“Date him? You’d consider dating that asshole?” Quentin asked.
“He’s a nice looking guy. He has a good body and he pays attention to me when I’m talking. He’s not always trying to run my life.” She raised her voice.
“A good body? Good looking? He wants to sleep with you. That’s all he’s after.”
“Maybe I’ll take him up on it.”
“Mariah.” L.T. said her name in caution but it was too late. Axel watched as Quentin pulled her up against his chest and growled at her.
“He can’t have you.”
He covered her mouth and kissed her.
* * * *
Quentin didn’t know what had come over him. The sound of the phone buzzing with texts from men who wanted to fuck Mariah, or the way she spoke of ménage relationships from Italy and possibly dating Randy. He’d seen red and there was no stopping him, despite the fact that his team was there. If he wasn’t mistaken, they were all attracted to Mariah still, and they wanted her as much as he did.
He continued to kiss her, and she moaned as she hugged his body, caressed her hands under his shirt and against his skin. She tasted like heaven and more. The feel of her in his arms made his heart soar and his body desperate to claim her.
He lifted her up, and she straddled his waist as he pressed her back against the wall of the house. He cupped her ass, his hand so much larger,
spread completely over her one cheek. As he applied pressure, she moaned into his mouth, kissing him back. His cock grew harder against the confines of his jeans. He was mad with desire. He wished he could take her right here, but he couldn’t. He shouldn’t be this crazy about her. He needed to slow things down. He moved his mouth along her neck and then against her ear.
“Stay away from Randy.”
She pulled back and her expression told him that he’d said something wrong.
She grabbed his face between her delicate hands. Her blue eyes were glazed over with desire, and the more she stared at him, their breathing in sync, the angrier her expression became. She started to wiggle to get free as she spoke.
“Oh, my God. That’s why you just kissed me like that? Because you want me to stay away from Randy?” She used the back of her arm to wipe her mouth. The anger was so apparent in her eyes, he felt guilty for insulting her.
She scrambled down to her feet. He gently released her. He couldn’t speak, couldn’t react instantly to her words. His body and emotions were all twisted up because of this little woman.
“Son of a bitch! You did, didn’t you? You kissed me like that because you want control. You want me to stay away from Randy? You want to twist with my emotions? Is that what you do?” She was shaking.
“Yes. No. Just, calm down.”
“Mariah?” Axel said her name and she shook her head.
“Mariah, you need to calm down. We need to talk about this, rationally,” L.T. began to say.
She straightened out her sweater and her skirt that had lifted slightly.
“Rational? I’ll give you rational. All four of you, stand down.” Quentin saw the tears in her eyes right before she stormed inside the house, slamming the door behind her.
Quentin ran his fingers through his hair and then looked around the room at all the stunned faces, except for Axel. He was smirking, shaking his head.
“Ya done pissed her off real good.”
“Fuck you.”
“Fuck you.”
“Cool it, you two,” L.T. said and then rubbed a hand over his mouth and chin. He looked toward the closed door.
“Let’s go. You’ll straighten things out with her tomorrow.”
Quentin gave L.T. a mean expression and then stormed off the porch toward his truck. The back porch door slammed closed behind him. He was fuming. He didn’t want to straighten things out with her. He wanted her. Plain and simple. How the fuck was he going to stand around and watch her date someone else? Maybe even sleep with them? He’d felt her ass. He’d tasted her lips, and his nostrils filled with her feminine scent that was all Mariah. How did this go so wrong? The woman makes me crazy. I can’t even think straight. I’ve never felt like this before.