dibs (12 page)

“There’s Blake.”

Juls words sent goose bumps flying out over my skin.

“Is Thor with him?”

“No. But there’s a damn bitch on his arm. Wait, they just went separate ways. Oh. My. God. They are practicing the wedding or some shit.”

I couldn’t help but turn around just in time to see Cody walk in with his counterpart. Still no Thor. Kat grinned as she watched them. I wished I could see inside her head.

Another couple came in. The girls smiled, the guys not so much. In came Mac and Larissa. His presence demanded the attention of every woman in the room. And she…well…she was beautiful and her fake, perky tits looked perfect in that yellow dress.

“This is a fucking joke. Who does this shit?” Juls stated.

Kat clinked the ice in her glass. “With as many bridesmaids as they have, I’m going to need another drink to endure the show.”

She waved the waiter down and pointed at our drinks.

Larissa’s head rested on Thor’s chest. Wow. Jealousy. Another thing I hadn’t felt…maybe ever. But it felt strangely painful, and I turned away. I headed to the bar myself, though the thought of drinking churned my stomach.

My chest tightened as I sipped the pinot noir trying to relax.

“Rose. Three days. That’s how long I’ve searched for you.”

I grinned at his name for me. “Hello, Greg Brady.”

“How’s the cruise, beautiful?”

“It’s great. How’s the anniversary celebration?”

He rolled his eyes. “I think they are enjoying it. I’m Luke by the way, and I’m not as young as you think, you know.”

A silent giggle accompanied my smile. “Hi, Luke. I’m probably as old as you would think.”

“I honestly don’t care how old you are. You’re beautiful regardless of your age.”

In the most lady-like fashion, I guzzled my wine in one long drink. What is it they say…the hair of the dog? What is it about older women and younger guys?

“Sam?” I heard Mac’s voice from behind me. Questions lingered in my name.

“Hey,” I said casually, but there was nothing casual about what my heart was doing.

“Am I interrupting?”

A small part of me wanted to say yes so he felt the same jealousy that I felt. Before I could answer, Luke opened his mouth.

“I’m talking to her now.”

I glanced up at Mac; the menacing glare he shot toward Luke even scared me a little.

“Mac,” I whispered and touched his arm, trying to distract him. His blue eyes flickered to mine only for a moment before focusing again on Luke.

“I warned you to stay away from her once. The next time will not be a warning,” he threatened.

Luke’s chest swelled up and his nostrils flared, though he was at least six inches shorter than Mac. “I don’t give a single fuck what you say. She’s a woman who has a mind of her own. She’s the only one who gets to tell me to stay away.”

Wow. This boy had balls. Thor would squash Luke.

As Mac stormed toward him, I grasped onto his bicep. His eyes flashed to mine, full of anger, but quickly softened when he looked at me.

“What the hell are you doing? He’s a kid.”

Luke wasn’t backing down. His chest fanned out like a cobra.

“He’s not a kid, Sam. He’s a grown man who clearly has a fucking hard on for you.” Mac’s eyes never strayed from Luke. He was like a hunting dog on point with his prey.

“Oh and you don’t?” Luke squared up and questioned Mac.

“Fuck yeah, I do. The difference between you and me is that your dick isn’t gonna get any closer to her. Mine is.”

“You alright, man?” Blake asked, stepping up to the battle with Cody behind him.

“That’s her decision. Maybe if you were a gentleman, you’d let her make that decision rather than intervening. Besides when you’re on steroids, your dick shrinks. You have to be a little scared for her to see that.”

The entire lapel of Luke’s jacket was in Mac’s hands as Cody tried to step between them.

“Tell him, Sam. Tell him you and I are a thing,” Mac gritted with his face inches from Luke’s.

I. Hate. Fights. My pulse raced, searching for a way to make this stop. At first I stuttered, but then finally said. “Luke. Please, don’t. I’m asking you to walk away.”

Luke’s eyes darted to me and he gave me a simple nod as Mac shoved him backward. Irritated to even be in this position, with the feeling of my chest caving in, I shook my head and walked away to catch my breath.

In through the nose out through the mouth, I breathed as I tried to wrap my mind around what had just happened. A failed marriage. Four epically pathetic dates. And now, two men fighting over my affections. What the hell? I found myself at the front of the boat where the cool breeze took away some of my heat.

“Sam!” Mac panted as he caught up to me, his brow low, a mask of confusion on his face. “What the hell?”

“Me, what the hell? You, what the hell! Don’t ever put me in that position again.”

“What position?”

“Of choosing like that!” I said with a disgusted tone. Though honestly, there was no choice for me. Mac was answer a, b, c and d.

His mask of confusion slowly faded, but as quickly as that his jaw tightened and ticked in and out. The blue I loved so much in his eyes darkened.

“The only position I want to put you in, Samantha, is your feet in the air with your legs at 2 and 10.”

I gasped, unable to hold it in, but Jesus, I wanted him to rip my clothes off and take me right then. My entire body shuddered from head to toe.

“Do you want that guy, Sam?” His manner softened.

“No. But you had no right to do that, Mac.”

“In my book, I had every right.” The ocean swam again in his eyes, thank God.

“In your book? What is that? The Macbook?”

He nodded. “Call it what you want. But when I Macfuck you, we’re operating out of my rulebook.”

Moisture pooled between my damn legs at his crazy shit.

“You…” I panted. “You put the cuckoo back in the clock, Mac.”

I tried to pull away, to regain some composure, but he easily held me where he wanted me. For Christ’s sake I was a forty-year-old woman suddenly unable to function.

“Oh
I
put the cuckoo back in the clock? Need I remind you what was happening when we met? You were in the middle of a full-blown anxiety attack. Then the night you were outside my cabin, your fucking jugular was about to burst. Not to mention you shedding clothes like a dog sheds fur last night on the beach.”

I threw my arms up. “I know I have anxiety. Trust me I don’t need you to point out my flaws. And it was a dare!”

This time I broke free as tears seeped into my eyes, pissing me off even more. Why did I cry when I got mad?

I was a fool to think I could get away from him. His arms snaked around me pulling me back into his chest.

“Sam, I didn’t mean that like it sounded. Listen,” he groaned into my ear. “I just want you to think about the time we’ve been together. I don’t think your anxiety has attacked once. We had a blast and not one time did I see you anxious. Why do you think that is?”

I shook my head, furious that a tear broke its barrier and trickled down my cheek. Before I could wipe it away, he spun me to face him.

“Tell me,” he begged. When he saw the tear, a painful grimace shot across his face. “Sam,” he hissed crushing me to his broad chest. “I’m sorry! I swear to God on my soul, I’m sorry. Don’t cry.”

“Mac. I don’t want to have those issues.”

“I don’t care if you have them. I wanted to believe that it was because you were with me and I, for that day, made you feel safe. And made them disappear.”

“You make me feel…” I paused.

“Feel what?”

“Feel! Period. Just feel, Mac. It’s been so long. I feel! I mean I feel everything with regards to Jake. His joy. His sadness. But mine...my feelings.” I released a rush of air as that realization hit me. “They’ve been pushed aside. Pushed back. Avoided.”

He invaded my space with his massive body towering over me. The hunger in his eyes caused a tremor to quake through my abdomen down to my groin. My mouth fell open searching for breath.

“Sam. I’m going to fuck you now,” he said so matter of fact, raking his fingers through my hair. My mouth snapped shut, there was no way I was ruining this moment with words. “I’d like to start with my tongue, then my finger, then my cock. Is that ok with you?”

Oh dear God. I could feel the wetness lurking between my legs. This man was funny, sexy as hell and a dirty talking sexual god. How could two men be so different? Bryan would never have uttered those words! And to be honest, I never thought that I’d even like to be talked to like that. I couldn’t have been more wrong. All I could do is stare at his mouth waiting for more…I wanted more.

When his mouth covered mine, the kiss started out slow then suddenly his tongue dove into my mouth on a deliberate search for mine. As our tongues mingled, his tasting every inch of my mouth, I thought about feeling his tongue other places.

The breeze blew between my legs and was refreshing to the onslaught of heat. And if my head hadn’t been in so much of a lust fog, I would have noticed that Mac had hiked up the hem of my dress. Yet I had nothing…zero words to stop him. No resistance whatsoever. Even when his thumbs slid beneath the lace of my panties and he inched them down…I only panted into his mouth.

Admittedly, I wasn’t afraid of this man’s tongue…or his fingers, though they were King Kong fingers. Hell, I wasn’t even afraid of his dick. The only thing I was afraid of was not having him hold me. His kiss stopped, and my eyes opened. I thrived on predictability. My issues all stemmed from needing to be in control. My control in that moment was up for grabs.

“Look at me,” he said, and I did.

That’s when his finger slid slowly through my wetness, teasing my entrance and then gliding smoothly over my clit. I jumped and my head fell back hitting nothing but air. I jerked it back up. Suddenly, he lifted me and pushed me back against a steel wall. The coldness of the wall felt refreshing to my hot back. His finger immediately went back to work.

“Sweet Jesus, Sam.”

His lips smashed against mine, harder than before; he kissed along my collarbone before he fell to his knees. This was going to happen right here. Oh my God! My head rotated from side to side to see if we were alone. At this point, I wasn’t sure I’d stop him anyway.

When he lifted my leg up…embarrassment settled through me. There was no doubt he was seeing all of me. No man had seen me like this since Bryan, and that had been so long ago.

He flung my leg over his shoulder, brushing a kiss on my thigh. Both my hands lay flat against the steel wall behind me trying to brace myself.

“Ahh!” I cried out when his tongue gently licked me, the warmth spreading to every part of my body. His tongue instinctively found my clit, and my leg still supporting me nearly buckled. As if he knew, his hands cupped my ass holding me in place. Damn this guy was good.

“God, Mac,” I whispered.

Those two words seemed to unleash, an animal as his tongue swirled in circles…a long moan growled up his throat vibrating through me. I’d never come standing up. I’d never come by a man’s tongue. I couldn’t remember the last time I had come…period.

“Mmm…” I groaned. My hand abandoned the wall and fisted in his hair. The fuse was lit and as it sizzled closer to detonating the explosive I thought was a dud—wow…my entire body started to shudder. Mac released my ass with one hand, allowing me to rest against the wall.

He slowly slid a single finger inside me. The presence of his finger alone forced a moan to tear up my throat. The combination of his finger and tongue…discharged the dynamite.

“Mac,” I squeaked, when for the first time in a long time, my body shuddered out of control. His finger and tongue continued to draw the orgasm from me. Slowly. Beautifully. Perfectly. I couldn’t think…I couldn’t breathe…I wanted to drown in the moment. I wanted the waves of pleasure to continue, to take me under where it was all I knew. Where it was all that existed.

The soft kiss on my thigh, the absence of his finger, the pop of his knee…all signs that the tongue and finger fuck were over.

“Jesus, woman. What are you doing to me?” he asked, lifting my leg off his shoulder and resting my foot on the ground.

I’m not sure what that meant. I’d done nothing to him yet. And even still I had no words.

“You know, if this is what it took to shut you up, I’d have made you come the first day I met you.”

And if I could turn back time, I’d have let him. Hindsight.

There was no hesitation when he kissed me. Funny, because normally I would have shied away from a kiss from a guy with pussy residue on his lips. Even if it was mine. It was clear to me in that moment that I’d do anything with this guy.

“Sam. My cock is going to be inside you in exactly…three minutes…I mean two,” he corrected. “I’ll take you right here or…”

I grabbed his hands, chucked off my heels and started running to my cabin.

“I changed my mind…60 seconds,” he threatened.

Desperation clung to every step as I jogged in my tight dress; smelling like sweaty, nasty funk when we got to my cabin wasn’t a great idea either.

“This ship is big, Mac,” My voice broke, frustrated that he might change his mind. His hands grabbed my cheeks and he kissed me so softly.

“Thirty seconds,” he whispered.

“We are never going to make it!” I shrieked, and he backed me into a corner.

With his hand, he took mine then pressed it up against his crotch. Holy hell, a freaking rock.

“Tell me one thing, Sam, do you want me…or this?” His brows scrunched together.

Both… was what I wanted to scream, but I didn’t know if it was a trick question. I nodded.

“Answer me. Out loud. I want to hear you say it,” he gritted.

“Yes,” I hissed. “I want…you…” Screw it, I said it.

The look in his eyes only darkened as his lids stood at half-mast. There was no way I would ever be able to walk away from this man. When he stretched out his hand to me with unnecessary questions in his eyes, I took it. Now, I was behind him as he strolled toward my cabin less frantic.

“You have thirty seconds left or I’m out,” I joked.