Page 26 of Secret Baby for Mr. Grump

Her laughter eventually subsided, giving away to a thoughtful look and a slightly dreamy look in her eyes as she stared at me. She was drunk. I knew she was drunk, and if I were even half a gentleman, I would call a halt to this night right now and get out of there. She’d had an awful night, nearly getting attacked in an alley until I fought the bastard off her. I nearly killed the asshole, and the only thing that stopped me from going after him when he ran off was the fact that I didn’t want to leave Allie alone.

And so, when she’d requested to go home with me, I said yes because I could still see the terror in her eyes and knew that the incident still haunted her.

And when she wanted a drink, I gave it to her because she needed it to suppress the shakes.

I should have done something else, maybe given her comforting words, but I’d never really been good at those or with words in general. All I could do was hang around her and make sure she knew I would protect her from the world if need be.

What I didn’t count on was the fact that she would get drunk off of just one beer.

Or that the alcohol would loosen the reins of the desire I usually saw in her eyes and have her reaching for me and putting her hand on my thigh.

Fuck.

I should have moved her hand, but I couldn’t think much past the blood pounding in my ears. Plus, if I touched her, would I truly be able to follow through and take her hands off me, or would I pull her forward, finally putting those lips on mine and tasting her once and for all?

I didn’t know for sure, so I simply froze, stiffening every muscle because I didn’t dare move.

Maybe she didn’t know what she was doing. Maybe she was too innocent to truly tell that her touch was starting a riot in my body that could have dangerous consequences for both of us.

But then, she got closer and closer, her eyes losing their uncertainty, the alcohol making her fearless. Her scent swam around me as she did, and I caught her wrist.

“Stop,” I ordered. I could barely recognize the roughness of my tone.

She hesitated for only a minute before shifting her other hand onto my lap, going higher and higher until I jerked. Fuck, she’d gotten close.

“You don’t know what you’re doing,” I practically growled, lust crowding my senses. “You’re drunk.”

“I’m not that drunk,” she purred, and her voice was the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. All light and raspy. “Kiss me, Marcus.”

Say no. Fuck.My body practically jerked with the amount of desire that poured into it. I should say no. I should get up and leave right now, sleep outside. I should do anything and everything to avoid what was happening.

But instead, I did the absolute worst thing for both of us. I looked into her eyes and lost my fucking mind.

“Fuck,” I snarled, dragging her forward and finally giving her the trouble she was asking for.

Back in the present, I woke up with a hard-on from hell. It was still dark out, and my hand was wrapped around my erection, squeezing it tightly to keep it from spilling over.

Before I could even gather my bearings, I began to pump slowly and determinedly until the feeling made my back arch and my spine sing. I started going faster, ready for it to be over. This wasn’t for titillation. I simply needed to take the edge off.

Pleasure zipped up my spine, and I squeezed my erection, pumping it into my own hands, trying to imagine it was hers. I threw the covers off my heated skin and gave myself into the memories, letting the past mingle with the present until I was finally screaming my release into the air.

Fuck.

I’d been with lots of women over the years, but none of them ever affected me as much as even just thinking about Allie. Which told me one thing I already knew.

The woman was going to be the death of me.

ELEVEN

ALLIE

I didn’t know what to expect the next day when I went to work.

Mostly, I was determined to make the best of the situation. Although the resort being sold to Marcus’ company wasn’t ideal in many ways, it might have been the best we could have hoped for. At least I knew Marcus and could probably convince him not to tear down the place and turn it into a strip mall or a parking lot. Or even worse, another dude ranch. I shuddered at the thought.

There were already more than enough in the area.

And since Marcus and I had some history, he might be more understanding in that sense.

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