Her trepidation seemed to evaporate with the taste of my lips. Her hands were frantic as her fingers pulled my short strands, bringing our bodies closer. “I love you, too. Oh, God, I love you so much, Marcus.” She moaned against my lips, her body molding to mine, her heart finally reciprocating. Those three little words from her mouth—this was the first time any woman had ever spoken them to me. Tessa—my first love. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever heard.
He loved me. He came all this way—how the hell he knew where I was, I had no idea—but he flew across the country to tell me he loves me. I had never felt so special, so wanted before. It was overwhelming. Indescribable.
He cradled my head in his hands, the bulky bandage a nagging reminder of what almost tore us apart. I forced all images of that out of my head as my body melted into his, my skin tingling with every touch. Our kiss went from wild and hungry to slow and deliberate. The usual fast and furious can’t-get-enough-of-each-other heat was turning into the we’re-in-love-and-you’re-mine-to-savor-slowly passion.
His lips and fingers roamed my barely-clothed body, his arousal poking through his jeans against my stomach. One hand caressed the length of my back, untying the string of my bikini top. I arched forward, allowing the tiny fabric to fall between us. His lips abruptly left mine and trailed a path down my neck, across my collarbone, finally encasing my breast with his warmth. Teeth clamped gently around my beaded peak and I cried out, wanting more. I needed to feel him inside me, wondered if it would feel different now. Now that the two of us were done playing games and ignoring the truth about how deep our connection had been all along.
As his tongue circled my sensitive flesh, his fingers inched inside my bathing suit bottom and then lower still between my already drenched folds. My hands fisted his hair as my head fell back, enjoying all the ways Marcus knew how to please me. Little did he know the most satisfying pleasure had nothing to do with how well he maneuvered my body. The pleasure of knowing he loved me trumped even the most earth-shattering orgasm.
“I love you,” I moaned, unable to hold it in.
The declaration fueled him to delve deeper, his fingers breaching me faster and harder, his thumb circling my clit. My legs felt weak, my core tightening. I held onto his broad shoulders for support as his fingers brought me to climax, rocking against his palm, thrusting with each passing wave.
“God, this is crazy!” I panted, breathless. As my insides spiraled back down, the tremors passing, I took in the scene—I was topless, in my parents’ living room, in broad daylight. They could walk in at any minute. Why didn’t I care?
Marcus’s eyes were still dark and heated and the bulge in his jeans—it needed to be set free. “Yeah, crazy good.” He groaned, returning his mouth to the crook of my neck. “And there’s plenty more crazy where that came from. Where’s your room?”
“Room?” I asked, as I unbuttoned his jeans. I didn’t want to waste even the tiny amount of time it would take to get upstairs. I wanted him right now. “Here. Take me here.”
His smile grew wide, his tongue darting out to lick his lips. “My fucking pleasure, pretty girl.”
The bikini bottom was practically ripped from my body, Marcus’s strong arms lifting me and wrapping my legs around his muscled back. He moved us to the couch, placed me down, and undressed. Each intricate tattoo only embellished his rugged beauty. Every rigid ripple and solid line contouring his body had me in adoration of what was mine.
Hovering over me, his eyes met mine. I felt the tip of him against me, readying for entry. Instead of slamming into me, the way I desperately wanted him to, he eased in slowly, never removing his eyes from mine. “I love you, Tessa. I think I always have.” He slid in and out of me, deliberately, allowing me to savor each unhurried thrust.
“I love you, too, Marcus. I think I always will.” And I knew I always would. We rocked together, tangled in each other, letting all the emotions soak in. But it eventually became too much to tame, so I wrapped my legs around him tighter, urging him deeper with the heels of my feet against his bare bottom. I didn’t need him to be gentle now just because our feelings were out in the open. I still wanted the rough and tough Marcus that knew how to claim me, mind, body and soul. “Baby?”
“Mmmhhmm,” he hummed against my ear.
“We can make love another time.”
His head shot up and he looked down at me downright confused.
I smiled, sliding my hand down his torso, cupping his ass and pushing him deeper.
“Right now. I want you to fuck me.”
“Oh God, I thought you’d never ask.”
What seemed like hours later, we lay tangled together upstairs in the Santa Fe-inspired guest room. My parents were taking an awfully long time to food shop, but I didn’t mind the alone time with Marcus. We needed this—this normalcy. This was the first time since this whole thing between us started that I felt like a real couple. No secrets, no hidden feelings, just two people—in love.
I stretched my arm across his chest, finding his hand resting at his side. I wove my fingers into his and broke the peaceful silence. “So, Mr. Determined, how’d you find me?”
He brought my fingers to his lips and kissed each of my knuckles before nipping my skin between his teeth playfully. “For me to know and you to find out.”
I curved my body closer to his, my free hand tilting his head toward me. “Riley caved, didn’t she? It’s okay. You can tell me. I won’t be mad. I’m glad you jumped on that plane to tell me you love me. Besides the birth of Luca, that was the single most thrilling moment of my life.”
“More thrilling than the motorcycle ride?” His eyebrows danced up and down.
“Yes,” I giggled. “Even better than that. But, come to think of it, you definitely need to get one! Pronto!”
“Mmm,” he hummed, the vibration tickling my ear as I pressed it against his hard chest. “We’ll have to visit the Harley shop as soon as we fly back. I’d love to have my girl riding bitch on my very own bike—your arms wrapped around me, your tits up against my back.”
The bulge forming beneath his denim was unmistakable. “You can’t be serious.” I pointed, steering clear of contact with said bulge. I was exhausted from all the making up—I didn’t have another round in me.
He let out a hearty laugh, smoothing my hair from my face and then removing my arms from his body. “I told you I’ll never get enough.” He bent down to kiss the top of my head. Using his elbows to prop himself, he sat up, leaning against the oak headboard. “But your parents will be home soon and the beautiful way you sound while we—they might think you’re being murdered up here.”
“Very true.” I smiled, sitting up to face him with my legs folded together like a pretzel. “It’s better if they meet you with your clothes on. Although my mother is a big fan of yours without them, too. I wouldn’t be surprised if she picks up a pair of those underwear you model for my dad.”
Laughing, he slapped his leg and blurted out, “Secret Agent Brenda’s seen my goods?”
I was confused. “Secret Agent Brenda?”
“Woops. I guess I let that one slip out a little quicker than expected.”
“What’re you talking about?”
“Baby,” he leaned closer, his face inches from mine. “Your mother is one amazing fucking woman. Just like her daughter.”
“Yes,” I said, my hands covering his as they cupped my face. “She is amazing, but what’s with the little nickname? Did I miss something, a joke from when we were kids? I don’t recall…” I wracked my brain for any forgotten or misplaced memory of Marcus, or Riley, and my mother. Blank… totally blank.
“Pretty girl, I love watching you think. That adorable worry line between those sparkling baby blues. But there’s nothing to worry about—not anymore. I’m here, we’re together and… it’s all because of Secret Agent Brenda.”
“Huh?” My face crunched. What was he talking about? “What does my mother have to do with—”
“She called me, Tess. We talked, for a while actually, and when she was convinced that I wasn’t a total asshat, she flew me out here—on her dime—to come tell you how I felt. So fucking romantic, right? Way to go Mama Bradley!”
“She what?” I jumped off the bed, rushing to the closet to find some clothes. My mother called Marcus? How could she do that to me? Did she beg him to come here and tell him to tell me he loved me?
“Why’re you so pissed?” He was behind me, pulling his t-shirt over his head.
Because now I wasn’t sure if Marcus felt he had to come out here or if he actually wanted to. “She had no right to do that. I needed space to clear my head. How could she call you and tell you to come here? I feel so stupid.” I tugged my hair up in a ponytail, avoiding eye contact with Marcus.
“Stupid? What’s to feel stupid about? Listen to me.” He spun me around to face him and then eased me down to sit on the edge of the bed. He stood over me, his strong hands holding me in place at my shoulders. “Stop your over-thinking bullshit. Here’s how it went down. She called me because she was worried about you and had the sense to want to hear the other side of things. You’re a stubborn pain in the ass sometimes and no one knows that better than your mom. And don’t think that for one second she went easy on me and just threw me on plane without making me work for it. She grilled the shit out of me. Called Riley to double check that I wasn’t some lying piece of shit just trying to convince her I wasn’t fooling around. She knew you were hurting and when I told her the truth and then told her I loved you—Secret Agent Brenda got to making undercover plans. Even down to the time she left with Luca and your Special Ops sidekick of a dad.”
I sat there astonished. Totally and utterly flummoxed, flabbergasted—was there another funny sounding word that covered my downright dumbfoundedness? “Really?” It was the only logical thing I could muster.
“Yes.” Marcus pulled me back up to him by my arms. “Really! We’ve got people in our corner now, my love. People rooting for us. For this,” he waved his finger back and forth between us, “to work out.”
I couldn’t say it again, but really? We were finally free of the judgment and the discerning warnings about how we were doomed for failure? But there was one name that couldn’t help itself from popping into my head— “What about Riley?”
“Taken care of. Miss Nosy Body is done being skeptical. She’s already apologized her ass off to me; I suspect you’ll be getting your own when we get back to New York.”
After the emotional rollercoaster of this week and the months of sneaking around and worrying about what everyone else thought—I finally, finally felt free to go on with my life and be happy. With Marcus. “I don’t need her overdue apology.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him in for another knee-buckling kiss. “I have everything I need right here in my arms. I love you, Marcus Grayson.”
“I love you, too, pretty girl, but before we get carried away, I think we have some company.”
I slouched against him, disappointed that we couldn’t have one more go at it, and then listened for the impending bellowing that was sure to ensue.
One… two… three… “Tessa? Where are you, honey?”
“Ready for this?” I gazed into his stunning grey eyes—my stunning grey eyes. Everything about him was finally mine.
“Oh, I’m ready. Brenda loves me. This is going to be cake.”
Brenda and Michael were cake. The rest of our stay in Arizona was pleasant and memorable and exactly the way a visit to your girlfriend’s parents should go—devoid of drama, full of laughs and simply effortless.
Especially compared with the routine of being home and the unrelenting annoyance that was my sister. Riley was not cake. She was the complete opposite—what was the opposite of cake?
“What the fuck, Ry? Why are you being so… over fucking bearing? And why are you crying?”
Big, fat, annoying tears fell from her eyes, dragging black shit down her cheeks with them. “I’m just so emotional these days,” she sniffled while unattractively wiping the snot from her nose. “I’m sorry. I can’t apologize enough. I was such a meddling pain in the ass. I should’ve just been a good sister and a good friend and been supportive from the beginning. I knew you were always hot for her, Marcus. And Tessa, I get that he’s hard to resist, but—I never imagined you two in love. And now, you guys are a couple and I’m…” The sobbing continued and Tessa consoled her, shaking her head and rolling her eyes in my direction.
During our whole homecoming the two of them kept looking at each other like they were hiding something. Maybe it was just me—my nerves were shot from the traveling and the coddling from my remorseful sister. But something was off—I just felt it.
“What’s going on?” I mouthed to Tessa who was busy rubbing Riley’s back as she wailed into her arms.
“Later,” she mouthed back, winking.
Later? I wondered. It wasn’t a shrug of her shoulders or a clueless shake of the head. By later she meant that she had something to actually tell me—something I didn’t know about. Damn girls and their secrets. I just wanted to relax and fight off the jetlag with my girl. Instead Riley was here fucking it all up!
“‘Kay, Ry. Enough of the waterworks. We get it. You’re sorry. Time to move the fuck on.” Really. It was that simple.
“Marcus!” Tessa hissed through gritted teeth. “She’s upset. Let her be.”
Ugh! Fucking women and their girl code—men didn’t do this shit. I got that she felt bad—served her right—but was all of this really necessary? Where were my men? I needed my men. “I think Luca’s up from his nap. I’ll go get him.”
“Good idea.” Tessa waved me off, still cradling Riley.
I walked toward the steps, calling out, “Mind if I call Beck to come over for the game?” The more testosterone the better.
“NO!” Tessa shouted at the same time Riley whispered a barely inaudible “Yes.”
They looked at each other, a mysterious silent dialogue taking place; one’s eyes wide with concern, the other pouting, practically pleading.
What. The. Fuck. “Okay, you two. What’s going on?”
Riley perked up, wiping her face again. She stared long and hard at Tessa who was shaking her head like a damn bobble head doll. Riley shrugged off whatever it was Tessa was trying to telepathically tell her and turned to me. “Call him. A casual night of pizza, beer, and the Yankees will do us all some good.”
“Done.” Did I even want to know what these two had up their sleeves? I’d worry about it later. “Fucking weirdos,” I mumbled, climbing the steps to Luca’s bedroom.
“Bullshit!” Beck cursed at the television. “Pettitte, you fucking blow! Take him the fuck out of there already!”
I threw a fist into his gut. “Watch your fucking mouth.”
“Nice, Marcus.” Tessa eyeballed me, the faintest hint of an adorable smirk forming on her lips. I couldn’t wait to get her alone again later. Suddenly I wished the Yankees would just lose the damn game and let it be over. Time for everyone to go home.
But apparently I was the only one on that page. “Beck, can you help me grab a few more beers in the kitchen?” Tessa said, handing Luca to me. I was left completely baffled.
“I’ll get the beers for you, babe.” I started to stand, but she shoved me back down.
“Just sit.” Her gaze bore into me and it left me to wonder if her wanting to be alone with Beck had anything to do with why my sister was acting like a bipolar patient off her meds.
“Okay.” I said, skeptically. “Whatever you say, boss.”
She leaned down and planted a soft kiss on my lips, then she withdrew, leaving me wanting more before I even had time to enjoy it.
Beck followed her into the kitchen like a sullen little boy about to get his ass handed to him. He raked one hand through his hair and the other was tucked into the back pocket of his faded jeans. Everyone was tiptoeing around something. Was I in the Twilight Zone?
When my best girl and my best friend were out of sight, I turned to my sister, bouncing Luca on my knee. “Am I missing something here? Because all of a sudden, I feel like shit just got weird.”
“Just leave it alone, Marcus.” She stared blankly at the game, her focus obviously on something other than the home run that just went soaring into left field.
“Leave what alone?”
“Please, can you just trust me on this one? Don’t worry, Tessa’s not making any moves on Beck and he’s already in over his head with his relationship issues so…”
“What do you know about Beck and his relationship issues? You his marriage counselor or something?”
“Hardly,” she muttered and then shot me a condescending look. “You know, if you weren’t so busy with your head up Tessa’s ass, all preoccupied in your own drama, you would have noticed that your best friend could use someone to talk to right now.”
“Oh and my girlfriend is that person all of a sudden?”
“NO! God, you’re so clueless sometimes. He does have other people he can count on. Beck and I…” she huffed, about to blurt something out then taking a moment to think it through. “I’ve known him a long time too, Marcus. I consider him a friend and I’ve hung around him enough to feel free to give my advice when he needs it. Marissa’s giving him a hard time about the break-up. That’s all. Can we just leave it alone now?” Her glare went back to the television, where the Yankees were finally up at bat and rallying for a comeback.
Way to go, Yanks! Shit, I was easily distracted. Maybe Riley was right. Was I that bad of a friend lately that I couldn’t see that my buddy was hurting? It didn’t matter, though, because even if I had noticed, I didn’t have the foggiest idea how to handle shit like this. Tessa was my first girlfriend and Marissa was Beck’s… neither of us had ever been down this road before. He was better off with whatever Tessa was telling him in that kitchen. The best advice I could give him was to ditch the bitch and move on.
Keep Me Page 23
