LOVE on The Horizon (Breaking The Rules #1) (8 page)

I needed her to be more adamant that whatever this was between us couldn’t happen. If she were to thrust a firm hand in my face and tell me to fuck off, that would be all I’d need to leave her alone. Instead, she stood there saying things to me that had my heart squeezing painfully with emotion.

Ricky’s words played in my mind. There were a million reasons why it was a bad idea, but one very good reason why it wasn’t. That one reason was causing every cell in my body to pulse with need. This was so unfair. Didn’t I deserve to be happy?

In a tone of voice barely above a whisper, she said, “So now you know how I feel.”

The admission from her lips had me taking a step toward her, until I halted immediately. What was I doing? We were out on deck, and I was about to cross that line again. The problem was I no longer cared. Logic was the furthest thing from my mind. All I thought of were my growing feelings toward her.

“We need to talk about this, but not out here,” I whispered, holding her gaze with mine. “I’ll come to you.”

She nodded, understanding my words, and quietly walked away.

When I appeared at her door fifteen minutes later, all I could think of was what she’d feel like beneath my touch.

She opened her door, stepping aside to let me in.

“Rebecca, this will change everything.”

“I know.”

“Are you sure?”

“About this? No.” She smiled shyly and shrugged. “None of this makes sense, but I’ve never felt this way before, which is why I can’t ignore it.”

Impulsively, I reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear, holding my hand on the smooth curve of her neck. Her smile faded when her lips parted. Once again, her beauty stole my breath. How could wanting a piece of her perfection be so wrong?

“Neither can I,” I admitted. “Not anymore.”

We stood facing each other with our desire bouncing around the small cabin like a stray, unpredictable bullet. Through our locked gazes and our rapid breaths, the flimsy excuse for a wall that represented our resolve wavered between us. I stepped closer until our bodies touched, and the paper wall floated effortlessly to the ground.

My eyes devoured the contours of her face, her neck, and her beautiful breasts. “Can I kiss you?”

Her nod was immediate, her smile stunning.

I dug my hands into her hair and held her head hostage. She watched wide-eyed as I leaned closer and pressed my lips to hers. Her hands slid up my arms until she linked them behind my neck. Her fingers tugged on my hair, and the tentative kiss turned into an explosion of passion between us. Just as I predicted, there was no turning back. The thing that surprised me the most was I no longer cared. The consequences and the rules were the furthest things from my mind at that moment.

The only thing on my mind was Rebecca.

His hands skimmed over my back, pushing me farther into his body. A tiny moan escaped from my lips when I felt his hardened cock pressing between us. I needed to feel his skin, so I untucked his shirt to slip my hands beneath. I skimmed every flawless bump and ridge of his hard abs, reveling in the feel of him.

He closed his eyes as I explored. When my fingers traced over his nipples, he opened his eyes slowly, pinning me with a scorching, heated stare. Never breaking eye contact, he mimicked my move and slipped his big, warm hands beneath the fabric of my T-shirt.

“Marco.” At the sound of my voice, he quickly pulled his hands away. “No, don’t stop,” I pleaded.

“I will. I will stop the moment you want me to.”

“I don’t want you to.”

Tentatively, he caressed my back and my sides with his eyes focusing on my lips. Bending, he took them in a slow, sweet kiss. It was such a contradiction to the chaos, the fire that smoldered within my chest. My pounding heart thrummed impatiently, while his lips and hands unhurriedly drove me insane.  

Taking one of his hands in mine, I led him to sit on the side of my small bed. We were beyond the point we’d be able to stop, and I no longer cared.

I needed to see her, feel more of her. Impulsively, I removed her top. Her breasts were spectacular, and the sight of them had me gawking at her nakedness like a horny teenager. With a shy smile, she reclined until she was flat on her back. In a trance, I moved to lie beside her, still fully clothed. This no longer had anything to do with my needs. It was all about appreciating this gorgeous woman in every way. She watched as I ran a hand over her breasts and down her torso. She bit her lip when I slipped my hand inside the waistband of her pants. She closed her eyes when I skimmed over her smooth skin and into her slick folds.

She muttered, “Oh, God,” when I slipped a finger inside of her warmth. I added another and used my thumb to bring her an orgasm. Her fingers clutched my shoulders in desperation. I dipped my head and pulled her nipple into my mouth. The vision of Rebecca having an orgasm was so beautiful and one I would never forget. She stared straight into my eyes and said my name. I’ve never heard a more beautiful sound. I kissed her deeply, swallowing her noises until they were replaced with heavy pants.

Once she relaxed, a seed of doubt began to cultivate in the pit of my stomach. What had I done? She sensed the change in me and cupped the side of my face.

“Marco, please don’t regret this.”

“How did you know?”

“I could tell. What you just made me feel, I’ve never felt that in my entire life. No one has ever made me feel that way.”

“You’ve never had an orgasm?” He couldn’t hide the shock in his voice.

“No. I’ve never had a good one.”

I pulled him down to kiss me. While kissing, I gathered the fabric of his shirt in my fingers and broke our kiss to pull it over his head. Just as he had when he first saw me, I skimmed my eyes over his chest and abs before working my gaze back up to his face. “You are by far the best-looking man I’ve ever met.”

He skimmed my face with his fingertips while saying the most beautiful sounding words I’d ever heard.

“What did you just say?” I asked with a smile.

“You are so beautiful. I can’t get enough of your beauty.”

“How do you say, me too?”

“
Anch’io
.”

“
Ank-ee-o
.”

I kissed his lips and then traveled across his jaw, down his neck, and over his chest. I continued placing openmouthed kisses on his body until I reached his waistband. While watching his eyes, I slowly unbuckled his belt, unbuttoned his pants, and lowered his zipper until his hardened bulge was revealed within his briefs. With one hand on his abs, I used the other to release his cock, placing one perfect kiss on the tip.

“
Fanculo!
” he said, jerking beneath my lips.

“I think I know what that means,” I admitted with a smile. “Fuck?”

“Yes.”

My response was to pull him into my mouth.

I’d never seen anything sexier than Marco losing himself from my efforts. I traced lazy patterns on his chest with my fingertip while he stared quietly at the ceiling.

“Wow,” he said for the third time. I lay against his firm, muscular body, smiling at the state I’d reduced him to.

“Good?”

“Great.”

“Not bad for a neo, huh?”

He looked down at me. “Ricky told you that?” I smiled wide and he shook his head. “He’s too much. Do I have any secrets that he’ll keep?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.”

“You now know my biggest one.”

“I do?”

“Yes. I’ve wanted to taste you since the day we met. And I can’t believe I just allowed my beautiful entertainment staff coordinator to give me a blow job.”

“Marco, we’re both adults. You didn’t force me to do anything I didn’t want to do. In fact, as I remember it, I pretty much took you without consent. At least you asked permission to kiss me.” He smiled at my argument. “It’s true,” I added with a shrug.

“I’m so happy you said yes.”

“I’m so happier that you asked.”

“I know my English enough to know that doesn’t make sense.”

“Whatever.” I settled back against his chest, and he gathered me into his arms. “So, what happens now?” I asked hesitantly. I knew I was setting myself up to hear words I wouldn’t be happy hearing.

“We need to be careful,” he said, surprising me. I allowed myself a small smile, thrilled that he wasn’t willing to stop what we started. I wasn’t willing to stop it either. I needed more.

“I can be careful. I love a challenge.”

“That I know, Ms. Stanton.” He smoothed a firm hand down my back and rested it just above the curve of my ass over my yoga pants. When he patted my ass, he said, “I really should go. We both have to be up in a few hours.”

“Okay,” I responded, unable to hide the disappointment I felt over him leaving my bed. I wished he could stay until morning, get naked, and possibly continue what we started. I didn’t want to push my luck or drive him into thinking this was a mistake. Instead, I watched quietly as he buttoned his pants and buckled his belt. I reached for my T-shirt and quickly covered myself up.

“I’ll have Ricky coordinate our breaks and off time. He’ll also be our carrier pigeon,” he said with his stunning smile.

“You’re telling Ricky?” I asked excitedly.

“I don’t have a choice,” he said on a laugh, causing my insides to tremble. “He’ll know after taking one look at me. The man is like a human lie detector. His eyes actually light up when he catches me in a lie.”

I giggled at the visual, and Marco sat beside me on the bed. “You have the best laugh.”

“No, you do,” I refuted.

He leaned closer and kissed me sweetly. “
Così bella
,” he said after he broke our kiss. “I truly must go now. Otherwise, I’ll be here for days and end up getting us both fired.” At his words, a chill caused by doubt ran over my heated skin. “
Ciao, bella
,” he said before turning to leave.

I knew we were taking a huge risk. Still, I wasn’t willing to walk away…especially after our night together. We were breaking the rules that could jeopardize our jobs. The risk could ruin my promising career. That possibility made me angry. I should be able to be with someone I cared about, in spite of our job titles.

Sleep never came, and I ended up lying in my bed the rest of the night, replaying every kiss and touch between us. I could still smell him on my sheets, and I buried my head farther into my pillow to inhale his delicious scent. When my alarm clock read five a.m., I stopped pretending sleep would come. I decided to go for a run on the upper deck before our scheduled staff meeting.

The deck was deserted except for a few die-hard runners. Even if there were thousands running with me, it wouldn’t interrupt my thoughts. I spent the time imagining future rendezvous with my boss. I watched the sun rise over the ocean, allowing the warm rays to encourage my euphoria.

My good mood stayed with me all the way back to my cabin, while dressing for the day, and heading to the staff meeting. I got there early to have my choice of seats. With coffee cup in hand, I sat at the end of the table, waiting for the rest to arrive. Next one through the door was Ricky, grinning from ear to ear.

“Good morning,
bella
.” He sat beside me, his smile never wavering.

“Don’t call me that.” I only wanted Marco calling me that. “And, stop smiling like that. It’s creepy.” I couldn’t help but to grin back like a fool. It was a good thing we were alone. Otherwise, we’d look like escaped mental patients.

“I’m allowed to smile. I’m happy. I am a very, very smart man.”

“He told you already?”

“Pfft, I guessed. I really wish people would listen to me when I tell them that I know what’s right for them. It would save me so much angst.” He rolled his eyes annoyingly.

I gawked at his self-righteous rant. “We could get fired,” I whispered desperately. His response was to kiss my cheek. He handed me a piece of paper with the day’s itinerary.

“You’ll note there’s been a change in plans. You need to cover the Not-So-Newlywed Game instead of the line-dancing lesson. This will give you off from three to four.”

“Okay. What am I doing from three to four?”

“You’ll be so exhausted, you’ll need a nap.”

“This is so wrong.”

“Nope, it’s so right,” he argued.

The rest of the team started to filter into the conference room. Ricky waited until everyone arrived to open the meeting. It was normal for him to review itineraries before Marco took over. It wasn’t normal for Marco to be late. When twenty minutes passed without any sign of him, I started to worry. Ricky didn’t seem at all fazed. He looked at his watch and said, “I thought Marco would be done by now. Do you have any questions before I end the meeting?”

Everyone shook their heads, and Ricky dismissed them. I loitered, waiting for us to be alone. “What’s going on? Where is he?” I asked.

“He moved his three p.m. meeting to now so he could be free then. Keep up, Stanton.”

Wow, we were really doing this. My mood improved with each hour that passed until it was five minutes to three and my heart started pounding with anticipation. I was about to have a full hour with Marco, and I couldn’t wait. I went back to my cabin, hoping he wouldn’t be late since we only had an hour. At two minutes past three, he knocked on my door.

“Hi,” I said as I opened it and he quickly entered my room.

“
Ciao
,” he responded before kissing me sweetly. “How’s your day so far?”

“Great, once Ricky filled me in on the plan.”

“We may be
pazzo
for giving him control.” At my confusion, he added, “Crazy.”

“Are you having doubts?”

He wrapped his arms around my waist, linking them behind my back. “Yes
,
but it doesn’t mean it’s because I don’t want to be with you. I just worry.”

“I know. I appreciate your concern. I’m scared too, but I’m not sure ignoring this is the answer.”

He kissed me chastely and admitted, “You’re right. It’s not the answer. We still need to be careful.”

“We will.”

He looked down at my face, as I remained entwined in his arms. He moved his hand to tuck a stray hair behind my ear and then held my lobe between his fingers. “Tell me about your life, Rebecca. I want to know everything about you.”

This man couldn’t be real. Here he had me in my cabin for the taking, and he wanted to talk? Not wanting him to think I was a complete floozy for wanting him naked on my bed, I smiled and conceded. “Okay. Let’s swap stories.”

We sat on my bed and I filled him in on my parents, my siblings, and my friends. I again admitted how lost I’d felt after graduation and how I viewed Sunset as my own personal lifesaver. He told me about Florence and his family. He had two older sisters who were both married, with six children between them. Even with six grandkids to keep them busy, his parents still shamelessly hounded him to settle down. His father wanted the Puglia name to continue and would remind Marco of his duty as a son every chance he got. Marco wanted a family someday, but for now, his career was his life.

“Tell me about Italy,” I asked as he played with my hair.

“Ah,
Italia
is so beautiful.” There was a faraway look in his eyes as he described Florence, Tuscany, the beaches, and the mountains. “Everything you need is a car ride away. In a day, you could travel from the snow-capped Alps to the beaches of Sicily.”

“
La vita
è
buona,
” I repeated what he’d said to me at Orient Bay.

He looked down adoringly. “Yes,
bella
. It’s very good.” He held my face and kissed me passionately. Just like that, our chat was over. Long, openmouthed kisses where our tongues alternated between eager tangles and slow strokes. His hands roamed slowly. With a firm touch, he held my breast before hitching my leg over his hip. We spent the rest of our time together making out on my bed, and it was the most erotic make-out session I’d ever had. The alarm on his watch beeped, cutting through the air like a big-ass gong.

“One hour is not enough with you.” He stared right into my eyes, the passion smoldering in his turning them to a chocolate brown color. “I’ll be thinking of you,
bella
.”

“Me too.” All day…all night, I thought to myself.

“I’ll see you at on the Promenade. Wear your black gown.”

“You like that one?”

“It’s my favorite,” he whispered into my ear before slipping out of my room and leaving me a horny mess.

I had just enough time to masturbate, shower, and get ready for Captain’s Night.

“Hmm, you’re wearing his favorite dress. Coincidence?”

I shook my head at Ricky and his constant need to get a rise out of me. He knew damn well I had been with Marco earlier, and he knew damn well that I was wearing Marco’s favorite dress. He stood next to me at the entrance to the Promenade while I greeted passengers passing by. Ricky was a very handsome man. A mix between a Ken doll and Zac Efron, he got plenty of looks from females walking by, as well as quite a few from some men.

“Ricky, do you have someone special in your life?” I asked. I was finally comfortable enough in our relationship to ask him what I’d been dying to know. He was so loyal to Marco and his job, but how could he not be lonely?

“I did. I’m not the monogamous type anymore.” He met my eyes and tweaked my nose. “Don’t look at me like that. Happily ever after isn’t in the cards for me, and I’m okay with that. Thus, my need to get everyone else there.”

My heart ached for him. I placed my hand on his arm and said, “Promise me if you ever want to talk about it, vent about it, or get drunk over it, then I’m your girl.”

“I promise, sweetie pie.” Something in the distance caught his eye, and I looked over to see what had him frowning.

Across the Promenade from where we stood, a very touchy-feely Dina was all over Marco. He grabbed her hands and removed them from the lapels of his tux. He then shook his head and walked away. Dina looked upset for a minute before she saw Ricky smirking at her. Her facial expression morphed into anger, and she stormed off in the opposite direction.

“She is like a foot fungus that won’t go away.”

Seeing her with Marco suddenly forced a realization to hit me. “They had a relationship, didn’t they?”

Ricky met my gaze and smiled. “It was a mistake. He knows it, and she refuses to admit it. It was before he got promoted.”

“That explains a lot,” I said distractedly. Dina must have picked up on a vibe between Marco and me.

“Hey,” Ricky said, taking my hand. “If you waste one brain cell in that beautiful head of yours, I’ll hurt you.”

“Okay, no more talking about depressing shit. So, what’s the agenda tonight, boss?”

“After dinner, I assigned Warren to emcee the concert because Marco’s new training program has kicked in.”