17. Ivy

17

IVY

If I had known that so many years of loneliness would ultimately lead me to this moment, I might not have been upset for so long.

Because everything I used to feel, all the emotions that came along with that sense of isolation, were now a distant memory.

They’d been replaced by this—flutters in my belly, weak knees, and quick breaths.

For longer than I cared to admit, I’d carried around a cold heaviness and longing that got so overwhelming, my body ached from it. But now, there was heat and warmth and pleasure in my body like I’d never experienced before.

I didn’t have to pretend I was happy. I didn’t have to fake feeling alive inside.

I was here at my place, Marco was with me, and every touch of his lips against mine was waking new sensations.

I was glad I was the kind of woman who always went after what she wanted. Though I hadn’t anticipated I would have gone after Marco like this, wouldn’t have threatened to strip in front of the open door for him, I couldn’t say I was disappointed with where my boldness had gotten me.

He’d been wavering, unsure. I’d seen the look in his eyes. Marco wanted me as much as I wanted him, and he’d been doing his best all night to keep himself restrained. I was surprised he’d actually kissed me at my front door when I’d demanded it.

So, I did what I needed to do to push him, to make sure he knew I didn’t need to go slow. I’d known him for more than half my life. Even if we were just now taking these steps to get to know each other more intimately, I didn’t worry about what kind of man I was inviting into my bed. Marco was as good as they got. It was just a shame it had taken so long for me to see it.

Fortunately, it didn’t take much to convince him to come inside. Just my coat at my feet and a few words of encouragement.

We’d been kissing since about ten seconds after the door had been closed and locked, and neither one of us dared to pull away. What it seemed we were both intent on doing was getting closer to one another and allowing our hands to roam.

Almost immediately, I pushed Marco’s jacket down his arms. Once it was gone, his hands were back on my body, one arm wrapped around my waist and holding me close, the other tangled in my hair.

My heart was pounding, my mind consumed with thoughts of Marco. I wanted to know everything—what he looked like with nothing on, how he moved his body, and the way he tasted. I wanted all of it.

So, I begrudgingly tore my mouth from his, looked up at him, and couldn’t miss the way his eyes were smoldering. He was just as caught up, just as lost in this, as I was. Without a word, feeling the ache between my legs growing stronger, I licked my lips, took him by the hand, and led him away from the front door and toward my bedroom after he’d toed off his shoes.

Once there, I didn’t wait.

I went after his shirt, gripping the hem in my fingers and sliding it up his torso. When he stood before me wearing just his pants, my mouth watered.

I’d seen Marco without a shirt plenty of times before, whether swimming at my parents’ house or playing a game—Frisbee, football, or otherwise—at my grandparents’ lake house with my brothers. And while I wasn’t oblivious to him having a great body, seeing it then never affected me the way it did now.

My fingertips gently brushed over his heated skin, the muscles in his abdomen twitching beneath my touch. My gaze drifted up his torso and met his. The look in his eyes made me dizzy. I’d never seen him looking so tense, so close to losing control. And it was all about hunger, about his desire to have me and touch me the way I was touching him.

I wanted that just as much as he did.

With my belly still trembling, I turned around and asked, “Will you help me out of my dress?”

Marco didn’t delay. He gathered my hair in his hands, draped it over the front of one shoulder, and brought his hands to the zipper. My senses were so heightened, I swore I could hear each of the teeth on the zipper separating. And it was happening so slowly as Marco took his time.

After he made it to the bottom, he brushed his fingers lightly against the skin on my back, allowing them to drift back up toward my shoulders. His touch was so soft and tender, it sent shivers through me.

I pressed my thighs together, seeking friction to relieve the ache that continued to build. Marco made it to my shoulders, urged me to turn around to face him, and slowly peeled the dress down my body.

When it pooled at my feet and his eyes roamed, I was confident he’d had a similar thought as I had earlier. He’d seen me in a bikini plenty of times, but it didn’t compare to this, not when we felt the sparks flying between us.

His eyes locked on mine. “You are so beautiful, Ivy. I don’t know how I didn’t appreciate it years ago.”

My head dropped to one side and one shoulder shrugged as my mouth quirked. “I’m sure you could find a way to make that up to me now. Don’t you agree?”

His brow furrowed with a look of determination, his jaw set. Then his hands went to his fly to unbutton and unzip his pants. He pushed them down his legs and stepped out of them, the both of us wearing nothing more than our undergarments.

We held each other’s stare for several silent beats, and at almost the exact same time, we pounced. I was hauled up in Marco’s arms, my mouth colliding with his, and he turned as he fell to his back in my bed, my body coming over his.

The two of us remained like that for mere seconds before he flipped us over, and I was on my back.

I barely had enough time to register the weight of him over me before he tore his mouth from mine and began kissing down my body.

Marco started at my jaw, and I eagerly tilted my chin up to grant him better access. I closed my eyes, inhaling the scent of him.

His lips trailed down my throat, his tongue occasionally darting out to lick and taste before his teeth would nip at the skin. Tiny whimpers escaped. They were like little pleas for Marco to give me more, to never stop what he was doing.

He shoved a hand between my body and the mattress, expertly unhooking my bra. His other hand came to the center of my chest, curled around the middle of my bra, and yanked it away, the straps biting into my arms as it went.

Neither of us paid attention to where it landed as he tossed it to the side. Marco was far too interested in taking in the sight of my naked breasts, and I was too captivated by the heated look in his eyes as he did.

“God, you’re stunning.” His head dropped, his mouth clamping down on one nipple.

My back arched, every part of my body aching with need for him. “Marco.”

The tone of my voice had dipped low, the sound coming from somewhere deep inside that had been asleep for far too long.

Marco shifted his attention to the other side while one hand squeezed and played with the breast he’d just released.

I hadn’t been touched in ages. I thought I was going to combust with what he was doing, and we’d just barely gotten started.

I was tingling between my legs, needing more, so I rolled my hips to find that friction. Marco must have realized, because he gave one last deep suck on my breast before his mouth freed it.

Lifting his torso slightly, his hands traveled down my sides toward my underwear. He curled his fingers around the fabric at my hips and hesitated just two beats before he dragged my panties down my legs.

He wasn’t shy about taking in the sight of me naked. He also wasn’t shy about getting himself just as naked.

When he lost his own underwear, I finally got it. Because there was little else I wanted to do besides stare at him, at just how magnificent he looked.

Up on his knees, straddling one of my legs, Marco pressed a palm into the mattress beside my body while the other went to the side of my face. His thumb dragged lightly over my bottom lip, his eyes watching it go.

Marco’s gaze continued to follow his fingertips as they traveled down between my breasts, over the soft skin of my abdomen, and right between my legs.

I wanted to remain still, to let him get whatever he wanted out of this, but it was impossible. My hips jerked at the intimate touch, my hands gripping the blanket beneath my body.

Marco continued to play, his touch so light and tender, and his gaze eventually traveled back up my body. His fingers didn’t stop moving through the wetness when his eyes met mine.

My breathing had grown shallow, my moans refusing to be denied.

“Does that feel good, Princess?”

I was practically panting. “So good. But I want to feel you, handsome.”

Marco slid one finger inside, my back coming off the bed.

“Oh, God. That wasn’t what I meant, but I like it.”

He rewarded me with a laugh, a second finger, and his thumb at my clit. “I don’t intend to do anything tonight that you won’t like, Ivy. You should prepare yourself for that.”

I didn’t know what world he was living in. I could barely think straight for all he was doing to my body with just his fingers. Did he think I could just take the time now to prepare for whatever was coming?

“Are you covered for birth control?” he asked.

I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I nodded my response.

“Are you okay with me not using a condom?”

“Marco, please,” I begged. “I want you inside me. I want you now.”

He pulled his fingers from my body, lifted them to his mouth, and licked them clean, groaning as he did it. “Oh, I’m going to have to get my mouth on you soon.”

I was still envisioning him sticking his fingers in his mouth when he repositioned his body between my parted thighs.

But when I felt his cock nudging me, that was the only thing I could focus on. Marco pushed inside slowly, like he wanted to savor every inch of me he claimed. Because that was precisely what he was doing, especially with that look on his face.

And I realized, being stretched full of him, there wasn’t anything I wanted more than to be claimed by Marco. To become his in all the ways that mattered.

His.

And he could be mine.

All mine.

Once he’d buried himself deep, he lowered his body, so his chest was pressed against mine. Then he kissed me as he began to thrust. His strokes were slow, steady, even. My legs wrapped around him, wanting to keep him close.

“You feel so good,” I breathed, my fingertips pressing in. Nothing had ever felt as amazing as him. “So hard. So big. I never knew it could be like this.”

We’d spent so much time missing this, overlooking what had been right in front of us all these years. And with each stroke, I felt like we were making up for all that lost time.

My hands roamed, moving over his arms, shoulders, and back before gliding up into his hair.

“Fuck, Ivy,” he groaned. “You’re perfect. Perfect for me.”

Something about those words sent a rush of desire through me, warmth flooding me. He kissed me again, our bodies rolling until I was on top. But even from that position, Marco continued to lead, to thrust, to keep me right where he wanted me. His mouth was on my mouth, my neck, my breasts. And his strokes never slowed, never faltered.

The sensations I felt, the attention he gave me, it was impossible not to feel that pull deep in my belly.

“Marco,” I gasped when I felt myself teetering on the edge.

He flipped us again. “Are you going to come for me?”

My lips parted in response. I couldn’t speak; I could barely breathe. Then it happened. My orgasm rippled through my body, sparks of pleasure ricocheting inside me. I was a mess of trembling limbs as it seemed to go on forever.

Marco never took his eyes off me, and what I saw in them when I’d made it to the other side was something I’d never forget for the rest of my life. He sat with it for just a moment before he picked up his pace, drove in harder, deeper, until he finally grunted as his climax tore through him.

I watched, just as he’d watched me, and I got it. I understood what that look in his eyes had been. Mine . He was mine. And I didn’t care what it took, I was going to hold on to him forever.

“How do you feel?”

My fingertips had been absentmindedly stroking over the skin on Marco’s chest, but at his question, they stopped moving. I took a moment to consider my answer. “Physically, I’m so sated I could sleep for a thousand years.” His body vibrated with laughter, forcing a smile on my own face. “But emotionally, I have to admit, I didn’t anticipate it feeling this good.”

Marco’s fingernails scratched lightly along my back. “In what way?”

I lifted my cheek from his chest so I could look at him. “I was alone for so long, I think I got to a point where I just needed something, anything. I hate to admit that I was so desperate, I might have settled for anyone. I can’t tell you how happy I am to know I didn’t have to do that, that I feel like I’m here with someone I know and trust. Someone who respects and appreciates me. Someone I care a great deal about.”

His features softened, his opposite hand coming up to cup the side of my face. As his eyes roamed over my expression, his thumb shifted lightly over the apple of my cheek. “I can’t tell you how much it pleases me to know you feel that way. It’s the same for me with you.”

I smiled at him, pressing my cheek into his palm before I rested it back on his chest. “This still feels a bit surreal, too. Like, I woke up this morning simply excited about going out on a date with you. I didn’t expect we were going to wind up here.”

“Do you regret it?”

My head snapped up, my body tensing. With my horrified eyes on his, I breathed, “Not at all.”

The corners of his mouth tipped up. “Okay, that was the wrong question to ask.”

“How could you ever think that?”

“I didn’t. But then you said how you hadn’t expected this, and I wanted to be sure you weren’t wishing we’d taken things slower.”

I let out a deep sigh. “All I meant was that this day was already poised to be the best I’ve had in a long time, just by knowing I was going to be having a dinner date with you,” I shared. “This, what we had here tonight, only made it that much better. It took a great night and turned it into a spectacular one.”

“I’m inclined to agree.”

“Is that so?”

Marco cocked a brow, lifting his head slightly from the pillow. “Do you not believe I feel the same?”

I shrugged, wanting to tease him. “I don’t know. I mean, you did ask if I felt regret about this. Maybe you feel some.”

A yelp escaped as I was flipped to my back, Marco’s big body coming over mine. With his lips mere inches away from mine, he said, “The only thing I regret about tonight is that I’ve still got you naked beside me, and I haven’t done anything about it.”

Surprise washed over me. “Again? You want to go again?”

A mischievous grin spread across his face as he nodded slowly. “Absolutely. And if I’m honest, you might need to catch up on your sleep another night, because I’m inclined to let you rest a bit after this. But I’ll warn you now that I’m going to want you again in the middle of the night, too.”

I felt tingles between my legs at the promise in his tone. “I doubt you’re going to do that.”

“I thought you said you trusted me.” I bit my lip and watched his grin grow in response. “Don’t start doubting me now, Princess.”

As soon as he got that word out, a word that left me feeling flutters in my belly, his lips came crashing down on mine. Then he rolled to his back, taking me with him, and initiated round two.

I might have been teasing him, trying to get him riled up, but if I was honest, I didn’t care if I spent another night not getting a wink of sleep. Not only was Marco phenomenal in bed, but for the first time in a long time, I wasn’t alone. I thought that was worth celebrating.

If it hadn’t been for the light filtering in through the windows in my bedroom, I might have thought it had only been an hour since Marco last ravished me, not several of them.

He’d followed through on his promise. Last night, after our second round, Marco gave us both a couple of hours to rest before he woke me up with his hand between my legs.

Despite the lack of sleep the night before, it didn’t take more than a few strokes of his finger inside me to have me feeling wide awake.

But it seemed the three rounds we’d already gone hadn’t been enough for Marco, because he was at it again. Only this time, Marco wasn’t waking me up with his hand between my legs. This time, his hand was at my breast.

Somewhere in the middle of the night, Marco had curled the front of his body around the back of mine. I vaguely recalled waking up when he put us in that position, quickly drifting back off with a smile on my face and contentment in my heart.

I felt precisely the same now that he was still holding me like this. While his palm was gently cupping my breast, his thumb was tenderly stroking over my nipple.

I gave no indication I was awake, and merely savored the moment. It was difficult to put into words just how incredible it felt to be here with him, to have him so caring and attentive and interested.

My mouth curved into a smile as his fingers gave my breast a squeeze. I arched my back, sending my ass into his groin, and felt his groan against my body.

“You’re insatiable,” I murmured, my voice still raspy from sleep.

Marco’s lips touched my naked shoulder. “Mmm. Can you blame me?”

If it was anything for him like it was for me, I couldn’t say I blamed him. There was something about sharing my body with Marco and getting lost in his that just felt right, different.

“I’m not sure I have enough energy to do much,” I confessed.

I felt his lips smile against my skin. “You don’t have to worry about that. I can do all the work. In fact, you don’t even have to move from this position.”

“Oh?”

Marco released my breast, allowed his hand to drift down my torso, and over toward my hip. It came to my thigh and settled there. He lifted my leg, using his own to part my thighs, and hooked my leg over his.

A moment later, he was rubbing his cock between my legs. My body was instantly buzzing, and for someone who claimed to not have any energy to do a thing, I certainly had no problem rolling my hips as I sought out that friction.

His body vibrated with his amusement. “Someone’s eager.”

Did he think it was that easy to resist him? “Marco, please.”

Without delay, Marco positioned himself and slid inside. He buried himself deep on the very first stroke, his hand at my hip, squeezing.

As he began to thrust roughly into me, his teeth bit down on the skin where my neck and shoulder met.

I moaned and whimpered, loving the feel of being so full of him.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he growled, his mouth at my ear.

Twisting my neck, I looked back at him, wanting to feel his lips on mine. Marco kissed me, continuing to pound hard and deep, his hands never leaving my body.

When he tore his mouth away, he kept his eyes on mine. There was something about the way he was looking at me that I couldn’t quite shake. This might have been our fourth round in a matter of hours, but I could feel it.

In the way he kissed me.

In the way he held my body.

In the way he moved inside me.

But mostly, I felt it in the way he looked at me.

This wasn’t just about sex. It wasn’t just about a physical release.

Marco claimed he couldn’t get enough of me, but I didn’t think those words had anything to do with what we were doing now. It was something else, something more.

That realization dawning hit me some place deep and meaningful.

Marco Kingston was everything I never knew I needed, and he was far more than I thought I’d ever get.

I couldn’t imagine how there’d ever be a reason for a single member of my family not to want me to have this, to not feel what I felt when I was with him.

I reached a hand back toward his hip and held on. Marco gave it to me harder. One of his hands slid up to cup and squeeze my breasts while holding me close to him. The other, the one that had been on my hip, drifted down between my legs, pressing in and circling my clit.

“Oh, don’t stop,” I begged.

Marco did not stop.

He kept at me, kept giving me what I needed. And with those midnight blue eyes holding me captive, that familiar tug built low in my belly. But it built quickly, faster than I wanted it to.

“She’s going to come,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

I was.

My lips parted, our eyes locked in an intense stare, and it happened. Both of us went over at the same time. I tried to keep my gaze on him, but I couldn’t. It was too intense, and my head snapped back against him, my eyes squeezing shut.

His head dropped forward as he groaned through his release into my neck, biting the skin there.

For a long time, neither of us moved our bodies. Marco’s lips moved, though. He stayed buried inside, my leg hooked over his thigh, and his face shoved into my neck, kissing and soothing the spot where he’d bit me.

If it wasn’t for the fact that he was still inside me and had made me come as hard as he had, his mouth on my neck would have easily built me up for another round.

Only after we’d managed to catch our breath, I said, “You’re the hardest working man I know.”

I felt his smile against my skin. “Something about this does not feel like work.”

I got it. Even if I’d told him I had no energy when he’d been trying to coax me, once we were in it, I easily had the strength to see us through. Of course, Marco was a man of his word and didn’t require me to lift a finger, but at least I could understand what he meant about it not feeling like work. “That’s fair. But I think after all that you’ve done, you should allow me to make you breakfast this morning.”

“I’m trying to find the downside.”

Twisting my neck, I looked back at him again and kissed him. Then we got out of bed, cleaned up, and made our way to the kitchen for breakfast.