“Shh.” A soft voice lulled me. Abby’s voice.
Yup, definitely dreaming. I smiled sleepily and took full advantage of my fantasy to gather her closer. Dream or no dream, I would make the most of the woman haunting it.
That was my last thought before drifting back into darkness.
When I woke the second time, I definitely wasn’t alone. Abby was asleep and I wondered briefly if she was some kind of hallucination, a warped figment of my imagination. Maybe I wasn’t even awake. A quick glance around my room confirmed I was. Which begged the question…
“What are you doing here?” I shook at her shoulder.
If she’d come here to play, I would set her straight. No more games.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Abby
Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea.
My eyes flew open the instant Marcus growled in my ear. Admittedly, I hadn’t thought this all the way through, sneaking into his bedroom just before morning. But once I’d had everything out with Nicky, getting back to Marcus had been the only thing on my mind.
I’d kind of hoped he’d wake up and hay-yah everything would be fixed. Certainly, waking up beside Marcus was something I had dreamed of since our first night together in Baltimore.
I’d thought Marcus had wanted it too.
Sitting up, I pushed my hair back from my face to glance at him. He looked so stern and stiff as he stared back in bemusement. My stomach rolled uneasily, even as my heart melted at the sight of his sleep-tousled hair, the shadow of stubble along his chin. I reached up to touch his face, then faltered. My fingers twitched, but I pushed forward to lay my trembling palm against his jawline.
Marcus’s eyes narrowed. He didn’t jerk away, but his expression remained wary. I let my hand drop, staring at my newly chewed nails as I fought the urge to get out of bed and run. I drew in a shuddering breath. Let it out again.
“I don’t want to play anymore.” It took every ounce of courage for me to say those words. I steeled myself for rejection. Derision. Definitely humiliation. I deserved it all.
Marcus frowned. “You’d better explain,” he said gruffly.
Gazing up at the face of the man I loved gave me the courage to say what I needed to. “Rule one.” I started with a croak. “Only players. I’ve just said I’m not playing, so that one’s broken.” I twisted around onto my knees to face Marcus. He sat stiffly against the headboard and I reached out to cover his hand.
“Rule two.” I continued with a squeeze of my fingers. “Nothing but hot, hard sex.” I gave a rueful smile as my gaze drifted over his chest. “While I do love hot, hard sex, I…I want more than that.”
Marcus’s eyes widened and I thought I saw the beginnings of understanding. My heart lifted as he held up my hand and twined his fingers in mine.
“More?” He sounded out the word slowly. A quiver ran across his skin as I ran my fingers over the familiar ridges of his chest, lost for a moment in the feel of him, slick and smooth beneath my fingertips. Perfection. “This is what you want?” he asked, his voice a shallow whisper.
I smiled. This one was easy. “I figured it out. Having something is better than nothing. Right? I don’t want nothing. I want you, Marcus. You are my something.”
Marcus blew out a breath, eyes closing for a moment before his deep, whiskey stare blazed back at me fiercely. I didn’t flinch. I didn’t have a sudden urge to run. Possession had never seemed more right.
“I…”
“Please.” I stopped Marcus before he could speak. I had one more thing to say. My last rule to break. “Third.” My voice cracked as I strove to get the words out. Marcus’s heat, the scent of him ignited the fire inside me with a hard, biting need. “Just one night.” I took a breath, steadying myself. “I can’t pretend to know what will happen tomorrow but I’m exactly where I want to be right now. With you. For as long as you’ll have me.”
Marcus cupped my face, relief warring with hope, making his gaze deep and fiery. “Don’t you get it? You’re not going anywhere. Ever.” His lips twisted into a rueful grin. “It was never the winning, Abby. It just took me a while to figure that out.” He touched his nose to mine. “I grew up hating the feeling of being out of control, so I sought to control everything. Only you…you wouldn’t let me.” He lowered his mouth to my lips. Kissed me. Hard. “When I lost you…that’s when I found out what being truly powerless meant.”
My heart melted at his words and I stretched up to kiss him again. I anticipated a full-on assault, the ravishing hunger that always sparked so fiercely between us. But instead, Marcus plundered my lips gently, long intoxicating kisses that allowed a complete exploration, savoring the taste.
His hands moved down my body, skirting my breasts, skimming across my belly to settle at my hips. His mouth followed, tongue swirling patterns into my skin until he stopped to suckle at my nipples. Hot, wet, heat. I moaned, twisting my hands in his hair as his fingers found my wet, throbbing sex. His cock was a brand at my thighs and I wanted him. Badly.
Marcus lifted his head and his gaze bore down on me. “You’re not going anywhere.”
He said it like he meant it.
The moment our lips met again, I poured everything I felt for Marcus into my kiss. My love. My desire. My need for him. My hands framed his face and I licked into his mouth, holding back nothing. The incredible power of purest sweet emotion was almost more than I could bear. His hands fisted my hair, holding me to him, our breath mingling together as two became one.
Like flame to tinder, sweetness morphed into hunger. I ran my hands under his shirt, desperate to touch Marcus flesh to flesh with nothing between us. I molded myself to him, rubbing my nipples against his chest, feeling the pleasurable sting of desire prickle across every inch of my skin.
When Marcus sheathed himself and eased inside to fill me, I almost sobbed in relief. The sensation was so…perfect. He started moving and thoughts evaporated like raindrops in the desert, forgotten as he thrust inside me. He took his time, ensuring I could feel every inch of his hard length as he glided into me. Slid out. Pushed in again.
His hands tightened on my hips, his own flexing to meet my urgent demands. My nails raked his chest and I gasped out loud, knees clenching him tightly. The air overflowed with our blended scent, the sound of our heavy breaths punctuated by the slap of flesh as Marcus drove me higher. Harder.
My gaze caught in his, the warmth in his eyes intensified as his pleasure rebounded on me, each sensation more powerful than the last. A low moan eased from my lips and Marcus’s eyes flared. His breathing quickened and a moment later so did his pace, until he was pounding into me. Unrelenting.
It was too much. My muscles squeezed tight as my orgasm hit. I cried out, clenching around him, feeling the jerk of his cock as he buried himself deep and came with me. Afterward, Marcus gathered me to him, head burrowing into my shoulder, lips brushing at my skin. I shuddered, relaxing into his embrace. I was so happy, there were no words. Content. Yes. This was what true contentment felt like.
It took a few moments for me to find the energy to raise my head from his chest. I kissed the crease of his lips and rubbed my cheek against his.
“This forever thing. Is that a new rule?” Smiling, I traced the path my lips had just taken with my fingers.
“Is that going to be a problem Ms. Harkness?” he asked, the glint of humor in his eyes shadowed by uncertainty.
I pulled him down until his forehead rested on mine. “You’ll be surprised what I’ll do for love,” I said, making sure he read in my gaze the absolute truth in my words. Truth, as well as my need for him. And my own uncertainty too.
There were no guarantees. I understood that better than most. But it was time to put myself on the line and open up to all of love’s possibilities.
Rules or no rules, Marcus was worth that.
About the Author
Toni Strawn lives in the beautiful South Island of New Zealand, the adventurers’ playground. She fell in l
ove with romance early, smuggling books from her mother’s forbidden bookshelf to read late into the night.
A self-confessed tomboy, Toni likes her heroes tough and her heroines tougher. When not locked away in her Romansion, a tiny writing shed at the bottom of the garden, Toni can be found feeding her addiction to paranormal romance novels.
www.tonijstrawn.com
www.twitter.com/toni_strawn
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Look for these titles by Toni J. Strawn
Now Available:
His Rules
The Rebound
Her Release
Coming Soon:
His Redemption
Don’t miss the other titles in Toni J. Strawn’s One Night Stand Series!
The Rebound
One bite is never enough…
One Night Stand Series, Book 2
Madison St James’s life was a glittering fairy tale, until her Prince Charming turns out to be Prince Cheating. With the help of a sexy stranger, Madison lets loose her inhibitions for one night of no-holds-barred sex.
It’s hot. It’s sensual. And so real that Madison doesn’t know if she can return her superficial life, except her mother isn’t going to make her escape easy.
Cole Langford has one of the most powerful names in Maryland, but none of the money and prestige that goes with it. But he knows first-hand about getting knocked down by power-wielding megalomaniacs.
Lately, Cole’s libido’s is MIA, until he finds the very trouble he’s been trying to stay away from in Madison St James. But Madison is like decadent candy, and Cole can’t resist one more bite.
Her Release
No one cares who started it—only who finishes on top.
One Night Stand Series, Book 3
Jess Langford hates being told what to do, hates everything medical and hates that her brother thwarts any attempt she makes at independence.
When Jess moves out of the university dorms without telling her brother, she celebrates her newfound freedom with a one night stand with a man she thinks she recognizes as handsome Van Sheffield from the University, but it’s only after they’ve spent a night together that Jess finds out who Van really is. A visiting physiotherapy consultant who has already decided Jess is the perfect candidate for his next rehabilitation program.
Van knew exactly who Jess Langford was when he met her. Stubborn. Rebellious. Trouble with a capital T. All the reasons why Van knew he had to have her in his program and in his bed. He loves the spark of energy that makes Jess pick herself up every time she falls, especially when everyone else in his life has given up. Van will do whatever it takes to harness Jess’s strength of will, but he wasn’t betting on losing his own iron-clad control.
His Rules (One Night Stand Series Book 1) Page 13
