He gently bit her nipple, and equal parts pain and pleasure slashed through her. She gasped and moaned with one breath. Lowering himself down, he kissed his way back up her neck. She could hear his breath raging, betraying his unreleased eagerness. She slid her leg along his, feeling the silkiness of his slacks. Shifting her weight allowed her to feel the large bulge he positioned away from her. She pushed up against him.
"Shit," Marc breathed in her ear and fastened his mouth to hers. His hands cupped her breasts and weighed them. "Jeez, you're stacked."
Incredibly she could laugh through the moans. "Just your average cheerleader."
He looked at her. "There's nothing average about you."
She tried to touch him, found herself still effectively pinned by her tank top, and wiggled, trying to pull her hands out.
"I like you this way." His fingers traced fire across her belly to the waistband of her pajama pants.
"What way?"
He kissed her lips. "At my mercy."
Incredibly, her body began to tingle at the prospect of being his naked prisoner. He smiled at her, gauging her reaction before making his next move. She relaxed into the cushions and smiled back at him.
Marc ran his tongue across his lower lip as he straddled her. He undid his belt and pulled it from the loops of his slacks. Laying it on her stomach, he pulled the tank top off, twisting the soft cotton material around her wrists. Lessa watched uneasily, but with increasing excitement. He leaned forward, pinning her hands above her head and swept his tongue into her mouth. She met him kiss for kiss and moaned as he pressed his full weight onto her and rocked. The cotton material of the tank top tightened. She pulled her wrists instinctively and found they wouldn't budge. She looked up and saw he'd wrapped the belt around her cloth handcuffs and looped it over the elaborate wooden filigree at the end of the couch.
Her eyes widened and she looked back at him, but he was looking at her chest. His hands caressed her breasts gently as he lowered his head. His lips connected, and again each tug caused an answering tug between her legs as she shifted in an effort to find relief.
The pleasure was so intense it took her a few seconds to realize he was using his teeth again. This time the pain was barely noticeable as the pleasure whirled through her. She whimpered, trying to reach for him. The belt held her fast. His teeth nipped down the globe of her breast as his hands moved to the waistband of her pajama pants. He sat up and hooking his fingers into the pants and panties, stripped her down to nothing.
She squirmed under his unblinking stare and tugged her hands again. A blush crept up her chest to her face. He smiled, flicking his gaze up to meet hers, then leaned down again to capture her mouth as one hand slid leisurely over her stomach and around to her butt. His hand flexed to pull her closer as he shifted to cover her. His clothes slid over her nakedness.
Everything within her burned, and she fisted her hands to strain up against him as his tongue tangled with hers. Just as suddenly he ended the kiss and licked his way down her throat back to her breasts.
Her heart pounded in her ears and she tried to shift again, to clench her thighs against the ache. He continued his path downward, and his hot breath blew against her core. She gasped as he kissed her inner thigh and drew her legs apart.
He kissed her intimately, slowly, tongue probing and lips tugging. She squirmed and moaned as everything within her tightened. His hands cupped her buttocks to pull her more fully against his mouth. The climax hit her in a rush, and she cried out, straining against her bonds. Liquid heat spread throughout her limbs as she gasped his name.
Standing, Marc quickly disrobed, retrieved a foil package from his pants, and ripped it open to sheath himself. Leaning over her, he captured her lips aggressively.
The languid feeling from her orgasm was replaced by rising desire as he broke the kiss and nipped at her chin before again standing. With a smile and quick hands, he flipped her to her stomach and pressed against her back. When she tried to rise up onto her knees, he held her pinned, his knee leveraged for better access. He leaned in, planting his hands next to her head.
His hips flexed once and the head of his penis entered her. He surged forward, driving himself all the way to the hilt. She moaned into the cushion, unable to move into or away from the invasion. Renewed heat spiraled within her. She could barely catch her breath as he rocked on her. Her body was at his mercy, and each stroke made her tremble.
His breath, hot on her neck, kept rhythm with his steady thrusts. She couldn't stop another deep moan from rising within her. Moist lips moved over her neck. Gentle teeth teased the crook of her and a spurt of pleasure shot down her body. Her breath caught as the orgasmic wave rose. His mouth moved and he sucked and then bit again, hard. The second wave hit her and, trembling, she cried into the cushion.
His thrusting continued, slow and steady, through her orgasm until she lay limp under him, still struggling to catch her breath. He withdrew, and she groaned at the movement, too spent to open her eyes or care what he was doing. He rolled her to her back again and settled once more between her legs. At his entry, her sensitized flesh protested a moment before welcoming him.
"Don't fall asleep on me," he whispered.
She opened her eyes to meet his heated gaze. Responding to his demand, she arched her back to meet his thrust, and he pulled her legs up around his hips so he could sink completely into her.
He moaned. "I'm almost tempted."
"What?" she whispered.
"Nothing." He shook his head and moved to stretch out fully over her body and bit her ear.
Her body was again under his control as he surged deeply within her. Her head was clearing, and she hummed lightly as his thrusting filled her with a sense of rightness. The rightness quickly morphed to heat, and she couldn't believe she was beginning to climb again.
Marc laughed roughly before claiming her lips. His thrusting pushed her deeper and deeper into the couch cushion, and her mouth muffled his moan as he pounded into her. His hand snaked down to grab her butt to anchor her to him as he surged within her a final time before collapsing.
She instinctively tried to wrap her arms around him but they wouldn't move. She looked up in surprise, forgetting she was still tied. His breath blew against her temple and his lips pressed against her in a gentle kiss.
The sweet kiss was her undoing. Lessa closed her eyes as she tried to block out the intense feelings washing through her. Yes, it had been great sex, but she knew not to confuse sex with love. She'd only known him a few days. Having great sex was about chemistry, not love.
He levered up and she felt his hands at her wrist. The stretchy cotton released her, and he kissed each wrist as he brought them down. He brushed the hair off her face. "You all right?"
"What do you think?" Lessa asked, trying to sound as if her heart hadn't been stolen.
"I think you're more than all right." He grinned, cupping her breast in his hand and caressing it.
She slid her fingers into his hair as she arched up into his mouth. He suckled for a moment and let go with a pop. He looked at her glistening nipple and then up at her.
"Hold that thought," he said as he withdrew. He climbed off and headed into the adjoining bedroom.
Lessa rolled onto her side for a moment. Sitting up, she decided to follow him to the bathroom. He was stepping out when she stepped into the bedroom.
"I told you to stay put," he said.
"No," she said with a raised eyebrow. "You told me to hold that thought."
"So, I did." Grinning, he walked up to her and cupped her breast. He then cupped her chin and tilted it up for a deep, soul-searing kiss. She leaned into it and moaned as he pulled away.
"Get in bed," Marc growled, scooping her up and plopping her down on the large mattress.
She obediently climbed over the covers as he pulled them back and laid on her back to look up at him.
"God, you're gorgeous." He laughed under his breath.
"What?"
"When I first saw you, I thought you looked like a typical all-American white-bread…cheerleader." He chuckled when she smacked his roving hand.
"Thanks," Lessa said in a huff grabbing his wrist.
"Who would have thought I'd fall this hard for a cheerleader?" He crawled onto the bed and leaned over her.
Her breath caught in her throat, and she met his serious eyes.
"You still are the all-American white-bread cheerleader."
"Only half all-American white-bread. What the heck is the other half?"
A cell phone ring blasted through the room.
"Fuck." He maintained eye contact for a moment, then rolled off to answer his phone in the other room.
Lessa reached down and pulled the comforter up, shivering from the loss of his body heat. She could hear his low tones but couldn't make out his words. A minute passed before he came back in fully dressed, his face in its careful blank mask. She sat up uneasily.
"I have to go." Marc hesitated. "I don't want to, but I gotta go and deal with something." He swiftly crossed the room to firmly kiss her lips. "We'll talk more when I get back," he promised. She smiled at his sincere tone and he kissed her again. "Get some sleep."
She watched him leave before flopping down to stare up at the ceiling and play the night's events over and over in her mind. It made her hot, making sleep impossible. Lessa waited for his return, knowing he might not be back until morning.
Her stomach growled, forcing her to acknowledge how little she'd eaten for dinner. Out of bed. Pajamas or clothes? She wasn't too thrilled with the idea of traipsing around the house in her PJs, so grabbed a tee shirt and stepped into the one pair of jeans she'd brought with her. The house was quiet as she let herself out of her room and tip-toed down the stairs.
"S
hut up!" Marc's voice came out of the office with a ruthlessness Lessa had never heard before.
She froze. Jio's office door was ajar.
"What amazes me is you actually thought you'd get away with it." Jio's angry voice added. "Now that the old man is gone and his infant son's in charge, I can take what I want. Is that what you thought?"
She held her breath. This conversation was not intended for her ears.
"I didn't do anything," an unfamiliar man insisted.
Lessas breath rushed out her mouth, and she gulped in another. Her pulse raced. She had to move, and quietly. One slow step backward. Then another, eyes glued to the door.
"You left your mark on her, Tommy," Jio said. "Not only did you rape and kill one of my top money makers, but you were stupid enough to leave your calling card."
"That whore was yours? I swear I didn't know. I would never steal from you."
Oh crap
, she thought as she slid her other foot back. One of his whores? Did that mean what she thought it meant?
"She was one of us," Jio said. "The girls count on me for protection. How do you think they'll react when they find out one of my own boys took her out?"
"I didn't know," the man she assumed was Tommy squeaked.
"Not good enough," Jio said. "Restitution must be made."
Lessa nearly lost her balance as her heel hit the bottom step. She stumbled to a stop and jerked her weight forward before she fell back.
"I'll work it off. Whatever she brought in, I'll make it."
"Not good enough," Jio yelled. "You're a fucking idiot. Do you honestly think you can pay this off? She was under Tazio protection, you asshole. We take care of our own."
"No, Jio," Tommy begged. "I swear I didn't know."
"Take care of him," Jio said.
She lifted her foot to the step and prepared to spin around as the door swung open and Marc loomed in the opening. Maybe he wouldn't see her. His gaze found hers instantaneously. She needed to run. Her mother's words echoed in her head, "Jiovanni's men are dangerous."
His face filled with fury and he stepped out of the office, his eyes never leaving hers. A part of her noted a short, fat man being dragged out by two other men, but she couldn't look away from Marc's dark eyes.
Jio followed behind them and summed up the situation with one word. "Shit."
Her brain struggled to make sense of it all, but she couldn't work past the unbelievable knowledge that they were going to kill this man, and they now knew that she knew.
It took Marc three measured steps to reach her. Fear prevented her from shrinking away. His hands gripped her arms painfully. "What are you doing here? How long have you been here?"
Jio stepped up next to him. "What did you hear?"
Jio's voice was calm. Too calm. That scared her more than the anger she could hear in Marc's tone.
Too much
, but she couldn't say that. Marc's grip tightened when she refused to speak.
"What were you thinking?" Marc breathed. "Why weren't you in your room?"
"How much did you hear?" Jio repeated.