Thrust: Bad Boy Racing Romance (Fastlane Series Book 2) (33 page)

I nodded, recalling the informal agreement we’d come to with each other. I felt a sudden sense of awkwardness, like I’d intruded on his impromptu sanctuary.

“Oh,” I began, gesturing towards the balcony doors. “Do you want me to leave?”

While I spoke, Marco took a big drink of his wine. He finished and took several steps towards me.

“Why would I want you to leave, Dani? Especially after you’ve come all this way?”

Feeling a bit foolish, I tried to change the subject.

“What is that?” I asked, pointing at the envelope.

“Why don’t you take a guess?” Marco replied, taking another gulp of his drink.

I shrugged.

“Well, I mean, it’s a manila envelope. Really anything could be in there.”

He shook his head and chuckled.

“Not really, Dani, especially if you think about it.”

No sooner had he spoken those words than it dawned on me.

“Oh is that, your, you know?”

A smile came to the corner of his mouth.

“It is.”

I battled an urge to reach for the folder, open it and learn the truth about him. It took nearly every ounce of restraint I had not to do it. Instead, I asked the question gnawing at me since he revealed his family history to me.

“What are you going to do, Marco?”

While taking another drink of his wine, Marco frowned at me. He lowered the glass away from his lips, chuckling at the same time.

“You’ve got enough going on right now, Dani. You don’t need to worry about my problems.”

I took a deep inhale.

“But, that’s just it, Marco. Don’t you see? Your problems are
my problems
. I don’t care what they are, so long as we’re together, they belong to both of us.”

Marco lowered his glass further, holding it just to the outside of his thigh.

“I don’t feel like I need to tell you this again, Marco, but I’m going to. I’m in love with you, and everything that’s happened has made me realize it, more than ever. I don’t care about your agreement, or my job with the firm. Don’t you understand? None of that matters to me anymore. The only thing I care about is you, Marco. I don’t want to lose you – not now, not ever.”

For some strange reason, I felt as if I’d said more than I should have. I stopped and looked away from him. Marco didn’t reply, leaving me there to consider what I’d confessed. It was true, every bit of it, but whether or not he welcomed it, I had no idea.

A couple of seconds later he walked towards me.

Trailing each of his steps with my eyes, I watched him draw near. Marco never looked at me or made any mention of what I’d said. Instead, he stopped a couple of feet away, just at the edge of the chair containing the manila folder. Picking it up, Marco opened it and reached inside, pulling out the papers. One by one he began to ball them up in his hands, crushing them into the shapes of tiny orbs.

“Marco!” I gasped, pointing at them. “What are you doing?”

He ignored me, turning his back and heading into the hotel room once again. Dumbfounded, I knelt down and reached for the pages. Whatever emotions he might have been experiencing, they couldn’t be worth destroying. After all, they were the only evidence he had of his family history. But no sooner had I started to unfold the first crushed ball than he reappeared from inside of the room.

“Dani,” he began, his voice stern. “What are you doing?”

I glanced up at him, and my mouth fell open.

“Nothing. I…”

He shook his head and walked right up to me.

“This isn’t your problem. It’s mine.”

With that, his posture eased and his body language suggested I’d gone as far as he was going to allow. Dropping the wad of paper from my hand, I backed away.

“Thank you, Dani.”

And then with a flourish, Marco reached into his back pocket and produced a book of matches. Before I could say a word, he struck the first one, igniting it.

“Marco!” I yelped. “No!”

The match flickered, burning and smoldering while he held it in front of his face. I sensed a moment of hesitation and jumped in, hoping to talk some sense into him.

“This is your life history,” I began, drawing my hands together in a prayerful pose in front of me. “Your entire past - at least
think
about what you’re doing. Please.”

While I spoke, the flame continued to dwindle, coming close to the tips of his fingers. At the last instant, Marco released it, dropping it to the ground and crushing it out with the sole of his shoe. I draped my hand across my chest, relieved.

“Thank you, I’m so glad you didn’t do it.”

While I spoke, Marco raised the book of matches in front of his face. For several seconds, he turned them back and forth looking at them.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Trying to figure out how to tell you how wrong you are.”

I frowned at him.

“Wrong? What am I wrong about?”

Marco shrugged and peeled another match out of the book.

“You think my past has meaning to me, Dani.” he began, shaking his head and positioning the match for a strike. “It doesn't. The only thing that has meaning to me…is you.”

Confused, I shook my head.

“I don’t understand. What is it that you’re trying to say?”

Marco swiped the match with a quick jerk. It hissed to life and began to flicker. Without a word, he grabbed the piece of paper I’d begged him not to destroy and in less than a second, set it on fire.

“Marco!” I yelped, covering my mouth with my hands.

Holding the page at one corner, he lit it and watched while the flames consumed it. Just before it reached his hand, he flicked it away and it tumbled to the ground, leaving behind a trail of smoke and ash in its wake. He reached for another match but this time, I grabbed hold of his hand, stopping him.

“Why are you doing this?” I said, nearly begging him for an answer.

“Isn’t it obvious, Dani?” he replied, prying his hands free of my grip.

After striking the next match, he reached for another one of the crumpled up pieces of paper and held the fire to it. Dumbfounded, I watched flames consume it until, just like the one before, it evaporated before my eyes.

“No, Marco,” I began, trying to answer the question he posed. “Nothing about what you’re doing right now is obvious to me. On the one hand you told me how lucky I was to have a family. Remember? And now, you stand here destroying every memory of your own.”

While he listened to me, Marco picked up the last piece of paper remaining and showed it to me.

“These people…” he began, pointing at the names of his biological parents. “They aren’t family. The only
real
family I ever had was the father who took care of me, even though I wasn’t his own son. By setting fire to all of these things, I’m not rejecting my past but instead honoring it. Eventually, you’ll come to understand what I mean, but for now, just know none of these things have any meaning in my life.”

I didn’t know how to respond, but before I could say a word, Marco lit one more match. On instinct, I reached for the document, trying to pull it away from him. Marco turned away and within seconds it burned, just like the others. Afterward, he swiped his hands together with a few casual strokes, smearing away the soot.

He turned to me. “I’m glad you came, Dani. I wasn’t sure if, or when, I'd see you again.”

I swallowed hard, running my fingers through my hair.

“Now that I’ve got that behind me,” he began, drawing closer and taking my hands in his. “There’s only one more thing left to do.”

Exhaling, I shook my head. “I’m afraid to ask.”

“That’s understandable. Things have been difficult, and you and I are at a critical point in our relationship. But, there’s one thing I can do –– one thing I should’ve done already. Nothing, Dani, not all the money in the world, means more to me than what I’m about to say.”

I looked up into his eyes, trying to decipher the meaning behind his words.

“I’m in love with you,” he said, leaning in towards me and placing a tender kiss on my lips.

A moment later, he pulled away, reaching towards me and sliding his fingers into my hair. Stunned at his sudden confession, I found myself at a loss for words.

Marco smiled.

“I would’ve expected you to be a bit more excited.”

Still unable to form a single word, I choked back the emotion gathering in my throat and reached for him.

Marco hugged me, pulling me into the strength of his embrace.

DANI

Marco lowered his chin, raising his fingers towards my chin at the same time. With a gentle pressure, he tilted my head upward and pressed his mouth into mine with a supple smoothness. A soft whimper escaped from my mouth when our lips touched. I’d missed him so much, felt his absence so deeply. It wasn't until that instant that I realized how far I’d fallen.

I’d been in love before, like most people. But the depth to which his presence affected me – nothing I’d ever experienced before could have prepared me for it. Marco engulfed me, sending my mind into the warm pleasure of his embrace. We kissed more vigorously, twisting our heads from side to side for at least a minute, maybe more.

Marco’s fingers drifted away from my face and meandered along my curves. Reaching towards his arms, I curled my fingers, desperate to feel the reassuring hardness of his muscular biceps. All the while, Marco’s hands continued to explore and trace the lines of my body, until at last they made their way around behind me. Marco tightened his grip, squeezing hard in my lower back and momentarily forcing the breath out of my lungs. We broke from each other for a moment and looked into each other’s eyes.

“I’ve missed you, Dani,” he began, sliding his tongue across his lower lip with a flash. “I won’t mince words. I
need
to fuck you - more than anything.”

Still gasping for breath, I struggled to find a response between inhales. Marco didn’t try to restrain himself, crashing his lips into mine again. My eyes fluttered closed.

I leaned into him, eager to let him claim me. Marco wasted no time, sliding his tongue inside of my mouth with a firm, determined stroke. I felt my body give way. My muscles went limp. My inhibitions fell away while I curled into the hardness of his body. The seconds ticked by, each one growing with intensity.

On the balcony of his Manhattan hotel room, we consumed each other, unashamed and unafraid of who might happen to see. Marco’s hands continued their sinful journey, circling around from my rear to the front of my body.

“Oh fuck,” I whispered, my head drifting away from his.

“Yes,” Marco replied, his voice carrying certainty. “I am going to fuck you, Dani.”

A second later, I felt the button on my pants snap open. Using his strong fingers, Marco dove inside, slipping them between fabric and skin until at last, he neared my pussy. With his free hand, he pulled my zipper down and tugged my pants with enough force to begin sliding them down my hips.

Tingles consumed me, covering me in lustful waves from head to toe. I assisted his efforts, moving my waist from side to side until he’d exposed my folds, sending a wisp of early evening coolness across them.

I barely had time to adjust when Marco pressed the thick pads of his fingertips into my wet lips. He dragged them up and down the entire length of my entry, sending jolts through my body and nearly bringing me to orgasm right away. He cupped my mound and thrust two fingers inside of me, dragging the thick tips along my walls.

I groaned, mewling like a wildcat. Bracing myself against him with all of my might, I held on while he began to deliver stroke after stroke of his strong digits. Meanwhile, with his free hand, Marco continued to tug at my clothing, eventually bringing it together in a bunch around my ankles.

Already feeling somewhat delirious, I attempted to step free of it. It was a haphazard, awkward effort at best. The entire time Marco steadied me while I attempted to remove my clothing.

Once I’d finished, Marco spun me in place, pressing my bare ass into the ledge overlooking the city. With my inhibitions all but a memory now, I allowed my head to fall backwards while bracing myself with my elbows. Marco kissed my neck, swirling his tongue along the exposed flesh between my shoulder and my ear. Tingling again, I leaned my head in the direction of his mouth.