Mark held his hand out in the direction of the empty seat beside him and Samantha sat next to Tommy de Salvo.
Up on the stage, the band members were taking their spots as the Master of Ceremonies he had hired for the gala walked toward the mike in the middle of the stage. At a signal from the MC, the lights dimmed to warn the attendees it was time to find their tables.
Mark took a spot next to Bridget, leaving the seat between him and Samantha empty. After another flash of the lights, the crowd quieted down and a spotlight jumped to life on the MC.
The man, a local comedian with a nice following, quickly launched into a welcome speech peppered with jokes about the various military branches. Laughter greeted his quips as well as the murmur of good-natured ribbing from those at the many tables scattered through the ballroom. As his monologue wore down, he waved his hand in Mark’s direction.
“Of course, we wouldn’t be here tonight for such a worthy cause without the help of Captain Mark Smith and his fellow volunteers. Mark, come on up here,” the MC said and urged him toward the stage again.
With a tight smile, he rose and walked to the podium to take the microphone that the comedian offered. Uncomfortable with the attention, he forced out the speech he had rehearsed countless times over the last few days.
“Thank you all for being here and for your generous support. Thanks to you, we’ve raised nearly $150,000 that will be used to provide assistance to local veterans and their families for everything from mental health counseling to rehabbing homes for wounded military men and women. I want to take a moment to thank all the volunteers who made this possible. Please stand up and the rest of you, please put your hands together to thank them.”
At assorted tables throughout the ballroom, men and women rose from their seats and the crowd applauded with their appreciation for the work they had done. As the noise died down, he continued.
“Most of all, thank you to all the veterans and active duty military men, women, and families who are here tonight. God bless you and God bless the U.S.A.”
As raucous shouts and more cheers erupted throughout the room, he handed the microphone back to the MC and returned to his seat.
Bridget leaned close and whispered, “Very nice, Captain.”
“Mark,” he repeated, but as he peered her way, he caught the mischievous grin that said she was just baiting him.
The comedian finished up with a few other jokes and urged the couples to share a little dancing before dinner as the lights snapped back to life. A second later, the lead singer for the group walked to the microphone and started crooning a classic about being under the boardwalk.
He rose, held out his hand, and said, “Would you like to dance?”
Chapter 4
Bridget stared at his outstretched hand and squeaked, “Dance?”
Mark smiled and wiggled two fingers in a walking motion. “Yes, dance. It’s like when two people hold hands and move their feet to the music.”
The holding hands part wasn’t what had her worried. It was the being pressed to that lean muscular body and having his hands on her part. Especially as she once again imagined those hands all over her. Between her legs, damp heat erupted and her breasts tingled with the thought.
“So, will you dance with me?” he pressed at her prolonged silence.
She shot to her feet, a mistake given the very high heels Maggie had convinced her to purchase. As she wobbled, he stepped close and laid his hands on her hips to steady her.
“I guess that’s a ‘yes’,” he said and eased an arm around her waist to escort her out onto the dance floor.
With a smooth and practiced move, he shifted her into his arms, keeping a respectable distance, but as the song played on, they moved closer and closer until they were pressed against each other. Her head was tucked against his cheek and his warm breath spilled against her forehead as they moved together. Body rubbing against body in a way that made it impossible for her not to feel every hard muscle beneath the fabric of his tuxedo and his very obvious erection against the flatness of her belly.
His hands bracketed her hips, but as she rubbed them across his cock, he raised one to the bare skin at the small of her back and shifted the other higher to hold her ever tighter to him.
He nuzzled the side of her face and whispered, “I wish we were somewhere more private.”
“Tell me why,” she said, feeling a boldness that was so unlike her.
He jerked back a bit, as surprised as she was at her response. As their gazes connected, he said, “Why?”
Shooting a quick glance around at everyone in the place and back to the table where the very gorgeous Samantha still sat, she locked her gaze with his again and said, “Yes, why? You could have your choice of lots of women in this room, but you picked me. Why?”
His full lips thinned into a tight slash. “Do you really not know how beautiful you are? How interesting you are on so many levels?”
She tilted her head defiantly and without hesitation said, “I didn’t think you were into women like me.”
A harsh chuckle escaped him and he pressed her just a little closer, trapping the long hard ridge of his erection between their bodies. “I so want to be into you in every way you can imagine and some you might not have imagined.”
Heat blasted across her cheeks as she let herself think about all those ways. Luckily the song ended and the band launched into a much faster beat, ending their dance.
They stood there, plastered together. Bodies nearly shaking from the desire running through both of them before Mark took a deep breath and stepped away, but he kept his hands on her as he guided her back to the table.
Samantha’s shrewd gaze was on them as they approached and sat down, the seat between her and Mark still empty.
As the band continued to play, waiters came around to serve them dinner. A salad of spring greens topped with caramelized pecans, pears, and goat cheese. A succulent steak that was so tender you could cut it with your fork. The sides were some of her favorites, roasted potatoes and creamed spinach, but she barely tasted any of the food put in front of her. She was too consumed with Mark as he sat beside her, from the subtle press of his broad shoulder against hers to the way the muscles in his jaw played as he chewed.
Every now and then they’d exchange some niceties about the meal, but she couldn’t fail to notice how he watched her and the heat in his gaze.
When the waiters whisked away the plates for the main dish and laid out a decadent chocolate cake in front of them, she hesitated for a moment, drawing Mark’s attention.
“Not a fan of chocolate?” he asked, dragging a chuckle from Maggie, who was sitting beside her.
“Are you kidding? Bridget loves chocolate,” her sister said.
“Do you?” he asked, forked up a piece of her cake, and held it up to her lips.
She didn’t know why she felt like Adam being tempted by Eve. Maybe it was the challenging gleam in his icy blue eyes or the sexy little quirk of his lips. Regardless, she wasn’t going to pass up this challenge.
She laid her hand on his thigh and his muscles jumped beneath her palm as she leaned forward and ate the piece of cake off his fork.
The cake was sinfully moist and sweet. She swallowed, licked her lips and said, “Delicious. Try some yourself.”
She imitated his earlier action, forking up a piece from his plate and bringing it to his lips.
As she had, he laid a hand on her thigh, his calloused palm hot against the bare skin revealed by the slit in the leg. He swooped forward and snatched the cake off her fork.
“Sweet and creamy,” he said, but as he delicately rubbed his hand along her thigh, she suspected he wasn’t referring to the cake.
Mark moved his hand up and down her thigh, encountering the soft satin of her dress and her even smoother skin. Her body trembled beneath his caress and as he looked toward her plate to scoop up another piece of cake, it was impossible not to notice how the tight nubs of her breasts pushin
g against the fabric of her gown.
His mouth watered, but not from thoughts of the chocolate cake.
He offered her up another piece and she slipped it off the fork with her deliciously full lips, licked them, and he nearly came as he thought about her doing the same to his cock. Especially as she shifted her hand across his thigh.
He wanted her hands on him and to have his hands on her, but not here.
Leaning close, he whispered, “I’m ready to call it a night. How about you?”
She shot him a quick look before scanning the various couples, and Samantha, at the table. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m a little tired. Maggie wore me out with all her shopping today,” she said.
“Yes, we did do a lot of running around. I’m a little tired, too,” her sister chimed in, helping her out.
Maggie and Trevor popped up out of their seats and Bridget did as well.
“If you don’t mind, I’ll walk you to your room,” he said and shot out of his chair as well.
“I don’t mind,” she said with a secret kind of smile.
After goodbyes to their friends, they hurried out of the ballroom. Trevor and Maggie were in one tower of the casino, while Bridget was in the second. They exchanged hugs and handshakes in the lobby and went their separate ways, all of them eager for some time alone.
As they waited at the elevator bank, Bridget shot him an anxious look. “Are you sure about this?” she asked.
Mark had never been surer of anything, but it was obvious she was still hesitant. “I am, but if you’re having any doubts . . .”
The ding of the elevator’s arrival kept him from continuing and her from answering. They climbed on board, but once inside, went to separate sides of the elevator, almost like fighters in a boxing ring.
“This isn’t something I normally do,” she said, tightly gripping the metal rail on the elevator wall.
“Me, either, although you seem to think otherwise,” he said, puzzled by what was happening.
“The guys always talk – ”
“About all the women I’m with. I get that, but it’s part of what I do here for the casinos. You’re around guys all the time on the beach replenishment job,” he shot back and sauntered over until he was standing right in front of her, his gaze locked on hers.
“It’s different,” she said and glanced away, clearly uneasy.
The words were on his lips, ready to spill out, when the elevator jerked to a rough stop, jostling them together.
Darkness surrounded them for a brief second until a dim emergency light kicked on.
“What happened?” Bridget said and laid her hands on his chest to steady herself.
“Let me call someone and find out.” He reached beneath his tuxedo jacket, pulled out his cell phone, and speed dialed his employee who was on duty for the night.
The man answered immediately. “Good evening, sir. How can I help you?”
“Evening, Zack. My current situation is that I’m stuck in an elevator in the South tower.”
“Roger, that. Chatter is that there’s a transformer problem. Hold on while I check on when it’ll be fixed,” Zack said.
He could hear Zack talking to someone on another line and from what he could gather, it wasn’t good news.
“Zack?” he said and a moment later, the young man came back on. He turned on the speaker and tilted the phone so that Bridget could hear the reply as well.
“I’m sorry, sir. They say it could be as much as an hour before they get the power back. We’ve lost eyes in the elevators as well,” he said, referring to the closed circuit cameras. “Do you want me to send someone up to try and get you out?”
And give up an hour alone with Bridget in a nearly dark and very private elevator?
He skipped his gaze to hers and she shook her head to confirm that their rescue was unnecessary. “No, Zack. We’ll be fine. Just keep me posted if the situation changes,” he said and swiped off the cell phone.
“Are you sure?” he asked, wanting to be certain that she was fine with their unplanned captivity.
Am I sure? Bridget thought. She had never envisioned the night starting quite like this, but it made it impossible for her to change her mind about what she wanted: one night of pleasure with this amazing man.
“I’m sure, Captain,” she teased. Dragging up false bravado, she added, “You strike me as a resourceful man. I’m sure you can think of what to do to keep us occupied for the next hour.”
He huffed out a rough breath, laid his hand at the crook of her neck, and tenderly swiped his thumb across the line of her jaw. “They say that darkness heightens all the other senses,” he said, the tone of his voice low and husky.
She looked past him to the emergency light that cast murky illumination in the space. “Not quite dark.”
“Not quite. Close your eyes, Bridget,” he said, a hint of command threaded in his voice.
She examined his shadowed features, taut with desire. His crystalline gaze hot, irises wide with passion. As much as she wanted to lose herself in that gaze, she dragged her eyes closed, anxious for more.
“That’s it, babe. You’re so beautiful,” he said and when she went to protest, he slipped his index finger over her lips. “No, don’t deny it. Not when I’m so hard for you that I’m ready to burst out of these pants.”
To prove his point, he guided her hand to his erection and laid it against him, but as she went to stroke him, he said, “No, not yet. First it’s all about you.”
He skimmed his fingers from her jaw down to the low Vee of the dress, the pads of his fingers rough against her skin. He ran his index finger along the edge of the fabric, avoiding where she wanted his hand the most and she mewled in frustration.
Chuckling, he said, “Patience, Bridget. No sense rushing since we have an hour.”
She wouldn’t survive an hour of this slow seduction. It had been way too long since she’d been with a man and she was way too needy. But she wouldn’t beg either and . . .
She shook as he dipped his hand beneath the fabric and covered her breast with his palm. A wave of wet and heat exploded between her legs with his touch and when he dragged his thumb across the tip of her breast, a whimper escaped her.
He muttered a curse and laid his forehead against hers. His breath was shaky as he said, “You make me crazy with those sounds, Bridget. With the way you feel, so soft and hard. I want to taste you, babe.”
He danced his lips down her nose and to her lips. He opened his mouth on hers and plucked her tight nipple with his fingers, dragging another sexy cry from her before she said, “I want your mouth on me, Mark.”
“Whatever you want, babe.” He brushed aside the fabric of the dress and dipped his head to lick and suck the hard nub of her nipple while he teased the other one with his fingers.
The heat and wet of his mouth was far more enticing than she had expected. The strong yet gentle pull of his lips. The slickness of his tongue as he licked the tip and followed it with a teasing bite.
“God, Mark. That feels so good,” she said and cradled his head to her.
“You’re so sweet, Bridget. So sweet,” Mark said, loving how responsive she was to his every touch and taste. Wanting to give her so much more pleasure and show her just how beautiful and exciting he found her.
He shifted to her other breast, sucking and biting. His fingers plucking and rubbing the wet all around the tip of the breast he had just left. As she butted her hips against him, he nearly came from that slight pressure, he was so ready for her. But he wanted her to experience her pleasure first. Wanted to show her just how good it could be between them because he sensed that even though she was with him now, she wasn’t quite sure if this was the right thing for her.
He wasn’t sure it was either. Not when she found out more about him. About all the things he couldn’t offer her, but he wouldn’t think about that now.
Not now when it was all so good. So promising.
He kept on lov
ing her breast with his mouth while he dipped his hand lower and found the slit in her dress. He eased beneath the fabric and toward her center, anxious to have her beneath his fingers. Anticipating how she would feel and imagining all that heat and wet surrounding him.
He moaned at the thought and she shook at the sound.
“Mark,” she said and grasped his wrist as he ran his fingers along the top edge of her panties.
He’d never forced anyone before and he wouldn’t now. Raising his head, he met her heavy-lidded gaze. “If you want me to stop, I will. Just say the word.”
“I don’t want to be selfish. What about you?”
He released a shaky chuckle and said, “Giving you pleasure is very satisfying and the night has just started.”
Just started.
The words repeated in Bridget’s head and melded with thoughts of them together, satisfying each other over and over and over again. She didn’t think it was possible, but another wave of wet dampened her panties and her clit pulsed in anticipation.
She released his wrist and stroked her hand up his arm as she parted her legs.
Eyes locked with hers, Mark dipped his thumb beneath the edge of her panties and found her center. As he rubbed his thumb around and around her clit, her breath grew choppy and her knees wobbled a bit.
She grabbed hold of his shoulders and he wrapped one arm around her waist to offer support.
He eased his hand between her legs, swept his fingers across her nether lips and eased a finger inside.
Her vagina clenched with need and he groaned. “God, you’re so wet. Tight,” he said as he stroked her.
She was tight because it had been way too long since she’d slept with a man much less had one finger fuck her as he was doing. Each stroke of his fingers along her sensitive clit and vagina brought ever greater need until she was rocking against his hand and moaning for more.
One Night of Pleasure: Military Romance Featuring a Sexy Navy Hero (Take a Chance Book 5) Page 2
