Bachelor Auction (26 page)

rippled through him. He would allow himself this

one moment of heaven. He would stop her soon.

He heard her ragged breathing. Or was it his?

She took him deeper, and the buzzing in his ears

grew louder, drowning everything else out. He

looked at the clock, vaguely wondering if this was a

dream and the alarm was about to go off. If it didn’t,

he was.

Eleven twenty. Time to stop.

Marcus closed his eyes. He didn’t want to stop.

He wanted to ride it out, to be right where he was

168

Bachelor Auction

when he came. Just the thought brought on the

familiar tightening that warned him release was

near. If he didn’t stop her now, there would be no

turning back.

“Char—” His voice cracked, and he attempted to

swallow but didn’t have any spit. He tried again,

desperate to make her hear him. “Charlotte, stop.”

When she didn’t, he gave up his hold on the

table and grabbed her upper arms. He tried to move

backward but couldn’t, which meant she had to.

Before it was too late. Before he took the very thing

he’d told her she shouldn’t have to give.

He pushed at the same time he bowed at the

waist, a painful but effective move that freed him

and sent her tumbling backward. She gaped up at

him, clearly startled by his rough actions. Hell, he

was, too. But at the moment his attention was

required elsewhere.

****

and over his hips then turned away to brace one

hand on the edge of the pool table. The other she was

certain he used to prevent ejaculation. With his head

hung low, his back rigid, shoulders shuddering, she

knew the difficulty it caused him.

Yet, it was her own reaction that shocked her.

She’d done this before but never particularly liked it

or been so excited as a result. She certainly hadn’t

meant to go that far. Just far enough to nudge him

past the point of no return so he wouldn’t argue

when she pushed him onto the table and straddled

him. That had been her plan.

But she’d gotten lost somewhere along the way,

become consumed by him and his response. She’d

wanted to give him everything and take all he had to

give.

“Sorry,” he said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t

mean to hurt you.”

169

Darah Lace

She pushed off her elbows and sat up. “You

didn’t. Are you okay?”

“I just need a minute.”

A minute for what? To rein in his libido so they

could move on to other and more rewarding

pleasures? Or simply continue with the rewards of

their wager.

Certain either would lead where she intended

them to go, she rose to her feet and stood directly

behind him. She laid a hand on his back.

He flinched. “Don’t.”

So they would be taking the long route as usual.

Sighing inwardly, she picked up the bowl and

hopped up on the table beside him, her thigh against

his. “Open up. This will cool you down.”

Buttoning his jeans, he looked at her, then

averted his glassy green eyes and backed away. “I

think I’ll turn in.”

Uh-oh. She couldn’t let him escape now. “You

can’t.”

“Why not? Our bargain is finished.”

She held up the bowl and dangled the spoon.

“You haven’t claimed your prize.”

He turned and started for his room. “I forfeit.”

Setting the bowl aside, she jumped off the table

and darted around the chair to block his path.

“Forget the bet. You are not walking away from me

like this. Not again.”

He stared past her, his body stiff, hands

clenched at his sides. “Charlotte, if I stay out here,

things are going to happen that we’ll both regret in

the morning.”

“Believe me, I won’t regret a thing.”

His eyes narrowed and locked with hers. “I won’t

use you.”

“Then let me use you.”

He snorted and brushed past her.

Rage, hurt and pure need all battled for the

170

Bachelor Auction

upper hand within her. “I can’t believe you’re going

to leave me hanging like this. I’m in the same shape

as you.”

Almost to his door, he offered, “Take a cold

shower. It’s what I plan to do.”

Planting both fists on her hips, she thrust her

chin forward. “That’s right, Marcus. Walk away.

Leave it for another man to take care of.”

That stopped him. Knowing the barb she’d

thrown had hit its mark almost brought a smile to

her lips, but she fought it as he turned to face her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I’m sure Grant wouldn’t mind another go for

old time’s sake.”

“You said there was nothing between you and

Wylie.”

She lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “There

isn’t. But it’s been my experience men are faithless

and won’t pass up an adventurous night of hot sex

with a woman who knows what she wants.” She

pivoted on her heel and marched toward her room,

satisfied she’d given him something to think about.

The room suddenly tilted as he caught and spun

her around. His strong fingers dug into her

forearms, painful yet exhilarating in a way she

couldn’t explain. Same as his dark expression.

“Don’t you get it? Yes, you are a beautiful,

desirable woman, but you’re so much more. You

don’t have to do this. There are men who will want

you for who you are, not for what you can do for

them, if you just give them the chance.”

“It’s you who doesn’t get it,” she almost shouted.

“I don’t want that kind of relationship. And right

now all I want is for you to finish what we started.”

“What
you
started.”

“You can’t tell me you didn’t enjoy it, that you

don’t want me. You’re so hot you’re shaking,

hurting.” She splayed her hands at the base of his

171

Darah Lace

ribs and slid them upward through feathery black

hair to thumb the coppery disks hidden there. He

shuddered, and she looked up at him. “I can make it

stop.”

He closed lust-shadowed eyes but quickly

reopened them and stared into hers. His jaw worked,

until she thought it would break. He was weakening.

She knew it and licked her lips in anticipation.

He groaned, her only warning before his mouth

slanted over hers. His tongue demanded entrance.

She opened to him. His arms encircled her. One wide

palm cupped the back of her head, angling her for

deeper penetration, the other splayed at the small of

her back, almost crushing her. It was a desperate

kiss. One meant to purge himself of her.

Oh, no you don’t
. Charlotte groped for something

to cling to as she mimicked his actions but found

only the smooth skin of his back and shoulders.

Reaching higher, she clutched his thick black hair

then thrust her hips against his, moaning at the feel

of his hard thickness against her belly.

But he broke the kiss, resting his forehead

against hers, eyes clenched tight, his breath rushing

in and out, hot against her cheek. “I can’t.”

“Don’t do this.” She hated the desperation in her

voice, hated that she sounded as if she were begging,

but damn him she would. She ached to have him

inside her, even if only his tongue in her mouth.

“Please?”

Standing on tiptoes, she tried to coax him with

her lips to continue, but he pulled her arms from

around him and set her at arm’s length. Gently, he

palmed her face with both hands, his fingers spread.

“I do want you, Charlotte. God knows at this

moment almost more than anything in the world.”

He lowered his head, but the kiss he pressed to

her lips was all too brief. She whimpered when he

drew back and dropped his hands to his sides. “But

172

Bachelor Auction

there’s one thing I want more.”

Breathless and stunned, by both his tenderness

and his refusal, Charlotte couldn’t move until the

door shut quietly behind him. Then she stomped her

foot. Damn him, he’d done it again. Turned the

tables on her. Staggered her with a kiss and left her

wanting. And totally confused.

What did he mean there was one thing he

wanted more than having sex with her? What did he

want? He’d said she had more to offer a man than

her body. Was that what he wanted? A relationship?

With her?

A tiny thrill raced up her spine, but she

squashed it. If she’d learned anything from her

father it was that men took their satisfaction at

whim. Even men like Marcus.

So why did he try to convince her otherwise?

Was it part of the game? Was she a challenge he

couldn’t resist and denial part of his strategy?

And why did her heart try to convince her that

wasn’t the case? Maybe because Marcus
did

continue to walk away from every pleasure she

offered. Maybe he
was
different from most men.

Hadn’t she suspected as much from the beginning?

Wasn’t that why she kept him at a distance for so

many years?

Or maybe he simply doesn’t want you
.

The thought cut deep, but Charlotte thrust it

aside. He did want her. He’d said so. And she’d felt

his desire as surely as she’d felt her own. Something

she hadn’t been prepared to face.

She fingered her lips, still warm and moist from

his kiss. In the past, she’d lost herself in his touch,

but tonight she’d lost herself in touching him. The

realization that Marcus’s enjoyment could inflame

her own response, one of passion and not just of

physical need, scared the hell out of her. She’d

begged him, for Pete’s sake. She’d never done that

173

Darah Lace

with another man. She’d never had to.

From the start she had known any involvement

with Marcus other than sexual, wasn’t an option.

Now the stakes were higher than ever. She had

opened herself up to lure him in, and would likely

end up licking her wounds when the weekend was

over and he moved on to someone else. If she were

smart, she would forget everything and be on the

first plane home.

But she couldn’t forget her obligations to the

benefit, the sponsors and most of all, to the children.

She could, however, forget this ridiculous plan to

seduce Marcus. She could suffer the moments they

were together, make it through one more day and

night and get back to life without him in it.

Because if she continued in the direction she’d

meant to go, she might never find her way back.

****

because he thought Charlotte would try to follow

him. In fact, if the icy glint in her blue eyes was

anything to go by, he’d be lucky if she said three

words to him tomorrow. And those would probably

be “go to hell”.

No, he leaned against the door because he didn’t

think he could make it to the bed without his legs

collapsing. His whole body shook from the inside out,

and not just from the aftershock of having her

glorious mouth around him. Though he doubted he

would ever forget those four long and incredible

minutes.

It was the bomb that exploded in his brain half

way through that soul-wrenching kiss that had him

shaken. If he’d made love to her tonight, she would

believe him the same as every man she’d known.

After all he’d learned about her, his goal no longer

had to do with her perception of other men and what

they wanted from her.

174

Bachelor Auction

It was about him. And what
he
wanted.

He wanted to know the Charlotte she hid from

the world. He wanted those little moments when she

lowered her guard, when the world disappointed her

and she needed someone. He wanted to be that

someone, to convince her he wouldn’t let her down.

That they had more than a physical attraction in

common. That she could trust him.

No matter how much she denied wanting that

kind of relationship, Marcus was beginning to