Great googly moogly. He’d been rocking her world since he dropped that kiss on her in April. Hell, she’d been an independent woman in charge and she could only manage to hold onto him as he’d turned her knees to rubber as he did every time he touched her.

“Let’s hit it, shall we?”

He snared her with his gaze and she let herself be swept up, nodding. Grabbing her hand, he drew her outside. Down the block he paused and pulled her into an alley. Pushing her back against the wall, he ducked his head, his mouth finding hers again.

The wall, still warm from the sun, scratchy against her skin, dug into her back as he plundered her mouth. Deep in the shadows, his hands roved her body as her mind spiraled. She should not be doing this! But it felt so good. It was dark, no one could see and all he was doing was kissing her. His tongue, clever and carnal, slid along hers, his teeth nipped her bottom lip. The humid evening air cooled the sweat on her skin as he pushed the bodice of her dress open and his hands found her br**sts.

“No bra. God, what you do to me,” he murmured, lips against the skin just below her ear.

Her hands slid down the wall of his chest to the waist of his jeans, unsnapping and unzipping them. She took him in her hands, sliding her grip up and down and he groaned.

His fingertips found the loose material of her dress and slowly pulled it up, exposing her thighs, and then he reached up the last inch and slid his fingertips into her panties.

She froze a moment until he brushed her clit and all thought left her. A rhythm of rolling hips, of thrusts and moans caught them, slowing time, taking them to another place where it was just the two of them.

“You’re so damned sexy, sugar. I need you to come for me.”

She whimpered softly as her thighs began to tremble. His c**k in her hand was slick from the heat and the pre-come at the slit.

“Fuck. I’m so close. One touch and I’m halfway there with you. What do you do to me, Liv? So much, so much to me. You’re so hot, so wet. I’m going to f**k you standing up when we get back to your house. I want to look in your eyes,”

he murmured into her ear, the heat of his body on her neck. Liv had to bite back a scream when he pressed two fingers inside her and caught her where shoulder met neck, between his teeth. Orgasm came then, quicksilver, and she felt his warmth on her hand as he came as well. With a soft kiss he rearranged her panties and let her skirt fall as his other hand pulled her bodice back together.

“Wait.” She dug in her purse with trembling hands and pulled out a handkerchief, passing it his way.

He put it into his pocket when he finished. “I’ll uh, get this back to you later in the week.”

Smiling, she tucked his c**k back into his jeans but let him button and zip to avoid any injury.

She should feel bad. He’d just made her come in an alley. But she didn’t feel cheap, she didn’t feel bad. The way he touched her was always respectful, he made her feel beautiful. The frenzy made her feel desirable.

“You make me lose control, Liv.”

They continued to walk down to her house.

“Seems to me you have plenty of control, Marc.” She laughed. “You’re the most in control man I’ve ever been with. Usually I’m the one in charge. You shoot that all to hell with your dirty talk and your swagger. You make me melt.”

Holy crap, did she just say that out loud?

He turned to her, putting his arms around her shoulders. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a fool to keep chasing you. And then you give me a glimpse inside and I know you’re worth it.”

“Why do you say stuff like that?”

“Because I want you to know that I care about you. This isn’t a casual thing for me, Liv. I don’t know how many other ways I can say it to you.”

He scared her. What she felt for him scared her. But she wasn’t willing to let go just yet.

“Come on inside. I think you made a promise to me back in that alley that I need fulfilled.”

* * *

The next morning she awoke to find him up already. Sleepily, she shuffled into the kitchen to find him there, drinking juice and looking out the window.

“Morning, sugar.” He turned and moved to kiss her.

“You off somewhere?”

“I have a client this morning. I’ll see you this afternoon at the end of the shower when I’m told men are allowed. Not that I’m in any great hurry to guess baby food flavors and hear labor stories.”

Liv laughed. “You think I’m in a hurry to hear labor stories? Dee’s gonna be there and she and Maggie talk of little else. But I can’t wait for Maggie to see the quilt I made for her. Took me six months.”

Marc’s eyes widened in surprise. “You quilt?”

“Why do you look so surprised? I can quilt, knit and cook quite well. When my mother was alive, she taught me all the things she thought a Southern woman should know. I can make a cobbler, mighty fine pie crust, scratch biscuits, embroider, quilt and a most excellent gravy.”

“You’re full of surprises, Liv. Wonderful surprises,” he added quickly. “I’m impressed. I didn’t know you were making it.”

“It’s something I do in the late evenings when I can’t sleep and sometimes on my lunch hour I do the piece work. I just finished it a few days ago. You can see it this afternoon. I had Cassie wrap it because she’s a pro at that stuff. My presents never look all crisp and pretty like hers do.”

“I’m sure Maggie will love it.”