7

Mark finally broke the kiss that had seemed to last forever, trailing his lips down Bailey's chin, her jawline, her neck. He found a sensitive spot and got a soft moan from her. He focused on the spot, just beneath her ear, sucking and nipping on her warm skin as she squirmed next to him at the sensations.

His hand slid down her back, over her hip, moving against the smooth skin of her thigh past the nightshirt Bailey was wearing. Bailey moaned under him again as he stroked her skin with his fingertips, moving upward again, sliding his hand under the material that covered her.

"Mark…" Bailey's voice was a breathless whisper. He muttered in answer and continued feeling his way up her hip, her waist. She caught his hand before he could move any further. "Wait…stop…"

He immediately pulled away, giving her some breathing room, his breath ragged. "Bailey…sorry…I don't know…"

"No, no, no." She smiled and ran her hand down his arm. "I don't want to stop. Crazy as it is for us to continue this. I just…" She hesitated. "I want to show you something, ok?"

Mark nodded. "All right." He watched as she slipped from the couch and kneeled next to it, toying with the hemline of her gown.

Without a word she raised the material up, bunching it beneath her breasts. For a moment Mark had no idea what it was he was supposed to be seeing besides way too much exposed skin and the panties she wore under the gown. Then his eyes found the scar. It stood out even in the dim light.

"Bailey…" Mark reached over. She flinched when he brushed his fingertips over the mottled skin. The bullet had entered low, dead center. A circular scar puckered the skin just below her navel. The other scar…he knew that was the one she had the most issues with. It curved across her lower stomach, stark and jagged, almost reaching from hip to hip.

"They couldn't find the bullet." She said softly, looking down at her stomach.

Mark met her eyes. "Is this supposed to bother me?"

Bailey smiled. "It bothers most people. Its kind of nasty looking."

Mark shook his head. "Darlin', it would take a hell of a lot more than that to make me wanna run." He said hoarsely.

Bailey eyed him thoughtfully. "You really aren't put off, are you?"

Mark smiled at her, reaching for her hand. He tugged her, pulling her onto top of him on the couch. "Does it feel like I'm put off?" He asked, pressing his hips upward against her. Even through the jeans, she could feel his erection against her leg.

"Scars turn you on?" She asked with a smirk.

"Depends on who they're attached to." Mark said, brushing her hair back from her face. He studied her face for a long moment in the dim light.

Bailey leaned down and kissed him briefly, just a press of her lips against his. "Wanna take this upstairs?"

"I'd love to, darlin'." He didn't move to let her go. Instead, he hugged her close to his body one more time, relishing her heat against him.

Mark finally released her. Bailey got to her feet and led the way up the stairs, entering the first room on the right. It was much darker in her bedroom. Mark could barely discern the outline of her bed, a dressed, and what looked like a chair in the corner.

Bailey flicked a switch. The bedroom had an attached bathroom. The light spilled through the doorway, illuminating the room softly. Mark smiled at her and took Bailey into his arms again.

Before he could kiss her, Bailey pressed her fingertips against his lips, stilling his movements. "I don't want you to think…that this is something I do all the time…" She said, hesitating a bit.

"I never thought you did." Mark assured her.

"I don't know why I wanna make an exception for you." She admitted. Mark chuckled.

"If you're tryin' to sweet talk me, you should know that wasn't even close."

"I didn't mean…"

"I know." Mark shushed her, kissing her quickly before she could stop him again. "I was kiddin', Bailey." He looked into her gray eyes, turning serious. "Are you sure you wanna do this darlin'?"

Bailey bit her lip thoughtfully and met his gaze. "I'm sure. I want to be with you, Mark…"

It was enough for him. Mark took her hand and led her to the bed. Without a word, he turned to her before she could sit and took her nightgown in his hands. Mark lifted it from her body with a little help from Bailey. Mark stared down at her mostly bare body, the panties she was wearing were hardly enough to stop his imagination from filling in the blanks.

He moved, turning her with him, and sat on the edge of the bed with Bailey between his legs. Mark's head was level with her chest. He looked up at her, into her eyes, and gently laid his hands on her legs. He slowly moved them up, sliding once more over the smooth skin of her thighs. His thumbs hooked into her panties and he tugged them down slowly, holding onto her as she kicked them away.

He returned his attention to her body. With a wordless mutter of need, he once again began stroking her with his hands, her soft noises of approval setting off tingling sensations through his body. He did not avoid her scar, merely let his hands wander where they would, testing her smooth skin with his palms.

Mark stopped just shy of her breasts, looking up at her again. Bailey gave a slight nod. He groaned in approval as he cupped her full breasts in his hands, stroking her nipples with his thumbs, feeling the weight of her in his hands. It was almost enough to drive him crazy.

Mark leaned forward and took one nipple into his mouth, letting his tongue flick across its hardening surface. Bailey moaned and tangled her fingers into his hair, arching her back into his gentle ministrations.

Mark let his hand slid down her stomach again, and traced her scar gently. Bailey held still while he did that, biting her lip until he moved on. He touched her legs again, her inner thighs. Bailey spread her legs a bit at his urging and gasped out his name when he found her center, his fingers stroking her clit rhythmically.

It was all Mark could do to hold himself in check as her sounds of pleasure spurred on his own feelings of passion. He kissed his way across her chest then down, ducking his head the stroke his tongue along bottom ridge of her ribs, making her jerk back in surprise. He had to grin. Bailey did not strike him as the ticklish type.

Without a word, he pulled back, looking up into her passion-clouded eyes. She was watching him with a lazy smile on her face. Mark grabbed her hips and turned her so she fell onto the bed on her back.

Mark rose to his feet and stripped his shirt off, then his jeans. As naked as Bailey, he climbed onto the bed, straddling her legs, staring down at her intently.

It gave Bailey the opportunity to look him over. Mark was obviously into keeping himself in shape…he had muscles ripping everywhere. His arms were covered with tattoos, a fact that had not really registered with her before. There as no bare skin to be seen on them. She made a mental note to check them out at some later date.

In the meantime…she took in his broad chest, his muscular stomach, his long legs…and his cock, she didn't forget that, as it was just as big as the rest of him.

"Pay dirt…" She said with a breathless laugh as she reached for him. Mark's chuckle was cut off as her hand wrapped around his turgid member, hissing his breath in at the feel of her fingers running over his heated flesh.

Bailey pushed herself up onto her elbows and watched her hand as she stroked him from root to tip, back down, stopping briefly to caress his balls before going back to a firmer stroke than the first. Mark moaned above her, his hips jerking against her hand as she let him go, sliding her palms across his hips, up his stomach, down his legs.

It was too much, SHE was too much, and it had been way too long for Mark to wait any longer. With a growl he shifted, parting her legs with his knee, settling himself between her smooth thighs.

Bailey braced herself for what was coming, and frowned when he didn't immediately make a move. Instead, he pressed his erection against her hot, wet center and ducked his head, sucking once again at her neck, making her arch up into him with a moan. His cock slid against her easily, lubricated by her juices, rubbing against her clit with maddening slowness.

"Mark…" Bailey moaned out as his shifted lower, suckling at her breasts again.

"Mmm?" He made a wordless sound low in his throat. It made Bailey shiver with anticipation.

"Sometime this year would be…great…" She gasped the last word as he ground his hips against her. Mark chuckled against her breast, his hot breath giving her another shiver.

"I'm gettin' there, darlin'." He said, his voice hoarse. It was almost enough to make her melt at the restrained lust she could hear from him.

Bailey felt his hands grasp her hips, and murmured as he pulled away from her, tilting her lower body at a better angle. His cock probed at her entrance, found it, and he inched his way in slowly, steadily, not wanting to rush, just wanting to enjoy the feel of her hot center wrapped around his throbbing member.

She gasped out when he was fully sheathed, panting in harsh breaths as she got used to his size. When he moved, sliding out, she wiggled her hips in answer, rubbing against him. Mark moaned and entered her again, moving in slow methodical thrusts, rotating his hips when he was fully inside her to give her even more sensations.

Bailey reached above her head and grasped the bed in her hands, using it for leverage. She began to grind up against him harder, faster, urging him with wordless moans to get his ass moving and putting her out of her misery.

Mark finally began thrusting faster, harder, grabbing her hips almost painfully to jerk her body against him, then changed his mind and slid one hand between their writhing bodies to find her clit and stroke it in time with his thrusting.

Bailey suddenly went stiff beneath him and cried out, her body shaking at the intensity of her orgasm, writhing as he continued his assault on her clit. She finally pushed his hand away, still feeling the after shocks. Mark slowed his pace to barely moving, giving her time to recover.

"C'mere." He growled out, pulling her up onto his lap, still sheathed inside her body. Bailey laughed breathlessly as she found herself facing him, Mark on his knees, her feet braced on either side of his legs.

"Oh…" When Mark shifted into a more comfortable position, Bailey grabbed his shoulders to steady herself, feeling heat flare low in her belly as he twitched deep within in her body. Mark met her eyes and held onto her waist as he began to guide her movements, first sliding back and forth, then up and down, fast, then slow, taking all of his in as deep as she could.

He was getting damn close to the edge, too close to stop himself this time as Bailey wrapped her arms around him and flexed her legs, moving him deep within her. She was climaxing a second time, her whole body shaking at the power of it, when Mark finally let go. He cried out hoarsely crushed her against his body as his seed spilled into her wrung out body.

Gasping for breath, they remained still for several minutes, neither feeling like talking or moving. Bailey finally came to her senses and eased away from him, collapsing on the bed with a heavy sigh of satisfaction. Mark chuckled and stretched out next to her, pulling her into his arms.

"Wanna say the night?" She muttered against his chest, her warm breath puffing across his skin.

Mark smiled and stroked her back. Really, he shouldn't, he should be going home. But damned if he could make himself get out of bed. "I'll stay as long as you'll have me, darlin'." He said softly, chuckling as Bailey uttered a dreamy moan. She was already asleep.

Mark sighed and shifted, cradling her more comfortably in his arms, and stared up at the ceiling, feeling rather tired himself. He hoped that Austin was all right, that he had not made a mistake in going out with Bailey. At that, he gave himself a mental shake. Going out with Bailey had been the best thing he'd done in years, as evidenced by where they were at that very moment. Austin was fine, of course, Mark's words to her were true. No one could find her if she did not want to be found at his place. With that thought in his head, he finally closed his eyes and drifted into sleep.