Someone To Watch Over Her

by Margaret Watson

  In short, he wanted all the things he knew he shouldn’t have, knew he couldn’t have. But that didn’t stop the wanting.

  She was a physical ache inside him. He wanted to press her against the wall of the cottage and kiss her until she melted into him. He wanted to kiss her until he didn’t know where he ended and she began. He wanted to taste every inch of her, explore every bit of her silky skin. He wanted to lose himself in her.

  “Is something wrong?” she asked, her voice apprehensive.

  He opened his eyes to find her staring at him, anxiety in her eyes. “Everything is fine.” Except my self-control, he added viciously to himself. “I just wanted to make sure no one had followed us.”

  And make sure he could keep his hands off her, at least until they got to their cottage.

  “Did you see someone behind us on the way back here?”

  “No, I didn’t see a thing.”

  Her mouth curved with relief. “You’re just being careful. I guess I’ve never seen you working before. I’ll have to get used to it.”

  “Let’s go.” He should tell her not to get used to anything about him. It would just make it that much harder for both of them when he had to leave her. But he couldn’t force himself to say the words. He had never wanted a woman with such overpowering intensity, such deep-down, all-consuming need. And that frightened the hell out of him.

  Chapter 11

  As soon as the door to their cottage closed behind them, he pressed her against the wall and fastened his mouth to hers. With a moan deep in her throat, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him close.

  He felt her trembling against him, felt her clutching his shoulders and with a rush of power knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She was as aroused, as needy as he was.

  He groaned her name as he kissed her, thrust inside her mouth to taste every bit of her. She opened to him, kissing him back, moving against him so that he thought he would explode.

  Suddenly he couldn’t bear it for another moment. He had to feel her skin against his, feel the slick slide of their bodies moving together. He reached around and yanked her shirt over her head. He heard the sound of cloth tearing, but he was beyond caring. Frantically he pulled at his shirt, ripping it off, hearing the sound of buttons clattering to the floor. He yanked open her bra and tossed that to the floor, as well.

  Her nipples were hard and pebbled, and he groaned as they brushed against the hair on his chest. His fingers trembled as he hooked them into the waistband of her shorts and pulled. Shorts and panties tumbled to the floor, and she stood naked in front of him.

  Her eyes were dark and smoky as she reached for him. He felt the shake of her hands as she drew his shorts down his legs, then let her hands trail over him, cupping him intimately. He closed his eyes and shuddered as sensations he’d never felt coursed through him. Power and need expanded inside him until he thought he would explode with the force. His whole being pulsed with the need for her, throbbed with the insistent rhythm of her name.

  Her hand tightened around him, and he shuddered convulsively. Groaning, he lifted her and pressed her legs around his waist. Then he plunged inside her, deep into the tight, slick heat he craved.

  She gasped his name and dug her fingers into his back. A faraway voice told him to stop, that he was treating her far too roughly. But she moved against him and cried out his name, and he was lost.

  He bent his head to take one of her hard nipples into his mouth as he moved against her. She cried out again, tightening her hold on him. He plunged into her again and felt her release clenching around him like a fist. He shuddered once more and poured himself into her.

  He stood with his face in her hair, pressing her against the wall, for what seemed like forever. Finally her trembling subsided and he eased her to the floor, rolling her on top of him. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her as tightly as he could.

  “I’m sorry,” he said when he could speak again. “That was unforgivable.”

  He felt her raise her head to look at him, but he didn’t open his eyes. “What do you mean?” she finally asked. Her voice sounded subdued.

  At that he opened his eyes. Her face was still flushed with passion, but he saw the doubt in her eyes. Cursing himself, he stroked his hand down the fall of her hair. “I shouldn’t have been so rough, so violent. I should have had more consideration for you. I should have been more careful.”

  She stared at him for a moment, then her mouth curved into a smile. “Are you telling me that you couldn’t control yourself?”

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Anger at what he had done to her blended with burgeoning fear. What was happening to him?

  She gave him a sensual smile and curled her hand around his neck, nestling against him once more. “I’m sorry you didn’t like it. I thought it was wonderful.”

  His heart slammed against his chest. “Of course I liked it,” he said roughly. “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is the point?”

  “I could have hurt you. I wasn’t thinking of your needs.”

  “I’d say my needs were taken care of quite nicely.” She was almost purring.

  “Dammit, Jessica, that’s not what I mean. I lost control with you. I didn’t think, I just felt. And took.”

  She raised her head, and she was no longer smiling. “I took, too, Marcus. In case you didn’t notice, there were two of us making love just now. And nothing happened that I didn’t want to happen.”

  “How could you know what you want?” The fear had him sitting up, trying to move away from her. “You’ve never made love with anyone before.”

  “Is that what’s wrong?” she asked softly. “That you’re afraid you hurt the inexperienced little virgin?”

  He nodded curtly. That was as good an answer as any. He didn’t want to talk about what had happened to him on the inside. He didn’t want to talk about the fact that he had allowed himself to be totally vulnerable to her.

  She gave him a radiant smile and curled into him. “I’d say I went beyond the status of virgin a long time ago. I feel like I’ve been making love with you for years.”

  He felt the same way, and it panicked him. The next step would be wanting to continue making love with her forever.

  He knew he should move away from her, sever the bonds that seemed to be growing between them right in front of his eyes. But he couldn’t do it. Instead, he reached out and pulled her closer. God help him, he couldn’t let her go just yet.

  “I love the fact that you lost control like that,” she murmured. “Can we do it again sometime?”

  He groaned into her hair, already feeling himself responding to her. For the past two weeks he had tried to rein himself in, tried to hold back. She was completely inexperienced, and he didn’t want to frighten her or hurt her. But after taking her like a rutting animal, she purred against him and told him that she liked it.

  “What am I going to do with you?”

  He wasn’t aware that he’d spoken the words aloud until he felt her smile against his chest. “I have a few suggestions.” Her voice was low and sultry, and he felt himself hardening again. She rubbed her leg against his, brushing against his groin. The contact rippled through him like an electric shock. “I never got the chance to model any of my new clothes for you.”

  “You’re not going to need any clothes,” he said, rolling her onto her back and fusing his mouth to hers. It was impossible to resist both his desire and hers. “Not for what I have in mind.”

  She grinned at him, and he saw the devil in her eyes again. “You must be a mind reader. I was hoping you’d say that.”

  He kissed her again, then swept her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.

  Shadows reached through the windows and touched the bed with fingers of darkness when she woke. Marcus was holding her tightly against him, one of his arms around her. She felt safe and secure and protected.

  Just as she had when they made love for the
second time. He’d been tender and sweet, loving and gentle. Their lovemaking had gone on for hours. It was as if a dam had broken inside Marcus and his feelings were pouring out.

  He would never admit it, she knew. He probably didn’t realize that his feelings were reflected in every touch of his hand, every caress, every kiss.

  At least she hoped that’s what it meant.

  She sat up and eased away, staring at him, troubled. Was he only giving her what he thought she wanted? Was he trying to make up for what had happened earlier?

  She couldn’t believe that. She had to believe the tenderness and caring had been genuine. And she had to believe that he hadn’t realized how much he was showing her.

  Because Marcus valued control above all else. She had seen how shaken he was after he lost control. And he would try to regain that control as quickly as possible.

  It hadn’t happened quickly enough. Her mouth curved as she thought about their lovemaking. Marcus didn’t realize how good she was at reading people. It was a skill gained from years of being socially awkward, years of feeling out of place.

  And that afternoon she had found all the things that Marcus tried so hard to hide. She hoped he would recognize them for what they were.

  “You look awfully thoughtful.” His voice, lazy and deep, came through the darkness.

  “I was just thinking about what to put in my stomach,” she said lightly. If she pushed him, he would run the other way. She knew him well enough to realize that. Marcus wasn’t the kind of man who enjoyed talking about his feelings.

  The sheets rustled as he sat up and pulled her into the circle of his arm. “I guess I didn’t feed you much today, did I?”

  “I think we were preoccupied.”

  “That’s one way of saying it.” He bent his head and nuzzled her neck, and she shivered. Desire always simmered near the surface when she was close to Marcus. It only took one touch for her to crave more.

  He must have felt her response, because his hand tightened on her. Then he sat up. “I guess we should eat.”

  She laughed. “Don’t sound so disappointed.”

  His eyes gleamed in the darkness. “I’m not disappointed. There’s a lot of pleasure to be found in anticipation.”

  Her blood heated, and she tingled with awareness. “That’s what I’ve heard,” she whispered.

  “Let’s find out.” He stood up and pulled her by the hand until she was standing next to him. He seemed completely unaware they were both naked, although she still felt a little self-conscious.

  As if he could read her thoughts, he grinned at her. “I’ve seen it all already, sweetheart,” he murmured. “In fact, I think I kissed every inch of your body today.” Then he frowned. “No, wait. There’s a place I missed.” He bent and pressed his lips against the side of her knee, then stood again. “Now I’ve kissed every inch of your body.”

  She laughed, her self-consciousness gone, and realized he’d done it on purpose. “I think I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  His eyes darkened, then he shook his head. “Remember what I said about anticipation? Let’s go get something to eat.”

  She grabbed one of his shirts and headed toward the kitchen, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm. “I have a better idea. Let’s go out to eat.”

  She spun to face him. “Are you sure?”

  He shrugged. “As long as we’re trying to flush your kidnappers into the open, the more time we spend in public, the better chance we have. You already know that I want to keep you here and safe, but we’ve agreed that’s not going to work. So we might as well flaunt ourselves in public.”

  “All right.” She remembered the tenseness of their trip to town that morning. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Do you have a favorite restaurant on the island?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do.” She turned to him eagerly. “It’s not very big and it’s not a tourist spot. But they’ve got the best seafood on Cascadilla.”

  “Then that’s where we’ll go.”

  “But don’t we want to go to the tourist spots?”

  “I think we want to do some of both,” he said thoughtfully. “Whoever kidnapped you is smarter than the average criminal. They knew enough to lay low for awhile. I would think they would also be smart enough to figure out the kinds of places you like to go.” He gave her a grim smile. “I wouldn’t be surprised if someone is watching this restaurant if it’s your favorite one on the island.”

  Her joy fizzled like air escaping from a balloon. “And here I thought you wanted to take me someplace special.” Her voice sounded petulant, and she wanted to snatch back the words. But it was too late.

  He took her hand. “You know I would love to take you someplace special,” he said softly. “But right now, your safety is my first concern. And you’re not going to be safe until these guys are caught. So we’ll go places they’ll expect us to go.” He lifted her hand and kissed her fingers. “And we can pretend we’re on a pleasure trip.”

  “You’re right,” she said in a low voice. “I should have thought of that myself.”

  “Did you buy anything to wear to dinner?”

  “I think I could scrounge something up.” She summoned a smile and tried to put the reality out of her head. She might be the bait, but Marcus wouldn’t let her be caught.

  “Go ahead and get dressed. What’s the name of the restaurant? I’ll call my partner and warn him we’ll be there.”

  “It’s the Blue Goose,” she said, walking into the living room to pick up the bags she’d dropped earlier. Marcus had turned away and was dialing the phone. She allowed her gaze to linger on him, on the long, powerful lines of his body, at the fresh scar on his left arm.

  He hadn’t told her how it happened, only that it was an accident. She was certain his accident was somehow connected to his job. It was a sobering reminder that his job was dangerous and that now she was in danger, too. Turning away, she hurried into the bathroom to take a quick shower.

  Twenty minutes later she walked out of the bedroom and came to a halt. Marcus was wearing khaki pants and a dressy shirt. He looked elegant, cool and remote, and she said softly, “Wow.”

  A faint flush of red stained his cheeks. “I think that’s supposed to be my line.” His eyes narrowed as he took in her simple black dress. “Are you wearing that in public?”

  “What’s wrong with this dress?”

  “Absolutely nothing.” His eyes glittered as his gaze lingered on her, and she had an urge to pull up the low-cut neckline. “But I don’t know if I like the idea of anyone else seeing you like that.”

  “Don’t go all caveman on me, Marcus,” she said, although his words thrilled her. “This is the style everyone is wearing.”

  “Believe me, sweetheart, you do things for that dress that no one else could do.”

  “No one else is going to notice,” she said breezily.

  “Don’t count on it.”

  She felt the heat in his eyes as he looked at her, and she was exhilarated by her power. Heat washed over her. “Remember what you said earlier about anticipation?”

  “I remember,” he said grimly. “I’m going to be doing a lot of anticipating tonight. We’ll see if it’s as much fun as I thought it was.”

  “We could order room service,” she said in a low voice.

  But he shook his head. “My partners are in place by now. If we don’t show up, they’ll think something happened. We have to go.”

  They walked through the darkened resort, the only lights the faint gas lamps that lined the paths. Marcus took her hand to help her over the rougher parts of the path but didn’t let go when they reached the pavement. She could feel the tension that seemed to surround him and knew that not all of it was due to the danger they courted.

  She was amazed at herself. She had had no idea she was such a sensual, physical person. Because she’d never had much interest in dating, never wanted to sleep with anyone, she had assumed she was lacking in sexuality. An
d all the comments she’d heard over the years, all the jeers about her intelligence and her standoffishness, had only reinforced that idea.

  But Marcus had completely exploded that idea. And now, after making love with him all afternoon, she couldn’t wait to get back to the cottage and make love with him again.

  “Scared?” he murmured.

  “Not particularly. Why did you ask?”

  “Because you’re trembling. Are you cold, then?”

  The moment of truth was here. Did she tell him the truth and risk scaring him away? Or did she lightly agree that she was cold and preserve the status quo?

  “I’m not cold, either,” she said.

  He turned to look at her.

  “I was thinking about you,” she said, her gaze steady on his. “And thinking about what we’ll do after we get home from dinner.”

  He sucked in his breath, but he didn’t look away. Finally he said, “You know exactly how to make a man uncomfortable, don’t you?”

  “I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” she said, laying her hand on his arm.

  He snorted. “I wasn’t embarrassed. That’s not what I meant by uncomfortable.”

  He looked around and saw they were completely hidden by the surrounding trees. He took her hand and pressed it to his groin, where she had no trouble feeling the hardness of his arousal. “That’s what I meant by uncomfortable.”

  “Oh.”

  “That’s something for you to think about all evening.”

  She was still shaking by the time they reached the main building of the resort. Marcus showed her into a cab, then they sat close together while the taxi headed for the center of the island. Neither of them spoke. The air in the cab throbbed with anticipation. She could feel Marcus’s body next to hers, hard and tense. He moved his leg, just brushing it against her, and her nerves trembled.