“Marti, I love you, but I can’t hold on much longer,” Joey warned.
Smiling devilishly, she laughed, but it quickly turned to a moan. “Together then?”
Nodding, he buried his face in the back of her shoulder and grazed her with his teeth. Joey watched as her hands shot from the vanity she gripped to her nipples. She played with them a moment, then with her right hand, she pushed his fingers out of the way. “Let me,” she begged.
As soon as he moved, she took over rubbing her own clitoris. “Are you watching?” she asked in a voice deep with desire.
It was Joey’s turn to pant. His little cupcake was unbelievably hot in the sack, or...in this case...in the bathroom in front of a mirror. He couldn’t hold it no matter how hard he tried. She was incredible. Just as he erupted, thrusting deep inside her, he felt her body tighten and contract around him. As soon as he finished spilling inside her, he scooped her up and carried her to bed, grabbing a hand towel from the rack on the way out.
After he laid her down and wiped himself, he placed the towel in her lap and started to clean her up. Instead, she held it there. “Just lay with me,” Marti suggested.
“Of course,” he murmured as he wrapped himself around her. As he gathered her close and tucked her into his side, Joey had to ask, “Where’d you learn to do that?”
Grinning, she admitted, “I couldn’t have been married to Blaine as long as I was without learning how to pleasure myself.”
Her response surprised him. Laughing, he squeezed her tightly. “Marti almost Masters, I love you like crazy.”
When Marti woke on Sunday, she had never felt better in her life. She had fully recovered from the food poisoning, didn’t seem to have any morning sickness, and her body was slightly achy from their passionate bout of lovemaking that lasted into the night. She stretched and started to sneak out from under Joey’s arm, which seemed to be casually flung over her midsection. The moment she tried to extend the distance between them, however, she soon discovered differently. His grasp tightened and he hauled her against him.
“Stay,” he murmured in her ear. “I love you.”
Her insides quivered. Marti knew she would never tire of hearing him say those words. His voice was all breathy this morning. It sent shivers down her spine and stirred feelings she would have thought long satisfied. How was it she was already eager to have him inside her again?
Shifting, she rolled onto her back. “Our flight is at four. We still need to make the four-hour drive back to Miami and leave enough time to drop off the rental. Plus, we have to allow time to check in and make it through security,” she reminded him.
Shaking his head, he reminded her, “We must always have time for this. Always. I’ll shower fast. Hell, I’ll shower with you even.” His eyes opened for the first time. Those gorgeous Caribbean blue eyes melted her.
“A quickie then,” Marti murmured as she spread her legs for him in invitation.
His hand cupped her face for a minute, leaned over her and gently kissed her lips. Then the kiss intensified. She whimpered already, feeling the depth of his desire. His lips moved down her throat, barely scraping her skin as they traveled down the center of her body, in between her breasts, over her abdomen, until he rubbed just over her clitoris and slid two fingers inside her.
Gasping, Marti pushed against the palm of his hand. Already she ached to have him in her. His mouth moved over her breast, his tongue darting out to tease her nipple. So many sensations. “I thought this was a quickie,” she somehow managed to whisper. “In me.” Though she had hoped this would speed up the process, it had little effect on him. Time to pull out the big guns. “Joey, show me how much you love me.” Immediately, he stopped sucking, and her areola, which had disappeared into his mouth, reappeared.
Moving until he settled on top of her, he nudged her thighs wider, and positioned himself so his erection pressed against her opening. “In you?” he asked with a seductive smile.
Nodding. “Oh yes.”
“You want me to show you how much I love you?” His heated gaze was burning a hole through her.
This man was hers. Soon enough…legally and forever. She nodded.
“As you wish,” he growled, wrapping one arm around her waist, the other circled around behind her back to grip her shoulder.
Bracing herself, she knew what to expect. With any luck, she’d be too sore to walk. Marti wanted him deep inside, and he was more than prepared to accommodate her desires. In a single thrust of his hips, Joey entered her. Wrapping her legs around his hips, she held on, arching as much as possible to meet him.
His skin was so warm and soft against her. She reveled in the slight scratch his man hair made against her chest. It was all she could do to remember to breathe. The connection was so intense, so overwhelming she could barely handle it. Marti was certain she was going to come completely undone. Only with him. Only him forever.
Inside, she could feel the pressure building, the waves rippling around him. He felt it too. With a growl, he gave one final thrust before riding it out. Marti recognized his behavior, the way he continued to glide in and out of her even as his need was satisfied before he collapsed on top of her.
In one fluid motion, he pulled out, rolled onto his back, and tucked her against his side. “Now I need more sleep. You are insatiable,” Joey jokingly complained.
“And you are out of time. It’s closing in on nine. We need to be on the road by ten at the latest. Let’s shower.” Then Marti walked her naked body to the bathroom. By the time she had adjusted the water and stepped into the stream, he was behind her, rubbing her back.
Although she was determined to enjoy every minute, Marti was constantly aware of the time constraints. It was always in the back of her mind. She washed as quickly as possible, dried off, and pulled her hair back into a hair tie at the back of her neck. Sadly, she set aside her sundresses for the more practical jeans and t-shirt she’d need when they landed.
Before long, they were packed and amazingly enough, on schedule. The car was loaded and Marti had grabbed some bagels and fruit from the continental breakfast off the lobby on the way out. She settled into her seat planning to nibble and relax during the long drive back to Miami.
“You know, if you want lunch later, I’m sure we can get you a gas station hot dog somewhere,” Joey teased.
Even hearing him talk about hot dogs made Marti gag at the moment. “Pass. Lesson learned.”
They hit more traffic than anticipated, but Marti was determined to be pleasant and happy. The scenery was gorgeous. There was no reason for her to be stressed at the moment, she kept reminding herself.
It was like Joey knew. Reaching over to grab her hand, he asked, “What’s the worst thing that happens?”
“We miss our flight,” she admitted with a shrug.
“Nah. Our luck is going to change. We’re due.” Laughing, he reminded her, “Look at our weekend.”
With a sigh and a smile, Marti murmured, “It’s been perfect.”
Giving her an incredulous look, Joey laughed. “We seem to have very different definitions of perfect.”
When they reached Miami, Joey had to fill the car with gas before returning it. “Last chance for a hot dog!”
“Never. Oh, but I’ll take a bottled water if you don’t mind. So thirsty today.” She smiled sweetly at him.
Soon enough he returned with her drink. “Next stop, the Avis at the airport.”
Naturally there was a long line to return the vehicle. As soon as they finished with that part, it was time to get in line at the shuttle stop, which would bring them to the appropriate terminal at the airport. It turned out the line was more of an ideal than what actually happened. People pushed and shoved, vying for their spot. Marti kept getting shoved. She could tell Joey found it very unnerving, knew he was thinking of their child while she was being jostled around. Worse, when they finally made it onto the shuttle, there were no seats left.
; Standing the suitcase on end, Marti sat on it and held onto the seat beside her for support. Joey looked down at her, the admiration obvious on his glowing face. “What? This is exhausting.”
“You’re very clever.” He placed a hand behind her to help brace her.
Soon people were starting to exit at the various stops and they finally had a real seat for the ride to the US Airways terminal. They were able to check their luggage at the curb. With only the beach bag carryon to drag along with them, they expected the rest of the experience would be smooth sailing.
They couldn’t have been more wrong. How could they have anticipated the check in process was really just a big corral with a bunch of kiosks? How could they have known that people would be so cutthroat? When yet another traveler shoved them out of the way and attempted to cut in the makeshift line, Marti finally stood her ground. Whipping around to glare at the woman, she growled, “We have a flight to catch too. Wait your turn!”
Concerned, Joey suddenly started to intercede. Wrapping a protective arm around her, he leaned close and whispered, “I didn’t know we could say anything to people.”
Rolling her eyes, Marti commented, “Technically, we shouldn’t have to, but if they don’t know enough to act right, I’m going to call them out on it.”
Then it was on to security. This part was the worst, and took the longest. For the first time, it was clear Joey doubted they were going to make the flight. “I’ve never missed one,” Marti announced. “I’m not going to start now.”
Finally, with less than half an hour until their plane was supposed to take off, they made it to the checkpoint. Joey set the bag in the appropriate bin and sent it through the machine. Then he walked through the metal detector. Marti followed him. They turned to grab for their bag and discovered it had been pulled aside.
“That’s ours,” Marti explained as she reached for it.
The woman simply shook her head and continued pushing the other bins through.
“Can you tell me what’s going on?” Marti asked.
The woman shook her head, all but ignoring her. Minutes passed as they waited.
“We’re gonna miss our flight,” Marti finally agreed.
Then it was Joey’s turn to be the optimist. “Nah. We’re so close. We’ll make it.”
Finally a supervisor showed up and was passed the bag. They followed him. Pulling on gloves, he started to go through the bag and pull out one item at a time.
“What’s the problem?” Marti asked. “Maybe I can save you some time.”
“It breaks the rules,” the man explained in a surly voice.
“What breaks the rules?” Joey asked. “It’s beach towels, bathing suits, a few souvenirs?”
He had almost emptied the bag by now. “Liquid.”
“There’s no liquid in there,” Marti complained as she mentally packed the bag. Almost at the same, she and Joey looked at each other. “The water!”
“It’s just a bottled water,” Joey explained.
The man held it up, triumphantly. Of course he had completely unpacked the bag in the meantime. Marti sensed he was gearing up for a lecture about the rules.
“Keep it!” she urged, reaching for her bag. “We have to go.” She was literally repacking the bag as they ran toward the gate.
“Are you okay?” Joey asked, concerned.
Slightly out of breath, she shook her head. “I am not a runner.”
It was totally worth it though when they made it to their gate with fifteen minutes to spare. Smiling, they high fived each other and stepped up to board. There was no one there. Behind them, a line was forming, all filled with people who, like them, had just made it through security. Finally, another employee came over and announced the plane, the one they had worked so hard to make, had already left.
“You can try to make the next flight,” the employee asked.
“When’s that?” Joey questioned, more than a little annoyed.
“Ten.”
“Six hours?” The couple behind them looked completely defeated. “Anyone want to hit the bar?” They looked at Joey and Marti.
“Sorry. Pregnant.” Marti sighed.
Staring at her for a moment, Joey asked, “Now what? We just kill time for six hours?”
Chuckling, Marti shook her head. “Oh no. We’re in Miami. This isn’t the only airline flying to Charlotte. Just give me a minute.”
They walked outside so she could sit on a bench in the sunshine. Joey found an ice cream shop and picked up a cone. By the time he returned, she had booked them on a flight leaving at six.
“You are amazing,” he murmured while leaning down to kiss her. “Have some ice cream. I bought chocolate just for you!”
After killing some time, they finally boarded a plane. Minutes after they took off, Marti sank into the seat. Unlike the flight to Miami, which was packed and noisy, this flight was all but empty. “I’m gonna rest,” she mumbled as she melted into the cushion. It was one of those situations where she didn’t realize how much she energy and adrenaline she had exerted until she was completely worn out, both physically and mentally exhausted.
Without saying a word, Joey pulled one of the beach towels out of the bag and covered her with it, then tucked her into his side. “Just rest,” he suggested.
Hours later it was the jostling from the wheels touching down that woke her up. While she wouldn’t exactly describe herself as feeling all refreshed, she at least felt like she could survive the rest of the night. It would be around ten at night before they made it back to her home in New Hope.
“Better?” Joey asked with a smile.
Nodding, she admitted, “Some. Still need a good night’s sleep in my bed.”
“About that,” Joey began casually. “I don’t suppose it could be our bed now?”
It was funny, she hadn’t thought about it. Life was definitely going to be changing now. She already shared her house with him, but now it was time to make space for him in her bedroom. Maybe they could move into the two-bedroom suite upstairs. After the baby was born, she’d want to be on the same floor anyway.
“Or I guess I can sleep on the couch until we’re married,” Joey accepted with a shrug.
“Oh! Sorry! I was just thinking,” she explained.
“Obviously.” He smiled.
Walking off the plane and out into the terminal, she continued the conversation. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Squeezing her hand, Joey agreed. “And all the time in the world to do it.”
Soon they had their luggage. It had been there for several hours, since it made the flight they missed. They rode a shuttle out to Long Term Parking to reclaim her vehicle. Again, Marti rested while Joey drove. She enjoyed staring out the window. The city was beautiful all lit up at night. Then they were back in New Hope. “Everyone is going to want to see us and find out about our trip,” Joey warned. “What are you going to tell them?”
Clutching her hands under her chin, Marti smiled. “That is was absolutely perfect.”
“We just missed our flight. It was like The Hunger Games getting through the airport.” Joey sighed and shook his head in dismay.
“You bought me ice cream. Our flight was quiet and I slept. We didn’t have to wait on our luggage. And we returned so late, the airport was practically vacant. It was awesome.” She beamed at him.
“I’m marrying Pollyanna.” He pulled into the driveway. From the looks of the driveway, Brantley and Reagan were both there. “So much for a quiet night,” he grumbled.
They exited the minivan and Joey started to unload the vehicle while Marti stretched. None of the blinds were drawn in the living room. As she watched, she saw Reagan sit on the couch. A second later, Brantley joined her. Soon they were making out. In shock, she tugged on Joey’s shirt. “Look!” she urged.
“When the hell did that happen?” he asked.
Shrugging, she giggled. “You’ve got me. But I bet people said the same thing about us.”
“So change of plans.” Joey grabbed the towels out of the beach bag. “Come here,” he murmured, beckoning for Marti to follow him.
“What are we doing? I’m getting really tired. The sun has set and so must I, and all that jazz.” She yawned as she let him lead her into the back yard.
“There’s something I’ve been wanting to do with you for such a long time,” he began.
Covering her mouth as if in shock, Marti joked, “Why, Mr. Masters, I thought you would have gotten that all out of your system while we were gone.” Then she offered an exaggerated wink.
Tempest Torn Page 24
