge. “Yes, Marcus.”
The carnal intensity returned to his kiss, and she looped her wrists over his head to jerk him closer. It didn’t matter that her lips were bruised and tender or that his morning beard scraped over her cheeks and chin. Nothing mattered as long as she was closer to him.
A second later her wrists were pressed back above her head, his hand holding them down. “Keep them there.”
Damn it. She didn’t want to. Why’d he ask her what she wanted if he wasn’t going to listen to her? Her eyes stung and her throat was suddenly sore and tight. She closed her eyes and twisted her head away, breathing heavily. The confusion was raw and exposing in a way that was worse than being tied spread and naked to a bench.
He traced a slow line along the edge of her collar, the touch gentle. Yet the firm pressure on her chin held the strong command that was also a part of him and forced her to turn her head back.
“Open your eyes, kitten.”
This voice had deepened to his Dom tone, and she responded. She stared up at his features. How could they be both soft and hard, just like him? His dark hair tumbled forward to dust his forehead and his eyes were liquid pools she could get lost in.
“You look absolutely stunning.” He ran his fingers through her hair, fanning it around her head and over her arms. “When you give yourself to me, I get a high I can’t explain.”
He drew his shirt over his head, the soft rustling a slow tease before he tossed it aside. She greedily re-etched every line of his shoulders and chest into her memory. The power seemed to radiate from him. His size should be intimidating, especially in her vulnerable position under him. But it wasn’t. Just looking at him made her pussy clench, her abs contract and her mouth dry.
