by Jill Sanders
She’d never gotten this close to someone before. Never dreamed it was possible.
When his mouth moved over hers, she sighed and enjoyed the warmth that spread down to her toes. Then he took a step closer, backing her up until her shoulders came up against the outer wall. She ached and arched as his hands ran over her, tugging and pulling her large T-shirt out of her old jeans until, finally, she felt his callused hands on her bare skin. She moaned with pleasure as her body responded to his touch.
When his head dipped and his mouth spread over her exposed skin, she closed her eyes and sighed at the wonderful feeling of his hot lips on her breast.
Years, it had been years since she’d felt anything like this. She shook her head. She’d never felt anything as wonderful as Marcus’s mouth on her. His tongue played over her, causing little bumps to raise up everywhere.
Her fingers were tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as he moaned and enjoyed the taste of her. She realized she was completely sweaty and probably covered in dust, but he didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he lapped at her like she was the best tasting cream he’d ever experienced.
She pushed her hips towards him and moaned again as his fingers brushed across her lower belly. Shivers raced through her as his finger dipped just below her jeans.
“Please,” she begged, not really caring if she sounded desperate.
Her mind kept screaming at her to stop, that this was all too soon. But her body was so heated from his touch that everything else fell away.
“Marcus, please,” she begged again, not sure of what she was asking. All she knew was that he was touching her like she was a piece of glass. So gentle. Couldn’t he tell that she was burning? That she needed him?
Hearing his name stopped him. She felt him still next to her, then he rested his head against her chest and she felt his pulse beat in his temple. It was as quick as her own. When she tried to get him to move some more, he shook his head.
“I need a moment, just a moment to think,” he whispered next to her skin.
She shook her head and closed her eyes. “No, let’s not think. Not now.” She pulled his head back until he looked up at her. “Please.”
He closed his eyes and sighed. “You deserve more.”
She felt as if he’d burned her with his words.
Then he looked at her and she could see that he was fighting a battle with himself. “God, I want you,” he blurted out, “but not like this.” He motioned around them.
For the first time in several minutes, she realized just how dirty they were. She laughed. She couldn’t help it, the laughter just bubbled out.
“What’s so funny?” he asked, stepping away from her.
“Everything,” she blurted out.
Here she was, almost ready to have sex with a man she’d known less than a month, in what was no doubt one of the dirtiest places she’d ever been. And the fact was, she hadn’t cared. She stopped laughing and looked over at him.
He was running his hands through his hair, causing some strands to stick straight up. There was a large spot of what looked like grease on his cheek and a slight layer of dirt all over him. She looked down at herself and frowned. She didn’t look any better.
“I think I need a shower,” she said. When he moaned, she glanced up at him. His eyes were closed and his head had fallen backwards.
“What?”
“Now I’m picturing you naked and wet,” he said between his teeth. “I’m trying to be good here.”
“Why?” She crossed her arms over her chest.
“Because you asked me to.” He mimicked her pose. “Or don’t you remember?”
She tilted her head and thought about it. She had told him she liked things the way they were. But seeing how sexy he looked staring at her, she couldn’t stop herself from wanting him.
“A woman’s entitled to change her mind.” She smiled.
He shook his head. “You’re tired and probably hungry.” He sidestepped her when she reached out for him. She laughed and he laughed with her.
“What do you say to grabbing some pizza?” He looked down at himself. “It’s the only place in town where we won’t be yelled at for being this dirty as we eat.”
Since her stomach chose that moment to let out a loud growl, she nodded. “Sounds good.”
By the time Marcus dropped her off at her apartment, she was back to her old self. As she stood in her little shower, trying not to dream of having hot water, she went over the reasons in her head why it was a bad idea for her to sleep with Marcus.
By the time she crawled onto her air mattress, she had thoroughly convinced herself that he’d done them both a favor.
After all, what did she really know about the man. She’d trusted someone like him before and look at what had happened to that relationship.
As she drifted off, her mind corrected her. No, Marcus was nothing like Tyler.
Chapter Ten
There were only a few things in life that Marcus enjoyed more than sex. Demo was one of them. By the end of Tuesday night, every muscle in his body ached.
Shelly and he had knocked out one of the major walls that had needed to come down in her shop, but there had still been two others. Not to mention the heavy stonework that had covered the side wall and that would eventually be replaced with drywall. The stone was not only heavy, but a bitch to remove. It had taken four of them to get it all down and removed. By the end of the day, the entire demo had been completed. Now, the hard work could begin.
He sat in his living room and nursed a warm beer as he watched the game with his brother. He wished more than anything that he could be with Shelly instead.
That night he got little sleep and by the next morning, he was in a foul mood, which only escalated when he had to help unload all the wood from the delivery truck. To top it off, he’d banged his thumb and slammed his shins on the truck’s lift.
By lunchtime, he was ready to call it a day. Not only were his men not cooperating, but now it appeared neither was the building. He’d scheduled Tom, one of his best electricians, and Joe, his best plumber, to be there first thing that morning.
Both men had shown up on time, but both men had run into issue after issue, which had slowed everything else down.
He’d hoped to have the new rooms framed out by the end of the day so ductwork, electric, and plumbing could be finished by the end of the month. But after all the problems they’d run into, they’d be lucky if everything got done by next year.
Tossing his hammer down, he stormed from what would end up being Shelly’s office and marched out the front doors to cool off.
Sometimes a project just needed a little TLC. But with the lack of sleep and the sexual frustration building, he doubted he had any TLC to give it right now. At least not until he got a good night’s sleep.
When he stepped out on the boardwalk into the light rain, he instantly felt better. He leaned against the railing and watched the waves crash against the sand.
This was his life. He loved working with his hands. Always had. He’d always used it as an escape from reality. Why was he now thinking of it as a distraction instead?
He turned around when he heard someone calling his name. Cassey was walking towards him, carrying a large bag under an even larger umbrella.
“Hey, I thought that was you.” She smiled up at him. “Taking a break?” she asked, trying to peek into the front windows. It wouldn’t do her any good; they’d taped them off the day before so people couldn’t see in until it was ready.
“Yeah.” He wiped his hand over his neck.
“Rough day?” She frowned a little at him.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Guess so.”
“Anything I can help with?”
He looked down at her. Her long dark hair was tied back in two braids, reminding him of the scared little girl who had stepped out of Lilly’s car and into his heart. He couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “No.” He shook his head as he tugged on the end of one o
f her braids. “I’m a big boy, I’ll handle it.”
She nodded and smiled. When she turned to go, she paused. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Shelly, does it?”
He lied. “No.”
“Good.” She relaxed a little. “Because I really like her.” Then Cassey turned and disappeared into the mist.
“Yeah, so do I,” he said under his breath, realizing that was the real root of his problem.
Walking back into the building, he set aside his thoughts of Shelly and got back to work. After all of his men left, he stayed behind to finish up some of the work.
He didn’t hear her walk in until she said his name behind him. He dropped his hammer and it landed on his foot.
“Oh!” She rushed forward, “Are you hurt?”
He chuckled. “No, I’m okay. Steel-toed boots.” He nodded to his work boots.
“Oh.” She frowned down at his foot.
“Is there something you wanted?” he asked, feeling a little frustrated that she was standing in front of him looking too damn sexy in black leggings with a low-cut green top that hugged every inch of her. Her hair was curled and flowing around her shoulders, making him wish he could bury his hands and face in it. He’d bet anything that it smelled like honey.
“No. Yes.” She turned her eyes back to him. They’d been roaming over the space, taking in everything that had changed in the last two days. She shrugged her shoulders. “I just wanted to see…” She turned again and started walking around. “You’ve gotten so much done already.”
He sighed as he realized he’d been watching her butt instead of listening to her. Forcing his eyes back to where her eyes would be, he tried to focus on keeping his wants in check.
“Actually, I feel like we’re moving slower than normal. We had a few setbacks today.”
“Oh?” She turned around and crossed her arms over her chest.
He nodded, his eyes glued to what the motion did to her breasts.
“Anything major?” she asked, taking a step towards him.
He shook his head no, his eyes still glued to her breasts. He knew it wasn’t polite, but he wondered if she actually knew what she was doing? She had to, after all, coming down here dressed like that.
“Good.” She sighed and turned back around. When she started to walk into the back room, he stopped her.
“Careful.” He rushed over to take her arm. “There are still a lot of exposed nails in that room.”
“Oh,” she said under her breath. Then she blinked a few times and stepped back from him. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the other day.”
He nodded and shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Okay?”
“I…” She sighed. “I wanted to thank you. You know, for stopping.” His heart deflated. “I mean, I’m not ready to jump back into a relationship so soon.” She started pacing in front of him, waving her hands around as she spoke. “It’s just that I’m not ready to fully be out on my own in that manner. I mean, so close after the fiasco last time.”
He didn’t understand half of what she was saying, but he listened to her and nodded when she looked at him. Finally, she turned to him with a slight smile.
“I hope you understand.”
He nodded again, but then started to shake his head no. “I’m sorry. What is it you’re talking about?”
She let out a large sigh. “You know, I just don’t want to get into another relationship so soon after breaking off my engagement.”
That woke him up. He took a step back like he’d been hit over the head. “Engagement?”
Her chin dropped a little as she nodded her head. “I… I thought you knew. I mean…” She took a step closer. “After you found out who my father was, I assumed you knew about it. You know, piecing everything together.”
He shook his head. “I know who your father is. I didn’t say that I knew anything about you before.”
“Oh.” She groaned. “I’ve messed everything up.” She started pacing again. Then she stopped and turned towards him abruptly. “I was engaged to one of my parents’ friend’s son. It was sort of an arranged thing between our folks. Well…” She looked down at her hands instead of his eyes. “ I called it off when I moved here,” she said quickly.
“You called it off, or you left him a voice mail, like you did for your parents?”
Her eyes rushed to his and he saw the answer in them. Shaking his head, he reached down to pick up his hammer. “I guess it is a good thing I stopped the other night.” He walked over and set his hammer into his toolbox.
“It wasn’t like this,” she said behind him. “I was never… I never…” He turned back to her. “I didn’t feel that way towards Tyler. I mean, he didn’t even propose to me. It was sort of just arranged.”
He leaned back on the worktable. “It wasn’t like what?”
She stopped looking at her hands and looked up at him.
*******
My God, did he want everything spelled out? She let out a deep breath and blurted out, “Raw attraction.”
He chuckled. “Is that what this is?” He crossed his arms over his chest and for a moment she forgot everything except the sight of the muscles in his arms, straining against the light material.
“I…” She shook her head. “I’m not sure.” She locked onto his eyes again. “Can you label it yourself?”
He shook his head. “Fair enough. I guess I’m not sure what this is either.”
She nodded once. “So…” She waited.
“So…” he said, smiling. “Engaged, huh?”
She closed her eyes and moaned. “Not anymore, I hope.”
She heard his chuckle get closer and opened her eyes to see him coming towards her. “What do you say to having dinner with me?”
She smiled. “Sounds wonderful.”
“Good. I can run home and shower then…”
“Why don’t you just come upstairs? I’ve got pork chops in the oven already.”
He frowned. “I’d like to shower first.”
She smiled. “I’ve got a shower you can use, if you insist.”
He tilted his head. “I have a change of clothes in my truck. I’ll grab them and be up in a minute.”
She nodded and smiled, then surprised herself by putting her arms over his shoulders. “I meant what I said.”
His hands went to her hips. “What?”
“That I’m very attracted to you.” She leaned up and placed a hot kiss on his lips and then quickly turned and walked out. She could feel his eyes on her back as she swayed out.
By the time he knocked on her door, she felt completely in control of herself again. Seeing him sweaty did something to her. Maybe it was chemical? After all, she’d read an article somewhere that the odor of a sweaty man was highly attractive to women.
She tried to stay clear of him as he excused himself and disappeared into her bathroom. She’d been so busy avoiding him that she’d forgotten to mention the cold water.
She heard him gasp from the kitchen and tried not to chuckle. Maybe that would help speed along the water heater process.
By the time he stepped out of her bathroom, hair damp and looking even sexier than before in a gray T-shirt and faded jeans, dinner was ready.
“Smells good.” He set his bag down by the door and walked over to her. “Can I help with anything?”
She shook her head. “No, you’ve had a busy day working. Here.” She handed him a beer and nodded to the table. “Go, sit down. I’ll be just a moment more.”
He smiled and took the beer. “A woman after my own heart.” Sipping the beer, he walked over to the windows and looked out. The sky was dark since the clouds had yet to go away and it was still very foggy out.
Turning back to the food, she tossed the salad and pulled the pork chops from the oven.
“It’s funny how many people stop and look at your sign. That was a really good idea.” He took another sip of his beer.
She smiled, remembering how she’d us
ed her paints to make a large sign that she had pasted in the front window, letting everyone who passed by know what was coming. “I had too much fun designing it. I can’t wait until the big one is hanging over the door and the place is finished.”
He nodded and then walked over to help her carry the plates of food to the small table.
“Speaking of finished things, I’ll see about having your water heater installed this week.”
She laughed. “Another reason I invited you to shower at my place.”
He smiled. “Smart move. What was the first reason?”
Her lips twitched as she picked up her own beer and took a sip. The tangy taste did little to soothe her desires.
“So I could picture you, how did you put it… naked and wet.” She smiled and picked up her fork.
“You don’t play fair.” He frowned as he picked up his fork.
“I never promised to.” She smiled and nibbled on her food. She was thrilled when his eyes heated, watching her lips as she enjoyed the meal.
By the time his plate was empty, she was sure he could see her excitement flow from her skin. They talked a little over the food, but for the most part, their eyes stayed locked as the heat level continued to rise.
When she stood to take the dishes to the sink, he shook his head and took her arm. “No, sit with me for a while longer.”
She nodded and pulled her chair closer to him.
“You really need some furniture up here.” He frowned looking around.
She chuckled. “Not until you’re done with it. If I carry up anything now, we’ll just have to haul it back down when construction starts.”
He nodded. “Maybe we can move ahead on starting up here. I mean, there’s no reason I can’t have two teams going at once. I’ve got enough men. I have some guys finishing another project this Friday. I could have them start here on Monday morning.”
“Really?” She bit her bottom lip. “I…” She looked around, “I’m not sure I’m ready.”
He laughed. “Scared?”
She jutted her chin out. “Of course not.”
His smile grew. “Good, then it’s settled. The sooner you get a sofa, the sooner I could do this to you on it.” He pulled her closer until she was practically sitting in his lap, and then he kissed her until she melted against him.
