“We just ended.” Tanya shrugged. “That’s all.”
“That’s such a bummer. He was such a great guy.” She pointed to the name cards on the table. “It looks like we’ve been seated at the same table. Guess there will be an empty seat,” she said, as Gregory pulled out her seat for her. “I’ll just put my purse down in it.” She plopped her Prada bag in the empty chair, and leaned over to whisper something in Gregory’s ear.
Tanya eyed the place card that had Justin’s name written in perfect penmanship across it wishing she could rip it to shreds. It was a painful reminder that she’d not only been dumped, but had been stood up.
“Excuse me?” A sexy voice behind Tanya sent thrills up her spine. “This seat is taken.”
Marcus? Tanya didn’t even have to turn around. His sex-laced voice stilled her and the power of his lure was still embedded in her memory.
Myra, of course, did turn around. “I thought this chair would be empty.” She moved her bag promptly, but kept her eyes fixed on Marcus looking him up and down as her fiancé fidgeted in the seat beside her.
“It won’t be any longer…if you don’t mind.” Marcus pulled the chair out from under the table, plucked Justin’s name tag up, and simply flicked it to the center where the floral arrangements were set up. It landed upside down on the decorative shells laying on the table.
He turned and looked at her with a wide grin. “Hi. I knew if I saw you again, I wouldn’t be able to resist coming near you.” His gaze trailed over her dress. “The dress looks better on you than on the hanger.” He adjusted his tie at the neck and she saw right away that it was the same exact hue as her dress. Had he gone back after she’d left the store and picked out a tie to match her blue dress?
With his good looks, all she could do was stare at him. He could have easily been the best looking man here. He was—hands down.
“What are you doing here?” she whispered forming each word slowly.
“I’m a guest at Vanessa and Leroy’s wedding. You might have told me that you were here for this wedding before disappearing like a phantom in the night.”
She blushed. Numerous rounds of sex had knocked them both out. When she’d woken up in the arms of a man she only knew by name, the danger of it startled her. She’d put on her tattered and wrinkled dress as best she could and snuck out. It was a good thing her hotel was right across the street because at that hour of the morning, most taxi cabs were either out of commission or on call only. She’d bitten the bullet and walked.
“You could have told me the same thing,” she said.
“I would have, but I woke up and you were gone.”
She hoped to goodness that Myra didn’t overhear them. She would be embarrassed as hell if anyone found out that she’d had a one night stand with a stranger in another country.
“Everyone has assigned seating here,” she noted, as an attempt at changing the subject.
“I know that. Mine’s over there.” He nodded toward a table to their left. “I’m supposed to be seated with my brother.”
“Why aren’t you there then?”
“I’d rather be here.”
“How do you know that someone isn’t already sitting here?”
He gestured toward the place card he’d discarded so carelessly in the center of the table. “You mean Justin? The man you wanted to forget about?”
Heat washed over her face in embarrassment. He’d read her like a map. “How do you figure?”
“I’m no fool. You told me last night that you wanted to forget what normal was. When I saw you here today alone and the seat beside you empty, I put the puzzle pieces together. Am I close to the truth?”
“Oh my God.” She slid her hands through her hair. “This was a mistake.”
“I see no mistake in what we shared, but…” Marcus leaned over until his lips were nearly touching her ear. “Two things I can confirm here. One. This person you call Justin is not very smart if he can’t keep a woman like you. Two. When I laid eyes on you once again today for the third time, I knew that I’d do whatever it takes to keep a woman like you.”
Her heart skipped not once but twice in her chest. What he suggested was not what she had in mind. He had danger etched all over him. A man like him didn’t fall for women like her. A woman like her couldn’t deal with another heartache from any man.
“We had a deal…an understanding,” she said, trying to keep the tone low as more people started filing in. “One night.”
He slid his hand against her thighs and took her hand in his. “That was before I found out that we had so much in common. Why do you think we keep running into each other? The store…the club…the bed…and here.”
“How do you know Vanessa?”
“I don’t exactly. Leroy and I went to high school together.”
That figured. At least he wasn’t some lunatic who was following her around Ocho Rios. “Vanessa is one my closest friends. We interned together at a marketing firm in Atlanta.”
“I just moved to Atlanta less than a year ago,” he said. “By way of Virginia.”
“Oh…”
“What’s the matter? You don’t sound happy.”
“I don’t do this. I’m not like this.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know. I could tell. I still loved every minute of it though.”
That made her shed a smile, and suddenly the one night stand they had didn’t seem so scandalous. It did, but in a good way.
“Atlanta is my home. I live there. This is…really strange.”
“No, not strange.” His lips spread in a grin, and his eyes seemed to sparkle at this new revelation. “Perfect.”
Tanya didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but before she could find out, more guests starting filing into the area, and taking their assigned seats. As the time got closer and closer to the start of the ceremony, one thing remained the same…Marcus never let go of her hand. His affection brought about a warm comforting feeling that she wasn’t used to having.
* * *
Vanessa and Leroy’s wedding had been the most beautiful ceremony she’d ever attended. Throughout the twenty minute exchange of devotions of love and wedding vows, Tanya had been completely enthralled in the glamour of it all. It was a fairy tale come true that she might never ever experience. Right after they were pronounced husband and wife and shortly after cocktails and a light dinner was served, they were whisked away by a decked out cab to enjoy the rest of their wedding night and honeymoon on a private island off the coast of Jamaica.
I’ll text you some pictures, Vanessa had promised just before leaving, with her husband pulling her along anxious to consummate their vows.
“Earth to Tanya,” Marcus teased beside her.
He’d stayed by her side throughout the entire event. It definitely kept away inquiries about her break-up with Justin. Except for Myra, no one else publicly expressed concerns about Justin’s absence. Marcus made up the difference and then some. He commanded an attention that any man she’d ever been with couldn’t touch.
“I was just thinking.” She put her wine glass on the table, and turned her full attention to him.
“About?” The corners of his eyes crinkled and turned up as he smiled.
“About how happy I am they finally tied the knot. Vanessa had no idea what Leroy had planned for their honeymoon. It’s pretty hard to catch her by surprise, so he pulled that off fairly well.”
“Do you like surprises, Tanya?”
“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “As long as they come with good intentions.”
“For sure.” He leaned in to kiss her briefly on the lips.
“You’re umm….” She cleared her throat. His blatant affection in public had her feeling exceptionally warm between her thighs.
“I can’t keep my hands off you.”
“Why is that?”
He kissed her again, pausing on her lips for longer than the last. “Because you’re beautiful, sexy, and the sound of your voice ha
s me thinking about naughty things.”
“People can see us…”
“I could care less,” he said. “Surely they understand how a man shows his appreciation of a woman. It might be my weakness, but I show appreciation when warranted.”
“What do you mean?”
Their fingers linked together until they were holding hands.
“When I want something, I want it deeply. I don’t stop short or settle for less.”
“But you’ve had me already.”
“You’re the type of woman that you have for a lifetime. I knew the moment I set eyes on you. I wanted to know you, inside and out. I couldn’t resist when you proposed our one night of adventure, even though I was thinking of asking you out on a formal date.”
“You barely know me,” she challenged.
“I know you intimately, Tanya. I have another request.”
“Yes?”
“When we return, I’d like to see you again. I need more than two nights.”
“Who said you would get two nights?”
He looked at her in challenged with that devilish look of his. “We can enjoy the rest of Jamaica until it’s time for you to return. Dinner, dancing…and just getting to know each other. Some conversation by the shore, and then whatever else it leads to. What about that?”
She bit her bottom lip, pretending to think, knowing full well what the answer was.
A shadow fell over them just before she opened her mouth to speak. She looked up to see a striking man with a deep bronze tan and a head full of dark curly brown hair.
The guy nodded at Marcus, a grin twitching his lips, and then he offered her his hand. “Hi, I’m Trent.”
Looking from Trent to Marcus and then back again, she exchanged handshakes. “Tanya.”
“Nice to meet you,” Trent greeted her, and then addressed Marcus next, “I see now why I’ve been discarded.”
“Tanya, this is my brother. I was supposed to be seated next to him today.”
She looked from one to other in confusion. Sure they were both fine as all get out, but except for that, they were like night and day. Marcus flawless pecan complexion contrasted with Trent’s dark olive skin tone. “You two look nothing alike.”
“Brothers by bond,” Trent replied. “Not blood related.”
Marcus had said something similar when they met at the night club last night.
“Oh. That’s right. I remember Marcus telling me about his brothers last night” she said. Three by blood. Two by bond.
“You coming or what?” Trent asked, then added teasingly, “Or are you having too much fun caking?”
“Shut it,” Marcus told Trent between clenched teeth. “I’m staying behind. See you back in Atlanta?”
“Yeah, I’ll see you at the shop next weekend, bro. Nice to meet you…Tanya.” Trent gave her another sly smile before turning around to leave.
Tanya tried not to look at his retreating backside like the rest of the women still at the reception. Marcus and Trent certainly weren’t brothers by blood, but the one thing they had in common was that they attracted women, single and married, like a magnet.
With the main purpose for her trip out of the way—the wedding—she turned her attention back to Marcus.
Before she voiced her question, he answered it. “Trent and I met twelve years ago. We were young at the time and months from graduation when we both officially joined the same biker club. A brotherhood, of sorts.”
“Biker club?”
He nodded.
Tanya could only imagine what that meant. She’d seen how on weekends various biker gangs would race up and down Atlanta interstates and freeways with not a care in the world. They were fast, ruthless, and had a reputation for stirring up trouble. “Is that why most of your body is covered in tattoos? As your affiliation to your biker club?” A blush fanned across her face and neck as it dawned on her once more that she knew him in the most intimate of ways, as well.
Marcus chuckled. “It is.”
Tanya glanced over him, slowly, as though she were meeting him for the first time. From her observation today during the light dinner, a dance, and casual conversations as they mingled with other guests, he demonstrated that he had the manners of a gentleman. But back at the night club and during their one night fling, she realized that he had a second side. She’d spent hours in bed with a playboy. At least now she knew what to expect from him.
“Something tells me that you’re nothing but trouble,” she said.
“Does that intrigue you?”
“Somewhat.”
“Then allow me another night here in Ocho Rios, and we can get into even more trouble, if you like.”
Their gazes locked and suddenly she didn’t care who was in the room with them, who knew what they’d done last night, or what anyone thought of her. This man seemed to make her forget all her practical sense.
“Yes.”
Chapter 5
Later that evening…
Tanya knew when she accepted Marcus’ room key that her life would never be the same again. After Ocho Rios…after she left these adventures with Marcus behind, how would she find another man to live up to her newfound expectations? Why was she even worrying about that? She had enough time to worry later.
The elevator doors opened and she stepped out onto the highest floor of the hotel. The wallpaper and décor were more extravagant and refined than the floor she’d followed him onto the night after the club.
Shortly after the wedding, she and Marcus had enjoyed several hours visiting the sights and shops of Ocho Rios. The rest of the day included sampling the ethnic dishes, conversing with the locals, and experiencing the island as a tourist. She hadn’t expected to do any of this while here alone, but with Marcus this was possible. They even had a chance to lay out on the beach for a couple hours, watching the sunset amid the palm trees.
What reservations she had about Marcus being a complete stranger was now gone, but the anticipation for what was to come tonight still had her on edge.
Tanya came to a stop in front of the suite and rapped on the door softly.
Marcus answered right away with a bright smile on his face and dressed in some casual and light attire. She came wearing the sundress he’d purchased for her at one of the shops they’d visited.
It had been just an hour since they last agreed to separate to recoup for tonight’s recap.
“Hi,” she said.
“I missed you.” He took her hand, welcoming her inside.
Her breath caught in her throat as she saw how glamorous Marcus’ new suite was. It was huge, easily the size of two hotel rooms put together. The colors were a stimulating mix of mahoganies for the furniture, muted browns for the linens and curtains, and gold for the accents and mirrors. The seating area was larger with a great sectional and plush pillows. The wet bar was wider, fully stocked. The bedroom and in-room hot tub was sectioned off by a wall for a sense of privacy. Soft soothing music escaped the speakers in the entertainment area.
Set up in the room were two massage tables complete with white crisp towels and robes ready for them. Two masseuses waited nearby with a tray of champagne.
“Why’d you switch rooms?” she asked, as she accepted champagne from a male attendant who was also in the room by the wet bar.
“It was the best room in the hotel. I thought you’d like this better for our special night,” he said.
“Excuse me, ma’am?” The male attendant asked. “May I get you anything else to make you feel comfortable?”
“No,” Tanya said. “Thank you.”
“We’ll wait outside so that you can change into the robes. We’ll come back in ten minutes.” The male attendant smiled, and both he and the masseuses left the room.
Her gaze traveled until she met intriguing brown eyes. “Marcus, you are just too much.”
“Just for you,” was his reply.
* * *
The ninety minute massage had all of Tanya’s muscles re
laxed and feeling good, which was a big change from all the tension she showed up at his room with. Dipping in the hot tub filled scented with a pina colada aroma relieved her of even more tension.
The water shifted beside her and she opened her eyes and lifted her head to see Marcus refilling their champagne glasses.
“This wasn’t really supposed to be a vacation for me, but it sure feels like one,” he said, handing her the glass.
She accepted it, taking a sip. “I didn’t expect to have such a good time.”
“Glad I came and that I met you,” he said. “I’d turned the invite down when it first was mailed to me, because I had so much going on with work and life that I didn’t think I could commit to a destination wedding. It’s funny how things panned out. Trent had an extra plane ticket because he broke up with his girl, so I thought the short break from work after the quick move would be good for me.”
“So the empty seat by Trent belonged to his ex, huh?” she asked.
“Yeah, pretty much.”
Trent’s situation was similar to her’s, but she didn’t think to ask anyone to come with her in Justin’s absence.
“Well, I’m glad you decided to come,” she said, looking at him shyly under her lashes.
Marcus caught her gaze, but instead of having the daring smile that was probably his signature, his expression was serious. He observed her carefully almost as though he was deep in thought about something, but preferred not to speak on it.
A little water sloshed over the sides again as he leaned in to kiss her. His big, smooth palms stroked the back of her neck, deepening the kiss with insistent and demanding caresses.
Her body was warm enough, fully engulfed up to the neck in the water, but his hands roving across her back increased her temperature tenfold.
He tore away from her lips only to dip lower to tease the column of her neck with his mouth. She lifted her chin earnestly, giving him better access. A small moan escaped her lips as he began his trek lower, gliding his mouth across the tops of her breasts.
“Mmmm,” he murmured. “I could stay here with you forever and never want for anything more.”
Seduced by Sin: Sean (Rugged Riders #3) Page 20
