Silken Tide Page 11

  Just when it appeared that his fear of rejection had become a reality, Jessica peeled his shirt from his shoulders and let it drop to the floor. She reached out and ran her fingertips over the definition of his chest and his carved abdomen. He stood back and allowed her to touch him in the way that she wanted. He loved watching her. Her movements were deliberate. Purposeful. Passionate. As if she would later paint a portrait of that very moment, Jessica seemed to study every angle of his naked torso. She traced the line between his abdomen and hip before running her finger between his beltline and stomach. She unbuttoned his shorts and stopped. She looked up at him. Mark flashed her a mischievous smile. The ball was now in his court.

  Once again, Mark brought Jessica to him and traced her parted lips with his tongue. He could feel the warmth of her skin beneath her thin T-shirt radiating against his bare chest. His lips never left hers as he stepped forward, backing her toward a pair of closed French doors. It was too dark beyond the glass-plated doors for Mark to see if it was her bedroom. Hell, it didn’t matter if it was her room or not. If they ended up in a damn closet, that was fine with him. He didn’t take his lips from hers as he twisted the knob. As he pushed open the door, he discovered an iron bed without a footboard sitting against the wall. As small as the cottage was, Mark assumed that it had to be Jessica’s bedroom. He continued to lead her across the room, but stopped just short of the foot of the bed.

  The soft light of the living area spilled just enough into the bedroom so that he could still see her. Without taking his eyes from hers, Mark pulled Jessica’s shirt above her head, balled it up and tossed it to the side. He was thankful that she wore nothing underneath. After he took a few moments to admire her full breasts, he stepped forward. As if she forgot the bed were behind her, she stumbled backward and landed softly on the edge of the mattress. She inched backward and he followed, crawling between her legs. Finally, he pushed her down on the bed. Mark hovered over her and Jessica brought her head up so that her lips would meet his again. He unbuttoned her jean shorts and she bridged her back, inviting him to pull them down.

  Mark stopped kissing her momentarily and rolled up onto his knees to take in the beautiful woman lying before him. The only thing separating their skin was his unbuttoned shorts. The ball was now in her court yet again. If she decided to go any further at this point, there would be no stopping him. Nothing at all. As if she could read his thoughts, Jessica reached up and unzipped his shorts, pulling them down around his hips. Once his shorts were far enough down to where he could let them drop off to the side, she laid back down to the bed. That was it. Mark couldn’t hold back any longer. He took one finger and traced it from the middle of her breasts all the way down the groove of her abdomen. He then bent forward and licked his way up the trail that his finger had just taken. Mark’s tongue made it over the side of her neck and back to her mouth. He pressed his body against hers. The feeling of her naked breasts and hard rose-colored nipples against his flesh was almost more than he could take.

  Mark reached down and guided his member toward her. He then rubbed his cock against her clit for a moment before continuing down between her wet folds. He entered her with just the tip.

  “Is this what you want?” Mark nibbled at her chin. He couldn’t believe that he was talking to her this way. She brought something out in him that no other woman could.

  Her whole body shook beneath him.

  “Tell me. Is this what you want?”

  “Yes.” Her voice was breathless.

  Her hands gripped the blankets beneath her, as if she were bracing for him to continue. He stayed still for a moment, watching her tremble beneath him. Once she relaxed her hands and lay her palms flat on the blankets, he pushed forward burying his cock inside her. Jessica gasped. Mark did everything that he could to not explode inside of her at that very moment. God knows he wanted to. But this moment didn’t deserve a hasty ending. He moved in and out of her slowly. Rhythmically. He made sure that with every exit, his cock slid out of her completely. He made sure that with every entry he pushed as deeply as he could. And in between each stroke, he rubbed his thumb teasingly against her clit.

  Jessica pushed her hips upward in an attempt to meet him sooner. But, he wouldn’t let her have her way. She tried to wrap her legs around his waist, but he was stronger than she was. Again, he pulled all of his cock out except for the tip. He waited there and brushed his lips against hers teasingly.

  “Please. I need it.” Jessica whimpered.

  “What do you need?” Mark kept his thumb on her clit. Jessica let out a soft moan. “You have to tell me what you need, Jess.”

  “I need you inside me!”

  “Why didn’t you just say so?”

  Mark thrust inside of her, quickening his pace. She moved her hands from his shoulders and held onto the sheets as if her life depended on it. All at once, Jessica arched her back and Mark could feel her tighten around him. When he felt the rush of wetness, it was more than he could handle. He was there. He couldn’t hold it back any longer. He pushed inside her one last time. The explosion that escaped him was so immense that it left him lying breathless on top of Jessica.

  A few moments passed before Mark rolled over on to his side next to Jessica. Her body glistened in the moonlight. Her eyes were closed and she wore a soft smile. She then turned to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Mark held her there, running his fingers through her hair. Soon, he fell into a deep sleep. The deepest sleep that he had had since he came back to Silk Cove. There were no whispers. There were no taunting voices in the night. There was just Jessica. His beautiful Jessica.

  Chapter 18

  Jessica hardly slept that night. She would drift into brief periods of slumber, but not for long. Just as soon as her eyes would close, the awareness of Mark lying next to her would rush over her and rip her back into consciousness. She lay there and watched his chest rise and fall in a peaceful rest, accompanied by a soft whistle that escaped from his nose. But as always where Mark was involved, time passed too quickly. The morning song of the birds outside was the first sign of the impending daybreak. Then, the shadowy light of dawn crept into her bedroom to steal the last bit of night. She hated to see the darkness go, as if it would take Mark with it. She knew better than this, but magical reasoning seemed more appropriate than logic. After all, wasn’t it charmed fate that this handsome man was lying next to her to begin with?

  Jessica ran her fingertips lightly over the stubble that began to appear on Mark’s once clean-shaven cheek. His nose wrinkled and he rolled away from her onto his side. He tucked the pillow under his head and his bare ass peeked out from underneath the sheet. Jessica stifled a giggle; she didn’t want to wake him. As much as she would have loved to lie there and study him, she had to get to Bonnie’s. She didn’t leave a note; he would know where she was.

  Jessica’s day went by in a blur. Her legs barely carried her from table to table; her muscles were sore from the trembling that Mark caused the night before. She had never known a pain to throb so sweetly as the one that lingered between her legs where Mark had been. She swore she could still smell him on her skin. She could still feel his body moving against hers. Every time she blinked, visions of Mark would paint the inside of her closed eyelids. And with that beautiful imagery, a burning resonated in her loins so great that it took her breath away.

  Jessica locked the glass-plated front door of Bonnie’s. The cooks and other waiters had finished their shifts, leaving Jessica to close up for the evening. The sun had set over the water some time ago and the fishermen had come and gone. As Jessica stared out into the dark parking lot, she came to the realization that she had not seen or talked to Mark all day. Was she wrong for leaving without saying goodbye? Should she have woken him? Did things go too far too soon? She turned away from the door and grabbed a cleaning rag that was draped over a booth. She cleaned the counter furiously, as if a hard scrubbing would erase any doubts in her mind. Just then, Jessica heard tapping on the doo
r. She looked over her shoulder. There he was. Thank God the counter was there to hang on to because Jessica’s knees almost buckled at the sight of his smile. She started toward the door not knowing what she was going to say. What she was going to do. Her heart pounded in her chest. She turned the lock and opened the door. Jessica leaned against the doorframe in an effort to look as cool as possible.

  “I’m sorry, sir. We’re all out of coffee.” She smirked.

  “I’m not here for coffee.” Mark stepped a little closer.

  “No?”

  He simply shook his head.

  “Then what are you here for?” She folded her arms in front of her.

  “I’m here for the service.”

  A slow burn started at her racing heart and began traveling south to her abdomen. There was no doubt about it. She wanted him. Badly. Would she seem desperate if she grabbed him and kissed him hard on the lips? Probably. She resisted the urge by shoving her hands in the pockets of her apron and leaned against the door, opening it wider.

  “Then by all means, do come in.”

  Mark eyed her up and down seductively before making his way past her. Jessica let the door close softly behind her.

  “So, what exactly am I serving if not coffee?” she said as she made her way to the counter.

  “That’s up to you.”

  “Is it?” She turned to meet his unwavering gaze.

  Again, he simply nodded. His smile was devilish.

  “Well, let me finish up.” Jessica motioned with her chin toward the back of the restaurant. “I’ll be right back. I’m sure we can work something out.” She laughed playfully and headed toward the kitchen doors.

  As soon as she pushed through the doors and entered into the kitchen, Jessica let out a drawn breath and brought her hand to her chest. Never before in her life had a man ever had this effect on her. It was true that she had gone back there to make sure everything was in order for the night, but she needed a moment to collect herself as well. But before she had the chance to allow her heart to return to a normal pace, she felt Mark’s hand on her shoulder.

  “I’m almost finished,” she said.

  Jessica tried to continue on her way, but Mark grabbed her hand, stopping her in her tracks. She turned to look at him. His deep brown eyes seemed to search her face for answers. She felt exposed, almost a little self-conscious for some reason. She felt like she should look away, but it was as if she were frozen.

  “What is it?” She smiled.

  “Do you always do that?”

  “Do what?”

  “Leave in the morning without saying goodbye?”

  Jessica’s cheeks burned. “I just didn’t want to wake you, that’s all.”

  Mark squinted his eyes and smirked.

  “I didn’t mean anything by it. I promise.”

  “Did you think about me today?” Mark’s voice was low and enticing.

  When she opened her mouth to speak, her voice came out as a whisper. “Yes.”

  “What did you think about?”

  She smiled and diverted her gaze to the floor.

  “Tell me.” Mark lowered his head to meet her eyes once more.

  “I thought about last night and…” Jessica’s voice trailed off as images of passion danced across her mind.

  “And?”

  She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. “And there were times when I swore you were here with me. I imagined you were so close that I could feel your breath on my neck.”

  “Like this?” He closed the space between them, brought his face to the side of her neck and exhaled.

  Mark’s lips grazed the side of Jessica’s neck before traveling the length of her jawline. She watched him as he nibbled on her chin; his eyes were closed and his mouth curled into the sexiest smile she had ever seen. It was at that moment that any restraint that she had shown earlier at the door disappeared. Jessica held Mark’s face in her hands and kissed him. She kissed him hard. She kissed him deep. As if they had a mind of their own, she suddenly realized that her hands were running through his hair. What was she doing? She was in the kitchen! At Bonnie’s! Concerned that she had been too brazen, she let go of him and released his lips from hers. But when she looked up at him, she quickly became aware that her worry was pointless. As if she had flipped a switch, the flirtatious glint that had once sparkled in Mark’s eyes was now a burning sensuous flame.

  Mark moved in quickly, pressing Jessica’s back against the cool tile of the kitchen wall. He brought his lips to hers again. His kiss was anything but gentle; it was feverish and left her gasping for air. He ran his hands over her top, grasping her breasts through her T-shirt. He yanked on the button of her shorts so hard that her hips left the wall. Jessica tried to reach for his belt, but with one hand Mark was able to pin Jessica’s wrists above her head. He was in charge. And it seemed that he wanted her to know it. Her shorts slid to her ankles.

  Jessica could feel the muscles in Mark’s arms tighten as he lifted her off her feet, pinning her between the wall and himself. She held onto his broad shoulders. There was something unspeakably erotic about wrapping her bare legs around his clothed body. It made her skin burn. Jessica heard Mark unzip his shorts and a moment later she felt the warm flesh of his hard shaft against her inner thigh. He brought her panties to the side and drove his fingers inside her. She winced. Even though she felt bruised from the night before, her body cried out for him. She wanted him inside her so badly that she would embrace the pain. No matter how small or great.

  As if he could tell that she was trying to brace herself, Mark guided himself between her legs and thrust inside of her. She didn’t know if she should cry out in pain or ecstasy. Jessica reached for a shelf above her for support, only to send rolls of paper towels and plasticware raining down all around them. His hands were entangled in her hair and he pulled her down to meet him every time he drove upward inside her. In a delightful combination of passion and exhaustion, Jessica’s legs began to tremble and her skin became damp with perspiration. Mark moved his hands down and he held her legs in place at his waist. His pace quickened and her skin blanched under his grasp. At that moment, a deep moan escaped Mark’s lips and he pushed deep inside of her one last time. As suddenly as it had all began, it ended. Mark’s grip softened and he lowered her to her feet once again. His mouth found hers. He kissed her gently, his tongue tracing her parted lips. Jessica closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to catch her breath.

  All of a sudden, Jessica heard the bell at the front door. She opened her eyes and as fast as she could, she grabbed her shorts lying on the floor. Her gut tightened at the thought of being caught naked from the waist down in the kitchen at Bonnie’s. But as she pulled her shorts over her hips, she realized that she was the only person standing in the kitchen.

  Slowly, Jessica pushed open the kitchen doors. She peered around them as if someone, or something, would jump out and grab her. No one was there. The bell was still swinging from the handle of the front door. Just then, her eyes caught someone walking past the front window. She made it to the front door of the restaurant just in time to see Mark walking across the parking lot. As if he could feel her watching him, Mark looked over his shoulder and smiled at her. Then, he disappeared into the darkness.

  Chapter 19

  The humid night air offered Mark no relief while walking back to his father’s house. His encounter with Jessica had left his arms and legs quaking with exhaustion and beads of perspiration covered his skin. He stopped in the middle of the path and brought the edge of his shirt to his face. But instead of wiping the sweat from his brow, he simply covered his face with Jessica’s scent. He inhaled deeply and when he closed his eyes, he saw Jessica’s red hair falling around her flushed face as he pinned her against the wall. He saw her lips quiver. He saw her watching after him as he left Bonnie’s without saying goodbye.

  He didn’t say goodbye.

  Shit.

  With every second that he stood still on
that path, Mark was inundated with shame. Why did he have to leave her like that? He had perceived her leaving him in the bed that morning as some kind of power play. But, Jessica had offered a plausible explanation. There was no reason to show her that he had the upper hand. There was no deceit or ulterior motive. And yet he still felt compelled to show her that he was in control. Mark interlaced his fingers on the top of his head, took a deep breath, and continued down the wooded path. As he crested the hill, the lone light hanging over his father’s porch served as a beacon to guide Mark home through a storm of regret.

  Mark climbed the front steps. Even though it had only been a couple of days, it felt like forever since he had seen his dad. He felt so disconnected from everything ever since he had not been aboard Meredith. He wanted to confide in his father about Jessica. He wanted to be able to sit on the porch and have another shot of whiskey, but this time talk about women with a smile instead of harsh words. His father was a man of few words, but those few words always brought plentiful wisdom. Mark needed advice. He wasn’t used to the feelings he was having for Jessica. She was different. This place was different. Everything was different. And Mark was changing. He needed his father to guide him the way that his father guided Meredith out into the waters of Silk Cove every day. He needed his father to help him find the answers like he found the perfect place to lay his traps to catch lobster at the bottom of the murky ocean floor. He hadn’t reached out to his father for much of anything in the past years, but he needed him so badly now. When he arrived in the kitchen, his father was sitting at the table as if waiting up for him. Before Mark had the chance to address him, his father’s deep voice filled the room.

  “Haven’t seen you in a couple of days.” His voice held an edge of worry.

  “Sorry about that. I’ve been busy.”

  “Busy?”

  “Yeah. Sorry I didn’t check in.”