Since You've Been Gone (Welcome to Paradise) (7 page)

He quickly dried off and yanked on the clean pair of boxer-briefs he’d brought into the bathroom with him, then took a breath and left the bathroom.

“That was the longest shower I’ve ever seen anyone take,” Mari announced. “Are you secretly a girl or something?”

She was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the bed, wearing a pair of blue cotton shorts and a white tank top that didn’t hide the braless state of her breasts—or the puckered nipples straining against the thin fabric.

“I was shaving my legs,” he cracked, doing his best to keep his gaze far, far away from her mouthwatering chest.

In fact, he avoided looking at her altogether. She looked too damn cute in her PJ’s, with her wavy hair loose around her shoulders and her skin pink from the shower she’d taken before him.

“Anyhoo,” she went on, “your super long shower actually gave me the opportunity to do some thinking, and I’ve made a decision.”

“Okay.” He drifted to the television set and grabbed the remote control, still averting his eyes. “What about?”

“I think we should sleep together.”

The remote promptly fell out of his hand and clattered to the linoleum floor.

Austin couldn’t help but turn to gape at her. And God help him, but her declaration had made his cock go harder than granite, an erection that was hard to miss beneath his boxers.

Sure enough, Mari’s blue eyes instantly homed in on the undeniable proof of his interest.

“Huh. I thought it would take a lot more convincing,” she mused.

Breathing through his nose, Austin tried to banish the desire sizzling through his blood. “What do you mean, we should sleep together?”

She shrugged. “Like I said, I thought about it, and I don’t think a short-term fling would be a terrible idea. I mean, as long as we agree that it’s temporary and promise to stay friends afterwards, I think it could work.”

His head started to spin. Goddamn women—why were their thought processes so frickin’ nuts? One day she wasn’t into casual affairs, the next she was saying she wanted to get busy.

“What changed your mind?” he had to ask, though his voice came out raspier than he intended for it to be.

Mari shot him a pointed look, her blue eyes sweeping up and down his body. “Look at you,” she grumbled. “I probably could have controlled myself if you weren’t flaunting that hot bod every other second.”

He choked out a laugh. “Hey, I’ve been fully clothed since we met, except for today at the pond and right now.
You’re
the one parading around in the tightest tops known to man. And those short-shorts! Jesus Christ, woman.”

Her pretty face lit up in delight. “You’ve been checking me out too?”

“Duh.” He rolled his eyes. “If you want to talk self-control, I think I deserve a damn medal.”

Mari hopped off the bed and approached him with purposeful strides. “Okay, then we’re still attracted to each other. That bodes well for our fling.”

His pulse sped up the closer she came. “Who says I’m agreeing to it?” he challenged.

Smirking, she glanced at his crotch. “I think your agreement is implied.”

She had him there. Truth was, he didn’t know why he was arguing. Not touching this woman had been pure torture, and now she was giving him the green light to strip her naked and have his way with her? It was a frickin’ no-brainer.

He narrowed his eyes at her. “You sure about this?”

She didn’t even blink. “Yep.”

“Thank God.”

Without another word, he yanked her toward him, captured her chin with one hand and bent down to kiss her.

The moment their lips met, a bolt of electricity streaked down his spine and grabbed hold of his cock. Mari’s lips were so soft, so sweet, and when her tongue darted out to touch his, Austin damn near passed out.

He tore his mouth away. “I’ve been wanting to do that for days,” he ground out.

“Me too,” she said breathlessly, before reaching up and bringing his head back down for another kiss.

She was so much shorter than him that kissing standing up was a challenge, bound to put a crick in his neck, but he solved the problem by lifting her up and cupping that ass he’d been fantasizing about for days. Mari twined her arms around his neck, her groin settling over his as her legs wrapped around his hips. The heat of her core seared his skin right through his boxers, making him groan.

With their mouths latched and their bodies straining to get closer, Austin marched her over to the bed, but a misstep caused them to tumble onto the mattress with zero finesse. His body landed on top of hers with a thump, eliciting a breathy laugh from Mari.

“Someone’s overly eager,” she teased.

His lips found the curve of her neck, tongue darting out to taste her soft flesh. “Do you blame me?” he muttered.

“I actually meant me. I’m the eager one.” She lifted her hips off the bed and rocked her lower body into his aching groin. “I haven’t done this in
ages
.”

He brought his mouth back to hers, kissing her deeply. “Me too.”

It had been so long, in fact, that Austin prayed he’d be able to last for more than thirty seconds. The feel of Mari’s warm body beneath him sent his pulse careening and made his breathing go ragged, his cock throbbing to the point of pain.

Sucking in a breath, he raised himself up on one elbow and used his other hand to reach for Mari’s tank top. With one swift motion, he brought the shirt up to reveal her bare breasts, and all the breath in his lungs whooshed out in a fast burst.

“Jesus, you’re so fucking beautiful.” His gaze ate up her full breasts and pale-pink nipples that puckered the moment he looked at them.

Those perfect breasts heaved as Mari’s breathing grew labored. When he dipped his head and enclosed his mouth around one nipple, she moaned softly and grabbed at his head to keep him in place. She didn’t need to, though—he had no intention of going anywhere. He spent an obscene amount of time kissing and licking her breasts, sucking her nipples hard enough to elicit a groan from her lips, then flicking his tongue in featherlight movements over those rigid buds until Mari was whimpering and writhing restlessly.

Chuckling, Austin lifted his head and searched her agitated expression. “You okay, baby?”

She groaned again. “No, I’m not
okay
. You’re teasing!”

“You love it.” With a smirk, he shoved her shorts and panties down her legs, gliding his fingers over her silky-smooth legs as he rid her of the garments.

Mari shivered when he gently stroked her thighs. “That feels good.”

Her arms reached for him, but he moved out of the way, sliding down the bed so that he was at mouth-level with the prettiest pussy he’d ever seen. “I’m not done teasing,” he murmured, grinning when she dropped her arms on the mattress with a frustrated grumble.

“I’ll get you back for this,” she informed him.

“I look forward to it.” Licking his lips, he brought his mouth closer and closer to her glistening folds, wanting so badly to devour her but forcing himself to go slow. He wanted to make her moan and squirm and beg for him to fuck her.

A gentle flick of the tongue directly over her clit got him the moan, but the squirming didn’t come until a few minutes later, after he’d started licking her in earnest. She tasted like heaven, and the sexy sounds she made only fueled his hunger. His cock was so hard it hurt, and he had to shift his lower body so the rock in his pants wouldn’t grind against the mattress as he drove Mari wild.

“Oh, that’s good,” she breathed. “Keep doing that.”

He skimmed his tongue up and down her slit the way she’d requested, but this time he brought his fingers into the mix. When he pushed one finger into her tight core, Mari almost bucked off the bed.

“Oh my
God
.
Yes
.”

He peered up, and male satisfaction rippled through him at the sheer pleasure he saw etched into her face. But it didn’t compare to the way he felt when she came apart a moment later, crying out as an orgasm shook her body. He sucked on her clit and continued to finger her as she came, and it wasn’t long before he got his third wish, as the words “Fuck me,
please
!” burst out of Mari’s mouth.

He left her only to grab a condom from his bag, then stripped off his boxers, sheathed himself and returned to the bed. Mari was sprawled on her back, her legs parted sexily, her blue eyes glazed with passion and lingering bliss. She made such an alluring picture he was tempted to grab his camera and capture this moment forever, but the hunger that suddenly filled her eyes distracted him.

“You are so freaking sexy,” she said, her gaze fixed on his erect cock.

“I was just thinking the same thing about you,” he said gruffly. “I almost went to get my camera.”

A laugh popped out of her mouth. “No way, buddy. I’m not interested in being a centerfold.”

He got back on the bed and slowly lowered himself over her, resting his elbows on either side of her body. “You won’t even pose for my private collection?” he asked with a mock pout.

“Nope. I’ll pass.” She arched a brow. “But I’m willing to take naked pictures of you for
my
collection.”

He laughed, then leaned in to kiss her, his tongue sliding into her mouth and making her gasp. She instantly responded to the kiss, held on to his shoulders and kissed him so deeply his head started to spin. Suddenly he couldn’t think about anything but being inside her, the craving so intense that he tore his mouth away from hers and muttered, “Put me inside you, Mari.”

Her breath hitched, eyes filling with dark desire. Without a word, she reached between them and gripped his cock.

Austin shuddered as those delicate fingers wrapped around his girth. Son of a bitch. Her fist around his cock felt so damn good, but it didn’t compare to the sensations that raced through his body when she guided him into her opening and he plunged inside in a hard, fast stroke that made them both moan.

“Holy shit, you’re so tight,” he choked out. “I could come right this fucking second.”

She didn’t seem at all troubled by that, nor did she make a sassy remark about endurance. What she did was shoot him a devilish look and say, “Then do it.” A second later, she wrapped her legs around his waist and gave an upward thrust that made him see stars.

Austin had no hope of delaying the climax, not after months and months of celibacy. With Mari’s pussy squeezing his cock like a hot glove and her distended nipples rubbing against his chest, he was surprised he lasted as long as he did. He thrust into her, over and over, deeper and deeper, groaning loudly when she brought her hand to the place where they were joined and started rubbing her clit. He summoned some more restraint, watching her face, refusing to let go until she came again. A minute later, when pleasure flooded her blue eyes and her lips parted to release a cry of bliss, he finally exploded, coming so hard his entire body trembled with unceasing pleasure. The orgasm shot through him, heating his flesh and coursing in his blood, and when the waves of ecstasy finally ebbed, he felt like he’d run five marathons.

They both groaned in disappointment when he pulled out. Austin still had a semi, a fact that Mari wasted no time commenting on.

“Good, you’ll be ready to go again soon.”

Exhausted and sated beyond belief, he rolled over and pulled her close. “You have incredibly high expectations,” he mumbled. “Lord, woman, two orgasms weren’t enough for you?”

“Two orgasms will do—for now.” She nestled against his side and rested her head on his chest. “I’m just kidding,” she added with a little sigh. “That was incredible, Bishop.”

“Yeah?” he said roughly.

“Hells yeah. Granted, I don’t have much to compare you to. I’ve only slept with two other guys.”

“And I’m better in the sack than both of them. Clearly.”

“Clearly,” she echoed. Then she laughed. “I bet my two measly lovers are nothing compared to the stable of women you’ve slept with.”

He threaded his fingers through her hair and absently stroked the wavy strands. “You’d lose that bet.”

“Really? How many fillies do you have in your stable then?”

A laugh lodged in his chest. “I’ve slept with four
women
. And I think you might have set the feminist movement back several decades with your horse comparison.”

“Ah, whatevs. Feminists are too uptight for my liking. Anyway, only four? That surprises me.”

“I wasn’t lying when I said I wasn’t into casual sex,” he replied with a shrug. “I’m more of a relationship kind of guy. Not lately, though. It’s hard to maintain a relationship when I’m always traveling.”

“I can imagine. Who was the last person you were with?”

“A journalist I met in South Africa. She was pretty damn cool, but we couldn’t make the long-distance thing work. What about you?”

“I dated this artist in Chicago for two years. He painted the craziest shit, like futuristic landscapes and weird killer robots. He was a great guy.”

Austin tweaked a strand of her hair. “Um, if you want to vouch for someone’s character, I’m not sure you should lead with ‘killer robot paintings’.”

Mari’s laughter fanned over his pecs. “Yeah, you’re right, that does make him sound nuts. But Michael really was sweet. The relationship just fizzled after a while. He wanted to move in together, but I couldn’t see myself ever living with him, or marrying him, or having kids with him. That’s when I realized we probably shouldn’t be together.” She stroked his chest with her palm, her tone growing thoughtful. “Do you see yourself getting married?”