His house? I turn to look at him, big and strong, dark and handsome. And as non-traditional as they come. Then I stare back at the big family house in front of me. It’s light, airy, and super traditional. Let’s not even mention the fact that I’m here. At his house!
“This is your house?”
“Yep. Thought I lived in some type of man cave?”
“Maybe,” I say sheepishly.
“Dungeon?”
I shrug defensively. “I never really thought about it, but this does surprise me. How about a tour?”
Now that I’m here with this man, I want to know more about him. I want to see his comfortable place, where he goes to be alone, to think. Where he unwinds and can just be himself.
“I can do that.” Surprise flashes in his eyes when I wrap my arm around his and fall in step beside him.
I surprise myself by kicking off my shoes, already at ease, walking from room to room on the first floor. Mark shows me through the traditional living room, the big-screen television as the focus.
The dining room has more of a library vibe with a long dining table in the middle, covered with books. The stainless steel kitchen uses high style black accents everywhere, from the appliances to the hand towels and oven mitts.
The downstairs bathroom gives me a hint of his favorite color, mixing several shades of blue, from navy to sky blue. We finish the tour in his barebones office, with the requisite computer, desk, and an oversized chair. There’s one file cabinet in the corner and bare walls.
Completely bare.
“You can definitely tell a man lives here,” I joke.
“I am a man,” he says in response.
No kidding. He is so much man that even something as simple as a tour is getting me all worked up. Burning up, in fact.
“So, upstairs?”
“Come on.” He takes my hand and tugs me up the stairs to see two more half-decorated bedrooms, a full bathroom.
“Any words?” he asks with a sexy grin.
“They’re nice. Masculine and sparse, just as I might have guessed. Perfectly you, Mark.”
“We’ll see about that.”
We go to the end of the hall, and he pushes open the door to the master bedroom, and my heart kicks into gear. And my libido. I gasp.
“This is beautiful, Mark.” His bedroom is black and silver, but tasteful and masculine, oozing I want to throw you down on the bed and have my wicked way with you vibes. “Wow.”
“Princess approves.” His tone is low and playful, and I love it.
I turn to Mark and take a few steps backward, inside his lair, so to speak. “I more than approve. I’m eager to test this place out.”
Heat flares in his eyes. “I didn’t bring you here for this, Kenna.”
“That’s all right because I didn’t come here for this, but we both knew it would happen. Didn’t we?”
Since that night in his office, my body has been thrumming with need, buzzing with desire. I’m craving him, hungry for more of what he does to me and how he makes me feel.
Mark nods, his jaw clenched tight.
“Then what is the problem?” My pulse kicks up as another thought comes to me. What if he doesn’t want me? What if he’s a two-fuck and done kind of guy. “Mark?”
“There’s no problem, Kenna.”
“Good.” My shoulders slowly relax.
“Except I want you more than I should, and I don’t want that.”
I grin. “Excellent because I feel the same exact way.” Maybe it’s better that we both know that this thing between us makes no sense. That it can’t go anywhere. Maybe that’s what we need to make sure this doesn’t go any further than casual fucking.
“Yeah?”
I nod, a slow smile forming on my face. “Yeah. I mean, none of this makes sense to me, but I want you, Mark. Badly.”
I take a step back, a smile still on my face as I lift my dress over my head in an insane act of bravery and toss it behind me haphazardly. “Very, very badly.”
“Kenna,” he growls, deep and gravelly and so rough my nipples harden instantly.
“What is it, Ace? Are you determined to stay away from me? Is that it?” I hope that’s not it because already my body is ready for him. All of him.
“No, I’m not. I just think…ah, fuck it.” He lets out another low sound that is pure masculine in nature and cups my face, slamming his mouth against mine in a hot and hard kiss that sends me reeling.
Mark kisses me so passionately, devouring me and cherishing me at the same time. His tongue sweeps in and out of my mouth, his teeth scrape against my bottom lip, teasing and tempting me at every turn.
I want this more than I have ever wanted sex or a man in my entire life. I moan into his mouth, and he deepens the kiss. Yes, this is exactly what I want and exactly where I should be at this moment.