If You Dare (5 page)

“Determined to take this from me the way you did Sunny Acres, aren’t you?” he teased, his mouth tipping on one side.

She felt a pinch of regret that he’d effectively removed the sexual tension and turned it into the usual kind of argumentative tension between them. “This again?” She sighed, disappointed. “You didn’t have a contract with Marjorie.”

“No, but I sketched a design she loved.”

Lily picked at an eyelet in her sneaker. The phone went dark, and she dropped it next to her leg. “She didn’t use your design.” Somehow that truth came easier in the dark.

“Of course she did,” he argued. “She added on the pond and greenhouse, but she said the room idea was perfect.”

She shook her head even though he couldn’t see her. She didn’t want to tell him the truth all of a sudden. Which was odd, because it made for excellent ammo and she’d assured herself she was saving it for a moment she needed a good dig. But each time he poked at her at work, she’d hesitated to rub his nose in it. Why had she done that?

She knew why she hesitated now. Because she’d since begun to see Marcus wasn’t as much of an asshat as he’d like everyone to think. Or maybe because of the look on his face in his office the day he’d won the trip. He was in there alone, slapping the tickets against his open palm. Then he’d stared at them for the longest time, shaking his head as a proud—not cocky—smile graced his handsome face. In that moment, with his usual veil dropped, she had seen him care about something in a deep, reverent way.

And that had intrigued her.

Of course, an hour later, he’d plopped down on her guest chair in her office and run down a list of things to do in Hawaii.
Ever been snorkeling, McIntire? I think I’ll cliff dive while I’m there. Thanks to my handy-dandy new shed, I have plenty of room for climbing gear and scuba-diving equipment.

A scrape along the boarded windows sounded in front of them, and Lily instinctively grabbed for Marcus in the dark.

“See?” he muttered softly. “Trees.”

“Trees,” she agreed. Maybe they’d both overreacted because of the environment they were in. Maybe here, inside a spooky mansion steeped in local lore, everyday sounds were scarier than they actually were.

“Talk to me about something,” he said.

Good idea. She’d talk about anything to get her mind off the ghost of Essie Mae. “Like what?”

“Like why you wanted to go to Hawaii.”

Not what she’d expected. She thought for a moment. “Well. Like you, I’ve never been there. Plus, it’s a free trip…” But that wasn’t really why she wanted it. That wasn’t the reason she’d worked overtime and gone out of her way to sign more accounts than Marcus. “The truth is,” she said quietly, “I really like to win.”

His deep laughter tumbled around her in the dark. “Yeah, I get that.”

“And I wanted to see if I was good enough to beat the best.”

She sensed more than heard his head turn.

“You’re the best.” She squeezed his knee. “You’re unbeatable.”

One rough hand covered hers. On a soft rumble, he said, “You may beat me yet.”

She sniffed. That may have been a laugh if he hadn’t been touching her. If her heart hadn’t been beating triple time.

The hand over hers turned and slipped beneath hers. Heat from their pressed palms lit a fuse that burned up her arm. “Lily?”

She couldn’t see his face, but she knew his eyes were on her. She could
feel
them.

A beat passed. Then another. She flipped her phone open with shaking fingers. His eyes zoomed in on her mouth. “Don’t suppose you’re scared enough of the dark to leave.”

She shook her head. “I don’t suppose you’re planning on leaving me on my own.”

A smile, then, “You might cheat.” He tugged their linked hands and leaned the slightest bit closer to her.

“True,” she whispered, mirroring his movement. “I wouldn’t trust you if our roles were reversed.” Inches from his face, she admired the curve of his top lip in the pale blue light from her phone. “What are you doing, Black?”

“I think,” he whispered back, his breath fanning her lips, “I’m going to have to kiss you, McIntire.”

Chapter 8

Marcus closed both palms over her upper arms and Lily shut her phone with a snap and dropped it somewhere on the bed.

His lips hit hers hard and softened a moment later, even as his arms tightened around her body. He tugged, and she went willingly…then sort of fell into him. The air mattress was about as stable as one of those inflatable ball-filled rooms.

Lips still fused with hers, he laughed through his nose as he fell back, pulling Lily on top of him. Lying against that hard wall of muscle, she didn’t think there could be anything better than being held by his strong arms. Until he slipped his tongue into her mouth to tangle with hers.

Oh, yes.
Much
better.

She kissed him back, sucking his tongue while her fingers found the back of his scalp and clutched at his short hair. The feel of him, the smell of him, the
taste
of him was all so utterly masculine, she felt feminine and delicate by comparison. That was new. She liked it.

He pulled away, his breathing ragged. Lily shifted against him, felt the hard length of him press into her thigh.
Talk about masculine
. She rubbed against him again. Shamelessly. This was crazy, right? They barely tolerated each other at work, were in the least romantic location on the planet. Plus—

“Sorry.”

Did Marcus Black just apologize?

Chest heaving, she stayed where she was, her arms locked around his neck, breasts smashing into his chest, mouth close enough that his truncated breaths tickled her lips.

“Are you?” she challenged.

He tightened his arms around her and ground his pelvis against her leg. His voice was impossibly deep when he said, “No.”

When his lips landed on hers again, she wanted to cry with relief. Shrouded in the darkness, hidden from the outside world, this felt safe. Like in this sequestered place, she was free to do whatever she wanted.
Whomever I want.
And right now, being on the receiving end of Marcus’s dwindling control was
exactly
where she wanted to be.

Senses heightened in the dark, she explored his body. The soft, worn cotton of his T-shirt, the puckered fabric at the hem. His hot tongue still in her mouth, she slipped her hand beneath his shirt, fingers straying over an army of rock-hard abs dusted in hair. She trailed her fingers up his chest, savoring the width of him, the coarse texture of him, the heat rolling off his skin in waves.

When he slanted his mouth over hers, his stubble scratched her face. He nipped at her bottom lip, her jaw, her neck, until he found the hollow at the bottom of her throat and explored it with his tongue.

Every brush of his lips felt more erotic in the blackness. She was a prisoner to each new and unexpected sensation crashing over her body like the tide. The heat of his mouth, the cold, prickling sensation when he left her skin exposed to the air, the surprise of his hand snaking under her hoodie and shirt.

Lily gasped when his fingers closed around one breast over her bra. His other hand grasped a handful of her butt and he hauled her closer, still kissing and suckling the side of her neck with his talented mouth.

His jaw raked against her neck, and he dragged his lips to her ear. When he spoke, the feel of his hot mouth against her tender ear caused her to shudder. “You have the sweetest ass I’ve ever seen.” He squeezed again. “And it feels even better than it looks.”

The wet heat of his tongue in her ear obliterated her senses and froze the response in her throat. His hands continued their intentional exploring, the hand beneath her shirt leaving to join the palm beneath the material of her jogging pants. He molded his big hands over the silk of her panties. And squeezed again.

She started to let out a soft moan but his lips found hers, and he swallowed the sound. He smiled against her lips. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted you, Lil?”

He…wanted her? Her heart raced for a new reason. She’d thought, since she’d shot down his advances when she’d started working at Cameron Design, that Marcus had relegated her to the role of his nemesis. Or maybe she’d relegated him to the role of hers.

“You want me?” she breathed, surprise infusing her voice.

He squeezed her ass again, pulling her hard against his erection. His zipper pressed painfully between her legs, and Marcus sucked a breath through his teeth. “Are you kidding?” he asked on a near growl. “You think this setup works for me? That I’d choose here, of all places, to seduce you?”

The word “seduce” intrigued her more than it should. Being seduced by this man, a man capable of epic seduction was… Well, it was awesome was what it was.

“Have you thought about seducing me, Marcus?” she asked before nipping his chin. The growth on his face pricked her tongue.

One of his hands left the globe of her bottom and slid between her legs. Even through her panties, his warm fingers made her shudder. “Only every night after work,” he said, licking the underside of her top lip and pulling it into his mouth. His fingers moved again, and she squirmed against him. “Some nights it kills me so much, I have to take matters into my own hands.” He pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, and she felt her bones melt.

“You—you think of me…like that?” she managed. Unable to imagine an alternate universe where this might be true.

“God, yes.” He slid his fingers between her legs again, and Lily rubbed against him like a cat in heat. She wanted him. But she always had, hadn’t she? In the bright light of day, she could pretend there was nothing more to her than the driven, prickly, no-nonsense woman she showed to the world. She could pretend she didn’t want him, didn’t need him. Act as if a man of Marcus’s caliber was of no use to her, didn’t fit in her perfectly controlled life plan.

In truth, she admired nearly everything about him. The strong line of his back, broad shoulders, his ability to take on a project with zero fear. But she’d thought—incorrectly, it would seem—that she wasn’t his type. She’d thought she wasn’t blond enough, wasn’t vapid enough. And she wasn’t willing to sleep with him on the first date. Except…this kind of qualified as a date. And she was kind of willing to sleep with him right now.

Five minutes ago, technically.

“I know you think I’m not your type.” He brushed his nose over hers, echoing her thoughts. “Care to take me for a test drive and see if you’re right?”

“Here?” she asked. But for some reason, the whole haunted mansion thing had faded into the background. She was a slave to her body’s reactions; to the heat of Marcus’s hands; to the sound of his confident, deep voice. To him. All of him.

She couldn’t see his dark eyes, but she imagined their taunting glint, the wicked twist in the smile she felt grazing her cheek.

“What if—what if I say no?” She wouldn’t. She was halfway to
yes
now, her body humming from the fingers teasing her over the thin layer of her panties.

“You won’t,” he said, his firm lips peppering her jaw with kisses.

She hated that cocksure side of him. Only she didn’t. Maybe she’d been mistaken, thinking his confidence was something to be shunned. It seemed all her girlie parts were cheering on this alpha male. Marcus kissed her deeper, his tongue swirling her senses, and she fisted his shirt and began hauling it over his head.

“And if this doesn’t work out?” she asked as she continued pulling at his shirt. He shifted beneath her and pulled his hands from her pants. She missed his touch on her body instantly.

“We never speak of it again,” he answered, tossing his shirt aside and dragging her hoodie and shirt over her head in a tangled ball. He tossed her clothes aside. Her bra went next. He had it unhooked and off her arms and, before she knew it, she was nude from the waist up.

There was a brief, snide voice in her head pointing out how much practice he must’ve had at removing women’s clothes, but it was quickly shut out by another thought.
Practice makes perfect
. Lily suspected he had a great number of tricks up his sleeve when it came to the female form.

Not that she had any time to dwell on her misplaced jealousy. A second later, he braced her body against his and laid her flat on her back. He reached for a pillow and shoved it under her head, taking care to lift the bulk of her long hair out of the way.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

“Very,” she breathed.

He moved again, startling her when his hot mouth licked a trail down her neck and between her breasts. She fed her fingers into his hair, letting out a startled gasp, followed by a thoroughly embarrassing moan when his wet tongue circled around one pebbled nipple. He pulled his mouth away with a soft
pop
and moved to her other breast, tracing that nipple with his tongue as well.

She continued massaging his scalp while he worked his magic. Her entire body tingled as her head swam. Had anyone ever turned her on this much with his mouth? Had anyone ever tried? “Marcus,
God
.”

He smiled against her breast. She
felt
it. Felt his teeth and lips, the cool air abrade her skin as he inhaled. He slid his mouth away from her and climbed her body, the air mattress shifting as he moved. When he reached her lips, he kissed her and pressed his hips into hers. Lily squirmed against his erection, feeling wet and warm, and so close to begging for it, she should be ashamed of herself. But she wasn’t. She wanted him… Oh, how she wanted him.

“What do you say, McIntire?” His voice was an intoxicating rasp in the dark room, an anchor in a sea of black.

What would she say? She’d say anything. She’d say
everything
. She’d been taken hostage by the man’s inescapable charm.

“What’s the question?” she teased, knowing full well his intentions. He ground into her again, and she clawed at his arms, wanting him closer.
Needing
him closer.

He nipped her bottom lip and soothed it with one slow, hot lick. Then he murmured, “Make love to me?”

…

Dude.

Marcus wanted to Hoover up the words that had just left his lips without permission. He’d meant to say something much more crass. Something teasing and kind of dirty. Not four vulnerable words showing Lily just how much she meant to him. The last thing he needed was for her to see him as some feeble-minded man with a knee-weakening crush on her.

And he was both of those things.

She laughed at his question. The sound tore at his chest. He didn’t think he was about to be turned down, but maybe he’d misread her. Plus, he liked her way more than was healthy. Way more than four out of five doctors would recommend.

But there was
no way
he’d miss the opportunity to take her to heaven and back right here on this air mattress. He’d dreamed of having her, had jacked off in his king-size bed on more than one occasion, his fist wrapped around his shaft, her name flying from his mouth when he came. He wanted nothing more than to make his fantasies about Lily into a living memory.

Please say yes.

At least he didn’t say
that
out loud.

Pull it together, Black.

He lowered his head and began teasing her breasts again. She liked this, and he liked the way she played her fingers along his head, the way an answering buzz shot down his spine and made his cock pulse. He drove his hips against her, desperate to feel the warmth between her legs without her pants in the way. But she hadn’t said yes yet, and he wanted to hear her say yes.

Actually, he wanted to hear her say,
Yes, Marcus
, repeatedly and in between heated breaths. Hey, a guy could dream.

He licked her with the flat of his tongue and pulled the tight bud into his mouth. God, he wished he could see what color her nipples were. He’d bet they were burnished peach, maybe a couple of freckles around them like the cute ones dotting her nose. His ministrations elicited a high, keening sound from her throat and he knew if he didn’t have her soon, he might explode in his pants.

Now
that
would be embarrassing.

“Will you respect me in the morning?” she breathed, her hands pulling his hair in every direction. He liked it. She laughed again, a throaty, sexy sound. He liked that even more.

“You’re going to tease me at a time like this?” He pulled his mouth from her nipple and rubbed his chin against it, testing to see if the roughness against her tender flesh turned her on or off. She tightened her hold on his head.

On.
Definitely
on
.

He sensed more than saw—since the room was still dark—Lily lift her head from the mattress. “The bet still stands,” she told him, her vocal chords strained from holding her head at the awkward angle. “No matter what we do for the next hour.”

“An hour? You have a lot of faith in me, Lil.” He didn’t know if he’d last five minutes.
And what I’ve got planned will take a day, at the least…

She ignored him. “This…this exists outside of everything else.”

Outside of work. Outside of the world they inhabited when they weren’t pawing at each other in a pitch black, purportedly haunted mansion. Despite his efforts not to take the request personally, his heart pinched. He knew Lily didn’t take him seriously, didn’t see any actual dating potential in him. But damn. It hurt to hear her affirm it.

But. That wasn’t about to stop him from fulfilling a two-year-plus wet dream.

“Of course.” He’d replay the memories of it. Entertain himself in the shower with it, but he’d never speak of it.

“Joanie and Clive can’t know.”

“I’d never tell Clive,” he said, suddenly offended. What kind of meathead did she take him for? He knew better than to ask that question.

Marcus wasn’t a kiss-and-tell kind of guy. And with Lily… Well, the truth was she meant too much to him. He’d never brag about this to anyone. Maybe to himself…but even that would be hard to believe.

She palmed his face and tugged, and he obeyed her silent command by sliding up her body to meet her nose to nose. He braced his arms next to her head, moving her hair aside to keep from pulling it. She tried to kiss him, but her lips hit the side of his nose. She muttered a small
“oops” before saying the word he’d just prayed to hear.