Taken: A One to Take Primer (4 page)

W
e were surrounded
by Thai food boxes, and the bottle of Chardonnay sat empty on my coffee table between two half-full glasses. He only wore his jeans, so his gorgeous lined torso was on full display. The sprinkling of light hair across the top of his chest made my mouth water, and his dark hair was messy bedhead. Every time his smoky hazel eyes met mine, a little surge of electricity moved under my skin.

I was dressed only in his Henley and my panties, but I’d taken my hair out of the high ponytail and fixed it in a low braid over my shoulder. Yes, I’d done it on purpose.

“You’re going to have to tell me at some point.” I took a sip of wine, and my eyes danced over the rim of the glass. Again, he looked as if I’d hit him with a sledgehammer.

“Have I ever told you what your eyes do to me?” His voice was controlled, level.

A little thrill surged low in my belly. “No, please do.”

He leaned forward and pulled me onto his lap in a straddle. I put my wine glass on the table.

“They’re the color of sunset in Montana.” My hands rested on his broad shoulders as I listened. “They remind me of the one place I can find peace. They make me believe you’re my peace.”

Moving my hands to his neck, I held him as I feathered kisses across his brow. “I want to be.”

With a groan he pulled me closer, burying his face in my chest. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and held on.

He turned his head to the side and his voice was husky. “It happened to me.”

I was touching him, smoothing my hands over every part of his skin I could find. “What, baby?”

Lifting his chin, he looked up at me with troubled eyes. “I’ve had stress-dreams since the attack that sent me home. Explosions, fire, everything you described to me. Things you couldn’t have known.”

My eyes heated with tears, and I placed my palms on his cheeks. “My nightmares?”

His head dropped, and he ground out a reply. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you.”

I kissed his temple, then I turned and placed my cheek on it. “What made you believe me? What did you dream?”

“The dream changed. It was similar, but little things were different.” He moved, and I leaned back so our eyes could meet. “The pain was worse. I was in agony…”

Images of my own dream flooded my mind. The burning, him lying on the sand.

“Just when I thought I’d die there, something cool touched my cheek. Small hands held my lips and gave me water. It was you.”

I didn’t know what to say. I’d never had this experience before, so I’d never talked about it with my grandmother. Clearly it was significant, but why? I didn’t know if we were being sent a message or if it was a sign. I wasn’t sure I cared.

Tracing my finger down his arm, I felt a tinge of insecurity. “Nothing like this has ever happened to me.”

“I can safely say it’s never happened to me.”

Not meeting his eyes, I had to ask. “What do you want to do about it?”

A finger hooked under my chin, lifting my gaze to his. “I want to make love to you. Then I want to take you back to Montana. I’ve heard a wedding’s happening there. Two people we both know and love. After that, I’m going to take you to the cabin, and we’re going to spend more time getting to know everything about each other.”

The smile that started at the words “make love to you” grew bigger, spreading across my face more with every word. “I love that plan.”

His eyes grew serious. “I love you, Mariska Renee Heron.” A light kiss. “You loved me when I wasn’t strong enough to love myself, let alone you.”

“I had no choice,” I smiled, kissing him back. “I saw you and my soul came to life inside me. All the reasons no one was ever good enough made sense. They weren’t you.”

We held each other. I was still on his lap, facing him in a straddle, the promise of lovemaking hung in the air. Leaning into his ear, I whispered. “Does your back hurt?”

“It’s a little tense. I’d like a massage if you feel like it.”

Standing I held my hand down. He took it and stood without putting any pressure on me. I led him to my bedroom, and he shrugged out of the jeans he wore. Nothing was underneath. My eyes ached at the site of his beautiful body.

“Lie across the bed,” I said.

He swept the duvet back and lay on his stomach across my double bed. It was just like the first time, me drooling over his perfect ass, tight with those palm-sized indentions on each side. I climbed up and sat beside him, and when I placed my palm to his skin, we both exhaled. We’d been here before, and I’d dreamed of being here again so many times.

Pressing my hands against his muscles, I kneaded with my thumbs until the tension released. Working my way down, I applied pressure, loving his skin, the relaxation of his muscles.

I slid tentative fingers lightly down the arch of his back, up over the rise of his ass. Leaning forward, I feathered a kiss against the side of his derriere. His breath hitched louder, and I kissed a trail up to the top. I skipped over to the other side, and followed another trail across the other perfect cheek.

My braid slid across my shoulder and fell across his back, and he groaned. It was a deep, rumbling sound, and satisfaction unfurled in my tummy. Parting my lips, I took a little bite of that luscious bum, and before I could blink, large hands gripped my arms, moving me up to his body.

“That’s enough.” I was under him and his strong mouth claimed mine. He was rough and demanding, but now so was I.

I threaded my fingers in his hair and pulled, claiming his in return, biting his lip. He groaned and tightened his hold on my arms. He grew rougher, and the excitement in me grew as well.

“Roll over,” he ordered.

I turned onto my stomach, and he spread my legs. “Ass up.”

Arching my back, I tingled with the thought he could see all of me until with one swift plunge, he was deep inside.

“Oh!” My voice was muffled in the pillows. He caught my arms and held them crossed over my back, using them for leverage as he slammed into me harder.

My knees slid apart until my clit was pressed between the mattress and his relentless thrusting. It was primitive and erotic, and I could feel the orgasm tightening every muscle in my core. He kept going, and I could sense he was barely holding on.

“Come on, baby.” The groan in his voice sent shudders through my thighs, and with two more hard scrubs the tingling friction assaulting my clit exploded in a blinding orgasm radiating down through both my legs. I cried out his name as my body shook with the force of it, and at once he let go, pulsing his own release as I trembled through the aftershocks.

Lying beside me, he gathered my limp body against his chest. “You are the most amazing woman.” He kissed my eyes, my brow, my nose, my lips. “I plan to spend the rest of my life exploring your beautiful body…” (another kiss) “your soul…” (another kiss) “your gifts…” (another kiss) “and every other part of you.”

I couldn’t help a laugh. “I love you Stuart William Knight.”

He paused, smoothing his palm back over my forehead. “Mariska.” So much emotion filled his voice, it ached joy in my chest. “Be sure to thank your soul for wanting my broken one.”

“You weren’t broken. You only needed a safe place to run free.”

“To serve and protect.” A sly twinkle sparked his eye. “Can I rock your gypsy soul?”

Our lips combined, mixing all the wonder of what we had in a breathless kiss. “You already have.”

M
ariska’s eyes
hold mine as she moves on my lap. Her long, chestnut waves fall over her shoulders in a rippling curtain, and I’m doing my best to hold on, not finish before her.

We’ve been together four months, and I’m only scratching the surface of making love to this woman. She’s sensual and elemental. She likes to feel every emotion, every sensation. It’s fucking amazing and impossible all at once.

“Oh, Stuart,” she whispers. Her eyes slide closed and she cups my cheek with one slim hand as her movements quicken. Leaning forward, she presses her soft lips to mine and exhales a little moan.
Fuck
, I’m on the edge. She arches back, and I catch a tight nipple in my mouth, giving it a strong pull. I feel her clenching around me as I’m buried deep inside her.

“Yes,” she whispers, holding my neck as I kiss a trail across to her other breast and do the same, catching that tight dark bud between my teeth. Her body shudders, and she’s almost there.

Again, she leans down and pulls my face to hers, roughly consuming my mouth. I’m right there to meet her. It’s her pattern when she’s getting close. Her kisses grow more desperate, her little noises wild. She’s riding my lap like it’s a fucking pony, and dammit it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever known. Tracing my fingers across her ass, she groans, rising up on her knees and slamming back down. The pressure in my pelvis is building, and I’ve got to stop thinking about how gorgeous she is.

“Come on, baby,” I growl against her shoulder, giving her a little bite. “Come for me.” That does it. One more rise and fall, her knees scrub against my hips and her insides break into spasms massaging me deep inside her.

“Oh, god!” Her arms are around my shoulders, and she finishes so beautifully. I lean my head back and let go. The force of my orgasm nearly pulls me out of my skin it’s so intense.

“Fuck,” I hiss, gripping her ass and moving her up and forward on me as she cries out more. Rolling us to the side, she’s on her back, and I hold the inside of her knee, spreading her thighs as I drive deeper, harder, finishing those final, blinding thrusts as her fingers clutch my shoulders.

I’m holding the last one, trying to find my way back to Earth, and my eyes blink open. There she is, lying on her back, her hair spread out around her, smiling at me. Those sunset hazel eyes, golden and gorgeous, are filled with more love than I deserve.

I drop onto my elbows above her and kiss the base of her neck. “You are the fucking sexiest woman I’ve ever known.”

Everything about being with this beautiful girl is new for me. I’ve never done the whole “making love” bullshit. In the past, it went along with my “no relationships” lifestyle. If I needed a release, it was pretty easy to find a willing partner. The women I’d been with liked it fast and dirty—bend over the desk, take it from behind, slap that ass, and we’re done. Everyone was happy. Until now.

She laughs, and her fingers curl in the sides of my hair. I feel her lips against my brow, and I hold her as I find my bearings again.

“I’m not sure how I feel about that compliment, Stuart William.” Her voice vibrates against my cheek as she teases me. “It makes it sound like you’ve known a lot of women.”

One more kiss to that fabulous neck, and I lift my head. “Not all of them biblically.”

Her nose wrinkles as her eyes roll, and I swear, I could take her again on the spot. Instead, I go back to the question that got us in this position. “You never answered me. Did you fill out the transfer application today?”

She exhales a growling sound and twists in my arms. My hug tightens over her. I’m not about to let her wiggle out of answering this question.

“Let me go, Stuart.” Blinking up at me, her resistance is so adorable, I kiss her lips, long and soft. Then I swipe my tongue inside, finding hers for good measure.

When I lean up again, she blinks slowly. “You fight dirty.”

“You give me dirty thoughts.” Our eyes meet, and I continue. “Princeton is one of the top schools in the country. You might have heard of it.”

“It’s too expensive, and I have a scholarship at Ocean County College. I like it there.”

“You’d rather go to a state school than live with me here.”

She starts to struggle again, and this time I do release her.

“I have a job in Bayville. Kenny, my best friend is there. Remember her?” She sits up, wrapping the sheet over her beautiful body. I resist the urge to pull it away. “I won’t drop my life to move here and live with you and let you pay for everything like I’m some… some…”

Her chin drops, but I catch it and lift her face. “You’re here almost every day as it is. How would it be different?”

“You know how it would be different.” Fire is in those beautiful eyes. I love it. “I’m here because it’s an easy drive back and forth, and I like spending my free time with my boyfriend.”

“Is that so?” A smile pulls at the corner of my mouth, but I hold on. We’re leading up to a question I’ve been ready to ask since December.

“Besides, it sets a bad precedent if I let you win every argument by sleeping with me.”

“Aren’t we supposed to fight it out in bed?”

A little nose twitch, a teasing glance, and I can’t take it anymore. Snatching the sheet away, I catch her around the waist and pull her body flush with mine. She squeals with laughter, and I cover her mouth, kissing her deeply until her struggling relaxes and her arms slide around my neck slow and easy.

Pulling back, I hold her body and her gaze a moment. Then I say it. “I want you to marry me, Mariska. I want you to transfer to Princeton and live here with me as my wife. Fuck this boyfriend-girlfriend shit.”

Her eyes blink fast, and her brows pull together. For a second, my chest tightens. Sick hits the pit of my stomach when her tears spill over, down her temples and into her hair.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”

Her body jerks with a sniff, and she cries more. She pulls herself up to me in a hug, burying her face in my neck, and I’m going crazy until she finally speaks.

“Stuart,” it’s cut off by another sniff. “Oh, Stuart, I want that so much.”

Relief blasts through me, anxiety gone. I wrap her in my arms, holding her close. Her face is still at my neck, and I feel her tears on my skin. I feel all of her against my skin, shoulders to stomach to thigh to knee, and I think about that old idea of becoming one. She’s the part of me that’s been missing for so long. Inhaling deeply, luscious jasmine fills my senses.

After a few moments, I slide my hands over her bare back, from her soft shoulders to her soft ass. “So is that a yes?” My voice is low and gentle.

She nods against me, squeezing me in her arms.

“Mariska?” I’m smiling now, holding my wife in my arms. Everything has changed. “Look at me.”

She takes a moment before pulling back, those beautiful eyes shining with her tears. “Will you please call about transferring to Princeton tomorrow?”

A laugh explodes from her lips, and she pulls up, hugging our faces together. “I guess if you put it that way.”

Kissing her jaw, her cheek, I roll her onto her back and prop myself on my elbows. “Thank you for agreeing to be my wife.”

Her eyes roll and she shakes her head. “As if you ever had any doubt.”

“You are a very strong, independent lady, Mariska Renee.” I pause to scoop her lips in another brief kiss. “I wasn’t sure you’d say yes so easily. I worried you might think it was too soon.”

“With as well as I know you?” Her cat eyes slant.

“I thought you might have some old-fashioned notion about finishing school or us needing to date for a year or something ridiculous.”

“Don’t give me any ideas.”

My brow lowers. “Is that something you want to do?”

“Is that something I should want to do?” How she manages to go from sassy to shy in the blink of an eye slays me. I can’t believe how vulnerable she is. Like I didn’t just ask her to fucking marry me.

“No.” I don’t even let that idea hang around five seconds. “I don’t want you away from me anymore. I’m getting your ring as soon as I get back from Baltimore. Give your landlord notice and start packing. You’ll start Princeton this fall. Summer if you want to start earlier.”

She laughs, and her body arches against mine. Her head falls back, and she lets out the most amazing happy squeal. I was above her, but she pushes me back against the pillows. I’m on my back watching her hold her brow and shake her head.

“It’s like a dream,” she says. Then she catches my face in both hands again and kisses me. I can’t help laughing now. “Do you remember how awful you were in Montana?”

“Hang on,” I try to act offended and fail. “You came at me out of nowhere.”

“You are literally the man of my dreams, Stuart Knight.”

“Don’t forget,” I say, smoothing both hands over her cheeks, sliding her brown hair back. “You’re the woman in mine, too.”

“Would you make love to me again?” Her lips curl as her hand moves down between us. Her fingers wrap around my cock, and my body immediately responds to her touch, hard and strong.

“With pleasure,” I say, before kissing her lips, her chin, her neck, making my way down her torso to the place I know will have her screaming my name.