From This Moment On
Page 35
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“I like seeing you all wet.”
“You have a dirty mind,” she told him, but the breathiness in her voice gave away the fact that she did, too.
“You’re right,” he said, that dark, hungry look pinning her where she stood in the sand, causing her breath to catch in her throat. “So here’s what my dirty mind wants, Nicola. Take off your clothes.”
She looked up and down the empty beach. “Are you crazy?”
“Only when I’m with you.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.”
Oh God, she could hardly breathe at the thought of stripping down here for Marcus.
“If someone comes—” she began, before realizing, “No one is going to come to this beach, are they?”
“No,” he confirmed. “It’s completely ours today.”
She had spent enough time with really wealthy people—worth a heck of a lot more than a pop star like her—to know keeping a huge stretch of coast completely private was entirely possible.
She was about to reach for the hem of her tank top when she realized what he’d done. She’d asked him a personal question and instead of answering it, he’d thrown her off by using her own body—and the endless desire she had for him—against her.
She smoothed her hands down on her hips. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal?"
She lifted her chin and said, “Yes,” glad to catch the hint of smile playing around the edges of his lips at her defiant response.
“You have a beautiful backside, Nicola. I’ve been looking forward to seeing it bent up over my knees.”
Shockingly, he wasn’t the only one.
Trying to push the senselessly erotic vision out of her head, she said, “Don’t keep changing the subject,” in her toughest voice.
She was rewarded with the sweet sound of his laughter. “Such a fierce little kitten.” He caught her fists before she could knock them into his chest. “Go ahead. Make me a deal."
“I’ll take my clothes off if you’ll answer my question about why you’re not married yet, or even in a relationship.”
The laughter left his eyes so quickly she almost cried out at the loss. And yet, even though she knew this was supposed to be no-strings, even though she knew she shouldn’t be straying away from the safe zone where only their bodies were involved, she knew it was already too late.
Her heart was in. Way in.
She wanted to know more about Marcus. Needed to understand how he’d come to be the man he was.
“My girlfriend cheated on me. I caught her the same day I went to that club.”
She’d known things had gone badly with his ex from comments he’d made before, but couldn’t stop her eyes from widening.
“She cheated on you?”
“I’ve never screwed around on a woman.”
“No,” she said quickly, “I know you would never do something like that. I just can’t understand what woman in her right mind would cheat on you. You must be so angry with her.”
“I was,” he admitted, “but then I realized that she actually did us both a big favor.”
“How?”
“We weren’t right for each other.”
Even though she knew the answer might kill her, she had to ask. “Did you love her?”
“I thought I did.”
Ouch. It shouldn’t have hurt to think of Marcus being in love with someone else, but it did. A lot. Which was why it took her longer than it should have to realize he hadn’t actually said he loved his ex.
“Wait, you thought you did? So is that a yes or no?”
He frowned, shook his head. “No. I only loved the person I wanted her to be. But that wasn’t who she really was.”
“I know exactly how that is,” she said before she could catch herself.
“You do?”
Six months fell away in the span of two simple words from the sweetest man she’d ever known, and she knew if she talked about Kenny she’d probably end up crying all over him and making a complete idiot of herself.
“I do.”
He tipped his hand beneath her chin and made her face him. “Whoever he was, whatever he did to hurt you, he was the world’s biggest idiot.”
The tears she’d been hoping she wouldn’t cry spilled out. “I was the bigger idiot for believing his lies.”
“No, Nicola,” he said as he gently wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “You could never be anything but bright and beautiful and absolutely perfect just the way you are.”
His mouth covered hers a moment later and then he was making her forget everything but how good it felt to be in his arms...everything but the fact that she was so incredibly glad she’d been there at the night club to help him over his bad breakup, a little bit at least.
“Help me take my clothes off,” she murmured against his lips.
His eyes glittered as he covered her hands with his and they pulled off her T-shirt together. Her bra came off next and he tossed both up onto the dry sand. Her jean skirt and panties came off just as quickly and then she was standing before him, completely naked.
And senselessly aroused.
Chapter Sixteen
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
The biggest, most trusting eyes in the world looked up at him. “Only when you’re looking at me like this.”
Marcus put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him as his mouth covered hers without any restraint at all. Nicola kissed him back just as passionately, her hands grasping at his clothes. Only breaking their kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head, they were right back at it as they got his pants and boxers off.
His mouth still on hers, he lifted her into his arms again and walked into the surf.
A wave crashed up onto them and Nicola gasped at the cold. “Are you crazy?”
“When you’re with me like this,” he answered, “I think I must be.”
She attacked him with her lips, planting kisses all over his face, his neck, his shoulders. He’d never been with someone so unrestrained, so ready to give in to her joy...and so willing to share it with him. The hours he’d spent with Nicola had been happier than any he could remember before her.
Yes, he’d been telling her the truth when he said he didn’t regret any of the tradeoffs he’d had to make on his family’s behalf. But he was glad he didn’t have to make any of those tradeoffs now so that he could put Nicola—and his feelings for her—first these past few days.
“You have a dirty mind,” she told him, but the breathiness in her voice gave away the fact that she did, too.
“You’re right,” he said, that dark, hungry look pinning her where she stood in the sand, causing her breath to catch in her throat. “So here’s what my dirty mind wants, Nicola. Take off your clothes.”
She looked up and down the empty beach. “Are you crazy?”
“Only when I’m with you.” He raised an eyebrow. “I’m waiting.”
Oh God, she could hardly breathe at the thought of stripping down here for Marcus.
“If someone comes—” she began, before realizing, “No one is going to come to this beach, are they?”
“No,” he confirmed. “It’s completely ours today.”
She had spent enough time with really wealthy people—worth a heck of a lot more than a pop star like her—to know keeping a huge stretch of coast completely private was entirely possible.
She was about to reach for the hem of her tank top when she realized what he’d done. She’d asked him a personal question and instead of answering it, he’d thrown her off by using her own body—and the endless desire she had for him—against her.
She smoothed her hands down on her hips. “I’ll make you a deal.”
“A deal?"
She lifted her chin and said, “Yes,” glad to catch the hint of smile playing around the edges of his lips at her defiant response.
“You have a beautiful backside, Nicola. I’ve been looking forward to seeing it bent up over my knees.”
Shockingly, he wasn’t the only one.
Trying to push the senselessly erotic vision out of her head, she said, “Don’t keep changing the subject,” in her toughest voice.
She was rewarded with the sweet sound of his laughter. “Such a fierce little kitten.” He caught her fists before she could knock them into his chest. “Go ahead. Make me a deal."
“I’ll take my clothes off if you’ll answer my question about why you’re not married yet, or even in a relationship.”
The laughter left his eyes so quickly she almost cried out at the loss. And yet, even though she knew this was supposed to be no-strings, even though she knew she shouldn’t be straying away from the safe zone where only their bodies were involved, she knew it was already too late.
Her heart was in. Way in.
She wanted to know more about Marcus. Needed to understand how he’d come to be the man he was.
“My girlfriend cheated on me. I caught her the same day I went to that club.”
She’d known things had gone badly with his ex from comments he’d made before, but couldn’t stop her eyes from widening.
“She cheated on you?”
“I’ve never screwed around on a woman.”
“No,” she said quickly, “I know you would never do something like that. I just can’t understand what woman in her right mind would cheat on you. You must be so angry with her.”
“I was,” he admitted, “but then I realized that she actually did us both a big favor.”
“How?”
“We weren’t right for each other.”
Even though she knew the answer might kill her, she had to ask. “Did you love her?”
“I thought I did.”
Ouch. It shouldn’t have hurt to think of Marcus being in love with someone else, but it did. A lot. Which was why it took her longer than it should have to realize he hadn’t actually said he loved his ex.
“Wait, you thought you did? So is that a yes or no?”
He frowned, shook his head. “No. I only loved the person I wanted her to be. But that wasn’t who she really was.”
“I know exactly how that is,” she said before she could catch herself.
“You do?”
Six months fell away in the span of two simple words from the sweetest man she’d ever known, and she knew if she talked about Kenny she’d probably end up crying all over him and making a complete idiot of herself.
“I do.”
He tipped his hand beneath her chin and made her face him. “Whoever he was, whatever he did to hurt you, he was the world’s biggest idiot.”
The tears she’d been hoping she wouldn’t cry spilled out. “I was the bigger idiot for believing his lies.”
“No, Nicola,” he said as he gently wiped away her tears with the pads of his thumbs. “You could never be anything but bright and beautiful and absolutely perfect just the way you are.”
His mouth covered hers a moment later and then he was making her forget everything but how good it felt to be in his arms...everything but the fact that she was so incredibly glad she’d been there at the night club to help him over his bad breakup, a little bit at least.
“Help me take my clothes off,” she murmured against his lips.
His eyes glittered as he covered her hands with his and they pulled off her T-shirt together. Her bra came off next and he tossed both up onto the dry sand. Her jean skirt and panties came off just as quickly and then she was standing before him, completely naked.
And senselessly aroused.
Chapter Sixteen
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?”
The biggest, most trusting eyes in the world looked up at him. “Only when you’re looking at me like this.”
Marcus put his hands on her hips and pulled her against him as his mouth covered hers without any restraint at all. Nicola kissed him back just as passionately, her hands grasping at his clothes. Only breaking their kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head, they were right back at it as they got his pants and boxers off.
His mouth still on hers, he lifted her into his arms again and walked into the surf.
A wave crashed up onto them and Nicola gasped at the cold. “Are you crazy?”
“When you’re with me like this,” he answered, “I think I must be.”
She attacked him with her lips, planting kisses all over his face, his neck, his shoulders. He’d never been with someone so unrestrained, so ready to give in to her joy...and so willing to share it with him. The hours he’d spent with Nicola had been happier than any he could remember before her.
Yes, he’d been telling her the truth when he said he didn’t regret any of the tradeoffs he’d had to make on his family’s behalf. But he was glad he didn’t have to make any of those tradeoffs now so that he could put Nicola—and his feelings for her—first these past few days.
