Bound and Determined

by Anara Bella

  “Sounds like you haven’t put any effort into it.”

  For a moment she was taken aback by his bluntness but then shrugged. Marcus wasn’t putting her down for it, just stating the obvious.

  “You’re right. I haven’t. None of the women in my family have been into cooking. Not even my grandmother.”

  Marcus grinned. “That doesn’t surprise me. Your grandmother is the complete antithesis of the grandmotherly type. It’s one of the things I like best about her.”

  She grinned with fondness, picturing Gram’s many eccentricities. “Me too.”

  The water started to boil and he grabbed a couple handfuls of linguine and tossed them in, giving it a quick stir before turning back to the pepper. “You two seem very close.”

  “We are. She raised me on her own after my mother died.”

  He stopped slicing and looked up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your mother.”

  “It’s okay. It was a long time ago and I never lacked for love. I did okay.”

  He didn’t look at her. “That’s the same thing I tell people when they find out about my dad. He died when I was twelve.”

  The urge to hug him and place a soothing kiss on his neck was overwhelming, but she didn’t know how he’d take it, so she held back. Instead, she reached out and briefly touched his shoulder. “That had to be hard.”

  “It was, but we survived it and grew closer as a family.”

  Knowing what it was like to lose a parent, Asia nodded. Marcus was downplaying it, but she understood just how hard it must have been. “It’s a wonder your mother and sisters didn’t spoil you rotten after that.”

  He grinned. “It was of supreme importance to my sisters and my mother that I not grow up to be one of those guys who thinks women are put on this earth to serve them.”

  Remembering how Davis was exactly like that, Asia shuddered. “Heaven forbid.”

  He laughed. “That’s how they all felt about it too. I think they’d still slap me upside my head if they ever thought I wasn’t treating a woman right.”

  Asia wished all mothers would train their sons to be that way.

  He gave the linguine another stir, grabbed a colander from the cupboard and placed it in the sink. Then he grabbed plates and cutlery and set them on the other side of the island where the barstools were. “Do you feel like some wine?”

  “I’d love some.”

  Wine glasses were placed on the counter. Next, he grabbed a bottle of Riesling out of the under-counter wine cooler. Uncorking it with efficiency, he poured some into each glass.

  Turning back, he took the wooden spoon from her. “Have a seat. I can take it from here.”

  She relinquished the stirring duties to him, sat on a counter barstool and took a sip of the dry white wine with relish. “Mmm, this is good.”

  She watched as he turned off the heat under the onions and peppers, checked the linguine for doneness and dumped it into the colander. Every movement he made was sure and efficient.

  There was something truly sexy about a man who knew his way around a kitchen. Especially when his jeans hugged his outstanding ass like that.

  He took the drained linguine and dumped it into the onions and peppers and tossed the whole thing around. “It’s ready.”

  Oh yeah, she was ready all right. Ready to jump his bones again. But it would have to wait until she fed her persistently growling stomach. “It smells fantastic.”

  “Tastes even better.”

  He dished it onto their plates and put what was left back on the stove. He spooned on some parmesan cheese, placed a plate before her and sat beside her.

  He twirled his fork in the linguine until he had a mouthful and held it to her lips. The moment it hit her tongue, she groaned in bliss. It was pure heaven. “Oh my God, this is fabulous. You are a genius with pasta. I think I’ll keep you around.”

  The second the words left her lips, she froze. She was afraid to look at him to see his reaction, but when she finally did he seemed totally unconcerned.

  In fact, he grinned back at her. “I get that a lot. I’m a better cook than my sisters.”

  Between his superior gorgeousness and his fame as an author, she didn’t doubt that he did have tons of women who wanted to keep him. A weird feeling of unease fluttered in her gut but she shoved it down. Good thing she wasn’t one of those saps. Nope. Not her.

  They ate in companionable silence for a bit before she spoke again. “So what made you decide to move way out here to Forsythia Falls?”

  “I got tired of city life. I grew up in a town not much bigger than this one.”

  “I didn’t know that. Why’d you leave?”

  “The usual reason young people leave small towns. I wanted excitement and I figured the big city was the best place to get it.”

  “You stayed there for quite a while, so you must have liked it. What changed?”

  He shrugged. “I think I just grew up. And I missed the more laidback kind of life that I had in my childhood.”

  “Why didn’t you move back to where your family is?”

  He grinned wryly and shook his head. “My sisters can be a bit smothering, so I wanted to keep a bit of distance between us. If I had moved back there they would’ve been dropping by all the time, and although I love seeing them and spending time with them, it would have interfered with my work. This way, they’re only about an hour and a half away. Close enough to see them as much as I like, but not too close.”

  She took another sip of wine while she considered his answer. “Sounds like you put a lot of thought into it.”

  “I did. Besides, when I saw this place up for sale, I couldn’t pass it up.”

  “You must have seen something most people didn’t. It was up for sale for quite a while.”

  He nodded. “It needed a lot of work. But I had no trouble looking past that once I saw the house. It was the wraparound porch that did it for me.”

  “That was always my favorite part too. You’ve done a great job with the renovations. It’s surpassed anything I could’ve imagined.”

  “You can thank my sister for that. She’s the designer.”

  “Oh really.”

  “Yeah, she’s brilliant at what she does so I nabbed her services. She helped with all the major decisions so that I didn’t end up with a mess.”

  She grinned. “I gather interior design isn’t one of your many talents.”

  “I know what I like, but it’s been nice to be able to run things past my sister first. She steered me away from making a couple of huge mistakes that would’ve cost me a fortune to fix.”

  “So you admit you’re not good at everything.”

  “Not even close. I have a gift for words, and a few other things.” He slanted her a suggestive look, letting her know exactly what things he was referring to.

  “Yeah, I’ve noticed you’re particularly gifted in one area for sure.”

  He laughed. “You’re pretty gifted in that area yourself.”

  Asia didn’t agree but let it go.

  When they’d finished eating, Asia stood and started gathering their dirty plates and cutlery.

  “Leave them. I’ll clean up later.”

  “You cooked, I’ll clean up.”

  He didn’t argue, but he followed her over to the sink with their wine glasses and set them on the counter beside her.

  Hugging her from behind, he nuzzled the super-sensitive spot just below her ear. A direct line of heat sizzled down to her core. “If you’re determined to help me out, I have this problem no one else can rectify.”

  He nudged his erection against her backside. She smiled and leaned back into him. All through dinner her mind had kept going back to their wild afternoon of sex and now she wanted him with an intensity that worried her.

  For some reason, she couldn’t seem to keep her hands off him. He was like a drug and she was already seriously addicted.

  What was it about him that flipped her sexual switches so fast? One thi
ng was for certain, he was turning her into a sex fiend. Making her want him too much.

  Maybe she should take a break and get away from him for a while. Catch her breath. And figure out exactly how she felt about everything that had happened. “I should go home.”

  He slid his hand under the shirt and cupped her breast. The other strayed between her legs. “You should stay.”

  God, he felt so good. His hard cock nestled into her, his hands working their usual magic. “I need a change of clothes.”

  She didn’t sound convincing even to her own ears.

  “I guarantee you won’t need any clothes tonight.” He worked his hand past her mound and unerringly found her clitoris. “Besides, it would be a shame to waste this. See how hot and wet you are for me?”

  She groaned and pushed her ass back against him, her determination wavering. He had a point, damn him.

  He kneed her legs farther apart. With slow, deliberate movements, he inserted a finger into her vagina, teasing her with his touch as he worked it in and out of her tight sheath. It felt so good, but what she wanted was his cock inside of her.

  He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger and her vagina clenched in response.

  She whimpered.

  “You know you want to.”

  She gripped the countertop as if it would keep her grounded to sanity. “I really should leave.”

  He shook his head, nipped her shoulder. “No, you really should come.”

  Oh yeah, coming sounded real good right now. The familiar pressure was building hard and fast. With his finger fucking her and his cock’s impressive girth so close to where she wanted it, all she could think about was coming.

  All of a sudden he removed his hands, and she almost cried out at the loss of contact until she realized he wasn’t stopping but rather trying to pull off the shirt she wore. Overwhelming relief washed over her. Who was she kidding? There was no way she could deny him, or herself, this pleasure.

  When she was naked, he growled. “God, yes.” The rasp of his zipper sent a thrill coursing through her, building her excited anticipation. He slapped a condom on the counter beside her.

  Startled, she laughed. “Do you keep some of those in every room in the house?”

  He prodded her ass with his cock. “That’s not a bad idea, but no. I shoved one in my pocket before I came down.” He tweaked her nipples and she gasped. “I used to be a boy scout, you know.”

  “Always prepared, are you?”

  “Since I can’t seem to get enough of your sweet body, I pretty much have to be.”

  Thank God for that, since she couldn’t seem to get enough of his either.

  All thought fled when he used his knee to spread her legs, and leaned into her, his engorged velvety-hot cock resting between her butt cheeks. He ran his hands across her breasts, over her hips, down her belly, feathering through her curls and then away, not touching her where she needed him most.

  She wanted to scream from frustration, thought she’d go up in flames at any second. And then with one deft movement he let his cock slide between her thighs, rubbing back and forth, teasing her labia with the motion. She pushed her ass back farther into him, needing to cause more friction.

  Marcus groaned and finally let his fingers trail down, down, down until they touched her clit. Between his cock and his fingers, she didn’t know which sensation was going to drive her insane first.

  “Bend forward. A little bit more. Oh yeah. Just. Like. That.”

  Condom in place, he rubbed the head of his cock in her slippery juices before pushing his way in with unrelenting force. Stretching her, filling her to bursting. It shocked her just how big he was each time he thrust into her. How perfect.

  Without giving her a chance to catch her breath, he pulled out and began pounding into her. Fast and hard. Hot and deep. Mind-blowing. Perfection. Her orgasm building fast, she was almost there. Almost…

  One hand left her hip, moved down until his fingers stroked her clit in delicious circles, and she flew off the precipice, soaring into the blissful heavens of release. If Marcus hadn’t held her up, she would have collapsed on the floor. But he rode her through it and slammed home, coming hard in a feral growl, spasming inside her.

  He collapsed against her, holding them both up with a shaky hand wedged against the counter.

  He’d worn her out. Again. Deep down, she suspected that no matter how many times they had sex, she would never have enough of him.

  And that, more than anything, scared the shit out of her.

  Chapter Nine

  Asia woke up, slowly becoming aware there was an arm draped over her waist and a hand clasped around her naked breast.

  This was not the usual way she woke up in the morning. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a man cuddled up to her in bed like this. She had to admit it felt really, really good.

  In spite of her initial determination to go home, Marcus had managed to talk her into staying the night. They’d had a nice quiet evening talking and watching a movie in bed. In fact, that was the last thing she remembered. She must have fallen asleep before the movie ended. Not too surprising since she hadn’t been sleeping very well since the robbery.

  What time is it? She peeped open her eyes. “Holy crap. I slept in.”

  Marcus’s arm tightened around her and he squeezed her breast. “What?”

  His voice was groggy and sexy as hell, and all Asia wanted to do was cuddle back into him. Instead she tossed back the blanket, disentangled herself from his arms and jumped out of bed. “I’m late. I have to open the shop.”

  That got his attention. “Shit. I was going to make us breakfast.”

  She raced toward the bathroom to wash up. “No breakfast today. I barely have time to get dressed.”

  “Okay, I’ll pick up something and we can eat it in the shop.”

  Asia stopped in her tracks and turned back around. “What are you talking about?”

  “Breakfast. You know, food. Sustenance.”

  She rolled her eyes. “That’s not what I meant.”

  He grinned. “I’m coming with you into the shop today.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yeah, I am.”

  “No, you’re not.”

  “Yeah. I am.”

  She took in the determined look on his face and didn’t know whether to be charmed or annoyed. “But why?”

  “Because in the middle of the night I remembered that your grandmother left for the weekend yesterday and I thought it might be easier for you if you didn’t have to be alone in the shop so soon after the robbery.”

  The fact that she felt so relieved at the mere idea of not having to be alone in the shop annoyed her. That he’d known how she felt—even though she hadn’t told anyone—and had already decided to help her touched her more than she could even acknowledge to herself. Davis would never have thought of it, never mind put himself out this way.

  But she couldn’t let Marcus do this. “You don’t have time to waste all day just to babysit me.”

  “You’re right, I don’t. I have work to do, but that’s the advantage of being a writer. I can do it anywhere. I’ll bring my laptop, find a comfortable place to sit and work there instead of here. You won’t even know I’m there.”

  She blinked back tears and at the same time almost laughed at the very idea she could ever be unaware of him if he was anywhere around her. “You sure?”

  He got out of bed and padded over to her, his pajama bottoms hanging low on his hips, which brought her eyes down to his semi-erect penis. Her lower belly clenched in memory of the stupendous sex they’d had yesterday. Wishing they had time for a quickie right now.

  He kissed her on the nose. “I’m sure. Now go get dressed before I ravage you. You look damned sexy in my T-shirt.”

  He playfully slapped her bottom for emphasis and she giggled and scurried off. But not before teasing him with a saucy wiggle of her ass.

  Once back in
town, she ran up to her apartment to change into a T-shirt and skirt. They’d washed and dried yesterday’s muddy outfit, but there was no way she was wearing the same thing she had on yesterday to the shop.

  Marcus was back with breakfast by the time she’d finished opening the store. Once they’d eaten, he set up his laptop on a Victorian pedestal desk that was close to the cash register counter and went to work.

  The morning passed quickly. Much more quickly than if she’d been alone, jumping every time a customer stepped into the store, and she was grateful to Marcus for that. He typed away on his laptop while she took care of her usual tasks and the customers who dropped in.

  Most people left Marcus alone to work, but Asia noticed that several of the female patrons eyed him with a lot of interest. One woman in particular was determined to catch his eye, and when the usual posturing didn’t work she stopped hedging and went right up to him, gushing about how much she loved his books.

  At first Asia wondered what was niggling at her while she watched the woman openly flirt with Marcus, until she realized she was jealous. She’d never been the jealous type before. The first time had been when she’d caught Davis cheating on her three weeks before their wedding, and even then she’d been more furious and hurt than jealous. Now she realized that Davis’s treachery had done more than just break her heart and make her question her instincts with men. It had brought out a side to her personality that she really didn’t like. One more thing she could thank the jackass for.

  And the jealousy was so unfounded. Not only did she have no claim on Marcus, but he wasn’t encouraging the woman at all. He was pleasant and charming, but that was it. She couldn’t fault his behavior at all.

  What bothered her more was the woman’s sheer persistence. Marcus was a handsome man, and quite well-known. It wasn’t too hard to imagine that he had women throwing themselves at him all the time, but to see it firsthand was something else. This woman had even gone so far as to purchase his book down the street and come back so he’d sign it for her. With the way she was throwing herself at him, Asia couldn’t help but feel that it was only so she could tell him her name. No doubt hoping he’d ask for her number too.