Say You’ll Stay Read online

  “Careful you don’t hit your head.”

  Alyssa maneuvered down a steep flight of stairs into a small room. The boat hadn’t seemed large enough to have a living space. Her eyes widened as they adjusted to the darkness. To her left was a gleaming compact kitchen and to the right a narrow door. In the middle of the cabin was a table surrounded by benches. At the front of the cabin was a triangular bed with drawers beneath it. Around the edges of the cabin were small oval windows open to let in the night breeze, which let in the harsh glare of sodium lights. Beneath them were shelves bearing neat rows of books.

  She knew firsthand how organized you had to be to live in a small space for any length of time. Marc had clearly mastered it. There wasn’t a single item out of place.

  “This is wonderful.” Alyssa shrugged out of her sweater and tossed it over the dining banquette.

  “I like it.” Marc had kicked off his shoes and gestured for her to sit down. “There’s a first aid kit here. Let me take care of your foot.”

  “It’s nothing. Feet bleed a lot, that’s all.” Nonetheless, she perched on the opposite seat and let him slide his hand under her ankle. He pulled a small yellow bag from a cabinet and tore open a gauze pad. While he was setting out supplies, she bent her knee for a better view. It did look gory. Maybe she should’ve gone to a doctor.

  “Better?” Marc asked when he had applied the last bandage. She nodded.

  “Good. Where were we?” He leaned across the divide and kissed her.

  “We left off at this.” Alyssa took a fistful of his shirt and dragged it upward. Marc took the hint and pulled it over his head. Then they were kissing again, openmouthed and hungry. A cursory exploration of the ridged contours of his abdomen made the blood pulse in her veins, and the hard, long ridge of his erection made her mind blank.

  Alyssa sat up and unzipped her dress. Marc’s expression was unreadable as he sat back and pushed the straps down her shoulders. She pulled it over her head and tossed it on the floor by his shirt. Embarrassment radiated through her body as she sat there in her best bra and underwear, waiting for him to react. He’d been with a lot of women. There was no way she measured up.

  Marc ran his hands over her bare calves, hooked his hands behind her knees and pulled her slowly down until her back was flat against the seat with her head propped on the arm rest cushion. Alyssa held her breath as he hooked one finger on each side of her underwear and pulled it over her bent knees.

  They were really doing this.

  He stripped them down over her ankles and tossed them onto the pile of clothing that now dominated the floor.

  “Open your legs,” he demanded, running a knuckle down the inside of her thigh.

  “Why?”

  Marc’s expression was obscured by shadow, but he chuckled. “You need to ask? I want to go down on you.”

  Alyssa swallowed. Zach had done it occasionally. Not often, not recently, and not happily either. “I thought guys hated giving oral.”

  “I don’t.” He ran his finger over her sex and up the inside of her other leg. Alyssa parted them fractionally.

  “Why?” she asked suspiciously. Couldn’t they get on with the main event?

  Marc propped his chin on his hand. The posture tilted his face into a patch of orange light filtering in through one of the small windows. “Do you ever give oral sex?”

  “Sometimes. Yes.” Was he asking for a blowjob? Disappointment stole over her.

  “Do you enjoy doing it?”

  Trick question. “Occasionally. If it’s with the right person, and I’m in the right mood.”

  “When you enjoy it, why do you like it?”

  Alyssa swallowed, grateful for the darkness. Her face was hot in a way that nothing to do with her desire to get it on with Marc. “Because I get to feel powerful. I can make someone I care about feel good.”

  “Mmmhm.”

  Oh.

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to.”

  “I want to.”

  This time, when he ran his knuckle down her thigh, her knee fell all the way open. She’d never been so exposed. Her breath caught as Marc bent his head, parted her, and ran his tongue straight down the seam of her body. Alyssa moaned.

  He’d had some practice with this, and that bothered her a lot more than it had any right to.

  “Do you like this?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her ability to speak gone.

  “Do you want more?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Moments later she buried her fingers in his hair as he pushed his fingers inside her and stroked in rhythm with his tongue. Alyssa clutched his shoulder and experienced his pure mastery. He grazed her labia with his teeth, which sent a shudder through her body. He followed that with focused attention to her clit, and the shudder became a ripple and a breathless moan.

  “Good?”

  Alyssa made a sound that could’ve meant great, yeah, or something in between. She was accustomed to perfunctory tolerance of oral sex from her partners, not skill and enthusiasm. That alone made tonight worth the risk she was taking.

  While she was still recovering, Marc shucked his jeans, pulled her up and leaned her against the waist-height captain’s bed. With one hand, he rummaged through a tiny cabinet until he found a package of condoms.

  Relief loosened any remaining tension in her body. It would’ve been maddening to have to walk away if he’d tried to pull the I hate condoms whine. Instead, he was being a perfect gentleman about it. She didn’t have one because she hadn’t exactly planned this, not that she was complaining about the direction her evening had taken.

  “Are you sure you want to keep going?” he asked, rolling one over his engorged cock.

  “Best Christmas present I’ve ever received,” Alyssa replied, pressing kisses along his collarbone. She liked how he’d asked again.

  His chuckle rumbled through her. He was really good at this. Then her hands were busy memorizing every contour of his chest and the glorious flat stomach she’d often glimpsed and dreamed of touching. She’d never whispered a word of her secret obsession to anyone. It was too obvious. Crush on Marc? You and every other female for twenty miles in any direction.

  With one quick motion, he slipped his hand beneath her knee and pulled her leg up. The hard wood edge of the hip-high bed dug into her naked ass, holding her up as Marc thrust hard. Alyssa gasped. Nothing had ever felt as good as the sensation of him sliding into her, full and hard, stretching her body.

  She made a sound that would’ve been embarrassing if her brain cells still functioned. Who was this version of her, lost in pleasure, not thinking three steps ahead? All that mattered was the exquisite sensation of Marc’s body within hers, his weight and warmth centered on pleasing her. She ran her hands over the taut roundness of his buttocks, followed the planes of his back, and buried her fingers in his thick dark hair as he molded her breast with one hand.

  He wasn’t done either. He turned her against the bed and curved against her body. Alyssa shuddered as Marc entered her from behind, grabbing fistfuls of the bedsheets when his teeth grazed the nape of her neck. One broad hand splayed over the small of her back as he pumped and reached around her with his other hand to rub her clitoris. Alyssa’s back hollowed, giving him better access. Oh, it was so damn good.

  Fizzy little sparks popped behind her eyes as the orgasm rolled over her. Her head tilted so her hair fell back. Their mouths were an inch apart over her shoulder as he leaned in and coaxed her body toward a second climax.

  When she could breathe again, Alyssa realized he was a few beats behind. He moved urgently inside her. Purely by accident, their eyes met as the orgasm caught him. A smile crept over her as she pushed back to meet his frantic pumps and watched the emotions swirl in his amber eyes. It touched her in a tender spot she’d forgotten to guard.

  For a long minute, they were still. Breathless, he hauled her into the tiny captain’s bed and pulled her close against his body. The
y lay boneless and recovering in the stuffy cabin.

  Her heartbeat slowed as she traced the lines of his small nipples and the breadth of his chest. Foolish organ, getting all worked up over a hookup. This was Marc. She had tonight, if she were lucky, maybe a few more nights. Failing to remember who and what he was would lead to a whole lot more pain than Zach ever had.

  Her ordinary self was not invited to this evening. She’d think through how to deal with the fallout in the morning. Considering she’d disappeared with the playboy next door on Christmas Day, her family was bound to rain holy hell on this parade.

  5

  Marc stepped away to dispose of the condom. When he came back Alyssa’s gorgeous body sprawled lazily over his bed. His balls tightened, already interested in more.

  Most of her face was hidden in shadow. Judging from the way her lips curved upward as he approached, Marc guessed she wouldn’t mind another round either. He reached for another condom package and climbed into the cozy space next to her. There wasn’t enough room to do anything except cover her body with his. Neither of them could sit up without risking a concussion.

  The closeness was fine with him. He couldn’t get enough of the velvety texture of her skin, the silk of her hair, or the sweet scent of her body. If it weren’t for the irritating seagulls outside he’d think he was dreaming. Marc ran his palm up her ribs, his fingers tracing each indentation, savoring the experience of touching her. Damn, he’d waited so long for this.

  Alyssa shifted, drawing her leg up over his thigh and propping her head up on one hand. She reached between them with her free hand and grasped him gently. Too gently. He pressed against her fingers and her grip firmed. Better. Marc ran his hand down her leg and pulled it up. She settled it around his waist. He slid his hand over her hip and down her ass to her center, inching her body closer to his while he explored her wetness.

  “Don’t suppose you have another condom handy?” Her voice was breathy and raw.

  He reached for it and handed it to her wordlessly. All reserve remaining in her body eased. She relaxed, opened it, and rolled it on. Her fingers sent flares of arousal down his shaft and into his body like comets.

  Marc leaned forward and pinned Alyssa against the mattress with a grin. She opened her knees and tilted her pelvis as he inched inside her. The space didn’t allow for creative positioning. Vanilla as it was, this was even more intense than the gymnastics they’d done before. The sensation as her body gave way, tight and hot, crashed over him like waves over a rock.

  He pulled out and pressed forward again. Aly bit her lower lip in concentration, her eyes lively and wondering as she locked her legs around his waist, pulling him deeper. Marc dug his toes into the fabric, the sight of her even teeth on her lip doing strange things to him. His breath caught in the airless space. Her chin tilted back, her eyes drifting closed.

  “Keep them open,” he demanded roughly.

  Her lashes fluttered up, revealing hazel eyes flecked with gold streaks, radiating like sunlight out from her pupils. Mascara smudged a little around the corners of her eyes. He’d messed up her makeup. He’d tangled her hair and put the soft haze in her expression. For once, she wasn’t distant or sophisticated or polished, and it was hot as fuck.

  Instinctively, Marc’s hips flexed harder. Alyssa gasped and met him, an inarticulate throaty growl as her eyes drifted closed again.

  “Look at me,” he demanded. “I want to watch.” The way she’d watched him. He’d never been this connected with a woman before. It made him hungry. Wolfish. He needed to see it again.

  Alyssa frowned. He placed his hand along the side of her head, his thumb on her chin, so intent on the storm he saw breaking over her he hardly noticed how close to the edge he was.

  She closed her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder, panting hot against his skin. The pleasure and frustration were almost unbearable as the orgasm ripped through him at hurricane force.

  He’d wanted to be there with her, and she’d hidden herself at the last possible moment. He couldn’t say why he wanted it so badly. Marc didn’t want Alyssa to hide anything from him, especially not herself when he was balls-deep inside her.

  * * *

  That was not one-night-stand sex. Her luck that the best sex of her life was with the one man immune to relationships. It was too good to be temporary, but temporary was the whole reason she was lying beneath him, clutching his shoulders as colors popped behind her eyelids while her entire body strained against his. The way he filled her made her brain short out under the onslaught of sensation.

  Sure, he’d turned the art of orgasms into a science. It meant nothing. He made every woman feel like this. Didn’t he?

  It was rebound sex. A little gift to herself. Yet it had also been soul-searching and raw and perfect. The kind of sex one should be having with a real partner. Not with the guy you were screwing on a vacation rebound. His scent hit her nostrils as breath returned to her lungs, penetrating her body in the most ephemeral way.

  At least she hadn’t compromised in going after what she wanted, for once. How messed up was she that a one-night stand felt like an achievement?

  * * *

  Alyssa lay in bed for a long time after Marc had awoken, kissed her, and climbed out. She’d almost fallen asleep again, until the memory of what she’d done jerked her upright so fast she cracked her head against the ceiling.

  She’d disappeared with her neighbor on Christmas night. Her family was going to kill her dead for acting so out of character.

  Alyssa scrambled out of the bed, naked. Oh, so naked. Remembering the way Marc had awoken her this morning, his rough stubble as he kissed along her neck, made her feel all warm and gooey south of her navel. Marc knew exactly what buttons to push on a woman’s body, and she was going to enjoy it for as long as she could. When it ended, he was going to be the gold standard for any future boyfriend.

  Not that they’d exactly discussed expectations, but Alyssa understood Marc’s implicit rules. Keep it light and temporary. She could always ghost it back to New York, and any messy loose ends disappeared. By her next visit he’d be onto the next girl, no hard feelings. Right?

  Maybe if she played her cards right, maybe they could hook up again on future visits. This was absolutely worth a repeat. Lots of repeats. As many as possible before he tired of her company. Considering they communicated better with their bodies than with words, that moment might come sooner than she’d like.

  Alyssa pinched the straps of her dress and pulled it up over her shoulders with distaste. In bare feet, she climbed the steep stairway, unsure what to expect. The sun blinded her as she stepped over the high ledge. Shading her vision, she found only glittering sea stretching into the distance.

  “Watch your head!” Marc shouted. Alyssa ducked. A large beam whizzed by, missing her by inches. When she popped up again he was two feet away wearing a relieved expression.

  “A little warning, next time?” she suggested.

  “I gave you one.” He grinned. He moved past her and pulled a rope down, winding it around some sort of two-pronged protuberance.

  The boat tipped sideways. Alyssa reached for the nearest solid object and found herself clinging to smooth varnished wood behind the leather seat. Marc moved back to the steering wheel. A moment later the ship leapt forward over the waves. The sail snapped in the morning light.

  Alyssa threw out her arms, like she was flying. Her belly dropped as the boat crested a wave and landed again.

  “This is amazing!” she shouted over the wind.

  “Ever been sailing before?”

  “No!”

  “Here, I have something sexy for you to wear.”

  When she’d raked her hair out of her eyes enough to see what he was holding, Alyssa laughed. It was an orange life vest. “If you insist.”

  “I do. I never take chances on the water, and I’m not going to start with you.” He pulled the straps tight around her waist, then kissed her hard. “Now that you’re not
going to drown if you fall in, try going to the front of the boat.”

  “Where’s yours?” she asked petulantly as he buckled it around her. He pointed to the unobtrusive harness around his chest.

  “It inflates when immersed in water. I don’t have an extra, though.” He kissed her cheek. “Try going out there. You’ll like the view.”

  A very narrow rail wrapped around the front tip of the ship. Carefully Alyssa edged her way out onto it.

  “Hold on,” Marc called behind her.

  The ship leapt forward like a racehorse. Alyssa gasped. Though it was a warm day, the air was cool and sea spray hit her arms. Within moments, she was shivering. Yet she stayed, entranced by the endless horizon and the waves playing beneath the bright sunlight.

  When her skin had been thoroughly scoured by seawater and sun, Alyssa crawled back to the steering area. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so dirty. Her dress was stained and wrinkled, her wind-whipped hair a hopeless tangle of salt and sex.

  Yet her shoulders moved freely without any of the tension from a long day hunched over a computer. It was invigorating. She wished she could stay on the Escape forever, with nothing but the sea and the sky to interrupt them from doing whatever they wanted to.

  They bobbed on the ocean, apparently at a standstill. Marc’s sunglasses hid his eyes as he scanned the horizon. “The wind’s shifting. We’ll hang out here for a while and then head back to shore.”

  “Okay. Here. Take a picture?” She unbuckled the orange life vest and dropped it to the deck. Marc pulled her close, held out his arm and snapped a selfie. An ussie.

  Alyssa glanced through the repeat shots. “Not bad. Mind if I post it to social media?”

  “Sure.”

  “I have a lot of followers.”

  “Yeah? How many?” He didn’t seem especially interested.