One to Chase (One to Hold #7) Page 10

“Well... I had wanted something relaxed,” I say, stalling. “What about Millennium Park? Maybe with the Cloud Gate sculpture?”

  “The Bean?” He frowns.

  “It’s a famous attraction, and it’ll give us dramatic images.”

  His expression changes. “I’ve got a better idea.”

  “Okay...?”

  “Meet me at the Belmont Harbor. Say, noon?”

  A quick mental rundown—sounds safe enough. “We can shoot along the pier with the sailboats in the background.” Nodding, I start to collect my things. “I love it.”

  He calls over his shoulder as he heads down the hall. “Wear a swimsuit. And remember, no black soles on the boat.”

  “Wait—” Hustling around the long conference table, I step out into the hallway. He’s gone. “Great.” I collapse against the doorjamb.

  Being on a sailboat alone with Marcus is not a good idea. With a groan, I walk back to the large wooden table holding my stuff and pick up my phone.

  We’re going on a sailboat? I text.

  His reply is quick, as if he expected my message. You wanted relaxed.

  Chewing my lip, I try to think of an alternate plan. Nothing’s coming to mind, and I already said I loved his idea. You tricked me.

  Afraid?

  Of course not. Oh, yeah. I’m lying.

  Good. See you at lunchtime.

  Now all I can do is pray for rain.

  Chapter 10: On a Boat

  Marcus

  Amy flitted around the office all week avoiding me, leaving my door open, turning down my invitations to lunch. She’s made a complete one-eighty from yes we can be together, no strings, to stay the fuck away. I know why, and I have every intention of exploiting my advantage. I know what she wants—I just have to gently lead her to accepting it.

  It’s a perfect day on the lake. Dad has a light-blue Azuree 33 cruiser. It’s his hobby-boat—Merrit * Ocracy—a thirty-foot, three-cabin bowsprit, and the love of his life. I can’t say I blame him. I’m onboard at nine with enough supplies to last through Sunday. Yes, I have more in mind than photography. Again, you’re smart.

  Conditions couldn’t be better—clear skies, winds at seven to ten knots. The waves will be calm enough for photography, but we should get enough speed to have fun. In the cabin below, I stash two bottles of wine, one sparkling, chicken salad from Stella’s, strawberries from Sherry’s and for fun, cold Lou Malnati’s pizza. Bottled water and coffee are on-hand of course.

  Dropping my duffel in the extra bedroom, I unzip it and pull out two shirts and a box of condoms just in case. We graduated past safety pretty fast, but I don’t want to give her any potential excuses.

  “Permission to come aboard!” The sound of her voice makes me ready to get as far from shore as quickly as possible.

  “Coming up.” A sturdy silver ladder leads from the cabins below to the deck, and the sudden breeze pushes my white blazer open. I pulled on long pants, but I didn’t bother with a shirt.

  It was the right call. Amy’s green-hazel eyes widen a bit, but she covers. Come on, beautiful, we’re past pretending not to notice each other.

  “Permission granted.” I smile and reach for her hand. She’s wearing cropped jean shorts that put her long, tanned legs on full display, and a long-sleeved grey Henley with a wide neck showing off her beautiful shoulders. Her hair hangs over one in a loose braid, and I spy an aqua swimsuit strap peeking at her collar.

  “Once we get out a bit, you can swim or sunbathe.” She’s onboard, and I prepare to embark.

  “The photos shouldn’t take long. I’ll take them as I see shots.” She walks across the narrow deck and drops her bag on a bench. “Nice rig.”

  “Edward doesn’t play much, but when he does, he’s here.”

  “Merritocracy?”

  “Yeah,” I laugh. “Pretty silly, but you know. Boats have to be named or it’s bad luck.”

  Her nose wrinkles adorably. “Where’s your father now?”

  “Iowa. Deposing a client, wishing he were here.” She laughs, and I’m feeling better already. “Have a seat or go below while I steer us out of here.”

  “Afraid I’ll fall overboard?”

  Running my eyes down her body, “Your sea-legs are amazing, but safety first.” I don’t miss her flush, and I’m ready to get the party started. “Crack open the brut and pour us each a glass.”

  A little smile teases her lips. “First let me get a few shots.” Digging in her bag, she pulls out an old-school Canon 35 millimeter and holds it up to her eye.

  I glance from the lanes to her clicking “People still use cameras like that?”

  “I beg your pardon.” Her head pops up from behind the lens, eyes narrow. She’s so damn cute, I’m wondering why I didn’t suggest a quickie before disembarking. “You wanted professional. Canon makes the best cameras on the market.”

  “Stop rewriting history.” The wind pushes my coat open again, more rapid clicking. “You wanted professional. I wanted you.”

  The clicking stops, and I wait, wondering how she’ll respond. Nothing. Photography resumes, only now the lens is turned away from me, back toward the harbor rapidly moving away from us.

  “I only need a few shots of you for the website, maybe a future publication or bio.” She looks down at the camera, scrolling through the images. “Here’s one.”

  She steps to me, holding the device so I can see a stunning profile image. I’m not smiling, which is a surprise. I feel like I haven’t stopped smiling since she boarded the yacht. Behind me is a fuzzy blend of colorful mainsails, masts, and the skyline.

  “Damn, girl. That’s good.” Blinking up at her, I can’t believe her cheeks pink.

  “I have a good subject.”

  A compliment? We’re far enough out that I can set the self-steering and step away from the wheel. She cups the back of the camera, still scrolling through the shots.

  “So you’ll be with us another week?” I lean beside her watching. Her expression doesn’t change. “To photograph the other guys and upload these new shots, I mean.”

  “It shouldn’t take more than a day to finish up.”

  Catching her hips, I pull her back to my chest and look down, over her shoulder at the camera. Her breath quickens, and the sexual tension between us ratchets through the roof. We haven’t been together since Tuesday, which hit me harder than I expected. I’m ready to remedy the situation.

  “Maybe we’ll figure out a way to hire you full-time.” Pressing my lips against the base of her neck, I feel her pulse racing.

  “You’re moving awfully fast, aren’t you?” She’s breathless when she answers, but I don’t let her pull away.

  “Baby, we’ve been flying since Day One.” My mouth moves higher. Slipping out my tongue, I taste her warm neck. This time when she speaks, I can hear her resistance melting.

  “You don’t need a full-time PR position. You only want me in the office.”

  My hands have moved from her hips under her loose shirt, and I slide them over her bare stomach. The muscles tighten under her skin, and I swear, I’m hard as a rock. “It’s true.” My voice is rough now, as my hands travel higher to the line of her bikini top. “Still, you’re the best. We’re the best. You should be on our team.”

  Hands under the material, I roll beaded nipples between my fingers and thumbs, and her head drops back with a little sigh.

  “We need to go below.”

  I release her body and take her hand. She doesn’t speak, as I pause to shut off the autopilot, park the cruiser, and drop anchor. Thank modern technology for ease of operation. We quickly descend the ladder, and once we’re in the cabin, she’s in my arms. The camera is on the table.

  * * *

  Amy

  I expected the question of sex to come up at some point. What I didn’t expect was Marcus to take my breath away the moment I arrived.

  He'd stood on the deck of that beautiful cruiser in only loose white drawstring pants and a light blazer. No sho
es, no shirt, full-service. The breeze pushed the thin fabric away from his lined torso, and I could see a string of ink rising over his hipbone. Words I couldn't quite read followed the line of the muscular V on his left pelvis. Heat flooded every part of my body at the sight, and I was ready to get the pictures taken and get below—so I did.

  Now he lifts the grey Henley over my head, the light touch of his fingers against my skin causing my breath to catch. Standing before him in my bikini top and denim shorts, the old anxieties try to creep back into my mind.

  He’s too close. I’m not in control when I’m with him. It’s dangerous. The boat rocks. My body tenses. I shouldn’t let him consume all of my thoughts and desires this way. My freedom...

  “What are you thinking right now?” His eyes hold mine, and I know he sees.

  “Nothing,” I lie.

  “You’re tense.” Warm hands move to my shoulders. The low vibration of his voice wrestles with my fears. “You’ve been tense since you got onboard. Why?”

  I don’t want to say what’s on my mind. He’ll argue. He’s a fucking lawyer. His entire career is built on arguing, and I know from this past week at work, he’s used to winning.

  “I can’t seem to relax.” I’ll give him that much.

  He watches me for a moment. We face each other blinking. The boat rocks again, and I hold his arms for balance, but he steps back. The sight of his semi tenting the thin pants almost tips the scale to forgetting, letting go.

  “I have an idea.” Turning away, I hear him digging in a drawer. When he returns, he’s holding a cloth napkin folded long-ways.

  “What are you doing?” I don’t really have to ask.

  “Blindfolding you.” One knee on the bed, he wraps the cloth around my eyes, pulling it tight behind my head. “Hmm...” I flinch when his beard scuffs my face. He’s right at my temple, speaking against my skin flooding my bikini bottoms with heat. “Looks better than I expected.”

  Anticipating the light touch of his hand, I inhale sharply when he roughly cups my breast without warning, teasing and pinching my nipple the same way he did on deck moments ago. From there, his hand moves to my hips, and he grasps them firmly, giving me a tug.

  “Easy—I can’t see.” I whisper.

  “Don’t overthink it, beautiful.”

  The wooden bed frame is at the back of my calves, and I bend my knees to sit. He’s right beside me, directing me to the center. I lie back on the soft sheets in darkness, waiting. All the thoughts warring in my mind are quiet. Everything in me is focused on where he is, what he might do next.

  “Stay here while I get something.” He kisses the top of my shoulder, and I feel him leave the mattress. The sounds of drawers opening and closing, the scoop of ice in a cup, I’m on edge, listening to every noise in darkness, until I feel the indentation at the foot of the bed again. He doesn’t come closer, though. He stays at my feet, and my nerves tighten as I wait for what's next.

  “Do you trust me?”

  I can’t move. I can barely breathe. His voice is too direct, asking the very question I can’t answer.

  “Amy?” It’s gentler now. A warm hand slides over the top of my knee, behind it, bending my leg. His lips touch the inside of my calf, and electricity snakes up to my core.

  “Oh,” I gasp as he moves my knee over his shoulder. My other leg vibrates in anticipation until at last he touches it, sliding a finger up my inner thigh to the crotch of my shorts.

  I’m spread in front of him, and that finger weaves under the cloth, past the elastic of my bikini bottoms, into me. I can’t help a small whimper. In the darkness of the blindfold, every sensation is heightened, my back arches.

  “Hmm,” he rumbles. “Nice and wet.” That luscious finger makes a slow circle then leaves, moving to the front of my shorts. “We’ll get these off soon enough.”

  He lowers my leg, and goes away. I’m confused until I feel him touching my bikini top. It’s a network of strings, and he shoves the triangles of fabric covering my breasts to the sides. I gasp. My breasts are exposed, but the string is still tight around my ribs.

  I feel him right above me. “So beautiful,” he whispers, his breath tickling across my skin.

  “Marcus...” My voice is so tight it cracks, then turns into a cry when the freezing shock of ice touches my nipple. Again my back arches up and wetness floods my pants. “Oh, god!”

  Sensations ricochet through my body as he slowly circles it over the stiff bud, not taking it away as it gradually turns painful. “Ow!” I wail, and just like that, it’s gone, replaced with the intense heat of his mouth, made hotter by contrast to the freezing ice.

  I’m squirming now, so wet I’m sure I’ll orgasm from his touch alone. His lips are still pulling at my beaded nipple when I feel the ice lightly touch the other one. Another little yelp scrapes from my throat. Everything is gone in that instant except his mouth on my body, the ice on my breast, and the aching need between my legs.

  He holds the cube over my nipple until again it’s almost unbearable, and it disappears, replaced by his hot mouth. I’m moaning and writhing in the sheets. So many sensations assault my body, I don’t know if I can take much more.

  His hand touches my cheek. His thumb slides across my lips and I part them, catching the thick digit in my mouth and sucking it firmly. He pulls it back, replacing it with his mouth, and his tongue plunges inside, finding mine. Lifting off the bed, I meet his kiss, threading my fingers into his thick hair and kissing him back with equal passion. His lips move to my chin, to my throat, quickly making the journey between my breasts and down my stomach as I fall back again.

  Fingers on the button of my shorts, they’re open, and he jerks them down, rising up to remove them in one swift tug. Two pulls and the strings of my bottoms are untied. Everything is off, and my legs fall open to him. His face hovers over my clit. I can feel his breath on my skin, but he doesn’t touch me. Agony, twists in the center of my pelvis. I need him to touch me. I don’t care about those other things any more. I don’t care if he overpowers me or if this is dangerous. All I know is if he doesn’t finish what he’s started, I’ll die.

  “Please, Marcus... Please.” I’m twisting, and reaching down with my hands, fingers curling and uncurling.

  “Please what, beautiful?” I hear the smile in his voice, and I’m both embarrassed and desperate. He’s making me beg.

  “Please finish.”

  The bed rocks forward and his mouth covers my pussy. A low moan rises from the depth of my stomach as he sucks and pulls at my clit, plunging two fingers deep into my throbbing wetness, pumping and curling them.

  “Oh, god... oh, yes!” Beneath the blindfold, I’m certain I have tears in my eyes. My body starts to shudder. My orgasm is rocking through me harder than ever before. The pleasure is overwhelming, and I feel his mouth moving higher, not breaking contact with my skin, following the line up between my breasts, to the base of my throat, skimming his teeth along my jaw until it covers mine.

  In the haze of orgasm, I don’t hear him removing his clothes. I only jump when the head of his cock touches me. Moaning deeply into his mouth, he plunges his tongue into me at the same time his cock sinks deep inside, soothing my need, blowing my mind.

  We’re rocking together, and I’m riding the waves of orgasm back up as I feel him start to come. “Amy...” He groans, his thick shaft pulsing all the way to my core. “My beautiful Amy.”

  My hands are on his shoulders, holding onto the only thing anchoring me to this bed. He’s thrusting and coming, filling me hot and deep, making me want him so badly, I don’t know how I’m going to handle this. I don’t know what I’m going to do with this.

  His hips eventually slow. A tug and the blindfold is off. The light is too bright, and I squint and blink into his face above mine. His warm hazel eyes trap me. He’s looking at me with so much emotion. I’m still trying to get my mind around what just happened. I’m shaken and off balance, rocking like the boat.

  He lean
s down and kisses me again, possessive and firm. Our tongues unite, slide together, then he pulls away, feathering tender kisses across my cheekbone and higher.

  “You seem less tense now.” His breath tickles my lashes.

  I can’t help it. I start to laugh. It’s very possible I’ve lost my mind.

  * * *

  Marcus

  “What do you want?” Looking down at her beautiful face, something I’ve never felt before pulls in my chest.

  She was so beautiful coming apart just now. She completely surrendered to me in a way I never dreamed she would. She trusted me. Looking at her beautiful body naked on the bed, blindfolded, I tried to think of every way possible to blow her mind, to make her never want to run, to seal her to my side. I never expected such passion. I never expected my own response to having her that way.

  Now I’m above her, holding her securely in my arms, wanting to know what’s inside her. I’ve got to find the skeleton key that will unlock her to me.

  “I want to know what your ink says.” She has a sexy little smile on her lips, and I can’t resist kissing her. My tongue sweeps around hers, and I’m up, reaching for the champagne and pouring us each a glass. I want to celebrate.

  A light touch on my hipbone, and she reads aloud. “Uncertainty is essential.”

  Sitting beside her on the bed, we do a quick clink before taking a sip.

  “What does it mean?” Right now as she watches me, she seems so young. I can’t take my eyes off her beautiful face breaking with a smile. “Tell me.”

  I shrug. “Just something I got in law school.”

  “Were you feeling uncertain?”

  The boat rocks gently with the waves, and the sounds of water lapping outside makes it feel like we’re the only people for miles. It’s possible we are. We’re at a safe location on the lake, the anchor is down, and I’m ready to spend the rest of the night loving her, exploring her, getting behind the wall.

  “Up to that point, everything in my life had felt out of my control.” I set my glass on the sideboard and return to my place beside her in the bed, resting my head on my hand as I think about that day. “I knew I was taking the reins on my life, but I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, if I would be successful, where I even wanted to go. I read that quote, and it resonated.”