Seduction’s Canvas (Crimson Romance) (14 page)

Both her hands came to his head as his tongue went to work nibbling and raking, then sucking and biting until she was a heart-skittering, erratic mess nearly bucking off the edge of the couch. “Mmm,” he moaned his satisfaction as one hand lowered to the button of her jeans and she threw her head back and spread her legs slightly wide.

His large fingers were gentle as they glided over her soft folds already glistening from his time up top. He eased one finger gently inside, stroking her top wall as an expert thumb flicked at her hard core. Bam. It was as if something snapped in her center and in her head and she was afraid to think of where else, so she pushed that to the back of her mind and bit down on her bottom lip. She would not lose it. Not this quick, not this easy. But still she couldn’t help the whimper that escaped.

“Not yet. Miss Leighton. I don’t want you there yet.”

Samara tightened her eyes shut and stilled her heart as Mark leaned back, pulled off her sneakers, then pulled her jeans all the way off. The immediate coolness and all around chill was quickly replaced as she heard him stand. She couldn’t resist opening her eyes and getting another look at him as he removed his own jeans. Sam resolved that she would not suck in a breath this time. No way. No matter how much she wanted to. But so what, her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. He was still just a man. A rather large, manly, and good looking man. But just a man nonetheless and when he stepped toward her she held up a warning hand.

Mark grinned and reached over to his jeans and wallet, coming back up holding up a condom triumphantly. “Don’t worry. You just relax. Like I’ve told you before, you’re safe with me in all ways.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle at that, but her laugh died on her lips when he dropped back to his knees and pulled her bottom toward the edge of the couch, lowering his head. No, there was no laughter at all when his tongue went to work. This time not on her breasts, but between her most private folds. Flicking, nibbling swirling, sucking. Holy hell, she was just about gone. Over the edge. Both on the couch and over the edge of her mind.

• • •

Mark was out of his mind. He could make love to her this way forever. She was all he ever wanted and all he ever would want. Never in all his imagination did he ever dream she would taste this sweet, be this responsive to him. But he was fast losing control and Mark knew that forever wasn’t going to be today. Samara was driving him wild. He inhaled her heavenly scent and kissed the smooth jewel that was her essence, giving it a gentle suckle. Samara responded with a small, strangled cry — she was almost there. And so was he. He tightened his hold on her thighs to keep her legs apart as he dipped his tongue low once more, readying to take her to the point of no return. He knew she was close. Her back arched and her hands fisted and the phone rang.

And rang and rang some more.

Mark slowed. Kissing the inside of Samara’s thigh as her breathing slowed too.

“Don’t stop,” she whispered.

“Sammy baby.” Peter Moss’s voice was a cold splash of water causing an unwelcome chill to run through Mark that he knew went over Sam too, if her thigh tensing was any indication.

She groaned, this time not from pleasure, and looked down at him as he looked up at her from between her legs, dark eyes now full of something different. Something he couldn’t read and wasn’t sure he wanted to.

Peter droned on. “It’s me, Peter. Just reminding you of our date at your parents’ for dinner. I’ll have a car there at seven.” Mark’s hand went to Sam’s already spread center. He slipped a finger inside and she gasped.

Mark stroked and pinned her with his eyes, satisfied as she sucked in a breath. “I’m really looking forward to it,” Peter said as Mark added another finger. “I know your parents are happy with this alliance,” Peter went on and Mark swept his thumb across her hot button. “See you soon, beautiful.” Mark took that thumb joined it with his tongue and pushed down. “Goodbye.”

And then, in a perfect final moment, the world seemed to fly apart and come back together as Samara came. Like a flower opening in a beautiful rush and with a long keening she was all over, broken in Mark’s hand. Mark pulled back, reached swiftly for a condom and tugged it on. He fought to block out Moss’s voice and just concentrate on the woman below him. The moment ahead of him. This would not be an angry fuck. He would enjoy this. Enjoy it for what it was. Something he had wanted for a very long time. And he was going to make sure she enjoyed it too. Enjoyed it enough to forget Moss calling and reminding them both of just what this was and just who he was. That he was just a fuck and just the son of the hired help. Mark took a breath, looked down at Samara in all her glorious beauty, and plunged in.

• • •

Samara was gone. Splayed back against the couch with the enigmatic Mark Thorn draped over her as a very warm, very sexy, and very wrong kind of throw. She was also afraid to open her eyes. What had she gone and done? Sure, she knew what she was getting into when she invited him up for coffee, so she couldn’t go and play the dumb, “oops this kind of just sort of happened” card, because there was no way she could square that in her mind. But what she didn’t plan on happening was the screwed up feelings that were currently plaguing her. This was supposed to be an easy, love him and leave him or at least get him out of your system thing, but he had to go and give her that look and she twisted it with that feeling and well … well, damn, she was screwed. Literally and figuratively. Not to mention the dangerous, but exciting thrill she got when they really got into it and then when Peter called with his for crap timing.

It was practically mind blowing. But that was the problem. She didn’t want or need her mind blown. Samara bit her bottom lip as cold fear threatened to take hold. The weight of Mark’s body almost too much, but somehow just enough. She swallowed back a sigh. Mark was like a man on a mission. Yes, the sex was fantastic, but he was still somehow different. Shadowed, more possessive, something she knew she couldn’t control.

Finally Sam opened her eyes and looked down at him breathing. Slow and easy. Not sleeping but eyes thankfully closed. Examining his strong profile, Samara let her gaze sweep over the slope of his nose and go down to his beautiful lips.

“Why are you staring at me?” he grumbled.

“How do you know I’m staring at you?”

“I can feel your eyes.”

And she knew he could. She fought not to turn away, but shielded her gaze as his lashes swept up and his eyes lazily met hers.

Shit, it seemed she would need even more than shields. She countered with what she hoped was a cool stare of her own, accompanied by an easy grin. “That was delicious. Just what I tonight.”

Now his stare cooled a bit. “Why is it I feel like I’ve now served my purpose and this is my heave ho?”

Sam pulled away slightly, but didn’t get far, as his half tree trunk of an arm was around her waist and his just about full trunk of a leg was wrapped around her legs and thighs. Besides, where was she going with the couch at her back? She shimmied up a bit and looked down at him. “No, of course not. It’s just that it’s getting late and I have work to do so … ” She let the words linger, twisting her lips.

But it seemed Mark wasn’t going to just let it pass with a “so” and a linger. He leaned over, kissing her now over sensitive nipple, sending a painful thrill through her body. He then trailed a slow and steady finger down the side of her ribcage and let it graze along her thigh. She couldn’t ignore the feeling of his erection as it started to harden once again at her side. He studied her through hooded eyes then looked around the room, his eyes briefly sweeping to where her answering machine sat. He patted her thigh.

“So yeah, I understand. Seems my neighborly work here is done for the day and I’m sure you have business you’ve got to take care of.”

Sam pulled back at his tone, pushing at him, causing him to rear back and almost fall to the floor. He balanced, grabbing the edge of the couch. “Ouch, Miss. Leighton. Not so rough. That is, not unless you’re really willing to go there.”

“Fuck you. As if you could really handle it. It’s not like I hurt you anyway,” she said, not bothering to hide her anger. What the hell was that, neighborly work for the day bullshit?

He shrugged his shoulders and eased himself away from her, lowering to the floor. Suddenly cold, she fought to brush aside the immediate urge to pull him back into her embrace.

“I didn’t say you hurt me. Or could.”

“Well, what are you trying to say?” she asked, pulling up, suddenly feeling too exposed and reaching for the cashmere throw at the far end of the couch. He gave her an assessing stare that raked over her body as she pulled the soft fabric to cover her nakedness. “Well?” she said again, not bothering to keep the irritation from her voice.

He let out a low grumble that went through her. “Well nothing, princess.”

Her ire went up at that one, as did her eyebrow. “Princess?”

“Sorry, I meant Miss Leighton.”

Her brows shot up further. “You really are pushing it, Thorn.”

He let out a sigh. “Well, it would seem our, coffee, uh, is done. And now I’m being dismissed.”

Sam opened her moth to protest, but Mark stopped her with his sexy grin. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. Like I said, I understand. You are you.” He then trailed a hand along her leg and around to her dangling foot, causing a shiver to run though her body.

“You make it sound like I’m a snob or something. Like I’m looking down at you.”

“I didn’t say that, Miss Leighton. But it is as it is. You are where you are. And here I am. At your feet.”

He then leaned over and gave the top of her foot a gentle kiss, causing the earlier thrill to ripple again through her body and settle in her belly, the butterflies coiling back up. He looked up at her through his dark lashes. “Just the neighbor, being neighborly.”

Sam kicked out at him, hitting him square on the left side of his chest. He pulled back and looked at her sharply, catching her foot. “Watch those claws, miss. You wouldn’t want to mess up our little agreement when it’s just getting started.”

She pulled her foot away. “Who said anything about this being a start?”

He grinned. “You’re right. Like you said, this was just evening the score. Now you don’t owe me a thing. Thanks for the coffee. Let me know if I can reciprocate sometime.”

With that Sam watched as Mark deftly cleaned himself off, eased back into his clothes, and left.

Her apartment door closed with a surprisingly low click. She leaned back on the arm of the couch and looked up at the double height ceilings then over to the windows and around the apartment that felt comfortable and warm just minutes before. It was like he had never been there. Hell, maybe he hadn’t.

Sam would swear he was just a dream if she wasn’t left with the evidence of two petite espresso cups, a discarded condom, and a twisted heart. Her eyes settled on the clock below the television. Eight thirty-five.

Screw you, Gabby. Buttons pushed indeed.

“You mean by eight forty-five it was all over, and he was out?” Gabby gave Sam an openmouthed look of awe as they walked into Brick, a new downtown eatery, for a late bite and were immediately ushered past the waiting crowd at the bar to a newly vacated prime center window banquette. Sam ignored a particularly hot look from a cool blond drinking a martini with a man easily triple her age as she went on her way.

She felt uneasy, but was used to hiding it. Getting out tonight would be good for her. And though she’d rather not talk about her brief encounter with Mark, she knew that airing it out with Gabby was probably for the best. It wasn’t good to keep things bottled up. Or so she’d heard. She’d long grown up on the motto that sharing was overrated too.

The hostess handed them their menus and walked away. Gab jumped right back in where she’d left off. “So to be such a brief encounter, was biker boy at least worth it?”

Sam pretended to be engrossed in her menu as flashes of her early evening tryst with Mr. Thorn ran through her head. It didn’t escape her notice that along with the sensual images came the blowback and shiver of ecstasy, that days later, still had her clenching her thighs together. She also thought of the change in her work. Somehow that damned man had wedged his way under her skin and she could not pry him out. And whether she wanted to admit it or not, her work showed the shift. There was a new vibrancy and life to it that wasn’t there the week before he’d moved across the hall. Not that you’d know he was there. Since their encounter she hadn’t seen or heard a peep out of him. It was like he’d gone from her silent rider to her ghost rider. She let out a sigh and glanced her friend’s way. “Oh yeah, he was definitely worth it. And in no way a boy, but all man.”

Gabby gave her a long look. “Okay, well I hear that. So why the long face?”

Sam sighed, then decided to just spill it to her friend. “I just wish I hadn’t been so weak and fallen in like I did.”

Gabby raised a brow. “What do you mean by ‘fallen in’? I thought you were good with a little taste and that was enough to have your fill. Don’t tell me there’s something more.”

Sam shrugged. “Oh no, there’s definitely nothing more. I just don’t want any awkwardness with him when we pass each other in the hall. The whole thing could get messy.”

Gabby’s snort brought Sam up short.

“What the hell is that?”

“Nothing, my dear.”

“That was not nothing. That was a definite snort of something.”

Gabby picked up the menu as if she was now ready to become engrossed in it. Sam snatched it from her. “Gab.”

“Fine. That was me calling you on your crap. You know it’s not his awkwardness you’re worked up about. It’s the fact that that sexy assed man has you twisted.”

Sam gave her back the menu and shook her head. “Oh no, whether he has me twisted or not is irrelevant because I’m not letting myself get caught up in any situation that’s going to put me out there like that. I’m in control of me.”

Gabby stared at her friend, looking her straight in the eye. “Alrighty, then.” She opened the menu. “Now please, let’s order. I sure hope this place has decent food to back up all this expensive flash.”