The Lawson Boys: Marty (27 page)

“I’m not good
at this kind of thing.”

His expression
didn’t change, but his eyes softened. “Just say what you feel,
Belle. Be honest with me.”

As he’d been
with her.

Taking a deep
breath, she clasped her hands behind her, twisting her fingers
together out of his sight. “I’m scared, Marty.”

“Of what?”

“That I’ll get
to know you, it won’t work out and you’ll walk away.” When he
simply raised one brow in silent query, she rushed on. “I’m being
honest here. I am attracted to you.” Her cheeks blazed but she
wasn’t stopping now. “Attracted enough to know that I stand getting
hurt if you betray my trust. But Holly pointed out that I’d be a
fool to throw a chance away just because I let fear rule me, so I’m
here. Telling you this.” She faltered, feeling at turns both brave
and foolish when he just continued to watch her. “Now.” She
swallowed. “I’m here now telling you.” When he didn’t say anything,
just continued to study her, she lifted her chin. “Well?”

“And what if I
get to know you and you walk away from me?” he queried. “What if
you hurt me?”

“What?”

“We both risk
getting hurt, Belle. What if you hurt me?”

“How could I
hurt you? You can have any woman you want.”

“But I want
you
. So what if you walk away?”

“I
wouldn’t.”

“I don’t know
that.”

“If you got to
know me, you’d know that I wouldn’t…Oh.”

“Yes, oh.”

“I see.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

“So what are
you here for, Belle?”

“You’re really
going to make me say it, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Better than a
kick up the arse, I suppose,” she muttered.

“What?” He
looked confused.

“Nothing.”

“Belle-”

“No.” She held
up one hand. “This is on me.” Holy cow, was it on her. Life was
really throwing her some doozies lately. Heart pounding in her
chest, palms sweaty, she gulped past the nerve lump in her throat
and almost croaked out, “I’m asking you to get to know me.”

He looked at
her for several seconds before a wicked grin curved his lips.
“Sure. Get your clothes off and we’ll start.”

Closing her
eyes, she slumped in relief.

His laughter
echoed in the room and seconds later those familiar, strong arms
encircled her and pulled her against that familiar, muscular chest,
and that familiar scent of man and soap invaded her senses.

Marty was
familiar. In a short space of time, he’d become so wonderfully,
achingly familiar.

He stopped
laughing, resting his cheek atop her head, his voice deep and
quiet. “Hi.”

“Hi
yourself.”

“So we’re
courting now?”

“Courting?”

“A quaint old
term my mother likes to use.’

“I’m a little
concerned that we’re having a moment and your mother comes into the
picture.”

“Honey, trust
me, it’s all about you.”

Smiling, Belle
tilted her head back to meet his warm gaze. “No, it’s about
you.”

No,” he
replied. “It’s about us.” Sliding his hands up to cup her cheeks,
he lowered his head until his mouth hovered inches above hers. His
breath was warm on her lips, his gaze intent. “I won’t let you
down, Belle. I promise.”

Before she had
a chance to answer, he closed the distance between them, and then
he was there, his lips, so masculinely firm yet soft, brushing
across hers, skin on skin, the lightest of touches, and her eyes
drifted closed as the delicate sensation trickled through her.

He deepened the
kiss slowly, controlling it when she would have eagerly plunged
head-first into it. She opened her lips and he kissed the corners
of her mouth. She shifted to follow but he held her still, and when
an impromptu impatient sound left her, he smiled against her lips,
nuzzling the delicate flesh, probing gently with his tongue before
sliding in to claim her mouth with a slow, ravishing kiss that took
everything she had and left her shaking and wanting more.

So much
more.

Heat curled
languidly through her in slow spirals from her lips to low in her
belly and beyond, tingling between her thighs, making her legs
shift restlessly and her hands smooth across the hard, broad
expanse of his back.

In turn, his
hand slid down to cup one breast and with a welcoming sigh she
pressed into the hard palm.

“So soft,” he
whispered into her mouth. “I love your curves, Belle.”

“You don’t have
to pretend. It’s all right.” The words slipped out without her
realising it, and it was only when he stopped kissing her that she
opened her eyes to find him looking down at her.

There was a
definite glitter in his eyes. “I beg your pardon?”

“What?”

“What did you
just say?”

“I don’t
remember.” Still partially caught up in the delicious sensations
flowing through her, she blinked.

His hand
remained at her breast but his other hand slid down from her cheek
to her shoulder, down behind her back and lower until his big palm
stopped directly on one well-rounded buttock.

That movement
cleared her thoughts, especially combined with the glitter in his
eyes and the obvious displeasure within the brilliant blue.

“I said I love
your curves and you told me not to pretend.” His voice was low.

“Oh.” She
glanced away.

“Yeah, ‘oh’.
Mind explaining that to me?”

Actually, she
did mind, but she was starting to realise that once Marty got a bee
in his bonnet, he didn’t let it go until he had answers.

Taking a deep
breath, she muttered, “I’m not exactly built the way men like.”

“And how do men
like a woman?”

“You know.
Slim. Not chunky.”

“Some do. Some
don’t. Some don’t care.”

“Fine.” Feeling
distinctly uncomfortable now, Belle tried to step back but he
didn’t release his hold on her, forcing her to stop.

“Look at
me.”

She lifted her
gaze to his throat.

“Higher.”

“Marty-”

“Look me in the
eyes.”

Equal parts
miserable for destroying the magical moment, and a little
apprehensive, Belle obeyed. There was no softness in his eyes, only
a steely resolve. The man sure had a way of keeping her
off-balance. She’d half expected tenderness and cajoling, but no
way was she going to get that from him, she could see it now.

“I’m not going
to like this, am I?” she mumbled.

“Tough,” he
replied. “You’re going to hear it anyway.” When she started to look
away, his hand flexed on her bottom. “No way, Belle. You look at me
when I tell you this, because you need to see the truth.”

How she could
possibly see the truth she had no idea, but again she obeyed,
watching his face even though she would rather have looked a
charging tiger in the eyes right now. Embarrassment was flooding
her. She should have kept her mouth shut.

Marty stood
still, silent, studying her face for long seconds until she felt
more like an insect on a pin than a woman in the arms of a man.

“Here’s the
thing, Belle. I’ve never chased a woman in my life until you came
along.”

It wasn’t quite
what she had been expecting to hear.

“You’re the
only woman I’ve chased across half a state, and I’d have chased you
over to the other side of Australia if I’d had to.” Marty’s eyes
didn’t wander once from hers as he spoke, his voice as strong as
the resolve that echoed within the deep tones. “When I see a woman,
I look at who she is, what she is, what she does, her humour, her
anger, everything that is her, and that includes her figure. If I
dislike a woman, it’s because of a combination of almost all those
things, and the same if I like a woman. The only thing I don’t
judge her on is her figure.”

“That - that’s
nice.” Belle didn’t know what else to say to that admission.

“Do you believe
me, though?” The intensity in his eyes was almost un-nerving.

“You’re holding
me, so I guess…yes?” When he didn’t reply, the silence growing
longer, Belle was wise enough to now recognise his tactic of
forcing someone to face the truth. He just let them stew in what
he’d told them and he didn’t argue.

He spoke the
truth.

“I believe
you.” She smiled, relaxing a little, the fact making her happier,
but it didn’t stop her own insecurities.

With the skill
of a man used to reading faces and body language and going by his
own gut instinct, Marty titled his head slightly. “Okay, so the
problem is yours.”

She sighed. “I
guess so.”

“No worries.”
Just as quick, his smile flashed across his face. “We’ll work on
that together.”

“We can always
turn the lights off like Tre-” Horrified at what she’d just said,
bringing in another man’s name right into the moment between them,
Belle gasped at Marty’s frown. “Oh Marty, I’m so sorry, I-”

“He turned off
the lights when you made love?” He growled.

“I…well…I asked
and…Please, I’m sorry I brought it up.” Cheeks burning, she bit her
lip.

“Trevor is an
arsehole.” A muscle in Marty’s jaw flexed. “I’m telling you right
now, Belle, there will be no hiding anything between us. Ever.”

“But maybe to
start with-”

“No.” His tone
was resolute. “I won’t have you thinking I don’t love your body. I
want you to know that I’m making love to you, not a fantasy.”

That thought
had never crossed her mind, her eyebrows rising in surprise.

“You’ll see
every part of me, Belle, and I’ll see every part of you.”

Cringe
factor right there
. Belle winced.

His palm
lightly smacking her bottom cut off her thoughts. She gaped up at
him. “Did you just smack me?”

“A warning tap,
woman,” he growled. “Right now I’m starting to feel all caveman and
if Alan wasn’t about to come back at any minute, I’d rip your
clothes off and feast both eyes and mouth on you.”

That had her
blush flaring brighter. Not to mention her heart rate shot up. And
her knees went a little weak.
Holy cow
. Marty going all
caveman was a bit of a turn-on.

Okay, a lot of
a turn-on.

“I’m warning
you right now.” His eyes glittered with heat and darkness. “No
lights off, no hiding. I’ll teach you to love your body if it kills
me, and it probably will, at the same time I’m going to be
exploring you and making you mine, marking you any way I can.” His
slow smile was smooth and wicked. “Inside and out.”

God above, she
was going to have a heart attack any minute. Her heart was pounding
out a delighted tattoo at his words and the decadent gleam in his
eyes.

“And Belle.”
His voice was now all dangerous silk.

“Y-yes?”

“You ever dare
to tell me that I don’t love your curves and you won’t be sitting
for a week.” The threat was accompanied by another light smack to
her derriere.

Oh God, that
both thrilled and chilled her. Deliciously so.
Oh God, I am a
pervert!
A second thought hit her.
Yay!
Oh my God,
Marty’s perverting me. Yay! Oh no.
And then he was kissing her,
hot and deep and totally decadent, and all she could think was
Oh yeah! Heck yeah!

By the time he
stopped, her senses were reeling deliciously and her knees were
weak. She’d never met a man who could make her knees so damned
weak. Fingers hooked into his shirt, she leaned against him in
drowsy, heated pleasure.

Marty smiled
down at her. “Belle?”

“Mmmm?”

“Care to
explain this now?” He held up a piece of paper, one that had been
crumpled at some time.

“What’s
that?”

“Here, let me
read it to you.” One arm around her waist, obviously very content
to keep her snuggled against him, Marty read out with obvious
relish, “
‘Need Your Virginity restored? Call now!’
”

The delicious
haze surrounding Belle vanished. “What the - where did you get
that?”

“It was in the
console of your car.” Neatly evading her snatching hand, he held
the offending piece of paper up out of her reach. “Interesting.
Honey, were you thinking of reclaiming your cherry? Because I
didn’t think it could be done.”

“What? No!”

“Be a waste of
time anyway.” Grinning widely, he added, “I’d just pop it
again.”

Her cheeks
flared.

“So,” he
drawled, enjoying himself way too much. “Care to explain this?”

“I went
shopping and some idiot left it under my windscreen wipers.”

“Really?” He
studied the paper, his eyes twinkling. “Going by the little heart
shapes in place of the dots atop the letters ‘i’, and the rounded
hand writing, I think you’ve been conned by teenagers.”

One lunge up
and she managed to rip the paper from his grasp. Crumpling it in
her hand, she glared at him.

He looked back
down at her, his eyes dancing with laughter, his deep laughter
rumbling in his chest. Her lips twitched, the humour of the moment
sliding over her, and before she knew it she was laughing with
him.

Gathering her
close, Marty chuckled into her neck, tickling and heating her at
the same time. “Oh honey, you are so easy.”

“Apparently
so.” She snuggled closer.

His hand tapped
her bottom lightly. “I meant as in teasing.”

“Only with you,
oddly enough.”

“My sister and
brother find me odd.”

“They’d
know.”

Another tap on
her behind. Cripes, if he kept that up, she’d be all over him like
cream on a sponge cake. “Do you mind?”

“Not at all.
Like it, in fact.” Another tap, then he rubbed lightly. “I like
doing this, too.”

It was so
absurd that she started laughing again.

His hand
drifted lower, cupping under one generous bottom cheek, halting her
amusement as heat flooded through her.