CHAPTER 11
Mara was lost, caught up in Jared’s sensual, heated assault. He was conquering. Captivating. Dominant.
She couldn’t help the instinctive movement of her hips, rubbing her pussy against his thigh as her need for Jared held her steadfastly in its ironfisted grip. The peaks of her nipples rubbed sensually against his powerful torso, and she whimpered as he nipped erotically at her bottom lip and then soothed it with his tongue.
“Jared. Please.” Mara didn’t know if she was begging for mercy or for more of the sweet torture he was giving her. She squirmed against him as his mouth trailed down her neck, his tongue leaving a trail of fire on the sensitive skin.
“Tell me you need me, Mara,” he rasped against her ear, his hand still tangled in her hair, manipulating her head the way he wanted it.
“I do. You know I do,” she murmured, closing her eyes.
“This?” He squeezed her ass and pulled her pussy more snugly against his rock-hard thigh.
“Yes,” she admitted shamelessly. “More.”
“Ride me. Imagine my tongue licking that hot pussy, and all over your clit,” he demanded harshly. “Maybe you’re not ready for that right now, so think about it.”
Mara had no idea how that would feel, but in her mind, she could imagine it.
Jared’s handsome face buried between her thighs.
Jared’s tongue abrading her engorged, throbbing clit.
Jared lapping at her sensitive flesh.
“Oh, God. It would be good,” she moaned, pressing her core hard against Jared’s leg in a sensual, frenzied motion. “So good.”
“It is good, baby. My only goal would be to make you come,” he told her in a husky whisper, grasping her hair tighter and pulling her head back so he could run his tongue up the sensitive skin of her neck.
The lash of his tongue sent her careening over the edge as she ground against his thigh, sensation spreading out from her core to the tips of her fingers as her sheath pulsated violently. “Jared.” Her gasp turned into a long moan.
He covered her lips with his own, capturing her pleasure with his ravenous mouth. Fisting his hair, Mara clung to him as her climax vibrated through her body.
He ended the kiss with a muffled groan, burying his face in her hair. Sliding his leg from between her thighs, he held her body tightly against his, cradling her head against his chest. “You okay?”
“I’m doing fine for a woman who just climaxed without ever taking her clothes off.” She panted heavily, her heart pounding so hard she felt like it was about to leap out of her chest.
Jared chuckled and held her tighter. “I’d be happy to do it again with your clothes off.”
“You’re dangerous,” she muttered, her brain not quite clear. She could feel his persistent erection pressed against her belly, and she felt guilty that he hadn’t found his own release. “That wasn’t exactly mutually pleasurable.”
“It was for me,” Jared answered calmly. “There’s nothing better than watching you come, Mara. And I’m not pushing you for more than you want to give me right now.”
Her heart melted. If Jared only knew that she’d wanted to give him everything, make him as crazy as he’d just made her simply with his voice, his touch, and his kiss. Chances were, if he’d stripped her naked and taken her right here in the kitchen, she wouldn’t have stopped him. She might have even begged him to do it. He hadn’t done that because she had reservations, because she might end up hurt when this was all over and his attraction waned. “Thank you. But I don’t feel right that you still haven’t . . .” Her voice trailed off.
“That I didn’t come.” Jared pulled back and looked down at her with heated eyes. “Don’t. A hard-on isn’t fatal. Plus, I have plenty of fantasy material now when I take care of the problem myself.”
She bit her lip to keep from moaning, visions of Jared stroking himself to completion, his head thrown back as he came, were now floating erotically through her mind. “I’d like to watch that,” she blurted out before she could censor herself.
Jared gave her a mischievous smile. “I don’t generally sell tickets to that particular event, but you’re welcome to an exclusive showing.”
She pulled away from him regretfully. “Sounds like trouble,” she answered, trying to appear nonchalant when she was anything but aloof right at the moment.
“The best kind of trouble,” he agreed in a hopeful voice.
“You’re a wicked man, Jared Sinclair,” she admonished playfully, her hands still not completely steady as she grabbed a pot holder and took the corn bread out of the oven. Truth was, she loved his kind of trouble, and his sexy voice saying erotic things to her drove her half-crazy.
“Baby, you haven’t begun to see me misbehaving,” he drawled in a husky voice.
No? Oh, God, then I’d really like to see you completely wanton.
Her wayward core flooded with heat just at the thought of Jared abandoned and wild. Something about his raw sensuality called to a carnal side of her that she hadn’t known existed.
“Time to eat,” she squeaked, needing to change the subject.
“My thoughts exactly.” He leaned against the kitchen counter and sent her a wicked, heated grin.
Mara stirred the mixture in the pot on the stove furiously, fairly certain he wasn’t talking about lobster stew.
“These are terrible,” Mara giggled later that evening as she looked at the long string of photos that had spit out of the machine at the Amesport Arcade. “I look like a confused owl. I should have taken my glasses off.” She’d been squashed beside Jared in the picture booth, laughing at his dry jokes as the pictures were taken.
“I like them,” Jared said indignantly, snatching the strand of images from her hand.
Mara rolled her eyes as they waited in line to turn in their tickets. They’d wandered to the arcade hours ago when they’d driven into town. She’d finally convinced Jared that she was perfectly able to do the farmers’ market this week, and she wanted supplies. Reluctantly, he’d agreed, but insisted on driving her into town to carry anything she needed.
He’d spotted the small arcade along the boardwalk while he was waiting as she’d ducked into one of the shops along Main Street. She’d seen him jogging back from the bank across the street, his hands full of rolls of quarters as she’d exited the store.
After depositing her supplies in his SUV, he’d nearly dragged her down to the arcade, and they’d been there ever since. She’d learned he was an expert at Skee-Ball, and he could trounce her at almost any video game. Collecting tickets like a madman, he’d hit every game in the small arcade more than once.
Munching on a bag of popcorn he’d bought for her, she sighed. “I love it here. This place has been here as long I can remember.” The old building could use a paint job, but it was loud, colorful, and just as happy as she remembered. “This is where my mom taught me how to play Pac-Man.”
“She must have been good,” he grumbled.
“She was,” Mara answered with a smile, loving the fact that there was at least one game that she was better at than he was. “Where did you learn to play all of these old games so well?”
Jared smiled at her as he folded the photos carefully and put them in his pocket. “I have three older brothers and three male cousins. We used to spend some time with my cousins in the summer, who were raised near Salem. We snuck out of the house as often as we could to play at the arcade, sometimes every day.”
“There are more Sinclairs?”
“Yep. They scattered around the country, too, just like we did. Offspring of my father’s younger brother, but they’re close to us in age.”
“You never see them anymore?”
“I think they’re all coming to Dante’s wedding. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together. A long time,” Jared answered, his voice holding a note of regret.
“Please don’t tell me they’re wealthy and handsome, too,” Mara begged.
Jared shot her a puzzled look as he moved forward in line. “Loaded. They’re Sinclairs. I think they’re all ugly bastards, though,” he added hastily, as though he was afraid she might be interested in any of them.
Mara groaned. “Cousin rivalry. What you really mean is they’re as gorgeous and rich as you and your brothers.”
“Are you interested?” Jared asked irritably.
“No. But Elsie and Beatrice will have a field day. Can you imagine . . . all of those rich Sinclair men in Amesport!” she exclaimed. “Please tell me they’re all married with a gazillion kids.”
Jared grinned and the tenseness in his body began to relax. “Bachelors. Every one of them. Micah, Julian, and Xander have never been married. I’m sure they’d love to meet Elsie and Beatrice. ” He snickered evilly.
“Seriously? Even their names are hot,” Mara complained loudly. “Beatrice will have them matched before they even get here if she finds out.”
Jared grinned even broader. “Good. I think I’ll swing by her shop and let her know they’re coming. I want to see them all because it’s been a long time, but I’d like to see them all squirm. Beatrice can be a scary woman when she wants to be.”
“That’s terrible.” She swatted him on the arm. “You have no idea what it’s like to be matched by Beatrice. She’s persistent. I was her target several years ago, when she thought I and one of the accountants in town would be a good match.”
Jared frowned. “What happened?”
“Turns out that he’s gay, but the poor man was nagged to death by Beatrice until he finally had to tell her the truth. She swears she just read her spirit guide wrong and it was one of her few mistakes.” Mara blew out an exasperated breath.
Mara shivered with delight as Jared’s booming laughter exploded from his throat and vibrated through the air around them. He looked young, happy, and so incredibly sexy when he was like this; no longer a billionaire playboy, and more like a regular guy. Granted, he was just as panty melting, but he looked so touchable. “Go ahead and laugh. Just wait until she gets her claws into you. I’m surprised she hasn’t already.” She loved Elsie and Beatrice to death, but when one of them decided to meddle, they were relentless.
“Actually, she’s already found my match,” Jared informed her playfully.
“Who?” She tried not to sound anxious or jealous, but she was just a little of both.
He trained his deep green gaze on her, his lips turned up sensually before answering. “You.”
Mara almost dropped her popcorn, and she gawked at Jared as he stepped up to claim his prize.
After turning in his tickets, he presented her with a tiny stuffed tiger, an adorable toy that Jared probably could have bought at a discount store for five bucks. Instead, he’d probably blown through fifty dollars in quarters to win it, but it was one of the most precious things she’d ever received because he looked like a young man who was proudly handing his girlfriend a prize. He’d won it for her, and that made it special.
“Thank you.” She kissed him on the cheek, flinching as she stretched on her tiptoes. Darn ankle!
“It’s hurting?” Jared asked perceptively.
“A little. I forget about it until I move wrong.”
Jared wrapped his arm around her waist and plucked her up and into his arms, carrying her outside.
“I can walk, Jared. Put me down. I’m not exactly a lightweight. I’m surprised you haven’t thrown your back out already.” She swatted at his shoulder.
“You’re fucking perfect, sweetheart, especially when you’re like this,” he answered huskily.
Exasperated, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders to make it easier for him to carry her to his vehicle. Judging by his insistent grip on her body, he obviously wasn’t relenting, and he didn’t look the least bit strained from carrying her weight. “I’m fine,” she argued uselessly. “And please tell me you were joking about Beatrice matching us.”
He stopped at his SUV parked on Main Street and lowered her gently to her feet as he took the keys from his pocket and flipped the automated switch to unlock the doors. “No joke. And after the lunch you fed me today, I’m seriously considering begging you to marry me.”
She took his comment as the joke she knew it was. “That good, huh?”
“Hmm . . . yeah. I’m beginning to think Beatrice might be right on the money this time.” He opened the passenger door of the vehicle for her.
The light from his car illuminated his face, and Mara smiled back at him as she saw the teasing light in his eyes. “You’d marry me for my Maine wild blueberry cobbler?” she cajoled, playing along with him.
“And the lobster stew,” he reminded her. “Incredible stuff.”
“What about the corn bread?”
“Perfection.”
“And the coffee?”
“Better than Brew Magic,” he said emphatically, taking her by the waist and lifting her effortlessly into the plush leather seat.
“You’re such a food whore.” She burst out laughing.
“Guilty,” he admitted readily as he fastened her seat belt. “Not only was it the best I’ve ever had, but you made it for me.”
“Nobody’s ever cooked for you before?”
He shook his head as his gaze met hers. “We had a cook when we were young and at home, but it was her job. This is different. You did it just because you wanted to.”
No wonder he came into town to eat every night. Jared really didn’t know how to cook. That was incredibly ironic since he was definitely a man who loved his coffee, sweets, and food so much. Reaching out a hand, she palmed his cheek. “I’ll cook you anything you want.” She knew Jared Sinclair didn’t like to admit to any weakness, and she wasn’t going to tease him about not being able to cook. God knew he did everything else to perfection. It seemed to mean a lot to him that she’d done such a simple task for him, and her heart ached for all the little things that Jared had never had, things that told a person that someone cared about them. The starkness, the void of his life without tenderness squeezed at her heart. Sadly, she had a feeling he was right. None of the women in his life were interested in much except his money. Maybe he sought those kinds of women out, but it seemed so unfair that he was so willing to give and got nothing but a reluctant screw in return.
“You might regret saying that. What if I demand everything?”
“Then you’ll get it,” she told him stubbornly. “You deserve it.”
He speared his hand into her hair and lowered his mouth to give her a gentle but emotionally devastating kiss that took her breath away. He explored her mouth leisurely, thoroughly before finally releasing her. “My fierce little tiger. So willing to defend me, are you?”
“Until you don’t deserve it,” she answered, tilting her head to look at him.
A haunted look passed over his face before he asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I have plenty of food at home. And tons of leftover cobbler.”
He kissed her on the forehead before he straightened. “Then let’s go home.”
Mara sighed after Jared had closed the door and started moving around the car to the driver’s seat. There was nowhere she’d rather be as long as she was with Jared.
She kept the stuffed tiger in her grasp all the way back to the Peninsula, realizing that the smallest of things really did mean the most.