Chapter 8

Maria

Maria hadn't needed Darius to push her out the door this time. She had been excited to go on this date, especially since she and Mark had been talking all day through text messaging. So, she had quickly dressed in another dress, this one white, and headed out the door as soon as he pulled up.

He had flirted with her endlessly throughout the day, and it made her feel like she was the center of his attention. That she was the only one who mattered to him.

He talked about his job and she talked about hers. He complimented her whenever she started to sway toward her appearance again. The length he'd go to to make sure she felt special was something she hadn't experienced before, but she liked it. And she was starting to feel better about herself, less self-conscious.

She could get used to this. She could get used to him. The thought scares her a little. She's been so used to having to care for only herself, that it feels scary to have someone else care about her that's different than Darius.

Now, as she sits in the car with Mark, she still feels those butterflies and fear, but they're not as intense. She doesn't know why, but she feels completely safe around him. Even the silence feels safe.

After a few moments of saying nothing and watching the last of the city fly by, she turns to him and asks, "So, where are we going?"

It's well after dark and supper time, so she knows they're not going to another restaurant. Besides, something tells her that he doesn't repeat the same dates, not if he can help it. He seems to be a romantic, and she's enjoying that fact.

He glances over at her with a slight smile and adjusts his hands on the steering wheel. "I have a little place I like to go to when I need some quiet."

Taking a right, he drives up the road that leads to higher ground. "Oh yeah? Where's that?"

"You'll see."

The butterflies return full force when he grabs her hand and intertwines his fingers with hers. His hand is warm and calloused, and the pad of his thumb rubs small circles along the backside of her hand. It makes her shiver, though she does well to hide that fact.

"Is this okay?" he asks when he notices her staring at their joined hands.

"Um . . . Yeah." In fact, it's more than okay. It makes her feel cherished, something she hasn't had since she lived at home with her parents.

"Good," he says as he puts the car into park.

Startled that they stopped, Maria looks out the front window and then gasps. They're on a cliff that overlooks the city, and the view is breathtaking. She tells him as much.

The black sky has a million twinkling stars shining over the city full of lights. The moon is bright, almost tucked behind a few clouds that linger. She can see the cars driving on the roads, little specks in the distance, but she can't hear anything. All she can hear is their breathing and the slight breeze that blows against her window.

He chuckles under his breath. "It is. I come here as often as I can."

"I can see why," she whispers.

Squeezing her hand, he lets go and opens his car door. "Come on. It's better without a window in front of you."

She smiles to herself and hops out of the car. The gravel crunches underfoot when she meets him at the front of the car. There's a bench right before them, and he gestures for her to sit. "Stay right here."

"Where are you going?" she calls after him when he jogs back to his car.

He opens his trunk and pulls something out, but it's too dark to see what it is.

When he sits down next to her, he passes her a grocery bag. She opens it and finds snacks inside, and then she lifts her gaze to his with a questioning expression.

"Didn't want you to go hungry," he murmurs and then looks back to the city.

"You're always feeding me," she teases.

He smiles without looking at her. She pulls out some grapes and sets the bag by their feet. Popping a grape in her mouth, she turns to him and chews thoughtfully. "Are you always this way with women?"

"Feeding them?"

"Yeah. And kind. And caring."

His eyebrows raise and he chuckles under his breath. "No."

"So just me then?"

"Yes," he answers simply.

She's not going to lie and say that the thought doesn't thrill her. "I must be special or something."

He finally looks at her, and his eyes are smoldering with heat, flecked by the stars and moon. He's absolutely as breathtaking as the view. "You are."

She frowns a little. "What makes me so special?"

It's his turn to frown as he thinks over his answer. "I haven't exactly put my finger on it. We click, is the closest thing I can come to it. I haven't clicked with someone in a long time."

"So," she begins, drawing out the word. "We're just friends?" She nibbles on her lip for a moment.

"Not if you don't want to be. We can be more if you want. I won't pressure you into anything. If you just want to remain friends, I'll understand."

"No, no!" she nearly shouts, breaking the peace that's around them. "I just wanted to make sure that we are on the same page." She pushes hair behind her ear and gathers up some nerve. "I like you, Mark. If you wanted to be just friends, I'd probably walk away from you."

"Why?"

She peeks at him from under her lashes. "Because I'm way too attracted to you to just have a friendship. Being just friends with you would break my heart."

He grabs her hand again and squeezes. She finds it comforting, so she scoots closer to him, her body still angled to face him.

"I'd feel the same way."

"So . . . we aren't going to see anyone else, right? Especially while we figure this out?"

He turns a grin to her and leans in close. His breath fans her face when he says, "No. I'd appreciate it if we didn't."

"Okay," she whispers. Suddenly, her mouth is dry. His closeness makes all of her thoughts just flee from her mind and makes her body do strange things. She's never been around a guy who can make her hormones go haywire.

"Maria?" he says after a moment of simply staring at her. He drops his gaze to her lips.

"Hmm?"

"What would you do if I kissed you again?"

She swallows with difficulty. "I wouldn't object."

Without another word, he presses his lips to hers. Just like before, the kiss is soft and exploring, but then he teases her bottom lip with his tongue. She opens for him, and his tongue dives inside, exploring her mouth.

He makes a rumble of contentment, lets go of her hand, and plunges it into the nape of her hair. She moans when he tugs a little, angling her head so that their kiss can go even deeper. The kiss makes her feel like she's on fire, like she's being consumed by a blazing inferno. It feels like their kiss goes on forever, and soon, they're both breathing hard.

His hand lowers from the nape of her neck to her spine, and he trails his finger all the way down. Goosebumps rise across her skin and her nipples pebble to tight peaks. Her entire body is screaming for more, and that gives her pause.

Noticing her hesitation, he pulls away and rests his forehead against hers. "Too fast?"

She nods a little.

"Sorry," he murmurs, trailing kisses down her cheek and along her jaw. She moans a little, tipping her head for easier access.

He chuckles against her skin. "We can stop if you want."

"We should," she whispers.

"But you don't want to."

She thinks it over. This is moving fast. Too fast, but her body is screaming for more. It outweighs her mind, consumes her thoughts, until all that's left is the sensation of him touching her and how that makes her respond. So she answers honestly, "No. I don't want to stop."

He growls against her skin, wraps an arm around her waist, and hoists her so that she's straddling him. Her hair cascades around their faces and she giggles as she settles into his lap. And then she moans when he grabs her hips and presses her center against his erection. He's bigger than she thought he'd be. Well, he's extremely tall, so she shouldn't have been surprised.

His cock applies pressure to her clit and before she knows it, she's grinding against him. Pulling her head down back to his face, he kisses her next moan away. She continues to grind against him, to feel the zipper of his jeans through the thin fabric of her laced underwear. She had worn them because he told her to, because she wanted to surprise him, and when his hand drifts up her thigh and explores what she has on underneath, he growls. It's the sexiest sound in the world.

"You wore them for me."

"I did."

He bites his bottom lip and grins at the same time. Carefully, he slides his fingers along the edges and brushes over her clit. She jolts in surprise and then sucks in a breath when he moves them aside and presses his thumb to it.

"You're soaked."

"Can you blame me?" she breathes out. "Unbutton your pants."

"So bossy," he mutters, but he listens, unbuttoning his jeans and pushing both it and his underwear down.

His cock springs free and she stares at its length for a good long while. "I don't think that's going to fit," she whispers in awe.

"It'll fit."

It may fit, but it's going to hurt like hell. He's long and fat and her ovaries are having a little party with anticipation.

Without further comment, she rises a little as he slides her panties aside. Positioning his cock, she says a little prayer that he won't rip her in two.

"Easy," he says as she lowers herself and pushes the head inside. "Easy, baby."

She whimpers as her pussy swallows him inch by inch, stretching her the furthest she's ever gone before. It stings and feels good at the same time, and when he's fully inside her, her pussy clenches around his length.

"Jesus," he hisses, grasping her hips and squeezing. He breathes through her pussy's convulsions, and through gritted teeth, he asks, "Are you okay?"

"Give me a minute," she whispers, breathing hard.

The sting is intense, but soon, it turns into pleasure. She moans when he rocks her back and forth, stretching her, his cock hitting all the sensitive places inside her.

"Ready?"

She nods. Carefully, impossibly because she weighs so much, he lifts her up and slowly lowers her back down. They moan together.

"So fucking tight," he grinds out.

This time, she guides her rise and her fall, and tips her head back as wave after wave of pleasure consumes her. He feels so good. He feels like heaven. Already she can feel the fire beginning in her belly. "Oh, my god," she whispers between moans.

Their bodies slapping together is the most beautiful sound in the world. It consumes the peace that's around them. She doesn't care that they're out in the open, that at any minute, someone could come down the road and park next to them, watching them fuck. They'd call the cops and they'd go to jail and she doesn't even care right now, that's how consumed she is.

The fire intensifies in her belly and they're both moaning so loud that it's a miracle it doesn't echo down to the city. She whispers his name over and over again as she continues the climb to her orgasm.

"Come with me, baby," he says through gritted teeth, his fingers painfully digging into her hips as he holds on to his own orgasm.

The word ‘baby' has her come undone. She screams his name and tenses as an orgasm so strong takes over her body. Her pussy ripples around his length and her thighs quiver and shake.

He shouts his own release, pumping his hips into her while his cock swells and throbs inside her. He curses when he slows the pumping, and soon, they're both still, sweating and breathing hard.

Grabbing her neck gently, he brings her lips to his. He kisses her passionately, only breaking away and saying, "I think I could easily fall for you, Maria. No, I don't think. I know I could fall for you."

She tenses.