I Think I Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 3) (2 page)

“Honey, you’d better go and have a dance with Tamara,” she whispered. “I know you two have issues, but try to put it aside. She seems a bit lonely.”

He followed her gaze before he said, “Hope you feel better soon.”

She nodded and then followed Markus towards the doors. Again, she noticed how sensational he looked in that tuxedo, the white shirt, and the dark grey tie. His blond hair was cut short and the usual slight wave was gone. She liked it when his hair was a bit longer. It gave him that mischievous look that she’d known since childhood. That same look in his blue eyes that had radiated trouble fifteen years ago, when he’d taken her hand and led her to the top of a diving board with the words
Let’s go flying.

Today, he’d even shaved for the occasion.

Her lower body tingled, and she rolled her eyes at herself.
For crying out loud, it’s Marky
, she told herself.

Amused, she let out a little chuckle as she caught up to him. “Slow down Mr. Superfit. Miss Lazybum following here.”

He laughed, and a shiver ran down her spine. Again.

What was the matter with her today?

He took her hand and excused himself while getting through the crowd. No way was the party nearly over. Rather the opposite, she thought. This party was about to warm up.

Without her.

She couldn’t believe it. Her chance to meet someone from the football scene, and she was leaving because of a stinking headache.

She was cursed to end up old and on her own.

And that thought hurt.

It was a short walk to his car. Sarah relished the feel of fresh air against her face. A breeze off the ocean sent a sudden chill down her back. Sensing it, Markus put an arm around her shoulder.

An hour and a little snooze in a car later, they arrived in front of her place. Her little house which she was so proud of. At least something that she had achieved in life. Fair enough, Markus had helped her when she’d hit financial problems, but it was a success that nobody in her family had been able to accomplish.

At least if she’d grow old alone, she’d do it owning a house.

A smile lingered on her lips.

Markus got out of the car and opened the passenger door for her.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Then she leaned forward, quickly slipped into her shoes, before she got out and walked to the front door.

The sound of Markus’ steps told her that he was following. Half of her appreciated his thought of
making sure she was safe,
the other half was too tired to care or think. She rubbed her eyes with the ball of her hand before she turned and met Markus’ eyes.

“Thank you, Marky,” she said softly. “Thanks for taking me home.”

Nodding, he came closer, took the key from her, and unlocked the door. “Have a good snooze, baby. And call me in the morning.”

She bit her lip and took the keys. “I will,” she replied.

Sarah had to close her eyes for a moment. The situation was so unfamiliar to her that she needed a second to refocus. It wasn’t unusual for Markus to give her a lift home and drop her off at the door, but it
was
unusual for her to have every nerve in her body responding to his nearness. Somehow, his familiar scent affected her tonight, and she had no idea why. She even had to lock her knees to withstand the look in his eyes.

And before she knew it, her mouth was on his.

“What are you doing?” Markus asked against her lips.

With her hands fisted in his shirt, she looked up and met his gaze. “Can’t you pretend for just one night that you like me?”

He chuckled lightly, which she didn’t know how to read.

“Marky?”

“Aww, baby. I don’t have to pretend, but I know we’d both regret it.”

“I wouldn’t,” she replied with more force than she had intended.

Now he laughed. “You would so.”

He opened the door and, with a gentle push on her back, moved her inside. Sarah walked straight towards her bedroom with a mix of disappointment, anger, and…relief.

“Night, Marky.”

“No hot chocolate?”

She stopped and turned, considering the idea of a nice drink as well as Markus’ company. He’d moved closer, and, again, his blue eyes sent a rush through her that went right to her toes. It was only when his thumb brushed across her cheek that she realised she was crying.

She cuddled up against his chest, with his strong arms around her.

“You should’ve told me,” she whispered.

“Which part? That you forgot about the hot chocolate?”

“About Timmy.”

He placed a light kiss on her forehead. “It wasn’t for me to say anything.”

“You should’ve asked Oliver to say something.”

That made him laugh, and she looked up again.

“What did you mean you don’t have to pretend?”

The silence stretching between them was almost tangible.

“Sarah?”

“Uh-huh.”

“You know this is not right.”

She shook her head, and he choked back a chuckle, before he dipped his head to kiss her.

His hands slid up her arms to cup her face. Closing her eyes, she enjoyed the touch of his lips.

“You sure this is what you want?” he asked.

Unable to speak, she nodded. It was everything she wanted tonight. Tomorrow would be another day, and she’d deal with it then. This was today and today she wanted to feel. Wanted to touch him. And wanted to be loved.

She knew Markus wouldn’t hurt her.

“Yes, I’m sure,” she answered.

“I’ll ruin you for all other men to come,” he said against her skin. “You sure you wanna make that sacrifice?”

He was teasing her. Sarah looked up and saw his eyes lit with mischief. “Just get on with it,” she replied.

Markus nipped her ear. “What if your mother finds out? She’ll send me to hell and back.”

Placing her hand on his hard chest, she pushed him away. “No wonder you haven’t been with a girl for a long time. Your foreplay sucks, Marky.”

A bark of laughter filled the room.

“You’re such an ass. Honestly.”

He shrugged. “Baby, I just wanna make certain this is what you want.”

Studying him, she still couldn’t get past how sexy he looked.

Damn him.

They’d known each other for so long, and known each other so well. Her mouth curled in a smile when she remembered when their mouths connected for the first time. She’d thrown a bucket of beach sand at him, and he hadn’t talked to her for days. Hadn’t even shared his mother’s homemade pizza with her.

“I’d rather have a hot chocolate. I’m sure the chance of getting an orgasm from simply inhaling it is higher than spending a few minutes with you,” she said as she stomped down the hall and towards the kitchen.

Following her, he said, “Sweetcakes, don’t be like that.”

She shuddered. “Don’t call me
that.
That’s Oliver’s jargon when he hits on a girl.”

“Sweetheart?”

“Tyson’s.”

“Sunshine?”

“You had your chance.”

With a chuckle, he placed an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. “Trust me, it’s better this way.”

Leaning her head against his hard chest, she thought about it for a moment before she said, “I know. But why the hell am I so damn attracted to you today?”

He lifted a shoulder in a shrug. “’Cause I’m a very attractive man.”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “And completely full of yourself.”

“Ouch. That went straight to the heart.”

She laughed softly. He’d always made her laugh. It was why their friendship had lasted so long. When times had been tough, he was the first to reach for her hand. And tough times had been a constant in her life. Especially when her father had left her mother, and during her older sister’s disappearance for weeks after falling into the hands of some weird religious group. Markus, Tyson, and Oliver had always been there for her.

But especially Markus. He’d been more like a big brother. So why now?

“Thanks, Marky.”

***

He gave her a wink. “Anytime, baby.”

Markus prepared the hot chocolate and a cup of coffee for himself. His pulse was still racing, and he tried to think of something to say. Kissing Sarah, even for this brief moment, had stirred emotions in him that he hadn’t been aware of. The taste of her lips still lingered on his and although he knew he’d done the right thing by not going further with this, the rest of his body disagreed with him. Sarah had always been special to him. She was like a little sister, and he loved her dearly. Yet, when she’d kissed him, his whole body had been on alert.

The sound of the kettle’s whistle brought him back from his thoughts, and he finished the drinks.

“Let’s get some fresh air,” he said and headed towards the front porch.

When Sarah didn’t answer, he moved around and looked at her. A smile tugged at his lips when he saw her sitting at the table with her head resting on her arms—asleep.

“Come on, sleeping beauty,” he said as he picked her up to carry her to her bed.

“Night, Marky,” Sarah whispered before she fell asleep again.

Markus sat on the edge of her bed, watching her sleep. He studied her face. Her long lashes that lay against her cheek. Her soft breathing. Sleep had caused her to relax, and she looked so at ease, so beautiful. Carefully, he slid down the zip of her dress and instantly grimaced when he noticed she didn’t wear a bra. Without waking her, he slipped the dress down her body before taking it off, pulled the covers up over her, and tucked them firmly around her.

Choking back a chuckle, he thought about how she’d encouraged him to spend the night with her.

And now his heart ached seeing her in front of him in bed. He’d have given anything to slide under the blanket and wrap his arms around her petite waist. But it wouldn’t have been fair on Sarah or their friendship. As much as he thought he’d be ready for a relationship, he didn’t want to destroy what they had with a one-night stand. She deserved so much more. Yet, as he thought of it, he wasn’t sure why he wasn’t enough. Was it the old myth of a friendship turning into a relationship and failing? Was he scared to lose her as a friend, because they could be a mismatch as a couple? Or was it simply because he didn’t want to be the rebound?

Quietly, he slipped out of the room and went back into the kitchen. The coffee was cold by now. Markus turned on the kettle again and five minutes later, he sat in Sarah’s lounge room, watching the rest of a movie while sipping his coffee. The movie didn’t have the desired effect to hold his attention, though, and his mind wandered off.

Sarah’s kiss had come completely out of the blue to him. But at the same time it’d affected him deeply
as she’d stood in front of him in the flat column ruffle champagne dress. He chuckled as he recalled how often she’d tried to describe the dress to him. She’d looked sensational in it. Simply the look of her had made him yearn for her.

And he’d found out that kissing her had come as natural to him as breathing.

His heart squeezed a little at her misery seeing Timmy with another woman. Not a nice sight at the best of times, it would’ve broken her heart. Markus remembered how she had swooned over Timmy, indicating he was it for her. He’d have loved to put his fist into this guy’s face for hurting her so much. No one messed with his girl.

His girl.

He chuckled at the thought as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling. When Sarah had moved into their neighbourhood with her parents and older sister, she’d been a skinny girl, with pale skin, her wavy dark hair frizzy and always tied back into a ponytail. She’d been ignored by the girls and teased by the boys. Until the day she’d kicked the football. A smiled played on his lips. Yes, she’d been one hell of a football player. He remembered how sick he’d felt when he heard the other boys teasing her. Until he’d seen her in the park one day, too afraid to go home, because she’d ripped her pants while climbing across a fence running away from them. Her dad had just left and money had been tight.

He’d invited her to his house and they’d been friends ever since.

Had they crossed the line today? Had it been the atmosphere of the wedding that made them yearn for someone, and they’d turned out to be that someone for each other? Had she simply wanted to forget about her pain, and he’d been as good as anybody?

With his eyes becoming heavier by the minute and tiredness sinking in, he got up and took the cup back into the kitchen.

Without checking for Sarah again, he left and made his way home. It’d been a long and eventful day.

Chapter Two

When Sarah woke the next morning, she stared into the distance. A smile touched the corner of her lips as pictures of the previous day of the wedding came back into her mind. The pair were so much in love, and Sarah was glad Tyson and Katie had finally walked down the aisle. The two had met at the New South Wales coast, and it’d been a rocky road for them to make the relationship work. But in the end their love was stronger, and Katie had become used to the limelight surrounding her football star husband.

And then there were a few of the images, however, from the previous night that caused her to shiver. She cringed as she remembered how she had thrown herself into Markus’ arms. Pulling the duvet over her head, she inhaled a deep breath and then released it slowly, hoping for time to erase that part of the day from history.

What had she been thinking?

After a good long stretch, she moved her head to the left and to the right, noticing that her head still ached even after thirty-six hours and lots of sleep. Her body felt heavy and sluggish, but Sarah willed it to move and get out of bed.

Never again would she touch a glass of red wine.

Despite the local water restrictions, she enjoyed a long, hot shower before heading into the kitchen for some breakfast.

A few years earlier, Sarah had a string of bad luck and due to illness lost her job. Markus came to the rescue straight away, helping her with her finances to buy a modest apartment. With the new job and Markus’ okay, she’d changed from apartment to house—a move she hadn’t regretted since.

Her kitchen was small, but the window, which she left without curtains to enjoy her backyard, created the impression of a bigger size. It hadn’t been long after the purchase of the apartment when she stumbled upon the ad of the house in the newspaper. She’d fallen in love with it instantly, the small backyard, big windows, old-fashioned furnishings in all the rooms including the bathrooms, and two good-sized rooms, as well as a small study.

Hardly lifting her feet off the ground, she headed towards the fridge, which didn’t have much to offer that tickled her fancy, so she grabbed the milk and some chocolate cake from her recent birthday. Oliver told her once that chocolate was in fact not all that bad, after all, it was made from cocoa beans, and everyone knew beans were vegetables and good for you.

It made perfect sense to her.

The phone buzzed and the display announced Markus’ call.

“Marky, darlin’, we have to break up,” she said by way of answering the phone, hoping he’d get the hint that she was still embarrassed about her actions the previous night and not ready to face him, yet.

A bark of laughter echoed through the phone, and Sarah disconnected the call instantly.

The phone buzzed a couple more times, but she ignored it and devoured more of the cake in front of the TV. Breakfast television was always entertaining, but today the news of other people’s misery made her even more melancholic, and she changed over to the kids’ channel.

“Baby?”

Sarah nearly fell off the couch when she heard Mark’s voice. “How did you get in here?”

His chuckle did something to her body, yet, she wasn’t able to figure out whether it was irritation or pleasure.

“Keys,” he replied simply.

Sarah listened to his steps as he strode down the hall until he stood next to her. Ignoring him, she turned up the volume and laughed at some lame scene on the telly.

“Good morning,” he said as he sat next to her.

“We’ve broken up.”

He laughed again.

Turning to face him, she gave him a slap on his arm. “Will you take me seriously, please?”

“I do. We’ve broken up and now we rekindle our friendship,” he replied as he reached for the cake. “Vegies so early in the morning?”

“Shut up. I’m having my orgasm here, and I need peace and quiet for that.”

Markus nearly spat out the cake in his mouth along with his snort.

Sarah shot him a glare. She was sure she’d hit rock bottom, but he didn’t have to make it that obvious.

Letting out a long sigh, she leaned back into the couch. “I’m truly sorry about yesterday, Marky. I have no idea what came over me.”

“Physical attraction,” he said with a shrug.

She moved away from him, angry tears burning the back of her eyes. “For crying out loud, for once will you take me seriously?”

“I do, baby.”

She bit her lip as she studied her face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered again.

“Saz. Let it go. It was an intense twenty-four hours. The thing with Timmy, coping through a wedding not only with a headache, but also with the disappointment. Shit happens.”

She nodded, but stayed silent, not sure how to answer that. Was he referring to her not only inappropriate but also awkward coming on to him as
shit
?

Not sure how to cope with her emotions and her feelings towards Markus, she placed a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’m heading back to bed to get some more sleep. I’ll catch up with you during the week.”

Sarah heard him mumbling something along the lines of
Will you be all right?
but choose not to answer and headed straight into her room, throwing herself onto the bed. They’d known each other for such a long time, the thought of him as more as a friend should give her a shudder instead of tingles.

“Aww, baby.”

He’d obviously followed her into the bedroom, and at the sound of his low voice, she rolled over on the bed and buried her face into the pillow. “What?”

Trying to remove her pillow, he said, “You’re really in a bit of a mess here.”

“Probably just the hangover.”

A thousand thoughts went through her head and one of them was that she didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to look into his eyes. Frustratingly, though, she still wanted to kiss him again.

“Go away! I need more sleep.”

Markus pulled on her arm until she sat next to him. She didn’t fight him as he shifted her until she was sitting across his lap, leaning against his strong chest. His muscular arms surrounded her and gave her a small measure of comfort. Lifting her head, he wiped away her tears with his thumb. When the powerful waves of emotion dissipated, she met his gaze. His beautiful eyes, matched with his mischievous grin made her melt into a puddle.

In that state of mind, she leaned in and kissed him softly on his lips. When he didn’t move, she leaned back to look at him. Gazing into each other’s eyes, Markus reached up with a smile and gently brushed a curl out of her face.

Feeling a surge of desire mixed with uncertainty, Sarah started to move off his lap, but he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close again.

“Marky—”

He cupped her chin, hesitated, and then lowered his head closer, his lips hovering inches from hers. When he finally kissed her, the kiss was so soft, so subtle, but her heart was pounding.

“Marky, honey, if you tease me I—”

She didn’t get to complete the sentence, after he silenced her with another kiss.

“No more talking,” he said gruffly, while he briefly pulled his mouth away from hers.

Everything inside Sarah tightened as she leaned into him, resting her palm on his chest. All she was able to think of was how well he kissed. He’d definitely improved since they’d last kissed.

“Honey, I had no idea you’re such a good kisser,” she whispered against his lips.

Markus chuckled softly. “Babe, I’ve got many talents.”

Sarah moved her legs to straddle him, saying against his lips, “You taste like forbidden fruit.”

That made him laugh again.

He kissed her. Deep, slow, and soulful. Pulling back for a second, he tugged her shirt off, leaving her in nothing but her bra and panties. Without a word, he dipped his head and kissed the top of her breast.

Everything inside Sarah reacted, and she felt something that felt suspiciously like melting. Goodness gracious, this guy knew how to kiss.

Placing his arm around her waist, he rolled her underneath him in one swift move. Then he slid down her body, teasing her skin with kisses, and with torturous patience, he lingered at her thighs, kissing first one inner thigh and then the other until she moaned.

“Marky, darlin’,” she gasped, arching into him. “I need you to hurry.”

“Patience is a virtue, baby,” he whispered against her skin, and Sarah dug her hands into his hair when his tongue found her most sensitive spot.

Markus had her shuddering within only a few minutes, and when she was still shivering from the waves of pleasure rippling through her, he’d entered her and reminded her, the ride wasn’t over. There was more to come.

***

Markus enjoyed the moment with Sarah snuggled up his arms. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a woman’s legs entwined with his and him not wanting to run as fast as possible.

“Still no regrets?” he whispered after he’d placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Not at all,” she said without looking at him.

He knew the moment of their contentment would be over soon and even though they both had no regrets now, it would slowly creep up later on. At the moment, though, he was too satiated to argue with himself, and he was too overwhelmed by his emotions to reason objectively.

They’d spent the last couple of hours making love and exploring the mysteries of each other’s bodies. And as she lay next to him now with her head resting on his shoulder, he listened to her gentle breathing and felt her hand lightly running over his chest. He thought he’d have her out of his system—how wrong he was. Something inside him, something eerily unfamiliar, told him how different this had been compared to the women he’d been in bed with before. It was scarily different, because he hadn’t been able to get enough of Sarah. The more she had moaned underneath him, the more orgasms she’d had, the more he wanted to please her again.

“Why?” he asked, yet as soon as the question had left his lips he already regretted it.

When her chest moved against him, he knew she heaved a big sigh, not wanting to know or not knowing the answer. “Fatal attraction?”

Markus suppressed back a laugh.

“If it were as simple as giving you an answer, I would’ve spent the last twenty-four hours convincing myself that the answer was wrong.” Sarah wriggled in his arm and met his gaze. “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “Do we have to know why?”

Moving to his side, he thought about it. Did he need to have an answer?

“Now what?” he asked instead.

She shrugged again. “Marky, darlin’, you’re about the best lover I’ve ever had in this bed, but you do suck when it comes to the after.”

He laughed. “I suppose that goes with the territory, considering that my foreplay apparently lacks skills as well.”

Sarah’s hand moved up his chest, and heat pooled in his groin again. Nope, he wasn’t done with her, yet. Not even close.

“We’ve known each other for so many years,” she whispered. “Since primary school.” She laughed. “For Pete’s sake, you saw me naked when I was only eight or nine.”

Markus joined her in her laughter.

She grew serious. “Moving on into a relationship would possibly destroy our friendship. It never works.”

Everything inside him agreed with her, although there was an urge to disagree, but he didn’t want to ruin the mood, or at least the bit of good mood they were in. He simply agreed with a nod.

“How about some lunch? I’ll treat you to a nice lunch at the Waterfront Bistro.”

She stretched, and Markus had another long look at her body.

Nope, not done with her at all. Rubbing his face with his hand, he reminded himself this was and had to be a one off. That was all she was in for.

“I’d love to,” she finally said, as she grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around her body before disappearing into the bathroom.

Cursing, he threw back the duvet and slid his legs into his pants. There was no point lying to himself when he knew that sleeping with Sarah had been a mistake. Instead of moving on, he wanted her again, more than ever before. Once her mouth had touched his, common sense had gone right out of the window and stopped his brain. It’d been wrong for so many reasons, but mainly because he’d taken advantage of her emotional situation. It was as plain and simple as that. Of course, he had wanted her. All he’d remembered was her standing in that dress in front of him the day earlier. But she’d been hurt by Timmy. Markus had tried to warn her a few times that something seemed
iffy
about him, but she’d seen what she wanted to see and nothing else. He knew damn well Sarah had wanted to soothe her wounded pride. It hadn’t been him she’d wanted, but his body.

Still, all Markus was able to think of was how great the sex with Sarah had been.