The Man's Outrageous Demands (16 page)

“Please,” she said, moving against him frantically. “I want…”

“What do you want?” he asked, laying her down on the bed. “Ignore the princess and show me the woman,” he said, leaning down over her, taking her nipple in his mouth.

“I can’t,” she said, arching her back, her nails running down his back.

“Yes you can. Let go of all your formality and show me the real Marabeth,” he said, taking her hand and wrapping her fingers around his shaft. “Show me, Marabeth.”

Marabeth needed no further prompting. She went wild, her fingers wrapping around him, pulling him closer and showing him that she wanted him inside her immediately. “Now, Sam,” she said urgently, biting his ear and leaning up against him, guiding him into her. “Now!” she demanded.

Sam gave her what she wanted, moving quickly and smoothly, watching her face as he did so. He moved inside her until she was almost over the edge, then stopped.

“What!” Marabeth demanded. “Why?” she asked, whimpering and moving her hips.

“Tell me!”

“Please,” she begged.

Sam couldn’t hold back any longer. He slid back into her warmth, moving to give her the greatest pleasure. And when she fell over into her climax, he followed shortly after her.

“You’re beautiful,” he said. He pulled her into his arms and cradled her, then promptly fell asleep.

Two days later, Sam called her office. “Meet me in the garage in ten minutes. Wear jeans and sturdy boots if you have them, tennis shoes if you don’t.”

“Why?” she asked, still embarrassed about their lovemaking two days ago. She hadn’t seen much of him recently except during dinner since he’d had meetings back to back since returning. But over the table while discussing something with her father or another guest, he would look at her. And she knew. He was thinking about their afternoon. With just that one look, he could reduce her to a mass of quivering need while her face flamed back to its red color. When she looked back up, she saw him smiling. One time, he had the audacity to wink at her.

She wasn’t sure what she would have done if they’d been alone. Her two options were to either punch him and walk away in a huff of dignity and embarrassment, or to demand a repeat performance. Both options had benefits.

She put the phone down into its cradle and looked at her desk. There were piles of letters she should answer and reports to review. But she picked up her bag and shoved it all inside.

Walking out, she called to Stacy, “I’m going to be with Sam for a while. Take the afternoon off,” she said and hurried to her apartment to change.

Stacy’s face glanced up from her computer. She raised her finger in an effort to get Marabeth’s attention. “But Your Highness, someone is trying to buy that property,” she called out to Marabeth’s retreating back.

“I’ll look at it tomorrow,” Marabeth called back, not even turning her head. The words registered but their meaning was lost on her. What property? And how could that be more important than the mysterious call from Sam? Obviously Stacy didn’t know who had called, Marabeth smiled.

Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at the garage, breathless. Not because of the rush to get here on time but because of the anticipation of seeing Sam alone.

“You’re late,” he said and escorted her to a waiting black SUV. He was also wearing jeans and boots so it was a shock to her system to see him in something other than a formal suit.

“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping into the passenger seat. She noticed that her body guards were getting into another SUV. “Why are we…”

“Trust me?” he asked.

“No,” she laughed.

“Yes you do,” he countered. “Just sit back and relax.”

They drove to the mountains about forty five minutes away. He drove right up to a cliff, parked the truck on some grass, then jumped out.

Marabeth followed him, coming to the back of the SUV to see him pulling out equipment and spreading it out on the ground. “What’s all this?” she asked, helping him to spread a large, triangular sheet of tough fabric.

“We’re going hang gliding,” he explained, popping the aluminum poles together expertly.
“Really?” she asked, bending down and handing him more of the poles. “Just the two of us?” she asked, noticing that her guards weren’t right behind them anymore.

“The guards are at the bottom of the hill. This isn’t a very high take off but for your first time, it will give you a taste of what hang gliding is like. If you enjoy it, we can go father.”

She looked out over the cliff and squinted into the sun. “I’m going to jump off this cliff? Should I learn how to do this first?”

Sam chuckled at her concerned expression. “Don’t worry. We’ll do this together until you can handle a flight on your own. He popped the last of the poles together, then attached the sail. “Ready?” he asked, snapping the tandem harness onto the triangular glider rail.

“I’m not sure,” she said, taking the helmet he handed to her. “Are you sure it is safe?” she asked, eyeing the bright yellow canvas suspiciously.

“It is with me,” he said and walked up to her. He lifted her up with one arm so their faces were at the same level. “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, princess.”

With that, he led her over to the glider, showed her the basics, then they walked to the edge of the cliff. Marabeth was terrified but unwilling to say anything to him. The feeling was thrilling and when they eventually took off, the feeling was beyond anything she’d ever thought it could be. Her eyes scanned the area above the trees, seeing only the forest below. There were deer that didn’t even move since they didn’t see or hear the glider one hundred feet above them. Their movements scattered a few birds but they were off in the distance and weren’t overly concerned about the giant yellow bird flying towards them.

With Sam’s expertise, their flight lasted over thirty minutes. When they started losing altitude, Sam expertly guided the glider to an open area, eventually skidding off to tree cover.

Marabeth stood up, threw off her helmet and looked at Sam. Her heart was beating violently and her body was still singing with excitement. She watched as he looked up at her, disconnecting the harness. “What did you think?” he asked.

Marabeth couldn’t control herself any longer. She ran, leaping into his arms, not even concerned that he’d drop her when his strong arms closed around her. She kissed him, her mouth moving over his ears and neck, her hands tearing away his clothes, then touching the skin underneath. “Sam!” she said but it was more of an order than anything else.

He understood and immediately slipped his hands underneath her shirt, caressing her breasts and Marabeth threw her head back. “Now, Sam,” she said. Marabeth stood up and slipped her jeans off. Then she straddled him, loving the feeling of his jeans underneath her. But he wasn’t satisfied with that. He lifted her up and adjusted his own clothing and when he was finished, his hands circled her hips, sliding her down onto his erection. “Ah! Marabeth!” he said, his hands setting the pace as they quickly found their climax with each other.

When the feelings finally shuddered to a close, Marabeth collapsed onto his chest, her breathing still rapid and her eyes closed. Then the sounds of the forest filtered in. She heard initially the birds calling in the distance. Then the wind whispering through the trees.

Sitting up, she looked around her, her hands covering her face. “Oh my goodness,” she said and climbed off of Sam. Frantically searching, she found her clothes and put them back on, turning away from Sam as she did so. Her eyes searched the forest for the first time, looking around to see if they were really alone.

“Marabeth, what’s wrong?” Sam asked, coming up behind her and turning her around. She didn’t answer, just buried her face in his now closed shirt.

“I’m sorry,” she said, looking down at the ground when he pulled her away, trying to look into her face.

“Sorry for what?” he asked gently.

Marabeth looked up into his incredibly handsome face and shook her head, her hand waiving to the area behind them where she’d basically attacked him. “For….well, you know.”

Sam’s face changed from stunned confusion to amusement. Then she heard the chuckle deep in his chest. He hugged her close, shaking his head. “Let me get this straight,” he started. “You’re apologizing for having sex with me?”

“Well, no but for the way….” She sighed deeply, unable to continue. “Sam, I wasn’t thinking,” she said.

“I like you like that,” he said, and put a finger under her chin, lifting her head so he could gently kiss her lips. “I like it when the princess goes away and all that’s left is you. The real Marabeth.”

She looked up into his eyes. “You’re not horrified by my behavior?” she asked, her eyes hopeful.

Sam shook his head. “Definitely not. Save all your dignity and reserved manners for public, princess. When we’re alone, I want the real you. The one who lets her guard down and shows me what’s inside.”

“What do you see?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking.

Sam was stunned. She really didn’t know what he liked about her. He could see the insecurity in her eyes and the need for reassurance. “I see one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever met in my life. Someone who has compassion and has dedicated her life to helping others through her role in the government.”

“Is that all?” she asked, joking. His words were flattering and exactly what she needed to hear.

“No. That’s not all. I think you’re fun and witty and have a real sense of adventure if you’d just let yourself acknowledge it.”

“And if some irritating man would let me out of the palace once in a while,” she noted.

He didn’t smile. In fact, he turned more serious. “You can come out with me anytime you’d like. I just have to be with you and it can’t be for a formal function or appearance,” he stated, not rising to the bait.

“And are you going to explain the reasons why?” she asked, tucking her shirt into her jeans and running her fingers through her hair. She knew they were alone now but eventually they would reach civilization and she didn’t want any stray pine needles to give away their post flight activities to anyone she might run into later.

“I want you to trust me,” he said, bending down to pick up the poles, breaking down the glider.

Marabeth considered arguing with him about that last point, but she was feeling incredible after their flight and the sex afterwards. Instead of picking a fight with him regarding the restrictions he’d place upon her movements, she shrugged her shoulders, deciding to bring up her arguments at a later time.

That night over dinner, Sam was again present as well as his defense undersecretaries and their wives, her brother, father and mother. Since the dinner was formal, Marabeth wore a simple, elegant dress made of white silk that cascaded over her figure. She wore a triple strand of pearls at both her neck and her wrists.

Sam watched her walk into the room and his body reacted instantly to her beauty. This afternoon, he’d had no idea that she wasn’t completely aware of the incredible beauty she was gifted with. He knew that she hadn’t been fishing for compliments since the anxiety in her eyes was real. A part of him liked that about her. She carried herself regally but she definitely wasn’t vain.

He watched in fascination as she stepped over to her mother and father, saying something softly to them. Her mother nodded and smiled and then Marabeth came over to greet the others in the room. Despite his fascination with her, he was irritated that she didn’t come over to him first. He was, after all, her fiancé. Did she not know that he wanted to introduce her to all the men and their wives?

His irritation grew when she wouldn’t even look in his direction. In fact, he suspected that she was deliberately avoiding him. He didn’t know why, but he was damn sure not going to let it continue. pour him a glass of champagne. bourbon over to where she was standing. He watched her face the whole time, gauging what was going on inside her. He noticed that she stiffened when he slipped the glass in front of her, but she still wouldn’t turn to face him.
He walked over to the bar and asked the bar tender to

When it was filled, he took it as well as his glass of

In response, he put an arm around her waist, showing to everyone that she was his. No way was he going to let anyone in this room not know his relationship with her. He didn’t like some of the looks two of the men were giving her. She was being too effusive, he thought. They were getting the wrong impression.

Sam listened to the conversation, hearing the words but completely uninterested in where some turtles were nesting. It was obviously some sort of sightseeing tour Marabeth was trying to organize. He made a mental note to tell her later that the tour was completely out of the question. There was no way he was letting her out of the palace without him and a silly tour to the coast to view a ragged beach somewhere was definitely not in the agenda any time soon.

He shifted and started speaking to Jim Marco, his Undersecretary for the Air Force. Although he was having a separate conversation with Jim, he wouldn’t let Marabeth move away from him. He kept her by his side while she spoke to Jim’s wife, Becky.

When dinner was served, Sam was frustrated to find that he was not seated next to Marabeth. But as the dinner started, he realized that it was better this way. She was sitting directly across from him and each time he caught her eye, he would deliberately look at her in a way to make sure she knew what he was thinking. He was rewarded with a slight tinge to her cheeks on each occasion. He also liked the fact that she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes from moving towards him. One time, when he knew she was trying hard to avoid eye contact, when she finally did look at him, his eyes moved slowly down her body, stopping at her breasts, then traveling upwards again. When his eyes glanced at hers again, her breathing was heavier and the color in her cheeks was deeper.

He loved knowing that he could affect her, even when he wasn’t touching her. She was trying to be a princess and he’d allow it, but he wanted her to know she was also his Marabeth.