Making Her Mark

by Renée Dahlia

  ‘Rachel warned me you would try to recruit me.’

  ‘Rachel? Who is Rachel?’

  ‘Rachel Bassett, the jockey. She’s my sister’s housemate.’

  The Palace thumped him on the back, ‘And I bet she’s hot. Must be, if you are taking her advice.’

  ‘Mate.’ Jacob warned The Palace using his tone, although his body responded with an irritatingly warm ache in his groin. He listened to Rachel for her good advice, her knowledge of racing, not because she was hot. Besides, hot as a descriptor was too simple for Rachel—her fit body with strong curves didn’t fit the fashionable mould of hot. Rachel was too short, too much of a veritable bundle of energy to be labelled hot. Simply put, she demanded his attention, every fibre of his being standing to attention whenever she was near him. He swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry.

  ‘Fine, fine. I won’t ask you to introduce me.’

  Jacob spluttered out a laugh, ‘She’d eat you up, Palace. She might be tiny, but she’s a force to be reckoned with.’

  ‘Hey boys, Lawless has a new missus!’ The Palace yelled out across the weights room, and several heads turned to look at them both.

  ‘Are you twelve? Jesus, Palace.’

  The Palace laughed as a couple of team mates called out lewd comments, and Jacob grinned. Let them think whatever they wanted. He was thinking it too. His smile grew—it was a good thing that she blew hot and cold, confusing the heck out of him, leaving him scrambling emotionally, the way he chased a slippery ball on a wet field during a game. Time to focus on keeping his knee in good enough shape for the game ahead, and time to stop thinking about how much he’d like to take Rachel firmly in hand. Hell. He ran his hand through his hair and eased out a tight breath.

  ‘What are you doing mixing with a jockey, anyway?’ The Palace got to the heart of the question. Everyone on the team knew about Jacob’s goal to be a lawyer after his playing career, and The Palace knew Jacob disliked the way gambling took away money and independence from the most vulnerable by preying on their hopes and aspirations for a better life. The false promises, that’s what he hated about gambling. He let out a short breath and knocked his shoulder against The Palace.

  ‘She’s my sister’s housemate. I’m not mixing with her, nor am I fucking her, which is what you meant by that.’ Jacob grinned as The Palace cracked up.

  ‘So why then?’

  ‘For you, of course, mate.’

  ‘You just told me to keep my distance.’

  ‘Yes.’ Jacob ground his back teeth as The Palace jerked his chin up knowingly.

  ‘Mate, think what you like. I talked—yeah talked—’

  ‘Is that all?’ The Palace made an hourglass shape in the air with his hands.

  ‘Get your mind out of the freaking gutter. She’s a jockey, she knows about racing. I asked her about your punter’s club, since you are so keen to press it on all of us.’ He cringed inside at the assumption he was screwing up his hard-fought clean reputation by hanging out with someone involved with horse racing.

  ‘That’s the right of it. You should join, because I’m making so much money. Nearly everyone else has joined up.’

  Jacob coughed. ‘What?’

  ‘That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. You are missing out on the money.’ The Palace rubbed his fingers together.

  ‘It’s a scam.’ Jacob rubbed his eyes.

  ‘Just because you are jealous.’

  Jacob sighed. ‘I’m not jealous. Look, mate, it’s your money, so I’ll stop bugging you about it, but can you answer one last question?’

  ‘Sure.’ The Palace squared his shoulders.

  ‘Are you making real money, like cash, or is it only on paper?’

  The Palace laughed, ‘Trust a fucking law student to care about the particulars. Yeah, it’s mostly on paper, but some cash. All of it is real. I know it is.’

  ‘Because?’ Jacob didn’t bother to hide his scepticism.

  The Palace kept the grin on his face, and joked, ‘Mate, that’s two questions.’

  ‘Fine. I’ll leave it.’ Jacob blew out a breath. Dave, the medic, had disappeared into the medic’s office while Jacob had been chatting to The Palace, and still hadn’t come out. He was getting cold standing here waiting. What was taking so long?

  The Palace shoved him on the arm, ‘Nah, mate, I’m kidding. Get your missus to get us tickets for the races on Saturday, and I’ll show you what it’s all about.’

  ‘Saturday?’

  ‘Yeah, we play on Friday night. If we win, we’ll want a day to celebrate. If we lose, well, shit, we’ll need a day at the races to take our minds off it. So bloody close.’

  Jacob nodded at the sentiment about the Grand Final. ‘I’ll see what I can do.’

  The Palace grinned, ‘Yeah, and loosen up a bit, mate. It’s just a bit of fun, a side income. Nothing serious.’

  Jacob wanted to believe his friend. Along with Rachel, they were undermining his core belief that getting involved with horse racing would hurt the clean image he’d spent years ensuring. His reputation as a fair player, and having no scandals off the field, mattered to him. Not just to change public stereotypes of him and his mob, but also for his long-term plans as lawyer. He needed the clean image to fit the life he wanted for himself.

  Now it was time to get his knee treated, then he could ring Allira to see if she would be home for dinner tonight. He could do with some family time, being cared for by Allira, except he knew it was an excuse to see Rachel. The request for tickets to the races beat a steady drum of repetition in his head until he figured he had only one way forward. Stamp it out by asking. After their last discussion, she was bound to reject him, or at the least, reject the idea resoundingly, and he’d have done his obligation to his friend.

  ***

  ‘Two nights in a row, Jacob. Be careful, people will start to think you are desperate to see me.’ Rachel’s teasing tone welcomed him into Allira’s lounge, and he cleared his throat as he walked past her to place his takeaway containers in the kitchen. He’d brought enough food for the three of them, probably too much again, he’d forgotten once more how small Rachel was. For someone so tiny, she took up the whole lounge with her brash personality.

  ‘Where is she?’

  Rachel stood on one leg, the other one pulled up to stretch her quads. ‘Who? Oh, your sister. She’s been held up with some paperwork, or something. I’m sure she’ll be here soon.’

  ‘Will you entertain me while I wait?’ Jacob hadn’t meant it to sound quite so flirtatious and he swallowed.

  Rachel chuckled. ‘Keep dreaming, big boy.’

  ‘My life would be a lot easier if I could keep you out of my dreams.’

  ‘You do realise you aren’t supposed to say those types of thoughts aloud.’ Rachel’s grin stretched, as she swapped legs, steady. Her balance far exceeded his, and the way she switched from one side to the other without a wobble drew all his attention to her foot. His gaze drifted up her leg to where her other foot was tucked against her backside. She wore tight pants, the fabric showing off every curve and muscle, and a singlet top that hugged her waist and breasts, leaving her arms bare. With both her hands holding her foot against her butt, her back arched a little so her breasts were lifted towards him. His body reacted intrinsically to her stance, a fundamental longing to be inside her. Hell. He stopped himself before he moved towards her, as though she held him in a trance, or had cast a spell on him, or something ridiculous.

  ‘Does it bother you?’ His voice lowered half an octave, deep and growly.

  She raised one eyebrow, her eyes steady on his with no change in her pose, ‘That you dream about me? Nah, it’s only fair since you’ve been haunting my dreams too.’

  ‘Dreams, or nightmares?’

  She mock fanned her face. ‘Oh, definitely dreams.’

  ‘Is that so?’ This conversation was much more interesting than he’d anticipated. To know she reciprocated his attraction added a new depth to it, one he want
ed to explore.

  ‘Yeah, that’s so. Unluckily for you, I don’t intend to do anything about it, and you’ll stay firmly in dreamland.’

  ‘What if I want more?’ He wanted everything. He wanted her to pose like that without the flimsy barrier of her tight clothes. He wanted to know how flexible she was—he wanted to sit on the floor, leaning back on his arms, while she stood over his face, legs spread wide, as he licked her, tasted her sweet musk on his tongue, fucked her with his mouth. Settle down. His breath came fast and shallow.

  Rachel threw her hands out in front of her. ‘You can want all you like. It’s flattering.’

  He tried to answer. No words would form. Instead, he succumbed to the action he’d wanted to do ever since he saw her on Allira’s driveway with mud smeared across her face. He stepped between her arms and wrapped his arms around her waist.

  ‘Rachel.’ He lowered his head until he was close enough to kiss her. Rachel swallowed, wobbling slightly, before she dropped her leg to the ground to stand solidly on both legs between his arms. She placed her hands over his, her palms dry on the backs of his hands. He inhaled her scent, a whisper of leather and horse sweetened by honey filled his nostrils. Her scent, and his tongue, pressed hard against the back of his teeth. He wouldn’t force the kiss, she had to say yes, she had to want it as much as he did.

  ‘Damn you.’ Or at least that’s what he thought she said before she stretched up and kissed him. A surprisingly chaste kiss, gentle, when he’d expected a kiss to match her bolshy talk. His arm muscles trembled as he tried to match her, to stay gentle and controlled, when all he wanted to do was devour her. His heart thumped as her soft lips pressed against his, and her scent, all honey and wattle, sweet and spice, threatened to overwhelm him. This tiny tough woman would be his undoing, and she didn’t even seem to realise what she did to him, as a magnetic tug of desire consumed him. His skin burned with her touch, making all his nerve endings leap and dance. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, and she moaned, no purred, against him, a pleasing vibration that filled his mouth. She reached up and dug her fingers into the back of his skull, as she opened her mouth for him. Yes. He stroked her tongue with his, tasting her, sweet like honey with a bite of spice, and she responded in kind. Their kiss went from a quiet exploration to desperate, searing need in seconds, with her fingers clutching at his head and her body pliant against his. He slid one hand up to cradle her neck as he deepened the kiss, asking for more, and her response, a tilt of the head, asked him to go beyond his own question. She moaned, and her eyes fluttered open as he let his other hand drift lower, down to the base of her spine.

  ‘I want you.’ He whispered against her skin, his mouth needing to stay connected to her.

  ‘Yes.’ Her brown eyes darkened, almost consuming the darker streaks in the evening forest of her irises.

  ‘More?’ His husky voice betrayed the level of his desire, and he nibbled her bottom lip, then plundered her open mouth again. Her lips curved upwards and she loosened her hold on his head as she shifted slightly to kiss the corner of his mouth.

  ‘Yes. Please.’

  He didn’t need any more encouragement, she had already devastated his control. He picked her up, and in two strides had her pressed up against the wall, his body hard against hers. She moaned again and tangled her tongue with his. He could barely breathe with wanting her, his hard erection pressed against her strong abs. He wanted to overpower her, relish the victory of her submission, and he shifted his hips just enough to make her aware of his fervour. Rather than submit to his kiss, she grappled for power, stroking his tongue with hers, taking them both to equal insistent need.

  ‘Wrap your legs around me.’ His blood raced, thundering in his veins, at her responsive kiss, and he wanted to free his hands to explore her, to slide up her sides, past the small curve of her breasts. She dragged her hands from behind his head, down over his collarbone, and onto his chest. He was sure she’d be able to feel his heart beating, it thudded so quickly.

  ‘No.’ She shifted away from his kiss and pushed on his chest. He immediately stepped backwards, his whole front frozen cold to match the way his heart seized.

  ‘No,’ Rachel repeated, and he could only gasp, unable to find words. She grabbed the collar of her singlet top and tugged it away from her skin as if to let cool air onto her skin. He couldn’t look away, as she ran her hand up her own neck, then over her skull and along her ponytail.

  ‘Did I do something wrong?’ he asked.

  She blinked and fanned her face. ‘Hell, no.’

  He moved a half-step towards her, but she held up her palm for him to stop. He peered at her, uncertain. She lifted her chin and pointed at him. Her chest heaved, to match his, both of them blowing heavily as though they’d just done a beep test.

  ‘You did nothing wrong. Shit man, you bloody nearly melted me with a kiss.’

  Hell, yeah. She incinerated him too, if a kiss could do that, how good would they be in bed together? He didn’t need to guess, he already knew sex with her would be the best ever. Only he needed to figure out why she stopped.

  ‘Why do I hear a “but” in that?’ Jacob croaked out the question, through his dry mouth.

  She winced, tilting her head to the side. ‘Nothing, not even that kiss, will distract me from my current plan.’

  ‘And that plan doesn’t include me?’

  ‘Ha! Don’t think you are special! The plan doesn’t include fucking anyone. I need to be single, to get my life and career sorted out without complication.’ Her face flushed slightly as she spat words at him. Perversely, her passion-filled rant made him want to kiss her reddened cheeks. Kiss her until the passion turned positive. He’d had one taste. One taste to make him insatiable for her. It didn’t take much to imagine capturing all the electric energy jolting between them and capturing it for her pleasure.

  Jacob smirked, ‘It doesn’t have to be complicated. Why waste this chemistry between us?’

  ‘No.’ She shook her head and stood on both legs. ‘No, sex is always complicated, especially when we already know each other.’

  ‘Are you saying you’d fuck me if you’d never talked to me?’ He staggered backwards, as she growled at him, the type of growl a cat gave before they swiped their claws across bare skin.

  ‘Don’t sound so judgemental. Haven’t you ever done that?’

  Jacob let out a long breath, not wanting the image of her prowling for sex with a stranger rather than pouncing on him. This cat analogy was getting out of hand.

  ‘I can see the appeal of it, but no, it’s not my style. I prefer to know and respect my partners before I bed them.’ He’d never been able to understand his team mates who just wanted a convenient hole to sink their dicks into. Sex was far more satisfying when you took your time to get to know someone, and besides, being in a relationship meant more sex than the crazy chase for continuous one-night stands. It was a logical way to get more frequent sex, a simple way to approach the basic necessity of life.

  ‘Bully for you. I’ve tried relationships, and I suck at them.’ Rachel curled her upper lip, her eyes narrowing.

  ‘Perhaps you’ve been with the wrong people or had the wrong expectations.’

  She poked him in the chest, and the sharp point of the connection seared him.

  ‘What does that mean? And since when have you been the expert on relationships? Allira tells me you’ve never been with one person for longer than a month.’

  Jacob’s face heated. His sister’s love of gossip sent a cool shiver over the back of his neck. ‘Technically, she’s right, but each of those count as a relationship. In each case, we both knew what we wanted, and when the sex got boring, we moved on.’ As he said it he knew, instinctively, that sex with Rachel would never be boring. She challenged him on every level, even before they’d kissed, and now that he had her taste in his mouth, he wasn’t giving up until he had the whole of her. He wanted her spread wide for him, begging for him. The image made his already hard coc
k twitch in his jeans. Fucking hell. Any more of this and he’d spill just arguing with her, especially if she kept looking at him with her lips all reddened by his kiss, and her eyes glinting with defiance. Now he knew what her face looked like when lost to passion, he wanted it again and again.

  ‘That’s not a relationship. It’s just fucking without the bother of dating. You have no right to judge me on my choices when that’s your standard.’ Her hardened voice, and the truth in her words, stole his breath, and made him want to debate her points until she gave way to him. Either that, or until she rode him, her body in charge of his. He glanced down at her finger, still pushing against his breastbone.

  The door burst open and Rachel leaped backwards, dropping her hand away from his chest. The pinpoint immediately felt ice cold from the lack of her touch. Hot and cold. Heat and ice. Rachel confused the heck out of him. He started to move towards the door when Allira walked in. Jacob stopped mid-stride, rocking back on his heels as he schooled his face from shock back to neutral.

  ‘Hey big brother, how are you? I hope you aren’t bothering my housemate.’

  Rachel grinned, and he couldn’t help but admire the way she recovered outwardly, her face speedily transformed as though they hadn’t just been discussing sex. It gave her the upper hand over him. Guilt rolled through his gut at Allira’s assumption. Since when had she formed the opinion that he wasn’t to be trusted with women?