Swagger

by Liz Lincoln

  Bree froze, her cheese-topped cracker halfway to her mouth. Everything inside her tightened. What did he do? And why was he looking at her with a guilty expression?

  “OK,” she said cautiously.

  “I mean, I think I can reverse it if you really are mad.” He held out a hand like he was trying to calm her. “But I honestly was just trying to help.”

  “What did you do?” she bit out, trying to stay calm. She was tired of people trying to help in ways she didn’t ask for.

  Marcus looked down at the plate of cheese. “I hated that there was nothing I could do to help you with the whole thing with Diablo. So I went back to the vet and they credited your card, and I paid for his stay.”

  Bree sat there, letting what he’d said sink in. Part of her was pissed. He shouldn’t have done something like that without at least talking to her. And she wasn’t thrilled that the vet had credited her card without her permission.

  But one look at his expression made it clear he really was trying to help. He wasn’t trying to control her, he just wanted to do something for Diablo. And for her. She knew enough about him to know he was a man of action. He wasn’t like her dad, who would continue to do something she’d repeatedly asked him to stop.

  Plus, given her financial situation, he’d done her a huge favor. Which she couldn’t repay. Then again, she knew what his salary was. On that scale, this was like her lending Reina five dollars. He probably didn’t expect to ever be paid back.

  “You should’ve talked to me first.” She at least had to get that out there.

  Marcus didn’t look at her as he said, “I know. I’m sorry. I just—”

  “I appreciate it. Thank you.” She put her hand over his where it rested on the counter. Her thumb stroked along the side of his. “I wish his vet bill wasn’t something I have to stress over, but right now, it is. So this is a huge help. Diablo and I both appreciate it.”

  Marcus flipped his hand over so he could hold her fingers. He squeezed gently. “Good. I just wanted to try and help.” He squeezed her hand.

  “Just don’t ever do something like this again. Talk to me first, OK?”

  “Deal. How is Diablo anyway?”

  “He’s okay. He hates his cone of shame, but until his stitches heal, he has to wear it. Probably a week or so.”

  Marcus laughed. “You gotta send me a picture of that.”

  “I will. You should know, the only reason I’m here is because he’s mad at me and ignoring me. As soon as I brought him home this morning, he went and made himself comfy on Reina’s bed. He’ll be her best friend and sulk for a few days.”

  “Good to know where I rank with a cat.”

  He stroked his thumb over her fingers, bringing her arousal slowly back to life. But before things moved any further, she should probably tell him about Stefon. It would help him understand why his gesture was hard for her to accept.

  “I should probably tell you something about me. It explains why it’s hard for me when people do things for me without asking. Why I don’t like being blindsided by favors.”

  “You’ve told me about your dad and brothers. I get it.” He squeezed her hand. “I really am sorry.”

  “It’s them, but adding to my considerable baggage, it’s my ex. Stefon.”

  “Stefon? Is he a bad guy? He kinda sounds like one. I can dislike him, right? Because I kinda already do.”

  She couldn’t help smiling. She liked that even when things were serious, he could make her smile. “Do good guys add to a person’s baggage?”

  “Generally no.” His face remained serious, but humor danced in his eyes. “And I can tell this is serious, so I won’t even make a crack about Luke Skywalker.”

  “Your sacrifice is noted.” She rolled her eyes at him.

  “Okay, Stefon, the bad guy ex.”

  As succinctly as she could, she told him how Stefon had set up a job for her that she didn’t want, thinking she would rather follow him to a grad school that rejected her than pursue her goals without him.

  “It was just like what my dad and Hank and Silas do to me.” Her anger over the memory of how stunned Stefon had looked when she turned down his marriage proposal made her hands shake. It was why she did her best to avoid ever thinking about him.

  Marcus took her hand and held it between both of his. Gone were all traces of teasing. “I am so sorry that asshole did that to you. I promise, I won’t do that to you. I think you’re brilliant and I don’t understand why anyone who knows you would want to hold you back from using that however you want. And I’m so sorry I did something that made you feel like they did.”

  “I accept your apology. You didn’t know. Just please don’t do it again.” She smiled softly at him, then took her hand back to grab another cracker.

  They sat in still silence as they finished off their snack.

  As they ate, Bree tried not to think too much about her other feelings about the kind, generous thing Marcus had done for her. If she did, she would just start falling harder. She needed to keep her emotions as untangled from him as possible. She was leaving soon. Or at least she could be—she wasn’t entirely convinced Bryant wouldn’t try to block her. But she wasn’t going to think about him tonight. He didn’t deserve a place in this room.

  The more she felt for Marcus, the harder it would be to leave him. She really would be smart to say good night, go home now, and stop all involvement with him.

  But a PhD in physics was no guarantee she would make good choices in her life. At least if she was going to make bad choices, she was making delicious, pleasurable bad choices.

  Chapter 14

  Marcus’ bedroom had the same incredible view of the lake as his main room. His bed backed up to the side wall, allowing him to lie in bed and stare out the windows.

  But Bree didn’t really care about lake views tonight. She cared about viewing what was beneath the jeans Marcus still wore.

  Hooking her fingers in his belt loops, she dragged him toward the foot of his bed. She yanked off her shirt, then crouched in front of him. Looking up with a saucy smile, she undid the button on his pants.

  “I could definitely get used to seeing you like this.” He flashed her a wide grin.

  She gave his thigh a light smack. “Pig.”

  “What, I’m not supposed to want a blow job from you at some point?”

  “Okay, fair point.” Fly undone, she slid her hands over his hips, inside his pants, and eased them and his boxer briefs down. She took advantage of the opportunity to fondle him with one hand while the other stretched the waistband of his underwear so it didn’t get caught on that lovely erection of his.

  Her arousal was back in full force, as if she hadn’t come like a freight train minutes ago. And with that temptation right in her face, she couldn’t resist giving him one long lick from root to tip. The same way he’d licked her, slow and torturous.

  “Ahh, fuck. That’s so good.”

  It really was. She murmured her agreement as she swirled her tongue around his head, licking up the salty drop there. She wanted to take another full lick, suck him into her mouth over and over, giving him the same pleasure he’d given her. To finish what they’d started in her bedroom a few days ago. But she needed him inside her too badly. A blow job would have to wait.

  She gave him one last kiss, then turned her attention to helping him step out of his pants. Once they were both naked, she let him help her back to her feet.

  In an instant, she was wrapped in his embrace. His mouth crushed against hers, his tongue sweeping in to explore. She wrapped her arms around his thick chest and let her hands roam up and down his smooth, strong back. Every inch of him was perfection, and while it wasn’t the reason she was so attracted to him, it certainly didn’t hurt.

  “I can’t get enough of you.” he said as he dragged his mouth over to her ear. He took her lobe between his teeth and it sent a wild burst of hunger through Bree. She arched into him, trying to find some sort of rel
ief for the need pounding through her.

  “You like that.” It wasn’t a question because the answer was obvious.

  She writhed and squirmed against him. “Yes,” she whimpered.

  “Tell me what else you like. Tell me what you want.” His words were hot over her ear, making her shiver. His lips and teeth continued to explore her ear and the delicate skin around it. At the same time, his big hands cupped her ass. He pulled her against him, helping her rock into him, pressing her against his hard cock. He reached down to rearrange himself, sliding his erection between her legs. As they moved, he slid through her wetness, mimicking sex.

  “I want you so much it hurts,” he murmured.

  “Yes.” She pulled away from him and sat on the edge of the bed. Putting on her best seductive expression, she scooted back until she could lie against his pillows. His comforter was thick and luxurious, probably a million thread count, and she felt decadent stretched out naked across it.

  The look on his face was pure predator as he got on all fours and crawled to her. “You are so fucking sexy.” He dropped his head to flick one of her nipples with his tongue, then the other. Back and forth, back and forth. Again and again until she was once more squirming and writhing.

  “Please. I can’t take more. I need you.” She tried to tug at his arms, but he wasn’t going to move unless he wanted to.

  Finally he released her and looked at her with a lazy, seductive grin. The lines around his eyes and mouth were deep, and Bree felt a pull in her belly. God that was sexy.

  He prowled forward and nudged her nose with his. “Nightstand drawer. You put it on me. I love the way your hands feel on my dick.”

  From now on, she was only going to be able to really be turned on by guys who talked dirty. Marcus had officially ruined her for men who liked quiet sex.

  “I like my hands on your dick too.” She didn’t really just say that, did she? He brought it out in her, things she’d never dared try before. Things she never wanted to try before.

  Bree opened the drawer of his dark wood nightstand and quickly found a condom. She opened the wrapper and left that on the stand, then crawled back across the wide bed. Marcus had settled himself against the pillows, taking her spot. He casually stroked his erection, his heavy-lidded eyes roaming over her, making her skin tingle.

  She paused to watch him, the sight turning her on more than she already was. A gentle breeze could probably get her off.

  His free hand reached for her, so she took it and scooted over until she was touching him.

  “You like watching?” The smooth up-and-down glide of his hand seemed to get more deliberate.

  She was completely out of breath, so Bree simply nodded.

  “I think I’d like to watch too. Maybe we could try that sometime?” He stroked their joined hands up her thigh, then moved them so the back of her hand brushed between her own legs. One knuckle caught her clit, and she gasped.

  “Yeah, we’re definitely trying that.” His voice sounded as strangled as she felt.

  “Another time.” She pulled her hand from his and moved to straddle his thighs. She needed to get him inside her before she came just from listening to his dirty words.

  She took his wrist and moved his hand aside so she could roll the condom down his solid length. He sucked in a hard breath as she slowly stroked the latex over him.

  Keeping a firm hold on him, she crawled forward into position. As she tilted him toward her entrance, she pressed her mouth to his. “I need to kiss you.”

  “I’m always in favor of that.” His hand slid slowly down her back, then over the curve of her butt until he could palm her cheeks.

  She lowered herself over his cock, slowly taking him inside her. With each inch she sank down, another gasp pulled from her chest. He felt so good, so right. It was only the second time they’d done this, but it already felt wonderfully familiar. Not in the boring way sex could get after a long time together, but in an exciting way. The way that meant you’d found the person you fit with.

  Which was rather ridiculous, considering it was just a fling. They simply had good chemistry.

  “Oh yeah, baby. Take me.” His fingers dug into her ass, just hard enough to sting. And she liked that.

  “So good,” she gasped into his mouth.

  “So fucking good,” he agreed.

  When he reached the hilt, she leaned back just enough to look down at his face. His dark eyes were glossy, like black holes she could drown in. Which was silly, because she couldn’t drown in a black hole. It was gravity, not water. But she could get lost—

  “You’re thinking.”

  “What?”

  “I can tell from your expression, you’re thinking hard about something. Which means I’m clearly doing something wrong.” He rolled his hips under hers.

  His pubic bone caught her clit and she gasped. “No, nothing wrong. Perfect.” Had she been thinking? How? The only words her brain could form were yes and more.

  “I thought maybe I imagined how good it was.” His words were interspersed with grunts as he shoved his hips up to meet every one of her strokes. “But shit. It’s even better.”

  Bree could only murmur her agreement. She was lost in him. Full, not just of him, but of feelings she didn’t understand. She closed her eyes and focused on the feelings she did understand. The pleasure. His fingers marking her skin as he gripped her. She didn’t need to deal with any of the rest of it now.

  “You look so hot riding my cock. Damn, your tits are amazing.” His mouth closed over one nipple, sending stabs of pleasure down to where their bodies joined. She stilled for a moment, taking in the new sensations rioting through her.

  After a moment, Marcus took over, thrusting up into her, giving her everything he had to offer.

  Bree’s hunger spiked, nearing the peak. “Yes,” she moaned.

  They continued like that, and she began to move again. They pounded together, everything building. She moaned and gasped and cried out Marcus’ name as he continued saying dirty things that turned her on further.

  “You close, baby.” It wasn’t a question. He already knew how to read her body and tell she was ready to shatter. “I want to hear my name. Say my name when you come.”

  “Yes,” she panted. As if she could stop herself. He’d done this to her, taken her to this place where nothing existed but the two of them. How could she not say his name?

  When the moment came, the orgasm crashed through her in a violent wave, tossing her up and over the crest of ecstasy. She didn’t just say his name, she screamed it. Yelled it. Dug her fingernails into his shoulders and exhaled it on a long moan. All kinds of other words escaped her lips, though she had no idea what she was actually saying. But she knew it was more than sounds.

  “I won’t stop, I promise. Never going to stop. That’s good. Shit, baby. Yes. Yes.” He heaved himself up into her and held, his body shaking beneath her.

  She could feel him pulsing inside her and she clenched tight around him, her own orgasm receding as his peaked.

  “Oh fuck, baby, do that again. Don’t stop, do that again.”

  So she did. She squeezed him as tightly as she could, rocking her hips back and forth to increase his friction, as she pressed her lips against his. “Give it to me, Marcus. That’s it. Give me everything you have.” The words seemed awkward, maybe not as smooth as what he said. But from the way he shuddered beneath her, she could tell he liked it.

  Eventually he went limp beneath her, throwing his arms wide so he formed a T across the bed. “Fuuuuck,” he said on a long exhale. “That was fucking amazing. I didn’t know sex could be this fucking good.”

  If it was a bullshit line he gave most women, she didn’t want to know. “Neither did I.” She let her lips brush his as she spoke.

  One of his big hands palmed the back of her head and he held her there for a slow, achingly sweet kiss. Something inside her swelled, something she’d never felt before that was uncomfortably non
sexual. She had no idea what to do with the feeling so she let herself sink into his kiss. How could she still want him this much? He’d just given her a second monster orgasm and hadn’t even slipped from her body yet, but it felt like she might die if she didn’t keep kissing him.

  They spent long minutes in a lazy exploration of each other’s mouths. Their intense desire stated for the moment, they could kiss for kissing’s sake, rather than as a means to building toward sex.

  She loved his taste, warm and heady. Comfortable.

  She should be completely at odds in his world. He was a big-shot celebrity, a man who used his body to make millions. He was the adult version of the cool kids, a group she’d never been part of. She was a slightly out-of-shape scientist, using her brain to make hundreds. Someday maybe even thousands. They shouldn’t be this compatible.

  And yet, the more time she spent with him, the more a part of her started to think they could be a real couple.

  Which was absurd. She had an interview in Pittsburgh next week and one in Durham the following week. So far, she had no job prospects in Milwaukee. Even Madison and Chicago, close enough that they could conceivably see each other on a regular basis, weren’t real possibilities.

  Marcus’ hand tightened in her hair. “You’re thinking again.”

  “Sorry.” She slowly drew back, setting her fist on his chest and propping her chin on top of it. “Job stress. Very little takes my mind off it these days.”

  His playful expression sobered. “I know. Sorry. If this is adding to that…”

  “No!” she said a little too forcefully. “I mean, this is one of the few things that does take my mind off it. I think I might need this.” She wanted the smile she gave him to be sexy and flirtatious, but it felt awkward. Hesitant and unsure.

  He combed his fingers down her long hair, the gentle tug at her scalp oddly soothing. “I need this too. And I’m glad to help you.” Never serious for long, he grinned. “The fact that this is by far the best sex I’ve ever had doesn’t hurt.”

  She laughed, his humor contagious. “Yeah, that part’s not too bad either.”