He just laughed. “I guess you’re here to work out travel and overnight arrangements.”
“Yeah. Do you think you could put some clothes on first?” she said, waving a hand at his bare chest, covered in just the right amount of body hair, and his lower half, only covered in the towel, her cheeks automatically firing up. “I need to be able to concentrate, and I’m going to be worried about you losing that towel the whole time if you don’t.” Then she said, a bit too honestly, causing herself to flush even more. “And thinking about taking it.”
He reached down like he was going to pull it off, giving her a mischievous smile. “I’ll give it to you.”
“Mark, behave yourself, please. Go put some clothes on,” she said, somehow managing to get even redder than she already was. She was starting to feel like a giant, boiled lobster and was certain she had to have heat radiating off of her skin.
Mark, the ornery rascal, just laughed and headed back down the hall.
******
“Okay, now that’s done,” Jenny said, standing up from the dining room chair she had been using to make the necessary arrangements. “We’re going to have to leave here by four in the morning, at the latest. Do you want to meet at the store?”
“Yeah, sure,” Mark said, sounding distracted. He shut the laptop sitting on the table, taking a step toward her.
When she looked up at him, she could tell by the look on his face, he was getting ready to kiss her. He was staring at her mouth, and his eyes looked a little glazed over.
She took a deep breath and stepped back from him. “I need to go.”
He shook his head, reaching for her. “Not yet. I haven’t had a chance to make you crazy yet.”
“Mark, this might not be the best...”
She never got a chance to explain she was afraid they wouldn’t stop till it was too late. He didn’t give her a chance to finish. He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head. The moment his mouth touched hers, she was a goner. She went under faster this time then the last. It was always like that. At the rate she was going, if something didn’t change soon, he wasn’t going to have to touch her. He’d be able to just walk into the room with her and she’d jump on him. She was getting closer to that point every day.
The next thing she knew, they were no longer in the kitchen and she was certain he wasn’t going to stop. Her blouse was gone, and she could feel his hand at her back trying to unfasten her bra. Without stopping to think, she reached behind her and unhooked it for him. Apparently, she wasn’t thinking about stopping either.
Her wits started to come back to her just a little and she started wondering what she was thinking. They really needed to be married before they did this. She would feel guilty, but she knew Mark would beat himself up mentally if she let this go too far. What she really needed to do was ask him to marry her.
That was enough to shake her back to the present. “Mark, stop. We can’t do this right now. It’s not the right time.”
He groaned and held her tighter. “Please, I don’t want to stop. I’m going crazy. Marry me, please. I need you.”
She didn’t understand what came over her. Two seconds ago, she had been thinking about begging him to marry her. Now she was shaking with fear. “Mark, stop. I can’t take anymore.”
“Oh, God. Angel, please. I don’t think I can.” She could hear the pleading in his voice, but the panic had already set in. She couldn’t say it.
When he started to kiss her again, she pushed him back. “Mark, you can’t keep kissing me like this. You can’t touch me anymore.”
She turned her back on him, and found her blouse in the floor, and managed to pull it on, but she just held it closed, not bothering to button it. She grabbed her purse off the end table and ran out the door. She never looked back, or she would have seen the look of devastation she left behind her.
******
Lisa and Mindi had met James and Luke at the garage, after work. They were all planning on going to the Sapphire Café to have dinner together. It was a little after five now, and they were all still standing there talking when Mark pulled up. He hadn’t even made it out of the truck yet when Luke looked up and said, “Something’s wrong.”
By the time he had made it halfway across the parking lot, they could all tell something was wrong. He looked like he had been crying. When he reached them, without a word, he took the baby out of Lisa’s arms and snuggled him up under his chin, holding him close. He seemed like he just needed someone to hug. He had Andrew laid against the crook of his neck with one of his big hands laid against his back. The baby waved his little arm, managing to grab hold of Mark’s bottom lip, almost drawing a small smile from him.
“Mark, are you okay?” Luke asked with obvious concern in his voice.
He just looked down at Luke and shook his head. The misery showing on his handsome face was apparently choking him up, making it impossible for him to speak. The others realized it was going to take a while before he was ready to talk.
“Does this have to do with Jenny?” Luke asked, already knowing the answer.
This time he nodded, still unwilling to speak.
“Are you ready to talk about it?” Mindi asked, wrapping her arms around him, only managing to hug his waist.
Once again, he shook his head. He just looked down at her and wrapped his free arm around her, hugging her close to his side.
“We’re getting ready to go to the Sapphire Café to eat. Do you want to go with us?” James asked. “Maybe if you give yourself a little time, you can tell us what’s going on.” He just gave another nod, and a deep sigh.
“Okay, let’s get out of here. We’ll meet you over there,” Luke said, giving Mark another look of concern. He just nodded his head, handing the baby back to Lisa before turning to make his way back to his truck.
******
Mark wandered into the restaurant behind the others in time to help James flip one of the wooden highchairs over to sit Andrew’s car seat on. The little guy looked up at him, waving his hands and gurgling. Despite his current state of mind, he couldn’t help but smile at him. He reached his hand down, and the baby grabbed hold of his finger, immediately trying to stick it in his mouth. He gave a heavy sigh, patting him on the head before moving to sit down.
They hadn’t been seated more than a few seconds, when one of the owners, Stephenie Banks, who also sometimes served as waitress, walked up to take their orders. “Hey, everybody, how’s things going?”
“Mostly good,” Mindi answered with a smile.
“Mostly good?” the waitress chuckled.
“Well, nothing in life is ever easy, is it?”
“I guess not, but as long as you’re optimistic, things can’t be too bad,” she answered, giving Mark a curious look. She could tell something was bothering him, but she knew he was with the right crowd if he needed to talk. She took their orders, patted him on the shoulder and turned to head back to the kitchen.
They had been sitting there, making small talk long enough, Stephenie had made it back with their food and had already returned to the kitchen, but Mark still didn’t seem like he was ready to start talking yet. Luke decided to try again. “What’s going on, Mark?”
He sighed, taking a deep breath. “She told me she can’t take anymore. She wants me to stop.” When he said the words, it looked like he was getting ready to cry again. He leaned his head back against the wall, staring at the ceiling. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t want anyone else.”
“She wants you to stop?” James asked, sounding confused. “But she kissed you at mine and Lisa’s wedding. We all seen it.”
“Yeah, and I heard what she said before she kissed you.” Luke sounded more puzzled than James did. “She literally asked you not to stop till she gave in.”
“I called her after she ran out and asked her about that. That might be part of the problem,” he said, leaning forward to prop his elbows on the table and drop his head in his hands.
&n
bsp; “What do you mean?” Luke asked, trying to keep him talking.
“Ever since then, I’ve been asking her to marry me. She hasn’t said no. She just doesn’t answer.” The rest of them could feel the frustration coming off of him in waves. “She always just looks like she’s about to panic.”
“Mark, what exactly did she say?” Lisa asked, trying to hide a grin. She was already starting to suspect what the problem was.
“That’s easy. Would you like to know what we were doing at the time, also?” Mark asked, sounding more sarcastic than he meant to. Lisa just ignored his tone.
“Yeah, if it’s relevant,” Lisa said, unable to stop her grin from growing bigger.
“I was kissing her, and this time, my control had snapped. It’s like I couldn’t take anymore. If she hadn’t stopped me, I wouldn’t have. All I was thinking about, was touching her,” Mark said, shaking his head at himself, not sure if he felt more embarrassed or ashamed.
“Where were you at?” Luke asked, wondering just how close they had come.
“My house, and I know what you’re thinking. No, there wouldn’t have been anyone to come along to stop us.” Now he just felt guilty. “She wouldn’t have been over there, except she had to talk to me about some last-minute work stuff.”
“What did she say?” Lisa asked again, still grinning.
“She just pulled back, and while still in my arms, told me to stop. She said she couldn’t take anymore. If she had been speaking a language I couldn’t understand, I would have thought she was trying to encourage me,” he said, rubbing his hand over his face. “She was so breathless, and the fire was still in her eyes. At first, I thought she was just referring to right then. But then she said, ‘You can’t keep kissing me like this. You can’t touch me anymore.’”
Lisa just grinned and shook her head, frustrating Mark more. “Do you find it funny? I’m miserable over here,” he said, unintentionally snapping at her.
“I know how frustrated you are right now, and I’m going to ignore your tone. And I’m not laughing at your pain.” Lisa reached across the table and laid her hand over his, looking him in the eyes. “Don’t stop. She’s almost there. That’s the problem. She knows she’s about to cave. She’s just scared. She’s told Mindi and I both that she wants to marry you. She’s just terrified.”
“She’s told you, she wants to marry me?” he asked, sounding awed, and like he was struggling to breathe.
“Yes, Mark, she’s told us she wants to marry you. And she used the exact words, ‘I want to marry him’. But you already know she wants to marry you,” Lisa said, trying not to grin too big at his reaction.
“Because she’s let things slip. She’s made hints. She’s not actually come out and said it. Not where I could hear it, anyway,” he said, still seeming a little awed.
Mindi sat there grinning to herself for a minute. When she finally spoke, Mark ended up looking like he might pass out. “She actually thought about bypassing everything else and asking you to marry her. I told her she needed to kiss you first.”
When Mark started coughing because he almost choked, Luke smacked him on the back. “Slow down there. This information isn’t going to help you if you’ve strangled on a bite of cheeseburger.”
“All we can do is arm you with the information, as Luke said. You’re still going to have to do all the work. She’s way too terrified,” Lisa said, shaking her head.
“Why is she so terrified?” he asked, the frustration getting the better of him, and causing him to snap again.
Lisa sat back in her seat, and looking up at the ceiling, blew out a sigh. “I’m not sure she’s going to appreciate my telling you, but I think you need to understand.”
“Yeah, I agree with you. He does need to know. So, if she’s going to be mad at you, she can just be mad at me, as well,” Mindi said with such a belligerent look on her beautiful face, it caused Mark and Luke both to laugh.
Lisa nodded at Mindi and turned back to Mark. “When she first started dating, she went through several guys who dated her simply for her looks and body. Literally. All they wanted was sex. And it didn’t matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find anyone who just liked her, for her. She eventually found out there was a betting pool going to see who could get her in bed first. None of them seemed even remotely interested in getting to know her. They didn’t seem to realize she really is very intelligent and funny. That she’s not just a sexy body and beautiful face.”
“I already knew her really well by the time I realized I was in love with her,” Mark said with a frown. “Why does that apply to me?”
“It doesn’t. Just hang on,” Lisa said, patting his hand again.
“After a while, she was just so devastated, that she just quit trying. Especially after she found out about the bet. You know how sensitive she is,” Mindi said, smiling at Mark. “That was one of the things that always drew you to her. That was one of the first things I noticed when I started to realize you were in love with her.”
Mark couldn’t fight the grin that spread across his face as he sat there shaking his head. “How do you people do it? I would almost bet your mom knew before I knew myself.”
Mindi just grinned. “She did.”
“Anyway,” Mindi said, her tone turning serious once again. “Jenny and Zane both use comedy to protect themselves. Whether they want to admit it or not, they are the most easily hurt out of all of us. I think Tonya is going to be just as bad.”
“Yeah,” Luke said with a laugh. “We may have to hold Zane down and beat it into him, before he admits he’s in love with Amanda. They’re another case of should have been married right out of high school,” he said, winking at Lisa.
That caused everybody to laugh. Lisa just looked at her gorgeous brother-in-law and shook her head. “Okay, one sibling at a time,” she said, turning the subject back to Jenny. “Out of self-defense, she took on the attitude, ‘I’ll just date, and not bother getting serious with anyone.’ Now, it’s so second nature, she’s having trouble getting past it. Even though she knows you’re not like that.”
“Honestly, I worry about your sister. She’s even taller and leggier than Jenny. And she’s absolutely gorgeous. The only real difference is, she is so shy, the only guy she’ll even talk to is Alex.” Then with a laugh, Mindi added, “And I think Alex would kill anybody who did anything to hurt her.”
“Yeah, I worry about my sister, also,” he said on a loud sigh. When he turned and looked back at Lisa, she could see the doubt and pain that still lingered in his eyes. “Are you sure, I shouldn’t stop. Until today, she hadn’t said one thing about me stopping.”
“That’s because, for a few minutes today, she let the fear control her,” Lisa said, shaking her head. “But whatever you do, don’t give up. All that’s going to do is make both of you miserable.”
They had finally gotten done eating, and Mark was getting up to leave. “I’ve got to get out of here. I’ve got to be on a plane from Saint Louis to Vegas at eight forty-five in the morning.”
Luke looked up at him with a curious look on his face. “Why?”
“Corporate called an impromptu meeting. They decided to have it in Vegas, in hopes of not ruining everybody’s fourth. It’s probably going to be a rough couple of days. Jenny has to go with me. They’re having several of these meetings, in order to meet with as many of their franchise owners as they can, at once. It was my turn in the rotations, along with roughly ninety-eight other men and women. Both owners and their assistants. They’re trying to meet with at least fifty owners at a time.”
Luke had to work hard to stifle his laugh, and it ended up being pointless anyway. Mark turned and gave him a sour look before continuing like he hadn’t been interrupted.
“That’s why Jenny was at my house earlier. I had already left work when they got the call. We were getting plane tickets and making hotel reservations.”
“Did you bother with separate hotel rooms?” Luke asked with a grin.
&n
bsp; Mark just gave him a dirty look, not bothering to answer.
“When are you supposed to head back?” Luke asked, once again, fighting hard not to laugh.
“The fifth. Our plane back leaves at ten fifteen in the morning,” he answered with a scowl. “Would you, please, tell me what’s so funny?”
All Luke could say was, “Irony.”
“Irony? What’s that supposed to mean?” Mark asked, feeling certain he already knew the answer.
“Never mind,” Luke said, shaking his head, just managing to wipe the smile from his face. “You’ll be here for the sixth. Do you think you’ll make it for the barbecue?” he asked, deciding to change the subject before Mark got angry. The big guy was already emotional enough without him accidentally pushing the wrong buttons. He didn’t need to cause him to blow his stack.
Mark shook his head but decided to let it go. “I’ll try. I’ve got to go. I’ll see you when we get back.”
Luke sat and watched him walk out the door, then turned and looked back at the three still at the table with him. “I don’t think he’ll try to get her drunk, but if she does get drunk, they’ll come back married.”
Lisa just looked over at him and nodded her head, but James ended up asking, “Do you really think he’d marry her, if she was drunk?”
“He’s so desperate right now, I’m not sure there isn’t anything he wouldn’t try,” Mindi said, watching Mark back his truck out of his parking spot through the window.
“Yeah,” Luke said, nodding his head. “I don’t think he’ll have to be drunk, either.”
“Surely you don’t think he’d ask her while she was drunk. This is Mark we’re talking about,” James said, really sounding puzzled.
Married in Vegas (The Townsends Book 3) Page 2
