Yield to Love (17 page)

By the time they got back
to the hotel, Marlowe’s backside was sore from her horseback ride.
She wanted to take advantage of the spa, but she was too tired to
do anything but shower. Thankfully, Roque told her he had a few
things to take care of. He promised to join her in about an hour.
She peeled off her clothes and washed the horse musk from her body.
She was out like a light the minute her head hit the
pillow.

###

Roque sat in a wicker chair in the main room
of his suite and checked his messages. Only one call was important
enough for him to return. He dialed the number for his attorney,
Clive Markland.

“
I wanted to give you the
bad news,” Clive told him.

Roque growled. “I hate when someone starts a
sentence off like that.”

“
That’s because you so
rarely hear it, you don’t know how to react.”

“
No one but you has the
balls to do it. So what is it?”

“
Crowne is backing out of
the deal.”

“
They can’t do that. We
have a contract.”

“
Which can be found null
and void if there are unforeseen circumstances that would inhibit
the progress of the project or add excessive expense.”

“
What the fuck are you
talking about? What unforeseen circumstances are there?”

“
Termites.”

“
What?”

“
Those properties are
overrun with termites, Roque. And the biggest nest was in LaReesa
Jones’ unit. With those houses so close together, it was easy for
the bugs to spread to the other woodwork.”

“
Okay, so, we treat them.
Or demolish every existing frame.”

“
When there are termites
like that, we need a deeper level of treatment. It’ll take weeks to
ensure they’re all gone.”

“
How much money are we
talking?”

“
One hundred
thousand.”

“
Goddamn! I want to get
rid of them, not send them to college.”

Clive laughed. “Well, even if you did
eradicate those suckers, Crowne is a little shy about investing
now. And they can legally get out of the contract.”

“
I’ll call them. Talk some
sense into ‘em.”

“
Your prerogative, but
they’ve already decided to buy elsewhere. They want to stay on
schedule. Between you and me, I think they got tired of waiting on
your holdout, Marlowe Jones. You, of all people, should know in
this business, time is money.”

Roque had already hung up. He scrolled
through his contacts for the number to Crowne Industries. When he
connected with Leonidas, the older twin reiterated what Clive had
said.

“
We can’t take a chance on
that infestation coming back,” he told Roque.

Roque fought the growing irritation
burgeoning inside him. He’d done all that cajoling to get all those
residents to sell for nothing. “This is extremely disappointing. If
I’d known you and Patrick were going to bail and leave me holding
the bag, I’d never have bought out the other residents.”

“
Don’t take it personal,
Roque. These things happen. I’m sure there will be more fruitful
opportunities for us to work together in the future.”

It was all Roque could do not to snarl into
the phone.

“
You could always develop
this property on your own,” Leonidas suggested. “You’ve done it
before. Listen, I’ve got to go. I’m catching a plane in about an
hour.”

Roque hung up. This whole venture had been a
colossal waste of time.

No, it wasn’t a complete waste of time. If
not for this project, you would have never met Marlowe.

Roque was stunned by the
thought.
There was no use in denying
it.
He was attracted to Marlowe. Something
about her drew him in like a star to a black hole. It wasn’t just
her stimulating conversation. Nor her sexy, lush body. And
certainly not that wide sensuous mouth that he’d had the pleasure
of ravishing. Marlowe was the kind of woman a man could think about
settling down with. He shook his head. He couldn’t believe he’d
thought that. He had no right to even think of her like that when
he had other…obligations.

Shit that he should have taken care of years
ago.

There was a lot about him she didn’t
know.

She deserved to know.

He never thought this would be an issue.
Never figured Marlowe would be anything in his life other than a
spoiled client. Now, there was the possibility of something more.
And he wanted to explore it.

He made a few more calls, and then checked
on Jade, but she didn’t answer her cell phone. He didn’t expect her
to. She was probably enjoying herself in dance camp. He was glad
she was finally hanging out with other females. She seemed so
isolated after her mother had left. His little girl was growing up,
and it wasn’t easy. The fact that she’d reached out to Marlowe was
a sign that he couldn’t be everything for his daughter, no matter
how hard he tried.

Roque stripped off his clothes and took a
shower in the bathroom of his villa. Warm rivulets of water
cascaded down his body as he washed the grime from the morning off
him. He thought of the last shower he’d taken—it was with Marlowe.
He’d lathered soap across her luscious curves, unable to restrain
himself from touching her most intimate places. And why should he?
He could tell she loved being stroked just as much as he loved
stroking her.

His cock swelled thinking about their erotic
escapades. It had been almost two hours since he’d seen Marlowe. He
couldn’t wait to get back to her. Knowing she was in the adjoining
villa set his blood on fire. He stroked the length of his throbbing
manhood. He had to have her. Right now.

Roque hurriedly dried off and slipped on one
of the silk robes the hotel provided its guests. He stepped into
the adjoining villa intending to surprise Marlowe. But she was
already awake. She was lounging on the patio in a silk robe too. It
seemed they had the same idea. She sipped from a flute of champagne
as she watched the sunset. Deep reds and purples shrouded her
silhouette.

“
I’ve been waiting on
you,” she told him. “I saved a glass for you.”

He glanced at the chilled bottle of Dom
Pérignon resting in the ice bucket. An empty flute sat next to it.
He poured himself a glass and dropped into the chair beside
her.

“
You disappeared. I was
worried you were with your girlfriend.”

“
I don’t have a
girlfriend. Besides, you’re more than enough woman for me, Marlowe.
I don’t think I could handle anyone else.”

Her playful smile warmed him from head to
toe. “I never pegged you for a one-woman man.”

“
I never pegged myself
either. But every man has his kryptonite.”

“
Don’t tell me you’re
getting soft on me, Superman.”

He raised his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh,
I’m never soft around you, woman. I think I’ve proven that over and
over again.”

She laughed at his suggestive remark. “Well,
it’s nice to know I can bring the mighty Roque Coleman to his
knees. And to think, you haven’t seen everything in my bag of
tricks.”

“
Damn, you mean there’s
more?”

She giggled. “Oh, yeah. Much more.”

His dick was still at attention. “Any chance
I can see one of those tricks right now?” he asked.

Roque held his breath as Marlowe slid off
her chair and knelt in front of him. She placed her hands on his
knees and parted his legs. Her palms slowly snaked up his thighs.
When she unbelted his robe and pulled his dick out, it bucked
wildly in her hands. Her fingers felt good holding the hot flesh.
The head gleamed with beads of pre-cum. He was so fucking ready for
her.

“
Damn,” she whispered in
awe. “Your dick is even bigger up close.”

So he’d been told by many women. The head
was extra-large, narrowing into a thick shaft. He looked down,
watching a throbbing vein on the topside. Soon his cock would be
inside Marlowe’s hot, wet mouth.

She gazed at it, a fascinated glaze coating
her pupils. “What’s your fantasy, Roque?”

“
Lick it,” he ordered
hoarsely.

She started slowly, the tip of her pink
tongue flicking over the head. He sucked in a breath as the heat of
her mouth came near him. She was teasing him, letting those full
lips with plenty of red lip-gloss linger near the tip. She flicked
her long tongue again, taking her time licking the head.

“
Mmm,” she moaned. “Tastes
good.”

She repeatedly dragged her tongue up from
the base of his nuts to the tip of his penis. Her rhythm increased,
and soon, she was licking his dick like a snow cone on a summer
day.

“
Suck it,” he
commanded.

Immediately, he felt the backs of her front
teeth slightly graze his flesh. Then she took all ten inches of him
into her hot mouth. His heart slammed against his ribcage. It felt
like Heaven in her mouth. He was powerless to do anything but
submit to the feel of her lips manipulating the ultimate pleasure
from him. With one hand she rhythmically pumped the base of his
cock. With the other, she fondled his balls.

Damn! This feels so good!

Marlowe’s expert fingers stroked him as her
mouth worked a magic all its own. He watched her head bob up and
down. The bronze flesh of his dick disappeared and then reappeared
from her ruby-red lips.

“
Yeah, baby,” he groaned.
“That’s it.”

He grabbed her head and forced it back and
forth, but not too hard so she didn’t feel like she wanted to gag.
Her lips tightened around his dick. She constricted her mouth like
it was a pussy, deep-throating him. He let her take control; he
didn’t want to choke her.

He moaned aloud. His legs shook from her
oral onslaught. Sweat dripped from him like a faucet in the
humidity. He wanted to fuck her, but he was caught up in what she
was doing. He loved the feel of her lips on his dick. He looked
down, watching the big head disappear in and out of her wet mouth
until he finally had to close his eyes. She had his balls cupped in
her hands. A spiral of heat built inside him, overwhelming him,
shaking his body to the core.

“
I’m about to come!” he
warned.

She withdrew her mouth, but kept pumping his
dick with her hand. A white-hot explosion erupted inside him as his
body was racked with spasms. She moaned against him, clinging to
his sweat-dampened shirt. “Fuck me, now,” she begged.

He was happy to oblige. They didn’t need the
bedroom. He took her right there on the balcony, doggie style. She
stayed on her knees, bent over the chair he’d just vacated while he
positioned himself behind her. He pushed the soft material of her
robe up. Her smooth ass was like a tempting drug pulling him under
the influence.

He slipped two fingers between the cleft of
her backside until he found the entrance to her pussy. She was wet
and ready. She pushed her ass backward against him, letting him
finger-fuck her.

He thrust rapidly back and forth inside her
pussy. “Damn, baby, you’re wet! You must want me to fuck you.”

“
Yes, yes,” she pled.
“Fuck me hard. Make me come, Roque.”

The mention of his name spurred him to
action.

His dick was hard again, ready for round
two. He entered her roughly from behind, thrusting to the hilt
inside her.

“
Oh!” she
gasped.

He didn’t give her time to get used to his
girth. He just started pumping, moving in and out like a
jackhammer. He couldn’t slow down if he wanted to. This sweet pussy
had his name on it.

“
Rub that clit,” he told
her. “Stroke that clit for me.”

She purred like a cat and began fondling her
clitoris. He reached under the robe to caress her breasts. When he
rolled the hard pebbles between his thumb and forefinger, Marlowe
groaned with pleasure. She started stroking her clit faster, and he
increased his rhythm to match.

All too soon, a familiar heat built up
inside him again. Never in his wildest dreams did he think sex with
any woman would feel this good. “Damn,” he ground out, “I’m coming
again.” His balls slapped hard and fast against the back of
Marlowe’s ass, the loud noise echoing in the night air. He was
sucked into this feeling, helpless to slow down. The force of his
body rocked against hers. Her pussy was slippery, leaving a white,
creamy fluid coating his dick. He slid back and forth inside her,
increasing his pace, stroking deep and hard.

“
Yes! Yes!” she shouted.
Then she screamed out something unrecognizable as she reached her
peak.

He held on as long as he
could, but a blast of heat rocketed through him, crumbling his
resolve. He growled as he erupted for the second time, catapulting
toward a mind-numbing orgasm. Marlowe’s slick walls gripped him,
pulsating wildly as she drained every last drop from him. It took
him a few minutes for his racing heartbeat to calm down.

As he withdrew from
Marlowe’s sweet warm haven, his heart sank. It was then that he
realized he’d ridden bareback.

No condom!

A sinking feeling mingled
with the ebbing vestiges of his amazing orgasm. That’s what Marlowe
had been trying to tell him. She’d yelled out ‘no
condom!’

Fuck!

They’d just had unprotected sex.

Marlowe stared at herself in the mirror of
the villa’s bathroom. She didn’t look pregnant. She didn’t feel
pregnant. How soon after fertilization could a woman feel pregnant?
Penny told her she knew the moment of conception when she and her
husband conceived on their honeymoon. While romantic, Marlowe
thought that was a bunch of bullshit. She wished there was some way
for her to know right now.