He waited patiently for her to reply, and when she said nothing he tried nudging her head away from his neck. A laugh rumbled in his chest as he realised she had fallen asleep. She hadn't even heard his confession, he thought, rolling his eyes. Great, the first time he felt safe saying those words to a woman and she didn't even hear him. He lifted her off him and laid her gently back against the side of the bath, his eyes taking in her curves with a faint sense of ownership.
After quickly getting out of the water and drying himself, he lifted her out and laid her on a towel he had set out, wrapping it around her and then lifting her up to carry her in the bedroom, his mouth curving into a smile as her exhausted body stayed fast asleep. He had worn her out, he thought, his smile getting even bigger. It was too much to get her dressed in anything, and he contented himself with making sure she was dry and then laying her in his bed naked, his eyes looking at her covetously before he laid down next to her and covered them both up. After the exertion they had put themselves through they definitely needed their sleep.
The next morning Amy woke up and stretched, wincing and frowning as her body protested the movement and her yawn was interrupted. She opened her eyes and looked around, finally seeing Mark laying next to her as always, fast asleep and looking very happy. She bit her lip as she remembered, in vivid detail, all that had happened the night before and she couldn't help reaching out and touching his face. His eyes opened instantly and he stared at her, a smile curving his distinctly sexy mouth.
"Good morning, my darlin', sleep well?" he murmured, pulling her into the curve of his body and caressing her back.
"Mmm," she mumbled, resting her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes again. "I can't even remember getting in bed."
"Well, that's because you feel asleep in the tub, right after you came apart in my arms. Remember that?" he asked wickedly, nibbling at her earlobe. He laughed as the heat from her face transmitted itself to his neck, and he knew without looking that she was blushing. "I guess you do. Remember what you said?" he asked this time, wondering if she would.
She pulled back and stared at him with a frown. "No. What did I say?"
"Oh, nothing much," he murmured, brushing a curly lock of hair out of her eyes and grinning. "Just how good a lover I was, how fantastic I am at pretty much everything, how much you love me."
Amy stared at him and her mouth fell open. She had said that, she vaguely remembered it, but she couldn't for the life of her think of what he might have said in return. "Oh."
"Mmm, oh. So, did you mean it?" he asked her, grabbing her chin and making her look directly at him, his face suddenly deadly serious. "Do you love me, honey?"
She stared at him for a second, but she couldn't deny what was essentially the truth. She loved him with her whole heart. "Yes, I do."
He pulled her even closer to him and clutched her convulsively. "Thank God," he muttered, but he didn't say the words back to her, and she wondered why not. Still, he felt something for her, she was sure and she relaxed in his arms, loving the feel of him. "I suppose you can barely move this morning? A quick roll in the hay is out of the question?" he mumbled, sounding so forlorn that she started laughing. "It ain't funny," he growled into her ear.
"It's your fault, you know," she murmured, snuggling closer to him and giving a contented sigh.
"How do you work that one out?" he grumbled, rolling onto his back and taking her with him, one of his hands coming up to stroke through her unruly hair.
"Duh, you don't have to be a genius to figure that out!" she said, giggling when he pinched her bottom underneath the sheets.
"Are you saying I'm stupid?" he growled, pulling her so she was laying squarely on top of him, her face inches above his own so he could give her a proper glare.
"Yes," she shot back, grinning at him as she touched his face. "But that's okay, you know? You're sexy too, and you have a wonderful body....a brain isn't all that important!"
"You're gonna be in so much trouble if you carry on," he warned her, his eyes sparkling with amusement.
"You can't punish me, I'm the walking wounded remember?" she pointed out, leaning down and stealing a quick kiss.
"Don't remind me," he groaned, running his hand up and down her back, enjoying the feel of her silky skin. "I guess I'll have to tell Mark Junior to settle down then?"
"Does he ever listen to you?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief.
Mark thought about that for all of two seconds and then shook his head, looking disgusted. "No. Still, you'd think he'd have learnt to by now. Never mind. I'll go and take a nice cold shower and you can get yourself dressed and down in that kitchen. I need feeding!"
"Again," she added, rolling her eyes as he put her back on her side of the bed and stood up, stretching his huge arms above his head and yawning.
"Hey, I need to keep this body that you're so fond of in good shape, otherwise I won't have the stamina to pleasure you, will I?" he asked with a grin, raising his eyebrows and widening his eyes before he sauntered into the bathroom.
Amy sighed and got out of bed, catching sight of herself in the mirror. She didn't look any different, she thought, staring at her naked body and flushed face. Apart from a few small marks where his beard had scratched her, she looked exactly the same. She leaned closer to her reflection and studied her eyes. Nope, no difference there either. Still, she shrugged, what did she expect? A big banner on her forehead reading 'I lost my virginity last night'? She laughed as she thought of that and started getting dressed, wincing again when she put her underwear on. She knew she wouldn't be able to accommodate him again for a while, and she wondered if that was normal. If so, how long did she have to wait? The thought of what he had done to her made her blush and she gave a soft huff of laughter as she left the room and made her way downstairs. She couldn't wait for him to do it again!
Two days passed by smoothly, and Mark treated her as if she were made of bone china, always opening doors for her, making sure she didn't carry anything heavy or do any work at all. He even stopped her from doing the dishes after she had cooked their meals, but he didn't actually mind her cooking at all. On the third day he took her for a walk to meet Sam and Rachel, the couple who ran the ranch for him, and she was surprised to find that they were a fairly young couple. For some reason she had imagined a middle aged couple, but these two were only in their thirties. They were very friendly and welcomed her as if they had known her for years, and she instantly felt comfortable in their home. Sam was fairly tall and dark-haired, not as tall as Mark, and Rachel had medium length black hair and was about five months pregnant with their first child, something she was incredibly excited about and she couldn't help but show Amy all the things she had bought so far for when the baby arrived. It made Amy think of pregnancy, and she put a hand on her own stomach, wondering if she could already have conceived. Mark hadn't used anything and she wasn't on the pill, so it was a distinct possibility. Neither of them had even spared a thought for contraception. She wondered how Mark would feel if she suddenly announced she was pregnant. She shrugged the thoughts off and carried on talking to Rachel, it was early days yet and she doubted it could possibly have happened after only one night.
Whilst they were sitting down having coffee another girl walked into the room with some shopping bags and smiled when she saw who was there. "Mark!" she said, laughing as he gave her a quick hug.
Amy looked at her. She was short, possibly a couple of inches taller than she was, and she had very long brown hair, with natural streaks of blonde in it. She was pretty, with big grey eyes fringed with dark lashes, and she wore no make up on her flawless complexion. She was just wondering who she was when Mark turned to her with a smile.
"Amy, darlin', this is Lenny, she's Sam's baby sister," he said, grabbing the girl's shoulders and standing her in front of him, facing Amy. "Lenny, this is Amy, the girl you've all heard so much about."
"I'm really pleased to meet you!" Lenny said, grabbing Amy's hand and shaking it vigorously. "I thought this big idiot would never hook up with someone nice, but you've finally come along! Welcome to Texas."
Amy couldn't help smiling at the girl's enthusiasm. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you too. What's your name short for?"
"Charlene," she said with a grimace of distaste. "I hate it, and only my brother ever calls me that. Everyone else calls me Lenny."
"Because she's a tomboy," Mark put in, sitting next to Amy and putting his arm around her shoulders. "We're thinking of having a barbecue when a couple of my friends get here. I want you three to come as well."
That was the first Amy had heard of it, but she didn't let on as the others all agreed. Lenny looked a bit wary. "Okay, as long as you don't expect me to serve anything."
Mark laughed at that. "Lenny here is possibly the clumsiest person ever. Don't ever give her a tray of drinks because she'll sure as hell tip it over someone," he said, grinning at the other girl's peeved expression.
"Gee, I'll just have to make sure I tip it over you next time, won't I?" she said sarcastically.
"Oh no, I'm staying well out of your way, I've learned my lesson," Mark said, holding his hands up. He stood up and pulled Amy with him. "Well, we have to get going. The guys should be here sometime next week, so I'll call you and let you know when to come over, okay?"
They all murmured their agreement and then said their goodbyes, Mark leading Amy away from the house and along the road towards his own house. "What did you think of them?"
Amy smiled as she looked up at him. "They're really nice people, and I liked Lenny a lot. I hope we can be friends while I'm here."
As far as Mark was concerned she would be here forever, but he didn't say anything to her just yet. "I'm sure you will be, she's only a couple of years older than you. Maybe you could go shopping together sometime, God knows I hate traipsing from store to store."
"Yeah, well, you're a man, men are allowed to hate shopping. So when are the others coming here then, and why didn't you tell me about the barbecue?"
"The others are coming next week, sometime around Thursday I think, and I didn't tell you about the barbecue because I just thought it up on the spur of the moment, Miss picky!" he said, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. "Why, do you have a problem with that?"
"No, I think it'll be fun," she said, smiling up at him, her eyes sparkling with happiness. "I love it here," she told him, looking around her at the land he owned.
He could see the truth of the statement in her face. "Good. I want you to be comfortable here, treat it like your own home," he said, thinking to himself that he would like her to call it her home, but he'd wait a while before he brought that subject up. He had to be absolutely certain of her feelings, despite the fact she had admitted she loved him. He wasn't going to open himself up to heartache again, and he wanted her to get to know everything about him so she had a chance to change her mind if she wanted to. He hoped she wouldn't.
Later that week, after a meal of steak and salad and a few bottles of beer, Mark sat relaxing whilst he listened to some music and Amy went upstairs to take a shower. She came down the wide wooden stairs after she had finished and glanced around the dimly lit hall, wondering where Mark was. She listened carefully and heard faint music coming from somewhere at the back of his huge sprawling home, and she made her way through the rooms, following the sound until she found him. He was sitting in a big leather chair, his head tilted against the back of it and his eyes closed, a glass of some amber fluid in his big hand. An enormous sound system was playing music, something bluesy by the sound of it, and he was tapping his fingers lightly on the arm of the chair, looking incredibly relaxed.
Amy stood and watched him for a while, simply enjoying the sight of him like that. His shirt was hanging open and he was wearing the jeans that she thought made him look incredibly sexy, his huge body so tempting she couldn't resist finally moving towards him.
Mark was aware of her standing in the room, but he kept his eyes closed and his expression calm, waiting to see what she would do. After a short while he heard her soft footsteps approach him and then her hand descended on his arm and stroked softly.
"Hey," she said, waiting for him to open his eyes. When he did she became mesmerised by the green depths that sparkled as they looked at her, darkening as his hand shot out and pulled her unresisting body down onto his lap.
"Hey, honey. Make yourself comfortable," he murmured, hissing in a sharp breath when she wiggled about in his lap, making his flesh leap. He took a swallow of his bourbon and studied her, his head cocked to one side, looking at the way she stared down into his drink.
"Want some?"
"What is it?" she asked, sniffing delicately at the liquid and wrinkling her nose.
"It's bourbon, ever had it?" he asked.
"No, it smells horrible," she said, sniffing again.
"It's an acquired taste I guess. Take a small sip," he urged, holding the glass up to her mouth.
She did as he asked, and then made a face as the strong liquor burned her throat. Mark chuckled when she pushed it away. "Yeuch!"
"Better get used to the taste honey, because I'll taste of it when I kiss you in a second," he murmured, his eyes dropping to her mouth.
"Okay," she said happily, wanting nothing more in the world right then than for him to kiss her.
He put his glass on a nearby table, raising one eyebrow. "You're being very amenable all of a sudden," he said, smiling.
"Well, if you'd said get used to the taste because I had to drink a bottle of the foul stuff, maybe I'd act differently," she said reasonably. "But being kissed is a different thing entirely!"
"I think I may have created a monster," he said wryly, lifting her and then placing her over his legs so she was straddling him, her short robe starting to fall open over her legs.
She settled herself against him, feeling his aroused body hard underneath her, and she wiggled on top of it, grinning wickedly at him even as her face heated at her own brazenness. "I think you're right!"
"My God, ya really are a li'l hussy, ya know?" he drawled at her, his grin matching hers as he saw the effect his exaggerated Texan drawl had on her. She pressed herself closer against him and bit her lip. "What's the matter my darlin', somethin' turnin' ya on?"
He felt her give a delicate shudder. "Don't talk like that," she said huskily, her eyes narrowing on his face.
"Aw, baby, why not? I love to talk like that when I can see how much it turns ya on," he said, his voice lifting as he chuckled, his hands grabbing her hips and pulling her down onto the thrust of him, grinding himself up into her softness.
She shook when he slid a hand under her and cupped her in his palm, his grin widening. "No panties huh, I guess you're feeling all better then. Were you expecting somethin' by any chance?" he teased, letting his fingers press inwards until he could freely slide one inside her rapidly moistening centre. He watched avidly as her eyes closed and her head fell forwards, her body tightening around his invading digit. He stilled his movements and nudged her face up again. "Damn li'l girl, you are so tight. Ya want me darlin'? Ya want my hard, hot flesh fillin' ya up, making ya scream?"
Amy moaned at his words, picturing what he was saying. "Yesss," she whispered, the word drawn out as his finger pushed inside her further.
"Ya want me right now, hard and fast and deep?" he continued, moving his thumb to rub over her swollen nub.
"Please..." she moaned, pushing herself closer to him, wanting him inside her. She hadn't known it could be like that, that she could want him until it was a fever, but now she knew what he could give her she couldn't stop herself.
Her whimpers spurred him on and she heard the rasp of his zipper and then felt him against her, so suddenly that her shocked eyes snapped open and looked down, seeing he had quickly freed himself and was slowly pushing inside her. He held her hips as he inched his way upwards, only letting her sink on to him a tiny amount before he stopped her. "Ya sure this is what ya want?" he said, his voice tense even though he was teasing her still.
"Mark, please, let me..." she groaned, fighting his hold until he suddenly let go and she impaled herself on him, pushing down as far as she could and feeling him hit deep inside her. Her head fell back and soft noises came from her throat as she relished the feel of him, the intense stretching and sense of fullness, her body accepting him with barely any pain this time.
She started to move, not too sure of how to do it like this in a chair, but just using instinct. He allowed her to have her own way for a while, watching and feeling her enclosing him, then he took control, grabbing her hips again and pulling her up and down on him, his hips moving in rhythm, so fast and deep that she was flung with amazing speed into an intense climax. She stiffened and cried out, and he joined her, holding her bruisingly hard down on him as he pulsed inside her. She fell forward, letting her head rest on his shoulder and heard him panting for breath, his body still quaking with his own release. Still she could feel him inside her and she suddenly realised that he remained hard, his flesh not shrinking as it had before. Her head lifted and she looked into his eyes, watching as he raised his eyebrows comically and growled. "You're still...."
"I sure am," he said roughly, pushing his hips up again and smiling when she gasped at the rapid return of pleasure. "I can't stop, sweetheart, I don't even want to try," he muttered, standing up still joined with her, holding her raised with her legs wrapped around his waist. She looked startled and he simply smiled, walking over to the wall and pinning her against it, using it as a support as he started moving inside her again.
He watched her the whole time he took her, fascinated with the play of emotions on her expressive face, at the way she bit her lip until it nearly bled when the pleasure became too intense, yet still he continued moving, wondering at his own endurance and her capacity for pleasure. She had already climaxed again and he could feel her tightening on him once more, his deep lunges making her insane. Finally, nearly exhausted, he felt his own body quickening, his flesh swelling even more than it already was, and then it burst forth, his release bathing her insides and causing her to find fulfilment before she fell onto him like a limp rag. He allowed himself a moment to rest against the wall, pinning her with his weight, his forehead leaning over her shoulder and resting on the wood panelling. Then he took her out of the room and up the stairs, not bothering to disengage from her just yet, enjoying a closeness that he would once have found uncomfortable. With her it was different. Hell, he thought, with her everything was different. She brought life and colour to a world that had been too dark for too long, and he knew he would never be able to let her go.
