Page 43 of Mine This Time
When I sat down beside her again, Mari sank back into the cushions with a sigh. “God, I hate this. I would like to forget I need to worry about anything.”
Without thinking, I slipped my arm across her shoulders. It was a reflex, an instinct born out of protectiveness. “It’s gonna be fine. I hadn’t updated you yet today. I had contact with the man who runs the business where Brett foolishly took out a loan. He understands you had nothing to do with this situation, but he doesn’t intend to back off of Brett.”
Mari’s eyes widened again, her mouth twisting to the side in a frown. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but how the hell do we help Brett get out of this mess?”
“That’s what I’m going to talk to Max about tomorrow. I want to keep security in place because we’re not exactly dealing with people who operate on the straight and narrow. I don’t want to create the impression that if they go after someone who matters to me, they’ll get money. I’ll chat with Max and sort out a plan. Meanwhile, I’m planning to go to the police station tomorrow and talk to someone I know at the precinct.”
I could feel the fine tremor running through Mari and shifted my hand to move up and down her back in a slow pass. “You’re gonna be fine. We’ll figure this out.”
Mari turned to look at me and gave a sharp nod before taking a shaky breath. “I just want to forget all of this. I feel like my life has been turned upside down and inside out. All because I dated a man who’s an idiot and an asshole.”
“It’ll be okay.”
Mari held my gaze, and something shifted in the air. The air around us felt heavy, and I became acutely aware of her closeness. I told myself I wasn’t going to make a move. However, it was taking an enormous amount of willpower to hold myself in check. My need for Mari was a living, breathing force in my body. I felt coiled tight, like a spring compressed within a tiny space.
All of my restraint went up in smoke the moment Mari leaned forward and pressed a kiss—hot and gentle—on the underside of my jaw. My heart flipped in my chest, and I held myself still. “Mari?”
“I want to forget everything for a little while,” she whispered, her voice husky. “You can make me do that.”
As though it were a horse bolting from the gate, need claimed me and I tugged her onto my lap. Mari didn’t hesitate, sliding her hand around my neck while she pressed more kisses along my jawline before she found my mouth.
I meant to take control of the moment, but it was impossible. With her tongue teasing mine, and her hand skimming down my chest between us to cup my rigid arousal, my control escaped me.
“Mari,” I choked out when her lips drew back from mine before she nipped the side of my neck.
“I’ve got this,” she teased as she shimmied off my lap.
In a few fiery seconds, she had flicked open my jeans and reached in to draw my cock out. I was already so hard, it almost hurt when my cock bounced free.
She made this humming sound in her throat. When her eyes lifted to ensnare mine, her naughty grin sent another jolt of fierce desire through me. She rubbed her thumb across the tip, where I could feel the slick moisture of pre-cum sliding over my cock head. “I love that you’re this turned on,” she murmured.
“It’s you, baby,” I nearly growled when she curled her palm around my cock, using the pre-cum to glide her hand up and down my shaft.
In a blink, she was kneeling at my feet, her dark gaze catching mine while her tongue darted out and circled the tip. My cock leaped under her touch, and I let out a rough groan as I gripped her hair when she took me in the warm depths of her mouth.
Mari sucked me in deep, swirling her tongue at the base of my cock before she drew up again. I tangled a hand in her hair, holding on as the warm suction made my cock throb. She teased, opening her eyes when she swirled her tongue on the tip again before bringing me deep. Wrapping her fist lightly around my cock, now slick from her mouth, she moved up and down, humming until the vibration nearly drew my release free.
Groaning roughly, I gripped her hair more tightly. I heard the sound of Star moving in the corner of my awareness. When Mari drew up again, I choked out, “Let’s move this to the bedroom.”
“How come?” she murmured as she teased her tongue around my cock head once more.
This time, I heard the click of Star’s claws as she walked by the window behind the sofa. “We have an audience, and she’s probably going to get curious any minute now.”
The brief pause in Mari’s attentions gave me a moment to grab the reins of my restraint and get a firm grip. Mari’s eyes widened, and she leaned back on her heels. Straightening, she reached for my hand. “Well, lead the way then.”
I tugged my jeans up as we walked swiftly toward my bedroom down the short hallway opposite the kitchen on the other side of the living room. The second I heard the click of the door shutting, I spun around. I lifted Mari in my arms and strode quickly to the foot of the bed. I held still for a moment, savoring the feel of her, warm and soft against me.
“Your turn,” I murmured.
In a blur, clothes were yanked off and tossed aside in the midst of mutual kisses and greedy hands. Then, I was pressing her knees apart and dipping my head to look into the very core of her. She was restless, her hands gripping my hair as her hips rocked against my mouth. The scent of her arousal surrounded me—musky, sweet, and intoxicating.
When I sank two fingers in her channel and felt her rippling around me, I didn’t wait. I swirled my tongue around her clit, giving it the slightest suction. I savored when she shuddered against me. I was aching to the point of pain as I straightened. She shimmied backward on the bed as I stretched out beside her. At the last second, I remembered a condom and reached for one in the nightstand drawer.
“Let me help,” she rasped.
The feel of her light touch when she rolled the condom on swiftly was yet another sensation spinning into everything else. I was wound so tight with need, I thought I might explode.
And then, I was nudging at her slick entrance. Her legs curled around my hips, and I drove deep in one thrust. None of this was supposed to be happening. None of this was expected, most definitely not the feeling of just how incredible it felt to be with Mari.
