Baby, Don't Go (14 page)

19

M
arcus stumbled into Alicia’s room and put his arms around her to keep from knocking her down. Kissing her seemed like another sensible way to keep her upright.

And Marcus prided himself on being sensible.

He lowered his mouth to hers and she met him eagerly, slashing her tongue against his. He inhaled the clean scent of her skin and hair and his body was instantly on fire. He ran a hand down her back to cup her buttocks and draw her curves against him. His erection leapt against her stomach. He moaned into her mouth, relishing the feel of her, the taste of her. He was so consumed with desire, he had to tell himself to slow down. After all, women were complicated creatures who emitted mixed signals. Just because she had pulled him into her room and was returning his kiss didn’t mean she was all in.

As if she’d read his mind, she abruptly pulled back from him and wheeled away.

Marcus was left heaving for air and shot through with disappointment…until she walked the few steps to the door, picked up the chair, and wedged it underneath the doorknob again. When she turned around, her brown eyes were liquid and sensual, her candy-pink mouth swollen from their kiss.

“I wouldn’t want anyone to walk in on us,” she murmured, then she was back for more.

“Wait,” he said, holding up his hands. Marcus pulled his hand down his face to collect himself. “This is embarrassing, but I didn’t exactly come…prepared to…um—”

“No worries,” she interrupted, then walked over to her purse and withdrew a small, slender case from which she removed a strip of condoms. “Will this do the trick?”

He arched an eyebrow, but at this moment, he was very glad that Alicia was a modern woman. He reached for her hand, then pulled her close. “I think we can work with that,” he whispered in her ear, then captured her mouth in another deep kiss.

Their movements went from hurried to feverish in the span of a few heartbeats. He kissed his way down her neck to her collarbone, reveling when she rolled her shoulders and pushed her fingers into his hair. He caressed her breasts through the thin fabric of her dress, nearly crazy with anticipation to see and touch them after fantasizing about them nonstop since he’d first seen her at the creek, topless and splashing water on herself.

“What do you want?” she whispered, taunting him.

“I want to see your tattoo,” he murmured.

She stilled. “How did you know I have a tattoo?”

Marcus stopped, then resumed kissing her. “You…mentioned it.”

She was quiet. “Did I?”

“You must have,” he said, nuzzling her ear. “How else would I have known?”

She bought it, thank goodness, and began undoing the buttons on his shirt with her quick, soft fingers. She took a moment to splay her hands over his chest and stomach, then she unfastened his belt. Marcus shrugged out of his shirt, but stilled her hands at his waist. He didn’t trust his restraint.

“I want to see you,” he said, then he lifted her dress over her head and stood back to watch her breasts fall into place. The tattoo he’d seen at a distance was a stemmed red cherry…and he couldn’t wait to taste it. Her body was lithe and lean, her breasts high, her waist tapered and her legs long. A pair of tiny pink panties promised to reveal more secrets. He groaned as lust bolted through his body.

He half-walked, half-carried her to the bed and eased her back, kissing her while thumbing her hardened nipples. Then he lowered his head and licked the cherry tattoo until she writhed beneath him and dug her nails into his back.

Marcus slipped lower still, blazing a trail down her flat stomach before sliding his fingers into the tiny panties. Alicia gasped, and kneaded his shoulders as he readied her body for him. He eased the lacy underwear down her legs, then stood back to memorize her. She was arched on the bed, her arms overhead, her amazing breasts jutting in the air, her eyes heavy with anticipation.

His body surged to have her. He fumbled with the zipper on his jeans, then pushed down his boxers to free his erection. She reached to clasp the length of him, and he gritted his teeth to maintain control, then pulled away to kick off his boots and retrieve the condom. He rolled it on and came back to her. When he stood between her knees, a warning bell went off in his head that this felt so good it had to be bad. But the only way he could stop now was if she asked him to.

Instead, she opened beneath him, and he was lost. He thrust into her, and groaned against the ecstasy that rolled through him like a tide. Her soft cries floated on the air as he found a rhythm. He was only able to contain himself by concentrating on her pleasure. She held his gaze with her sexy, bottomless eyes, and he felt as if he was falling into her. She was a vocal lover and her face was expressive. He responded to her wishes with his hips and his fingers. When her body convulsed beneath him in a shuddering climax, he couldn’t hold back any longer. Marcus buried himself in her and succumbed to a release that rocked his entire being.

When she pulled him down to cover her body with his, he was still reeling from the sheer intensity of their physical chemistry. But when she sighed in his ear and he felt her heart beating against his, Marcus knew this woman, this
connection
was different from anything he’d ever experienced before. He already wanted her again.

And he wasn’t happy about it.

Alicia’s mind spun as Marcus’s heart thudded against hers. She had pulled him down on her chest because she was afraid of what he might see in her eyes, that sex with him had shaken her to the core. Sure, it had been a while. In fact, she’d had to glance at the expiration date on the condoms to make sure they were still viable, but she didn’t remember lovemaking being like this.

Not
lovemaking,
she corrected—sex. It was just good, casual sex with a man whom she’d never date or…anything.

She and Marcus Armstrong belonged to such different worlds, they weren’t in the same galaxy.

But his breath in her ear and his weight pressing into her left her feeling very…strange. It was uncomfortably comfortable.

Then Alicia smiled to herself—nothing broke the spell of afterglow like talking. “So how was your day?” she asked.

He lifted his head and squinted. “Hmm?”

“I told you about my day. How was yours?”

He hesitated, then gingerly rolled to her side. “Uh…fine, I guess.” He was still breathing hard.

“What did you do?”

He was slow to respond. “I spent the morning with Porter at the site where the church is being built. Mind if I use your bathroom?”

“Not at all.”

He pushed to his feet and walked to the bathroom. The fact that he was still wearing his jeans wasn’t lost on her—the man wanted her completely nude, but had uncovered himself only enough to get the job done, so to speak.

It spoke volumes for how much of himself he was willing to give.

The bathroom door closed and she heard the water kick on. Alicia pushed back to recline on the pillows, pulled a sheet over her nakedness, then closed her eyes to relive what had just happened.
Wow.
She’d assumed that sex with the man wouldn’t be terrible, but…
wow
.

How was she going to handle this in the blog?

Her gaze darted to the strip of condoms lying on the table next to her bed. She was suddenly regretting her bravado—what if he wanted to use them all? She now had no doubt the man had the stamina, but she was having second thoughts…although she couldn’t put her finger on why.

Still, wasn’t this the best time to pick his brain, while his guard was down?

He reemerged to cut into her thoughts, and she was struck all over again by his sheer size and masculinity. Her vital signs raced at the memory of his body joined with hers.

Marcus looked at her, then the door, as if he were torn between making whoopee again or making his escape.

“Sit for a while,” she said, patting the bed next to her.

He hesitated, then came over and lowered himself next to her, his long jean-clad legs stretched out on top of the sheet, his feet bare. He wasn’t touching her, but just having him close made her skin tingle.

Feeling compelled to acknowledge what had just transpired, she murmured, “That was nice.”

“Mmm,” he grunted noncommittally.

Hurt knifed her unexpectedly. Obviously the sex hadn’t been as earth-shattering for Marcus Armstrong as it had been for her. Her reaction left her floundering for conversation. After an awkward lull, she seized on the thread of their previous conversation. “So…you spent the morning at the site where the church is being built. When will it be finished?”

He shifted. “Soon, before Homecoming weekend. There’s going to be a wedding.”

She lifted an eyebrow. “One of your brothers?”

He shook his head. “There’s a couple coming back for the celebration, Emory and Shelby Maxwell. They were here when the tornado touched down and were married down by the creek after the storm passed. They’re going to renew their vows in the new church.”

Alicia’s heart squeezed—even a cynic like her could appreciate the symbolism. “Did you find a minister?”

“We’re offering a contract to the fellow who gave the sermon last Sunday.”

She nodded. “I was there—he seemed nice.”

“Porter and Kendall are afraid that people will be put off by the fact that he stutters.”

“I didn’t get that feeling.”

“Not so much for the sermons, but for formal things, like weddings. Porter said no one would want the person officiating to stutter through the ceremony.”

She shrugged. “It seems to me the most important thing about the ceremony is what the bride and groom are saying to each other.”

He turned his head to look at her, and the seriousness in his blue eyes made her nervous.

Alicia gave a little laugh. “But since I’m not planning to get married, it wouldn’t affect me one way or another.”

He nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

An awkward silence settled around them. Reminding herself that she needed fodder for her blog, Alicia tried to redirect the conversation. “Were you at the church site all day?”

“No. I spent the afternoon at the site where the city hall building is going to be built.”

“So everything in town is moving ahead as planned?” she probed.

“So far,” he said, without elaborating.

She could tell she was losing him, so she tried another tack. “Your brother mentioned that every building in town will have a basement. That’s great, but what are the chances of another tornado actually striking again?”

“Percentages only matter to insurance actuaries. I’m not taking any chances with Sweetness.”

The passion in his voice made her turn toward him. “You talk as if the responsibility for the entire town is on your shoulders alone.”

He shifted and swung his legs over the side of the bed, obviously uncomfortable. “I didn’t say that. I just want residents to feel safe.”

“But you like being in control, don’t you?” she asked softly, studying his profile.

He gave a harsh laugh. “War taught me that none of us are in control.”

Sympathy panged her chest—he’d probably seen terrible things. “Even so, it’s clear to me that people around here consider you their leader.”

His big shoulders lifted in a shrug. “Maybe.”

She wet her lips. “The culture here seems very patriarchal—is that what you had in mind for the town?”

Another shrug. “If Sweetness is developing along those lines, it’s because the residents want it that way.”

Her hackles rose. “Really?”

Her voice must’ve conveyed her skepticism because his head turned. “
Really.
Maybe it’s a little old-fashioned around here, with the men and women living separately, but I think people are hungry for some old-fashioned ways in their life. It’s simpler.”

She bit down on her cheek. “It’s simpler for the men to be waited on hand and foot by all the women who came here looking for husbands?”

His jaw hardened. “No one forced the women to come.” He stood and reached for his clothes, signaling an official end to their tryst. “And everyone is free to leave Sweetness any time they want to.” He gave her a pointed look.

Surprising hurt barbed through her. Alicia reached for her dress and pulled it over her head to shield her face, lest her expression give her away. Her mind spun as to how to salvage the derailed conversation—it wouldn’t do any good to alienate Marcus after she’d finally gotten him to lower his guard.

He was staring at her when she looked up, but he quickly averted his gaze.

“I didn’t mean to sound critical,” she said, standing and smoothing the crumpled dress.

“That’s a relief,” he said dryly, shrugging into his shirt and buttoning it with speedy fingers. “Especially from the woman who told me she came to Sweetness because she heard there were lots of eligible men around.”

Alicia’s face warmed. She was allowing her true feelings about relationships to interfere with the fact that she was here under the guise of looking for a man. But Marcus pushed her buttons. She lifted her chin. “Maybe I just think a relationship should be more balanced, that the man shouldn’t be calling all the shots.”

He tucked his shirt into his pants. “There are probably a few guys out there who would agree with you…but I wouldn’t call them men.” He touched his fingers to his forehead in a mock salute, then he strode to the door, removed the chair, and walked out.

White-hot anger whipped through Alicia. She screwed up her mouth, then grabbed a pillow and threw it against the closed door. “Ooh!”

20

“T
he air conditioner seems to be working,” Kendall commented from across the table where they were having morning coffee at the diner.

Marcus pulled his gaze away from Alicia, who was pouring refills at the counter. “It’s sluggish,” he muttered. “Jenkins is supposed to come by later to replace the wrong coolant Taylor put in. Idiot.”

Porter grunted. “He was only trying to help, Marcus. What put you in such a bad mood?”

“Or should we ask
who?
” Kendall added with a sly smile.

Marcus frowned. “
You two
put me in a bad mood. Both of you snored like bears last night. I barely got any sleep.” That and the fact that he’d marched out of Alicia’s room the night before with her bracelet still in his shirt pocket. It had felt like a grenade under his mattress. And there was the matter of not being able to get the woman out of his mind. He sneaked another glance her way. She, on the other hand, seemed to have taken their encounter in stride. She was smiling at a customer, happy and fresh as a damn daisy.

“It never bothered you before,” Porter remarked, pulling Marcus’s attention back to the table.

Marcus squinted. “Hmm?”

“Our snoring,” Kendall prompted. “It never bothered you before.”

“Well, it does now. When are you two idgets going to get your houses built so you can move out of the bunkhouse?”

His brothers exchanged glances, then squirmed.

“Soon.”

“We’re going to break ground sometime after Homecoming weekend.”

Marcus nodded, keeping his doubts to himself. He took another deep drink from his cup, hoping the caffeine would kick in.

Looking back on last night, Alicia had been the one who’d pulled
him
into
her
room. And considering her stash of condoms, the woman probably had many lovers. It would explain why she’d been so skilled at drawing him out afterward. She’d sounded interested in what he was trying to do here. For a while, he’d actually considered telling her how much pressure he felt to meet the federal deadline and to make the town succeed. Until she’d made it sound as if he was trying to start his own cult.

“That young girl, Betsy Hahn, is doing a great job on the website for Homecoming,” Porter remarked.

“She says we have over three thousand friends on our social media page,” Kendall added.

Marcus shook his head. “I have no idea what that means.”

“It means we need to be prepared for a bigger crowd than we expected,” Porter said.

“Amy and I are going to stake off more areas for parking along the road leading into town,” Kendall said. “I’ll peel off a crew to start clearing the lots. Oh, and Porter has good news.”

Marcus looked at their younger brother. “What?”

“The fabricated pieces for the church will be here today.”

Porter’s tone didn’t exactly connote good news, but Marcus assumed he was preoccupied with a pending proposal. “Good. Did you extend a contract to the minister?”

“Yes…and he accepted on the spot.” Porter made a rueful noise. “I hope we’re not making a mistake.”

“Because of the stuttering thing?” Marcus asked.

His brothers nodded.

“I’d hate to see Emory and Shelby’s vow renewal ceremony turn into something awkward,” Porter said.

“Seems to me the most important thing is what Emory and Shelby will be saying to each other,” Marcus offered.

His brothers shot him surprised expressions.

“I’m just saying.” He lifted his cup for another drink and frowned. Now he was parroting Alicia?

A woman who’d hinted he was a chauvinist pig? Just because Alicia Waters didn’t plan on getting married didn’t mean she had to pass judgment on an entire town because the current living arrangements were a little traditional for her tastes.

“Refills?”

At the sound of Alicia’s voice near his ear, Marcus jumped. He looked up to see her standing there, wearing a tight apron over shorts and a tank top, holding a coffeepot and extending a group-encompassing smile.

Just as if nothing special had transpired between the two of them yesterday.

“Sure,” Porter said, scooting his cup closer. Kendall did the same.

“Tony’s doing a great job,” Alicia told Kendall, nodding to where the boy vigorously bussed a table across the room. “He’s a joy to have around.”

Kendall looked pleased at her praise for his son.

She turned to Porter. “And Nikki was a dear to look me over yesterday after I had a little accident here in the diner.”

Porter beamed with pride. “She’s a gem. Hope you’re feeling better.”

“Oh, yes, thanks. It was just a bump.”

After she topped off their cups, she leveled her gaze on Marcus, her brown eyes wide and innocent. “Refill, boss?”

He set his jaw. “I’ll pass.”

“Don’t mind him,” Porter offered. “Marcus didn’t get any sleep last night.”

One delicate dark brow arched. “Really? That’s too bad. Everything here is under control if you need to go take a nap.”

Porter snorted into his cup, and Kendall bit back a smile.

Marcus frowned up at her. “I don’t take naps.”

“No?” She gave him an artless smile. “I feel like I get to know you better every day.” She flapped her big long eyelashes, then flitted to the next table.

Marcus realized his brothers were watching him. “What?” he barked.

“Nothing.”

“Just enjoying my fresh coffee, bro.”

He lifted his cup for another drink, but it was empty. He set it on the table with a thud. “How are things at the city hall site?” he asked Kendall.

“Ready to break ground today,” Kendall said, then he snapped his fingers. “That reminds me, Marcus—don’t forget the ribbon-cutting ceremony this afternoon for the opening of the bank.”

“I’ll leave that to you,” Marcus said. “I’m going to hang the Homecoming banner like I promised Rachel, and while the fire truck is out, I figure it’s a good time to set fire to that burn pile in the meadow.”

“You going to get Alicia’s help with that one?” Porter asked.

Kendall grinned at Porter. “Good one.”

Marcus rolled his eyes. “You two are a riot, you know that?”

“Any word from the D.O.E. rep?” Kendall asked.

“Nothing yet,” Marcus said. “He should be here any day.”

“The diner will get high marks this time,” Porter said, looking around the bustling place.

“I’d feel better if we had a dedicated cook,” Marcus said. “Will one of you ask Regina Watts to place an ad?”

“Will do,” Kendall said, then checked his notes. “What else can we tick off today?”

Marcus tapped his finger on the table. “Could you ask Dr. Devine to recommend the best environmentally safe way to treat the boardinghouse for pests?”

Kendall blinked. “Since when are you interested in anything that goes on at the boardinghouse?”

Marcus shifted in his chair. “I heard they might have a scorpion problem.”

Kendall nodded slowly. “Sure, I’ll look into it.”

Porter pushed back from the table. “I’d better get to the church site.”

“Before you go…” Marcus looked back and forth between his brothers, then he leaned in to keep his voice low. “Do you think Sweetness has a patriarchal culture?”

Kendall stared, and Porter looked utterly bewildered.

“I’m outta here,” Porter said, then he fled.

The way Kendall was looking at him, Marcus was seriously regretting saying anything. “Forget it.”

“You okay, bro?” Kendall asked.

“Just tired.” Marcus rubbed his eyes.

“You’ve been working too hard. Why don’t you take a break sometime today and see if anything’s biting at Pop’s fishing hole?”

Marcus nodded. “I might do that.”

“Good,” Kendall said, eyeing him with concern. “I’m worried about you.”

Marcus waved him off. “I’m fine.”

When Kendall walked away, Marcus angled another glance toward Alicia. She was laughing at something one of the male customers at the counter had said, and looking way too sexy for her coffeepot.

Marcus ground his teeth. He was fine…he was always fine.