idiocy. Just stop it all!” She blinked furiously to keep the tears from falling. She was positive that at that moment she downright hated the man. The last thing she wanted was for him to see her cry. She took a deep breath to settle herself down and waited for Mark to crack one of the many jokes that resided in his memory bank. She was certain that he could come up with one that would fit the occasion.
Instead, he stood there and calmly looked at her as if she hadn’t just screamed at him. Silence stretched between them like a taut wire.
Mark moved a step forward. He lifted his hand to cup her cheek. She resisted the urge to lean into his touch. She closed her eyes against the tumultuous feelings welling up inside her.
“Please go,” she whispered, keeping her eyes closed.
“You don’t want me to go, Nora.” His breath was a warm caress against her forehead.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then open your eyes, look directly at me and tell me to go,” Mark murmured.
Her lips parted slightly. Whatever she was about to say was swallowed up by Mark capturing her mouth with his own.
A dizzying sensation she’d only experienced once before returned in full force. She gripped his shoulders as her knees gave way and the world spun crazily around her. She tasted the rich flavor of chocolate on his tongue, felt the hardness of his body against her. For one wild moment she wanted to crawl inside his body and just plain feel.
“Do you really want me to go, Nora?” he murmured against her ear.
She dragged her senses to the surface as her lips formed the word yes.
“No,” came out instead as she drew his mouth back to hers.
Mark didn’t need to be reminded where Nora’s bedroom was. Nor did he have to be forcibly dragged to the back of the house. He kicked the door shut and danced Nora toward the bed.
Nora was left awash in sheer sensation as she reveled in Mark.
A faint scent of lime was on his cheeks, the taste of chocolate on his tongue and the sound of seduction as he whispered in her ear.
Clothing fell to the carpet a piece at a time. Sheets rustled their own story as they dropped onto the bed.
She arched up under his touch as he reacquainted himself with every inch of her body. Lightning zigzagged through her body as he pressed his mouth against her nipple and gently suckled. As if he wasn’t making her crazy enough, he started moving farther down, dropping soft kisses along the way.
“Mark!” she wailed, blindly reaching for him. She was greedy for all he could give her.
“Just wait. It will get better,” he promised, pausing long enough to drop a kiss on her belly button before moving farther downward.
Nora threw back her head as she laughed. The sound that emerged was thin and high-pitched.
“Promises, promises. Ah!” she gasped as his forefinger brushed against the ultrasensitive nub of flesh.
She felt shock waves course through her as his fingertips brushed it again. Before she had a chance to recover, she felt his warm breath. After that, she knew nothing as she rode each cresting wave. Even then, Mark didn’t allow her to catch her breath before he moved up and over her.
“Open your eyes, Nora,” he ordered. His hips rested comfortably against her as if they were made to be together.
Except she noticed they weren’t exactly together. Not that there was any hesitation on his part. There was no doubt he was very interested. She could feel the proof against her. She didn’t want him merely nuzzling against her, she wanted him inside her.
“Mark!” She wiggled her hips against him.
“Look at me!”
She opened her eyes and looked up into eyes that were such a bright color, she felt as if she were drowning in a white-hot blaze of blue. Her hands had been gripping his shoulders. Now they reached up and cupped his face.
“Show me the world, Mark,” she murmured, bathing his lower lip with the tip of her tongue.
His smile flashed white as he bent his head to kiss her deeply at the same time as he thrust into her. Her hips arched up at the same time.
Mark not only showed Nora the world, he flew with her into the outer reaches of the cosmos.
Chapter Three
“Something is going on and I want to know what it is,” Ginna insisted.
Nora buried her nose in the newspaper. She couldn’t believe it. Her friend had been in the salon for barely ten minutes and she already sensed something. If Nora hadn’t had a full day booked she would have stayed home no matter how much she wanted to see Ginna.
“Did you know scientists found a dinosaur egg in an ice cave and they were able to successfully hatch it?” Nora reported in a bright voice. “And everyone thought those movies were fiction.” She gave an unladylike little snort.
“Nora!” The paper was snatched out of her hands. “You always make fun of those papers.”
She looked up with guileless eyes. “Do you mind? I’m studying for my next appointment. Mrs. Crockett loves to discuss the latest tabloid headlines. This way I can hold my own in the conversation.”
Ginna lowered her voice. “Mrs. Crockett also believes little green men visit her once a month and on Arbor Day. They go out for brunch and come back to her house for bridge.”
“That’s because they love her lemon tea cakes.”
Ginna dropped into the chair beside Nora. The women were relaxing in the well-appointed break room set up for the employees of the Steppin’ Out Hair Salon and Day Spa.
When Ginna had walked inside the salon that morning she’d gone over to Nora, studied her face and hugged her hard.
“You better tell me what is going on,” she’d whispered in her friend’s ear just before she released her.
Nora had been able to avoid any private conversation with Ginna all morning thanks to a heavy schedule. Zach showed up to kidnap Ginna for lunch. Now she was back with a little too-pleased brightness to her smile and stalking Nora with single-minded intent.
Nora’s time was up. She carefully folded the paper and set it down.
“Let’s see. You had a beautiful wedding and an even more beautiful honeymoon. You have a husband who adores you and two stepchildren who are absolute dolls. I am happy that you’ve found your true love in Zach, I really am. Yes, I’m a little envious, but I know you understand and forgive me for that envy.”
“You’ve been through a lot in the last month, sweetie. I saw your sorrow and I wished I could have been with you. But what I see in your eyes now isn’t all grief,” Ginna murmured. “I see confusion in there too and I don’t think it has anything to do with your grandmother’s death. Does it?”
Nora took a deep breath. She should have known Ginna’s sharp eye would pick up on her unsettled emotions.
Since the morning she’d woken up beside Mark again, she’d asked herself why she’d invited him back into her bed. She knew she couldn’t blame him. He’d taken his cues from her. She couldn’t lie to herself that she didn’t know what she was doing. Because she did know what she was doing and it was eating her up inside.
Making love with Mark transcended anything she’d ever experienced before. The two nights she’d spent with him were a pure sensual joy she could easily find herself addicted to. It had been a month and she still recalled every moment they spent together.
She was already addicted to that joy and craved more. Except that meant adding Mark to the equation. That was a dangerous combination.
“I