Legal Heat (29 page)

He leaned over to kiss away the little worry lines creasing her forehead. “Looking after you.” He sucked her nipple and then nipped gently. Katy arched her back and moaned.

“I thought you were going to let me rest.”

Mark turned her on her side and pulled her back into his chest, cupping her soft, warm breast and squeezing lightly. “I changed my mind.”

She winced and gave a soft cry.

Damn. He had forgotten about her shoulder. “Sugar, I’m sorry.” He helped her roll back and pushed himself off the bed. “I’ll get you some pain killers.”

“No.” Her voice rose. “Please don’t leave. We just need to be careful.”

“I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me if you misbehave properly. No teasing and leaving. And no rolling.”

He chuckled and lay down beside her again. “Well then I want you to lie still and let me give you what you need, and I’ll take my pleasure in giving it to you.”

She huffed her disapproval. “I want to touch you.”

“Hard to do when you can’t move your arm or your shoulder.” He propped himself up on his elbow, tracing circles over the smooth, taut skin of her belly. “But if you have a problem with the other hand, I can restrain that one too.”

He shook his head and mentally chastised himself.

Gentle does not involve tying her up.

Mark’s deep, velvety kisses branded Katy’s lips, filling her senses. Pleasure washed over her in languid waves, chasing away the last remnants of sleep.

His mouth moved lower, painting from her throat to the crease of her breasts with soft, brushed kisses. His hands replaced his lips, cupping and squeezing until she ached under his touch.

“I like my scent on you,” he murmured. “It tells me you’re mine.”

She shuddered and gave in to the deep hunger unraveling inside her, the need to be possessed utterly and completely by the man who had not left her side for five days. For this moment in time, there was nothing but him, his warm breath on her skin, his gentle caress and the tortuous exploration of his wet, silken tongue.

His hot kisses moved lower, down her sternum to her belly button. He teased and tortured the neglected area before grazing his chin over her mound.

Katy panted in anticipation as he blew a hot breath over her folds. She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, guiding him to where she wanted him to go.

How many nights had she lain beside Steven imagining a lover like this? A lover who wanted to touch her. Tease her. Drive her insane with pleasure.

“Hands off, sugar.”

He abandoned her aching sex and continued his exploration of her body, as if she were a new land to be discovered. He licked and kissed every finger and every toe and the hollows of her ankles, wrists, elbows and neck. He nuzzled the sensitive skin of her inner thighs, whispered in her ear and sifted his fingers through her hair.

Her world narrowed to each heated touch and lingering caress. The scent of sandalwood enveloped her as she writhed on the cool, silk sheets and licked his minty taste off her lips. Sensation piled on sensation until need filled her with such an ache; a carnal groan escaped her lips.

“I need you inside me. Now.”

“Not yet.” His fingers dipped into her body, spreading her moisture along her folds and up around her sensitive clit, stroking until it throbbed.

“Please.” Katy jerked her hips in a silent plea for more as his agonizingly delicious touch sent flames of need licking through her body, burning the last clouds from her mind.

“Trust me.”

She barely heard him as images tumbled into her mind. The missing pieces. The day before the shooting. Silver, James, the end of the conflict, the boardroom and the silence.

She stiffened and edged away.

Mark froze. “What’s wrong? Did I hurt you?”

Katy shook her head and swallowed hard. “I remember. That night in your boardroom. I trusted you and you turned your back on me.”

He pushed himself up beside her. “Katy…I made—”

She cut him off with a finger over his lips. “I don’t know much about guys. My Dad left when I was young. I had a few boyfriends in high school, and then I met Steven. But I suspect there aren’t many men who would spend five days and give up a week’s worth of billable hours to sit beside an injured…friend. Or who would take her into his home to care for her, just to save her from the clutches of her irritating ex-husband.” She threaded her fingers through his thick, sable hair. “Tell me it wasn’t just for fun,” she whispered. “Tell me it was something more. Tell me you don’t regret it.”

Mark shuddered and slanted his mouth over hers. The now familiar taste of him spiked through her, sending quivers of need down her spine.

“It was something more,” he murmured against her lips. “So much more that I was afraid of hurting you. And yet, that’s exactly what I did. I regret that more than you could know. I’m sorry, sugar.”

“How sorry?” Her bottom lip trembled.

He gave her a cheeky grin and pushed himself down her body, settling himself between her legs. “Very, very sorry,” he rasped. He peppered little kisses along her inner thighs until he reached her aching center, and then he licked down through her folds with one long, luscious stroke.

Katy gasped and her hips jerked off the bed. Mark’s firm hands held her down and he licked again, this time flicking his tongue over her clit.

The muscles of her thighs tightened as she tried to angle herself to where she wanted his mouth to be. But when his tongue pushed inside her swollen tissues, a long desperate wail left her lips.

“Does that feel good, sugar?”

Clit throbbing for attention, she nodded and arched her back, seeking out the delicious torment even as it pushed her to the edge of her control.

“I want to hear you say it.” He sank a finger all the way inside her. “Tell me.”

“Yesssss. It feels good. So good. Don’t stop.”

He stopped and pulled away.

Katy sucked in a sharp breath. “Nooooo. I said don’t stop.”

His voice dropped, cracked. “I need to be inside you, sugar. I need to feel you everywhere. I need to know I haven ‘t lost you.”

She heard the crinkle of a condom wrapper and then his warm body lowered over hers. His heart drummed wildly beneath her palms and she arched into him, seeking the fulfilling sensation of having him buried inside her. The tip of his erection teased against her swollen entrance and she moaned.

“Maybe that’s enough. I think I’ve paid the penalty for hurting you.”

Katy glared. “Are you kidding? You’ll have to try harder than that.” Anything to get him inside her. She had forgiven him, but he didn’t need to know it. Not yet.

He grunted with satisfaction and plunged into her, hard and deep, sending shock waves of unbelievable pleasure through her body. Her hips wiggled uncontrollably, her sex clenched and her body coiled tighter and tighter. He slid in and out, increasing his rhythm, building her tension.

Katy dug her nails into the tense, hard muscles of his back. His hand slid between them and he pinched her nub firmly, changing his thrusts to a hammering pace. The room became a red haze as hot, blinding shards of pleasure consumed her. Sensation swept everything from its path, filling her with ecstasy as her sex clenched over and over again in a firestorm so intense, she barely registered when he gripped her hips and came with a low guttural groan.

When Katy’s body finally softened beneath him, Mark kissed her softly, tasting her sweetness. Her long, silky lashes drifted down over her eyes, showing only a glimmer of her dark blue gaze.

He slid out of her warmth and quickly disposed of the condom. Then he lay on the bed and pulled her into his arms, wrapping the coverlet around them.

He could do gentle. Maybe he could do more. He knew, even after they left the sanctuary of his apartment, he could never give her up. He felt a connection to Katy. Maybe even the connection he had longed to have with Claire.

She gave a contented sigh as she lay on his chest. Her chestnut hair spilled across his body, as soft and silky as he had always imagined it would be.

“I never knew it could be like this.”

Neither did he. After years of casual affairs, he thought he had done it all. But Katy had opened him up. She had shown him a level of intimacy that transcended sex and moved into his heart.

“What are you thinking, sugar?”

“I was wondering how many women you’ve brought here and what sorts of things you did with them in this bed.”

“You’re the first.” The one. The only. He could not imagine sharing his inner sanctum with anyone else. “I bought this place after…” He stopped. Did he want to tell her about Claire? Could he?

“After what?” She pressed soft kisses along his jaw.

His arms tightened around her. “Claire. We were together for almost three years. She…died.”

Katy’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m so sorry.” She slid one hand around his neck and hugged him tight.

“Let’s talk about something else.” His gruff voice betrayed his emotion, and his arms instinctively sought the comfort of her sweet, warm body.

“Am I allowed to ask you more questions?”

He tangled his fingers through her hair, tilting her head back for a lazy kiss. “Feel free to ask, but I may not answer.”

“Do you have any kids?”

He frowned. Not the question he had expected. “No.” He ran his hand up and down her back, marveling at the silky softness of her skin.

“Do you want kids?”

“I did, but I think it’s a bit late now.”

She cocked her head to the side. “How old are you?”

“Thirty-five.”

Katy snorted a laugh. “Definitely not too late. That’s when most guys get started. I think you’d be a good dad.”

His head jerked up. “How could you possibly know that?” Except for James’s dad, he had had no role model. Dads rarely stuck around in the world of his youth, abandoning mothers and children in search of their next fix.

She reached up to caress his cheek. “Just a feeling. Sorry if I hit a nerve.”

He clenched his teeth, annoyed at his loss of control. She had an innate ability to see into his soul, unearth his deepest desires and bare them for the world to see.

“What about your parents? Do they live nearby?”

“My mother died when I was twelve. I didn’t know my dad.”

“I’m sorry again,” she murmured. “I seem to be asking all the wrong questions. Sounds like you had a hard time growing up.”

Hard did not even begin to describe the nightmare of his lost childhood.

“James’s dad saved me from a life of foster care. To this day, he won’t tell me how he managed to adopt me. He was a single parent, a cop, living on the East Side. He must have pulled every string and called in every favor. He treated me like his own son. He turned my life around.”

Emotion welled in his chest and he scrambled to change the topic of conversation. “What about your parents?”

“My dad left when I was nine,” she said in a quiet voice. “He met someone new, packed his bags and just disappeared one day. We never heard from him again. My mother spiraled into a depression. She was never the same after he left.”

No wonder trust was an issue for her. First her dad, then her husband. The men closest to her had betrayed and abandoned her.

And he had almost done the same.

He pulled her on top of him, easing her head into the hollow of his shoulder, a perfect fit.

“I loved him,” she continued. “I loved spending time with him. We had fun together. He’s the only person who ever really understood me.”

“It’s hard to lose someone you love no matter what the circumstances.” He smoothed the hair away from her face and rubbed his knuckle over her soft cheek. “Any more questions?”

“Favorite hockey team?”

He chuckled. “Some questions are too personal to answer.”

“Do you have any hobbies?”

“The club. Running. No time really for anything else.” How sad was that?

She traced her finger gently over the scar across his throat. Mark stiffened and then forced himself to relax. No one had ever touched his scar before. No one had ever wanted to.

“How did you get this?” She leaned up and pressed a gentle kiss to his neck. He couldn’t feel anything on the scar itself, but he could feel her hot breath and her tender lips on either side. The promise of acceptance.

“You don’t want to know.”

“I want to know everything about you.”

He drew in a ragged breath. “After my mother died, I evaded the authorities by living on the streets. More than anything I wanted to avenge her death. I hunted down the dealer responsible but I was too cocky for my own good and too stupid to play by the rules. His guys caught me. He told me I was responsible for my mother’s debt. I refused to be a drug mule and he taught me a lesson I’ll never forget.” He tensed, expecting shock or horror. But instead, she snuggled closer and caressed the scar again.