Part 10 (1/2)
He didn't play along. He leaned over and gave her a hot, s.e.xy kiss. ”Too f.u.c.king bad. I'm not done with you yet.”
Allison almost made a crack about showing his diva, but she stopped herself. Even as a tease, that wasn't fair. Marco hadn't done anything that was temperamental and arrogant rock star. Sure, he had money and a private jet, but he hadn't been demanding of staff anywhere, and he didn't appear to have a ridiculous, overblown lifestyle. He lived like a wealthy man, not a bazillionaire with weird and unnecessary toys, or a million-dollar pool. It would have been b.i.t.c.hy to give him c.r.a.p, and she didn't want to be b.i.t.c.hy with Marco.
She just wanted to be.
She wanted to laugh and smile and relax.
And kiss him until her lips were swollen and f.u.c.k him until she couldn't walk without being aware of what he had done to her.
So she gave him a look. ”I said I was tired, not dead. Take me to your chambers, Count Lucky, and unleash the beast,” she said, in an overly dramatic British accent.
The corner of his mouth turned up. ”I like that accent better than the Southern one.”
”Living with Mandy, I perfected it. Though I'm not sure she's ever said the word beast. She prefers ghastly.”
Marco stood up and rolled his wet boxer briefs down. He stepped out of them and Allison eyed him curiously. He had the requisite rock star tattoos on his arms, skulls and crosses and a bunch of other things she hadn't explored yet, since the lighting wasn't stellar. He also had a dragon on his calf, and he wore a heavy chain necklace with what looked like a silver human heart dangling from it, valves and all. It made for an intriguing package as he stood there naked. She'd never been into the musician types and had never dated men with tattoos or who wore jewelry that could double as a medieval weapon. That had been Jamie's forte, not hers. So this was a fascinating glimpse of a different type of man, the quote unquote dangerous type.
Ironic, though, that Marco had more money in his portfolio than all of those Harvard Wall Street types she had dated combined.
Plus he had a c.o.c.k the size of the Was.h.i.+ngton Monument. Holy h.e.l.l.
She'd known there was a lot going on there. She'd felt it rubbing and pressing against her at various points and she'd seen the bulge in his pants, but unleas.h.i.+ng the beast was no longer a ridiculous exaggeration.
He knew she was checking him out and he smiled, a c.o.c.ky grin that made it clear he knew exactly what she was thinking. ”Like what you see?”
”There's a lot going on there,” she told him. ”The hair, the tats, the hardware, the huge d.i.c.k... I'm not really sure where to look first.”
”Let's just focus on the d.i.c.k for right now.” He held his hand out to her. ”Let me help you up and find you a towel. My host skills are underutilized. You're probably getting cold.”
”It's an intriguing juxtaposition,” she said as she stood up, liking the feel of his hand firmly gripping hers. She didn't let go, and slipped her body up against his. ”My skin is chilly, that is true. But the inside? I'm hotter than h.e.l.l. Why do you think that is?” She resisted the urge to groan softly at the feel of his hard warmth against her flesh. He was a wall of muscle, not huge, but not skinny like a lot of musicians. He was lean and ripped and felt like she could shove and he wouldn't move. She was tempted to try.
Marco tangled his fingers in her damp hair. She didn't even care how frizzy it looked right now, not when he tugged a little roughly, so that her head came back and they were looking each other in the eye.
”I think it's because you me to fill you up with my hot c.o.c.k.”
”Probably,” she agreed. ”What base is that, Mr. Baseball?”
”Home run.” He then surprised her by gently kissing her on the forehead. ”But then we can go back and start it all over again.”
He didn't give her a chance to respond, which was good, because Allison didn't know what to say. Every time she thought she was on solid ground with Marco, he did something unexpected. Something kind. Tender. It both make her skeptical and vulnerable. She liked him. A lot. Which wasn't a bad thing. If she was going to let a man invade all her private places, she should have a certain amount of affection for him. But every time she told herself to be careful, to keep it from going too far, he did something sweet, that seemed far too honest to be a game.
She was glad he lived in LA. Less temptation after this trip when she was back sorting out her hot mess of a life.
Marco bit her earlobe and she felt a hot stab of desire between her thighs. ”I like the way you think,” she said. ”Never satisfied.”
He stepped back and tugged her hand, leading her toward the house. ”I bet you can satisfy me if you try hard enough.”
”I'll give the old college try.” Allison pushed back her hair and glanced behind her. Her clothes and her wet bra and panties were lying by the pool, and she thought for one second that she should recover them, before deciding she didn't give a s.h.i.+t. If a California squirrel ran off with her leather jacket, then props to him. He'd look bada.s.s up a tree. Right now she had more important things to do.
They stepped into the house and Allison s.h.i.+vered. The air conditioning wasn't running, but the concrete floor was cold. His house was very mid-century modern, done in a mix of period to the house pieces and contemporary style. She was looking forward to climbing onto a fluffy bed and warming up under a downy duvet cover. But Marco opened a closet, pulled out a towel, and handed it to her.
”I think I'm dry already,” she told him. ”I drip-dried.”
”You're s.h.i.+vering. We could take a shower, but I think the hot tub would be more fun.”
The night just got better and better. ”I think you're right.” She let go of his hand and wrapped the towel around her body, making a knot between her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. The softness did feel good on her skin. ”Show me to the tub.”
”It's by the pool, around the side of the house.”
”It is? I never saw it, so I must not know what a hot tub looks like,” she joked. ”That's not exactly something everyone has in their apartments in Manhattan.”
Marco got himself a towel too, but he didn't bother to put it on his body, which she appreciated. ”No? Now I know what to get you for your birthday.”
”Oh, G.o.d, can you imagine? It would take up an entire apartment.” The idea made her laugh.
The hot tub was behind the outdoor kitchen, past what she had thought was an overblown planter box. Marco turned the jets and the lights on, and basically his hot tub became a rave. ”I swear to G.o.d if Pitbull jumps out from behind a bush I'm getting the h.e.l.l out of LA,” she told him. ”Too freaky.”
”Of course not,” he scoffed. ”Pitbull lives in Miami.” He winked at her.
”Right. Silly me.” Allison dropped her towel next to the stairs and descended into the warm water. ”Ah. This is heaven.”
”It is.” He followed her and sat down on the opposite bench from her. He closed his eyes briefly.
Allison thought the guy had amazing self-control. She had every right to relax after he'd given her a mind-blowing o.r.g.a.s.m. But he hadn't even so much as had his c.o.c.k stroked, let again crossed the finish line, and while he looked edgy, he looked in control. It was d.a.m.n s.e.xy. ”Can I ask a personal question?”
”It depends on what it is.”
”Why haven't you had s.e.x in a year?”
For a minute she didn't think he was going to answer. He looked to the side, his arms resting on the concrete behind him. But then he met her gaze and said, ”I did something I shouldn't have and it made me see I needed to give up alcohol and s.e.x, at least for a while.”
So he wasn't going to share. She had to respect that. ”Fair enough.”
”I'd tell you, but not everyone involved knows what went down exactly. I don't want it getting out.”
That stung a little. He didn't entirely trust her not to tell the media. But then she realized she had zero right to be hurt by that. She was still essentially a stranger, and he had to be careful, protect himself. Women probably tried to scam him all the time. ”I understand. I'm sorry for whatever it was. It clearly upset you.”
”Did you ever step back and look at your life and were shocked by what you saw? I mean, like, thought to yourself, what the f.u.c.k am I doing with my life?”
”Yes,” she said shortly. ”Yesterday.” Harsh truths.
Marco gave a soft laugh. ”Yeah, I guess you do get what I'm saying.”
She bobbed in the water, maneuvering a little so the jet would hit her back. ”It sounds like you did the right thing, though. I hope I can say the same a year from now.”
”It's been lonely,” he said.
Allison let go of the bench and let the water push her over to Marco. She touched his arms, settling herself onto his lap. ”It doesn't have to be lonely tonight.”
”I don't just mean physically,” he said, his eyes searching hers.