Take Me I'm Yours (Coffee House Chronicles) (9 page)

And to think, only moments ago, she saw the evening as a complete and utter failure. An awkward silence lapsed and she bit her lip, watching the patrons in the coffee house and the band take the stage once again. Marion noticed Jessica and Company still eyed them. Or rather Graeme.

And suddenly her Inner Bitch awoke and she sidled next to Graeme and slipped her hand in his
, lacing their fingers. He glanced down at her, somewhat surprised though not displeased.

“Should we call it a night?” Graeme sounded as unsure as she felt.
Maybe he didn’t want the night to end either.

“I am pretty beat,” she
lied. “It’s been a long day.”
A long, emotional day.

He got to his feet
and she stood. “Then I’ll drive you home.”

As they left the coffee house behind, Jessica and Company star
ed after them. She couldn’t help but feel a little superior Graeme left with her. He winked at her, a signal he got what she was doing and she bit her inner cheek so as not to laugh out loud.

They stepped outside into the balmy
nighttime air and then her evening turned into a nightmare. She saw Ethan heading up the sidewalk toward them. He had a blonde on his arm.

“Oh
, no.”

“What is it?”

She stifled the groan that wanted to erupt. She nodded in Ethan’s direction. Graeme placed his hand in the small of her back in a protective gesture.

“Ethan. How can he be here and with
her
? I thought he wanted to get back together.”

“Don’t worry
.” His voice was low so only she could hear. He swung her into his arms and pulled her close enough she got a nose full of his delicious cologne. “We can handle him.”

His mouth landed on hers in a fierce kiss of possession, his arms holding her so close their bodies meld
ed. His lips were soft and sensual, demanding and determined. His tongue delved deep inside, swirling with hers and dancing an oral waltz. Tasting her. Bringing her to the edge of delight and pushing her over. Her body responded with loud applause, every nerve-ending stood up and took notice. Heat pooled at the apex of her thighs and her brain near short circuited.

She never wanted it to end
. He took her breath away. Quite literally.

“Well, well.” Ethan
’s voice broke their embrace.

Reluctantly, Graeme released her and she staggered to his side, his arm still around her waist, holding her close. Her lips were swollen in his arduous aftermath and she resisted the urge to run her fingertips over them.

Ethan gave them a look of disgust. “If it isn’t the happy couple. I can’t believe you’re still hanging out with this loser, Marion. I thought you had better taste than that.”

“Awfully snide for someone who wants me back,” Marion replied calmly. She glanced at the girl next to him who looked at Ethan with wide eyes.
“She your girlfriend?” She nodded toward Blondie. “Did you already have her lined up or did you find her this afternoon after I turned you down?”

“Ethan and I have been together for four months,” Blondie said, sounding defensive.

“Wow, four
whole
months. I’m impressed,” Marion said. “Did he tell you he came to me earlier today wanting to reconcile?” She turned her gaze back to Ethan.

Beside her, Graeme
coughed to cover his smirk.

“Ethan
, is that true?” Blondie released his arm and stepped back from him, looking hurt. She crossed her arms over her much too ample bosom.

His chiseled features
turned stony, the muscle in his jaw ticked with his annoyance as he glared at Marion. Finally, he put on his best fake smile and turned to the girl, slipping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close.

“Of course not, sweetie. Don’t you recognize the
cry of a desperate woman when you hear it?”

Marion balled her fists, wishing she could punch in him that sardonic grin. “You—”

“He’s not worth it, baby.” Graeme hugged her gently to him. “You know what a master manipulator he is.”

“And I suppose you’re worth it?” Ethan shot back
.

“She’s w
ith me, isn’t she?” Graeme said.

Marion glanced at him
to see his arrogant smile he flashed at Ethan. Her heart throbbed hard and she suddenly found him completely irresistible. All those feelings she had tried to suppress flooded up, threatening to overcome her. She had to get it in check and quick.

“Come on,” Ethan said. “These losers aren’t worth our time.”

Ethan stepped around them with the girl in tow who gave Marion a look of death. Marion wanted to shout something sarcastic back but couldn’t think of anything. If Delilah had been there, she’d have a ready comment. As the two walked away, Graeme hadn’t bothered to remove his arm around her waist.

Marion giggle
d. The farther away he got, the harder she laughed and pretty soon, she was overcome with gales of laughter. Graeme laughed too, whether at her or the entire situation she couldn’t be sure but she didn’t really care.

“What did
I…ever see…in that guy?” she asked between breaths. It was more a rhetorical question than anything.

“I don’t know but calling us losers is like the pot calling the kettle black.”

Graeme still held her close. She liked it. He was so warm and cozy next to her. She wanted him to keep her there for as long as possible but knew it would have to end sometime.

“Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you home.”

Chapter Seven

Marion woke on Sunday before the sun started streaming in her window. She glanced at the clock and groaned when she saw it was after seven. Why she found it difficult to sleep in on weekends was beyond her
.

Her day
began early during the week when she would get to the gym and do her own work-out before her clients came for theirs. She started the day with a cup of coffee and toning exercises. On the weekends, after crawling out of bed, she’d do yoga to keep her muscles flexible and to find her center.

But this morning, she couldn’t bring herself to get out of bed. Instead, she buried deeper under the blankets
, pulling them over her head to block out the morning light. As she lay there listening to the silence of the house, her thoughts turned to Graeme. They would be visiting the art museum together and it made her smile. She really looked forward to spending more time with him.

The way he held her against him last night
when they ran into Ethan made her body tingle. She was certain she could still feel Graeme’s warmth and smell his cologne. He made her feel safe and warm. Deep down she knew the whole “let’s be friends” thing was a farce. And she intended to put an end to it.

She could picture his face clearly with those pale blue eyes that were so striking she could get lost in
them. She even liked his goatee. It was oh-so-sexy. And when he kissed her, his whiskers tickled her face.
Mmm
.

How
could she forget the way his face scraped against hers as they kissed? She liked the way it felt against her skin. If they kissed for more than thirty seconds, what would it feel like? Would he abrade her, make her raw? And what would it feel like on other places on her? She flushed.

T
hinking about it made the dark recesses of her body respond. She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back remembering his incredibly soft hands, his elongated fingers, the perfectly trimmed nails.

Her hand slid down, over her breasts pausing to squeeze their softness.
Her nipples peaked, turning into hard pebbles that begged for more. She pinched first one then the other. Desire and need coiled in her lower abdomen, her core suddenly damp. She kicked away the blankets, looking down the length of her naked body.

When she returned home the previous night,
she needed more. She had stripped, leaving her clothes in a pile, and slid between the cool sheets. It wasn’t often she slept in the nude, but last night she had to. She had to touch herself to ecstasies until she came and came and came. It still wasn’t enough. It would never be enough until she was with Graeme. Until his bare skin was sliding against hers. Until he buried deep insider her.

She needed more.

Her hands moved lower over her sharp hip bones as she thought only of Graeme. Her legs fell apart with her knees slightly bent as her fingers slipped over the coarse hair and parted her lips. Her fingertips dipped into her warm dampness, making slow deliberate swirls, barely grazing her skin and igniting the fire deep inside her. And even that wasn’t enough.

Like any single gal, she had her private stash of B.O.B.s—battery operated boyfriends. She’d put them to good use over the last few months since she hadn’t been with anyone. She reached for her nightstand drawer and found the small vibrator that fit over her fingertip. Flicking it on, she returned her hand back to her
clit.

Her heart pounded as her vibrating finger rocked back and forth
over her swollen nub. The dampness increased, her excitement escalated. Visions of Graeme and that glorious tongue of his danced through her mind, making her want his mouth on her
there
as she neared climax. Her body ached for more, wanting to feel his hard length sliding in and out of her, wanting to touch him. To have him touch her. She imagined Graeme’s lovemaking would be slow and deliberate. It would be nothing like Ethan, whose selfish love play left her wanting.

With her eyes closed
, she tossed away the toy and slipped two fingers inside. Her body contracted instantly. She pressed her hand against her sex, rolling her hips as her orgasm burst through her and she cried out.

With her chest heaving from the exertion, she
stared at the ceiling and wished Graeme was lying beside her. Wishing he had been the one to make her come. It had been so long since she’d felt the touch of a man. The only one she really wanted was him.

Her ringing phone broke into her dreamy state and she jumped, her nerves raw. She yanked the sheet over her nakedness, as if the person on the other end of the phone would know what she was up to.
She snatched it up with a gruff hello.

“Did I wake you?”
It was Delilah on the other end.

“No. I was just…lying here.”
Wishing there was a man in my bed.

“How’d it go last night? Did you behave?”

“Yes,
Mom
.” Marion rolled her eyes. “I was a good girl and it went fine. Graeme loved your fricassee, by the way.”

“Great! And…?” Delilah prompted.

“And nothing. We had a nice dinner together and then he took me to the coffee house for dessert.”

“Mar, you’re not telling me something. You slept with him, didn’t you?”

“No!” Marion pushed to a sitting position. She raked a hand through her hair. “I did not. He didn’t even kiss me good night.”

That was not exactly true. He
had
kissed her. Just not when he dropped her off. And she had so wanted him to. She even leaned toward him, giving him the opportunity. She wanted to feel that mouth on hers again. “I suppose it’s because we ran into Ethan outside the coffee house.”

“Oh, no. Again? Is he stalking you?”

Marion couldn’t help but laugh. “With his new girlfriend in tow? I doubt it.”

“Wait. He has someone else?”

“Yeah, a big dumb blonde bombshell. He didn’t introduce me but she knows I’m the ex. And she also knows he came crawling back, begging to get back together.”

“How does she know that?” Delilah asked.

“I sort of told her.”

Her friend laughed. “Good for you, Mar. So what happened?”

“Oh, he was an ass. I did get to insult him a few times. Graeme was sweet about it too. He asked me to go to the art museum with him today.”

“
Really? That sounds more than friendly.”

“We’ll see.” Marion smiled at the thought of
more than friendly
with Graeme. “Anyway, I don’t want him mad at me because Ethan keeps showing up.”

“As if that’s
your
problem. Ethan is the one with the problem. If you run into him again, I’m going to think he really is stalking you. Anyway, I wanted to see how it went last night. And to make sure you were a good girl.”

“Ha. I was.”

“And that’s perfectly okay too, you know.”

Marion
smiled. Even though Delilah seemed against the match, Marion knew she wanted her to be happy.

“I’m headed to the mall. You want to come?” Delilah said.

“Nah, I’m off to the art store before Graeme picks me up. I have to get some stuff for my art class on Tuesday. Plus I want to look into pottery lessons.”

“Pottery?” Delilah didn’t bother to hide her surprise. “What for?
Are you hiding from men in art or something?”