Good Karma (41 page)

He pulled her toward him and rested his hands
on her hips. “You set yourself up for that one, babe.”

“And, as usual, you took full advantage.”

“But you’re so cute when you’re embarrassed.”
He pulled her a little closer.

She buried her face against his chest, as if
trying to hide herself.

“Make that ultra-cute. Maybe I should try to
embarrass you more often if this is your reaction. I kind of like
this.” He snuggled her more firmly against him.

She pulled her face back and blinked up at
him. “Don’t you dare. You’re supposed to be helping me come
out
of my shell, not pushing me further inside it.”

“Oh, that’s right. I guess I am. Damn.” He
snapped his fingers as if he had momentarily forgotten what it was
he was doing there. “But isn’t this much more fun?”

After so long apart, being with Karma again
felt right in about a hundred different ways.

* * *

Something about Mark was different, but Karma
couldn’t put her finger on it. He was more touchy-feely, more
approachable. And he looked at her differently, which had nothing
to do with her feet.

“So, I’ve been thinking about…” His fingers
edged down to the waist of her jeans so that his fingertips slipped
underneath and rested on the upper curve of her butt.

“Yes?”

He took a deep breath and pulled her a little
closer. “I’ve been thinking about you a lot.”

“You have?”

“Yes.”

“And what have you been thinking about?”
Karma tried to sound unaffected even though she was anything
but.

“How I’m not sure I can go much longer
without making love to you.”

Her eyes drifted closed and she leaned into
him. She had been thinking a lot about that, too.

They remained like that, standing together,
for several long moments. Nothing was said, but the weight of his
words tightened something inside her. Something needy and
wanting.

He tugged his fingers from inside the waist
of her jeans. “Do you have time to show me your new books before
your dad gets here?” Mark’s deep, sexy voice cut into her like a
hot knife through butter. She practically melted. But this was
Mark. He could make
I have this strange rash
sound sexy.

“Sure.” She slowly inched herself out of the
warmth of his arms, took his hand, and led him to her bedroom.

Her new books were stacked on the dresser.
She had even returned to Barnes & Noble a couple of days ago to
buy more, as well as a couple of books on affirmations and the
power of positive thinking. She was in a total transformation of
mind and body, and the more she read, the more she wanted to learn
and change.

Mark rifled through her growing pile of
books. He paused over one, made an appreciative noise, then picked
up another and nodded his approval.

“I’ve read this one,” he said of one of the
how-to-have-hot-sex books. “And this one.” He showed her the 365
sexual positions book. “And these.” He pointed to the books on the
Kama Sutra and Tantric sex. “I’m glad you’re reading them.”

Of course he would have read some of these
books. And probably a whole lot more.

He stopped and smiled when he came to the two
books on how to give a man mind-blowing oral sex. His gaze slid to
hers.

“Now, I’m sure
this
is interesting
reading.”

She blushed. “It is.”

“Learning anything new?”

“Yes.” She refused to look away. Old Karma
would have. New Karma was stronger than that.

“And you plan on using your new knowledge
sometime soon, I assume?”

“Maybe.”

“Mmm.” He turned his attention back to her
stack of books and picked up the
Letters to Penthouse
and
one of the books on sexual fantasies. “These can be fun.”

She had already read most of those two books.
“Yes. I enjoyed them.”

He set the books down and pulled her back
into his arms. “You did, did you?” His eyes twinkled as his mouth
curved into a crooked grin.

“Yes.”

“And just how much did you enjoy them, I
wonder?” He drew his lips down her neck. “Did they give you any
ideas?”

“A few.” She gripped his shoulders.

His tongue slid back up to her ear. “Were
there any favorites?”

Good God, Mark was a force of nature tonight.
He was like a rising flood that encroached so slowly you didn’t
realize the danger until it was too late. And it was definitely too
late for her to seek cover. All she could do was fight to stay
afloat. “A couple, yes.” She dug her nails into the backs of his
shoulders.

“Tell me.” His lips dropped fiery kisses down
her jaw to her chin, and then hovered over her mouth as his gaze
burned into hers.

She nibbled the inside of her bottom lip,
staring up at him. “There was one story of a woman at a party. She
wandered through the house to get away from the noise and the
crowd.”

Mark remained silent as she recounted one of
the more erotic fantasies she had read.

“It was a large house, and the woman found
her way to a darkened room filled with exercise equipment. A moment
later, a handsome stranger joined her. He had followed her.”

“She had caught his eye?” Mark spoke against
her lips. “Is that it?”

Karma nodded. “Yes. He thought she was
attractive.”

Mark kissed his way to her ear and whispered,
“And what did he do to her in that room with all the exercise
equipment?”

The air between them steamed, and Mark gently
nudged her toward her bed.

Karma’s breath came in quiet, tight bursts.
“She was nervous at first, but he was sexy. Even though she didn’t
know him, he excited her. She wanted to get to know him better. She
wanted more.”

“And he gave it to her?”

“Yes.” As the backs of her legs made contact
with the side of the bed, Mark guided her down. She scooted back,
and he parted her legs and nestled between them.

“What did he do to her?” He dropped his mouth
to the hollow of her throat and softly nibbled her tender skin.

Karma moaned and involuntarily arched her
neck, pushing her throat against his lips. “He made love to her on
one of the weight benches.”

“Mmm.” Mark pushed himself up and looked into
her eyes. “Did he make love to her?” He paused then said, “Or did
he fuck her?”

Oh wow. She suddenly understood why people
liked intimate dirty talk. That one, four-letter profanity sent a
jolt of electricity straight between her legs.

“He fucked her,” she whispered. Her voice
trembled.

Mark shuddered and closed his eyes as he
lowered himself against her.

So, Mark liked dirty talk, too. Good to
know.

For at least a minute, Mark seemed to be at
war. He didn’t speak, barely moved. The tension in his body and the
way he inhaled and exhaled, as well as the quiet, pained moans that
broke inside his throat as his lips tapped lightly against her skin
as if he were marking time, made it clear he was in the depths of a
fierce battle.

“Are you okay?” she said, running both hands
down his back.

Her touch—or maybe her voice—seemed to soothe
him, and he relaxed a little as he buried his arms under her and
tucked his face against the side of her neck and nodded.

“I just need a minute.” His gruff voice
massaged her senses.

Karma gently combed her fingers into his
thick hair and lightly kissed his temple. “You feel good.” Very
good. Too good to let go of. “I’m glad you’re here.”

Mark lifted his head from her shoulder. His
glazed eyes met hers, and in a split second, something primal
passed between them. Something dark and full of desire that refused
to be denied.

Air rushed into the cocoon that surrounded
them, and Mark surged like a vicious wall of fire as his mouth
crashed down on hers.

His hands dove into her hair. She wrapped her
legs around him.
More, now!
Whatever this was between them
needed to come out now!

He rolled to his back and took her with him,
holding her close.

“I missed you,” he said.

“I missed you, too.” She tugged on the hem of
his shirt and had just pushed her hands underneath when a noise
from the living room startled her.

The front door.

“Honey?” her dad called.

“Shit!” she whispered, meeting Mark’s stunned
gaze as they froze. She hopped off and immediately began
straightening her clothes.

Mark rolled off the bed and pulled down his
shirt before hastily running his fingers through his hair.

“Karma?” her dad called again. She heard the
door close and the jangle of her dad’s keys.

“Hi, Dad!” she yelled. “Gimme a second. I’ll
be right there.” She looked at Mark, feeling like a horny teenager
caught getting it on in the backseat of her parents’ car.

“I’m sorry,” Mark whispered. Guilt haunted
his eyes.

She waved off his apology. “Are you okay with
him seeing you?”

“Are you?”

She didn’t have much choice. “I’ll figure it
out.”

He checked himself over and smiled. “This is
your fault, you know.”

“How is this
my
fault,” she
whispered.

Mark quietly swatted her butt. “Because
you’re too damn sexy for your own good, that’s why.”

“You say the sweetest things,” she said
sarcastically, fidgeting with her hair some more. “Do I look
okay?

“That depends? How do you want to look?” He
smirked and pulled her against him.

“Quit that.” Karma pushed away and smacked
his arm.

With a playful wince, he pulled back. “You
look fine. How do I look?”

Karma really didn’t want to answer that,
because he looked good enough to lick. “As good as you’re gonna.
Come on.” She led him out of the bedroom and into the dining
room.

Her dad was in the kitchen unloading takeout
from Olive Garden.

“Hey, Dad,” she said. “You’re a little
early.”

“Well, I thought we could eat and—” He
stopped midsentence when he turned and saw Mark standing beside
her.

One hell of an awkward silence followed.

Mark finally cleared his throat and stepped
forward. “Hi, Mr. Mason. I’m Mark.”

“Mark?” Dad warily shook his hand, but his
gaze slid questioningly to Karma, then to the flowers on the table,
then back to Karma.

“Mark’s a friend of mine,” she said.

“A friend,” Dad said dubiously.

“Yes,” Mark said in the stretch of silence
that followed. “I came by to say hi, but was just on my way
out.”

“Uh-huh.” Dad turned back toward the Olive
Garden bags.

“I’ll walk you to the door.” Karma pushed
against Mark’s arm.

“It was nice to meet you,” Mark said to her
dad’s back.

“Hmph.” Dad didn’t turn around.

She followed Mark to the door and into the
outer hall. “This should be fun,” she said quietly.

Mark took a deep breath and blew it out. “I’m
so sorry. I should have left when you said he was coming over.”

She held up her hand. “No. It’s okay. I’ll
handle it.”

He looked concerned. “Well, you can call me
later if you need to.”

“I might just do that.” Karma nodded toward
her apartment. “He doesn’t look happy.”

“You sure you don’t need me to stay?”

“No. It’ll be fine.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.” He kissed her
cheek. “Good night.”

“Night.” She waved as he started down the
stairs, and then went back inside to see her dad in the dining
room, staring at her like she was a stripper.

Uh-oh. It looked like she had some explaining
to do.

Dad frowned and disappeared into the kitchen
again.

“Dad.” Karma joined him and grabbed plates
from the cupboard. “It’s not what you think.”

“Who is he?” Her dad wouldn’t look at
her.

“He’s a friend, Dad.”

“Sure he is, and I’m your mom.” He scowled at
her out of the corners of his eyes. “Now, who is he?”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Dad,
he’s—”

“Mark,” Dad said. “His name is Mark.” He
frowned. “That consultant you’re working with at Solar is named
Mark.”

She could see her dad’s wheels turning and
putting everything together. “Yes, that’s right.”
Shit.

He pointed an accusing finger toward the
door. “Karma, are you dating the consultant?”

She couldn’t really call it dating but didn’t
know how else to explain. Dating would imply they were in a
relationship that could actually go somewhere. “I’m not actually
dating him, Dad.”

“Well, are you
sleeping
with him,
then?” Her dad raised his voice and slammed the foil pack of garlic
bread on the counter.

“No!” His reaction chilled her bones. She
hadn’t seen her dad this angry in a long time.

“Well then, what were the two of you doing in
your bedroom when I got here? I knocked on the door, and when you
didn’t answer, I used my key.” He raised his hands in a gesture of
surrender. “At least now I know why you didn’t hear me knock.” He
grumbled unintelligibly under his breath and turned for the
fridge.

“Dad, it’s not like that. It’s—” She didn’t
want to lie, especially to her dad. “I like him, Dad. And he likes
me.”

He spun around. “And you’re willing to throw
away your career on that?” He huffed and stood akimbo. “This won’t
end well, Karma! You work with him! What are you thinking?”

Karma’s mouth fell open. Her dad hadn’t take
such an aggressive tone with her since she’d switched majors at
Purdue.

“What am I thinking?” She slapped her hands
on her hips. “Well, for starters, maybe for once I’m thinking that
I’d like to go out with a nice looking man who’s interested in
me.”

“For God’s sake, Karma, there are plenty of
nice looking men out there. You don’t need to risk your job on…” He
waved toward the door. “
THAT
.”