"Mark? No freaking out required. I just wanted to tell you that you were right about something."
He raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't I usually?"
She ignored that and continued. "Remember that night in the maze?"
Now he smiled wolfishly. "Are you kidding? Of course. It's been replaying in my head constantly for the past three weeks. Of course, I had your bra tucked under my pillow to help me remember."
"I wondered what happened to that." She gave him a heated look. "I'll have to come over and collect it. Unless you've been wearing it. Then you can keep it. Your chest is a bit bigger than mine. It'll be all stretched out." She reached over and gave one of his rock-hard pecs a playful pinch.
He laughed and gasped when her nails brushed one of his nipples through the snowy white cotton of his tuxedo shirt. "Haven't even tried it on. I swear. But what about my T-shirt? You did take it, right?"
"Well, yeah. It somehow ended up in my luggage. I've been wearing it to bed for the past three weeks. With nothing underneath."
His eyes widened and he groaned. "Now all I can think of is you, strutting around naked, wearing just my shirt." He looked at her beseechingly. "Quit teasing me and get over here."
"In a second. I promise. Quit distracting me, so I can get this over with, okay?"
"Okay. Okay, but then the making out will commence, right?"
She nodded vigorously. "Believe me. I'd like to avoid this subject too, but I'm worried, so I need to get this off my chest. Okay?"
He nodded.
"Remember how I was acting kind of weird that night?
He rubbed his jaw. "Yeah. You seemed kind of spaced out. What was going on?"
Serena reached out and grasped one of his hands. "Now. I don't want you to do anything about this or go all protective macho man on a vendetta. Promise?"
Mark gritted his teeth. "No, I don't promise. Not even a bit. Just tell me before I combust, okay?"
"Well... Karl followed me to my appointment that night."
"He did what?" Mark yelled. Eyes blazing he let go of her hand and reached for the truck keys.
Serena put her palm out to stop him. "Mark, what do you think you're doing?"
"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to pay that freak show a visit. Did he hurt you?"
She rubbed his arm soothingly. "No, he didn't hurt me. He just scared me a little. My client showed up and Karl left, but you were right. He's definitely a bit off. As in dangerous stalker with serial killer potential."
Mark grasped her hand, the one that had been squeezing his forearm, and gave it a tug. "Are you sure you're alright? Oh God. Is that why you left? You were scared of him?"
She nodded. "Part of the reason I left was to avoid another scene with him. I mean, I really did need the break, but facing off with a madman does make you realize what's important. And selling houses isn't that important."
"And what is?" Mark stopped breathing, and felt hope bloom in his chest.
"Well, you, for one thing. You're important to me." She gave him a tender smile. "But the reason I'm telling you this isn't because I want to make you worry or get violent on his creepy ass. I want you to stay away from him completely. But Karl was also at the airport when I arrived this morning." She tightened her grip on his arm before he could hit the roof. "He didn't see me, but he was with a woman and a little boy. I can't stop thinking about them. So, I'm wondering if your friend at the police department can check on him? See if that woman might be in danger?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.
Mark turned slightly in his seat until he was facing her. "So, let me get this straight. You're worried about a complete stranger you saw in the airport for what? Thirty seconds? Not yourself?"
She shrugged. "Well, yeah. I've got you and the testosterone brothers looking out for me. This woman might not be so lucky. I'd feel a lot better if someone out there was keeping tabs on Karl."
"I'll talk to Steve tomorrow. You're incredible, you know that?"
She beamed at him. "I don't know about that. I've screwed things up royally with us, so my incredibility quotient is kind of questionable. But I do know one thing."
"What's that?"
"We're incredible together and I'd be glad to prove it right now." Unable to wait a second more to get close to him, she slid across the seat until she was pressed tightly against his side. She desperately wanted to exorcize the demons of the past by making hot, sweaty love to Mark, but she also felt the need to just be held. To confirm that she had the right to be this close to him without fearing rejection.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and just hung on, gripping him tightly. It felt so strange and wonderful to touch him with just affection, rather than passion. She burrowed her face in his shoulder for just a second, savoring his scent and the warmth of his big, hard body.
Mark brought his arm around her, cuddling her close, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered against her hair. "I really do. I think I always have."
She giggled and placed one hand high up on his thigh. "Even when I was trying to get you fired?"
"Yup. Definitely."
"And when I called you an ass?"
"Even then," he said with a grin.
"How about when I went down on you in the center of the maze? Did you love me then?" She asked huskily, inching her hand a bit higher on his tuxedo-clad leg.
He chuckled and slid his lips down to the sensitive nape of her neck. "Oh, I really loved you then."
She cupped his hardness through his pants and lifted her head so she could watch his expression. "How about when I told you that I loved you too?"
He blinked, surprised and humbled by her admission. He knew how difficult it was for her to show any vulnerability. He smiled and looked down into her beautiful face. "Well, since that's never happened, I'm not sure. Maybe you should try it and we'll see how I feel."
"I love you, Mark. I really tried not to, but I do."
He leaned down to kiss her gently, but then pulled back. "Not to ruin the moment, but why did you try not to? Was I really that hard to love?" He held his breath again, waiting for her response. He had spent his entire life feeling like he was unworthy of love. If she felt that way he would die inside.
She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I was just scared, I guess. Fear of rejection. Fear of losing control. All the usual stuff that turns women like me into scary, cat ladies. I wanted to stay independent. And being with someone, especially someone overwhelming like you, means fighting constantly to avoid being steamrolled."
He cupped her chin and forced her to look in his eyes. "Serena. Sweetheart. I know I can be a bit domineering, but I'll back off as long as I'm sure you're safe. When I'm being a jerk it's probably just because I'm worried. I really don't want to change you or turn you into some kind of submissive little wimp. I love that you're a feisty, strong woman, believe me. Nothing makes me hotter than when you get all fired up about something."
"Really?" She asked with a wicked grin, squeezing his erection.
"Really. Don't argue with me unless you want to end up just like this.” He leaned down and kissed her passionately, groaning as she thrust her tongue deeply into his mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her easily onto his lap until she was straddling his hips. The red silk skirt of her gown pooled around them and he ground his thick erection against her slick softness.
"Oh," she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his long, silky hair. Rising up on her knees she slid her mound along his hardness, up and down, causing a delicious friction that made her cry out in delight. "I'm going to be fighting with you night and day if this is my punishment."
"I'm willing to make that sacrifice," Mark said, chuckling as he slid his hand under her skirt and up her thighs until he reached her damp panties. She went still against his hardness and he was able to swirl his fingers in her heat once, for just a fraction of a second, and then he smoothed his hands back down to her knees.
"Do you like this?" He asked, huskily.
"Yes. Oh yes." She purred and gave an involuntary little shudder of pleasure. She bit her lip to stifle another cry as Mark repeated this motion, slowly gliding his callused palm up and down her thighs several times until she thought she might lose her mind. With each pass his hand lingered a little longer at the apex of her thighs, pressing into her and spreading her body's wetness along her folds until she wanted to rip her panties off and guide his thick fingers where she wanted them, deep within her hot, needy flesh.
Needing to gain back some control, she stilled his hands with hers and tried to focus on their conversation. "And you won't mind being my bodyguard? Just in case Karl decides to make another appearance? I mean, I'm not actually scared of him, and I'm pretty sure he's lost interest, but I know you'll feel better if you're there to guard my body. You'd have to hang around a lot of Open Houses with me. Most afternoons we'd be alone for hours. And after I was so hard on Jack, and Lacey, we probably couldn't indulge in any PDA at all. Could you handle that?"
"I don't know." He shook his head, and frowned fiercely as he leaned back and watched her. Even in the dim light, the sparkle in his eye was obvious. "You'd have to make it worth my while."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what kind of depraved acts would I have to perform?"
He cleared his throat. "Well, I was wondering if you still had that red bikini?"
Serena laughed. "Sorry. No. I think my mom threw it out after Jack told her I looked like a stripper in it." Mark looked crestfallen, so she took pity on him. Shrugging the straps of her gown slowly down one arm, then the other, she slid the bodice down to her waist, revealing a red, strapless, satin corset.
"Will this do as a substitute?" She asked innocently, sliding her hands over her tiny cinched waist and up to the mounds of her breasts which were overflowing the lingerie's cleverly designed neckline.
"Um, yeah. I think I can make do with that," he said, feasting his eyes on her curves. "God, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Mark removed one hand from her thigh and gently yanked the corset down until one breast was completely exposed to the cool evening air. He leaned forward, licked the tip, blew on it and then suckled strongly, making her cry out.
Reaching between them, Serena undid his pants and grasped his erection in her hand. She slid her fingers up and down its impressive length a few times, and then released him. Unable to help herself, Serena began bucking against Mark's shaft in a frenzy of lust. Reaching up, she grasped his hair tightly, circled her hips, and found the perfect rhythm to make herself spiral into a violent climax just by grinding herself against his hard cock.
"God. I love it when you do that," he groaned, pulling her pelvis tight against him, he flexed against her, loving that he could make her come so easily. She slumped against him, her harsh breath tickling his neck.
Impatient now, Mark pulled a condom out of his wallet and reached between them to slide it on. Pushing her panties to the side, he slowly lowered her onto his shaft until he was buried to the hilt in her softness. Leaning back he watched her come alive again.
Slowly at first, she rose above him, hungrily watching his expression as she slid him deep within her body. She repeated this motion over and over, gradually gaining speed until she was bouncing energetically in his lap. She was so gorgeous and passionate he wanted to stay like that forever. Instead he grabbed her hips and began thrusting up as she sunk down on him. He was so deep within her tight flesh that he was concerned he might be hurting her, but the expression on her face was one of sublime pleasure.
Unable to hold on much longer, Mark reached between her lovely spread thighs and rubbed her slippery clit in counter-rhythm to the movement of her hips. That was all it took, she cried out his name into the twilight and her inner muscles tightened around his shaft. Plunging deeply, he held still as a powerful orgasm rippled through his body.
Minutes later, Serena was curled up in his lap. It was quiet in the truck cab except for the sound of their breathing. Mark smoothed his hand over her hair, and whispered in her ear, "Hey, what about the rest of my fantasy? You're not getting off this easy, you know. Bodyguards don't come cheap."
Serena groaned and stirred as little as possible. "Sorry, but my cousin's pool-house is a storage shed now. Not exactly romantic." Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and breathed into his ear. "Want to improvise and try out the public one at the Country Club?"
Mark's mouth gaped for a second. His mind raced with the kinky possibilities. "Wow. I'm never going to be bored from this second forward, am I?"
"Nope. Sex in public places, constant arguments, Open Houses, and all my love. How does that sound?" She leaned back and smiled radiantly into his gorgeous face.
"I can't imagine anything better. But I am going to make Jacob build a private pool-house behind my cottage before he leaves for the police academy."
She giggled. "But you don't have a pool. Won't that seem a bit strange?"
Mark looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we should just buy a place together that already has a pool-house. What do you think?"
Tears stung Serena's eyes. Was he actually proposing that they move in together? She paused, waiting for panic to set in, but it didn't happen. Instead joy and peace washed over her. "I think that's a fabulous idea. Fortunately, I know a really great real estate agent."
"Hmm... so do I. She's pretty damn hot too." He leaned down and kissed her collarbone. "Think she can find us a deal?"
"Possibly. If not, then I'm sure my cousins would be willing to build something for us."
"There's no way I can wait that long to collect my bodyguard fees." He said, pretending to look fierce.
"You don't have to. We can be at the Club-house in less than five minutes." With that she leaned down and opened the passenger side door. Placing a brief kiss on his surprised mouth she slid to the ground and then started running towards the lights in the distance. Before she'd gotten a few steps, she turned back and called back to him. "C'mon. Last one there has to do all the work." She wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively and started running again, forgetting completely about Mark's bad knee.
Stunned, Mark watched her for a moment. The golf course was getting dark but her dress flowed behind her like a crimson flag. She had never looked more wild and beautiful to him. Doing up his pants, he climbed down from the truck and followed her at a much slower pace. He had no problem doing all the work once he got there. In fact, he was looking forward to pleasuring the woman he loved all night long. And for the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
Jacob Kingston lowered himself into a chair across from his brother and new sister-in-law. Most of the wedding guests were still dancing and drinking, but Lacey and Jack were cuddled up in a corner by themselves, talking quietly and making plans for the future.
Jacob ignored the intimate scene and pulled his wallet out of the pocket of his tuxedo pants. He fished out some bills and threw them down in front of Jack. "There," he said, pointing at the small pile of green. "I didn't manage to do it by the wedding. But it's done. Jeremy saw them an hour ago, getting all freaky in the front of Mark's truck."
Jack slapped him on the back. "Whoo-hoo! Thank you very much. Sucker. I'll take that." He crowed, pulling his winnings towards him. "Gotta say, you really buggered that one up. If you hadn't tried to convince him that he needed to let her wear the pants in the relationship, he probably would have gone to Hawaii after her, and you would have met your deadline. Now, you are shit out of luck, my friend." He made a show of counting the bills.
Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and squinted up at Jack. "What can I say? I miscalculated. How was I supposed to know she'd take off for three weeks? I thought he'd spend a few days acting like Mr. Sensitive, and then he'd lose patience and drag her off to his cave. She's such a workaholic, I never expected her to leave the bloody state."
Jack gave him a pitying look and started re-counting.
Just as he w
as about to tuck the money into his pocket, Lacey put out a delicate hand with the palm up. "Wait a second now." She said, wiggling her fingers. "I'm pretty sure it was my email that made her realize she had feelings for Mark. Shouldn't I get a cut?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her husband.
Jack looked at the money and then back at Lacey. He didn't actually care about the cash, but he absolutely hated giving up bragging rights. But he loved his wife more than anything. Reluctantly, he reached over and tucked his winnings into the bodice of Lacey's white dress, taking a thorough inventory of her cleavage in the process. "You're absolutely right. You are the Ultimate, Supreme Matchmaker. Isn't she, Jake?"
"Well, I don't know about that." Jake shrugged. "I admit I screwed this one up, but Ultimate, Supreme Matchmaker? I don't think she's really earned that title."
Lacey narrowed her eyes at him and fished the roll of bills out of her white, lacy corset. She slapped the money down on the table in front of Jacob. "Double or nothing?" She asked, challenging him with her eyes.
He stood up and stretched until his broad back cracked. "No way. I'm done with match-making. No time. Important police business to attend to, you know. Besides, this was an easy one. Those two have been hot for each other for years. They just needed a nudge. Now, getting two strangers together. That's a real challenge. When you can do that you'll earn the big title. Until then, you're really just an amateur. Sorry, Lace. Congratulations, by the way, you two." With that he turned on his heel and made a beeline for Cherry, who was waiting on the dance floor for him.
Jack watched Lacey carefully. He didn't like the expression on her face one bit.
"He's next, isn't he?" Jack asked gathering up the cash and tucking it back into her cleavage again.
"Oh yeah. Jacob is going to get matched. Whether he likes it or not."
"Wow. Pregnancy is making you all ruthless. I like it." Jack laughed and pulled her onto his lap.
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