One Week of Summer (18 page)

I shoved down the thought and kept my eyes on the road.  We could talk about it later.

And I was doing fine until another car came tearing down the mountain toward us.  My heart seized as it approached.  With the road winding the way it was, it was impossible for me to tell if the other driver saw us, and he seemed to be all over the road.

I screamed and lost all control of what I was doing.  I could no longer remember which one was the clutch or the brake or the gas, and my hands slipped off both the steering wheel and the gear shift.

“Maggie!” Teekay hollered.

I tried to focus on him, and couldn’t.

“Maggie!” he shouted again, and I felt him lean over to grab the wheel himself.

He yanked it sideways, and with a noise that sounded like a hundred pieces of metal scraping against a hundred pieces of metal, the car jerked to the right and bounced to a shuddering stop.

“Holy fuck!” Teekay’s curse was barely more than a whisper and I almost didn’t hear it above the rush of blood though my head.

Teekay unlatched his seatbelt, then reached across me to undo mine as well.

“Come here. Now,” he ordered, then softened it with, “Please.”

Somehow, I managed to extract myself from the seat so I could clamber into his lap.

Teekay smoothed back my hair and kissed my face about a hundred times.

“Tell me you’re okay,” he said.

“I’m ok-k-kay,” I stammered.

“I don’t know why I’m always such a fucking fool,” he murmured into my skin.

“It’s n-n-not your fault,” I replied.

“Like hell. This isn’t one of your rooting for the bad guy, looking for a reason for his fuck-up moments.”

“Th-th-that’s not what I mean.” I paused and took a steadying breath. “I liked it, Teekay.”

He leaned away, surprise evident on his face. “You
liked
this?”

“Well. Up until we almost died.”

He ran a finger down my cheek. “What did you like about it, darlin’?”

“The control.”

“Ah. What else?”

I swallowed nervously as his hand continued its descent from my face to my throat to the top of my cleavage. “I’m not sure.”

“All that torque underneath you?” he teased.

I still had no idea what torque was, but Teekay’s voice was thick with innuendo and his hand was now cupping my breast while his fingers played over my nipple.

“Yes. I don’t know. Maybe that,” I replied breathlessly.

“And a little bit of danger, maybe? Underneath that control?” he prodded, then leaned in to nibble on my earlobe. “Is that what you like about
me
? Always on the edge, riding that fine line between risk and discipline?” He bit down on my skin, then laughed softly when I yelped. “You know what
I
liked about having you drive, Maggie?”

“What?” I gasped.

“Watching you enjoy it. I think I could watch you enjoying the things I teach you to do
all
night.”

When he leaned back and grinned that cocky, devilish smile of his, my body lit up.  Teekay grabbed my leg and swung it around so I was straddling him.  I could feel his erection, straining against his pants and pressing into me and I had to stifle a moan. 

And I suddenly knew what I had to do to erase Jimmy’s memory.  To erase the visuals of Teekay and Kirby.

“Would you like to touch me now, Maggie?” Teekay asked, his voice low and sexy and sure of my response.

My face was warm as I answered. “Yes.”

Somehow it seemed like an inadequate word.  I didn’t just
want
to touch him – I
needed
to.  I was desperate to feel him in my palm, smooth, and hard, and waiting.  Crazy to have him inside me.

“You can undo my jeans, darlin’. Slowly.”

With shaking hands, I did as he suggested.  It took me four tries to grip the button and release it.  And when I went for his zipper, Teekay’s own hands found my thighs and slid my dress up, and I couldn’t even grasp the slippery piece of silver.

Teekay chuckled. “Easy, Maggie.”

But he’d edged the fabric up and up his thumb and forefinger were framing the spot where my panties should have been and my heart was thumping crazily in my chest.  When my fingers finally did manage to close on the zipper and I yanked it down, it was anything but slow and anything but graceful.

And I couldn’t get a hold of him fast enough.

I slipped my hand into his pants, under his boxer briefs, and around his hot, hard erection.  I thought I might feel some relief at getting to touch him.  Instead, my insides tightened and heated up and I wanted him even more. 

I tried to focus on him.  I drew my hand up and down, stroking him.  The attention made him – impossibly, incredibly – harder.  And the back and forth motion drove me crazy too.  Even though no part of him was inside me, I was dangerously close to succumbing to another orgasm.

Oh, god.

How was I ever going to hold on? 

My head swam as desire threatened to overwhelm me.  I couldn’t take it for much longer.  I thrust forward and dragged the tip of his erection toward me.  And one of his hands closed over my wrist.

“I need you to tell me you want me,” he said, and looked me directly in the eye.

“I want you,” I replied boldly.

“Say my name.”

“I want you, Teekay,” I said, my voice soft, but sure and firm. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted anything as badly as I want you.”

“In the glove box, Maggie. A condom.”

I reached behind me to open it, arching my back as I did it, and his mouth found my nipples – one, then the other.  I nearly forgot that I was supposed to be looking for something.

Teekay paused in his ministrations.

“Quickly,” he urged.

I dug blindly through the glove compartment – not caring at all that he was the kind of guy who carried protection in his car except to be glad about it – until my hand found a little silver package.  I pulled it out and held it between us.

“My mouth,” Teekay said.

I held it to his lips and he tore it open with his teeth.  The action was indescribably sexy.

“On,” he commanded.

My chest rose and fell rapidly as I unrolled the latex and slipped it onto his perfect, beautiful self.

“Now?” he asked, his voice full of need.

In reply, I raised my hips, positioned him between my legs and eased myself onto him.

“Fuck,” he growled. “So tight.”

I wanted to say something back to that.

So big. So hard. So—

Teekay grabbed my waist and forced me down a little further and whatever I’d been thinking flew from my mind as he drove straight into me, far deeper than I thought possible.

“Oh!” I cried out.

His grip loosened. “Does it hurt, darlin’? I can stop.”

“Please…please, no.”

I rocked my body against his, trying to find the same spot he’d just hit.

Right. There.

I moved again, up, then down, then up and down.  Upanddownandupanddown.

I took the full length of him into me, again and again, gasping each time I sheathed him.  It did hurt, but in an achingly good way that I never wanted to end.

But as I thrust forward once more, I knew I was going to burst.  And when Teekay’s fingers pinched my nipples, and exquisite pleasure shot from my breasts to my core, I realized it was going to be sooner rather than later.

Faster and faster I moved, desperately trying – and failing – to hold on to what little self-control I had left.

And suddenly I couldn’t hold on anymore.  I tightened my legs around him and threw my head back and cried out his name again.

“Teekay!”

“Come for me, darlin’,” he growled. “Come
with
me.”

And I did, my whole self writhing with the feel of him inside me, pulsing in time with me, matching my release.  Then I collapsed against his chest, my body aching inside and out.  He held me very tightly, rubbing my back and murmuring in my ear until at last our breathing calmed and Teekay pushed my shoulders back so he could examine my face.

He touched my cheek. “The way you make me feel…I can’t control myself. But I want to give you so much more. How many days do we have left?”

My stomach rolled.  I didn’t want to think about a time limit.

But I forced myself to answer. “Um. Still two if we’re counting tonight. And if we’re not…one?”

“We’re definitely counting tonight, darlin’. Now…Let’s get this car started again so I can take you home and make you forget anyone but me exists.”

I eased myself back into the driver’s seat and thought of Jimmy’s cruel face, and I hoped to god that Teekay really could make me forget.

Day Five

18)

Fire.

The distinct smell of it, and the sudden blare of a smoke alarm yanked me unceremoniously from sleep.  I sat bolt upright in bed.  Teekay was nowhere to be seen and the whole house was ringing with noise.

I jumped to my feet and raced from the bedroom to the top of the stairs.  Acrid smoke billowed from the direction of the kitchen.

Paying no attention to the fact that I was still dressed only in Teekay’s underwear and his t-shirt, I raced down the stairs.  I reached the bottom step just as Donnie flung open the front door.  I barely took the time to notice his plaid pajamas and wild hair.  Together, we sprinted toward the smoke.

When we reached the kitchen, I froze, stunned by the scene in front of me.

Teekay stood in the middle of the room, covered head to toe in sticky batter.  Something – it was hard to tell what because it was so badly blackened – sat in the sink, and smoke poured up from whatever it was.  Flames licked at the metal sink and threatened to pour over to the granite.

Donnie moved quickly, snagging an extinguisher from the pantry and opening it up on the fire.  The flames died quickly, buried under a pile of fine powder.

“What the hell were you doing?” he demanded.

Teekay shrugged. “Making breakfast. But apparently I can’t fucking cook.”

“Apparently not,” Donnie muttered.

He opened a window, then traded the fire extinguisher for a hand vacuum, which he handed to Teekay.

“Hey!” Teekay protested. “This is
your
mess.”

“I’m not a maid anymore than I’m a goddamned butler.” Donnie rolled his eyes. “And I’m going back to bed. Clean it up. Or ask your girlfriend to do it.”

Then he stomped unceremoniously from the kitchen, leaving me with a red face at his use of the word
girlfriend. 
And Teekay was eyeing me in a way that made a cold sweat break out on my forehead.  I snagged the vacuum from his hand and flipped it on, trying to cover my embarrassment.

Teekay had made good on his promise to help me forget about everyone but him – even though he didn’t know the details, or understand just which memories I wanted to let go of.  His lovemaking – once when we got back to his bed, and once again when he reached for me in the night – was slower and sweeter than it had been in the car.  It had been just as satisfying.  Maybe even more so.  And before we drifted off for the final time, he’d murmured to me how beautiful I was.

But
girlfriend?
  It seemed like a stretch.  A presumptuous one.

“Why?” Teekay asked.

My face flamed, realizing I’d spoken at least some of my thoughts aloud.  Teekay was right behind me, and he reached around to flick off the vacuum.  His arms stayed around me as he kissed my neck.

“Don’t you like me?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said back, my voice not much more than a whisper. “But just because we…you know…”

“Fucked?” he filled in. “Again. And again?”

The burn in my face moved down my body and I cleared my throat. “Yes. That. It doesn’t have to mean I’m your girlfriend.”

“You don’t want to be?” Teekay spun me around and pushed me against the counter. “Or you don’t think I’m boyfriend material?”

Teekay leaned down to kiss my lips, slow and sensual.  His tongue teased mine, and in seconds I was breathless.  When he pulled away, my legs were like jelly.

“Because I’m
not
boyfriend material, Maggie. I’m the fuck-around asshole who never deserves a second chance but who always seems to ask for one. I’m self-centred and arrogant and I’ve got baggage like you wouldn’t believe. But now that it’s in my head, it kind of makes me want to try it out. In fact…” He dropped his voice to that low, sexy, sure-of-himself tone and gave me another demanding kiss. “There’s
almost
nothing I want more than to hear you call me your boyfriend.”

I shivered as his hand slid up my thigh.

“What do you think?” he wanted to know.

My heart was beating so hard I thought it was going to explode. 

Yes!
I wanted to shout.
Yes, I want to be your girlfriend!

But something held me back.

“I think…” I replied slowly. “You taste like pancakes.”

“Waffles,” he corrected. “That thing in the sink is a waffle iron. Are you avoiding the question?”

I slipped out of his grasp to give the charred item another look.

“Are you
sure
it’s a waffle iron?” I asked. “Because it doesn’t look like one.”

“Maggie. What’s wrong?”

I met his eyes. “Teekay, I told you before that I felt safe when people were honest because I knew how to protect myself against that.”

“Yes.”

“What if protecting myself isn’t good enough?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what if I have to actually stand up for myself?”

His brow creased and his eyes darkened. “Against me?”

“Yes.”

He ran an angry hand through his hair.

“What the hell do you mean, Maggie?”

I could so easily see all the pieces of myself disappear into the consuming void that was Teekay Marcus.  Too easily.

“It’s like…drowning,” I said.

“Drowning?”

“It scared me. And with good reason.”

“I’m not following.”

“It’s the same with you.”

He stared at me. “So you’re scared of me? But it’s for a
good reason
? How the fuck am I supposed to take that?”

I squared my shoulders. “What happens in a day, Teekay?”

“A day?” he repeated. 

“And what about now?” I added.

“What
about
now?”

“You want to ‘try’ it with me? You want to use me like a girlfriend guinea pig? You think you can toss me into a relationship like you tossed me into the ocean? And if it doesn’t work? Or when your family business – whatever that is – takes over…Are you just going to send me home?” 

“I’m not going to send you home.”

“You asked me how much longer we had left on our wager.”

“Jesus, Maggie. Is that what you thought I meant? I have to go back to
work.
”

Oh. Family business.

He meant it literally.

“I’m not trying to experiment on you, darlin’,” Teekay said. “I just want to be with you.”

My heart squeezed, and I couldn’t tell if it was because Teekay’s words made me happy, or if it was because I was terrified he didn’t.

Tears pricked at my eyes. “If you change your mind, Teekay… I won’t just drown. I’ll break.”

“I’m not going to change my mind. I’ve never met a girl like you. I’ve never, ever felt like this before. I can’t imagine I ever will again. I want you to know me. I want to tell you my secrets and know that you’ll accept me anyway. And Maggie… I don’t want to make you feel like you’re drowning. I want to teach you to swim.”

He pulled me into a rough embrace and I let him.  I sank into his arms, inhaling his scent and willing myself to believe him.

And I was suddenly sure that the closer I got to him, the more likely it was that he was going to devour me whole.  I didn’t know if it would be physical, I didn’t know if it would be emotional, or maybe a combination of the two, but either way…I was utterly certain that if I let him, Theodore Kimball Marcus would consume me.

He leaned back then and kissed my forehead.

“You don’t have to,” he said.

“Don’t have to what?”

“Be my girlfriend.”

What was the alternative, though?  To walk away and pretend it never happened?  To ignore the full feeling in my heart?

“I do want to,” I whispered.

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

An ear-splitting grin – which was very different than his usual cocky smile – covered his face.

“You just popped my cherry,” he said.

I colored. “What?”

“My first ever girlfriend.”

“You’ve never had a girlfriend?”

“Not until now.”

One of Teekay’s fingers jabbed a rib and an unexpected giggle escaped my lips. 

“Are you
ticklish
?” he asked in a dangerously pleased tone.

“I have no idea,” I admitted.

“Seriously? Who doesn’t know if they’re ticklish or not?”

“
I
don’t.”

He poked me again, and I laughed once more.

“Look at that,” Teekay said. “I taught you something new about yourself.”

He reached for me with both hands.

“Stop that!”

In my eagerness to get away, I spun a little too quickly and my heel got caught in a bit of leftover extinguisher powder.  With a shriek, I skidded across the slick floor.  My rear end hit the floor and I continued to slide over the floor.  My eyes opened wide as I realized I was headed straight for Teekay's batter-spattered jeans.  He seemed to realize it too, but a moment too late.  He tried to sidestep.  He failed.

My feet slammed into his shins and down he went.  His legs tangled up with mine as at the last second, his arms came up and stopped him from crushing me completely.  His face was just an inch from mine.

"Oops," I said.

Teekay burst out laughing, his amber-specked eyes sparkling with undisguised amusement.

“If you wanted a repeat of last night, you could’ve just asked nicely,” he told me.

“Very funny.”

“
I
thought so.”

He made no move to get up.  He just examined my face.

"We're a mess," he announced.

"We are?"

“Mm hmm. You are
such
a nice girl, and I'm card-carrying asshole."

"You're not
that
bad," I replied.

He bent his elbows and dragged his lips across mine, making me ache. "If you knew what was on my mind right now," he murmured. "You might disagree. In fact, you might run away."

My heart skipped a beat. “Then maybe I’m not that good.”

“You definitely are.”

“That sounds like an insult,” I said. “What’s so good about me?”

“You don’t swear.”

“Damn,” I retorted, then cringed guiltily.

“You blush when I talk dirty.”

“So would anyone else.”

Teekay shook his head. “Nope. I wouldn’t tell anyone else how perky and delicious her nipples are. I wouldn’t tell anyone else just how fuckable her mouth was.”

My face went red. “Shut up.”

“Cock,” he replied deviously, and my cheeks burned, making him laugh again. "You’re beautiful. And even though you look like the wind might blow you away at any second, you’re tough as hell underneath.”

“Fine, I’m good. Ish,” I conceded. “But I still don’t think you’re so bad.”

“I’m lying on top of you, pretending to be thinking about how good you are, when really all I can think about is how if I spread your legs just a little bit more and undo my pants just a little bit too, I can slip myself inside you one more time before breakfast.”

I stared at him.  Now I was thinking about it, too.
“You’re right,” I said, trying not to squirm in a way that would make the fantasy a reality. “You
are
bad.”
"Told you so. But you agreed to be my girlfriend and now you're stuck with me."
"No backsies?" I teased.
"No backsies," Teekay confirmed, far more solemnly. “Besides which…I like that you’re so good. It makes me want to be good too.”

“Teekay?”

“Yeah, darlin’?”

“Don’t be
too
good.”
He chuckled. “Damn, do I love you.”

Teekay paused, his eyes wide with shock.  I was sure my face had the same stunned expression as his.  I waited for him to take it back.

He didn’t.  Instead, he said it again.

“I really think I love you, Maggie.”