From This Moment On (The Sullivans #2)(63)

He was glad to see her smile at that, to see the dark shadow begin to slide from her pretty eyes.

“I didn’t completely lose my youth, but there were big chunks of it that just disappeared.” He shook his head, trying to put words to his feelings even as he finally registered what they were. “I don’t regret spending so much time with my brothers and sisters to help my mother. They were worth it."

“So are you, Marcus.”

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips and then said, “Do you know what my mother said to me that Sunday at lunch?”

“What the hell are you thinking, getting involved with a girl like her?” she guessed, but her mouth was quirking up on one side and he knew she was teasing.

“She told me she’d been waiting for me to find someone I could love more than I loved them.”

“I told you before, in that old playground behind your mother’s house, that I don’t want to get in the way of your relationship with your family.”

“Not in the way. You’ve shown me it’s time to finally cut the strings, to let them live their lives. And that it’s finally time for me to live mine. All this time, it was easier for me to focus on my brothers and sisters and helping my mother and running this winery than it was for me to focus on my own heart.” He tugged her even closer. “You once told me people believe what’s easiest to believe. Both you and I believed so strongly that we couldn’t make this relationship work, that we were too different…didn’t we?”

She nodded. “It’s safer that way.”

“I know it is, but I’m finally ready to believe in the thing that’s hardest to believe, instead.” He smiled down at her. “I knew words would never convince you that we could make this work, that I’d need to show you, to prove it to you by pushing just as hard as you always pushed me.”

“My crew thought you were crazy. Jimmy was going to call the cops that first night, you know. The second, too.”

He grinned. “I know. But you’re worth the risk, sweetheart. Any risk. Every risk. I’m going to enjoy joining you for as many of your tour dates as I possibly can, and I have a pretty good feeling that you’re going to enjoy the peace and quiet of being here with me as often as you possibly can. I have no doubt that this land, the beauty here, will feed your soul the same way it’s always fed mine.”

“How do you always see the things in me that no one else ever does?”

“I met Nicola long before I ever met Nico,” he reminded her. “Forget the stupid things I said to you on the beach. You’ve never hidden yourself from me.”

“I don’t know how. Even when I tried, I couldn’t hide what you were making me feel.” She paused. “Especially when you were telling me what you wanted me to do in the bedroom.”

Ah, it was just the lead-in he’d been hoping for. “Three weeks ago, I played by the book. And you left.” He pinned her with an unabashedly hungry gaze. “Today I’m not going to play fair. As far as I’m concerned, once you got on that plane with me, all rules were off.”

Her pupils had dilated and her breathing was already speeding up, both beautiful signs that she was becoming aroused...and that she wanted this as much as he did.

Knowing she’d greatly enjoy the anticipation, he told her, “I’m planning to use all the weapons in my arsenal to convince you that we belong together. I’m not afraid to play dirty this time.”

She licked her lips. “I like dirty.”

He grinned at her and it was a smile full of wicked promise. “I know you do. My sweet, sexy, smart, dirty girl.” He swept her up in his arms and kicked open the front door to carry her into his bedroom. “I want you in my bed.”

“I want to be there, too.” She cupped his face in her hands and pulled his mouth down to hers.

Needing to concentrate on kissing her, not climbing the stairs, he stopped halfway up, sitting down on the stairs so that she was straddling him.

There was no way they were going to actually make it all the way upstairs to his bedroom.

Not this time, anyway.

“Lift your arms for me, Nicola.”

Heat flared in her eyes at the sensual command he’d given her that first night, and then again and again. She slowly brought her hands up and let him slide her long-sleeved T-shirt up her torso and over her head.

Her bra was wicked black and red lace with a sweet white bow in the middle.

“Until I met you, I always thought I had to be one or the other, the sexy pop princess or the sweet girl with the guitar. I want to be both, Marcus.”

“I first started falling for the sex goddess in the leather dress with the impossibly high heels...and I knew I was a total goner when you fell asleep on my lap.” He moved his hands to the small of her back, then around to cup her hips, and slid her closer. “I’ve always loved both sides of you.” Without skipping a beat, he said, “I want you to stand up and take the rest of your clothes off.”

Her eyes widened, but she quickly scooted off his lap and moved a step down to slip off her jeans and then her bra and panties.

“I think it’s time for that spanking I’ve been promising you,” he said as he put his hands on her stomach, then slid them up to brush the pads of his thumbs over her br**sts. “A little punishment for taking so long to come around and see that we can make things work.”