To Claim Her (8 page)

He slid his fingers between her legs to stroke the sheer fabric growing wetter by the second.  Her excitement made it impossible for him to stay calm.  He was hard and hot just watching her move.  She slid against the sheets as she came alive from his touch. 

“I’ve missed this.” 

He pulled her underwear free and moved between her shifting legs.  He twined his arms around her thighs, holding them wide, opening her to him. 

Gretchen felt her body grow so heavy with lust she knew it was more than a dream.  She’d had plenty of sexy dreams over the past few years but this was too real, too sexy.  She was so close to coming that it couldn’t be only in her mind.  Her eyes flew open in time to see Mark’s dark hair lodge between her legs.  His eyes were slumberous and sexy as they stared at her.  His mouth descended for a taunting lick before circling her clit and sucking hard.  She tried to sit up, but Mark shook his head and delved his tongue between her folds again. 

She groaned out loud from the sheer torture of the building orgasm.  Her body swelled, heated, and coiled tighter.   

“You taste amazing.”

There were so many reasons she should stop him but it wasn’t possible.  The feeling of waking to such pure ecstasy was all encompassing.  Her hips shifted in invitation to his mouth.   She plunged her hands into his hair and held him close.  She heaved out a breath as he touched his lips to her core in a soft kiss.  

“Thought about you so many times like this.”

“Yes.”  The word became a chant running through her mind.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes. 

He kissed her thigh and traced his finger up and down her slit.  “Wet.”  He licked again and plunged a finger inside.

She couldn’t stop the moans as he pumped slowly.  Before she could beg out loud, he suctioned his mouth to her clit and whirled his tongue around the heated flesh.  Her world spiraled to a pinnacle as the pressure in her core built to a final thunderous squeeze before warmth flooded through her belly and spasms rocked through her. 

She couldn’t stop herself from gasping his name as she came.  If there was ever a place she couldn’t hide from him, it was here in his arms. 

He stood from the bed and quickly got naked.  She ran her hands over his chest when he joined her on the pillow.  He had always been fit, but now he was over the top, smooth and muscular from years of training. 

“I should be pissed that you woke me up that way but I just can’t muster up an ember of anger.”

He grinned.  Sexy and he knew it.  “Good, but we’re not done yet.”

“I had a feeling.”  She stroked her fingers down his belly and wrapped her hand around his hard shaft.  “Do you have any suggestions on how we can take care of this?” 

He sucked in a breath as she worked her hand up and down the length of him.  “Need inside you.”  He slid his hands up her arms until they were clasped in his above her head.  The movement arched her back and lifted her breasts to rub against his chest, and she groaned her approval.  His attention snagged on the peaks, and he took such care and time showing appreciation with his mouth that she began to shift and press her hips against him.

“Mark.” 

“Hmmm?”  He traced his tongue from one breast to the other and Gretchen felt a shiver move through her. 

She bumped her core upward, rubbing against the erection she could feel hard and ready.  “Can we?”

His eyes challenged her.  “Say it.”

Her face flamed, and she closed her eyes.  “Can we start?”  When she opened them again, Mark was watching her.  

“Say it.”  His voice was a low growl.   “Tell me what you want.”

“I think you know what I want.”  Her eyes slid away. 

“You were shy five years ago.  I have a hard time believing you’re still that same innocent girl.”

She felt her face flame, this time not from the sensations rocking through her body.   She felt a shiver of unease move through her, a thread of shame, but just as quickly he drove the thoughts away when he began to nuzzle the smooth skin where her neck met her shoulder.  “Repeat after me.” 

              Her breathing sounded loud in the room.   She lay still and watchful, not sure where this was headed.  Her arms were still pinned above her head, loosely trapped.

              His hand slid up to catch hers when she tried to move it from the pillow.  “Leave it there.” 

              She said his name, and he quirked his lips in a thin smile.

              “Repeat after me.”  He nudged his hips into hers, rubbing against her before pulling back.  “Fuck me, Mark.”

              She could feel the heat on her skin as he eyed her closely, waiting for her response.  She wanted exactly that.  Fast and hard.   It was all she could think about.   Her mouth was dry, and she licked her lips to try to form the words. 

He brushed his lips against her mouth.                “Want to hear you say it.”  His hips did a slow grind against her core.

“Fuck me please.”  The words came out in an exasperated rush.

He positioned himself at her entrance and pressed just inside.  “Since you asked so nicely.”  He circled his hips, and she squeaked at the fullness.  He hummed his approval and kissed her mouth, tongue thrusting as he slid into her.    She groaned, overwhelmed at the fantastic full feeling after years of emptiness.  She had tried dating, but most days she was just spent and lacked the energy to trust someone new. 

His hips and tongue moved in languid thrusts, he took her to the peak of ecstasy again before coming.  She ran her hands down his back, touching every inch she could reach.  Getting her fill.

Because when Eddie came back, she wouldn’t do this again.   

Had he gone to bed, Mark might have gotten better rest.  Instead, he woke up grouchy and later than usual.  Sun was pouring through the front windows bringing up his body temperature.  He was a furnace anyway.  He rarely slept in anything and kicked covers within minutes of going to bed.

His shorts were a concession to being in his father’s living room.   He woke sprawled on the couch.  It was a full-sized couch, but he was a big enough man he should have known better.  His neck was in a kink, and the ringing of the phone dragged him to consciousness. 

              He snatched the phone up and growled a greeting.  He glanced at the clock.  Nearly ten.  He could hear his father’s cane squeaking across the tile in the bathroom.  He lifted his eyes through the open floor plan to room where he’d spent most of the night.  No stirring there.  Was she still asleep?  The temptation to go up and see was nearly irresistible. 

              The voice on the line drew his attention back to the phone. 

              “The car is going to be a couple of days.”

              “What’d you find?”

              “It was a simple fix, really.  Looks like the battery cables were loosened.  That’s why it died last night.  While we had it in the stall, I looked it over for anything else suspicious.  Couple of things.”

              He sat back on the couch.  Someone had jimmied with the battery cables.  It hadn’t broken down on her way from the clinic but after leaving here.  He glanced toward the kitchen window.  The idea that someone had tampered with her car while she was here under his watch sent a flush of anger coursing through him. 

              “The brakes need some repairs, and there’s a hole in the fuel line.”

              Mark worked his jaw.  “When you say the brakes need repairs, what are we talking about?”  He wasn’t worried about cost.  If they needed it, they’d get it.  He wanted to know if they were worn from use or if someone had been interrupted cutting a brake line.  He heard movement in the kitchen and turned to see Gretchen move down the stairs to the sink.

              “Typical wear and tear, if you ask me.  The fuel line, on the other hand, looks like someone took a screwdriver to it.  The location looks like it was deliberate.  Doubtful she caught something underneath that caused it.  I just caught it because I saw the fluid streaming out.  Nice and steady so it would take a while to run empty.”

              “I see.  Could you keep me updated on that?”

              “Will do.  Probably need to let her know that someone’s out to get her.  Seems like she might be in need of protection right about now.”
              “I’ve got it covered.”

              Gretchen overslept.  Sebastian normally had breakfast over an hour ago.  She glanced around the counter and in the sink but no dirty dishes littered the area.  So he was waiting patiently on her.   

              She pulled pancake mix and bacon from the fridge in lieu of the usual oatmeal or healthy cereal.  She’d fix a bigger brunch meal and then prepare something he could eat when he was ready for a later lunch.

Mark’s deep voice resonated from the living room.  He finished his call and moved into the kitchen. “Morning.”

“Same to you.”  She was too tempted to look at him, so she kept her eyes on her hands.  “Hungry?”

He moved beside her, standing too close before reaching up into the cabinet and pulling a glass down.  She smelled his skin and thought immediately of sex.  She pulled a mixing bowl from the shelf before he closed the door. 

He ran tap water into the glass and tilted it back for a drink.  She glanced his way again and caught the broad expanse of darkly tanned muscle.  He was toned and smooth.  His neck muscles worked as he swallowed, and Gretchen immediately felt her mouth go dry. 

It had been a long time since she’d been physically attracted to a man.   Spending time with her son and balancing work left her with no energy for romance or even just sex.  She’d been burned enough by Mark to be afraid of the flame. 

She wasn’t prepared for this flare of heat for him.  He was dangerous to her state of mind, to her independence, certainly to her pride.  After being gone so long, could she really let him stroll back in and take possession of what he so casually tossed aside years ago?  Not if she wanted a shred of self-respect at the end of the day.

“Ah.  Better.  Starving.”  His eyes roved over her in a way that made her wonder just what he was hungry for.  She had no doubt he was still angry, but at least he wasn’t lashing out.

The rubber squeak of Sebastian’s cane sounded down the hallway.

“Bout time you two stirred.  Late night?”  He kissed Gretchen on top of the head before heading for the coffee pot.  She put a cup on the counter for him.

“Late and wet and miserable.  But it could have been a lot worse if not for your son and his friends coming to the rescue.”

“Ah, the Saints rushed in.”  He took the coffee pot in hand. 

She quirked her eyebrows at Mark in question, but he ignored her curiosity.  “Gretchen now has partial custody of Mrs. Harris’s old oak tree.”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed on his son while Gretchen sucked in a breath at the word custody.  It gave her a belly ache to even consider.  Was Mark going to demand that with Eddie?  Whatever Sebastian saw caused his facial muscles to relax.  “Is that so?”  He poured the stout black brew and sat at the table.

“Tell him, Gretch.”  Mark nudged her as he walked toward the table, using her old nickname. 

“It’s lying in the middle of my coffee table.”

He whistled low and shook his head.  “Enfer d'une nuit.”

She smiled. 
Hell of a night. 
“Not the best I’ve ever had.  True.  But your son arrived just in time to rescue me.”  Her stomach was in shambles thinking about enduring another day at work on edge.   Then would come the inevitable son and father meeting when Eddie got home.  Her stomach rolled. 

She dragged her attention back to the mixing bowl and dumped in batter and water.  She started the bacon in the microwave and put a pan on the stove to heat.   

Sebastian lifted his eyebrow, waiting for the details.

“She was standing at the window when the lightning struck, dropping a tree right on top of her.”

Sebastian made a soothing sound. 

“Fortunately, she got out with minor cuts and bruises.”  He turned to her then.  “How’s your wrist this morning?”

She rolled it around, tentatively testing it.  “Seems better.” 

“You have had a rough few days, cher.  We’ll take good care of you now that you’re living with us.”

“Temporarily.”  She gave Sebastian a quick smile.  She finished whipping up a quick breakfast with more sugar and charm than she usually fed him which also made him happier about eating so late.  She served and brought Sebastian’s medicine to him where he sat drinking coffee with Mark before she joined them.

“She seems to have done fine on her own.” 

Gretchen’s head popped up at Mark’s quiet comment. 

He was watching Sebastian with narrowed eyes.  “Seems there’s some news you have for me.” 

She watched in horror.  Would he go on the attack with Sebastian?  The older man had only kept her secret because she demanded it.  Any worries she had about Sebastian’s reaction to the question were quickly put to rest.

“Mais, oui?  Wasn’t my story to tell, mon fils.”  Smooth old man.

Gretchen swallowed.  She couldn’t let this situation cause damage between Mark and his father.  “Really, Mark.  It’s my doing that you weren’t told.  I hadn’t even planned on telling Sebastian at least until you came back, but he saw Eddie.  You saw how much he looks like you.” 

It was a day she would never forget.  Two years before, after she’d grown weary of straining and struggling to do right by her son, they saw Sebastian at the clinic.  Eddie had been cranky with teething and fever, but they couldn’t afford for her to miss work, so she’d brought him with her.  She had been trying to balance her paperwork with entertaining the boy when she looked up and saw Sebastian through the glass partition.  His expression was one of awe and recognition as he scrutinized the face that resembled a young Mark.

She had known then, the jig was up. 

When Sebastian had gotten sick a month later, she stopped being resistant to his involvement.  Life could be so short and she didn’t want to rob her child of such a wonderful grandfather.  She shared the memory with Mark, hoping he would understand her point of view.