Page 32 of Emma's Element

“There’s always a risk when there is a family history. But I am proactive about my health. You don’t have to worry about me,” she said, leaning closer to kiss his cheek. “You’re sweet to worry.” She froze; an insignificant inch separated their lips when he turned his head toward her. The chocolate pools of her gaze slowly rose to meet his before dropping to his mouth. Her strawberry vanilla scent enveloped him, causing desire to race through his blood. She leaned closer to him, an answering need in her dark eyes. He met her halfway, their lips connecting. An intense heat flared to life between them. Marcus buried his fingers in the hair at her nape, holding her in place. Her hands slid up his chest and around his neck.

She broke contact briefly with him and rose to her knees. Throwing one leg over his thighs, she straddled him and settled down in his lap before leaning in to kiss him again. A slight humming sound played with his senses as her breasts pressed against his chest. He’d never before heard a sexier sound.

His hands settled on her hips as he moved his mouth slowly against hers. He dipped his tongue into her mouth, sweeping the inner recesses until she made that sexy humming sound again. Her sweet taste swirled into his mouth, and he drank it in, his fingers digging into her hips, attempting to find his control. Slipping his hands under the hem of her sweater, he skated his fingers across the smooth skin of her lower back. He crushed her closer to him, his hips involuntarily thrusting against her.

It was beautiful torture and he wanted more. More of her tantalizing scent. More of her touch. More of the seal of her lips on his like he needed his next breath. Her fingers gripped his hair, pulling him closer. His heart was near ready to explode like nothing he’d ever experienced before. A furious heat rushed through his veins and straight to his cock. The kiss possessed him. He wanted to enjoy every moment, every stroke of her tongue against his, every buzz of sensation, knowing their time together was finite.

When the kiss ended again, both were breathing heavily. She looked him square in the eyes as she entreated, “Stay with me tonight.”

He wanted nothing more than to stay with her in his arms, compelling her to make those humming noises. But he knew he couldn’t stay with her. He’d have to leave this place soon, and with it, her. If he stayed, he’d ruin her, just as he had Marci. And furthermore, she would ruin him. He would sink so far into her, bond himself to her deep inside that he would forever be changed. If they took this any further, he’d never be able to cut her out of his heart when he had to leave. And he’d never be complete without her.

He was about to voice his denial when she placed her fingers on his lips. “I can tell you are about to come up with some excuse to deny yourself, but why. You’ve been searching for something for yourself; here it is. You’ve been searching for something real; here it is. You’ve been searching for someone to see you, therealyou; here it is.” Their gazes locked for a heartbeat before she bracketed his face with her hands and kissed him again, and he forgot all the reasons why this was a mistake.

Taking control of the kiss, he couldn’t get enough of her. Her taste, her smell, all filled his senses until he was dizzy on her. The feel of her pressed against him, moving against him was intoxicating. His hands drifted up her side under her sweater until his fingers were brushing the underside of her breasts. Then higher until he covered them, his mouth still plundering hers. She hummed again when his thumb brushed over her hardened bud, and she pressed herself against his hand. She was perfect. Just the right size to fill his hand. If she felt this good in his hand, what would it be like to have his mouth on her? He was dying to find out.

He tore his mouth from hers and nibbled a line of kisses down her neck, stopping at her pulse point to feel it race against his lips. He continued lower, as far as the vee in the neck of her sweater would let him. He nudged the sweater to the side and placed his lips on the upper swell of her breast, his fingers still toying with her nipple.

Emma arched her back, giving him the access he needed to finally place his lips around the protruding bud through her bra. He teased it with his tongue before sucking it into the heat of his mouth. She even tasted like strawberries. That sexy purr escaped from her lips, and she moved her hips against him, driving him nearly out of his skin. He wanted to be inside her, feel her come apart in his arms.

From some distant place, he could hear the music of Dolly Parton’s songJolene. Emma giggled, and he looked up at her. “That’s my cell. Jolene is calling. She hates that I use that ringtone for her.”

“But it’s such a good song,” he mused.

“I know, right. She’ll leave a message or text me. Just ignore it,” she said, placing her lips in the sensitive spot just below his ear. When she lifted her head, he lost himself in her eyes. Marcus raised a hand to gently stroke a knuckle down her cheek, marveling at the beauty of the woman in his arms. And she was beautiful, both inside and out. How could he not fall for her? Sure, it was probably a mistake, but at the moment, with his senses flooded with her, he didn’t care.

“God, Marcus,” Emma moaned. “When you look at me like that . . .”

“Like what?” he asked, smiling as he ran his thumb across her bottom lip. She tried to nip it with her teeth. TheJoleneringtone sounded again, but neither one of them moved. He slid his hand to the back of her neck and pulled her down for another scorching kiss. But before their lips could meet, her phone rang again. Emma pulled back; her brows furrowed in concern.

“Something must be wrong. She wouldn’t call me this much unless she needed me.” “I’m sorry,” she whispered after answering. Marcus became alarmed when her demeanor changed completely as she talked to Jolene.

“Wait . . . what? Say that again?” She slid from his lap and walked over to a desk in the corner where a laptop lay. “Hold on; I’m booting it up now.” He stood and went closer to her, concerned for what Jolene was telling Emma as well now.

“Okay, what’s the website?” Emma asked Jolene. She typed in an address, color leaching from her face after the site loaded.

And there it was.

The pictures he’d been dreading with the blazing headline:The Titan’s Latest Strumpet.The first picture was of him and Emma when he’d been walking her home earlier. He’d just raised her hand to his lips, the moment was immortalized in his mind and his heart, but now also frozen on the screen in front of him for the whole world to see. The next picture was of the two of them out in front of her apartment complex when he’d touched her face. They were gazing into each other’s eyes, the expression on his face broadcasting that he was smitten with her. The article accompanying the photos wasn’t much better, asking who was the mysterious woman that had snagged the great Marcus Rayne’s attention. It inferred everything he had dreaded for Emma, practically labeling her a whore. The writer was ruthless in his criticism of her without even knowing her name, which he pledged to find out.

Marcus swore under his breath catching sight of the byline, Edward Mallow. He’d dealt with Mallow before. He’d been the most heartless tabloid journalist with his reports about Marci.

It was everything he’d feared would happen laid out on the screen of Emma’s laptop. Now that those images had been made public, there would be more. More photographers would descend on Lake Haven, and theywouldfind out who Emma was. Her life would be put into turmoil.

He ran a hand through his hair to the back of his neck in frustration. How had this happened? How had Mallow known where he was? The pictures he’d taken with the patrons in Jolene’s had only just been posted. There was no way Mallow’s photographer from LA could have made it here so fast. He had to have already been here. And suddenly, he knew.

Colleen.

Marcus grabbed his cell and pulled up her number. “Did you tip him off?” he asked as soon as she picked up.

“What are you talking about, Honey?” she asked innocently. He gritted his teeth at the endearment he hated.

“Don’t play dumb with me. You sent Mallow and his photographer after I explicitly told you not to share my location with anyone. Why?”

She sighed and confessed. “You needed the boost. You were losing your online ranking. No longer trending. I figured the story of you with those rescue people would put you back in the spotlight. But you with a love interest is so much better. This story will sustain you for quite a while.”

He was furious that she had dared to ignore his instructions. After all these years of working together, she should have known better. “I don’t care about any of that shit! I’ve made that very clear to you for years now. Who exactly do you work for anyway? Me? Or those assholes that run the sleazy tabloids?” Then it dawned on him exactly why she’d done it. “How much did he pay you?”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you are talking about,” she tried.

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