Making Her Mark

by Renée Dahlia

  ‘An improvement on Lisa.’

  Rachel pursed her lips, tilting her head as she stared at him with a deep furrow between her eyebrows. ‘That depends.’

  ‘On what?’ His cheeky question from before suddenly turned serious.

  ‘If you are loyal, you’d be a huge step up from Lisa.’ She waved her hand, ‘That’s assuming this goes somewhere. It might just be a bit of temporary fun.’

  ‘Temporary fun?’

  ‘Yeah. I’m having fun, aren’t you?’ Her tone didn’t indicate any truth in her words, more of a forced cliché. His body screamed, yes if that’s all she’ll give him, he’d take it, while his mind wanted more.

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘So tense? Anyone would think fun wasn’t part of your vocabulary.’

  Lorenzo arrived back with two dishes filled with creamy chocolate gelato, saving Jacob from a terse answer.

  ‘Stop teasing him, Rachel.’

  She glanced up at her cousin, ‘What makes you think that?’

  ‘I have eyes. I can see his expression, and right now he looks like he wants to throttle you.’

  Jacob nodded, either that or fuck her until they were both senseless. Lorenzo winked at him. No secrets from her cousin then.

  ‘Thanks,’ his voice growled as he picked up a spoon and took a bite of the dessert. Rich chocolate exploded on his tongue, a massive burst of flavour with a soothing texture.

  ‘Good?’ Lorenzo asked.

  ‘It’s amazing, as usual,’ Rachel said. Her tongue darted out to catch a tiny drip of chocolate from the corner of her mouth. He’d never understood the fascination with food and sex until this moment, as goosebumps rose on his arms at the prospect of Rachel licking him. Cold ice cream and her hot tongue sliding over his skin.

  ‘Brilliant. See you Monday and bring this one. Steve will want to vet him.’

  ‘I might just do that. Nothing much gets past Steve.’

  Lorenzo ruffled her hair, ‘You could have saved yourself so much trouble if you’d let us meet Lisa.’

  ‘Hey, I wanted to bring her over sometime, but she always had an excuse.’ Rachel gasped.

  ‘That should have been a clue.’ Rachel and Lorenzo spoke in unison.

  ‘Shit. Yes, I’ll bring Jacob for Steve’s approval, or not.’ Rachel’s voice lowered, almost to a whisper, fading away at the end of the sentence.

  ‘Excellent. I will leave you to enjoy the dessert. Call out if you need anything, like wine. People always need wine for a tricky conversation.’

  ‘Stop stirring up trouble. You’ve made this tricky.’ Rachel laughed and stood up to hug her cousin. She whispered something in his ear which made him laugh. Jacob found himself leaning towards them, even though he hadn’t heard what she’d said.

  ‘Your cousin seems nice—’ he started.

  She scoffed, ‘He’s an old busybody, that’s what he is. But he makes the most amazing gelato.’ She spooned in another scoop, dragging her lips over the spoon, sending a warm glow through his torso. Those lips. Hell.

  ‘Shall we go?’ he asked.

  She lifted her chin a fraction, ‘Where are you in such a hurry to get to?’

  ‘Come to my house.’ He needed to have her in his bed. Now.

  ‘No thanks.’ She glanced at her phone. ‘I have trackwork early tomorrow, then I need to go out to the farm. I really ought to get home, although …’

  He bit the inside of his cheek to stop a ridiculous grin. ‘Allira is on night shift?’ he guessed.

  ‘She’s at the movies with a friend.’

  ‘Invite me to your bed.’ He waited, hoping, as she stared at him, her head tilted, considering. After an impossibly long pause, she licked her lips, one corner of her mouth twitching.

  ‘Only if I can ride you this time.’ She floored him with the one answer he assumed she wouldn’t give. He’d expected her to tell him to go home alone, not this. He stood up so quickly, he had to reach behind him to grab the back of the chair before it clattered over.

  ‘Let’s go.’

  She dipped her spoon into her gelato one more time, and slipped it between her lips, lips he wanted on his body. His breath quickened, shallow, as she moved slowly, deliberately holding his gaze with her beautiful brown eyes. With one graceful controlled motion, she stood up, her ease completely contrasting the desire making his muscles tremble with the need to move. Come on, come on, what’s taking so long? She opened her purse, pulled out some money, and tucked it under her half-eaten dessert.

  ‘Are you ready?’ She smirked at him, one eyebrow slightly raised, as he twisted his hands behind his back to stop him grabbing her arm and dragging her out of the shop.

  ‘Yes.’ He was out of the door before he realised he’d come here on public transport, enjoying a tram ride through the suburbs on a lazy Sunday afternoon, vaguely heading towards Allira and Rachel’s place before she’d called him.

  ‘Jacob, slow down.’ Her voice came from far behind him, and he spun around to see her only just leaving her cousin’s gelato shop. ‘What’s the hurry?’

  He made himself halt, his heartbeat thudding as fast as he’d been walking, echoing in his chest with anticipation.

  ‘I thought you’d want to take your own advice and make it last for both our pleasure?’ Her teasing tone made his mouth dry.

  ‘Did I say that?’ He croaked out a response, damn, he needed a drink of water.

  ‘I might not be book smart, but I remember shit, Jacob.’

  He couldn’t stop the laugh, not that he wanted to, as her comment added to the burning lust raging in his veins. He hauled in a deep breath.

  ‘Remind me never to underestimate you.’

  She smiled, a cat with cream–satisfied smile, ‘My car is this way. You can collect yours later, I’ll need mine in the morning.’ She sashayed past him, her hips swinging unsubtly in her slim skirt. In a couple of strides, he caught up to her, his chest heaving as though he’d done three laps of the oval. Her wattle and honey scent filled his nostrils and he leaned closer to her, breathing in her luscious smell. They walked together, quickly, to her car, and she slid into the front seat. He jumped into the passenger seat and clicked his seatbelt.

  ‘You don’t mind me driving, do you?’

  ‘Why would I? Apparently, you can drive almost as well as you can ride a horse, and your win on Saturday proves how well you do that.’

  She blushed, ‘You have been paying attention. I like that.’

  Satisfaction made his chest swell. She had better drive home quickly before he reached for her, distracting her from a safe journey. He stared out the front window, unable to look at her in case he succumbed to temptation.

  Jacob grinned as Rachel swung the car into the driveway with a squeal of tyres. Her hands spun the steering wheel, competent and confident, as she parked in her usual spot.

  ‘Nice.’

  She grinned at him, ‘I told you I could drive.’

  ‘You can, and I only had to hold the seat for dear life a couple of times.’

  She blew out a loud breath, almost a laugh, ‘Whatever. It was perfectly safe.’

  ‘Except that one time, when changing lanes.’

  ‘Damned hook turns. I just can’t get used to them. There isn’t anything like that in Tranquil Waters.’

  ‘Country driver,’ he teased her, and she batted his arm.

  ‘And you are so superior, city boy?’

  ‘Utterly.’ The truth was that he’d learned to drive in the school holidays, at a mate’s farm, far from Tranquil Waters. His parents hadn’t the money for driving lessons, and although his dad taught him the basics in their beat-up old station wagon, it wasn’t until he’d driven an old ute around Benji’s farm that he’d learned how to handle a vehicle in all circumstances. They’d done some dumb things, those holidays. It’d been ages since he’d talked to Benji, he probably should flick him a text or something. Benji had stuck up for him at high school, and was now overseas on some grand adventure, supposedly
learning business but more likely just screwing his way around Europe, before he had to come home and run his family’s extensive cattle properties.

  ‘Hey. Are you coming inside?’ Rachel’s query made him blink. ‘Or are you having second thoughts now you are at your sister’s house?’

  ‘What? No, just lost in a memory.’

  ‘Must have been a good one if it distracted you from sex.’ Her eyebrows flicked upwards to match the lilt at the corner of her mouth.

  ‘Maybe it was.’ He’d meant to hint he was reliving the first encounter, except her mouth turned down slightly. ‘I mean—’ Shit, he couldn’t lie to her now, ‘I was thinking about how I learned to drive. You know because you were teasing me.’

  ‘Okay … I’m going inside now. You can stay here if you like, or whatever.’ She slammed the door of the car and jogged up the front steps. He cursed the lack of filter between his mouth and brain, why couldn’t he say something suave instead of whatever the hell fell out first? He opened the car door and pulled himself out, before following her up the stairs.

  ‘Can I come in?’ he asked, uncertainty creating a hollow in his gut.

  ‘Of course you can. This is just sex, I don’t care if you would rather think about driving than me.’

  ‘If that was true, you would sound less bitter.’

  She growled under her breath, ‘Bitter?’ She shook her head, ‘No, I’m not going to bite. Go home, Jacob.’

  ‘Invite me into your bed, Rachel.’

  She stepped through the door, flicked on a light, then spun on her heels to stare at him.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because we are great together. Because you know you want me.’

  She sighed, ‘Fine. Come in. I wish I could resist you, but fuck, whenever you are near, all I can smell is you, and my brain ends up totally fried. This is probably a dumb fucking idea, but you know, right now I don’t care.’

  Chapter 14

  Rachel couldn’t believe she’d just let all those thoughts fall out of her mouth, making them reality. What the fuck was it about him? She couldn’t think when he was near, his presence made her practically vibrate. He prowled into the house, the command and control he had over his body making her skin come alive, and already she was wet for him. This was what she wanted—someone who knew how to please her, who knew precisely what they wanted, this was her type. The cocky, overly arrogant, physicality of someone whose desire for her was written on them. She craved the way his eyes simmered when he looked at her, the way his gaze dragged over her body as though he wanted to devour her. She’d always been a sucker for this type of person. A thought flitted through her head: Jacob was exactly like Lisa in this way, and a multitude of others before her, who all demonstrated an overt sexual need for her. She barely had time to stamp the thought out when he leaned closer, his lips almost touching her cheek. Almost searing her.

  ‘Kiss me.’ She put as much command into her words as she could, unable to stop the flutter in her voice. He did, and it was everything she needed and more. He tasted fresh, like mint chocolate, and she wanted to know if Lorenzo had spiked his gelato with something more than the rich chocolate one she’d ordered. Maybe a drug called lust. She opened for him, reaching up on her tiptoes, to get closer to him. He wrapped his strong arms around her, surrounding her, making her senses sigh, and her knees weaken. He hooked one arm under her bottom, lifting her off the ground, her body singing with licks of desire as she was pulled against his hard torso. Her head sagged back a little, and he leaned into the kiss, probing her mouth with his tongue, as though he wanted to taste every piece of her. He lifted his head, his eyes all heavy and hooded, for just long enough to ask, ‘Which way to your bed?’

  ‘Upstairs. I can walk.’ Or at least that’s what she tried to say, except his lips covered hers again, swallowing her words in an explosion of sensation. He carried her up the stairs, like a damned mythical God, as if 51 kg wasn’t as heavy as two feed sacks. With each step, his muscles shifted against her, creating little abrasions where her clothes rubbed between them. She needed to rip off her blouse, uncaring about minor details like buttons, and get her skin against his.

  ‘This one?’ he asked. She opened her eyes, staring dazedly at the door.

  ‘Yeah.’ Rachel waved her hand languidly towards her room, amazed at the way her arms seemed to lack strength. Jacob took the last few strides to her room effortlessly. She clung to his shoulders, her legs swinging down as he held her under her bottom. The back of her legs hit the edge of her bed.

  ‘Put me down.’

  ‘No, I believe you promised you would ride me.’ His voice flowed, deep and throaty, rinsing heat over her already alight skin.

  ‘You still need to put me down first, or—’ Or maybe he’d do exactly as he promised … Swing her around, and lie down on her bed, so she ended lying on top of him. Her breath rushed out of her lungs, as he stroked his hand up her back, and pulled her ponytail out of its elastic band. She shook her head, letting her hair swing around her face.

  ‘Do that again. In slow motion,’ he croaked out a hoarse command, his hips lifting slightly and pressing his erection against her stomach. Hell, she was soaked, ready for him. She shifted against him, using her elbows to give herself a little room to move, and then slowly, oh so slowly, flicked her hair as he requested. He growled, so she grabbed the end and stroked it like a brush over his cheek.

  ‘Rachel.’ Her name came out all breathy, so she repeated the action, following the brushstroke with her lips. His stubble roughened her soft lips, the contrast sending a shiver down her body. His thumbs stroked her neck, tracing the taut muscles from her skull down her neck, and across her shoulders. She released her hair, and pushed her hands across his temples, across the short, sharp cut on his skull, prickling her palms. He pressed his thumbs into the tight knots on her shoulders, and she wanted to sink further against him. A moan flew out of her, and she shifted to press her lips against his. He kissed her like a demon, devouring her, as his hands massaged away all the day’s work. Every time he stroked the hard muscle knots, teasing out the lactic acid and releasing tension, she wriggled against him, wrenching her mouth from his as she forced herself to sit up. Her tight skirt stopped her, and she grabbed it with both hands to pull it up to her waist. His gaze followed her hands, a deep guttural growl vibrating through his chest as she exposed her lacy underwear to him.

  ‘Undo your buttons. Show me.’

  She started with the lowest one, pulling her blouse out from the waistband of her skirt, and slowly undoing one button at a time. Her fingers trembled, making it take longer, yet he didn’t seem to mind, as she slowly unveiled her skin. Belly button first, then higher, until her whole stomach was exposed to him, or at least the portion above her scrunched skirt all gathered around her waist.

  ‘Please. Keep going.’

  She flicked open the button under her bra, and the next two popped open as well. A quick glance down to check …

  ‘Yes, they match. And it’s fucking hot.’ His exclamation came with a hum which she could only explain as awe.

  ‘Shall I remove the skirt too?’ It dug into her hips all weird, taking away some of the pleasure of having his gaze on her.

  ‘If it makes you more comfortable.’

  She nodded, and rolled off him, wriggling to drag the skirt down into place, before unzipping it, and pulling it off. Before she could return to where they’d left off, his lips were on the skin of her waist, kissing along the red marks left behind by her clothes. Her head fell back against the covers of her bed, as he both soothed her and heated her with his mouth. His evening stubble grazed her skin, sending little shards of pleasure shooting through her, and her breath sounded too loud in her bedroom.

  ‘I thought you wanted me to ride you?’ Her voice came out husky, and his lips shifted against her stomach. A grin?

  ‘What do you call it in racing? Throwing a leg over?’

  Laughter pushed all the air out of her lungs, ‘
A leg up? That’s when you get help to get on the horse.’

  ‘Let me help you.’ He sounded like sin, in all the best ways. ‘Let’s put this athlete’s physique to good use.’

  Did he mean hers or his? The question, and reminder of his athletic prowess, made heat burn her body, raging like a wild bushfire, licking at her skin, and she reached out frantically to touch him. He used her stretch to roll them both, and she landed on top of him, with her legs either side of his face, staring down his long legs still encased in jeans.

  ‘Jacob!’ She shrieked his name as he ran his hands up her legs, clasping her bottom, his thumbs brushing dangerously close to where she wanted them most. Her bare skin on top of his clothed body, his hard chest against her stomach, added a delightful texture to the sensation. Her hands fumbled as she pulled his shirt up, unable to move it too much without rearing up off him. His breath was hot and fast on her soaked lacy underwear, yet he waited, not touching her where she most wanted it.

  ‘Please,’ she begged as his fingers teased her, drawing patterns on the insides of her thighs, making her body tremble in anticipation.

  ‘Put your lips on me,’ he commanded. A little part of her bristled at his tone, a natural reaction to being told what to do, except the command was precisely what she wanted to do. She shifted slightly, enough to give herself working room for undoing his jeans. The zip strained to contain the hard bulge inside, and her fingers trembled as she unzipped his pants as slowly as she could manage. She wanted to taunt him as much as he teased her with his almost touches, and his hot breath like a zephyr over her underwear. He tilted his hips enough for her to push his jeans and silky boxers down, exposing his glorious length to her. Licking her dry lips, she considered her approach. Should she lightly kiss the end and ask him if that met his conditions? Or cup him? Or trace his length? Or … Bold and brave—that was the answer. If he wanted her lips on him, she’d give him exactly that. She opened her mouth and slid down his length, as far as she could take him. With a mouth full of his cock, she felt like a goddess, astride and in control. His sharp intake of breath only added to her sense of power, making her chest expand to contain her racing heart. She slid her mouth up and down his length, savouring his taste, and the perfect texture of soft, delicate skin surrounding his hardness. A dash of salt added flavour and she ran her tongue over the end to lap up his pre-cum. His mouth latched onto her thigh and he sucked hard enough to leave a bruise. Fuck. Why did that feel so good? Her gasp and subsequent moan when he licked the bruise to soothe it made her lips vibrate around his cock. She worked her mouth on him, round lips sliding, taking him as deep as she could manage, as he kissed her thigh better. His fingers dug into the flesh of her bottom, tighter every time she moved. She curled her hand around his balls, and he gasped with a guttural sound, somehow reluctant to release everything for her. She needed to have all of him, all of his submittal to the heat building between them, and still he didn’t touch her. Her legs started to tremble, her palms became sweaty, her nipples ached with unrepentant need.