by Sarah Skye
As she presses her palms on the stark white tile wall, I lean down to the base of her neck and lick the water droplets adorning her skin. A slow hiss glides out of her mouth. The sound is downright carnal, and I smile against her shoulder. This is gonna be so fucking good.
“I’m just getting started, gorgeous,” I growl. “Pace yourself.”
She starts to say something, but when I kiss my way down her spine, her words turn garbled. It’s a slow path I take, savoring each lick of her perfect skin. A minute later, I’m on my knees, facing her perfect ass. I lean up and give the base of her spine one last feather-light kiss.
“Marco, please.” She’s whining now. She was panting the entire time I kissed my way down her back; now she’s vibrating, aching, begging. Fuck, is it hot.
“Please what?”
“Please… just… more.”
More.
That I can definitely do.
I give the underside of her ass cheek a gentle scrape with my teeth. She gasps.
“Okay or not okay?” I ask.
“So very okay. Better than okay,” she pants.
I repeat the move on her other side as I slip my hand between her legs and feel her body shudder against my lips.
“So fucking wet,” I mutter. “So fucking hot.”
More breathy stammering. I transition from gentle scrapes to gentle bites against the fleshy part of her ass as I circle my fingers around her clit. Her sounds turn more and more desperate the longer I go on. Soon, she reaches back. I feel her fingers in my hair. She tugs hard, and I grin as I press a soft kiss to her right ass cheek.
“Oh my god, Marco, I can’t…” Her legs start to shake, her pants turn ragged, and her whines ricochet against the shower walls.
My knees are screaming against the stone floor as I work her with my hand, but I don’t care. If my knees are shot for the rest of my life, it’ll be worth it. Hearing and feeling Morgan come apart in my literal hands is heaven. Her taste, her moans, the way she whines my name like it’s the only word she can remember, it all drives me out of my mind. I’m losing myself right along with her, moaning louder and louder against her ass.
“You can’t what?”
“I can’t… I can’t keep standing…” she finally pants.
I pull away from her and hop up to my feet, then place my hand between her legs and pick up where I left off. I press my chest against her back, letting her know she can lean on me for support. Instantly she relaxes against me, but that just means my dick is against the small of her back.
“Do you feel this? Do you feel how hard I am because of you, how crazy you make me?”
She whines “yes.” I pivot slightly so I can stroke the base of my cock in tandem with my strokes for her. I’m so hard it hurts. But then she reaches behind and grips me, taking over.
“Oh, fuck,” I mutter. The surge of pressure in my dick at just the feel of her silky fingers have me counting the seconds.
When she picks up speed, I know I don’t have long. For a second I worry I’ll burst before her, but her pants turn desperate and her wails turn deafening, both signs that she’s close.
I slide my free hand into that gorgeous wet mass of brown-blonde hair and gently tug.
“Yes!”
She shatters against me, her entire body trembling as she shouts my name over and over. It’s the most ridiculous ego boost, but I can’t help it. I fucking love how in this moment, my name is the only word her orgasm-riddled brain knows.
The physical effect it has on me is almost funny. The pressure in my cock turns to heat instantly, and soon I’m spilling into her hand, my entire body tense. Even through my clenched jaw, I can’t help but spurt a line of profanity.
When we finish, we just stand there for a few moments, her leaning into me, my face burrowed in that perfect spot between her neck and her shoulder, water cascading over us, both of us breathing like we’ve sprinted a 10K.
After a few seconds, Morgan spins to me, slides her arms around my waist, and levels me with that pleasure-drunk look in her eyes. “You really know your way around a vagina.”
I boom out a laugh. She giggles into my chest.
“I mean, I hope I do. I’m almost thirty-one. I should know what the hell I’m doing by now.”
She shakes her head against my chest. “It’s just unfair, how good you are with your mouth, your dick, and your hands. And you’re gorgeous. Like, what the hell are other guys supposed to do when you exist in the world?”
Her mumbled words set my cheeks on fire. I’m glad she’s not looking up at me right now because I’m sure the smile I’m sporting is cheesy as fuck.
“Best compliment ever.” I turn off the water before reaching over and grabbing a towel for her.
“Don’t get a big head.” She squints at me.
“Oh, I wouldn’t dare.” I wrap a towel around my waist and step out of the shower, making sure to leave enough room for her to step out and dry off.
Once she finishes, I yank her towel away and throw it on the floor.
She laughs. “What the hell was—”
She yelps as I lean over and throw her over my shoulder, then head for the bedroom.
“Marco!”
“Morgan!”
She laughs before tugging my towel loose so it falls to the floor. Her giggles echo in the hallway, and I catch myself hoping that this isn’t the last time I hear that sound in my place.
I drop her onto my bed. She’s still giggling, her hair is a beautiful, sopping wet mess around her shoulders, and I’ve never wanted anyone or anything as much as I want her right now.
“What’s all this about?” she asks.
I lower down, leaning my hands against the edge of the bed. “My ego. I’ve still got a lot left to prove if you’re not ready to admit that my head deserves to be at least a bit bigger after my performance in there. And in here.”
Her smile turns devilish.
“Okay, then.” She wags an eyebrow and bites her lips as she spreads her legs wider. My mouth waters. “Show me what you’ve got.”
“God, how many times are you gonna make me say it?” Morgan laughs from the passenger seat of my car on our way to Gram’s.
“As many times as I need to. I have a massive ego that needs to be stroked.”
She lightly shoves my shoulder. I smile at her before turning my attention back to the road as I pull onto Nina’s street.
“Okay, okay. You’re a sex god. There. I said it.”
I grin wide as I keep my stare straight ahead. Out of the corner of my eye, I catch her crossing her arms, but I don’t miss that gorgeous smile. She’s been flashing it almost the whole morning.
“Sex god. Man, I like the sound of that. I think that would look great on business cards, don’t you? ‘Marco Woodruff, attorney at law and sex god.’”
She groans and laughs. “I knew the second I uttered those words, I’d never hear the end of it.”
“It’s okay. I get it. You were in the heat of the moment, you couldn’t help but say what you felt. It was what, round five? Six maybe? When you finally said it. I feel like I earned that title.”
She shoves me again, but this time, I capture her hand in mine. We drive the rest of the way like that. Yeah, it’s mushy and sweet and ridiculous, but I fucking love it. I’ve never held hands with anyone while driving before. I’ve never done this playful teasing thing either. One minute we’re all over each other, and the next we’re giving each other shit like we always do. It’s fun. It’s comfortable. It’s entirely out of character for me, yet it’s also the most natural thing in the world.
And I don’t want it to end.
After I park in Gram’s driveway, we get out and walk to the front door. When we step inside, she stands up from her plush armchair and pulls us both into hugs.
“It’s so good to see you kids. Come, sit. I made lunch.”
I eat and let Gram and Morgan catch up, smiling as Gram answers every single one of Morgan’s question
s about how she’s feeling and if she’s eating enough and getting enough rest.
“Yes, MoMo, promise I’m doing great.” She pats Morgan’s hand, and I say that it definitely looks like she’s doing well.
Nina beams at me, and I notice just how much brighter her smile looks than the last time I was here. She’s moving a lot more quickly too. And, judging by how she finishes her serving of roasted chicken and vegetables, she’s telling the truth when she says she’s eating well enough.
When we finish, Morgan starts to clear the table. She looks over at me and nods. I take that as my cue to follow Nina into the living room and talk to her about the phone call she received yesterday from that slimeball Rick Heyden.
“Oh right, right.” She waves a hand as she sits. I sit on the couch next to her. “No, he hasn’t tried to call.”
“Good. Because to be honest with you Nina, he’s a pretty bad guy.”
I explain the situation as delicately as I can, careful to omit the profanity I used on the phone with Rick yesterday.
When I finish, she’s shaking her head, a bewildered look on her face. “Oh my. That’s just awful.”
“He won’t be bothering you anymore.”
She turns to pat my hand, her expression relieved. “Thank you, Marco. I’d hate to think what would have happened if you hadn’t stumbled into our lives the way you did. You’ve helped us so much.”
I catch Morgan looking up from the table toward us, flashing a small smile before heading to the sink.
“I’m always here for you, in whatever way you need.” Thankfully all the rage from dealing with Rick yesterday has dissipated. Now all I’m concerned about is helping Nina.
She smiles at me. “You’re a real sweetheart. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
I have to take an extra second to compose myself before thanking her, I’m so touched by what she’s said.
“I was wondering, have any of your friends dealt with phone calls like that?” I ask.
“I’m not sure. I can ask.”
“I think you should. And give them my phone number. I’m happy to help anyone who’s dealing with those bas—I mean…”
Nina chuckles. “Oh honey, call them bastards. That’s what they are.”
I can’t help but smile. “I’m here to deal with those bastards so you and your friends don’t have to. I mean it. Have them call me anytime they need legal assistance. I’ll take care of it for them, no charge.”
She gives my hand a squeeze before standing up and excusing herself to her bedroom to call her friend Bev. I walk back into the kitchen and hear Morgan’s voice. When she says Lily’s name, I stop dead.
“Lily, are you serious? Shit, I’m so sorry… Wow, is there really nothing they can do?... No, no, no, don’t freak out… Of course, I will… You’re my best friend and I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure your big day goes off without a hitch.”
Just as I turn around to leave so she can finish her conversation, I hear her say, “Okay yeah, call me later. Bye.”
I stop, turn back to her, and take in her expression as she gazes at me. Uncertain. Uneasy, maybe? Whatever it is, it’s not the giddy joy that coursed through her yesterday and this morning.
We’re so fucked.
Just like that, the words I uttered to her yesterday land like a brick to my head. The playfulness is long gone; all that’s left is the serious side of that statement. A reminder that, no matter how amazing the sex is between us, or how good it feels to be with her, or how many times she jokingly calls me a sex god, it doesn’t change reality. And the reality is this: Morgan is screwing and sneaking around with her best friend’s ex. It doesn’t matter how much therapy I go to. I could become a monk and spend the rest of my life rescuing orphans. I can’t rewrite history. I can’t undo all the pain I caused. And at some point, Morgan is going to have to decide if I’m worth sticking with despite all that.
I shove aside the thought and hope that I reined in my expression in time.
“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were on the phone,” I say, trying to keep my tone light.
“Yeah, um… that was Lily.” She fumbles with her phone like she’s purposely trying not to look at me. “I guess the orchard where she and Calder are having their wedding screwed up something in their schedule and they’ve had to bump up the ceremony to next month.”
“Oh shit, yeah, that sucks.”
“It’ll be okay. Her dad threatened to sue them for the mess up, so they’re comping pretty much the whole thing.” The smile she flashes is so clearly forced, it hurts to look at.
I rub the back of my neck. “Yeah well, her dad is definitely the kind of guy who wouldn’t let someone get away with doing something shady.”
It takes a second for me to fully soak in what I’ve said. I don’t actually realize it until I notice Morgan’s pale face.
Kind of like how he fired me after I tried to pick up Lily the night before I was meant to marry Harmony.
Damn. I really do ruin everything.
20
MORGAN
My eyes burn from staring at the top of Marco’s head. He’s gazing at his shoes, hand still on the back of his neck. It’s clear his own words have hit him as hard as they did me.
We’re going to ruin everything. I am the worst friend in the world.
Because my heart is throbbing and the desire to slip my arms around his waist is strong, no matter how aware I am that he was, in fact, shady as fuck. Because while part of my brain is trying to figure out what all Lily will need to have a perfect wedding bumped up by a month, the other part wants to go right back to Marco’s apartment and spend the afternoon in his bed/shower/whatever surface we find.
Officially the worst friend in the world.
My throat is thick when I swallow. “Maybe we should talk.”
His sigh sounds like a balloon deflating. “Sure.”
Marco’s eyes stay down as he plops into the chair beside me. “Pretty sure I know where this is going,” he mutters.
“Yeah, well… what am I going to do?” The words tumble out before my ‘let’s be sensible’ speech can. “I’m a horrible person, Marco! I’m going to bring so much karma back on me for being a shit friend who can’t keep it in her pants.”
I cover my face with both hands and shake my head, groaning softly so as not to alarm Gram.
His warm fingers circle my wrists, but he doesn’t try to pull my hands away. It’s more like he’s holding onto me. “You’re not, Morgan. You’re a great friend and an amazing person. This whole thing is my fault.”
I laugh bitterly. “The hell it is. Like I’m some damsel in distress. Like you seduced me. Even as I’m talking about how horrible I am, I still can’t stop thinking about last night. Still haven’t stopped wanting you.”
He freezes; I can feel it through his grip on me. “What was that?”
Dammit, his voice has that growl that gives me chills. I peek at him through my fingers to see that dangerous blaze in his eyes again. “Don’t look at me like that.”
“I don’t know how else to look at you,” he rasps.
Electricity pops between us so hard, I leap out of my chair and grab his hair. Tilting his head back, I bend down to find his kiss. He groans against my lips, hands now splayed on my hips and clamped on tight. I straddle his knee where it’s angled off the chair and sink lower until the seam of my jeans meets his thigh. Lord almighty, how can I not be sore after all this sex?
“What are we going to do?” I gasp against his lips.
“More of this. And something else that I don’t know yet.”
I laugh before we seal together again.
“Marco, I spoke to Bev and—”
Gram trots into the living room from the hallway at the same moment my eyes fly open and a metric fuckton of adrenaline rushes my veins. I leap to my feet and grab Marco’s face, peeling one eyelid open and peering down at him.
“What are you talking about, you big baby? There’s no sc
ratch on your cornea.” My voice is ridiculous, loud and breathy all at once. The heat in my cheeks certainly can’t help sell this scene. “Hey, Gram, sorry. What was that? Marco’s just being a wuss about having something in his eye.”
Gram’s silver eyebrows are at her hairline. Her lips twitch in a way that screams bullshit, but she doesn’t say anything about it. I step away while Marco swallows hard and bounces his attention between us.
“Is that so?” Gram finally murmurs. “I have eye drops if you need them, Marco. Morgan can certainly show you where they are.”
“Uhmm, in a second. What-uh-what were you saying, Nina?” Marco clears his throat about six times in that one sentence.
Gram’s amusement abates. “Oh, right. Bev has been talking to this Rick fellow. Apparently, she’s requested initial information already and sent a deposit. She said two other ladies in our bridge club have had similar calls.”
My blood runs cold when Marco palms his eyes. I can hear the “Fuck!” he’s mentally shouting, but of course he isn’t going to curse in front of Gram. Finally, he lowers his hand and takes a deep breath. “I see. Don’t worry, Nina. I’ll handle it. Do you have her number?”
She hands him a scrap of paper with a solemn nod.
He gets to his feet slowly. His aura is quiet, commanding, as if he’s gathering his energy. It’s hot as hell, I can’t lie. “I’ll take care of it,” he says softly, and Gram and I both nod in unison, certain that he will.
Those dark eyes are burning with something new when he fixes his gaze on me again. “Can you show me where those eye drops are?”
“Oh, uh, okay.”
I lead him to the bathroom while Gram sets about making a cup of tea. When the door closes to the tiny space, we simply stare at each other. “That was a little bit of a cock block, huh?” I say at last.
