Moment of Weakness: One Moment, Book 1 (11 page)

By the time Abby finally left Marcus’s apartment, the steak was still sitting in its pack, but her hunger had been well and truly sated.

“Will you stay for the night?” he’d asked as she was about to leave. His quirky, lopsided grin almost had her. Almost.

Laughing, Abby had turned down his offer, hoping he didn’t see how much she wished she could.

The first message request came through as Abby sat at her desk the next day.

Morning after catch-up,
he’d called the appointment.

A sting of warmth needled her chest and she tried not to smile. There was nothing to smile about. The invitation to meet was exactly the same as the last ten that’d hit her inbox. Yet, somehow this felt different.

She hit accept and her lips curved upward.

“Ridiculous,” Abby muttered under her breath.

She spent the time waiting for Marcus to arrive by compiling a list of things to do, which mostly involved making up lost time for her unproductive day yesterday and rearranging her pens. By the time Marcus arrived, Abby’s nerves were perfectly under control and her professional face was on.

“Good morning.” His greeting was functionary, although the glint in his eye was anything but. “I wanted to check on progress. You know, make sure there’s nothing on your mind this morning that might interfere with work.”

Apart from him? Absolutely nothing. But if he thought she was going to acknowledge what’d happened between them last night… Abby pretended to look through her notes with a frown. “No. Nothing I can think of.”

“Hmm, okay. Well, if you’re sure?”

“Very sure.” Abby switched her pens around, changing them from color coordinated to ranking in size. She looked up. “Was there something else?”

Marcus’s smile grew wider. “No. Nothing else.” He got up and Abby had a few scant seconds to admire him while he wasn’t watching. She got lost in the way his ass clenched and released—
mmm, mmm, mmm
—as he strolled to the door. He paused just before leaving and turned to catch her stare. His brow lifted. “You’ll let me know if you think of anything.”

Abby scowled, wishing she didn’t like the sound of his laugh quite so much. She was saved from having to answer by her phone ringing. A quick check of the caller ID showed it was Stacy.
Shit.
She waved Marcus off, swallowing back her grin to put on her best, professional voice.

“Stacy. Do you have the information on the proposed legislation change yet?”

A pause filled the line. “Ah, no hello? No, ‘how are you and the child-thing you’re incubating’?”

“Sorry,” Abby shook her head. “I’ve got a busy day and I…I need those details.”

Another pause. “You’ve slept with him, haven’t you?”

Abby choked back a laugh. Had she slept with him? “No.” She managed to get the word out without erupting into fits. “And I don’t want to talk about it.” She threw in as Stacy took an excited breath.

Abby gripped the phone. She had no idea what she’d gotten herself into with Marcus and she didn’t want to talk to Stacy about it. Not yet. After last night and seeing Marcus this morning, Abby would be stupid to keep pretending. He wasn’t Nathan. She could see that now. There was nothing hidden about the way Marcus played the game. He was a full-on assault to her senses. Nowhere to hide there. But speaking it out loud to Stacy would make it more real. And that wasn’t something Abby was ready to acknowledge yet. She needed more time.

“Oooo-kay.” Stacy sounded confused. “Well I guess I’ll make sure you get my breakdown on changes by the end of the day then.”

“That’d be good.”

“You’re not fooling me, you know.”

“I know.”

“But you’re okay?” Stacy queried softly.

This time Abby couldn’t hold back her smile. Yeah, she was okay. She’d been emotionally malnourished for so long this game with Marcus was a chance to explore her feelings without the complication of a relationship. Hell, they weren’t even having sex. Although that wouldn’t last much longer if Abby had her way. No man could hold off fucking for long. Right?

Her grin widened. She’d wear him down before the end of the week. Marcus had no idea who he was dealing with. He wanted to win? Then he had to play by Abby’s rules.

“Yeah. I’m good,” she answered her friend. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

Chapter Eleven

The rounds of sexual competition were so fierce it could be an Olympic sport. Abby was wrung out, but satisfied physically in all the right places. So much so she relaxed her working timelines to come in late on Monday. What did it matter if she had to stay an extra night…or two?

She smiled. She’d be thoroughly worn out by the time she returned to Chicago. A pang of regret prodded her belly and Abby paused part way to opening Marcus’s front door. She was enjoying the intimacy with Marcus so much she’d almost forgotten it was only temporary. Almost.

She was frowning as she stepped inside. And her frown deepened at the sight that greeted her, her chest squeezing impossibly tight. Marcus talking to Rosalind, AKA the perky receptionist. There was nothing in it. Objectively, Abby knew that. She could see it as plain as day. So why was her heart hammering so hard it pounded in her ears, why was her stomach burning like acid?

“Hi, Abby.” Marcus saw her falter in the doorway and he turned on a smile that should have stripped away all of her fears. She blinked. His smile faded. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.”
No.
The room closed in as air suddenly became hard to find. “I have work to do.” Somehow she made her way past him, the hallway tilting as one foot followed another until she found her balance.

“Let me finish up here. I’ll come through,” he called out.

Abby didn’t even know what she answered as she beat a fast retreat to her office. She closed the door behind her and backed up against it, trying to catch her breath. She was being silly. Yes. But seeing Marcus with Rosalind brought it all crashing back. How quickly things could turn and how next time it might not be a Rosalind, but an Emma, or a Katherine…or a Nicky.

The realization hit with the impact of an eighteen wheeler. She wanted him. Needed him. And not just for sexual fulfillment.

“Everything.” She whispered the word into the empty room. It was the reason she didn’t want to go home. A half-sob left her as she realized how neatly she’d fallen into Marcus’s trap.

Rosalind wasn’t competition, but how long until someone else came along? How long until the thrill of the chase wore off and Marcus left her. Just like her sister and her mother…and if her own family could betray her, what hope was there for anyone else?

Abby’s fingers curled painfully tight. She’d been so fucking stupid to allow Marcus the temptation of his game. Bad, bad idea. To him, she was just another project. Something he could walk away from when he was done. But to Abby? Marcus made her feel things. Want things. She’d spent the last week telling herself this was different from what she’d shared with Nathan—and it
was
different, because it was more.

Those were the plain awful facts. Her craving for Marcus filled her. Consumed her. Scared her. She shook with raw emotion at the depth of her feelings. How had this happened? How had she failed to follow the most basic of her own rules? Respect the game. Instead, the false security of playing had lulled Abby into laying her heart open to hurt.

Oh shit.
She couldn’t give him up. Not now. Already she burnt with need for him. How much more painful would it be to lose him for good?

Abby laid her head in her hands. Against a seasoned professional like Marcus, she’d never stood a chance. No wonder he’d been walking around all week grinning like a Cheshire cat, that knowing smile she’d started to ignore because it looked so damn cute. But she’d seen that smile before. Every time he won, it was right there on his face.

Marcus was the consummate player and he’d played Abby like a virtuoso. She let go of her breath. She might have fallen for his cleverly played strategy, but she’d never give Marcus the satisfaction of letting him know. He needed the game. He lived for the game. Abby couldn’t give him up, not yet. But she was never going to let herself forget he was playing again.

“Are you ready?”

It was six o’clock and Marcus stood in the doorway. She always knew he was close by the warm tingle of awareness that started from the inside and crept through her body, raising a rash of goosebumps along her arms.

The smell of him was a tantalizing invitation, the sight of him as he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his business shirt, breathtaking. Teasing little slivers of skin tempted her to stretch out her tongue and lick at his throat, his wrists, the soft patch of flesh under his ear.
Yummy.
He was hot and sexy and oh so dangerous. Abby had her last rational thought as she gave herself over to him.

“Yes, I’m ready.” Her voice came out in a husky rasp.

“Then let’s go, Ms. Harkness.” He tugged her upward. His hands took a sensuous slide down to her waist and his hips pushed forward to bump against her. “Now,” he growled.

“So demanding.” Abby brushed past him, knowing his eyes were fastened on her ass, right where his thoughts had hopefully been all day.

She knew she was right when his warm breath accompanied the back of her neck on the way up to his apartment. As soon as they were inside Abby spun around to push him against the door. She pressed against him, her mouth, hot and wet and searching. A deep groan built in her throat as his tongue danced with hers.

“Fast first.” She was already sliding apart the button on his pants. As she released the weight of his cock, she slid to her knees, her nails rasping a path down the contours of his thighs.

The thud as he hit the door was the only sound Marcus made as she cupped his balls and swirled her tongue around them. Then she slowly licked her way up his shaft. By the time she lapped at the base of his tight, swollen head, it was already glossy with desire.

He lifted her to her feet. “Both of us.” His voice was a low rumble. He got rid of her skirt, not caring when the zipper caught when he wrenched it past her hips. “I’ll replace it,” he muttered at her gasp.

Abby didn’t care, his urgency igniting her with searing heat, burning up her insides. Her fingers trembled as she unbuttoned his shirt, her shirt, any shirt she could get her hands on. Marcus tried to help and attempt to guide her over to the sofa at the same time. They didn’t make it. He went down a few feet from his goal and didn’t bother getting up. Lying on his back, he guided Abby around until her head was positioned above his cock and his mouth was directly under her…

“Ahhhh.” A long moan leaked from her lungs as he opened her like a flower and his tongue found her clit.

Abby pushed her hips against his face and took his cock deep into her mouth. She was rewarded with his groan of pleasure. It set them both off. Abby wrapped her hand around his length, licking and suctioning his cock, while Marcus lapped and nibbled at her pussy.

They quickly found a rhythm. Abby’s hips rocked back and forth as he strained upwards. The pressure built as the tempo increased, the slide of his cock in her mouth against the carnal rasp and thrust of his tongue on her most sensitive flesh. The air was filled with muffled groans of pleasure, wet sounds of mouths and lips and tongues, hands gliding and stroking.

Their rhythm faltered as Abby lost focus for a moment, sensations sweeping over her so fast a sheen of sweat rolled across her skin, followed by another. Her body tightened, until she thought she might cave in on herself. Lifting her head, Abby fisted his cock and pistoned it up and down in the slick, wetness of her hand. Marcus bucked beneath her, his thumb pressing against her clit as his tongue speared her entrance. Salty sweetness hit the back of her throat and she tumbled after him down the rabbit-hole, wave after wave of pleasure shuddering through her.

“Good.” Abby groaned as she lurched sideways and landed beside him on the floor.

“Damn good.”

Marcus’s smile almost melted her with its warmth. Almost. He looked sweet and adoring. Satisfied.

Abby squeezed her eyes shut, unable to move, but knowing she had to. To stay here would be to roll into his arms, lay her head on his chest and give in to temptation. Something she couldn’t do. Ever.

“Bath?” she suggested, not willing to attempt stringing more than one word together until her brain unscrambled. Her body was limp as a rag, but it wouldn’t be long before she’d want him again. And in her satiated state, who knew what she might agree to?

His eyes popped open and Abby took it as a resounding yes. She laughed softly to hide her relief. That left Marcus no time to try any more of his tricks.

Marcus’s ass barely hit the bottom of his over-sized tub before Abby was on him. He answered her kiss, enjoying the feel of her wet skin sliding against his, her breasts pressed against his chest, his cock resting between her thighs.

After his initial explosive release, Marcus had wanted to take his time and linger. Something had happened today but he couldn’t figure out what it was. Something that had put a harder edge than normal to her sexual assaults on him. He liked it. Sure. But that was not what Marcus wanted from her tonight.

He turned Abby over, drawing her back so her spine rested against his chest. Trailing his fingers along her thigh, he smoothed away the water, sensing the small shudder that travelled across and into his skin.

“What are you doing?” she asked. There it was again. An almost defensive tone to her voice.

She tried to turn but Marcus held her still. She gave a half-hearted struggle and his breath hissed through his teeth as her ass wriggled against his crotch. Sensing his reaction, she chuckled and did it again.

The movement of his hand stuttered, losing its rhythm. “Shh. Be good,” he warned, pressing a kiss into her hair. The smell of her wet skin was like a lemon-scented caress and Marcus rested his forehead against her for a moment.

“Perhaps I would if I had something to take my mind off things,” Abby challenged with a laugh.

“If you agree to stay the night, I’ll give you anything you want.”

Abby tensed as Marcus’s fingers stole up the inside of her thigh. His chest contracted, making it hard to breathe. He wanted her to say yes. Not so that he could win this little contest between them…but because he really wanted her to stay.

“I can’t believe you’re persisting in this silly no-sex rule.” She made light of his comment.

“It’s not silly if you give me what I want.” His mouth found the skin at her throat and he sucked lightly at the condensation.

Abby moaned, sinking back to lean against him while Marcus circled patterns into her skin. Each rotation drew his hand higher. As he brushed the edges of her pussy, his other hand worked her breasts, alternately squeezing and plucking at her pebbled nipples.

Her head fell back against his shoulder. He could see her profile, eyes closed, mouth slightly parted as her breaths grew heavier.

He slid one finger inside her, feeling the clench of her pussy tight around him. Abby widened her legs and he lifted her knees so her feet slid to the outside of his, then pressed against her, holding her open. He pushed two fingers inside, slowly pumping in and out, his lips at her neck, her breasts in his hand, taking the utmost pleasure out of pleasuring her.

“Marcus. Please.” Water sloshed as she started moving to his tempo.

The water lapping at his wet, sensitized skin adding yet more sensations to his already quivering body. Marcus rocked into her, his cock sliding along the dent in her spine. His balls grew heavy, gathering tightly.

“You want this?” Leaving her breasts, his fingers glided over her belly to her clit. She rode his hand, grinding against him.

“Oh. God. Yeeeessssssss.”

Her clitoris swelled between his fingers, her hips writhing, her body twisting and rasping against his cock. Marcus couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Come. I want you to come.” His words came out in a garbled shout, his orgasm already burning up his shaft, spreading his seed over her back, onto his belly, into the water.

Abby stiffened, her sheathed heat clenching around his fingers, joined by a guttural moan that he felt reverberate all the way through his body. They lay panting for a few moments before she roused herself enough to reach forward and pull out the plug.

She twisted around to look at him, dangling the plug from her fingers, a sexy smile flirting at her lips. “Again?”

Marcus laughed, pulling her around to land a kiss on her mouth. As always, her lips were a temptation he found it hard to pull away from. What started out as a small brush of their mouths turned into a lip-locked marathon, only brought to a halt when Abby’s teeth started chattering in the fast cooling air. Marcus helped her up and toed the fallen plug back into place.

“Again.” He nodded.

Afterwards, they found themselves facing each other as they lay in the cooling water, ignoring the puddles on the floor, the sopping towels and smears of scented bubbles running down the outside of the tub.

Body soft and sated, Marcus drew lazy trails along her forearm. “Will you stay with me tonight?” He had to ask again, even though he knew her answer. If he felt this way, warm and relaxed, and just wanting to hold her in his arms, surely she must feel something too.

So, why did he feel the sting of disappointment when she pushed up and out of the tub, brushing aside his invitation?

“Why do you want me to stay?” She tilted her head to look at him and her watchful gaze burrowed into his soul.

“Why not?” He rose and stepped out of the bath behind her. The gnawing annoyance at Abby for not giving a damn inch burrowed into his chest as he swiped at beads of moisture with a towel.

But he was curious too.

“Because it’s just a game.”

Abby took him by surprise with the honesty of her answer. He snorted. She was the one who’d made him play like this. She was still making all the damn rules.

“To you maybe,” he said dryly.

“And you too,” Abby argued. She made a play for his towel but he pushed her hands away. Bunching it up, he began blotting it against her skin. He sunk to his knees as he worked his way down her body, stopping to press a kiss to the silky nest of hair covering her mound.

He looked up through the valley of her breasts. “No. This is real,” he murmured. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady herself and Marcus rose, guiding it to his chest to trap it there. “Tell me you don’t feel this?” His heart beat faster, blood speeding up to thud through his veins as he waited for her answer.