Cautious (Sequel to Disastrous) (14 page)

I wished him a long and painful death.

His eyes slightly squinted as he took another puff of his cigar.
“You’re bleeding, sweetheart.” He glanced at my lips.

His remark distanced me from my trance. Confused, I wiped my hand
along my chin. Blood was dripping from my lip. I’d bitten down so hard that I’d
punctured through the flesh. The metallic taste of the blood was potent as I
sucked my bottom lip in, squeezing as much as I could. “Excuse me.” I mumbled
as I made my way past him. I rushed away from Lou, as fast and far as I could.

I rushed through the crowded room in search of anyone familiar. I
finally spotted Megan and Jeremy by the bar, laughing and flirting, in a much better
state than earlier. I headed toward them. As I got closer, Marcus came into view.
He was beside Jeremy, ordering more shots. “There’s my girl.” He said with a
huge smile. “Where you been? I missed you.”

After a few deep breaths, I forced a smile and leaned into his
open arms. “I’ve been around. Are you having fun?” I tried to steady my voice.

“I’m having a blast. Thank you for everything. I love you.” He
leaned in and planted wet kiss on my cheek.

I wanted nothing but to join in his happiness at that moment, but
after the encounter with Lou, I couldn’t push him away from my thoughts.
Clinging to Marcus, I tightened my eyes and desperately tried to rid myself of the
memory of the man I hated more than anyone or anything.

“Hey.” Marcus placed two fingers under my chin and lifted my face
so that he could look at me. “Are you okay?” Although he wasn’t slurring, I
could tell how much alcohol he had consumed by the bloodshot look in his eyes.
That was exactly where I wanted to be, in the same drunken state of mind as
him.

“I don’t think I’m drunk enough.” I mumbled.

A smile formed along his lips. “Well, let me take care of that
for you.” He reached over to the counter where there were a few filled shot
glasses and grabbed two. Handing me one, we clinked glasses, smiled, and downed
the shots. The warmth and burning sensation that the shot of whisky caused was
a better reaction than I’d anticipated. Nodding, I glanced at Marcus and asked
for another one.

That night, I would get rid of the pain, the bad memories, and
allow alcohol and Marcus to take it all away.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

MARCUS

“Dinner is ready. Sorry for the delay.” My mother
announced.

By that time, there were so many guests in my home, and all I
wanted was the night to end. I looked around as all the guests followed my
mother’s directions toward the back where dinner would be served.

Mia stumbled into my chest. I wrapped my arms around her to stay balanced.
I’d been drinking since this afternoon with Jimmie, and I still wasn’t as
intoxicated as she was at that moment. Leaning into the side of her face, I
brushed a few tendrils of hair behind her ear as I whispered, “Let’s go
upstairs.”

Her eyes flashed up toward me. “No, your mother will be angry if
we miss dinner.” She hiccupped.

Smiling, I ran the back of my fingers along her soft cheek.
“She’ll be fine, Mia. Let’s go upstairs.” I wrapped my arm around her shoulder
and maneuvered her toward the stairway.

Mia came to a stop, causing both of us to slightly jerk. She
turned to face me. “But, Marcus, it’s your birthday. We can’t end it early.”
She swallowed and stared at me with beady, gleaming eyes. “We haven’t even sung
happy birthday yet.”

Megan came up beside us. “Do you need help, Marcus?” I quickly
glanced around and saw that Jeremy had remained seated by the bar.

“Yes, please. Can you take Mia up to my room? It’s the last door
at the end of the hall.” Nodding, Megan tossed Mia’s arm around her shoulder.
“I’ll be up in a few, Mia.” She caved in with a simple nod and allowed Megan to
guide her up the stairs.

I ran a hand over my face as I let out a deep sigh. I was beyond
drunk. But I was able to handle my liquor better than Mia, obviously.

“Marky! You’re a hard man to get a hold of.” I felt a hand clasp
my shoulder and turned to see who it was.

“Lou, I didn’t think you would make it. Did you just arrive?”
Thankfully, Mia was upstairs and had just missed him. I relaxed my shoulders.

“And miss my nephew’s thirtieth? Ah, that hurts.” He placed his
hand over his chest, pretending that he was wounded. “Nope, I’ve been here for
about an hour now. I was catching up with a few old friends.” He looked around
me. “So where’s that gorgeous girl of yours? We ran into each other earlier. She
seemed upset and left. I hope I didn’t scare her off.” Lou’s eyes squinted, and
he focused on my reaction to that comment.

Fuck. That was the reason why Mia wanted to drink. It wasn’t like
her to lose control unless something was bothering her. Why didn’t I realize
that earlier?

Shrugging, I patted his shoulder, “She’s been like that for a few
days. Personal issues she’s dealing with. Don’t take it personally. Thank you
for coming.” I played it off. He nodded, and I gave his shoulder a tight
squeeze when I caught sight of my mother. Curious, I excused myself from Lou
and made my way toward her.

“Mom, are you okay?” I asked as I reached her.

She blinked a few times, let out a deep breath, and then glanced
up at me. “Oh yes, baby, I’m fine. You seem drunk.” She smiled lightly as she
reached out her hand and cupped my face. “I’m guessing you’re having a good
time?”

“Yes, thank you. It was great, but I’m going to call it a night.”

Her brows bunched together, “Oh? It’s still so early, Marcus.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Mia is upstairs. She drank a little more than
usual and so have I.”

She smiled with understanding and then nodded. I leaned down,
squeezed my fragile mother in a tight hug, and thanked her one last time before
heading up the stairs.

While I was walking down the second floor hallway, Megan had
exited my bedroom with her head lowered as she laughed to herself. When she
looked up, she burst out laughing again at my questioning stare. “Oh my God,
Marcus, she’s so drunk.” She patted my arm when we met in the middle.

“How drunk?” I asked, concerned she may have been sick.

“Let’s just say that she had something planned for you and she
insisted she wanted to still go through with it. I had to help her get ready.”

With a raised brow, I quickly glanced at the closed bedroom door
and back at her. “Thanks, Megan.”

She laughed again, shook her head, and headed back down the hall
toward the stairs.

I closed the door behind me as I entered my room. The lights were
dim, candles burned all around, and soft music played in the background. My
lips curled into a smile as my eyes scanned the room, but I couldn’t find her.
I was slowly making my way further into the dark room when she stumbled out of
the bathroom. My heart raced at the sight of how beautiful she was: her hair
down in waves tossed over her shoulders and a short thigh-revealing red silk robe
wrapped around the curves of her body. She stood in black heels that caused her
to seem taller.

Mia let out a barely noticeable smile as she slowly and
seductively made her way toward me. In the few steps it took for her to reach
me, my heart pounded with each one. I couldn’t get enough of her. Every single
aspect of her drove me insane with want, desire, love, and so much more.

She slightly tripped into me and let out a light snicker as she
tried to straighten herself. She didn’t say a word as she ran her hands under
my shirt, taking it with her as she went up. I lifted my arms as she pulled it
over my head. She held the fabric of my shirt on a finger, allowing it to
dangle there for a few seconds before she tossed it over her shoulder. Mia kept
her eyes locked with mine as she ran her finger across my bare skin, and then
she leaned in and pressed her lips along my chest.

The warm touch of her lips shot an electrifying current through
me. Mia pulled back and continued to stare at me as her finger slowly made its
way down, past my abs, down my torso, plunging toward the rim of my jeans. She
teased and twirled her finger along my lower abdomen, causing a tingling
sensation in my groin. She smiled as she took notice of the goose bumps that
formed along my skin.

Impatient, I leaned down to kiss her, but she shook her head as
she waved a well-manicured finger in my face. I couldn’t help the smile that
crept along my lips from amusement. Mia glanced up through her long lashes. Her
eyes were the most beautiful I’d ever seen: big emerald green eyes, with long
curled brown lashes. “Not yet.” She whispered through luscious red lips.

She began to unbuckle my belt and jeans. “I want to make love to
you, Marcus.” She lowered herself, bending and bringing my pants down with her.
I slid out of my boots and removed my jeans completely. As she stood straight
again before me, she wrapped her hands around my neck. “Will you make love to
me?” She asked her eyes back on mine, though they seemed to sadden for a mere
second. Confused, I framed her face with my hands.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, and then it dawned on me. “I saw Lou
downstairs. I know you ran into him. Do you want to talk?”

Her eyes snapped up. “No, I don’t want to talk about him.” Her
face softened. “I want to forget about it.” She brought her hands down and
pressed them along my chest and began moving me forward. I took a few steps
back with every step she took. She stumbled a few times, so I placed my hands
on her elbows to keep her balanced, until the back of my legs touched the bench
in front of my bed. I took a seat on top of it. Mia ran her fingers through my
hair. With her eyes closed, she stumbled out of her heels. I gripped her waist
as she slightly swayed.

“I’m supposed to give you a striptease.” She slightly pouted.

I bit back a laugh. “Says who?”

She shrugged. “That was the plan for tonight.” She stated as she
leaned into my lap and straddled me. Wrapping her arms around my neck, she pressed
her forehead down to mine. “But all I want is for you to pull me in close to
you, kiss me, love me, and hold me.” She brought a hand around and grabbed my
face, lifting my chin, our lips mere inches away. “It’s just you and I, always.
When you touch me, there’s no one else in this world. No one. It’s just us.” I
knew that she was drunk, but Mia’s declaration tugged at my chest. I loved that
woman more than anything, and to hear that she felt the same way about me
triggered an emotion stronger than I’d ever felt for her, if that was even
possible.

Her eyes flashed toward my mouth. She puckered her lips and
lightly kissed me. “Make love to me, Marcus. Make me forget where we are.” She
whispered against my lips. I groaned at her request and opened my mouth,
allowing her access as she drove her tongue right in. I savored every bit of
her taste as she thrust her tongue deeper with a slight moan. I couldn’t help
the growl that escaped at the scent of her perfume, the feel of the tug as she
gripped into my hair, and the way her body molded into mine—as if we were meant
for one another in every way possible.

Breathless, she pulled away from the kiss. I tried to catch my
breath as she stood in front of me and slowly pulled on the strings of her
robe, allowing the thin fabric to fall on the floor, revealing the most perfect
naked body. I stood to face her and looked down at what was mine. She was mine.
Mia wasn’t afraid to let go. She wanted to be taken, to be possessed, to lose
all control, and I did that for her.

Mia shut her eyes as I ran my fingers up her arm, twirled them
around her shoulder, and made my way toward her collarbone. Wrapping my hand
around the back of her neck, I pulled her in and crushed my lips against hers.
She weakened in my arms. Still kissing, we slowly made our way toward the edge
of the bed; I guided her as she stepped back. Once we reached the bed, she
tossed herself on top of the mattress.

Admiring her once again, I slightly hovered over her as she
leaned up, bringing her lips back to mine. Our tongues twirled and twisted into
another passionate and scorching kiss. Then something came over her: Mia pushed
me aside, forcing me to lie on my back. There was a burning desire in her eyes
as she traced her tongue down my torso and toward my groin. She pulled my
briefs off, and my lips slightly parted as she grabbed me and slowly jerked her
hand up and down my length.

Wetting her lips, she dragged her teeth along her bottom lip, and
then she glanced up at me one last time. She then traced her tongue around the
tip of my cock. Fuck. I tossed my head back as soon as she sucked and took me
in her mouth. In consistent strokes, she continued to work her way up and down,
topping it off with a flick of her tongue, and then sucked me in again. The
pleasure was uncontrollable. “Fuck, Mia.” I gripped the back of her head and
forced myself deeper in her mouth. She moaned and began jerking her head at a
faster pace.

“Mia, I’m ’bout to fuckin’ explode.” She ignored me and continued
with her strokes. I felt it coming, so I gripped her head with both hands and
forced her down on me again and again. I throbbed inside her mouth, and she let
out loud moans that forced the pressure to build in me. With each glide up and
down my cock, she tightened her grip around me again and again until I couldn’t
take it anymore.

Slamming my head back into the mattress, I groaned as I released
the building pressure. After a few seconds, Mia lifted her head and climbed her
way on of top me. I tried to turn over so that I could exchange the favor, but
she stopped me. “No, I want this to be for you.” Puzzled, I rose on my elbows
but sank back down the moment she slid me into her. She caught my wrist and
brought my hands to her breasts. I traced my fingers along her hardened
nipples. Mia tossed her head back and began rotating her hips in slow motions.

I’d never seen her like that. It was as if she wanted to get lost
in herself, in us. It was also a fucking turn on. Leaning up, I took her breast
in my mouth and sucked on her nipple. Mia gasped as she picked up pace, wrapped
her arms around my shoulders, and lifted herself, tightening her walls around
my cock and slamming back down. Fuck. She continued doing it over and over
again, until her eyes rolled with pleasure. She slammed her mouth into mine and
sucked on my tongue.