Straight into Marcus’s waiting arms.

Chapter Fourteen

Marcus was getting too used to waking up with Nicola curled up in his arms. When he was making love with her and she was coming at him with all her hunger and passion, he almost forgot how small she was. But as he spooned her body in the big bed, he was reminded all over again. She was holding one of his hands over her br**sts and he had to dig deep for a control that had been missing practically since the moment he’d met her. He would not take her before she even woke up.

He tightened his hold on her, pulled her closer into him, even as he forced himself to face the insanity of what he was doing.

He shouldn’t have spent more than one night with Nicola. Even one night on Smith’s couch while she slept on his lap had been too much. He definitely shouldn’t be looking forward to an entire day with her, shouldn’t feel like a kid in a candy store at the chance to see the way her skin glowed in the sunlight, to wait with held breath for her to laugh again and fill his soul with her joy and beauty.

And he sure as hell shouldn’t be dreading saying goodbye to her when she got on her next plane to another town, another show.

He was so focused on steeling himself against everything he shouldn’t be feeling for her that he was caught off guard by the slow slide of her tongue against one of his fingers, and then another, and another.

Jesus, was she really going to lick her way up each finger, one at a time?

Holy hell, she was.

Thank God he’d put some condoms close enough to the bed for him to easily grab one. Hating to take his hands from her for any longer than he absolutely needed to, he broke the wrapper open with his teeth and quickly slid it on.

There were no words between them as he put his hands on her thigh and shifted her hips so that he could slide into her heat. Her breath left her in a hard whoosh as he pulled her tightly against his chest.

This was what he’d miss most, he realized as he slid his hand over her br**sts and felt her heart beating strong and fast. Not just her incredible body, not just her passion, not just the way she was seemingly always ready for him to take her like this...but how pure, how sweet she was.

The unexpected flood of emotions for Nicola had him losing hold of the shreds of control he still held. Knowing he barely had thirty seconds left before he exploded, he slid his hand down from her br**sts. She gasped as his fingers slipped and slid over her and then she was pushing back into him in wild jerky movements that told him it was safe to let go, because she was already there.

Together, Nicola helped him greet the day with more pleasure than he’d ever known. And as her climax drew his out, he could no longer deny the truth: She now held a piece of his heart.

Whether he wanted her to or not.

* * *

Nicola looked at Marcus over the small round table by the window where they’d just devoured pancakes and sausages and a huge bowl of fruit. How was it, she wondered, that eating breakfast together could feel as intimate as making love?

Probably, she told herself, it was simply that she hadn’t shared a leisurely morning-after like this with a man in a very long time. Ever, really, considering Kenny had always been too hung over to wake up much before noon.

Although Marcus worked in the wine industry, she couldn’t picture him drunk. It was just one more thing about him that made her feel safe.

Suddenly wanting him to know how much she appreciated him, how much she was enjoying their stolen, secret hours together, she said, “I know how much you must have to do at your winery.” She reached for his hand across the table, thrill bumps moving up her arms when he threaded his fingers through hers. “Thank you for spending this time with me.”

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he said, and then, “What do you normally do on your days off?"

She bit her lip. “I don’t know. I haven’t had many since I started singing.” Especially this past six months after her heart—well, her pride, actually—had been broken, it had been easier to focus all her attention on her music and her career.

“It’s the same with me. Like you said, the vines demand a lot of attention.”

For all the obvious ways that they were different, Nicola was surprised to realize they weren’t at opposite poles on all fronts.

She grinned at him. “Aren’t we sad, two workaholics who can’t figure out what to do with a beautiful day off?”

He pulled her onto his lap. “I can think of a good half-dozen things."

She giggled as he nibbled on her neck, ridiculously tempted to spend the entire day in bed with him. Especially when he was being playful like this. She turned her face to meet his as he lifted his mouth to hers and sank into the sweetest kiss anyone had ever given her.

“How about I take you to one of my favorite places?”

Marcus had struck her, from the first, as a very private person. His offer meant even more to her because of that.

“I’d love that.” She hated having to remind him, “The things is, most places I go get pretty crazy.”

“Don’t worry, I think the spot I have in mind will be perfect.” He brushed his finger across her lower lip, sending shivers through her. “It’s very remote.”

Her voice was barely more than a breath as she said, “Remote is good.” Images of those half-dozen things they could do to each other somewhere remote had her blood running even hotter than it already was.

She was about to press her lips against his when he murmured, “If I kiss you again, we might never leave the hotel."

“Okay.”

A split-second later, his hands were in her hair and he was pulling her mouth down to his. Starved for him again, she straddled him in the chair as they made out.

It was the first time she’d been in control of their lovemaking and just as much as she’d loved obeying each of his sensual commands, she loved this too, loved knowing that she was driving him crazy with her mouth, with her hands on his chest as she ran them beneath the long-sleeved shirt he’d put on after their shower. An incredibly sensual shower that should have kept her sated at least until the sun went down.

Only, her need, her desire for Marcus, knew no rational bounds. Fortunately, she thought with a smile, he seemed to feel the same way.

She broke their kiss and said, “I’ll be right back.”

Slipping off his lap, before he could catch her, she went to get a condom. When she returned, she was pleased to note the surprise—and desire—light his eyes at the fact that she’d stripped out of her clothes.