Ruthless (23 page)

She considered telling him she’d prefer to be alone, but she knew being alone with her thoughts meant thinking of Luc. “Sure, why not?”

“Great, can I get you a drink?”

She glanced at her watch. “It’s a little early for a drink, isn’t it?”

He laughed. “You’re on vacation, Marisa. Live a little.”

“Okay, a strawberry daiquiri it is.”

Marisa closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun as she waited for Iain to return. She wasn’t ready to consider even an anonymous fling, much less a relationship, but conversation with a handsome man might serve as a pleasant distraction. She watched him jog down the beach toward her. If not for Luc, her toes would be curling in anticipation of what lie ahead. As it was, she was only mildly interested in learning more about her new acquaintance.

She sat up and reached out to take the drinks from him as he retrieved another lounge chair.

He settled his chair in the sand next to hers and reclaimed his beer. Sitting back, he raised his glass. “Cheers.”

She smiled and touched her glass to his. Taking a sip, she enjoyed the sweet, icy eruption against her sunburned lips.

“Ooh, looks like your shoulders are getting a bit red.” He shifted off his chair and picked up the sunscreen bottle she’d tossed in the sand. “Let me put some of this on you before you get fried.” 

She moved down to make room for him behind her. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, so he had easy access to her neck and upper back. She felt his hands glide over her skin and waited to feel something, some current of awareness pass between them, but she felt nothing. When she felt his hands dip lower, massaging the base of her spine, she quickly seized the bottle of sunscreen.

“Ah, thanks, that should do it.”

“What you need is a proper massage, Marisa. You’re all tied up in knots.”

A massage was definitely one of the pleasures she intended to indulge in during her stay. “You’re right. In fact, I’ve booked one for tomorrow morning.”

He grinned. “Lucky for you, you won’t have to wait that long.”

“What do you mean?”

He laughed. “I’m the massage therapist at the resort. Your appointment is with me.”

She felt the heat creep up her neck. “Oh, I, uh...”

He took her hand. “Here, let’s get to work on those knots right now.”

She tried to pull back. “Oh no, I couldn’t ask you to do that. It’s your day off, right?” When she tried to book the appointment for today, they’d told her their massage therapist wouldn’t be returning to work until tomorrow.  

“It would be my pleasure.” He pointed to an enclosed massage table on the beach. “Look, we wouldn’t even have to leave the beach.”

“Uh, okay, if you’re sure?”

He kissed her hand. “Nothing would give me greater pleasure.”

Luc used the key Sierra had given him to enter Trey’s apartment. He had already made the arrangements for a night that he hoped would set the stage for the romantic proposal he planned. He slipped in the door and closed it quietly behind him. He thought of knocking, but he would prefer to have the element of surprise working in his favor. He set his suitcase in the foyer and cast a glance around the condominium. It felt like an upscale hotel, and Trey told him when he bought it that many of the owners chose to rent the suites to vacationers when they weren’t in use.

He took a deep breath when he saw the expansive view of the ocean through the floor to ceiling windows. No doubt about it, this was the perfect place for him and Marisa to start their new life together.

Walking over to the window, he paused to look down at the beach. He knew the private beachfront was reserved for the resort’s guests, and since it was their off-season, it was fairly quiet. He smiled when he saw a couple lifting a delighted toddler inches off ground each time the waves rolled in.

With any luck, he and Marisa would be enjoying simple pleasures with their own baby soon. He was still amazed that after wasting so many years, he finally had the chance to be the father he should have been. He’d missed out on so many firsts with Nikki. He looked forward to sharing every word, every step, every milestone with Marisa and their baby.

His gaze settled on a woman in a red bikini getting a massage on a sheltered massage table. She was spectacular, and even though her boyfriend probably wouldn’t appreciate him staring, he couldn’t help himself. He met gorgeous women in his line of work every day, but few even turned his head, much less piqued his interest. There was something about this woman. Maybe it was the sensuous curve of her neck or the enticing swell of her bottom as the man slipped his hands under the scrap of material covering her buttocks. Or maybe it was the roundness of her breasts pressed against the table when he un-did her bikini top to massage her sun-kissed back.

He felt himself getting aroused just looking at her. A woman hadn’t had that kind of effect on him since long before he and Marisa started dating.

She turned her head, and for the first time, he saw her face. He clenched his fists when he realized it was Marisa, and some half-naked guy was fondling her ass.

He was glad he’d thought to dress for the warm climate so he wouldn’t have to waste time changing his clothes. He didn’t even want to think about her friendly masseuse stripping her clothes off in the time it took him to put clothes on. He threw his t-shirt on the bed and stalked out of the room. The countless hours he spent paying a high-priced personal trainer to beat him into submission were finally going to pay off.

Luc tread soundlessly across the sand until he reached their private oasis. He watched the guy knead her moist flesh with his strong, capable hands.

She moaned when his hands dipped lower, massaging the indentation at the base of her spine. “God, that feels so good, Iain.”

Luc’s tongue had caressed that sensitive area enough times to know the gentle pressure was arousing her. Just the thought of another man turning her on made Luc snap. “If you don’t get your hands off her now, I’ll break every one of your fingers.”

Marisa’s eyes flew open and she shot up, oblivious to her state of undress.

Iain took the opportunity to ogle her full breasts.

Luc growled and grabbed a folded towel from a bin at the foot of the table. He threw it at her. “Put this on, now.”

She wrapped the towel around her shoulders. “What the hell are you doing here?”  

“Looks like I got here just in time.” He took a step toward the guy with the magic fingers, but Marisa stepped between them.

“Oh no, you don’t.” She flattened her palms against Luc’s bare chest. “Iain’s the massage therapist at the resort. He was just giving me a massage.”

Luc glared at the other man’s state of undress. “Some uniform you got there.”

The guy smirked. “It’s my day off. I was just trying to help the lady unwind.”

Luc took a step closer. “Yeah, I got that.” He pointed a finger at his chest. “You touch her again and I’ll...”

“Stop it!” Marisa shouted. She turned to Iain. “I’m sorry about this. Please have them bill the massage to suite 702.”

He smiled. “This one’s on me.”

Luc reached over Marisa’s shoulder to grab him, intent on making him regret his words.

Marisa took a step back, flattening her backside against Luc’s abdomen.

He had to hand it to her; she knew how to shut him up. The only thing he could think about with her tight little derriere pressed up against him was throwing her down on the massage table and proving to any man who might be inclined to make a play for her that she was his.

“I’ll see you later, okay?” she said.

Iain glanced at Luc. “About that dinner tonight...”

“Ah, no, I can’t. It looks like I’m gonna be busy tonight.”

Luc wrapped his arm around her waist from behind and nipped her bare shoulder with his teeth. “You can count on it, darlin’.”

Iain smirked. “Fine, okay. I get the message, buddy.” His hot gaze travelled over Marisa from head to toe. “But when they look like this, you can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Luc thought about shutting him down, but the guy was right, Marisa was a sight to behold, especially in that string bikini. Half of which was lying on the massage table. He picked up the skimpy top and fisted it in his hand. “What the hell is this?” he asked, shaking it at her.

“Uh, my bikini?”

He grunted. “Barely qualifies. I’m surprised they didn’t arrest you for indecent exposure.”

She rolled her eyes. “Give me a break.” She pointed down the beach. “Lots of women here are wearing less than I am.”

He eyed the towel covering her shoulders before looking around. “Really? Is this a topless beach?”

She blushed. “Okay, maybe not at the moment, but my swimsuit isn’t indecent.”   

“Listen, I don’t care what other women are wearing. I care about what you’re wearing.”

She settled one hand on her hip. “Why?”

“Because when you look like that, men like your buddy Iain start drooling all over you like you’re a grade-A rib-eye and they’ve been on a hunger strike.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Are you jealous, Spencer?”

“Hell yeah! I don’t want other men fallin’ all over themselves checkin’ out my woman.”

“I’m not your woman anymore, remember?”

He grabbed her elbow and ushered her across the paved walkway toward their building. “I’m sick and tired of hearing you say that. We’re gonna settle this, once and for all.”  

Chapter Nineteen

As soon as they were inside the suite, Luc flattened Marisa’s back against the closed door. “I want you.”

He drew her bottom lip into his hot, wet mouth. “I need you.” He nibbled her earlobe. “God, I love you so much, baby.” His hands slowly drew the towel apart as he kissed a moist trail down the column of her neck. “Let me show you.”

She pushed against his shoulders, trying to maintain a modicum of common sense as his greedy mouth assailed her tender skin. “No, I don’t want you here. You need to leave, now.”

“Liar,” he whispered. He let the towel fall to the floor at their feet as his thumbs brushed her sensitive nipples. “You want me as much as I want you.” He gripped her waist with both hands, grinding his arousal into her stomach. “God, you make me crazy, Marisa.”

She tried to recall the reasons she’d come here to get away from him, but the lust induced fog in her brain made it difficult to remember. Lies, deceit...

“Let me make you feel good, baby.” He held her face in his hands and plunged his tongue in her mouth, over and over again. He tugged on the strings at either side of her hips. “Hmm, I can’t wait to taste you.”

She gripped his shoulders as he was easing down to his knees. “No, don’t. I can’t, we can’t do this.”

He eased her legs apart. “Sssh, don’t think, just feel, sweetheart,” he whispered. He kissed the inside of her thighs until she whimpered and quivered.

“Please, Luc,” she cried.

“What, baby? Just tell me what you need.”

She groaned in frustration. He knew exactly what she needed; he was just hell-bent on torturing her. “I need to feel your mouth on me, now.”

Grinning, he said, “I thought you’d never ask.”

He flicked his tongue across her weeping sex and her knees almost buckled under her. Chuckling, he gripped her hips, holding her firmly against the door as he continued a relentless sensual onslaught with his tongue.

She wriggled her hips as the powerful climax continued to build. She squeezed her eyes shut as black spots danced behind her closed eyelids. “Yes, oh, right there. Yes,” she hissed between clenched teeth. She fisted her hands in his hair, forcing him to continue administering the sweet torture until she couldn’t stand it any longer. When she tried to pull him away, he reached up to seize her wrists.

“Oh no, you don’t, baby. I’m not finished with you yet.” He continued to feast on her until the last tremor shook her body. He finally eased up, pinning her against the door with his heavy body as he kissed her neck. “Let’s hit the shower for round two.”

She shook her head. “No, you need to go. I can’t have you here.” She couldn’t think straight when he was touching her, using every weapon in his arsenal to make her forget his indiscretion.

“I’m not going anywhere,” he whispered, cupping her breasts as he stroked her hard nipples.

“Fine, you stay. I’ll leave.” She groaned when he rolled her pebbled nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Just give me a few hours, sweetheart.” He dipped his tongue into the hollow of her collarbone. “If you still want me to go, I will. I promise.”

She raked her fingernails down his back, piercing his skin as she wrapped her leg around his waist and threw her head back, inviting him to continue to lick and suck on her neck. Images of what he could do to her, the pleasure he could give her over the next few hours, flashed through her mind like an erotic movie. God only knew how long it would be before she could trust another man with her body, her heart.

“Okay,” she whispered. “But it won’t change anything between us. This is just about sex, nothing more.”

Luc wanted to growl in frustration at her words. Pleasuring her had nothing to do with sex for him, it never had. Sex implied mechanics, and when he pleasured her, it was all about showing her, proving to her, how much he loved her. This was his last chance to make her believe him. If he screwed this up, he knew it was over.

He tried to quell his rising fear as he took her hand and led her into the bathroom. He slipped his shorts off as he turned the handle and waited for the water to heat up before leading her inside the glass cubicle. Pressing his back to the cool tile wall, he pulled her against him, burying his face in her wet hair. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you...”

She shook her head. “Sssh, I don’t want to talk about it. That’s not what this is about for me, Luc.” She slid her hand up his chest and rested it against his racing heart.

“Please,” he pleaded. “I need to...”

“Luc, I don’t love you anymore.” She dipped her head, refusing to look him in the eye. “I’m sorry.”