 
Hot Property

By Tamara Larson

Copyright 2012 Tamara Larson

Smashwords Edition
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Chapter One

"Seriously, you need to fire his ass," Serena Garrison said, practically stamping her foot in agitation. "He's a complete slacker. And I think he may have been drunk out of his skull when he came up with this whole community garden idea." She threw some papers down on the quartz kitchen island between her and her cousin and glared at him ferociously.

They were in the luxurious kitchen of one of the many Show Homes Serena was currently trying to sell in Brookhaven Estates. Unfortunately for her, not one person had stopped in to check out this particular Brownstone-inspired townhouse all day. And it was nearly closing time. This lack of public interest was just adding to her agitation. Having to explain to Jack what seemed fairly obvious to her was making her feel like a rabid badger with PMS. But that's what happened when you went into business with family.

Sometimes she wished she hadn't agreed to be a part of Kingston Brothers, but it had seemed like a great idea at the time. Plus, her mother had guilted her into it, as usual. She and her four irritatingly macho cousins had an arrangement: they built high-end homes that made people drool with desire, and she stepped in and made their drool-worthy real estate dreams a reality. This had been a profitable and satisfying arrangement for everyone involved. Until Kingston Brothers' homes had stopped selling. Things had gotten downright intolerable when Mark Goldsworthy joined the business as their full-time Exterior Property Development Consultant. A glorified title which really just meant landscaper with attitude as far as she was concerned.

"Calm the hell down, Ess. I'm not firing anyone. Especially Mark. You're just going to have to get over whatever has your panties in a bunch, and work with him. Because he's not going anywhere. And I happen to like the community garden idea." Jack Kingston said, glaring right back as he tried to gather the papers neatly without losing eye contact with Serena. Any sign of weakness and she'd pounce like a lioness. He'd seen it happen and it wasn't pretty. Jacob, his youngest brother had a bite-shaped scar on his shoulder to remind him never to underestimate Serena. Or turn your back on her when she was in a rage. Of course, Serena and Jacob had both been six at the time and he had just put her Barbie in the garburator. Good thing she didn't bite anymore. At least he was pretty sure she didn't. Unless provoked.

"You have got to be kidding me. You actually want to waste that valuable land? So people can plant their own rutabagas? Don't tell me, Mr. Bottom Line wants to give back to the community." She scoffed, and crossed her arms.

"Well, yeah. I do actually. But I also think it's really smart. People who live in condos and townhouses really like the idea of owning their own land, growing their own food, and sharing that with their neighbors. It creates a community atmosphere. And that sells. Besides, it fits in with the whole urban vibe we're trying for here and looks great on the brochures. Community gardens are popping up all over the place in New York and Boston. Why not here?"

Serena rolled her eyes. "Bullshit. I smell Lacey all over your hard-on for this misguided scheme."

"Okay. She did mention that she thought it would be a great if all the excess produce was donated to the local food bank. But I liked the idea before she said a word."

"Oh my God. You are so whipped. She has fried your brain with sex. What happened to the ice man we all knew and barely tolerated? I actually miss him. At least he was logical."

Jack narrowed his green eyes and fought his impulse to yell at Serena in frustration. She could be stubborn, but wasn't usually this close-minded. Her creativity was one of the characteristics which made her such a wildly successful real estate agent. This unwillingness to take a risk wasn't like her. He strongly suspected there was more going on here than a reluctance to see outside the box. In fact, he was pretty sure that Serena's mistrust of Mark was at the root of her hostility towards what was clearly a great idea.

"I'm still logical. But I'm also recently engaged. And making my girl happy makes me happy. At least two or three times a day I get happy. Sometimes more." He waggled his eyebrows at Serena suggestively.

She made retching noises. "Oh. Gross. Please spare me the details of your perverted lifestyle. I'm still recovering from walking in on you two doing unnatural things with that bottle of syrup. I haven't been able to eat pancakes since." She covered her eyes as if blocking out the visual memory.

In truth, Serena was green with envy. Jack had met Lacey Ferguson at one of their Open Houses the previous year. After five months of torturing each other, they had finally worked out their issues and fallen in love. Now they were completely joined at the pelvis, at least most of the time. Their recent engagement in Maui hadn't surprised anyone except Lacey, who'd been completely unprepared for Jack's uncharacteristically romantic sunset proposal. To everyone else it was quite clear how anxious Jack was to seal the deal and make their relationship official.

It was almost like some sexed-up fairy tale, Serena thought to herself. They had their happy ending. Where was hers exactly? Her life was more like a cautionary tale on how to ensure a sexless and romance-free lifestyle. A guidebook on how to live like a nun. Hardly a bestseller. But at least she still had all her brain cells intact, which was more than she could say for Jack.

"I hate to say it, Ess. But maybe if you found someone you could share some quality naked syrup time with, you wouldn't work so much. And then maybe you wouldn't be quite so cranky." He knew he was going to pay for saying this, but her bad mood had been going on for at least a year and she needed to hear it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen her genuinely laugh or even smile in a non-professional capacity. All she did was work. Granted, selling real estate wasn't exactly hard, physical labor, but it took up a large portion of every single day. She desperately needed to take some time to relax instead of letting her ambition consume her. She was only twenty-eight years old and dangerously close to being a humorless workaholic. He wanted more from life for her. Even if she was a complete terror.

Her crystal blue eyes grew large in her lovely face and she gaped at him for a moment. Then she exploded. "You. Are. A pig. A complete oinker. No, make that an ape. One of those nasty ones in the zoo that throw their own feces around. I can't even believe I'm related to you." She reached across the island and gave his impressive upper arm a vicious pinch.

"Hey. What the hell?" He pulled away from her and rubbed his arm. "Don't get pissed. I'm just saying that you could definitely benefit from some tension relief, if you know what I mean. And I'm pretty sure it's the chimps that throw their shit around. Not the apes." He couldn't help goading her. She turned such an alarming shade of pink when she got riled up.

Was he right? Was she turning into a sexually-frustrated old shrew? No, it wasn't possible. She used to date like crazy in college. She couldn't have changed that much in just a few years, could she? Absolutely not. She was just overworked and Jack had sex on the brain.

"Just because you're getting it regularly for the first time in your stupid life, doesn't mean everyone is obsessed with it. Some of us are more evolved and have more lofty pursuits in mind than just boinking our brains out like bunnies at every turn, you know." She reached to give him another pinch, but he dodged out of the way this time.

"Fine then. Hold off on the boinking. But what about going on a single date? Just to get away from work for a few hours. You never know, you might actually have some fun."

"Oh God. You're a matchmaker now? Stick to building houses, Jack. I'm really thrilled you found someone crazy enough to put up with you, but that doesn't mean everyone has to be paired off, does it?"

"No, not necessarily, but I think you'll agree that I'm certainly a lot less miserable since Lacey and I got together. If you'll recall, I wasn't exactly Mr. Personality before she came along and showed me what I was missing. And you might be less antagonistic if you had some fun once in awhile too. And let me tell you, nothing is more fun than getting naked with someone you're into."

Serena shrugged and looked down at the countertop, embarrassed to let her cousin know that her social life was completely comatose. It was so hard to admit when he seemed so annoyingly happy. "But I'm not into anyone. I can't even remember the last time I talked to a guy that made my palms even a little bit sweaty."

"What about Mark? I mean, I know you had a crush on him when you were a kid and at least we know he's a good guy. And more importantly, I think he'd be open to it if you would just quit looking like you smelled something rotten whenever he comes into the room."

"Mark?" She shook her head in disbelief. "According to the gossip rags, Mark tried to nail anything with ovaries when he was in Dallas and since he's been back he seems to be permanently nursing a beer in one or both hands. So, basically you think a promiscuous lush would make an ideal date for me? Thanks, but I think I'll pass. Herpes and beer fumes don't turn me on."

"Ess. Mark's been through a shit storm lately."

"Umm... his dad died from cirrhosis of the liver. You'd think that would turn him off the sauce permanently."

"Serena. That's not fair and you know it. Just because his dad had a problem with alcohol doesn't necessarily mean Mark can never take a drink. I think he's got it under control. I've never seen him drunk at work. Hung over maybe, but never shit-faced or anything like it."

"I don't know how you can say that. Mark's dad drove your family business into the ground, and now that it's actually making a profit again you actually think it's a good idea to give him a chance to sabotage what you've re-built? It's like history is repeating itself. And evidently I don't have any say in the matter, despite the fact that I'm a partner in this business just as much as you are."

Serena knew she was being nasty, but she couldn't help it. Mark was slowly driving her insane. Every time she turned around it seemed like he was there, looking irresistible. A woman could only handle so much temptation and he was definitely pushing her past her endurance.

Most of the properties she was currently showing were inconveniently located in the same development where he was concentrating his efforts on beautifying the outdoor space. It was practically impossible to miss his mouth-watering physique as she drove to and from work everyday. Sometimes she took extra trips. Many, many extra trips. She told herself her intention was to check up on him, but judging from his constant virile presence in her raunchy, late-night fantasies, she suspected she was really just checking him out. The knee injury that had ended his football career so spectacularly certainly hadn't affected his gorgeously sculpted chest and shoulders. She felt a little feverish just thinking about the way his stomach rippled and his arms flexed as he worked.

The part that was driving her completely mad was that she wasn't the only one visually assaulting the former tailback on a regular basis. If it was a fine day, and his shirt had vanished, he always had an audience. Females, and a few males, were simply drawn to him.

There was just something in those dark eyes, and that slow smile that told women he adored and respected them, but also wanted to take them like a sex-starved barbarian. At least that's what she saw in his gaze when he looked at other women. All women except her. When he looked at her all she saw was indifference, and that was at the root of why she wanted him gone. She just couldn't face his rejection. Again. She wouldn't survive it this time around.

Jack held up his hands in supplication. "You're taking all of this much too personally. Yes, you have a say in what happens with the business, but you were outvoted four to one. Fair and square. You need to accept that and move on."

"And if I don't? What? I'm out on my ass, and one of you Cro-Magnums will smile and kiss up to prospective buyers instead of skulking around in the background?"

"No, nothing like that would ever happen. You're family and I would never choose anyone over family. And even if you weren't kin, there's no one I'd want representing our properties other than you. You're awesome at what you do."

Serena flushed under Jack's rare praise, but would not be distracted from her mission. "Fine, then get rid of Mark before he takes us down with him. He's a train wreck just waiting to happen and I can't bear to watch what we've built here be destroyed."

"Serena, you know I can't do that. We've known Mark his whole life and he needs a hand. Besides, he's a great landscaper. His dad taught him everything he knew before the drinking and gambling ruined him. If you could get past your personal feelings where he's concerned you'd see that he's a real asset to the company. Give him a chance, okay?"

They were interrupted by the sound of solid footsteps in the hall.

Mark Goldsworthy limped into the kitchen with a cold expression on his handsome face and an armful of plans under one thickly muscled arm. Not looking at Serena, he greeted Jack warmly, and then laid the plans out on the island to show his friend the latest design features he was working on to beautify a nearby condo courtyard.

Serena, not one to be ignored, actually saw red when he had the nerve to grab her purse from one of the bar stools and use it to hold down one curling edge of the plans. Without even asking her. "Mark," she said through gritted teeth. "What are you doing here? I'm showing this place, and you aren't exactly dressed for meeting buyers." She gestured down at his faded jeans, work boots and stained grey T-shirt. Even dressed sloppily, he was still the most devilishly attractive man she'd ever seen. Which just enraged her further. Why couldn't he have gotten bald and fat, so she could reject him outright without her libido crying out in protest? It just wasn't fair. She wanted him out of her life. Permanently this time.

Mark turned his dark gaze on her for the first time and the look he gave her was not friendly. In fact, it was downright hostile. "What's wrong, Serena? Do I look like a train wreck?"

Serena felt heat rise in her face when she realized he was referring to what she'd said about him a few minutes ago. Obviously, her raised voice had carried out to him on the front porch. The rational, adult part of her brain told her to acknowledge what she'd said and apologize, but she couldn't do it. She wasn't really sorry and she'd only spoken the truth. He shouldn't have been eavesdropping anyway. What was that expression her mom always used, something about people who listened at keyholes being vexed. Yup, that's what had happened here. He'd gotten himself vexed. Too damn bad if she'd hurt his feelings. He certainly wasn't concerned with hers or he never would have returned and stirred up all those ancient memories.

She raised her chin a notch and looked down her nose at him. "As a matter of fact, you do look like a train wreck. When exactly did you stop shaving? And a haircut wouldn't hurt, would it? You're a partner in this business, whether I like it or not. You should try to represent the company in a somewhat professional manner. You're not a teenager, Mark. The homeless look isn't cute anymore."

His lips turned up in what should have been a smile, but looked more like a pained grimace. He ran a hand through his shoulder-length, silky dark hair and then rubbed at his stubbled jaw. "Yeah. You're right. I do need to step up my game a bit. I should be wearing a three-piece suit to dig up plants. That would be way more professional. And not pretentious at all." He looked pointedly at her high heels, silk blouse and long, black skirt. "No wonder no one's checking out this property. They're clearly offended by my wardrobe. It has nothing to do with your skills as a real estate agent."

Jack stepped between them just as Serena looked like she was about to launch herself over the kitchen island and tackle Mark. "Whoa. Man. Let's keep this above the belt. Business is slow, but it has nothing to do with Serena. She works like a dog trying to sell our properties, but the market is just saturated with townhouses right now. This is why we need to try something different to attract buyers. Last year, Serena, with some help from Lacey, came up with the idea for those cottage-style detached homes down the street. We sold six of them in one day. Now, we need something else innovative like that. I think Mark's community garden might be a step in the right direction. We need to sell a lifestyle, not just a piece of property."

Serena shook her head. "You're delusional if you think someone is going to buy a home based on whether they can dig in the mud like a farmer or not. People want shiny appliances and granite countertops. Not piles of dirt." She waved towards the stainless steel fridge and tiled back-splash behind her.

Jack shrugged. "But we've given them that already. And for a reasonable price. It's not working. There's too many others townhouses just like this in this city. Maybe not as high quality or as well-designed, but similar. What we need to do now is set our properties apart from the competition. Make them hot again. And we can do that by dropping our prices, or trying something else. I think we should try something original"

Mark stepped in. "What if we gave them something really unique. Something they've only read about in books." Sounding excited, he pointed to something on one of the plans. "Have you ever been in a hedge maze? Or seen a topiary garden? Or how about a rock lagoon?"

Serena's eyes widened in shock. "Jack, this is crazy. The community garden is bad enough. You can't be considering these other money-pits. They'll eat up our profits like piranha."

Jack smiled at her expression. "Not necessarily. Those are just a few ideas we're thinking about. Besides, we'll inflate the property amenity fees to cover upkeep costs. And Mark is willing to do all the work with a very small crew. And all of us are willing to help out where we can." He tapped the plans with one hand. "I think one or two of these ideas, along with the community garden will really draw buyers. If you give it some thought, I positive you'll agree."

"I'm sorry, Jack. But I can't get behind this." She shook her head woefully. "It seems too radical to me. I don't see any other property developers going to this extent. Phil Benjamin certainly isn't doing this." She said, referring to their arch rival at Pinehurst Homes. Phil was known throughout the real estate community as the typical shady builder, willing to cut corners and inflate building costs whenever possible to make a buck. Mentioning his name was usually enough to cause Jack to go berserk, but her cousin needed a reality check. They were in this business to make money, and wasting time and land building castles in the air was guaranteed to ensure that Phil had more opportunity to exploit people looking for homes.

"Do you think I give a damn what that dick-head does?" Jack said through gritted teeth.

"Serena," Mark said, interrupting before Jack could go off on a rant about Phil the Shill and his inferior building practices. "Don't you see? That's exactly why this will work. We're willing to take a risk, and actually give people something new and different. When did you lose your imagination and become so conservative? You're way too young to be so close-minded."

Serena bristled and turned her blazing gaze on him. "This has nothing to do with being close-minded, Mark. I feel like I'm the only voice of reason here. I'm just not willing to gamble everything we've worked for on a whim." She pointed to Jack and herself. "Unlike you, we have a lot at stake here. If this turns out badly, you can just take off again. While we're stuck here to clean up the mess." She had to bite her tongue, but she managed not to say 'again.' Hot pokers wouldn't force her to admit how betrayed she'd felt when he'd left last time. He couldn't know how she'd cried and waited and generally made a fool or herself over him.

Mark gave her a puzzled look. "I'm not going anywhere. Where would I go exactly? My football career is over. And all my family is gone. This is where I belong. And I'm doing my best to make up for the past with the only people who've ever really cared about me. I'm here to stay. No one will be cleaning up after me. I swear."

Serena's heart leaped at his statement, but she controlled herself and gave him a doubtful look. "We'll see. But pardon me if I don't get excited about sinking a bunch of money into what sounds like a hare-brained scheme to me."

Jack clapped one hand on Mark's shoulder. "See? I told you she could be reasoned with."

Serena snorted. "Didn't they have a hedge maze in The Shining? Let's hope this turns out better than that did."

"Just the movie. Not the book." Mark said, surprising everyone with his literary knowledge.

Serena massaged her temples as if trying to relieve the pressure from a headache. "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. But mark my words; no one is making me dig in the dirt. No one." Giving them both one last glare, she turned her back and smiled brightly at the prospective buyer standing in the hallway, watching them warily.
Chapter Two

Mark glanced down at the plans and tried to pretend he was listening to what Jack was saying, but it was useless. He was too busy fighting to keep down a growl. Out of his peripheral vision he watched Serena smile and flirt with the pretty boy who had just entered the Show Home kitchen. What kind of weenie wore a suit on a Saturday exactly? And yet Serena seemed downright excited to be talking to him. If she laughed and touched that blonde weasel's arm one more time, he was going to get violent. No doubt about it.

He knew he deserved this torture. He'd been such a complete and utter ass. Ten years ago he'd thought he was doing the right thing by rejecting Serena. She'd been six years younger, his best friend's cousin, and the niece of his dad's business partner. A recipe for romantic napalm. He'd wanted her with a disturbing and constant hunger, but she'd been too young and innocent for someone as jaded as him. When the opportunity to play professional football had come his way, he'd run like he was being chased by wolves. Anything to get away from her and the temptation she represented.

Escape had been the answer to all his problems. Not just the permanent hard-on he sported for Serena despite her being a completely inappropriate target for his lust. His dad's rapid decline into alcoholism was just too hard to watch. Edward "Eddie" Goldsworthy had always been a drinker. After Mark's mom left him he finally gave into his true love and immersed himself in booze. His few beers every night turned into twelve, or more.

Mark always felt that if he'd been stronger, or smarter, or better in some way, maybe he could have done something, and convinced his dad to want more out of life than his next bottle. After years of trying, and failing miserably, Mark just needed it to stop. He decided to be selfish for a change. So he left, and his dad quickly imploded. Within two years of Mark's departure Eddie ruined his professional reputation to such a degree that no one in town would let him near their landscaping. Not even to mow a lawn. Add to that a penchant for gambling away funds embezzled from the business he shared with Jack's father, and Eddie very efficiently ruined his life in record time.

Now Mark was back and wanted to make restitution for his mistakes, not to mention his father's, but witnessing this little mating ritual between Serena and this jerk was too much to ask of him. Especially when he was pretty sure Serena would rather see him dead than consider giving him another chance. Not that he deserved one. But it hadn't always been that way. Once she'd wanted him with all the passion and misguided trust of a teenage girl in love. And he'd been sorely tempted to take advantage of her. If only to experience something pure, something sweet, just once.

Ten years ago...

"Dance with me," Serena said, holding out her hands to him and swaying her hips in invitation. She was a little unsteady on her feet, and her coquettish glance was a bit cross-eyed after her fifth glass of champagne, but she was still the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. And the most off limits.

They were at Jack's wedding, and it was by far the grimmest affair he'd ever had the misfortune to attend. It felt more like funeral than a party. Everyone, except Jack, seemed certain this particular wedding was a huge mistake. It was awful. Like watching a train heading for a derailment but being powerless to stop it. Only Serena seemed to be having a grand time. Everyone was so focused on Jack and his unsuitable bride; no one was keeping tabs on Serena for a change.

Being the only girl in a family of overprotective male cousins usually meant her fun was rated PG. Tonight, however, all her chaperones were distracted and she was cutting loose for maybe the first time in her life. She was clearly reveling in it, though he was pretty sure she was going to pay dearly for her overindulgence tomorrow.

Mark felt a bit like a pervert for noticing, but she looked incredible in the strapless, lavender bridesmaid gown she was currently wearing. He had been watching her all evening, holding his breath and waiting hungrily for a wardrobe malfunction, but it had never happened. Somehow, despite all the laws of physics, her bodice remained decently in place.

Uncomfortably hot in his stiff tuxedo collar, Mark shook his head and grabbed Serena's hands before she could trail them down his white shirt front. "Serena, you've had too much to drink," he said, attempting to sound stern rather than amused. He wasn't entirely successful. He could feel his lips pulling up into a smile as he watched her lean to one side on her skyscraper high heels and nearly topple directly into the nearby punchbowl. If he hadn't been holding her hands, she would have been wearing the vile pink concoction.

Serena looked up at him with reproachful eyes. "Am I a disgusting drunk, Mark? Am I grossing you out with my repulsive drunky drunkenness?" She hiccupped once and leaned to the other side. Mark had to let go of her hands and grab her by the waist to prevent a complete face plant.

He should have lied and agreed that she was indeed a disgusting drunk. Encouraging her was a huge mistake. After all, she was barely 18 and he was almost 25. There was a huge gap in both their age and experience. And even if there wasn't, Jack would kill him for even thinking of Serena in a sexual way. Jack took his responsibilities very seriously, and keeping Serena safe from predatory males was one of them. Mark couldn't betray him like that. He respected Jack and desperately wanted to retain his friendship. Violating his cousin was a surefire way to get a solid fist in the gut, a kick or two in the nuts, and complete ostracism from the family he loved like his own.

Besides, he was leaving. Just as soon as he could get out of this damn tuxedo and grab his things, he was out of here. It would be unfair to let Serena believe there could be anything real between them. She was so innocent she probably still equated sex with love. He'd had a lot of sex and very little love, so he knew how rare it was for those two items to actually coincide. But she was so damned hard to resist. Especially when her inhibitions were missing in action like this. Who would it really harm if he flirted with her this one time? Maybe he could scare her off and she would realize that trying to tempt him was the romantic equivalent of baiting a bear.

It was fairly obvious to him that she was practising her feminine wiles on him because she thought he was safe. She was wrong. He wasn't some horny teenage boy intent on feeling her up at the movies. She couldn't toy with him and walk away, leaving him at the end of the night with a boner and aching balls. He was a man, and he would stay firmly in control. Even if it killed him.

"You," he said softly. "Are an adorable drunk." He squeezed her waist and leaned down, just touching the tip of her upturned nose with his lips. She was almost six feet tall in her heels, but at 6'4 he still had to hunch down a few inches to kiss her. He pulled away and nearly laughed at her befuddled expression. In the 15 years he'd known her, he'd never willingly touched her before.

"Really?" She asked, biting her delectable lower lip and looking up at him doubtfully through lowered lashes.

Mark stared at that lip and thought about biting it himself. He wondered if she would taste as sweet as he'd always imagined. Right then he decided he was going to find out. Shitty behavior or not, he couldn't leave town without knowing.

"Really. Totally adorable." He removed one hand from her waist and brushed back an errant strand of corn-silk hair off her forehead.

"Then dance with me," she cried, and flung her arms around his neck, nearly choking him in her enthusiasm.

"Alright. Alright. Just one song." Mark loosened her hold slightly and placed her hands on his shoulders. He wasn't much of a dancer, but he began slowly swaying in time to the music with his hands on her shapely hips, holding her at a distance so they looked like an old couple learning the box step at a retirement home mixer.

Serena glared up at him. "Not like that. Like this." She said, and yanked him gracelessly into her embrace until he was forced to capitulate or wrestle with her, drawing unwanted attention to their dark corner near the bandstand.

Three things happened all at once. Her high, firm breasts came into contact with his lower chest; the cool fingers of one delicate hand threaded through the hair at the back of his neck, and his cock became instantly and painfully rock hard against her stomach. Within the rented tuxedo pants, his erection felt like it was straining to get at her like an impatient dog on a leash. So much for staying in control.

"Serena," he whispered against her temple. "C'mon. Let's do this properly." He attempted to put some distance between them so she wouldn't notice his raging hard-on, but she held on tightly, and nestled her soft stomach against his groin. He nearly groaned as she swiveled her pelvis in time with the music, brushing cruelly against his erection until he was forced to grab her hips to keep her still or go mad.

"Don't want to do it properly," she sighed against his shoulder. "I want to do it like this." Her breath tickled his neck and the image of all the improper things he wanted to do to her flashed through his mind. God, what he would do to spend one night between her creamy thighs. Not even a whole night. Just an hour would be worth almost anything.

But that was his dick talking. He couldn't have her. Not even once. She deserved so much better than someone like him.

She sighed again, and mumbled. "Oh, Mark. Isn't this better? I wish we could stay like this forever."

Forever? Like this? Could she actually be oblivious to how aroused he was? Apparently she was. The gap in their sexual knowledge seemed to widen to Grand Canyon proportions. He was pretty sure he had never been this innocent. Or at least not for a very long time.

Unlike Serena, who he suspected was probably still a virgin; Mark'd had his first sexual experience at fourteen. With a much older woman. The first of many, many such encounters. So many, in fact, that he was certain Serena would be disgusted if she ever found out about his past.

It had started out like a wet dream come true. He had worked for his dad since he was twelve. Just mowing lawns at first, but eventually he'd been sent to some client's homes on a regular basis, to maintain the shrubbery and keep the yards looking lush and beautiful. Mark didn't have the interest or the green thumb his dad possessed, but he knew the basics and wanted to help out. Besides, his dad paid a decent wage. Enough to pay for football equipment and video-games.

By the age of fourteen, he was working most days after school and on weekends when he wasn't at football practice. His dad was on the job less and less, and spending more and more time of his time at the bar and the race track. Mark was exhausted, but he picked up the slack because he didn't want the Kingstons to realize what was happening. He was ashamed and angry, but did what he thought was his duty. At the time he'd thought he was being a good son, and hadn't realized that he was actually enabling his dad to self-destruct.

His first time had been with one of his dad's clients. She was a bubbly blonde divorcee in her mid-twenties named Cherry. She'd been sunbathing in a black string bikini beside her pool and had blatantly removed her top in front of him as he trimmed her nearby hedges. He'd nearly dropped the shears at the unexpected sight of her tight brown nipples and large pale breasts. She was built exactly like one of the centerfolds he gawked at in the privacy of his bedroom at night. He'd been completely awestruck.

Cherry had beckoned him over and asked him in her little-girlish voice to spread some lotion on her breasts. Sitting on the edge of the lounge chair, he'd done so gingerly, his penis rising to painful proportions in his cut-offs, and his mouth dry. She'd watched him with a knowing smile on her pretty face and told him to be sure to pay close attention to her nipples because they burned easily.

He'd been shocked to find that one of her manicured hands had wandered into his lap while he'd been intently rubbing lotion into her nipples. Before he realized what was happening, she'd undone the zipper on his shorts and was leaning forward to kiss the head of his straining penis. He'd erupted within seconds of feeling her glossy lips slide down his shaft, but she hadn't seemed to mind. Within minutes he was hard again, and she was bouncing herself to a powerful orgasm on his erection, screaming so loudly that she startled the birds perched in the tree branches overhead.

Over the next few years Mark allowed himself to be seduced by many of his dad's unattached, female clients. If anyone had suggested to him that what was happening was statutory rape or child molestation, he would have been baffled. He thought he was a total stud. He loved women and they seemed to really like him. He gave them what they seemed to want and he learned a great deal about pleasuring the mysterious female body in the process. It seemed like an ideal situation. Besides, he was nearly a man. He hadn't achieved the muscled physique that would take him to the NFL yet, but he was mature enough to please these lonely women. And it relieved some of his loneliness, at least for a few minutes.

The extra money on his paycheck certainly didn't hurt either. It allowed him to save for college and would finance his eventual escape. His father's knowing grin, however, hurt a lot. But they never talked about the extra services Mark provided to their clients. Not until years later when Mark realized just how thoroughly and horribly he'd been robbed of his innocence.

Those clandestine afternoons were a long time ago. Right now he was at his best friend's wedding, holding Serena. A girl he genuinely wanted. She was curled up against him like she belonged there, and something elemental in him longed to be accepted by her, to erase the past and be made whole again. To be worthy of her. It was selfish, but he couldn't help himself.

Before his slumbering conscience could kick in he jiggled her a bit and smiled as she slowly raised her head from his shoulders and looked at him through heavy-lidded eyes. "Hey," he said. "The song is over. Do you want to get out of here?" She nodded and he grabbed her hand, heading for the closest reception hall exit door before she could change her mind. He looked around warily for any of her relatives to notice their departure, but no one even spared them a glance.

Without a single word, he dragged her towards his truck and helped her slide into the high cab. She exposed a lot of silky leg climbing clumsily into the passenger seat and he felt more blood rush to his groin at the sight. He could easily imagine just pushing her down on the seat and kissing his way up those thighs to her hot, moist centre. There he could gorge himself on her sweet honey until she came in a rush, maybe for the first time.

The image of what she would look like with her skirt up around her waist and his face buried between her thighs was so vivid he could practically taste her. Gritting his teeth he barely resisted the impulse to take her right there. But no matter how depraved he was, seducing an innocent in a parking lot was too low, even for him. He could wait a few more minutes to get his hands on her. Maybe.

He raced around the front of the vehicle and climbed into the driver's seat. He was surprised to find that she was sitting in the middle of the bench seat instead of the opposite side. When he slid behind the wheel she was pressed against him from thigh to shoulder. His hands actually shook at her nearness as he turned the ignition key and put the truck in gear. He should have asked her to slide over and fasten her seat-belt, but he couldn't resist her warmth and softness.

"Where are we going, Mark?" She asked sleepily as the truck left the parking lot. She placed her head on his shoulder and cuddled even closer. He though he was going to lose it as he breathed in the sweet strawberry scent of her hair, and felt one of her small hands wrap around his upper arm.

"I'm taking you home. You've had enough fun for one night, don't you think?" He said, sounding very much like one of her concerned cousins, but feeling like a complete fraud. The last place he wanted to take her was to her parent's place. They would still be at the reception, but he knew seeing her there in her childhood home, would remind him of exactly how wrong it was to be with her.

Her head jerked up and she glared at him. "Why are we going there? I thought you wanted to go somewhere. And talk."

He hadn't said anything about talking, but if that's what she wanted to believe then he would humor her. "Where did you want to go then?" He asked, already heading out of town.

"I don't know. Let's just drive. Okay? But don't take me home yet." She settled her head back on his shoulder and sighed, content to watch the streetlights fade away into the night.

Mark drove very fast to the most secluded place he could think of. He'd never been to the Valleyview Country Club at night before, but he remembered the guys from his high school talking about using the view from the ninth hole as an excellent lure to get their girlfriends to go parking with them. He'd never been. In fact, those same guys had ribbed him mercilessly for being a virgin. He never told them about his extra duties at work. He wasn't exactly ashamed of them, but he knew it wasn't something he wanted getting around. Especially to the Kingstons. He was fairly certain they wouldn't be thrilled to find out that he was servicing their clients in a manner not intended by their landscaping contract.

By the time he was Serena's age he had experienced just about everything on the sexual menu, and yet necking had somehow been missed. It was one of the many adolescent rites of passages he'd been deprived of so tonight he felt ridiculously excited at the prospect of experiencing something so tame.

Pulling into the parking lot overlooking the infamous ninth hole, Mark held his breath as Serena's hand settled on his thigh. The muscles there jumped in reaction to the sensation of her soft, warm palm so close to his groin. He wanted desperately to slide her hand into the juncture of his thighs where his erection throbbed painfully.

He parked the truck and threw the keys on the dashboard. Turning in his seat slightly, he was planning his approach when she launched herself at him. Suddenly, her arms were wrapped tightly around his neck like tentacles and she was kissing him awkwardly.

"Whoah." He said, pulling back to avoid having his teeth mashed against his lips.

Serena jerked away and sat as far away from him as she could without leaving the truck.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'm not very good at this. But I thought it was what you wanted." She mumbled, looking out through the windshield at the sparkling man-made lake in the moonlight.

Mark reached his long arms across the bench seat and pulled her gently back towards him, sliding her effortlessly along the cracked vinyl. When she was pressed against his side again, he touched her nose with one finger and said, softly, "Serena, kissing you is exactly what I want. You have no idea how much. But I had something a little gentler in mind, okay?"

It was too dark to see her expression, but he felt her nod her head against his neck. Leaning down, he found her lips with his and pressed his mouth gently against hers. He did this once and then pulled back. His reaction to that simple touch was totally out of proportion with the physical act itself. His lips actually tingled and he had to fight the impulse to plunge his tongue deeply into her sweet mouth and show her exactly what he wanted to do to her.

She responded by pressing her own lips against his and pulling away, mimicking his hit and run method of kissing. He didn't allow her to go very far. Placing one large hand on the nape of her neck to keep her still he followed her lips with his. He angled his head from sided to side, kissing her from different directions, flicking his tongue against her lips with each new touch.

When she eagerly opened her lips to receive more of his tongue, he licked the inside of her mouth, but didn't deepen the kiss as he wanted. He wasn't sure if he could maintain his control if he went too far. This was supposed to be just an innocent little make-out session. Anything more than that would be like playing with fire, no matter how much he wanted her.

But Serena had other ideas. The next time he slid his tongue between her lips, she tentatively touched it with her own. Just a quick lick and then retreat, but it was enough to make every muscle in his body go tense with his desire to finish what they had started. It would be so easy. He could practically smell her arousal. She wouldn't protest if he gently pushed her back on the seat, slid her skirt up her satiny legs, and plunged his aching cock between her moist folds, over and over, until they both found relief. But he couldn't do that, even though it seemed like the best idea in the world.

"Mark," she whispered against his lips. "Am I doing this right?" She was kissing him now, tracing the outline of his lips with just the tip of her silky tongue.

"Yeah. Just like that," he rasped, and touched her busy tongue with his own. She got up on her knees and leaned over him, placing her hands on his cheeks to keep him still. Tentatively, she plunged her tongue between his lips, chasing his tongue with hers. He sucked on it for a moment and then allowed her to retreat.

She pulled back from him long enough to begin undoing the buttons on his tuxedo shirt. He grabbed her hands and growled, "Serena, what are you doing?" If he felt her fingers or her lips on his chest he was a goner. All his good intentions would be out the window and her feet would be on the truck's ceiling just as fast as he could get a condom out of his wallet.

"I just want to touch you. Just this once. Please." She said sweetly.

How could he say no to that exactly? He'd never heard Serena say 'please' in her entire life. He could stand her hands on him for just a few seconds. He was already going crazy with lust. How bad could it be? "Alright. But just for a second. You're driving me wild, and I don't know how much more I can take."

"Really?" She asked, sounding delighted.

"Really." He braced himself and let go of her hands, gripping his own thighs tightly to prepare for the next onslaught of sensation. It was complete madness to be letting her do this, but better with him than satisfying her curiosity with some other guy. At least she was safe with him. If he could just keep his dick under control.

She struggled with his tie a bit but eventually got it loose without choking him to death. With agonizing slowness she managed to unbutton his shirt. Then, she paused for a moment as if waiting for him to stop her. But he didn't. He couldn't. He was practically hyperventilating waiting to feel her skin on him. Finally, she slid one soft hand into the collar of his shirt.

He groaned as her short nails threaded through the soft thatch of hair in the middle of his chest and then brushed one of his nipples. Slowly, her hand trailed back up to his shoulder and then down the other side of his torso, sliding down until she was tracing his ridged abdominal muscles with her fingers.

As she reached his belt, he grabbed her hand again. He was going to stop it there, fling her hand away before things could get even more out of control, but some horny devil possessed him momentarily and he placed her hand directly on his bulging zipper. "Do you feel that? Do you understand what you're doing to me? How hard I am for you?" He held her palm there, expecting her to pull away in shock, but she didn't. Instead she flexed her fingers in a little caress against his straining erection. He eased his grip on her hand and she actually traced the shape of his penis through his tuxedo pants.

"I do this to you?" She asked softly.

"Oh God. Yes. You do this to me. But please stop," he groaned, but thrust his hips forward to give her better access to his package.

"Just one more minute. Does this feel good?" She asked, sliding her hand gingerly downward until she was cupping his balls.

He nearly choked. "Serena," he growled and grabbed her wandering hand before he came in his rented tuxedo pants. The meaning behind her questions finally sunk into his lust-fogged brain and sanity returned in an unwelcome wave. He'd managed to ignore her lack of kissing technique, but it was harder to deny her ignorance when she seemed completely oblivious to his body's reaction to her. The realization that she was actually even more innocent than he'd assumed was like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. She really didn't have any experience at all. None. Until now.

This made him exactly like those women. The ones who had paid his father to use him. Corrupting an innocent to feel better about themselves. Actually, he was worse because his victim was drunk. And worse yet, he knew she had actual feelings for him. Her infatuation with him had been obvious to everyone since she was 14 and had asked him to her first dance. He'd rejected her then too.

God, he was like some kind of depraved pervert, preying on her naïveté. What was wrong with him exactly? Why had he brought her out here in the first place? She deserved so much better. He needed to get her home as soon as possible. Before he changed his mind and finished this. Conscience be damned. His aching dick would certainly agree with that plan.

"I'm sorry, Serena. So sorry." He whispered, and placed her hands in her own lap. Trembling, he grabbed his keys off the dashboard and started the truck. The lights from the display lit up the dark cab and he glanced at her. He was shocked to see that her eyes were glassy with tears.

"Mark? What happened?" Her voice was husky, but she didn't let them fall. Not a single one. "Did I do something wrong? If you just show me, I'm sure I can get the hang of it." She placed one of her hands on his thigh and began smoothing it up towards his groin again.

"Serena. No. We can't," he barked, much more harshly than he'd intended.

She flinched from him like she'd just been slapped. He looked at her again and saw the shock and humiliation on her face. Then anger took over.

"Take me home," she said through gritted teeth. "Take me home. Now."

She slid over to her side of the truck with as much dignity as her inebriated state would allow. Crossing her arms protectively over her chest, she stared out the window and wouldn't respond to him for the rest of the drive home. His explanations and apologies were ignored. It was like he didn't exist for her anymore.

When he finally pulled into her driveway, she scrambled out of the cab without a word or a glance back at him. She walked in front of the truck and stood there, hands on her hips, illuminated by the headlights. He could see the shape of her legs where the light shone through her long lavender skirt, and her fair hair had mostly fallen down from the careful up-do she'd worn earlier. She had never looked more beautiful or more irate. And he'd never wanted someone so much in his entire life.

He realized in that moment that he was in love with her. Her humor, her innocence, and her basic decency drew him like a moth to a flame. He'd had so little of those things in his life it was no wonder he wanted to drink her in like a sponge. But it was more than that. She was the one for him, even if he could never have her. As simple as that. All other women from this point on would never compare. She'd just ruined him for anyone else.

He thought about going after her. She was angry and hurt, but he was fairly certain he could seduce her again if he acted quickly. But then what? He was still leaving. If he stayed he would still be too old and tainted for her. And he'd be trapped, watching his dad drink himself to death, and missing out on the professional football career he'd been working toward his whole life.

The reality of the situation was that there was no way it could last between him and Serena. Sooner or later, she'd dump his sorry ass and go to college where she would flirt with frat boys and eventually find someone suitable to spend her life with. And he'd be working for his dad, developing his own drinking problem and perhaps returning to his old method of dealing with his loneliness. No, it was better like this. She was hurting, but at least she had some chance at happiness. He needed to do the right thing and give her that.

Right now she was glaring at him through the windshield like he was a particularly disgusting type of insect. Their eyes locked for a moment and then she was gone into the darkness. And so was any chance he'd ever had with her.
Chapter Three

Serena stared up at the handsome blonde prospective buyer and contemplated dating him. Karl Bauer was certainly attractive enough by anyone's standards. Those wide shoulders and slim hips made her think of an Olympic swimmer. All long limbs and powerful muscles, but streamlined. Not bulky like a certain overblown ex-football player's physique.

And Karl was tall. Tall enough that she had to look up at him when they were standing next to each other. This was a rarity for her. And that face. With those pale green eyes and tousled golden hair, he would look very comfortable at the prow of a Viking war ship, or perhaps in a Renaissance painting of an angel. Or possibly sitting shot-gun in Barbie's pink Corvette, she mused to herself, thinking of poor sexless Ken.

What was it about some guys? How could a man be this handsome and yet not be attractive to her at all? It was like those movie actors, Colin Farrell and Colin Firth. Colin Firth was handsome, but she couldn't imagine getting hot and sweaty with him. There was just something not quite sexy about him. He would probably say, 'please' and 'thank you' before getting down to business. Colin Farrell, however, was a different Colin altogether. She could easily imagine doing just about any depraved sexual act he required of her, provided he demanded it in that whiskey-soaked Irish accent of his.

There was no denying that she had a thing for guys who were a little raw and rough around the edges. But those guys were useless on a long-term basis. And that's what she needed. Someone settled and reliable. Not hot, broody, and a bit tortured by the past. She needed to grow up and find someone eligible, like Karl. He was exactly what she required to move on and settle down. Hotness was overrated compared to good, old-fashioned stability. Wasn't it?

Karl was a doctor. Her mother would be thrilled if she dated a doctor. Granted, he wasn't a medical doctor. He had a PHD in genetics. But still, a girl couldn't deny the attraction of those letters behind a man's name. Superficial, but true. Fortunately, genetics was a rather interesting field of study. Much better than say, engineering or microbiology. She could almost stand to listen to him drone on about his area of expertise for another few minutes. If it meant selling a house, she would listen to him talk about his bowel movements. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that.

More importantly, she was fairly certain he was interested in her but was having some trouble working up the courage to ask her out. He'd shown up at several of her Open Houses over the past few weeks, and was always more interested in talking about himself rather than the properties she was trying to sell. She had no doubt that he would eventually either buy a place or make his move, but she was getting tired of waiting. He needed to get to the point. If she was honest with herself, she'd be much more excited if he put in an offer on one of the townhouses rather than an offer to take her to dinner.

She didn't know what it was about him that was putting her off. On paper he met all the criteria she was looking for in a potential boyfriend. He was good-looking, financially stable, reliable and unmarried. Maybe he wasn't exactly warm and funny, but otherwise he was perfect. And yet she felt nothing when she looked at him. Not even an itty-bitty fizzle of electricity.

She thought about her cousin, Jack, and his first meeting with Lacey. The chemistry between those two had been practically nuclear from the second they'd laid eyes on one another. Serena wanted that, or at least a little sizzle. She knew instant passion was rare and didn't usually last, but she couldn't shake the feeling that anything less than spontaneous combustion with her future man would feel like a compromise. She'd only felt heat like that once in her life, and it had been a complete disaster.

Against her will, she glanced in Mark's direction as Karl blathered on about an experiment at work involving rat gene splicing. Apparently, it was hilarious, but she really wasn't following the story. She just smiled encouragingly and chuckled when he paused.

While Karl was occupied with the sound of his voice, Serena thought about her one and only experience with real chemistry. Since Mark's unwelcome return her thoughts often wandered back to that night in his truck after Jack's wedding. She'd kissed many men since then, and had even slept with a few, but those lukewarm experiences paled in comparison to the twenty minutes she'd spent parking at the golf course with the cruel, yet incredibly sexy, Mark Goldsworthy.

Even now it was difficult to look at him and not think about how warm and silky his skin had felt as she'd ran her hand over his chest. And the few seconds she'd actually touched him between his legs had been so wildly exciting she felt her cheeks heat and her thighs clench just remembering how firm and large his erection had felt pulsing under his zipper.

She'd been a little drunk that night but she could still recall it all in vivid detail. She'd been so shocked when he'd first danced and then had actually agreed to leave with her. He'd been running from her since she could remember, so it took her completely by surprise when he'd seemed willing to spend time in her company.

Until the summer she'd turned fourteen and had developed an embarrassing crush on him, Mark had treated her just like his own cousin. He viewed her as an annoying but lovable pest. But when she'd started trailing after him and asking him why he didn't have a girlfriend, he'd begun avoiding her. It didn't help that her cousins teased him unmercifully about her infatuation with him.

Between college classes, working for his dad, and playing college ball Mark didn't have a lot of spare time, but whatever leisure hours he did have were often spent at the Kingston's home with Jack and his brothers. Serena's mother, and her twin sister, Maria were pathologically close, so it seemed quite natural for them to have their houses built on the same huge lot and raise their families together. As an added bonus, living next door offered Serena many opportunities to both harass her cousins and corner Mark whenever possible.

These meetings usually resulted in her trying unsuccessfully to convince him that she would make an ideal girlfriend. He always rejected her as gently as possible, but she knew that eventually he would realize how perfect they were for each other. This went on for a few years. She went on a few dates with other boys because it was expected of her, but her heart wasn't in it. As far as she knew, Mark dated college girls but never anyone seriously. When he'd been in high school, there'd been rumors about him dating a much older woman, but he'd never admitted to anything. He was very close-mouthed about his romantic life. This just contributed to Serena's misguided belief that he was waiting for her to be old enough and then he'd step up and be her boyfriend. But it never happened.

When she'd turned eighteen, however, something had changed. Occasionally, at family functions, she would catch him watching her. Not like another cousin, but like a man. That was all the encouragement she needed. She'd schemed and plotted, but nothing seemed right. Then the wedding had happened. She would make her move then. A few glasses of champagne had bolstered her courage and she'd asked him to dance, hoping and praying that finally he would see her as both an adult and a woman.

It had worked a little too well. He'd seen her as a woman all right, but she'd acted like an innocent child. Apparently that innocence had been a complete turn off. Clearly, she wasn't experienced enough for him and he didn't want to be the one to initiate her. She wished she'd allowed some of the boys she'd dated to paw her a little more because at least it would have prepared her for parking with Mark.

Instead she'd humiliated herself. Her cheeks would still flush at the thought of her clumsy attempt at seduction that night. What had she been thinking exactly? She'd practically begged him to let her touch him. And he'd allowed it. Until it had been obvious she had no idea what she was doing. Then he'd been repulsed by her awkwardness. She wasn't sure what he'd expected. Was she supposed to know what to do? Was there something wrong with her because she didn't intuitively know how to please him?

The unfairness of his expectations and his impatience with her innocence struck her as uncharacteristically cruel. Mark was usually so kind and giving. So surprisingly sensitive for a man who looked like he ate iron filings for breakfast. She wondered if she had just imagined all the noble characteristics she idolized in him. Maybe he was just another jerk after all. A jerk who'd taken a drunk girl parking and then rejected her because she didn't act like an accomplished seductress. Not exactly the hero of her dreams.

He'd tried to explain on the drive home, but her pride would not allow her to acknowledge his lame excuses. He had finally rejected her too many times, and she was done trying to prove herself to him. He wasn't worth it. She'd paused in front of his truck on her way into the house that night, but he hadn't even tried to stop her. He'd just sat there. And watched her with a blank expression on his gorgeous face. He'd left the next day for Dallas. She hadn't seen or heard from him in nine years. And that was when Jack had re-hired him to work for Kingston Bros., without even consulting her.

She shook her head and brought her thoughts back to the present. Mark was standing next to Jack at the kitchen island with his arms crossed, but he wasn't looking at the site plans. He was glaring daggers at her. She fought the impulse to stick her tongue out at him, or possibly flip him the bird. Instead she scowled back at him and reached out to pat Karl familiarly on the forearm as his story concluded. She laughed dutifully up at him and asked him what he thought of the crown moldings in the den. Turning her back on Mark, she walked Karl past the front staircase and into the lovely room at the front of the townhouse with the bay window and French doors.

Just as Karl was giving her his expert opinion on crown moldings, Serena noticed Lacey Ferguson entering through the front door. God, Serena thought to herself, was everyone she knew going to show up at this Open House today? No wonder she couldn't sell anything with all these distractions going on. Clearly she needed to set some ground rules with these people. They were treating her work environment like a coffee shop rather than her place of business.

Lacey waved at Serena as she passed but didn't stop to greet her or meet Karl. She was making a beeline for Jack. Serena couldn't help to notice how stunning Lacey looked. Her recent tropical vacation had darkened her olive skin to a warm latte shade and her yellow scrubs just accentuated her exotic coloring.

Serena watched from the entryway as Lacey affectionately squeezed Mark's shoulder in a friendly greeting and then launched herself into Jack's waiting arms. They began kissing passionately and Serena thought about spraying them with the stainless steel pot-filler faucet to get them to quit pawing each other like randy teenagers. Not that it would deter them. They'd probably use it as an excuse to get naked.

The only saving grace to this unprofessional behavior was Mark's discomfort. He looked like he would gladly burn his eyes out with acid rather than witness anymore of their exuberant display of affection, which seemed to involve an embarrassing amount of both baby talk and tongue action. Yuck.

Serena was so busy watching them that she didn't even notice when Karl stopped talking. She tore her gaze away from Mark's delightfully tortured expression and prepared to make her apologies to Karl. He wasn't looking at her. He was staring past her into the kitchen at Jack and Lacey. He clearly wasn't amused by their antics. The look on his face couldn't even be called mild disapproval. It was genuine disgust.

"Karl," she said in her most jovial tone, squeezing his arm to distract him. "Please ignore my cousin and his girlfriend. They're recently engaged and have a tendency to overdo the PDA. Why don't we go check out the Master Bath now?" She started walking towards the stairs, but Karl wasn't moving. He was too busy staring. Glowering was actually the most accurate term she could think of to describe the expression on his handsome face.

"That's your cousin?" Karl asked, not even looking at her.

"Yes. He actually built this place. If you have any questions for him, I'm sure he wouldn't mind if we interrupted." Actually, he would probably mind a lot, but that was really just a bonus as far as Serena was concerned.

Karl swung his gaze towards her and the look he gave her was positively icy. "No, thank you, Miss Garrison. I really must be going. But I appreciate your time. Enjoy the rest of your day." With that he spun on his heel and began striding towards the front door like he was afraid of catching a disease.

Miss Garrison? Karl had been calling her Serena for weeks. What had just happened here to make him suddenly so distant? Serena panicked. Karl was the only semi-serious home buyer she'd encountered all week. She was getting desperate to make a sale, and she couldn't just let him walk out like this. She practically chased him into the hall, glaring furiously at Jack and Lacey as she passed. They were completely oblivious to her death-stare, but Mark watched in fascination as she grabbed Karl's arm and gave him her most dazzling real estate agent smile.

She pulled a business card out of her skirt pocket and tucked it into his hand, giving his knuckles a little caress as she pulled her hand away. "I understand completely if you have to go, Karl, but I hope you'll call me if you have any questions I can answer regarding this property. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I'm always available for my clients." Jeez. What was she doing? That sounded like some kind of lame booty call invitation.

Karl paused in his escape and turned to look down at her with a puzzled expression. Serena couldn't really blame the guy. Before today she hadn't encouraged his personal interest at all. Now she was practically throwing herself at his Gucci-covered feet. No wonder he looked so confused.

"I'm glad to hear that you're available. For your clients." Karl said with a pervy little smirk.

Ewww. Serena smiled in return but internally wondered if inferring she was a call girl was his twisted manner of flirtation. So not sexy. What a shame that a guy this good-looking had no idea how to talk to women. Maybe she was reading too much into his behavior. Perhaps she just made him nervous and he was prone to putting his foot in his mouth when dealing with women. She'd give him the benefit of the doubt if it meant a possible sale.

"Do you have a card, Karl? In case I come across a property more suitable for you?" She asked, amazed at her own boldness. She usually asked visitors to sign the Open House guest-book and leave their contact information if they wanted. No pressure. She never asked for cards because as far as she was concerned, real estate agents who did so were the stereotypical pushy ones who hounded everyone they met. Until today, she'd been determined to never come across as that desperate or intrusive. But here she was, crossing that line too.

She felt pathetic. When did her job become so important to her exactly? It was consuming her. Financially, she was fine. She didn't even need the sale, but she felt like she was losing her touch. She couldn't accept another failure. Not now, when her job was really all she had.

Karl reached into his back pocket, pulled out a surprisingly ancient-looking brown wallet, and fished out a creamy vellum business card from one of the compartments. He handed the card to her, and gave her another lecherous smile.

Serena couldn't help but notice how thin and dry his lips were and gave a mental shudder at the thought of kissing that mouth. It would be like making out with a piece of frozen liver, rubbery and cold. Yuck. Was it just her imagination or did his giant, unnaturally white front teeth look almost exactly like Chiclets? And were his canine teeth just a trifle too long and sharp looking? Why did the Big, Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood just flash across her mind?

"Yes, please call me if you have something for me. I'm looking for something really special. Not quite so common as this." Karl said, waving his arm to indicate their surroundings.

Serena nearly gaped at him. The townhouse wasn't huge, but it contained all of the upscale finishes a home buyer could possibly desire. Kingston Bros., built really fine homes and she was more than proud to represent them. No matter how annoying and unprofessional they were at times, her cousins were not common. She really had to restrain herself from lashing out at Karl, the pompous ass. She managed another fake smile and began walking him out the door. "I'll keep an eye out for the perfect property for you, Karl. Thanks so much for coming out today."

He held out his hand to shake hers and she hesitated. She really didn't want to touch him, but wasn't sure how to avoid it without alienating him completely. Gingerly she shook his hand, trying not to visibly recoil as his clammy flesh closed around her fingers. She looked up in surprise when he gripped her hand just a tad too tightly.

"I really hope to hear from you soon, Serena." Karl said, drawing out her first name and staring into her eyes with an unblinking intensity that made the skin on the back of her neck crawl.

She eased her hand out of his grip and looked down at her watch. "I'll be in touch. But right now I really must go."

Karl's brow furrowed. "Oh. Do you have big plans this evening? A date perhaps?"

Serena thought seriously about lying to him, and saying yes, but despite his newfound creepiness, she really didn't want to discourage him completely. Rejecting him outright at this point would guarantee that he didn't buy a property from her. It was unfair but it was true. If he felt deceived by her he'd take his business elsewhere. "No. Unfortunately not. I have to meet a buyer out on Old Carriage Lane in about an hour. Like I said, I'm always available for my clients."

Karl's smile became wider as she reiterated that statement from earlier. "I can see that you're very dedicated to meeting the needs of your clients. I find that very admirable. Enjoy your appointment. Good-bye, Serena." With that, he let go of her hand and left the townhouse, heading for his dark blue Mercedes sedan parked at the curb, behind her own convertible.

Closing the front door with Karl, thankfully, on the other side, Serena closed her eyes, took a couple of deep breaths and turned back towards the kitchen with her head held high. Creepy Karl may have escaped the brunt of her anger, but the three people in the next room were not going to be so lucky.
Chapter Four

Serena was surprised to find that Mark had followed her into the hallway. His arms were crossed over his hard chest and he was leaning against the archway, blocking her route to the kitchen. She could see Jack and Lacey over his massive shoulders, but they were completely oblivious to what was happening outside their couple cocoon.

Serena frowned up at him and attempted to dodge around his overgrown frame, but the damn football player still knew how to block. He'd probably move if she asked politely, but she was so not in the mood to obey the social niceties. She would have to touch him to get him to move. The idea both thrilled and horrified her. The last time she'd touched him had been the most humiliating experience of her life. But some small part of her longed to see if his body was as hard and hot as she remembered from that night. Only one way to find out.

"Mark," she hissed. "Let me by." She gave his shoulder a good shove, but it was like trying to move a refrigerator. A very sexy refrigerator.

"What was that about?" Mark asked casually, pretending not to notice that she was trying to manhandle him out of her way. He was being a bully, but couldn't seem to help himself. He needed to know if Serena was actually interested in the prig who'd just left.

"What?" Serena replied rudely as she attempted to nudge by him. Her breasts accidentally brushed his muscled forearm, and her nipples became instantly erect. She glanced up at him and was humiliated to find that his eyes were glued to her breasts. She covered them by crossing her arms and wondered exactly how hard she would have to knee him in the groin to get him to move.

"That whole thing with the gay guy? What was that about?" He waved one hand at the closed door.

"Karl? You think Karl is gay?" Serena nearly screeched in disbelief.

"Yeah. Obviously. He didn't even check out your ass when you turned around earlier."

"And that makes him gay? Maybe he's not an ass man; did you ever think of that?"

"Doesn't matter. Any straight guy would check out your ass."

"I can not believe I'm having this conversation with you. Karl is a gentleman and he doesn't objectify women." She enunciated her words carefully, as if explaining a challenging concept to an idiot.

Mark frowned and scowled at her condescending tone. "You can't possibly be that naive. Straight guys check out women's asses. It's not about degrading women, it's about admiring them. We can't help it. It's ingrained in us." He shrugged as if he was helpless to the natural order of the universe.

"No, it's ingrained in you to be a male chauvinist pig. Karl, however, was ingrained with some class. He doesn't ogle asses."

"Right. I bet he does ogle asses. In the men's locker room."

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "What a homophobic thing to say."

"What? No way. I'm a landscaper. Do you have any idea how many vendors and florists play for the other team? Trust me, I have no problem with gay guys. More of them the better as far as I'm concerned. But I don't think you should be getting all hot and bothered over a guy who prefers sausage." His voice softened. "You deserve better."

She ignored his concerned tone and focused on the part of his statement that didn't make her melt inside. "I am not getting 'hot and bothered' over him. Who even says that anymore? I was trying to get him to buy a house. He keeps popping up at my Show Homes, and I thought I could work on him a little. Get him to seal the deal."

"He's been to more than one of your Open Houses then?" He asked, furrowing his brow in concern

"Yeah. Several in fact. Condos, detached family homes, and townhouses. He's shown up at all of them."

"And you don't find that weird? Or downright creepy?"

"Not really. I often run into the same people. Looking at real estate is kind of a hobby, I guess." She uncrossed her arms and gestured towards the kitchen. "Look at Lacey and her mother. Before she met Jack, those two had been to every Open House in town. They were recreational real estate hunters."

"But a single guy? Cruising around, checking out Show Homes on Saturday. That's not normal." He shook his head as if describing someone who lights fires in his spare time. "You're sure he's single, right?"

"It was one of the first things he mentioned to me." She said sweetly. "So yeah, I'm fairly certain he's single. I think he said something about living with a grandfather who recently passed away. He's looking for a change from the old house, and he's not sure what he wants. That's why he's been to such a variety of properties."

"So, you don't think he's stalking you then?" Mark raised one speculative eyebrow at her.

"Mark. You're not making sense. If you think he's gay, why would he be stalking me? Because he admires my personal style so much?" She gestured down at her fabulous patent leather Mary Jane pumps with the thin ankle straps, but references to fashion were lost on Mark. He looked blankly at her shoes, but his gaze warmed up considerably as his eyes travelled over her curvy calves in the black-patterned tights.

"I don't know why a gay guy would be stalking you, but there's definitely something off about him. You should lose his card. And maybe you should reconsider being alone at these Open Houses all the time. He could be dangerous."

"Karl? Dangerous? You've been smoking your rose bushes, haven't you? That's just crazy." She chose not to think about her unease when the blonde man had touched her hand or his creepy smile. In retrospect, she'd been entirely too hard on Karl. She must have been imagining how unnerving his stare had been. He was a normal guy. Just because he wasn't an imposingly confident alpha male didn't make him a predator of some sort. He was just a bit lacking in social skills. And really, that was a good thing. A man like that could be trained. Unlike this big, sexy beast in front of her. The woman who fell for Mark would have a hard road trying to get him to bend to her will. She felt real pity for that woman, whoever she was.

"No, it's really not crazy. Don't you read the news? There's a whole world of freaks out there. And I haven't smoked anything since college. Besides, I really didn't like the way he was looking at Lacey."

She stared blankly at him. "Lacey? I thought he was stalking me. Now he's stalking Lacey. Get your twisted story straight, Mark."

"I said I didn't like the way he was staring at her. I didn't say he was stalking her. There was just something weird about it. Like he hated her or something."

"Perhaps he was just disturbed at seeing her tongue wrapped around Jack's tonsils like that. I know I found it disturbing. And from the look on your face, you were a little traumatized by the sight as well."

Despite the gravity of their discussion Mark grinned sheepishly and rubbed one hand over his bristly cheek. "Yeah. Who knew those two were such exhibitionists? Jack's always been so conservative. I don't think I ever saw him kiss his wife, and yet every time I see him and Lacey together I feel like I'm walking into a porno movie." He glanced over his shoulder where Jack and Lacey were standing close together and talking quietly, staring into each other's eyes. "But seriously, do you think that guy knows Lacey? Has a grudge against her or something?"

"Lacey's a nurse who volunteers at the local animal shelter and faithfully recycles. I don't think there's a less offensive woman on the planet. So, no, I don't think Karl is harboring some kind of deep-seated grudge against her. But I'm kind of impressed at your imagination. Who knew Super-jock had such a creative streak?"

Mark smiled inwardly. Serena occasionally called him Super-jock when she wanted to needle him about his past career. She thought he'd been awarded that particular nickname in high school because of his athletic prowess, but in actuality it had been earned by the size of his jockstrap. He didn't correct the misrepresentation because it amused him when she used the term. Unintentionally complimenting him on the size of his equipment took some of the sting out of her many insults.

"Yeah. I'm full of surprises," he said dryly. "But I think we should at least have that guy checked out. Steve Benjamin from high school is a cop now. Maybe he can see what this joker has been up to." He pointed one finger in her face and shook it at her like she was a misbehaving puppy. "And you should avoid him until we know if he's a threat or not. I'm serious, Serena."

Serena fought the urge to stamp her feet in frustration like a child. Instead she managed to stare at him coolly. "I'm not avoiding anyone. Your paranoid delusions do not dictate how I do my job, Mark. And I'll thank you to mind your own damn business."

Mark stared back at her for a moment, eyes blazing like he wanted to give her a good shake. Instead, he just ran both hands through his long hair and crossed his arms again. "Fine. Don't listen to me. Let's see what Jack thinks then, shall we?" He turned away like the matter was settled and began to head back to the kitchen.

"Mark. Don't you dare." Serena hissed. She reached out and yanked on his arm, intending to turn him back in her direction, but he barely moved. So, she grabbed him by the waistband of his jeans and pulled as hard as she could. She wasn't able move him much, but she was able to stop his forward momentum. She dug in her heals and leaned back, hoping she was treating him to the worst front wedgie of his life. He certainly deserved it, the domineering jerk. "If you tell Jack about your ridiculous theory, he's going to be baby-sitting me for the rest of my life. And I am way too old for a baby-sitter. I'm a real estate professional, for God's sake."

Mark spun around, smoothly dislodged her hand from the back of his jeans, and before she knew what was happening, she was in the air. He had actually rushed her like the tailback he was, and was now lifting her gently until her back was against the brick staircase wall and he was pressing against her from chest to knees. Her feet dangled at least a foot off the floor as he held her with his hands in her armpits and his pelvis anchoring her in place.

It had all happened so quickly she hadn't even had time to react. Now that she realized how effectively trapped she was between his solid frame and the wall, she pushed uselessly against his wide shoulders to dislodge him, but he wouldn't budge. She grunted in frustration when she discovered that kicking him in his bad knee wasn't even an option because her skirt was wedged between them. She wiggled as much as she could, but that was a big mistake. Make that a huge mistake. Wiggling was just bringing about a very predictable reaction in his body that could not be missed. She looked down between them and suddenly became very, very still.

With some effort, Mark ignored his hardening cock and gave her a little shake. "You," he said through gritted teeth. "Need a babysitter. And a spanking. And possibly a distemper shot. I hope you realize that."

"Put me down, you ass," Serena said, looking down at him with wide, panicked eyes. She wasn't scared of Mark. He was a brute, but he would never harm a woman, at least not physically. He was only capable of inflicting emotional damage on females. She knew this from first hand experience.

Right now, with his warm breath fluttering against her chest and his thumbs pressing into the sides of her breasts, she felt her body come alive under his touch. If she didn't put some distance between them she wouldn't be able to resist her attraction to him for long.

Even after his heartless rejection ten years ago, he still had the power to excite her beyond reason. It was all she could do not to slide her hands into his thick, silky hair and lick every inch of his ridiculously toned and sinewy body within reach. But no matter what, he could never know how much she still wanted him. Her pride simply wouldn't allow it.

"If Jack sees you man-handling me like this, he will castrate you with a rusty spoon. After he busts your other knee." She looked over his shoulder meaningfully.

She had an excellent point, but Mark couldn't seem to force himself to let her go. She'd touched him three times in the past few minutes. Not like she'd caress a man she wanted, but like an irritating family member. She was trying to reduce him to non-sexual relative status and he just couldn't take it. Impersonal contact from her was unacceptable. He was not one of her cousins.

Originally, his intention had been to just dislodge her hand from between his butt cheeks when she'd grabbed the waistband of his jeans. Once he got his hands on her, his body had reacted on pure instinct. He needed to get close to her. See if her body was as soft and sweet as he remembered. So, he'd done the unthinkable and practically tackled her. If Jack wanted to turn him into a soprano for his boldness then so be it. Feeling her pressed up against him was totally worth it.

He hadn't been this close to her since the night they'd danced together at Jack's wedding and his body was taking a slow and detailed inventory of all the changes in her figure. She was just as sleek and curvy as he remembered. Her breasts and hips were fuller, but not by much. That tiny, elegant waist and delicate rib cage were the same. And so were those long, long legs. More blood rushed to his groin as he thought about lifting her a little higher and somehow managing to wrap those silky thighs around his hips so he could feel the heat and softness between her legs.

His thoughts must have been obvious on his face because Serena groaned and closed her eyes. "Mark, I know you think all women are aching to get their hands on your weed whacker, but I'm not one of them. Not anymore. If you don't put me down, I'm going to scream bloody murder and then laugh myself silly when Jack removes your head and uses it as a bowling ball."

She was lying. He knew it. She could pretend to be physically indifferent to him all she wanted, but he knew she wanted him. Maybe she wouldn't admit it, but she did. She was practically panting, and the color was high in her pale cheeks. Her chest was just inches away from his mouth and he could see how her hard nipples were as they thrust toward him. If he leaned forward he would be able to suck at those sweet nubs through her thin blouse and lacy bra. The thought practically brought him to his knees. Reality disappeared as he thought about just taking her, right here and now. With Jack and Lacey in the next room and the front door unlocked. The thought excited him almost beyond his endurance. The only thing stopping him was her hands.

Her palms rested on his shoulders, unmoving. If she really felt threatened and wanted to escape she wouldn't hesitate to dig her thumbs into his eye sockets or yank his hair out by the roots. She obviously trusted him not to hurt her or he'd at least be sporting some deep furrows in his cheeks right now. She wasn't even pushing him away anymore.

The problem was that she wasn't pulling him greedily towards her either and that was exactly what he so desperately desired from her. He wanted her writhing impatiently and demanding for him to pleasure her until they were both satisfied. Better yet, he wanted her to love and accept him despite his sordid history and past rejections. Pinning her to the wall like Gonad the Barbarian, however, was not the best route to his objective. He was going about this all wrong, and yet he couldn't let her go. Not yet.

He let her slide down his body a few inches until his mouth was level with her throat and pressed forward to place an open-mouthed kiss against the pulse throbbing strongly along the side of her neck. He brushed her skin with his tongue and tasted the sweet salty tang of her sweat on his lips. Through the haze of his own arousal, he thought he felt one of her hands slide into his long hair, but then it was gone and her body tensed as she pushed against his shoulders, trying to dislodge him again.

"Mark!" Lacey Ferguson cried from the hallway entrance. "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to put yourself back in the hospital? Let her down and put some ice on your knee immediately." She pinched Mark's wide back and gave his butt a swat.

"My knee is fine, Lace. Really." Mark sighed and backed up a few inches, allowing Serena to slide down his body until her feet touched the ground again. The friction was unbelievably erotic and he winced as she pushed away from him. Serena wouldn't look at him, but her cheeks were flaming red and he could see how unsteady she was on her feet. He reached out to support her, but she slapped his hands away and glared at Lacey.

"Don't you have anything to say about this caveman holding me against my will?" Serena asked, jabbing a thumb in Mark's direction as she maneuvered around him.

Lacey grinned and shrugged. "Looked like foreplay to me. Judging by your heavy breathing and flushed face, I'd say it was some pretty hot foreplay actually."

"Argghh," Serena cried, stomping towards the kitchen. "You're just like Jack. You have sex on the brain. And this," she pointed at her fiery cheeks, "is what a woman looks like when she's pissed off. Not turned on. Aren't you a nurse? Shouldn't you know the difference?" With one last glare at both of them over her shoulder, she left Mark and Lacey in the hallway.

Lacey rolled her eyes. "I'm a Home Care Nurse," she called to Serena's retreating back. "I primarily deal with wound care, so my patients aren't usually turned on. Since most of them are in their eighties, that's a good thing." She grinned hugely as Serena shot her the finger behind her back.

Lacey directed a speculative glance at Mark. He was still facing the wall, with his head down and his hands on his slim hips. His long hair obscured most of his face, so she couldn't tell if he was in pain or angry or amused by Serena's behavior. "Mark?" She asked, placing one hand on his lower back. "Seriously, is your knee okay? Do you need help? Should I call Jack to give you a hand?"

Mark gave her a gentle smile over his shoulder, but didn't turn toward her. "Nah, it's good. I just remembered, I left the plans for the gazebo out in the truck. Tell Jack I'll be back in a minute, will you?" He patted her on the shoulder as he passed, limping only slightly as he opened the front door and walked outside into the sunny, autumn afternoon.

Lacey watched him leave, tempted to follow and find out exactly what was going on with him and Serena, but she was pretty sure Mark needed some alone time to calm down before facing Serena's overprotective cousin. His posture and discomfort made it pretty obvious that he was sporting his own rather prominent sign of arousal.

Lacey rubbed her hands together in anticipation. Walking into the hall to find Mark and Serena in a serious clinch had been a bit of a shock at first, but now it seemed almost inevitable. These two lost souls obviously belonged together. Serena was just too stubborn and proud to admit it. And Mark was way too damaged to believe anyone could want him, despite his very obvious studly appeal.

Jack had told Lacey a bit about his friend's past and she couldn't quite fathom how such a dysfunctional family situation could produce a man as generous and kind as Mark. He definitely drank too much, but otherwise had been a great friend to Jack since his return from the NFL. As an added bonus, he could actually handle Serena. And that was saying something. Initially Lacey herself had been intimidated by Jack's prickly cousin, but after knowing Serena for a year, Lacey was convinced that her tough exterior was just excellent camouflage for the sensitive and giving person beneath the somewhat bratty exterior.

Lacey thought about the way Serena had schemed to bring her and Jack together last year. She'd actually been instrumental in helping them find each other again after their first meeting. Yup. It was time for some payback. She definitely owed Serena for some of her own personal happiness, and now she was going to get the opportunity to return the favor.

Idly, she wondered how Jack was going to feel about this new development. How would he have reacted if he'd been the one to walk in on Serena and Mark? Oh, that was not a pretty picture. She was going to have to ease him into the idea. Or was it possible he already knew there was something brewing between the pair and was doing his own match-making? It did seem odd that he'd arranged to meet Mark at one of Serena's Open Houses. He usually avoided contact with the public as much as possible.

You never knew with Jack. He was the epitome of the strong, silent type. She'd ask him later. In bed. He was always so chatty after sex. Thank God, he wasn't the roll over and snore type. He was typically the roll over and MORE type, she thought, smiling to herself. Even after a year with him, she shivered in anticipation at the thought of having him in her bed that night. She only hoped Mark and Serena would find the same deep joy and pleasure together. In and out of the boudoir.

Outside, Mark leaned against the porch railing, took some deep breaths, and thought about what would have happened if Lacey hadn't walked into the hallway at that particular moment. Had he imagined that Serena was actually responding to him? Was it possible that she still had feelings for him? Or was it just good, old-fashioned lust? Or was his testosterone-addled brain just toying with him, deluding him into seeing exactly what he wanted most. Nope. He was pretty sure she'd allowed herself to open up and touch him. Just for a second. But it was enough. It gave him hope and that was all he needed.

God. She had felt so good. Her fruity scent and the taste of her skin had been just as he'd imagined so many times. Everything about her, even her anger, excited him beyond measure. Even now, with his knee aching like it was on fire, he was so hard for her he felt like he was about to explode. He was thirty-four years old, yet he remembered feeling just like this as a horny teenager. He was out of control and desperate for some kind of relief from the tension thrumming through his body. He needed something to take the edge off and beer wasn't working anymore.

What he needed was to get laid. Serena wasn't an option so he thought about the women he knew. There were several single, female home owners in this neighborhood who had expressed an interest in something fun and casual. Being a landscaper did have its perks. Unfortunately, none of the available women he'd met since his return held any real appeal for him. Mostly because meeting women on the job just reminded him unpleasantly of his past. Also, many of them had bought their homes through Serena, which made them strictly off limits.

Getting involved with clients would be a big mistake. No matter how tempting it was to give into his lust and take what was offered, he needed to avoid doing anything that could reflect poorly on his friend's company. He owed Jack a lot. Using his business as a means to screw lonely women wouldn't be appreciated. Especially considering their family history. No matter what, he must not follow in his dad's destructive footsteps and take his friend down with him. History could not be allowed to repeat itself. He'd leave town again before he'd let that happen.

If professional ethics weren't enough to discourage Mark from pursuing some no-strings sex with one of the neighborhood vixens then Serena was the final kicker. She remained friendly with her clients, including many of the ladies who had propositioned him recently. If it got back to Serena that he was involved with any of them, he could forget about ever getting his hands on her again.

It didn't really matter. He wasn't going to approach any of them anyway. He only wanted Serena. No one else would satisfy him at this point. If he was honest with himself, no one ever could be an adequate substitute for her. While playing professional ball, he'd certainly had his share of casual sex. He hadn't been a star player, or even a great one, but he had been good enough to earn a certain amount of celebrity. Women had flocked to him and he hadn't denied himself, but it wasn't enough anymore. He wanted what Jack had with Lacey, and he wanted it with Serena. Looking back he realized he'd been fooling himself to think there ever could be anyone else. It had always been her and he was fairly certain it always would be.

His body began to calm down, finally. His dick no longer felt like it was going to make an unexpected appearance through his zipper, but it stayed semi-hard despite his usual trick of thinking about the sickening crunch his knee had made when he'd busted it. That was usually all it took to turn wood into overcooked pasta, but it wasn't working today.

As he was turning around to go back inside and face Serena, he noticed a dark blue Mercedes sedan, idling at the curb behind Serena's white convertible. Mark leaned down and was able to make out a blonde head behind the steering wheel before the driver put the vehicle into gear and swerved out into the street.

Not a stalker, my ass, Mark thought to himself as he repeated the Mercedes license numbers to himself, memorizing the plate so he could pass the information onto his cop friend. Yup. That Karl guy was one creepy bastard. Who hangs out in front of an Open House for 20 minutes after closing? Serena's new client was up to something. Mark only hoped she had enough sense to avoid the prick. Prospective buyer or not, she needed to keep her distance and avoid encouraging him.

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure she wouldn't listen to him or Jack when it came to taking some precautions with her safety. No matter, he would stay close enough to ensure no harm came to her. Close proximity with Serena promised to be a kind of erotic torture, but he would withstand it to keep her safe. He only hoped that death by blue balls truly was an urban myth.
Chapter Five

Twenty-four years ago...

It was bitterly cold and damp in the cellar, so he pulled his thin, naked legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, holding himself tightly in a little ball. This made the shallow gashes in his pale back sting but he was used to the pain. Water dripped somewhere and he could smell the dankness mixed with the unpleasant odor of rat droppings. His grandfather was obsessed with ensuring that the rest of the old house was clinically clean, but this place was purposely kept as dingy and unpleasant as any prison cell.

The boy was fairly certain the cleaning lady didn't even know this place existed. If she had seen it, she wouldn't be working for the old man anymore. But she was paid well not to ask questions and that's exactly what she did. Her kind was good at keeping their mouth shut. At least that's what his grandfather said.

It was darker here than anywhere else he'd even been. Not that he'd been many places. The blackness seemed to have actual weight and texture, pressing him down into the icy cement floor, making him feel helpless and weak and very, very alone. He didn't need a candle to know what this awful place looked like. His grandfather had brought him here many times, sometimes to instruct but mostly to punish him. A crude black swastika was painted on one wall, while the opposite side of the room was dominated by a life-sized poster of Adolf Hitler, arm raised and looking wild-eyed at a riveted audience of his compatriots.

He knew his grandfather considered the figure in the picture to be a great man, but he couldn't look directly at it without a little shudder of terror and revulsion sliding down his spine. There was something about the dark-haired little man's little eyes, something hot, frenzied and downright scary. In truth, that look reminded him of his grandfather when he was on one of his tirades. Like he'd been that afternoon three days ago. After Miss Ellis, his teacher, had come to talk to the old man. About him and his behavior. The way he treated the other kids and the things he did when the teacher wasn't around.

His grandfather had greeted her at the door with his usual blank stare, his unrelenting disapproval apparent without saying a word. Oddly, Miss Ellis was not intimidated though the old man still possessed a tall and imposing figure. Most people found his baleful gaze unnerving, but she just glared back at him as she always did when they encountered each other.

The old man had resented the teacher's interference for months now. In his opinion, Miss Ellis was a busybody and most likely a dirty whore. If he had his way, someone would show her what happened to women who didn't know when to keep their mouths and eyes shut. He would not have his grandson in school with her except his worsening eyesight had forced him to allow the boy to enter the public education system.

After being home-schooled by his grandfather for the first few years of his education the boy had been happy and excited to escape his rigid presence for several hours a day. The freedom had been a heady experience after having every moment of his life so strictly regimented.

At first, he had been eager to escape the old house but school wasn't what he expected. He was an outsider there. The other kids thought he was weird and the teachers had strange ideas about treating everyone the same. It was a confusing place where he didn't know the rules. As much as he wanted to fit in he was always a bit out of sync with what was considered normal. As a result, the other children and even most of the teachers avoided talking to him. It didn't help that his education was so advanced compared to his classmates.

At the age of nine, he could quote Nietzsche with ease and had already memorized the Periodic Table of Elements and all its components. Complicated quadratic equations were well within his grasp and as a result he was understandably bored when presented with gold stars for completing his multiplication tables. He was moved up two grades, but this just alienated him further from his peers.

It didn't help that his grandfather insisted that he stay away from anyone who was not their kind. He was fanatical about his grandson not becoming tainted by any unsavory elements, which to him meant anyone of non-Slavic descent. The trouble was that the boy couldn't always tell who was superior and who wasn't. Skin and hair color, he'd learned, weren't always reliable indicators. One little boy in his class had golden hair and green eyes, just like him, but his last name was Lopez, so he couldn't be a member of the Master Race. Another olive-skinned girl had the unfortunate name of Olga Schmidt, a German-sounding name, but according to his grandfather this child was an impersonator and a fake.

There were so many rules regarding how to tell if someone was suitable or not. He didn't really understand how his grandfather was able to tell the difference so easily. The old man insisted that as the boy grew older he would come to recognize their kind. As he matured, so would his ability to distinguish the pure-breeds from the mixed breeds.

The one time he had brought home a playmate from school his grandfather had barred the door with his cane and screamed at him to not let that 'little Jew' in his house because he'd 'stink up the place and steal the silverware.' According to his grandfather, all Jews thought about was making money and scheming to cheat people out of what was rightfully theirs. Henry, his one and only friend, didn't even have a big nose and his family was dirt poor, so obviously he didn't fit the profile. Yet his grandfather was certain he was Jewish. It didn't make any sense to the boy. Henry had only wanted to check out the boy's comic collection, not steal anything. But the severe beating and subsequent two days in the cellar that followed Henry's visit had convinced the boy that it was better to err on the side of caution. So he began avoiding everyone, keeping to himself and inwardly seething at his inability to distinguish his tribe from these others.

He quickly became accustomed to being an outsider. He'd felt hurt and lonely for awhile, but eventually it became obvious to him that his grandfather was right. He was a superior specimen and the other children were just jealous of his superhuman qualities. That was why they avoided him, not because he was strange. They couldn't relate to him because he was practically a different species from them. He was more evolved than they could comprehend. He was meant for greatness while they were just a bunch of brainless little mutts. It was so hard, treating them like equals when he knew they were hopelessly beneath him.

Every once in awhile he slipped and let his contempt for his classmates show. Usually these slips resulted in some form of cruel and violent behavior on his part. This latest incident had involved Tommy Mulligan calling him a queer because he was always so neatly groomed. His grandfather had explained exactly what the term meant when he told the boy the story of how he had come to live with the old man five years earlier. His mother had abandoned them when she discovered her husband preferred sleeping with his secretary. His male secretary. Both men had disappeared soon after, leaving the boy in the loving care of his grandfather.

The idea that this mediocre child would have the temerity to infer that he was flawed in this unforgivable manner could not be tolerated. As enraged as the boy was, he didn't respond to the other boy's taunts. Instead he held off for a few days, until Tommy was walking home alone through the forest trail toward the trailer park where he lived.

The boy had sat behind a tree for hours, whittling a branch down to a sharpened point and waiting patiently. When his victim passed by he grabbed the smaller child and threw him to the ground.

Easily, he straddled Tommy's thighs and began pummeling him viciously in the face. When the other boy was bloody and unconscious he began carving into his stomach. Just as he was about to start on the second half of his project he heard someone coming, and had to flee to escape detection. His artwork had ended up looking like a random scratch. That was a piece of luck. A swastika carved into the other child's belly would have been very difficult to explain given the circumstances.

He'd left Tommy lying in the path, alive but badly injured. His small, broken body was soon discovered by the approaching jogger and Tommy was taken to the hospital where he was treated for a broken nose, shattered cheek bone and two black eyes. When he awoke he identified his attacker, and that was why Miss Ellis had come to visit. The old man had provided an alibi, vehemently denying the possibility that his grandson could be involved because they'd been together since shortly after school let out.

Miss Ellis was the only one who seriously suspected the boy and even she was forced to let it go when faced with the boy's innocent denials and grandfather's support. The boy was, after all, very careful about hiding his nature from authority figures. It certainly helped that Tommy was a well-known liar and his father was the town drunk, prone to using his fists on his both his wife and children. It was assumed that Tommy had accused the boy in order to protect his wino father. The matter was soon dropped and no one at school ever made the mistake of calling the boy a name ever again.

His grandfather, however, had punished him severely for his indiscretion. They'd spent the last three days and two nights in the cellar together. The boy kneeling on the cold floor, naked, as the old man alternated between lashing him with an improvised riding crop and screaming at him that he must be more careful. Must appear normal. Must stay pure and unsullied. Must fulfill his destiny and rebuild the Master Race. These were the words that echoed through the boy's head as he slipped into unconsciousness from the pain. Only to be revived a few minutes later so the process could be repeated over and over until he would do or say anything at all to make it stop.

Now, he could rest. The old man had finally tired and left him here to think about the disaster he'd almost created with his impulsive and vengeful act. His back was a bloody, stinging mess and he was weak from hunger and dehydration, but he'd learned his lesson. No one could suspect what he was. The boy must appear average and non-threatening. And he must wait. Someday he would find the perfect female specimen, worthy of his DNA. When he found her two things would happen: he would rebuild what his grandfather and his compatriots had started so long ago. And more importantly to him at least, he wouldn't be alone ever again.

*****

Karl gripped the gear shift of the Mercedes tightly with one hand and waited for Serena to exit the townhouse. He'd driven around the block when the long-haired man with the limp had paused on the porch to stare at him, but now Karl was parked further down and on the opposite side of the street, where he could casually watch for her by keeping an eye on his rear view mirror.

He was holding his cell phone up to his ear with the other hand, in case anyone noticed him sitting there, but otherwise he was unnaturally still. He was in hunting mode. He needed to find out if the pretty real estate agent actually had an appointment or if she was just playing some kind of stupid female game with him. He suspected she had lied to him, but it hardly mattered. In time she would learn that deceiving him was not an option. Once they were together, she would understand the importance of their role and become the ideal companion he'd always wanted. The one he'd been waiting for since his destiny had been revealed to him by his grandfather when he was just a boy.

He'd been mistaken before and those situations had ended badly but the women hadn't been exactly right. He'd had to dispose of them, but they were just collateral damage in the war he was fighting against the inferiors. Some casualties were to be expected.

Serena, however, was perfect. She'd darkened her hair recently, and he didn't like that at all, but her tall, willowy body, fair skin and sky blue eyes were exactly the traits his people were trying to preserve. But it was more than her physiology that drew him to her. Serena was also strong-willed and intelligent. Features he'd like to pass onto his future progeny with her. And when he looked at her, the thought of breeding didn't repulse him as it usually did.

For the most part, he found sex distasteful. Part of this was probably the result of his grandfather's brainwashing. Hans Bauer had been obsessed with the notion of racial purity, and Karl had also come to believe that ultimately the only purpose of sex was to ensure the continuance of their superior lineage. Pleasure and intimacy had never had much to do with his sexual encounters. He performed because it was his duty, but in his opinion the sex act was joyless, primitive, and degrading. And he hated the way the women he'd impregnated at the facility looked at him. First with pity, and then fear.

Through the wonders of the internet he'd found a society of men just like him. Direct descendants of the Third Reich who believed in the same ideals his grandfather had instilled in him and who also wanted to create the ultimate society of supermen. It had been surprisingly easy to gain access to the breeding facility this society funded in Eastern Europe, called "The Farm," by the men who supported it. Here women of appropriate racial purity and fertility were kept with the exclusive purpose of breeding the new Aryan race. In exchange for money and the security of their families, these women allowed themselves to be impregnated as often as possible by natural or artificial means.

Currently, Karl was the father of four sons being raised at The Farm. The oldest of his experiments was eight-years-old and showing an unnerving amount of promise under the direction of his tutors and coaches. Adam, as his mother had named the boy, was a wonder. He was freakishly athletic, intelligent, and even charming. Most of all, he possessed a great gift for languages, including Latin and some of the more common Middle-Eastern dialects. He would make a great politician one day, which is exactly what he was designed for.

Karl had only seen the boy three times when he returned to the facility to impregnate another egg donor, and he was struck each time by both the boy's coldness and his potential for greatness. Anyone who doubted their methods could not deny the result. Adam embodied the ideal his society had been trying to preserve. Someday he would prove their racial superiority over the genetically imperfect when he and his brothers achieved complete world domination. To an outsider, these ambitions seemed ridiculous, but to Karl and the men who shared his dream, it was more than a possibility. It was a foregone conclusion. They had the power, money, resources and connections to make it happen. It was just a matter of time.

It had been a year since Karl had returned to the facility. Thinking of Adam just reminded him that he needed to further their cause by contributing more of his DNA. He could easily do so by sending a sample via courier and have one of the breeders artificially inseminated, but for him masturbation was even more distasteful than sex with a partner. He did not like to touch himself down there. Not at all. Masturbation made him feel pathetic and dirty. At least when he used the women at the facility he was able to find some pleasure when he hurt them a little. Their cries and discomfort made him feel powerful and strong, almost invincible. Of course he couldn't go too far or he'd be banned from the facility, but no one complained if he was a bit rough. They needed him and his superior genes too much to risk alienating him.

With Serena he felt it could be different than it had been with the breeders. Those women were just receptacles, human incubators, not partners, like he so desperately desired. Ideally he would like to raise his own children in a natural environment rather than abandoning them to The Farm's labs and classrooms. The results of such conditions would surpass even Adam's potential. With a woman like Serena, he would have both a mother to those children, and someone to care about him for the first time in his life. He was certain he'd be able to overcome his discomfort with intimacy and learn to enjoy the physical side of a relationship with her. If he hurt her occasionally, she would forgive him. Hopefully, she would come to enjoy the pain he needed to inflict in order to achieve satisfaction.

Sitting in the car, waiting, he felt the first stirrings of an erection as he thought about hurting Serena. He hadn't been even semi-hard since he'd strangled the blonde waitress a few months before. One of his failed experiments. He only hoped Serena would not disappoint him like that silly bitch. She had foolishly attempted to reject him despite his offer to impregnate her mediocre body with his superior seed. Serena wouldn't do that. She would be grateful and happy to serve him. If he could just get her away from the influence of the cripple and that half-breed slut she was associating with, then he could convince her of the purity and wisdom of his purpose. But first he had to get her alone.
Chapter Six

"No offense, but you guys really need to get a room or something." Serena said, shaking her head as she gathered her brochures and threw them in her briefcase, preparing to leave. She glared at Jack and then Lacey, who had followed Serena back into the kitchen. "I realize you met at an Open House, so they have some kind of special and very horny meaning for you and all, but I can't do business like this. I'm a real estate agent, not a Madame. And this is not a brothel. We need to keep it PG in here when clients are around. Okay?"

Lacey flushed under her deep tan and looked reproachfully at Serena. "Were we that bad?"

"Afraid so." Serena glanced in her friend's general direction but continued gathering her things. She couldn't look at Lacey's guilty expression without feeling a bit ashamed of herself. Jack and Lacey deserved to be happy and only a real bitch would try to diminish their enjoyment of each other. On some level she knew she was overreacting but couldn't back down now. Right or wrong she was completely annoyed with them and their over-the-top infatuation with each other. Annoyed and pea-green with envy.

She felt like she'd been in a perpetual state of irritation lately. It seemed like she was at odds with everyone. Her life had become just one long argument and she was exhausted. She felt emotionally raw all the time. Like she was in a constant state of wicked PMS. Her life was spinning further and further out of her control every single day. The more she tried to put things in order the more disconnected she felt.

She'd like to place the blame for this terrible disjointed feeling at Mark's feet, but he was just part of the problem. She was just lost. And angry. And striking out at everyone. The worst part was that she couldn't seem to help herself. She needed a break, but didn't know how to stop and take one without abandoning her family when they needed her most. And this just made her resent them more.

Lacey reached out and put her hand on Serena's arm, trying to get her attention. "I'm really sorry. We're obviously still in vacation mode. We spent two weeks in paradise, most of our time in the buff. Adjusting to normal non-naked life has been a bit of a challenge. Forgive us, okay, and we'll keep our hands off each other during business hours." She grinned and looked expectantly at Jack, waiting for his agreement. He just glared.

"It's not your hands I'm worried about. It's your other more offensive body parts I'm concerned with," Serena said, moving out from under Lacey's placating hand as she zipped up her briefcase.

"Jesus. You make it sound like an orgy was going on here or something," Jack grumbled. "Besides, it was after four o'clock when Lacey arrived so the Open House was officially over. And even if it wasn't I think you're forgetting that I have as much right to be here as you do. And if I want to grope my future wife while I'm here, then I will."

Serena slammed her briefcase down on the countertop, put her hands on her hips and spoke through tightly gritted teeth. "No, actually you don't have any right to be here. You're a house builder. This house is built. Your contribution is over. Now it needs to be sold. That's my area. And I can't do that with you people treating my Show Home like a frigging frat house."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked over Serena's shoulder towards the great room entrance. "Mark, can you believe this? Serena says we're disrespecting the integrity of her Show Home or some such shit. What do you think? Did Lacey and I drive that buyer away with our PDA, or what?"

Mark approached slowly, his limp more pronounced than usual. "I don't think that weenie was actually looking to buy a house, so your little game of tonsil hockey probably didn't have much of an impact on his decision to buy or not."

Jack raised one eyebrow. "What do you mean? Why the hell was he here then, if not to check out my master craftsmanship?" He didn't acknowledge Lacey's snort at his arrogant remark.

"You need to shut up right now," Serena growled under her breath at Mark.

Mark ignored her completely and focused on explaining the situation to Jack. Serena was obviously beyond listening to reason. "Apparently that loser has been showing up at a lot of Serena's Open Houses lately. And he was just lurking around out front. He took off when he saw me, so obviously he knew he was busted. I got his license plate, but I doubt it'll be enough to warrant a restraining order."

"Oh my God. A restraining order? You have got to be kidding me. That's ridiculous." Serena scoffed and turned to Lacey for support. "Lacey, you saw that guy. Why on earth would he have to stalk a woman? He's gorgeous, intelligent, and financially stable. He's the holy grail of eligible guys. Any woman would be thrilled to have his attention, am I right?"

Lacey looked slightly uncomfortable. "I didn't actually notice him, but it does seem a little odd that he was hanging around outside. I mean, why would anyone do that?"

Serena gaped at Lacey, clearly shocked at her betrayal. Where was her loyalty exactly? If Lacey was truly sorry for molesting Jack during business hours then she should be backing her friend up right now, not siding with the testosterone twins. "Maybe he was on the phone, or his car broke down, or he was trying to summon up the cajones to ask me out. There's any number of reasons why he might be sitting in his car. And I'm pretty sure there aren't any laws against loitering in this neighborhood, are there?"

Jack moved around the island until he was standing right in front of Serena. He pointed one finger at her face and glared down at her. "Listen. I don't give a damn if this guy is out in his car, beating his meat with a rubber chicken. My concern is keeping you safe. Why didn't you mention this creepy bastard before?"

Serena glared at him fiercely and didn't back up an inch, even though Jack was towering over her, trying to intimidate her by looking as hard as granite and twice as stubborn. "He's not a creepy bastard. He's just shy. Mark is suffering from some kind of paranoid delusion. I can't believe you would side with him."

"Shy?" Jack looked at Mark in disbelief. "He's skulking around like some kind of Peeping Tom and she thinks he's shy?" He swung his attention back to Serena. "Why doesn't he just ask you the hell out? Seems pretty wimpy to me. Why would you even want to date a guy who can't get his shit together enough to make his move." Jack backed off a few inches, a little unnerved at how Mark was glaring at him. Obviously, his friend didn't like it when he crowded Serena.

Serena looked deceptively innocent. "Oh. You mean the way you asked Lacey out immediately? Hmmm....? Or did someone have to intervene on your behalf because you were too nervous to do it yourself?"

Lacey let out a surprised giggle and Jack turned his glare on her.

"I'm sorry. Sweetie." Lacey said, leaning up to kiss Jack's cheek. "But Serena does have a point. Sometimes it's hard to take that first step. No one wants to take a chance on being rejected. Even big, strong, irresistible alpha males would rather not put themselves on the line unless they're pretty sure they'll get a favorable response. So maybe she's right, and this guy is just a little insecure."

Mark moved forward and took Jack's place in front of Serena. "Or maybe he's just a dangerous freak, and we need to stop debating this and start deciding how we're going to deal with him."

Serena grabbed her briefcase and angled her body as far away from Mark as possible. "Fine. You guys discuss it until your lips fall off. I've had enough of people thinking they have any right to tell me how to run my business. I will not have anyone." She bumped his arm with her briefcase as she passed, careful not to touch him again. "Especially you, interfering with my life. So, please feel free to debate whether or not Karl is a dangerous offender or not. I, in the mean time, will be driving out to a client's property and doing my job. Because that is all I ever do anymore." Her voice trembled at the end, but she did her best to control it.

She spun on her heel and headed for the door as tears threatened to run down her cheeks. Mark called out to her and Lacey attempted to follow her, but Jack reached out and held her back by the arm.

Lacey gave Jack a questioning look, but he just nodded at Mark's retreating back as he limped after Serena as quickly as his battered knee would allow. "I knew you were up to something," Lacey said, wrapping her arms around Jack's neck and pressing a kiss to his earlobe. An erotic action that never failed to make him shiver. "You orchestrated this whole thing, didn't you?"

Jack grinned and wrapped his arms around his woman, lifting her onto the countertop, so he could step between her spread thighs. "Well, not the creepy stalker bit, but yeah, I've been dabbling in some match-making. What do you think? Should I start charging for my services?"

Lacey couldn't help chuckling. He looked so pleased with himself. Wrapping her arms around his neck she pulled him down until they were on eye level. "Well, considering Serena seems to hate the match you've chosen for her with the heat of a thousand burning suns, I can't really see her writing a check anytime soon."

"Just a matter of time. If we keep throwing them together, eventually they'll either kill each other or admit they're hot for each other. The way Serena has been behaving lately, I'm really okay with either scenario," Jack said wryly as he began unbuttoning Lacey's blouse.

Lacey attempted to swat his hands away. "Jack. Stop it. They might come back, and I'm pretty sure that door is unlocked. Anyone could walk in."

Jack waggled his thick, dark eyebrows at her. "I know. It just makes it hotter, doesn't it?" He said, flexing his hips against the juncture of her thighs. "Besides, Serena has an appointment tonight, and I'm sure Mark has some drinking and brooding to do. We're totally alone and I seriously can't wait long enough to get you home," he said, yanking her yellow scrubs blouse over her head to reveal her lacey pink bra. He buried his face in her ample cleavage and inhaled her fresh clean scent, groaning as he kneaded her breasts with both hands. "God, you smell incredible. I can't get enough of you."

Lacey closed her eyes and sighed as his talented hands and lips worked their magic on her flesh. She'd been worried about Serena for awhile now and really did want to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering her friend, but Serena was a big girl and Mark really cared about her. If Serena would just open her eyes and see what was right in front of her, she could have a really great guy who was completely besotted with her. The best thing Lacey could do for both of them was give them their privacy. She felt like she owed it to them after breaking up their little horizontal mambo session earlier.

Besides, just one touch from Jack and all she could think about was feeling him deep inside her again, and again. It was like a sickness for both of them. Nothing else mattered but touching each other and re-establishing that physical connection between them that was stronger than anything she'd ever encountered. She was insatiable for him.

Reaching down, she pulled his black T-shirt off and ran her short nails up his back. He arched and groaned, pressing his hard flesh between her thighs in that tantalizing rhythm that she loved so much. Even fully clothed he knew he could make her come by rubbing against her in just that way and he never failed to take advantage of that fact.

"Hurry, Jack." She panted, leaning back on the granite. "I can't wait either."

Jack stood up between her thighs and circled his hips, loving the way she responded to him, even when he was behaving like an impulsive mad man. They'd been together for a year, and yet he still couldn't think straight when she was in his vicinity. Everything about her made him want to sink himself deep into her flesh and stay there until he couldn't move a muscle.

He was pretty sure Mark was over-reacting with this whole stalker thing, but he would follow up with his friend later. Right now, he needed to make his future wife scream with pleasure.

*****

"Serena! God damn it. Slow the hell down." Mark called as he struggled down the stairs after her. His knee was in fiery agony. He struggled to keep from whimpering like a little girl as he jarred it again and again with each descending step. How he hated appearing so weak. Especially to her. Just over a year ago he'd been a professional athlete, impressive by most people's standards, now he was hobbling around like a little old man. He felt like he was a hundred years old. What next? Depends undergarments? Prostate problems? Viagra? Jesus. Anything but that. If his dick went soft, he hoped his head wouldn't be too far behind.

"What do you want, Mark? I've got to go. I'm late already and my client is only in town for one night." Serena said impatiently as she threw her briefcase into the trunk of her sporty white convertible. Of course, the clasp on the case was loose and cards, brochures and one-sheets flew everywhere. She swore under breath and then found herself fighting back tears yet again as she leaned forward to gather her things. She could have left the mess as it was, but burying her head in the trunk gave her a moment to recover her composure.

If Mark knew how close she was to a complete emotional breakdown he would feel pity for her, and she couldn't stand that. She wasn't some pathetic damsel in distress, no matter how much he wanted to turn her into one. She would save herself, thank you very much. If she could just stop bursting into tears every few minutes, she would get her house-selling mojo back, find the perfect non-creepy, non-annoying guy, and live happily, ever-fucking-after.

Mark finally reached the car and gratefully leaned against the large oak tree shading the sidewalk beside Serena's trunk. Pain momentarily forgotten he watched, amused and riveted, as her bottom bounced and gyrated with her movements as she rustled around in the rear compartment of her vehicle. No, Viagra wouldn't be necessary for him as long as Serena's ass was available for ogling. Good Lord, for a slim girl she really did have some mouth-watering curves. He knew he should be admonishing her about the very real threat that blonde bastard presented, but he was too busy staring in wonder as her skirt crept up to reveal a few more inches of her long, smooth calves.

Serena stood up suddenly, and glared suspiciously at Mark. He was staring at the ground as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. It wasn't like him not to offer some assistance. She wondered if he was too pissed off at her to risk being in such close proximity. Fine with her. The more distance he kept between them the less likely she'd be to act on her bone-melting attraction to him. If anger kept him away from her then she would continue to provoke him. Eventually he would give up and leave her the hell alone. And that's exactly what she wanted. Wasn't it?

"Jeez. Mark. Why are you standing around gawking at a crack in the sidewalk. It wouldn't kill you to act like a gentleman and offer to give me a hand picking this stuff up, would it?"

He narrowed his eyes and scowled back at her. "I would, but I'm a little incapacitated here," he said, gesturing down at his knee.

Serena's eyes travelled down his muscular thighs and she felt a wave of compassion roll over her when she finally noticed the way he was favoring his bad leg. He rarely complained, so the pain must be excruciating if he was willing to mention it. For a moment, she thought about offering him a ride home or perhaps some help getting to his truck, but that would be a mistake. She needed to stay tough or he would get under her skin again. Besides, she knew Mark wouldn't appreciate being pitied anymore than she would. So she snorted instead. "And whose fault is that? If you hadn't catapulted me against that wall earlier, you wouldn't be suffering now, would you?" She asked with a snide smirk.

"What can I say? I underestimated your weight." Mark said cruelly, stinging from her lack of sympathy. He regretted the words the second they left his mouth. He hadn't meant to insinuate she was heavy at all. It wasn't even true. If anything, Serena was too thin. Now he'd said the one thing guaranteed to ensure a man never saw a woman naked. Ever. Weight comments were unforgivable and yet he'd just laid a whopper on her. Man, he was screwed now.

Serena's shoulders stiffened noticeably and her lips drew into a thin line. "Nice, Mark. So sorry if I'm heavier than the women you usually throw around."

Mark groaned in frustration. "Oh, for fuck's sake, Serena. You're being ridiculous. I don't 'throw' women around. You know me better than that. And I certainly didn't catapult you. I gently lifted you." She couldn't seriously believe he would harm a woman, especially her. Could she? No one would mistake him for the sensitive type, but he wasn't a total brute either. He'd rather break his other knee than hurt someone weaker than himself. It drove him crazy that she might think otherwise. To convince her he wasn't actually some kind of knuckle-dragging Neanderthal he was going to have to keep his hands off her completely. Unless she initiated something. And it wasn't looking like that was going to happen anytime soon. No matter how much he wanted her.

"Ha!" Serena barked out a single unpleasant note of mirthless laughter. "How would I know anything about you, Mark? Not that I'd want to. You've been gone for years. And let me tell you this. Nothing you've said or done since you came back has convinced me of your sterling character. In fact, all I know for sure is that beer is a big part of your diet, and you seem pretty damned determined to sabotage Jack's business. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" She'd almost said, 'like father, like son,' but even she had her limits.

Confident that she'd hit him where it would hurt second most, she snapped the trunk lid closed and began walking around the car towards the driver side door. She gave him one last dismissive glance and then slid on her sunglasses to cover her eyes. "Good night, Mark. Feel free to stay home for the next week or so and nurse that knee, okay? I'm sure we'll manage without you."

Mark pushed away from the tree trunk with a grunt of effort and followed her around the vehicle as quickly as his stupid, messed-up leg would allow. He knew her remarks were meant to be hurtful, but he was numb to any comparisons to his father at this point. He had come to terms with his father's faults after the old man's funeral. Standing by the grave site on a cold rainy afternoon, he'd vowed to learn from his father's mistakes and avoid the pitfalls that had plagued him. Witnessing a squandered life has a tendency to give people some perspective, and Mark was no exception. Getting angry over Serena's comments wouldn't change the past or make his dad any less of an asshole.

Besides, getting into a shouting match with her on the street wasn't going to keep her safe. He needed some kind of assurance from her that she would be careful before he allowed her out of his sight. Otherwise he'd have to spend the rest of the night following her around. He'd have to stalk her himself to protect her from her actual stalker. The irony was not lost on him. He would gladly play bodyguard if it kept Serena safe but he didn't think his knee would last much longer if he didn't get some ice on it as quickly as humanly possible.

"Serena." Careful to avoid touching her, he grabbed the car door and pushed it firmly closed before she could get it open more than an inch. "I know you've got to get out of here, but what about that Karl guy? You're going to stay away from him, right?"

"Mark. Honest to God, you are fixated on this subject."

"Just promise me that you'll screen your calls. And you'll call me if he shows up at anymore of your Open Houses, okay?"

At this point Serena would promise just about anything to get away from Mark. He was standing much too close, and if she inhaled through her nostrils she could just barely detect the woodsy scent of his soap. She wanted to lean forward and bury her nose in his neck. Then she'd nibble on his full bottom lip for an hour or two before getting to the really good parts. But his good parts were not good for her. She lost her mind and her heart whenever she got close to him. No matter how difficult it was to resist him, she needed to keep reminding herself that he was toxic. Mark = Emotional Anthrax.

She sighed and yanked on the car door.

He leaned against it and crossed his big, gorgeous arms over his chest.

Throwing her hands up, she exhaled an exasperated sigh. "Okay. Whatever. I will not accept his calls. And I will send out the bat signal if he dares to show up at an Open House. Happy now?"

He grinned and stepped away from her car. Graciously, he grabbed the door handle and held it wide open for her. He watched her slide behind the wheel, trying to hide his disappointment as she held her skirt closed over her thighs to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. "Yup. That makes me delirious with joy."

"I'm thrilled to hear it. Now please go home and put some ice on that knee." She looked straight ahead, glad for the camouflage her sunglasses provided. If he could see into her eyes she knew she'd never get away from him. She had just willfully deceived him and he was too astute to miss such an obvious omission. Though she'd promised to avoid Karl's phone calls, that didn't mean that she couldn't call him. And that was exactly what she was planning to do. She'd sell a house this week even if it meant a few creepy moments in Karl's presence. It seemed like a small price to pay to stop feeling like a complete failure to herself and more importantly, to her family.
Chapter Seven

Serena looked at her watch again and frowned. Her ridiculously wealthy client, Larry Gilman, was very late. More than an hour had passed since she'd arrived in a panic at missing their 5 o'clock appointment. She'd nearly doubled the speed limit to be punctual, but her efforts to achieve warp speed had been wasted on Larry. He'd called to inform her that his golf game was running late just as she'd been rushing up the winding driveway to this estate. He'd be there just as soon as he could get away.

Judging from the background noise emitting from Larry's side of the conversation, Serena suspected the investment consultant was actually at the clubhouse celebrating with his portly, old buddies, but she politely agreed to wait another half hour if her client was sure he didn't want to postpone until tomorrow. He'd slurred something about seeing her in 'a while crocodile' and clicked off the phone on a bray of laughter.

Serena sighed and took in her surroundings. Yet another disappointment today, but at least she was waiting in style. The house Larry was interested in looked like it could be featured in an upscale design magazine. It featured an infinity pool with a swim up bar, a gourmet kitchen with a granite kitchen island as big as a California king-sized bed, and five master suites. The shelf-lined library where she was waiting was adjacent to a marble-floored front foyer the size of an airplane hangar.

The Kingston Brothers had created a masterpiece out here in the middle of nowhere. A shame that old Larry was considering this place as a consolation prize for his ex-mistress, rather than the family they'd envisioned living here. Not long ago, Serena wouldn't have considered doing business with someone of Larry's questionable character, but times were tough, and this place needed to be sold.

Part of the problem was that Larry's girlfriend didn't actually know she was an ex quite yet. She'd had the bad taste to turn thirty recently. It hadn't helped their doomed arrangement when she'd started demanding that he leave his wife of 35 years to be with her. Larry, who was quickly approaching sixty, had already replaced her with a twenty-three year-old lingerie model who was significantly less demanding. Classy guy, that Larry.

Serena looked down at her phone and thought about calling her client back and canceling. She desperately wanted to get home to her condo and take a long bath, indulge in a short crying jag, followed by an evening of watching mindless reality television in her flannel jammies while savoring a glass or two of red wine. Hardly glamorous, but she needed the downtime to get her head on straight and create a plan for dealing with Mark without letting her hormones get the best of her.

As much as she wanted to give Larry the brush off, she couldn't do it. He was going back to New York tomorrow morning, and if he was nursing a hangover there was no way he'd make the time to meet her before his plane took off at 10 o'clock. She needed to see him tonight if she wanted to make this sale. Despite her misgivings regarding Larry's method for dumping his mistress, she knew if he saw this place he'd be making an offer. If she could just hold out until he managed to drag his drunk ass out of that bar and into his limousine, she would finally end her professional dry spell.

Getting up from her perch in the window seat, she stretched her arms above her head to relieve some of the tension gathered between her shoulder blades. Looking out at the darkening autumn sky she felt a little uneasy for the first time. There wasn't another house for miles, but there were plenty of trees and privacy. A selling point for a buyer, but not exactly reassuring when she was sitting here like a hapless horror movie victim.

She felt completely ridiculous about being nervous, but the feeling wouldn't go away. Mark had obviously transferred some of his crazy paranoia to her. That's it exactly. All his talk of stalkers and predators was making her skittish. It had nothing to do with her being completely isolated out here in the country, waiting for a client that may or may not show up. She'd done this a hundred times. Granted, she didn't usually meet clients at night by herself. If absolutely necessary it was her policy to bring one of her intimidating cousins along for security, but none of them had been willing to give up their Saturday night plans. Larry had been insistent, and the truth was that she wasn't even dimly afraid of him. He was, after all, at least 6 inches shorter than her, and as skinny as a rail. The bear spray she kept in her purse would drop him like a hundred pounds of wet sand if he started feeling frisky.

No, it was something else. Was it Karl? Was she worried that Mark might be right about him? No, that was impossible. The big, blonde geneticist seemed so normal. A little awkward, but totally normal. Boring even. Who ever heard of a scientist being a depraved lunatic anyway? Actually maybe that wasn't all that rare. But crazy people didn't always seem crazy, did they? Look at Ted Bundy or all those other guys who ended up in the news for doing something unspeakable. None of them looked depraved. In fact, they seemed boring. Like Karl.

Needing to distract herself from that disturbing thought she gave her head a shake and set her phone down. Reaching for her briefcase she pulled out her contact lens case and her glasses. If she was going to wait, she was going to wait in comfort and that meant removing her lenses. They were tight and felt gritty after the tears she'd shed earlier and she couldn't wait another second to yank them out.

She hesitated, having second thoughts about donning her glasses in front of a client, but shoved that thought away too. She was a tad self-conscious about her mismatched eyes, so rarely went out in public without her specially designed lenses. Some people were a bit unnerved by the fact that one of her eyes was dark brown, while the other was sky blue. She had been made fun of mercilessly as a child for her 'witchy' eyes and even as an adult she noticed that people had a tendency to stare.

She'd really tried to embrace this unique physical feature. After all, if it was good enough for David Bowie and Kate Bosworth then it should be good enough for her. But as a real estate agent, people expected her to look as professional and conservative as possible. Bottom line was that weird eyes could still be off-putting to some unenlightened individuals and in her competitive business she didn't need to supply a reason for clients to reject her. So, she camouflaged the brown one with a blue lens, and only went mismatched around family and friends who didn't even notice the anomaly anymore.

She was just sliding on her glasses after removing her lenses when she saw headlights coming up the long driveway. She sighed in relief, relieved that Larry had finally made it and she'd be on her way home soon. She peered through the window, watching him approach, but in the dim light the shape of the vehicle didn't look right. It wasn't the low, sleek limousine she was expecting at all. So, it probably wasn't Larry, unless he'd decided to get a ride from one of his cronies. But that seemed unlikely considering he kept his driver on retainer for whenever he was in town. No, it must be someone else.

Jack maybe? Coming to continue their argument? She certainly hoped not. She couldn't handle yet another confrontation tonight. Hopefully, it was one her other cousins. Jacob maybe, feeling guilty over making her come out here alone tonight? Nope, they all drove trucks, so it definitely wasn't one of them. Her heart gave a treacherous leap in her chest. Mark? Was Mark coming out to check on her? Could he possibly care that much about her safety? No, she'd only seen him drive a truck too, so it wasn't him either.

Dear God. As the vehicle drew closer, she recognized it. The boxy shape gave it away. It was a dark blue Mercedes sedan, and a familiar broad-shouldered blonde was at the wheel. Oh, crap. It was Karl. She backed away from the window and covered her mouth in shock. Scrambling, she reached for the light switch, but turning it off wouldn't do much good considering every light in the house was already on. It was an old real estate trick, but nothing made a house look more unwelcome than dark windows, so she'd foolishly had the electricity turned on and every fixture in the place was ablaze.

Even if she could somehow turn off all the lights, her car was still sitting outside, directly in front of the grand entryway. She couldn't pretend not to be here, could she? Would he recognize her vehicle? Probably. Stalker-Karl probably had memorized the plate number. It was too late. She couldn't cower in the dark, as much as she'd like to, so she turned the library light back on, but backed away from the window and into the hall so her location wouldn't be quite so obvious.

What the hell was he doing here? Had she been dumb enough to tell him where she was going? She thought back. Yes, she'd said Old Carriage Lane when she'd been trying to get rid of him earlier. He could easily find the exact address of this listing online. She'd wanted to express how far she needed to drive that evening, but instead she'd given away her destination. What had she been thinking?

She'd been thinking he was a nice, normal guy. So much for that theory. Normal guys didn't follow women out to isolated locations unless they thought something dirty was going to happen, did they? Was that it? Did he think she'd enticed him to come out here? Had she sent out that signal? She sincerely hoped not because the last thing she wanted was some kind of romantic tryst with this weirdo.

She snatched up her phone again, and looked at the keypad. Who should she call exactly? Jack would come, but he'd lecture her for sure. Also, he was probably doing something sweaty with Lacey right now and would not be happy to be interrupted. Besides, it would take him at least forty minutes to get out here. Karl could do a lot of unpleasant things to her in forty minutes.

She could call the police but what could she tell them exactly? As a Realtor it was her job to meet with clients. Karl could just say they had an appointment and it would be his word against hers. No, the police were out. At least until Karl actually did something really threatening.

Maybe he thought this was romantic, showing up unannounced like this. She supposed it was possible. Perhaps she was just being paranoid. Damn that Mark for planting the seed of doubt in her head regarding Karl and his creepiness factor. It suddenly seemed much more likely that he was finally making his move. Instead of being surprised and delighted, she was getting ready to call the police on him. Talk about overreacting. Karl was harmless, just misguided in his wooing techniques. She really needed to stop watching scary movies.

Feeling a bit better, but still unwilling to take a chance with her personal safety, Serena grabbed her briefcase and sprinted for the front door as quickly as her pumps would allow. She needed to get to her car before Karl arrived. Not even bothering to turn off the lights or lock the front door, she darted out into the night and reached her vehicle just as Karl pulled in right behind her bumper, efficiently blocking her exit.

Shit, she thought to herself as she unlocked her car door with the key fob. Hoping to confuse him, she waved merrily before yanking her door open and sliding behind the wheel. She locked the doors immediately and looked into the rearview mirror, but the lights of Karl's Mercedes were incredibly bright, so she couldn't decipher what he was doing.

Suddenly, there was a tapping on her window, and she gasped as Karl leaned down to press his face close to the glass. He seemed monstrously huge as she looked up at him and she cringed away from the door. Her instincts screamed at her to put as much distance between them as possible.

Karl, however, seemed oblivious to her escalating panic. He gave her a friendly smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, and made a cranking gesture with his hand, indicating that she should open her window.

No fucking way, she thought to herself, but she couldn't leave without talking to him, could she? Just slam her car into gear and run over the curb, take a few bushes with her as she made her escape? That seemed just crazy. How would she explain that to Mark? He'd need to come out here and repair the damage to his landscaping, and she'd have to tell him that he was right about creepy Karl. No, too humiliating. She would handle this without acting like a hysterical chick.

She plastered on a fake smile, and called through the glass. "I'm sorry, Karl, but I really need to get going. Can we chat another time?"

The expression in his eyes turned stormy, but that grin never left his thin lips. "But I thought you could show me this place." He gestured towards the grand house beside them. "We're here already, and it looks like your client's a no show. Maybe we can salvage the evening with a sale. What do you think?"

Oh, he was good. So calm and friendly. So normal-sounding. For just a second she actually thought about getting out of the car and giving him a tour. But he'd never indicated in all their discussions that he'd be interested in a place of this scale. In fact, he'd specifically said he wanted something low maintenance, and oddly enough he'd been adamant about buying a place without a cellar or basement. This place sat on 2 acres, and had an extensive subterranean wine cellar. In short, it was incredibly unsuitable for any bachelor. No, he wanted her out of the car, but not to look at the house. He was just using a prospective sale as bait.

She gulped and gave him a speculative look through the window. "Is that why you came out here? To look at this place?"

He stood up, his smile fading; obviously frustrated that she wasn't falling for his ruse. "Partly, but mostly because I was worried. You really shouldn't be meeting people way out here by yourself. I'm surprised your cousin lets you do this. The world is full of low-lives and inferiors. I'd hate it if something unpleasant happened to you."

Inferiors? What an odd turn of phrase, Serena thought to herself. But she could ponder Karl's diction later. Right now she needed to get the hell out of here.

"Oh, he doesn't have any say in what I do. I'm incredibly stubborn. But there isn't much to worry about. I have this," she called, pulling out her can of bear spray and waggling it against the glass. "I've never had to use it, but I'm pretty sure I could do some damage if one of my clients got the wrong idea in his head." There, she'd got her point across without accusing him of anything. Perfect. He'd back off now.

But he didn't. Instead he leaned in very low. So low that his handsome, expressionless face was practically pressed against the glass. "You know those things expire, right?" He pointed at the canister of bear spay with one long, pale finger. "I mean, what if you were cornered and had to use it and it just fizzled in your hand? Or, God forbid, your assailant turned it on you. Wouldn't that be awful? You really can't be dependent on something so unreliable to protect you. A woman is incredibly vulnerable."

Serena just stared at him. This was the most disturbing conversation she'd ever had in her life. Was she reading too much into his words, letting her fevered imagination run wild, or had Karl just threatened to use the bear spray on her if given the chance? Really, it didn't matter. She no longer had any interest in dating him or selling him a house. In fact, if she managed to get away, she would seriously consider that restraining order Mark had mentioned earlier.

Regaining her composure with some effort, she was about to reply when another set of headlights lit up the long driveway. The long, sleek shape of Larry's shiny, dark charcoal limousine was unmistakable.

Serena nearly cried with relief. Instead she foolishly rolled down her window and gave Karl a triumphant smile. "Oh, I guess my client showed up after all. I hope you don't mind, but I don't think Larry and his massive bodyguard would appreciate it if I had another client waiting in the wings. Maybe another time? Or not." She really had to work not to stick her tongue out at him, but professional decorum prevailed.

Karl backed away a step, but didn't retreat entirely. His calm expression slipped for just a moment and Serena was able to see the rage boiling just under the mask he kept so firmly in place. No, Karl was not used to being thwarted and she had just antagonized him by acting smug. She had misjudged him again. He wasn't just creepy. He was downright dangerous. Mark had been right all along. Damn him.

*****

Karl fought the urge to reach out and slap Serena's upturned, smiling face. That would teach her to know her place. How dare she dismiss him? Who did this little slut thing she was exactly? Didn't she understand the great honor he wanted to bestow on her? He was giving her the opportunity to be part of the New Aryan Movement and she was rejecting him. The very idea enraged him and he fisted his hands together at his sides until his short nails dug into the meaty flesh of his palms.

The limousine skillfully rounded the last turn up the driveway and Serena's lovely face was illuminated in the glare. Karl stared at her and noticed that she was wearing glasses. He'd never noticed that before, but he should have suspected that she would have a flaw like impaired vision. She was obviously inferior, but took pains to hide it. Deceptive little bitch. He stared at her, frowning, and noticed something else. He gasped and took a step back. Her eyes were wrong. Horribly wrong. They didn't even match. Good Lord, he'd nearly bred with a mutant. How close he'd come to wasting his genetic material on this creature. No wonder she associated with half-breeds and cripples. She was something much, much worse.

He reeled away and turned to his vehicle without another word, practically running in his desire to get away from her. She called his name, sounding somewhat concerned, but he ignored her. Slamming his body into the front seat of his fine German automobile, he gunned the engine and backed out of the long driveway, narrowly missing the limousine as it pulled into the courtyard next to Serena's car.

He was at least three miles down the road before his shaking hands forced him to pull over. Disappointment and rage overcame him and he slammed both upturned palms on the steering wheel repetitively with enough force that he felt the impact stinging through his wrists and forearms. But the pain was good. It cleared his mind and made him focus on what he needed to do next.

As much as he wanted to make that freak pay for deceiving him, it wasn't in his best interest to hurt her. She was just too connected to the community to disappear as the others had. If something happened to her, that overgrown oaf from the Open House this afternoon would definitely point a finger at him. And that wouldn't do. Prison was filled with inferiors, and he couldn't tolerate their close proximity. Not for a moment. He'd kill himself first.

The best plan of action would be to avoid her. His behavior had been a bit questionable, but could be explained away if the police interviewed him. He could blame a crossed signal or maybe infer that she had been leading him on. Cops understood that women were teases by nature and were prone to exaggeration. Besides, he hadn't actually threatened her, so he was safe.

But that didn't change the fact that he'd made a huge error in judgment. Again. His grandfather would be so disappointed if he knew. Good thing he'd killed the old man or he'd have to listen to yet another lecture. No, he obviously wasn't developing the ability to distinguish his tribe as he'd hoped. So, he would have to rely on science. And the genetic profiling used at The Farm to chose his next mate.

He stopped punishing himself as an idea formed in his twisted mind. What was preventing him from bringing Adam and his mother here? Anna was submissive and gentle. She would be so grateful to leave the facility that he would never have to worry about her abandoning him. And Adam would certainly benefit from a more normal environment. He could tutor the boy himself. Just like his grandfather had done for him.

He put his car back in gear, and calmly drove back towards the city. A sick little smile licked across his face as warm thoughts of his son's accomplishments, and Anna's submission flooded his mind.
Chapter Eight

Serena wasn't driving towards her condo as she'd originally planned. She was taking a detour through Brookhaven Estates. It was late, and she was dead tired, but she still couldn't quite force herself to go home. Just the thought of being there alone made her uneasy. That weird look on Karl's face when he'd backed away from the car earlier haunted her. He'd looked positively sick. Like he'd seen something horrific when he'd gazed upon her face. She knew she looked a bit haggard and the glasses certainly didn't help with her hotness factor, but nothing short of spewing green pea soup could warrant that look of disgust he'd given her.

Caring about Karl's sudden lack of attraction to her was incredibly stupid. She knew that. She should be happy that her stalker scientist now found her repulsive. The last thing she wanted was for his twisted version of pursuit to continue a moment longer. But on some level that look he gave her still stung. Usually a psycho's opinion wouldn't have fazed her all that much but her ego had taken such a beating lately, both professionally and personally. She hadn't been on a date in a year and half, and having Mark around, constantly reminding her of her awkward teenage crush, certainly didn't help her feel more confident.

She glanced in her rear view mirror, caught her reflection for a second, but couldn't see whatever it was that had made Karl turn and run like Freddy Krueger was on his ass. Alright, she certainly wasn't a supermodel. For one thing, she didn't smile much lately. Chronically pissed was not a good look on anyone. Also, her chin was a bit too sharp in her heart-shaped face. There was no denying that her mismatched eyes were somewhat disconcerting, but she certainly wasn't Quasimodo either. She was a reasonably attractive, 28-year-old real estate agent who was good at her job, had an irritating but otherwise great family, and yet she was miserable. But that didn't explain what had caused Karl's dramatic reaction earlier.

No, there most definitely was something very wrong with him. And she had no idea what to do about it. Any one of her cousins would be happy to beat the shit out of him, but she wasn't sure if that would improve the situation. Karl was clearly unhinged, and violence might just aggravate the situation. She could call the police, but they probably wouldn't be able to rectify the situation. Giving her an odd look and showing up at a bunch of Open Houses didn't exactly warrant a life sentence or even an APB, no matter who Mark knew at the police department. She would just have to be careful and avoid being alone. This is why she was doing her own stalking tonight.

She knew Mark frequently worked late on his projects and half hoped that she'd get a glimpse of him before retiring for the evening. She didn't know why, but she was certain that she'd feel better if she saw him, if only from a distance. His solid, normal presence would provide the reassurance she needed after the evening she'd had. And his gorgeous body might just prove distraction enough to send her on her way with pleasant, lusty thoughts rather than scary ones. So, she drove around looking for some sign of him.

There. On the right. That was his truck. She was sure of it.

She pulled up behind the F150 pick up and turned off her vehicle, staring through the six foot hedges to her right for some sign of life. This was the site for the hedge maze Mark was working on. The trees were thin now but would grow together over the next year to form an impenetrable wall. Right now, however, she could see thin slivers of light filtering through and under the branches. Just in case, she pulled back onto the road and drove two blocks and pulled into the driveway of a townhouse she currently had listed. It was empty, so no one would notice her vehicle there.

Feeling reckless, she climbed out of her car and walked back to the Mark's truck. She found the entrance to the maze on the far left. Letting the light lead the way, she wandered around for a few futile minutes, taking what felt like endless wrong turns and trying not to make a lot of noise. She didn't want to announce her presence. Eventually, she figured out that if she alternated turning right then left she would make her way to the center of the maze.

What she found there surprised her. She'd been half-expecting to discover Mark in the midst of some kind of orgy. But when she stepped into the clearing in the middle of the maze there was just Mark, some very bright lights, and about a hundred late rose bushes in full bloom.

"Oh, Mark. They're beautiful." She said with a sigh as she approached him. Her relief at seeing him practically brought her to her knees. Everything would be all right now. Despite all his flaws, Mark did make her feel safe and protected. Not that she usually needed a man for that. But tonight was different. Tonight she had faced something really frightening, and it made her realize how unbearably alone and vulnerable she really was. She would allow herself to need someone, just this once. And then she would go back to being the strong, independent, and kick ass female she so desperately wanted to be. Tomorrow.

Vaguely, Serena was aware that she was contemplating using Mark. She needed something else to focus on rather than her own fear and confusion over her encounter with Karl earlier and Mark could always be counted on to provide a distraction. His body alone made coherent thought impossible and that was just what she needed.

On some level she knew it was wrong to toy with Mark. Treating him like a piece of meat wasn't exactly humane behavior considering all he'd been through in the past year . But she couldn't help herself. He was making it too easy for her. She'd been given the opportunity to distract herself and exact a little revenge on the man who had done so much damage to her self-esteem. It was too much temptation to resist. So, she would reduce him to stud service, enjoy herself thoroughly, and then walk away without any regard for his feelings whatsoever.

His behavior and his obvious arousal this afternoon proved that he was attracted to her. She supposed it was also possible that he might even feel some guilt over hurting her so badly as a teenager. If he even remembered that night. As a result, she was fairly certain he wouldn't be able to reject her, even if he suspected her interest in him was strictly limited to his ability to pleasure her.

Besides, he was a well-known womanizer. She'd read the tabloid accounts of his antics in Dallas. He was a no-strings type of guy. He probably wouldn't even notice or care that she was using him anyway. He had certainly had more than his share of casual sex. She was just giving him a dose of his own medicine. In fact, she was doing a public service to her gender by treating him like the human vibrator he was.

Now, if only she could keep her emotions in check. She'd gone through a wild period after Mark left town, but promiscuity had never held any attraction for her. She had experimented with just about everything vanilla sex had to offer, but always within long-term, committed relationships. Being with someone just for sex and revenge was new to her. But tonight she was willing to try something new, if only to feel something other than fear and loneliness.

As much as she longed for someone special in her life on a permanent basis she had no interest in pursuing a relationship with Mark. He was not husband or even boyfriend material. He was strictly fantasy fodder. Good for an hour or maybe even a quick and dirty weekend, but nothing more than that. Even if she wanted more, she could never trust him completely, so a distraction was all he could ever be. Fortunately, tonight was not about forever. It was about making her feel better right now.

He turned, startled, and smiled when he spotted her walking towards him with her usual careless grace. He was surprised, but not shocked to see her. Their discussion this afternoon hadn't been completely resolved, and it was unlike Serena to leave an argument unless she was the clear winner. He loved that about her. She was fearless and difficult and so damn hot he wanted to pick her up again, just to watch her sputter and rage at him. But that would be yet another mistake, so he just looked at her expectantly and pointed at the sea of color before him.

"I'm babying them," he said with a chuckle. "Trying to make them last as long as possible." He shrugged his broad shoulders and looked a tad embarrassed. "I know Jack and Lacey were planning on getting married in a church next month, but I thought maybe they might like to tie the knot here. Right down the street from where they met. Jacob has been working like crazy on that gazebo." He waved toward the half-formed structure to the left of them, which consisted of some stairs leading up to a large round platform. "And I've been trying to finish planting the hedges along the side there." He pointed to the far back corner where there was a gap in the wall of bushes. "I was hoping to surprise them. But I don't think these blooms are going to last much longer. It was a nice thought though." He grinned at her and gave a resigned sigh, pulling off some fading petals from the closest bush.

Serena felt tears welling up in her eyes, yet again. It was so difficult to abuse him when he showed her this sweet side of his personality. Why couldn't he just be a jerk? This would all be so much easier if he would just start bossing her around and insulting her.

She cleared her throat and looked away. "I think you should bring them here and show this to them. I'll bet they'd be calling the minister and setting up an emergency ceremony ASAP." Her voice cracked a bit, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Do you think so?" He beamed at her, suddenly looking like a very pleased little boy.

"Absolutely. This is the most thoughtful wedding present I've ever seen. Much better than the toaster oven I was going to give them."

Mark actually blushed. Was Serena actually paying him a compliment for a change? Just this afternoon she'd been positively enraged with him. His mouth went dry. Could she be softening towards him? It didn't seem possible. "C'mon. It's just some roses. And the maze and gazebo were already part of the plans. I just stepped up the timeline a bit to be part of the ceremony. If they want it, that is."

Serena stepped forward unsteadily and sniffed a particularly bright pink blossom right next to Mark's left shoulder. She brushed his arm as she leaned in and felt a tingle sweep through her lower stomach. Breathing in the heady scent of the flower and delicious man, she closed her eyes to savor both scents for a moment before turning her gaze back to him. "I'm sure they will. Who wouldn't? It's magical in here. Like some kind of fairy grotto in the middle of the suburbs. When did you do all this?" She spread her arms wide, indicating the profusion of roses, but also the neat cobblestone pathways meandering between the flower beds and the stone benches scattered at random intervals throughout the entire garden.

Mark raised a puzzled eyebrow at her. "Um. I planted the roses last year, but you aren't really here to check out my landscaping skills, are you? You've made it pretty clear that you aren't impressed with any of my ideas, so why are you suddenly such a big fan?"

Serena frowned at him and her lip trembled just once. "I'm not," she said vehemently and then gentled her tone. "Well, at least I wasn't. Not before I saw all this. Maybe I was wrong about this particular idea. We could probably rent this space out for wedding pictures too. Don't you think?" Even though it was a balmy Indian summer evening she began rubbing her arms as if she was cold.

Mark knew he should be grateful she was being so non-confrontational for a change, but he didn't trust this turnaround at all. Something was definitely up with Serena. He studied her for a moment. She seemed shaky and on edge. Not her usual hostile type of edginess either, which usually turned him on. This was something he'd never seen before. And he didn't like it one bit.

"Serena. What's wrong?" He asked, taking her by the shoulders.

She wouldn't let him catch her eyes, but she didn't pull away either. She looked him directly in the chin and completely ignored his question. "I sold a house tonight. Or at least I think I did. Larry was pretty drunk. I should probably call him tomorrow and just confirm." Her tone was a dull, without any inflection in it at all. She sounded robotic and emotionally detached. Completely unlike her usual passionate self.

Mark was confused. He knew she was positively rabid to sell a house, so why did she seem so fragile tonight? She should be on top of the world, crowing about her achievement and acting smug. Especially if she'd finally unloaded that big old monstrosity on Old Carriage Lane. The profit margin on that place alone should be enough to keep Kingston Bros., afloat for the next year. She should be celebrating, but instead she looked like she was about to fall apart.

He began to panic, which just made him mad as hell. He gave her a little shake. "Serena. Are you sick? Do I need to take you to the hospital? Or maybe to your mom's place?"

Serena let out a brittle laugh and pulled away from him a few steps. "My mom? You want to take me to my mommy?" She cried out in disbelief. "God. You still think I'm a little girl, don't you? But I'm not. In case you missed it. I'm all grown up. See?" She smoothed her hands down her body to emphasize her curves.

Despite the inappropriateness of his thoughts, Mark couldn't help but wish it was his hands trailing over her luscious body. With some effort he turned his mind back to the subject at hand, and tried not to focus on the way she'd cupped her own breasts for just a second, as if offering those mouth-watering mounds to him.

"Serena," he said his voice low and husky. "I'm completely aware that you're not a little girl anymore. Believe me, I'm hyperaware of that fact. But that doesn't tell me what's wrong. Are you drunk? High, maybe?" He moved into her personal space again and tried to look into her eyes to see if her pupils were dilated, but she just turned her head away defiantly.

"No, I am not drunk," she said in a petulant tone. "Besides, that's really more your thing than mine."

Mark felt enormous relief wash over him. There was a definite fiery note creeping back into her voice, so whatever was bothering her couldn't have done irreparable damage. Tenderly, he lifted her chin up with one finger so she was forced to look directly into his eyes. "Granted. But what's wrong? Please. Tell me. I'm going crazy here. Imagining the worst. Whatever it is. I promise. I'll do my best to fix it."

Serena wasn't sure whether to cry at the tenderness in his tone or howl in frustration at his annoyingly male impulse to try and fix everything instead of just listening. But she didn't cry or howl. Instead she lifted up on the tips of her toes, leaned forward and pressed her lips against the corner of his full, delicious mouth.

Mark froze in disbelief. If he was a better man, the man he wanted to be, he would push her away gently and demand to know what was going on with her. But he really wasn't that guy. Had never been the type of person who intrinsically knew the right thing to do and acted on it. He struggled everyday to be a good person and sometimes he failed miserably. Like today.

This weakness combined with the fact that he was completely and irrevocably in love with this woman made it impossible to turn her away. All that mattered right now was that she was touching him and it made everything inside of him come alive. All normal thought processes shut down completely and he was reduced to that basic, primal part of himself which demanded that he take this opportunity to claim what he wanted. To take her, mark her as his and deal with the ramifications of his actions much, much later.

So instead of just standing there, passively, and allowing her to use her lips to deflect his questions as a gentleman would, he acted on his overwhelming desire and hauled her warm, slim body as close to him as possible. She was soft and delicate, everything a woman should be, and yet he could feel the rigid strength in her shoulders and spine.

For a moment, she stiffened against him, but as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her deeply and sweetly for the first time in a decade, he felt her resistance melt away like sun-warmed honey. Within moments of that surrender she was holding onto his shoulders tightly and pressing her hips against him in such a sensual way that he felt his cock rise and harden against her soft stomach instantly.

Serena really hadn't meant to kiss him so soon. She had been imagining a slow and subtle seduction. Or at least that's what she told herself. The truth was that her mind had been replaying those steamy kisses they'd shared after Jack's first wedding almost constantly since Mark had returned to town. Her memory of that night and his callous rejection of her still had the power to humiliate and anger her. But the previous moments, when he'd nearly submitted to her pathetic advances, aroused her to a fever pitch as well.

Right now, with his arms wrapped so tightly around her, his tongue licking at her lips in that tantalizing way, and his erection so large, hard, and difficult to ignore between them, the humiliation suddenly seemed very distant. The possibility for pleasure, however, was immediate and impossible to deny.

Wanting to prove to him that she wasn't the novice he remembered, she kissed him feverishly, opening wide and sucking the tip of his tongue between her lips to encourage him to penetrate her mouth thoroughly and deeply. Sliding both hands up his wide shoulders, she trailed her fingertips over the nape of his neck and slid them into his long, silky hair.

Mark groaned against her lips and felt his control beginning to slip already. He kept his hair long because he was lazy, not vain. Short hair demanded some kind of upkeep, and he had absolutely no inclination to deal with product and trims and all that metro-sexual crap to keep it looking neat.

He would admit, however, that he enjoyed the sensual way the damp strands tickled the back of his neck when he got out of the shower. And he had a real weakness for a woman who ran her hands through his hair while making love. He particularly loved a good tug, close to the scalp, when his partner was getting too excited to hold back any longer. But how did Serena know that? Both her hands were buried wrist deep in his hair and she was grasping it tightly in her fists like she knew exactly how to drive him wild.

Hoping to bring her to the same level of arousal, Mark slid his palms down her slender back, slowly, until he reached the flair of her gently rounded hips. Here he paused for a moment, teasing himself and her, before grasping her rounded buttocks with both hands and lifting her slightly against him so their bodies lined up and he was able to feel her heat against his groin. "God, do you know how long I've wanted to get my hands on your ass?" He growled against her lips. "Seems like forever."

Serena pulled back long enough to look into his eyes. What she saw there was disturbing. There was humor, excitement and longing in those dark and expressive eyes, but there was something else. It looked like real emotion, which is exactly what she didn't want to see. She closed her eyes and leaned forward and gave his earlobe a little flick with her tongue. "How long?" She breathed directly into his ear, allowing hot puffs of air to caress the sensitive membranes.

Mark felt a shudder ripple through his body. He didn't usually enjoy having his ear tongue-fucked. The squelching sound alone was off-putting, but this gentle caress was driving him wild. He crushed her buttocks in his large hands and drew her pelvis even tighter against him so he could grind his aching erection against her mound.

Needing a distraction before he lost all control, he whispered against her temple. "Do you remember the summer you were fifteen?"

Serena froze. Was it possible? He'd been thinking of her in a sexual way since she was fifteen? She'd been clueless. He'd always treated her like a complete annoyance. "You dirty old man. I was just an innocent child." She said, pushing against his shoulder.

"Innocent? Right. You strutted into the back yard in a string-bikini and I wasn't supposed to notice. If Jack had any idea what I'd been thinking, I would have been dead or dickless, or possibly both," he said with a chuckle.

"What were you thinking?" Serena asked softly, tugging his lobe between her lips, she gave it a little nibble before moving her attention to that sweet, sensitive spot directly below his ear. She kissed him there softly, opening her mouth and letting her tongue lap at his delicious salty skin.

Mark's breath caught and his eyes nearly rolled up in his head as Serena made love to his neck with her mouth and he thought about her in that skimpy bathing suit. God, he was so hard he felt half-crazed, like every drop of blood in his body had migrated to his dick leaving everywhere else feeling weak and shaky. His hands were actually shaking with his need to grab her and throw her on the ground, so he could mount her like the horny beast he was.

Unable to stop himself he slid one palm between her legs from behind. He penetrated her as deeply as her skirt and panties would allow and groaned when he found her flesh was hot and slippery against his fingers. "I was thinking how much I would love it if your cousins would disappear so I could drag you into the pool-house, bend you over one of the benches in there and fuck you senseless."

Serena should have been a little shocked, but instead she felt a wave of intense arousal crash over her at his graphic words. She remembered that day very clearly. She had been next door, watching her cousins roughhouse around the pool deck from her bedroom window. They'd been throwing each other in the deep end and basically trying to kill each other. And then there'd been Mark, lying on one of the deck chairs, shirtless and sculpted like a young god in his cut off jeans and aviator sunglasses. He was home from college, enjoying the rare afternoon off, and hanging out with the Kingstons while recovering from yet another night of drinking and debauchery with Jack.

She'd studied him for at least a half hour without moving a muscle. Embarrassed, but curious, her gaze kept returning to the prominent bulge in the front of his damp shorts. Looking there made her feel strange. Hot and nervous and a bit tingly. For the first time in her life, she wondered what a man looked like down there. She suspected Mark would look unbelievably hot. Much better than those ridiculous-looking, posed men in the Playgirl magazine her friend, Dana, had smuggled into school. She had laughed herself sick at those so, so serious images. In her opinion, naked men just weren't dignified. An erect penis was laughable, not sexy.

Mark, however, would not look silly naked. From his long, silky dark hair, to his powerful, tanned thighs, no one would ever compare to him. She knew at that moment that she would do anything to make him really see her. Having filled out a lot in the past year she'd been so eager to show off her new curves to him. She'd donned that red bikini hoping to get his attention, just this once.

Strutting into the pool area, scantily-clad and shiny with an oil slick of baby lotion, she'd expected some kind of reaction from Mark, but he'd barely glanced at her. Jack, however, had barked at her and told her to go home and put some damn clothes on. It had been yet another humiliation in a long list. But now, years later, Serena knew the truth. Mark hadn't been indifferent to her at all. He'd been thinking about her. Thinking about taking her into the pool-house and ravishing her. It was a revelation.

He'd been 21 at the time. Much too old to date her, so she understood why he hadn't acted on his fantasy, but it still stung that he'd allowed Jack to treat her like a naughty five-year-old. She resolved to make him pay for that small injustice tonight as well. She would start right now.

"Hmmm... Interesting. I was thinking pretty much the same thing," she said, opening her legs slightly, so Mark could delve his fingers more deeply between her thighs. She gave an excited little gasp as his thumb brushed her aching clit through her clothing. Unable to help herself, she ground herself against his hand and bit down on her lip, trying to stifle her groan as he stroked her in exactly the right way to make her see stars.

"Really?" He asked huskily, sounding surprised and beyond delighted.

She laughed. "Of course not. I was fifteen. I was thinking more along the lines of making your eyes pop out of your head. Doggy-style in the pool-house never occurred to me."

He sighed. "Oh, something was popping alright, but it wasn't my eyes. Not cool to be sporting major wood around a yard full of guys, thanks very much for that."

"Sorry," she said with a giggle, not sounding apologetic at all.

"That's okay. I escaped a few minutes later, and dealt with the popping situation, don't worry."

"Glad you had the situation in hand."

He chuckled at her play on words, allowing her to believe that he'd left to jerk off. In actuality, he'd made a surprise visit to Cherry. She'd been delighted to see him back from college and had enthusiastically allowed him to strip her, position her on her knees in front of him, and pound into her mercilessly from behind without even a hint of any foreplay.

The image of Serena in her bikini had been fresh and vivid in his mind as he'd vigorously plowed the older woman until she'd been weak and boneless with pleasure on the slippery floor of her own pool-house. It was Serena he'd wanted. And even as he'd grunted his satisfaction as he'd came, he knew it wasn't enough to fantasize about her as he fucked someone else. He wanted her. A young, innocent girl who would be appalled at both the things he'd done and the things he desperately wanted from her.

He resolved right then to avoid her. No matter what his body seemed to crave, he wasn't right for her. She deserved someone less selfish, who hadn't been so thoroughly corrupted. He just didn't possess enough self-control to keep his hands and thoughts, not to mention his dick, away from her. He knew, without a doubt, that given enough contact with her, eventually he would give in to his body's demands and seduce her. Fifteen or not, he would have her. Then he would hate himself for robbing her of her innocence. For once in his life, he needed to step up and do the difficult thing. No matter how cruel it seemed, Serena was off limits.
Chapter Nine

But that was a long time ago, and Serena wasn't forbidden fruit anymore.

Returning to the present, Mark reached down and began peeling Serena's stretchy skirt up her thighs. Needing to prove to himself that she was here and she actually wanted him, all he could think about was getting inside her panties and feeling her moist heat against his fingers, his tongue, and especially his rock-hard cock.

He caressed her thighs as he drew the skirt upward to her waist and was delighted to find that her striped tights were actually thigh-high stockings. He growled his pleasure against her neck and slid one hand inside the back of her lacy panties. He squeezed her soft ass cheeks before trailing his fingers forward to cup her pussy from behind. She was drenched and so hot he couldn't resist plunging one finger into her creamy heat for just a moment before reaching forward and teasing her nub again with that same slippery digit.

Serena gasped and let go of his hair so she could reach for his grey T-shirt. She was torn. She wanted his shirt off, but didn't want him to dislodge his hand from between her legs long enough to remove the article of clothing. She compromised by pushing his shirt up to his armpits so she could at least have some access to his incredible chest. Leaning forward, she tongued one of his small brown nipples as she held his shirt out of the way with one hand and gradually slid the other down his tight abdomen between their bodies until she reached the waistband of his jeans.

"Serena," he said softly, as she cupped his erection through his zipper. "Oh God. Are you sure about this?" He asked even as he flexed against her warm palm.

Serena thought about just walking away right then. That would be excellent revenge. Just leave him hanging the way he had done to her so long ago. But she couldn't do it. She had never been so aroused in her entire life. She genuinely wanted him. So badly that she was actually aching to feel his hard flesh thrusting between her thighs. She felt like she would die if she didn't have all of him inside her body immediately.

"I'm sure," she said, pulling back long enough to push him towards a nearby stone bench. He sat down rather ungracefully and watched her through heavily-lidded eyes as she followed him to the bench and began unbuttoning her silk blouse in a slow striptease while standing between his spread thighs.

"How do I turn this thing off?" she asked, looking up at the stadium lights he'd rigged to keep the center of the maze as bright as daylight.

He leaned forward, spreading the bottom of her blouse wide over her stomach. He touched his lips to her navel, giving it a soft, sucking, open-mouthed kiss. "But I want to see you. All of you. I've had the image of you in that bikini burned into my brain. I need to refresh my memory."

She undid the last button and shrugged out of her blouse, exposing her lacy white bra and the full mounds of her breasts to his gaze. Looking down at his upturned face, she smiled as he stared hungrily at her pink nipples just visible through the lace. "How do you know you won't be disappointed? I'm not fifteen anymore."

"Believe me." He said with a wicked grin as he reached up with both hands to cup her breasts. "I'm eternally grateful for that fact. Now I can do this without worrying about going to jail." He deftly undid the front closure of her bra and released her breasts into his waiting palms. Pressing her creamy mounds together he buried his face in her cleavage for a moment, breathing in her scent before reaching out with his tongue to lick one turgid nipple and then the other, alternating between the two until both nubs were cherry red and straining towards his mouth. He admired his work for a moment and then grasped one mound in his palm, and sucked the crest deeply into his mouth while plucking at the nipple of the other breast with his fingertips.

"God. That's good." Serena whispered, burying her hands in his hair again to keep his talented lips pressed tightly to her breasts. "But seriously. It's brighter than the sun in here. Where is the off switch for that damn light?"

He leaned back, releasing her breast from his mouth with a 'pop' and gave her an exaggerated sigh. "If you insist. Just pull the plug there." He pointed to the ground with the hand that had been cupping her breast just a second before. "It's hooked up to a generator. But hurry back or I'll have to start all over again."

"Poor you. Kissing my breasts is such hard work." Serena giggled, yanking her skirt all the way down her legs she threw it at him and turned her back, exposing her round bottom as she strutted to the lamppost. His soft 'wow' of appreciation was all the encouragement she needed. Adding as much wiggle to her walk as possible without hurting herself, she put on a good show for him, slowly removing her bra from her smooth shoulders and spinning it around one finger before flinging it in his general direction. He caught it with one hand and gave a long, low, wolf whistle.

Enjoying their game, she unpinned her hair and flung it around her head until it tumbled around her shoulders and down her back in a wild mass. She was tempted to whip off her glasses like a slutty porno librarian, but didn't think it would be very sexy if she walked into a rose bush. So, she left her specs on and circled the post, using it as a substitute stripper pole. After one slinky revolution she struck what she thought was a sultry pose, looking back at him over one bare shoulder and blowing a kiss, before gracefully bending over at the waist to unplug the light.

It was suddenly very dark in the rose garden. Serena's eyes adjusted quickly, but the starlight filtering in from overhead wasn't enough to make out Mark's shape on the bench. But she did hear something. It was the rustling of clothing as Mark removed his shirt entirely, and then the distinct sound of a zipper going down. Mark was finally getting naked in front of her and she'd just turned out the lights. Damn it.

"Serena?" Mark called, his voice low and guttural. "Are you okay?"

Serena paused, his question echoing his earlier concern. But she wasn't going to think about that. She was going to concentrate on fulfilling her fantasies about Mark, once and for all. Finally being with him was so much better than she'd imagined. Considering his broody nature, she'd always assumed that he would be an intense and dominating lover. She was delighted to find that he was also playful and sweet.

"I'm just considering whether or not I should strip bare or leave on my shoes and stockings," she said, creeping towards the sound of his voice as silently as possible.

"Leave 'em on and get over here. We're not going to play some kind of sexy version of Blind Man's Bluff now, are we? 'Cause I really can't wait much longer to get inside you."

Serena smiled to herself at his frank words. How did he know she'd been contemplating a game of erotic hide and seek? It sounded like he thought the foreplay was over. She had other ideas. When she was close enough to hear his harsh breathing, she sunk to the grass directly in front of him, and placed her hands on his knees, spreading his legs wide so she could cuddle in close to the juncture of his thighs.

The complete darkness made everything seem so much more intense. She paused, taking in the intoxicating scent of the roses and the ticklish feeling of cool grass on her legs. She wanted to recall these details later, but most of all she wanted to remember the silky heat of his skin, the sound of his ragged breathing, and the gentle strength in his hands as he brushed them over her collar bone and through her hair.

"Serena," he gasped her name as the naked flesh of her chest pressed against his lower stomach. The hard column of his erect penis rose between them and she altered her position slightly so she could bracket his large swollen shaft between the soft cushions of her breasts. She squeezed them together as she rose up and down on her knees, sliding his straining erection into the valley, teasing him mercilessly.

"Do you like that?" She whispered, firmly in control for the moment, and loving it. She pushed his underwear and jeans down a little further, and trailed her fingertips over the sensitive skin of one exposed hip bone.

"God. Yes." He didn't sound in control at all. In fact, he sounded like he was choking.

"How about this?" Serena leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to the head of his jutting erection.

"Please. Serena. You don't have to do that. Just climb on up here and put me out of my misery. Okay?" He said, reaching down to gather her up in his arms.

Instead of answering, Serena took hold of his penis in one hand and slowly slid her lips down his long length until the bulbous head was pressed to the very back of her mouth. She made a humming sound deep in her throat and felt his hands tighten convulsively on her shoulders. Then she slid her lips back until he was almost fully exposed to the night air before repeating the action again.

Mark swore gutturally, and gathered her hair in one hand to keep it out of the way. If there had been some light he would have loved watching her sink that delectable mouth down on his dick. He couldn't imagine a more erotic sight. The feeling alone was almost more than he could take. The silky slide of her tongue, teasing the underside of his shaft combined with the perfect amount of soft suction was driving him completely crazy. As much as he wanted to take the lead he couldn't resist the unexpected rush of having her on her knees, selflessly pleasuring him. He never thought he'd experience this. It felt like yet another wet dream. But it was actually happening.

Unable to stop himself, Mark began thrusting his hips in rhythm with the accelerating movements of Serena's mouth. Gritting his teeth, he placed a gentle hand on the back of her neck and fought the urge to beg her to move faster, take him deeper, so he could find his release at last.

Instead he grabbed her by the shoulders before he could lose control completely. "Serena. Please. Stop."

She was completely confused. She'd never even heard of a guy refusing a blow-job before. She was hardly an expert at this, but she'd watched a few dirty videos and, Clay, one of her gay friends, had given her some pointers after an evening of lemon drop martinis. They'd even used a frozen banana as a visual aide. Was she still doing it wrong? Was this a repeat of that night so long ago? Was he rejecting her again?

She pulled back, feeling embarrassed and unsure of herself. Mark was standing up and moving away from her. She suddenly felt cold and completely humiliated. It was a familiar feeling. She was about to begin scrambling for her clothes in the dark when suddenly he was there, behind her, pressing her forward until her breasts rested on the flat surface of the cool stone bench and her ass was tilted up to the sky.

Mark loomed over her, pressed his mouth to her shoulder. He gave the flesh there a little bite and then a soothing lick. "Now, this isn't the pool-house, but it's a pretty damn good substitute, don't you think?" He asked, sliding one hand up the back of her thighs he touched her through her sopping panties and she nearly sobbed in relief.

It wasn't over. He just wanted to enact the fantasy that had haunted him all these years. She could do that. In fact, right this second she couldn't think of anything she wanted more. Arching her back, she pressed her bottom suggestively against the front of his body, wiggling against his erection. She'd meant to tease him. A little payback for earlier, but she actually ended up driving herself a bit crazy in the process. He was so big and hard against her soft bottom. She couldn't wait to feel every impressive inch of his flesh buried to the hilt between her slippery folds.

Mark growled against her neck and slid one hand into the front of her panties. He feathered his fingers downward, threading them through the soft hair at the juncture of her thighs until his large hand cupped her entire pussy. Then he gave her a gentle squeeze as he began flexing his hardness against her soft bottom. The friction was unbelievable, but not quite perfect.

She adjusted her position so she could reach down and grasp the hand that was burrowed in her panties. She guided it in the rhythm she needed, moving Mark's fingers and palm in the quick, shallow glide that would drive her towards orgasm like a freight train gone off the tracks. When he had it just right she let go of his hand and began sliding her panties down her hips until she was naked and ready for him to take her completely.

Nearly panting, she leaned forward again and braced herself on her arms, waiting for his deep and satisfying penetration, but it didn't happen. Mark removed his fingers from her warm pussy and grasped her hips with both hands. He lifted her a bit so he was now sliding his cock along the entrance of her body, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry to bury his hard flesh deeply inside her.

"Do you want it?" He asked against the back of her neck, moving his hips in a circular motion that brushed the silky head of his cock against her clit, threatening her sanity with too much pleasure.

"Nope." She said, reaching back to pinch his bottom.

He chuckled. "Say it and I'll give you exactly what you want."

"It." She whispered and spread her thighs another inch, practically begging him with her body to give her what she needed, even if she couldn't tell him with words. She heard the unmistakable sound of a condom wrapper being opened and then he was there, poised at her entrance, teasing her with just the blunt head of his hard cock. She nearly screamed with frustration, waiting for him to pull back yet again. But he didn't. Instead he surged forward.

"Good enough." He threw his head back and thrust into her with one smooth economical movement of his lean hips. She tightened her inner muscles around him and the pressure of her tight, slippery flesh around his shaft was almost too much to handle. Gritting his teeth against the unbelievable pleasure, he tipped his body forward until he was deep, deep inside her. There he paused and ground his hips into her until he was able to push forward another sweet inch. When he heard her soft, mewling cry of surprised delight he began to slowly withdraw. Only to surge back inside in a powerful movement that made Serena's whole body propel forward and she had to brace herself to avoid scraping her breasts against the rough texture of the stone bench.

Mark went still for a moment, leaned forward and smoothed both his hands up her rib cage, wondering at the satiny feel of her skin. "Is this too much? Am I hurting you?" He asked softly, his breath fluttering against her shoulder blades. He reached beneath her and tweaked her icy cold nipples when she didn't respond immediately and then began to dislodge himself from her silky flesh.

"No. Don't stop." Serena cried, pushing back against him, she began rocking back and forth, forcing his hard cock in and out of her body in a fast, hard cadence that made Mark want to roar and thrash against her.

Needing to take some control, Mark leaned back and grasped her hips again, and began meeting her thrusts, smoothly taking her rhythm and making it his own.

"Oh my God," she sighed, dropping her head forward. "Please. That's so good. Just like that."

Then they were moving together, slowly at first and then gradually picking up tempo until their combined cries echoed in the night as they quickly found their release. They collapsed against the stone bench, spent, and laughing together as their bodies cooled and their thoughts turned to what would happen next.

*****

Mark was running his hands over Serena's smooth back, thinking about how much he would like to explore her body in a more comfortable setting when he heard some loud rustling coming from the direction of the maze.

"Shit." Mark said under his breath and felt Serena stiffen in his lap. She had curled up there very naturally after they'd made love, and he wanted nothing more than to keep her there, possibly forever.

"What was that?" Serena hissed.

Mark grinned to himself, amused at her sudden terror. What was she expecting out here in the middle of suburbia? Sasquatch maybe? A gang of rabid raccoons?

A familiar curse rang out from the bushes.

"Was that who I think it was?" She whispered hoarsely, sounding relieved for a moment. Then panic started to set in again. "Oh my God. This can not be happening." Annoyance entered her voice, making her suddenly sound a tad bitchy and uptight. It was a shame really; she'd sounded so husky and satisfied just moments before.

"What? It's just Jacob. We were planning on working on the gazebo tonight. But I'm sure he'd understand if I told him we made other plans." He said, trying to keep her from squirming away.

"Just Jacob? My cousin, Jacob? Are you kidding me? He can't see me here. He's not even close to being capable of keeping a secret. Why didn't you tell me he was coming here?"

"Because he's been gone awhile, and I thought he'd found some sweet young thing to distract him while he was out getting supplies. You know him. Can't resist a pretty face. I thought I was on my own for the night. Until you showed up." He smoothed his hand over her back again in a calming gesture that quickly turned sensual as he reached her full bottom. He caressed that firm, irresistible flesh for a moment, thinking about how her ass had felt in his hands as he'd pounded into her from behind. God, he wanted her again.

Then her words sunk in. "Secret? Why do we have to be a secret? You're not fifteen anymore. Why would you care if your family finds out we're involved? Do you think they'd disapprove or something?" His mind shifted back to his past. If the Kingstons found out he'd basically been a whore to their clients they probably wouldn't let him near Serena ever again.

"Involved?" She scrambled away from him and began gathering what clothing she could find in the dark. "Are you kidding me? We're not involved. We just got carried away tonight. This is a one time thing. Believe me. Now, can you get that light thingy working again? I need to get out of here. And I'll never find my way out of this stupid maze in the dark."

Mark heaved to his feet slowly, zipping up his jeans and favoring his bad knee horribly. Doggy-style was definitely not his favorite sexual position anymore. He hadn't even been aware of the pain at the time, but now he was in agony. The pleasure of finally being inside her sweet body had been so overwhelming that the discomfort had seemed a small price to pay to experience it. He would suffer this and a thousand times worse just to feel her again.

As he straightened and attempted to put some of his weight on the bad leg, sharp shards of pain screamed through him and he fought manfully not to cry out in front of her. No matter how bad the ache in his body was it paled in comparison to the torture of Serena's dismissive words. It had been so good between them he found it difficult to comprehend that this strange encounter hadn't been the start of something real. To her, it had been just sex. And a mistake. She had no intention of giving him a chance to prove to her that he was worth more than a few hours entertainment. He'd just been used. Yet again.

Mark found the cord for the stadium lights, plugged it back in and suddenly the clearing in the center of the maze was bright again. He blinked as his eyes adjusted to the glare. Looking around him, he took in the flattened grass in front of the stone bench and the used condom wrapper beside it. He nudged the piece of foil under a rosebush with the tip of his toe. Everything else was exactly as it should be. Except for one thing. Serena was gone. Without a word. And she had taken his shirt with her.
Chapter Ten

Serena was nearly to the sidewalk when she paused to hastily pull on her skirt. She was in a mad hurry to escape Mark, and possible detection by Jacob, but running out into street in her damp panties probably wouldn't be a good idea. With her current luck, she'd run into an old lady and give her a damn heart attack.

Sorting through the pile of clothing she was able to grab before fleeing the maze, she found Mark's grey T-shirt and swore. Where was her bra? She looked up at Mark's truck and thought about leaving the shirt there for him, but instead she brought it up to her nose. Yes, it still smelled like him. She breathed his scent into her lungs and closed her eyes. Why did he have to smell so damn good? It wasn't cologne. Just soap, clean sweat, and just the hint of roses. Weird that he smelled like something so feminine, but she knew she would never be able to be around that particular type of flower again without thinking about tonight and becoming just a bit aroused. The way she had felt when he'd finally invaded her body and made her feel so incredibly alive for a change was undeniably ingrained on her memory.

It was over now. She had done what she'd set out to accomplish. She'd used and abused him. She'd satisfied her sexual curiosity and now she could finally get on with her life. And hopefully find someone kind, manageable and non-psychotic to spend the rest of her life with.

She would treat Mark just like another employee from this point on. Like Bill Thompson the plumber, or Sergio, their electrician. Mark was just the landscaper. She would be pleasant and professional, but that was it. No arguments or insults. Just indifference. That was just the way it had to be. Her eyes blurred a bit as she thought this, but she ignored the tears as she pulled on Mark's shirt and trotted towards her car down the street.

*****

"Damn it. Why were the lights out, man? I nearly dropped the beer." Jacob Kingston complained, looking confused, as he emerged into the clearing. He was carrying a case of Budweiser and two large pizza boxes.

Mark watched Jake approach, inwardly cursing him. He really didn't want to answer Jake's question. He wouldn't be thrilled to know that Mark had just violated his cousin on the ground like an animal just minutes earlier. Besides, Serena would castrate him if Jake found out she'd been there with him.

"Why the hell did you come through the maze in the dark when you could have gone through the back?" Mark called, trying to distract Jacob, he pointed to the gap in the bushes where he suspected Serena had made her escape.

"Oh Yeah." Jake grinned sheepishly. "Forgot. Besides, you know I love a challenge." He set the pizza down on the same stone bench Serena had been sprawled against as Mark had taken her from behind.

"Let's eat over here." Mark said, grabbing the pizza containers he walked over to the gazebo and placed the boxes on the top step. He'd disposed of the condom, but he thought he could detect the faint scent of Serena's perfume over there. Or maybe that was coming from him? He gave a tentative sniff and he could smell her again, that intoxicating and elusive fragrance that had tickled his nose as he'd leaned over her. Some of her perfume must have rubbed off on him. God, it brought it all back in an instant. Her smell and the sounds she'd made. The feel of her. He was getting hard again just thinking about it.

Turning back to grab a beer from Jake, he noticed that his friend was looking at him strangely. "What?" He barked.

"Nothing." Jake dropped the case of beer in the cooler beside the gazebo and held up his hands in fake supplication. "Just wondering exactly what I interrupted here. You are, after all, shirtless. And your pants aren't done up all the way." He rubbed his chin as if figuring out a very complicated mystery. "So, I figure maybe I walked into a little self-love session. Weird time and place for it. But what do I know? Maybe roses get you horny or something. That would explain why you became a landscaper, I guess. Besides, who am I to judge?"

"Jesus, Jake. I was not beating my meat out here. I was just working and got a little hot. So I took off my shirt. It's not a big deal." He grabbed his denim jacket from a nearby saw horse, and shrugged it on, at least partially covering his upper body.

"And your jeans?"

"I took a piss earlier and got distracted." Mark reached down and buttoned his jeans. "There. Now. Better? What the hell is this? The Inquisition?"

"And I suppose your bra was binding, so you took that off as well?"

Mark gritted his teeth. "What the fuck are you talking about?"

Jake grinned mischievously and pointed behind Mark.

Mark turned and saw Serena's white bra hanging off one of the rose bushes. He yanked it down and stuffed it in his pocket.

Jake laughed so hard at Mark's embarrassed expression that he had to sit down on the gazebo steps. "Oh man. Look at you, being all chivalrous. But seriously. Who was it? Liz? From down the street?" He cocked a thumb towards the cottages nearby. "Oh. I know. It was Cherry, wasn't it? You stud! She's so hot. I mean. She's a cougar for sure, but damned if I wouldn't mind having her claws in my back." He held out his hand with his knuckles up, waiting for a confirming fist-bump from Mark, but it didn't happen.

Mark felt his stomach drop at Jake's words. "Cherry? Cherry who?"

Jake gave him a knowing smile. "Cherry who? C'mon. How many chicks named Cherry do you know exactly?"

"Oh. You mean Cherry Hamilton? That lady who lived on Hudson? The one with the pool and the magnolias, right?"

"Christ. You are the worst liar. Yes, that Cherry. Except she's Cherry Pizor now. Divorced again. Fifth time, I think. And please don't try and act like you don't know exactly who I mean."

Mark gave him a blank stare.

"Mark, seriously. It's cool that you want to protect her and all, but everyone knows about you two. You don't have to hide it."

Mark went totally ice cold. They knew? Knew what? How could they know?

Gathering his composure, Mark asked softly, "What do you mean?"

Jake popped the top on a beer and took a deep swig. "You know. That you and Cherry had a thing before you went off to college."

Relief flooded through Mark. They only knew part of the story. Thank God. "I wouldn't exactly call it a thing. But no, she wasn't here tonight. I haven't seen or talked to her in at least ten years."

"Well, too bad. Cause she's just as hot as ever. And you'll get a chance to see her soon, so be prepared. Maybe she'll want to resume your non-relationship. Lucky bastard." He shook his head regretfully and opened the pizza box to examine the contents.

Mark frowned and placed his hands on his hips, watching Jake decide on the most attractive piece of pizza before making his selection. "Why would I be seeing her? Did she say something to you?" What if she did want to resume their former arrangement? She had always been kind to him, but she was older now. Maybe she was bitter and holding a grudge. She hadn't been exactly happy when he'd ended their relationship after that afternoon in the pool-house. Could she be capable of blackmail?

"Not a word to me, unfortunately," Jake said, morosely, taking a huge bite of pizza. "But Lacey's mother hired her as the Wedding Planner for the big event. Lord knows, she does have a LOT of experience with weddings. Her own, anyway. So you'll definitely see her then. You're still Best Man, right? Jack hasn't canned your ugly crippled ass yet, right?"

"Still Best Man, as far as I know."

Jake nodded. "So, who was it then? If not the cougarlicious Cherry, then whose bra was that? Though, really, I should have known it couldn't belong to her. Her boobs would never be contained by that scrap of lace you've got in your pocket." He held his own hands several inches in front of his chest, demonstrating the size of Cherry's large fake breasts.

"It was someone else." Mark said absently, reaching into his pocket to touch the bra he'd tucked there for safe-keeping. Personally, he thought Serena's breasts were perfect. Cherry's massive mammaries didn't even come close.

"I get it." Jake nodded knowingly. "You don't know who she was. Just some random nymphomaniac wandering around in the maze? And you offered to show her the way out, for a price." He wiggled his sandy eyebrows suggestively.

"What? No, nothing like that. You watch too much porn, you know that?"

"C'mon. I gave up my porn collection years ago. But who was here then? Someone important? Future girlfriend maybe?"

"Future wife, I'm hoping. Why are you so interested?"

"Oh." Jake took a huge bite of pizza, chewed it thoughtfully and then downed half his beer. He belched impressively and then looked up at Mark. "Well, we thought you and Serena would end up together, so I'm kind of surprised that you're serious about someone else."

"Who's 'we' exactly?"

"Well, Lacey and I were talking and we realized what's going on with you two."

Mark raised a sarcastic eyebrow and leaned against the stair railing. "And what's going on exactly."

"Glad you asked. Remember when Jack and Lacey were working together, and she had that crazy idea that they couldn't screw around AND build her house?"

"Yeah. Hard to forget. Jack was not in a good mood. He fired me twice during that fun time."

"Are you kidding? Jack was like a bear with his dick caught in a steel trap. He fired me three times. And I'm a partner."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with Serena and me?"

"Well, you guys are just like Jack and Lacey, except you've got years of sexual frustration built up rather than a few measly months. If you two idiots would just do it, then zip-zap, there wouldn't be anymore tension."

Mark stared at him in shock for a moment. Then started laughing. "You're completely nuts, you know that? Doing it will not solve the problem. Believe me. Serena has been trying to get me fired since the second I came back to town. When she isn't insulting me, she's avoiding me. That's more than a little tension. That's actual burning hatred." He took a gulp of his lukewarm beer and grimaced at the flavor. But at least it was a distraction from Jake's bizarro theory.

"Laugh all you want, man. But it makes sense. Serena is not your average girl."

"You got that right."

"What I mean is that she was brought up around a lot of guys. Some girls wouldn't have been influenced, but she totally was. She wanted to be just like Jack. She followed him around, and even tried to talk like him. It was weird seeing this little girl, so cute and blonde, swear like a truck driver when she was like eight-years-old. You remember?"

Mark nodded. He did remember that. She had been adorable and funny as hell. He and Jack had been fourteen and just learning to curse properly and she had joined in, not quite understanding that her new vocabulary would not be appreciated by her mother.

"So, she has sensitive, touchy-feely emotions like a woman but thinks it's weak to act on them. So she denies them. And gets more and more frustrated. Which makes her bitchy as hell."

"Wow. When did you turn into Oprah?"

Jake flipped him the bird. "If you think about it, you'll realize I know exactly what I'm talking about."

"So, even if I believed your crack-pot hypothesis, how exactly would a guy get her to open up and admit she had some real feelings for him?"

Jake stopped eating and looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you care? I thought you were really into this wood-nympho who left her bra behind as a souvenir."

Mark gaped. When did Jake become so perceptive? "Hey, I care about Serena. You know that. I don't want her to end up alone and miserable. So, in theory, what would a guy have to do to get past all her issues?"

"No idea. I may have figured out the why, but it's up to the poor bastard who falls in love with her to figure out the rest."

"Great. That's very helpful."

"Don't mention it. But I will tell you this. The guy who Serena falls for won't try to dominate her or crush her independence. If he does, she'll blow him out of the water. If he wants her, he's going to have to let her be the boss."

Oh crap, Mark thought to himself. Was Jake right? He was closer to Serena than anyone. He would know what Serena needed? But some kind of weakling, new age, sensitive guy? One of those freaks with manicures who liked watching Lifetime movies, and talking about their feelings? That didn't seem right. If so, then he was out of luck.

This afternoon it had taken a monumental effort to allow her out of his sight. Then tonight, when she'd slipped away in the dark, he'd nearly chased her down in the street. If it hadn't been for his stupid bum knee, he would have dominated the hell out of her both times. It went against his nature not to try and control her. Not because he didn't believe she was capable of taking care of herself. She was. He just felt it was his job to protect her and make life easier for her. Because he loved her and that's what men in love did, even if it did drive their women crazy.

Mark sighed and picked up the last slice of pizza in the box. Had Jake actually hoovered nearly the whole pie in ten minutes? "C'mon, let's get back to work on the gazebo. I want to show it to Jack and Lacey tomorrow and we've wasted enough time tonight."

Jake smiled to himself. Mark was all business now but the wheels were obviously turning in his head. That's all the encouragement Jake needed. That fifty bucks was going to be his. His oldest brother, Jack, had bet him earlier that day that he couldn't get Mark and Serena together by the wedding. Judging by Mark's obvious interest in his harebrained theory, which he'd made up on the spot, and the fact that Serena's car had been parked up the street when he'd arrived, these two love-struck fools were already together, they just didn't know it yet.

All he had to do now was get them to acknowledge their relationship publicly and Jack would have to cough up the money, and admit that he was the better match-maker. As an added bonus, he would really enjoy watching Mark trying to deny his alpha nature in order to win Serena. He couldn't wait to see how that would unfold.
Chapter Eleven

Three Weeks Later

Jack's second wedding was a truly fabulous party. Cherry, the Wedding Planner, had taken Mark's simple garden and gazebo and created a lush and colorful oasis in the middle of the maze. Multi-colored flower petals were spread everywhere, and the white tent constructed beside the gazebo was filled to capacity with tables of food, fine china and sparkling crystal.

The late fall weather cooperated and the gazebo steps provided the perfect setting for Jack and Lacey to exchanges their vows. Lacey, of course, cried throughout most of the ceremony. She'd never expected to get married, let alone to this incredible man. And yet there she was, promising herself to him. It was wonderful, kind of scary, and exactly what she'd always wanted. Her life had suddenly become so much more than she'd ever dreamed. All because of one Open House.

Given her emotional state, no one was really surprised when the happy couple announced that they were pregnant during the speeches. Jack would deny it later, but his eyes were suspiciously glassy when he told his brothers that they were going to be uncles in about six months. This, of course, resulted in much back-slapping and toasts to the next generation of Kingston Brothers.

A local band was playing classic rock as the wedding guests danced, flirted, ate and drank way too much. Everyone was having a great time. Well, everyone except Serena and Mark. Especially Mark. He looked like a storm cloud was brewing over his head whenever Serena came within shouting distance of him. And Serena, well, Serena seemed quiet. And thoughtful. In other words, quite unlike herself.

She did, however, look undeniably beautiful. While in Hawaii, she'd dyed her hair back to its natural sandy blonde, and it was piled up on top of her head in a sophisticated arrangement that left her tanned neck and shoulders completely bare. The modest Grecian style of her silk gown wasn't form fitting, yet the drape of it against her slim curves was subtly sensual.

She was sitting at one of the far tables, nursing a glass of wine, and watching two of her cousins flirt with any and all available females at the reception. Liz Chamberlain, Lacey's friend and fellow nurse, was dancing closely with Jeremy, the second oldest Kingston brother. The statuesque redhead also looked fabulous in her scarlet bridesmaid's dress, and was boldly running her hands over Jeremy's broad shoulders. Serena fully expected that Jeremy would be spending the night at Liz's cottage down the street tonight. The next day he would be with someone new. He was that charming, and the women he hooked up with didn't even seem to mind because he was just so direct and honest with them.

Jacob, who was giddy after making his own announcement, was dancing up a storm with three eligible young ladies. He had just told the family that he was quitting Kingston Bros. His dream of becoming a police officer was finally coming true, and he was leaving in two weeks to start classes at the police academy. Serena suspected that he had purposely chosen such a public venue for his revelation to avoid a confrontation with Jack. Jacob was an incredibly efficient and talented carpenter, and his older brother would have a difficult time replacing him. Plus, Jack had a soft spot for his little brother and hated the thought of losing him. Especially to such a dangerous vocation.

James, the last Kingston brother, was nowhere to be seen. Serena wondered if he'd already found someone to hook up with. He wasn't as wild as Jacob and Jeremy, but his quiet, gentle nature still drew female attention like kitties to cat nip. He didn't even have to try very hard. Women pursued him and yet he remained oddly sweet and genuine. Not even a bit arrogant, though he certainly had a right to feel smug about his conquests.

The three brothers, with Mark as Best Man, had looked incredibly gorgeous in their dark tuxes, standing up for Jack along the gazebo steps. The bridesmaids, including Serena and Liz, had felt practically dowdy in comparison to their dazzling male counterparts.

Mark, in Serena's opinion, had never looked more handsome. He'd actually had his hair trimmed for the occasion, and though he refused to tie it back, it was at least brushed back from his beautiful, stormy face. It was difficult not to remember the last time she'd seen him in a tuxedo. That had been at Jack's first wedding, not exactly a pleasant memory. But she was determined that this night would end much differently.

She'd been watching Mark all afternoon. She couldn't help it. Her eyes seemed to be drawn to him. Despite all their history and how things had ended so abruptly between them recently, he was still the man she couldn't stop thinking about. She'd tried to deny it at first, but the truth was that she'd missed him terribly over the past three weeks. Unfortunately, right now he looked like he hated her. With good reason, of course, but it was still hurtful. She had, after all, used and abandoned him in this exact spot three weeks ago. Then she'd run away. All the way to her mother's timeshare in Maui. Yup, not her finest hour.

She knew it was a weak and immature reaction to what had transpired between them, but she'd desperately needed to get away. To sort out her thoughts and get her head on straight. And to figure out exactly what she wanted from Mark. Despite her cruel intention to use him and then forget about him, he was in her thoughts constantly now. Having first-hand knowledge of how mind-blowing it was to feel him inside her made it impossible to focus on anything else. Sex with Mark had compounded her obsession with him instead of purging it.

Having hours and hours of idle time to enjoy on the beach in Kihei had been a particularly exquisite type of sensual torture. For perhaps the first time in six years she'd had the freedom to relax and do whatever she desired. And what had she done? She'd spent her hiatus from life endlessly reliving those minutes on her knees in this garden with Mark.

It had been so easy to imagine him beside her in the sand; doing all the wicked things she'd always been curious about but had never really been brave enough to try. She wanted to explore everything with Mark. Because she wanted him. Not just in her bed, but in her life as well. If she could just figure out how to make that happen after she'd treated him so horribly.

Except for recurring thoughts of Mark, it had been surprisingly easy to leave everything behind on a whim. All it took was a phone call to her mom, a text to Jack, and a quick stop at her apartment to gather some clothes and she was free to run away to the airport. Kingston Bros., did not implode without her, and the family didn't fall apart either. It was disturbing but liberating to discover that they weren't nearly as dependent on her as she'd come to believe. Her mother had actually seemed relieved to hear that she was taking some time off and had enthusiastically stepped in to cover all of Serena's real estate obligations during her absence. Fortunately, Mrs. Garrison was a quick study and had worked as a Realtor for Kingston Bros., before she'd retired and let Serena take over.

Serena had expected a tirade from Jack, but his response to her text had been surprisingly understanding and sweet. He'd told her to do what she needed to do, stay safe, and make sure she was back in time for the wedding. Other than that, no one seemed too upset by her complete and utter flakiness. She'd been worried over nothing all this time. Life actually had the nerve to carry on without her. She'd been working herself ragged for no reason at all. Except her own inflated ego.

About a week into her vacation, just when she was getting settled into a routine of lying around on the beach, fantasizing about Mark, and taking afternoon naps, she'd given into temptation and checked her work email. Amongst the non-urgent messages there'd been an email from Lacey.

Subject: Wedding plans & some juicy gossip

From: Lacey.Ferguson@TheHealthUnit.com

To: Serena Garrison <Serena@Dreamhomes4Sale.com>

Ess,

Just wanted to let you know that we've moved up the ceremony a week. Cherry, our wedding planner, is about to have a coronary over the change in plans but too bad. Mark surprised us with the most perfect outdoor setting for the reception. It's inside the maze! Isn't that cool? He planted the most beautiful English garden you can imagine and Jake constructed this adorable little white gazebo. Can you believe they've secretly been working weekends forever to put this thing together? They are so fabulous. Anyway, we want to take advantage of what is supposed to be good weather that week so hurry up and get yourself back here. Can't imagine getting married without our matchmaker, okay?

In other news, Jacob mentioned that he almost walked in on Mark with a mystery woman in the maze last Saturday night. Mark was all secretive, but he did tell Jake that he was serious about her. The words 'future wife' were actually uttered. Can you believe it? Mark's in love.

Hope you're getting the break you needed and that you find a cabana boy to help you relax. Jack and I certainly found our time there extremely pleasurable. (Wink, wink.)

We miss you.

That particular email had thrown her for a complete loop. Mark, in love, with her? Wife? Had he actually said that? It was fairly obvious that he was attracted to her, but love? Real love? Thinking back on her interactions with him, she tried to remember if she'd seen anything resembling love between them. When they'd been in the maze together, she'd seen something in his eyes. She hadn't wanted to examine it too closely at the time, but there had been something warm and sweet and downright unnerving in his gaze. Could it have been love? Maybe. But what about all the arguments? People in love weren't supposed to fight all the time, were they?

Upon reflection she discovered something pretty unpleasant about herself. She had started most of those heated discussions. Mark, for the most part, had just reacted to her hostility. And why was she so angry with him exactly? Because he'd rejected her ten years ago? Was she that woman? The kind who could hold a grudge for an entire decade? It seemed like such a waste of energy, but that's what she'd done. She'd even attempted to get him fired because she couldn't stand being around him. She'd been sabotaging a man who had just lost his career, and his last living relative. Plus, he was recovering from a life-changing injury as well. Her own lack of compassion was staggering.

It was difficult to face, but once again the truth was impossible to ignore. She had been turning into a selfish, unlovable brat, and yet Mark had still wanted her. Or at least he had before she ran away. Now she wasn't so sure how he felt. And she was terrified to ask. But she would do it. She wasn't running anymore. And if he rejected her, she would accept it and move on. No more petty plans for vengeance or grudges. She couldn't promise to be calm and mature about another rejection that really wasn't her nature. But she wouldn't allow any future slights to consume her. She had wasted enough time indulging her negative emotions.

Despite her resolve to be a better person, she'd still felt nervous getting off the plane this morning from Hawaii. Could she actually do this? Face Mark and settle things between them once and for all? At a wedding and in front of everyone? For him she would try. Walking towards the baggage area she'd actually smiled to herself, imagining Mark's reaction to this new and improved Serena. He was going to be so confused.

She'd just been grabbing her bag off the turnstile when a familiar figure caught her eye. It was a tall, blonde man standing at one of the gates down the long corridor. Going cold, Serena had ducked behind an enormously obese fellow in a blue track suit. Peering around her human shield, she saw that the figure was, indeed, Karl Bauer. She started to panic, thinking he was waiting for her, but then he started walking towards a woman and child who were timidly entering the receiving area.

Relief washed over her. She edged closer and observed Karl and the two new arrivals interacting. The woman was tall, extremely slender, and pretty in a mousy way. Her thin, flowered dress was dowdy and her wool coat was hopelessly outdated, and yet she still managed to look somewhat stylish. Overall, she'd looked nervous and unhappy. The boy, however, was extremely confident and friendly. And incredibly beautiful with his blonde hair and fair skin. About nine years-old, he boldly took Karl's hand and shook it enthusiastically. Watching the threesome walk out of sight together, Serena couldn't help but wonder about the identity of the woman and child. If they were attached to Karl in anyway, then the woman had every right to look uneasy.

Leaving town had also meant that she could temporarily avoid another altercation with Karl. He hadn't overtly threatened her that night out on Old Carriage Lane, and yet she had jumped like an axe murderer was on her trail when she'd heard Jacob stumbling around in the maze. She'd actually thought the creepy blonde scientist had followed her and was going to attempt to finish whatever he'd been meaning to start at the isolated mansion. Given her over-reaction to some rustling bushes it seemed fairly obvious to her how close she'd been to a complete emotional breakdown that night.

Now she was at Jack and Lacey's wedding, but she couldn't quite force herself to take the steps necessary to confront Mark about his feelings for her. Instead she just sat and watched him like a complete stalker. He was sitting at another table, on the other side of the garden, nursing what looked like a glass of scotch whiskey, looking pissed off and utterly sexy. Every once in awhile she would catch his eye and he would turn away, only to catch her gaze again a few minutes later.

They had been playing this game for hours. He'd openly stared at her when she arrived, late, for the ceremony, but he hadn't smiled back at her or even nodded. Just watched her with his heated gaze as she'd walked up the aisle on Jacob's arm. It was maddening, but just his eyes on her made her feel so hot and excited. She could feel an embarrassing tingle between her thighs each and every time their eyes locked.

The band struck up a slow song and Serena knew it was time to make her move. She took a fortifying gulp of her wine and then made her way over to Mark on shaky legs. When she was finally standing directly in front of him, he looked away, like he wasn't even aware she was there.

"Mark. Will you dance with me?" She asked, holding out her hand. Her voice sounded a bit weak, but it was loud enough to draw the attention of everyone at the table, including her Aunt Marie and her Masseur, Klaus. Conversation stopped and everyone stared, except Mark, who just watched the people out on the dance floor like he hadn't heard her or noticed her approach.

"Mark?" She said a little louder. Now he looked up and glared. His dark eyes blazed into hers for a moment and she could see all the hurt and disappointment she'd caused him. Then the shutters closed and his eyes went completely blank.

Mark stood up, downed what was left in his glass, and let his eyes wander insultingly over her body in the red dress. "Why not?" He said, sounding bored, and roughly took her by the wrist and pulled her out onto the dance floor.

Once out on the floor, Serena thought she'd be able to reach him, but he was completely detached, looking dully over head even as his hands traced her curves in a casually demeaning manner.

When he blatantly squeezed her ass right in front of the minister, she hissed at him. "Mark, what do you think you're doing?"

He pulled back from her completely and raised his hands. "What? You wanted to dance, so I danced. You got exactly what you wanted. Again."

Forgetting completely about her resolution to be a better person, Serena put her hands on her hips and yelled. "Dancing does not mean pawing me, you brute. What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" He asked, incredulously. "We finally make love after thirteen years of foreplay. You take off seconds later, steal my shirt, and then leave town without a fucking word and there's something wrong with me? Are you kidding me?" He ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "I thought that Karl guy had you tied up in his basement or something. I was worried out of my mind until Lacey told me two days later that you'd gone on some kind of 'find yourself' mission. I was half-crazed trying to figure out what had happened to you and you were soaking up the sun in paradise. How the fuck is that supposed to make me feel?"

Serena stared at him. He was a little drunk but still his pain was genuine. And she'd thoughtlessly caused it. Everyone was watching them now, but she didn't give a damn. "I'm sorry, Mark. I didn't think you'd care. I swear. I didn't leave to hurt you. I just needed to get away. Think about things. I don't know. I probably should have handled things differently." She shrugged and lowered her voice. "Can we go somewhere to talk about this? Just the two of us?"

Mark just glared. "You know what? I don't think so. I'm outta here. And by the way, I'm not taking off to Hawaii for three weeks. I'm going home. Where I plan to drink enough tequila to temporarily put me in a coma. See. Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" With that, he stalked off the dance floor, leaving Serena alone with fifty pairs of eyes watching and waiting for her reaction to Mark's rude exit.

Her pride demanded that she should dismiss him and let him go. No man was worth this humiliation. But her heart, so long ignored, insisted that she follow him and make things right between them. For once, her heart won. Pulling up her dress so she could avoid stumbling on the long hem, she held up her head and followed her man into the maze where she would finally tell him what she'd been denying all along. That she was in love with him.
Chapter Twelve

Mark made it two turns into the maze before he realized how stupid he was being. For some idiotic reason he'd been following Jacob's advice. Jacob, who had never been in a relationship that lasted longer than 48 hours. He'd actually been basing his strategy to win Serena on Jacob's questionable guidance. What was he thinking?

He'd let Serena be the boss. He hadn't followed her to Maui even though every cell in his body had demanded it because that would have been typical dominant male behavior. He'd watched her walk up the aisle looking like a complete wet dream come true in that red dress and hadn't dragged her off to the nearest bed. He'd even danced with her when that had seemed the most ridiculous, luke-warm act he could commit when his body was crying out for something much more sweaty and intimate after three weeks of aching for her.

He had resisted all those impulses because he thought Serena needed to be in control. But that wasn't true. She didn't need to be the boss. She needed an equal, and he was acting like a little piss-ant, running away when she was finally trying to communicate with him.

He was just turning around when he felt a small, manicured hand on his arm.

"Mark," Cherry Pizor said in her breathy, little girl voice. "I've been trying to get you alone all afternoon." She looked up at him coquettishly through false lashes and several coats of black mascara.

Mark stared, appalled. Cherry still had the body of a playmate, but she was so deeply tanned that her skin tone now resembled a cheese-doodle. Her leopard-print halter dress and bleached blonde hair just emphasized her unnatural color. Covering his shock, he patted her hand and gave her a friendly kiss on her leathery cheek. "Cherry. Wow. You look great. Do you mind if we catch up later? I was just taking off."

"Now Mark. I just need a minute with you." Her grip on his arm was surprisingly strong and insistent.

Mark was tempted to just make a run for it, but the last thing he needed was to alienate this aging sex kitten. If she was thinking about blackmailing him then rejecting her would just aggravate the situation and guarantee that his past became public knowledge. Gritting his teeth, he smiled at her. "Oh? Is there something I can help you with?"

She suddenly looked very vulnerable. Like a child playing in her mother's makeup, rather than the stereotypical predatory divorcee he remembered.

Cherry tugged him over to one of the maze's dead-end alcoves. There was a stone bench there and despite his resistance she tugged him down onto it until they were sitting side by side. "I wanted to apologize to you," she said softly, her eyes darting to the side guiltily. Her tone lowered until Mark had to lean down to hear her. "For what happened when you were a kid. I swear, I had no idea how young you were. Your dad never told me."

Mark felt a wave of shame wash over him. The last thing in the world he wanted was to discuss this particular subject. Especially here and now with Serena and the Kingstons within shouting distance. "It's okay, Cherry. Forget about it. That was a long time ago." He tried to pull away, but she clutched at his arm.

"I know. But that doesn't make it any less wrong. You see, my husband pretty much bought me, so I didn't really see anything wrong with helping you out financially in exchange for some company. You were so beautiful and I thought we were only a few years apart in age. When I figured out that you were only fifteen we'd already been together lots of times and I didn't really see the point of stopping. I mean, you seemed happy. And you certainly made me happy." She gave him a small smile full of large capped teeth.

Mark touched her hand where it rested on his arm. "I'm glad I made you happy. Really."

She cupped his cheek with her other hand. "But it was still wrong. I took something from you, Mark. And I can't tell you how bad I feel about that." Tears and mascara ran down her still pretty face and she brushed them away with her red-tipped fingertips.

Mark stood up and moved a step away from her, thinking about what he needed to say. Was he angry with her? No, not really. A big part of him had enjoyed all the attention from his older clients. He had enough college psychology to know that his mom's abandonment probably contributed to his susceptibility to their advances. He wasn't Oedipus, but looking back he understood a great deal more about why he'd been willing to sell himself so cheaply.

All of that was in the past. He needed to let go and stop feeling ashamed of decisions he'd made as a kid. He also needed to forgive the people who had used him, including this sad woman.

Turning back towards his former lover, he smiled gently at her. "Cherry, I still came to see you long after you stopped paying me. So, you must know that I genuinely liked you. You taught me a lot. So, please stop beating yourself up. My dad's really to blame in all this. Not you. Okay?" This wasn't strictly true, but Mark didn't see the point in being cruel to her at this point. She had exploited him, true, but there wasn't any real malice in her. And she never would have had the opportunity to buy him if his dad hadn't been so willing to sell him like a piece of meat.

Surprisingly, talking to Cherry made him feel somewhat better. He didn't put much stock in talking out issues and problems, but this particular confrontation had been weirdly cathartic. Mostly he was relieved that she wasn't going to try to resume their former relationship. But he also felt a real sense of peace wash over him.

"Are you sure?" She asked, grimacing.

"Absolutely. Now, why don't you get back in there and get my friend Jacob to dance. He was asking about you a few weeks ago. And I bet he'd be thrilled to show you his moves."

"Really? Jacob Kingston? The young one with the light brown hair?" She asked, reaching up to fluff her platinum helmet.

"He's twenty-eight, Cherry. So take it easy on him, okay?"

She giggled. "I'm not making any promises," Cherry said, reaching up to kiss the corner of his mouth. "And Mark. That girl you were arguing with out there? The one you're in love with? She's extremely lucky. I hope she knows that." With an exaggerated wiggle and a wink she strutted back to the party.

*****

Mark fished his keys out of his tuxedo pocket and approached his truck with a shake of his head. He'd followed Cherry back to the reception only to find that Serena was gone. Again. No one seemed to know where she was, but everyone was quite willing to give him advice on how to handle her when he found her.

He was done listening to other people's advice. When he found Serena he was going to play it straight with her. No more game-playing or hiding his feelings. He was either right for her or not. And that was it.

Yanking off his stupid tie, he opened the truck door only to find that the cab was occupied. A certain tall, leggy blonde in a silky red dress was sitting in the driver's seat, looking down at him apprehensively.

Without a single thought, he angled his body in through the door, and kissed her soundly on her upturned lips, practically crushing her in his delight at finding her exactly where he wanted her for a change. "Serena," he said against her lips. "God. I am so sorry for making an ass of myself back there. Forgive me?"

Serena kissed him back for a long moment, giggled and pulled him further into the cab until he was practically on top of her. "Hmmm...You really did let me have it, didn't you?"

He gave her a serious look. "Yeah. I did. But I was worried about you. You know that, right?"

She touched his nose gently with hers. "I know that now. I really didn't think it would matter to you if I took off or not."

"But it does matter. A lot."

She grabbed the keys out of his hand and dangled them in front of his face. "Why don't we go for a ride and we can decide who the bigger jerk is on the way. Shall we?"

Mark grinned and rolled to the side. "What? You don't want to make another spectacle out here in the parking lot?" He was about to grab for the keys when she put them in the ignition and gunned the motor. He tried not to look annoyed when she snapped on the seat belt and put his truck in gear. He wasn't quite sure how to tell her that he really didn't like anyone driving his truck, but she probably wouldn't be too happy if he brought it up right now. He needed to learn to pick his battles.

So he put a slightly strained smile on his face and slipped over to the passenger side of the truck. His smile widened and became genuine when he realized exactly where they were going.

The sun was just starting to set as they pulled into the deserted parking lot beside the Valleyview Country Club's ninth hole. Mark couldn't believe she'd decided to take him parking. Especially here. The last time had been such a disaster. Now she wanted to erase those memories and replace them with more pleasurable ones. It was perfect really. And if he was honest with himself, he'd fantasized about reliving those stolen moments with her a million times.

Serena turned off the truck and threw the keys on the dashboard. She hesitated, thinking about the conversation she'd overheard between Mark and that Cherry woman in the maze. She hadn't heard everything, but she had gleaned enough to know that Mark had been doing a lot more than just trimming that woman's hedges. And his father had been profiting from the arrangement.

She should have been repulsed. The man she was in love with had been a prostitute. Maybe not the street-corner, hustler type giving back alley blow jobs, but still, he'd serviced that woman, and probably others, for money. And yet all she felt was pity for him and white-hot anger at his father. That bastard hadn't been satisfied with nearly destroying her Uncle's business, he'd also been pimping out his own son.

It was horrifying to think that a father could be capable of that kind of evil. Especially someone who'd seemed so harmless. She'd known Mark's dad and had liked him a great deal. When she was a little girl he'd always teased her and called her a 'little spitfire.' Her Uncle Jack, who was no one's fool, had trusted him implicitly.

Serena's mother had once hinted that Eddie's wife had left because the man was incapable of being faithful, but that had just seemed to contribute to his roguish appeal. Just like his drinking. Everyone knew he drank, but he was so charming and outgoing that his status as a highly-functioning alcoholic was mostly ignored.

No one had suspected what was really going on beneath that pleasant veneer. Until Mark left town. Then Eddie's carefully constructed deceptions began to crumble. It wasn't long before Uncle Jack discovered that his friend had been showing up drunk to most of his landscaping jobs, if he bothered to show up at all.

Further investigation into Eddie's end of the business revealed that he'd been embezzling funds to feed his gambling habit for years. It was a crushing blow to both the business and Uncle Jack. He'd never really recovered from his friend's betrayal. But he'd never pressed charges either, despite the urgings of his lawyer and his family. He didn't see the point. Eddie was so decimated from alcohol by that time retribution of any kind would have been utterly useless.

In retrospect, Serena wasn't quite sure how Eddie had managed to keep Mark's extracurricular duties from becoming public knowledge. The elder Goldsworthy had spent the last nine years of his life in a drunken haze, and yet he'd managed to keep that shameful detail to himself. It was also mind-boggling that Mark had kept it secret all these years. Though there had been some rumors about him. Jack had even hinted that his friend had a thing for older women. But no one had ever suggested anything quite this disturbing and sad.

If she hadn't been eavesdropping in the maze, she never would have believed it. But she was glad she knew. It explained a lot about Mark. But what about now? Should she confront him about what she had discovered, or wait and hope that he would trust her enough to tell her about his past someday? Looking over at him, she decided it didn't really matter. She loved who he was now. His past wasn't relevant to her. But she couldn't go forward without telling him about Karl.

Turning in her seat to face him, Serena held up her hands. "Okay, before we get on with the happily ever after part I have something I need to tell you."

Mark had been just about to haul her across the bench seat and deposit her in his lap, but he froze when he saw her serious expression. "Uh. Okay. Should I be freaking out right now?" His stomach dropped as he thought of all the worst case scenarios. What if she was sick? Or maybe she'd met someone else in Hawaii and she wanted to let him down gently? No, that didn't make sense. God, what if she was pregnant? They'd used protection, but these things happened. Strangely, the thought of a baby with Serena seemed pretty natural and awesome. A little girl with her mismatched eyes, fiery disposition and blonde hair...

"Mark? No freaking out required. I just wanted to tell you that you were right about something."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Aren't I usually?"

She ignored that and continued. "Remember that night in the maze?"

Now he smiled wolfishly. "Are you kidding? Of course. It's been replaying in my head constantly for the past three weeks. Of course, I had your bra tucked under my pillow to help me remember."

"I wondered what happened to that." She gave him a heated look. "I'll have to come over and collect it. Unless you've been wearing it. Then you can keep it. Your chest is a bit bigger than mine. It'll be all stretched out." She reached over and gave one of his rock-hard pecs a playful pinch.

He laughed and gasped when her nails brushed one of his nipples through the snowy white cotton of his tuxedo shirt. "Haven't even tried it on. I swear. But what about my T-shirt? You did take it, right?"

"Well, yeah. It somehow ended up in my luggage. I've been wearing it to bed for the past three weeks. With nothing underneath."

His eyes widened and he groaned. "Now all I can think of is you, strutting around naked, wearing just my shirt." He looked at her beseechingly. "Quit teasing me and get over here."

"In a second. I promise. Quit distracting me, so I can get this over with, okay?"

"Okay. Okay, but then the making out will commence, right?"

She nodded vigorously. "Believe me. I'd like to avoid this subject too, but I'm worried, so I need to get this off my chest. Okay?"

He nodded.

"Remember how I was acting kind of weird that night?

He rubbed his jaw. "Yeah. You seemed kind of spaced out. What was going on?"

Serena reached out and grasped one of his hands. "Now. I don't want you to do anything about this or go all protective macho man on a vendetta. Promise?"

Mark gritted his teeth. "No, I don't promise. Not even a bit. Just tell me before I combust, okay?"

"Well... Karl followed me to my appointment that night."

"He did what?" Mark yelled. Eyes blazing he let go of her hand and reached for the truck keys.

Serena put her palm out to stop him. "Mark, what do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going to pay that freak show a visit. Did he hurt you?"

She rubbed his arm soothingly. "No, he didn't hurt me. He just scared me a little. My client showed up and Karl left, but you were right. He's definitely a bit off. As in dangerous stalker with serial killer potential."

Mark grasped her hand, the one that had been squeezing his forearm, and gave it a tug. "Are you sure you're alright? Oh God. Is that why you left? You were scared of him?"

She nodded. "Part of the reason I left was to avoid another scene with him. I mean, I really did need the break, but facing off with a madman does make you realize what's important. And selling houses isn't that important."

"And what is?" Mark stopped breathing, and felt hope bloom in his chest.

"Well, you, for one thing. You're important to me." She gave him a tender smile. "But the reason I'm telling you this isn't because I want to make you worry or get violent on his creepy ass. I want you to stay away from him completely. But Karl was also at the airport when I arrived this morning." She tightened her grip on his arm before he could hit the roof. "He didn't see me, but he was with a woman and a little boy. I can't stop thinking about them. So, I'm wondering if your friend at the police department can check on him? See if that woman might be in danger?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Mark turned slightly in his seat until he was facing her. "So, let me get this straight. You're worried about a complete stranger you saw in the airport for what? Thirty seconds? Not yourself?"

She shrugged. "Well, yeah. I've got you and the testosterone brothers looking out for me. This woman might not be so lucky. I'd feel a lot better if someone out there was keeping tabs on Karl."

"I'll talk to Steve tomorrow. You're incredible, you know that?"

She beamed at him. "I don't know about that. I've screwed things up royally with us, so my incredibility quotient is kind of questionable. But I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

"We're incredible together and I'd be glad to prove it right now." Unable to wait a second more to get close to him, she slid across the seat until she was pressed tightly against his side. She desperately wanted to exorcize the demons of the past by making hot, sweaty love to Mark, but she also felt the need to just be held. To confirm that she had the right to be this close to him without fearing rejection.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and just hung on, gripping him tightly. It felt so strange and wonderful to touch him with just affection, rather than passion. She burrowed her face in his shoulder for just a second, savoring his scent and the warmth of his big, hard body.

Mark brought his arm around her, cuddling her close, and kissed the top of her head. "I love you," he whispered against her hair. "I really do. I think I always have."

She giggled and placed one hand high up on his thigh. "Even when I was trying to get you fired?"

"Yup. Definitely."

"And when I called you an ass?"

"Even then," he said with a grin.

"How about when I went down on you in the center of the maze? Did you love me then?" She asked huskily, inching her hand a bit higher on his tuxedo-clad leg.

He chuckled and slid his lips down to the sensitive nape of her neck. "Oh, I really loved you then."

She cupped his hardness through his pants and lifted her head so she could watch his expression. "How about when I told you that I loved you too?"

He blinked, surprised and humbled by her admission. He knew how difficult it was for her to show any vulnerability. He smiled and looked down into her beautiful face. "Well, since that's never happened, I'm not sure. Maybe you should try it and we'll see how I feel."

"I love you, Mark. I really tried not to, but I do."

He leaned down to kiss her gently, but then pulled back. "Not to ruin the moment, but why did you try not to? Was I really that hard to love?" He held his breath again, waiting for her response. He had spent his entire life feeling like he was unworthy of love. If she felt that way he would die inside.

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I was just scared, I guess. Fear of rejection. Fear of losing control. All the usual stuff that turns women like me into scary, cat ladies. I wanted to stay independent. And being with someone, especially someone overwhelming like you, means fighting constantly to avoid being steamrolled."

He cupped her chin and forced her to look in his eyes. "Serena. Sweetheart. I know I can be a bit domineering, but I'll back off as long as I'm sure you're safe. When I'm being a jerk it's probably just because I'm worried. I really don't want to change you or turn you into some kind of submissive little wimp. I love that you're a feisty, strong woman, believe me. Nothing makes me hotter than when you get all fired up about something."

"Really?" She asked with a wicked grin, squeezing his erection.

"Really. Don't argue with me unless you want to end up just like this." He leaned down and kissed her passionately, groaning as she thrust her tongue deeply into his mouth. Without breaking the kiss, he lifted her easily onto his lap until she was straddling his hips. The red silk skirt of her gown pooled around them and he ground his thick erection against her slick softness.

"Oh," she sighed and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his long, silky hair. Rising up on her knees she slid her mound along his hardness, up and down, causing a delicious friction that made her cry out in delight. "I'm going to be fighting with you night and day if this is my punishment."

"I'm willing to make that sacrifice," Mark said, chuckling as he slid his hand under her skirt and up her thighs until he reached her damp panties. She went still against his hardness and he was able to swirl his fingers in her heat once, for just a fraction of a second, and then he smoothed his hands back down to her knees. "Do you like this?" He asked, huskily.

"Yes. Oh yes." She purred and gave an involuntary little shudder of pleasure. She bit her lip to stifle another cry as Mark repeated this motion, slowly gliding his callused palm up and down her thighs several times until she thought she might lose her mind. With each pass his hand lingered a little longer at the apex of her thighs, pressing into her and spreading her body's wetness along her folds until she wanted to rip her panties off and guide his thick fingers where she wanted them, deep within her hot, needy flesh.

Needing to gain back some control, she stilled his hands with hers and tried to focus on their conversation. "And you won't mind being my bodyguard? Just in case Karl decides to make another appearance? I mean, I'm not actually scared of him, and I'm pretty sure he's lost interest, but I know you'll feel better if you're there to guard my body. You'd have to hang around a lot of Open Houses with me. Most afternoons we'd be alone for hours. And after I was so hard on Jack, and Lacey, we probably couldn't indulge in any PDA at all. Could you handle that?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, and frowned fiercely as he leaned back and watched her. Even in the dim light, the sparkle in his eye was obvious. "You'd have to make it worth my while."

She raised an eyebrow. "And what kind of depraved acts would I have to perform?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I was wondering if you still had that red bikini?"

Serena laughed. "Sorry. No. I think my mom threw it out after Jack told her I looked like a stripper in it." Mark looked crestfallen, so she took pity on him. Shrugging the straps of her gown slowly down one arm, then the other, she slid the bodice down to her waist, revealing a red, strapless, satin corset.

"Will this do as a substitute?" She asked innocently, sliding her hands over her tiny cinched waist and up to the mounds of her breasts which were overflowing the lingerie's cleverly designed neckline.

"Um, yeah. I think I can make do with that," he said, feasting his eyes on her curves. "God, do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Mark removed one hand from her thigh and gently yanked the corset down until one breast was completely exposed to the cool evening air. He leaned forward, licked the tip, blew on it and then suckled strongly, making her cry out.

Reaching between them, Serena undid his pants and grasped his erection in her hand. She slid her fingers up and down its impressive length a few times, and then released him. Unable to help herself, Serena began bucking against Mark's shaft in a frenzy of lust. Reaching up, she grasped his hair tightly, circled her hips, and found the perfect rhythm to make herself spiral into a violent climax just by grinding herself against his hard cock.

"God. I love it when you do that," he groaned, pulling her pelvis tight against him, he flexed against her, loving that he could make her come so easily. She slumped against him, her harsh breath tickling his neck.

Impatient now, Mark pulled a condom out of his wallet and reached between them to slide it on. Pushing her panties to the side, he slowly lowered her onto his shaft until he was buried to the hilt in her softness. Leaning back he watched her come alive again.

Slowly at first, she rose above him, hungrily watching his expression as she slid him deep within her body. She repeated this motion over and over, gradually gaining speed until she was bouncing energetically in his lap. She was so gorgeous and passionate he wanted to stay like that forever. Instead he grabbed her hips and began thrusting up as she sunk down on him. He was so deep within her tight flesh that he was concerned he might be hurting her, but the expression on her face was one of sublime pleasure.

Unable to hold on much longer, Mark reached between her lovely spread thighs and rubbed her slippery clit in counter-rhythm to the movement of her hips. That was all it took, she cried out his name into the twilight and her inner muscles tightened around his shaft. Plunging deeply, he held still as a powerful orgasm rippled through his body.

Minutes later, Serena was curled up in his lap. It was quiet in the truck cab except for the sound of their breathing. Mark smoothed his hand over her hair, and whispered in her ear, "Hey, what about the rest of my fantasy? You're not getting off this easy, you know. Bodyguards don't come cheap."

Serena groaned and stirred as little as possible. "Sorry, but my cousin's pool-house is a storage shed now. Not exactly romantic." Sitting up, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and breathed into his ear. "Want to improvise and try out the public one at the Country Club?"

Mark's mouth gaped for a second. His mind raced with the kinky possibilities. "Wow. I'm never going to be bored from this second forward, am I?"

"Nope. Sex in public places, constant arguments, Open Houses, and all my love. How does that sound?" She leaned back and smiled radiantly into his gorgeous face.

"I can't imagine anything better. But I am going to make Jacob build a private pool-house behind my cottage before he leaves for the police academy."

She giggled. "But you don't have a pool. Won't that seem a bit strange?"

Mark looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe we should just buy a place together that already has a pool-house. What do you think?"

Tears stung Serena's eyes. Was he actually proposing that they move in together? She paused, waiting for panic to set in, but it didn't happen. Instead joy and peace washed over her. "I think that's a fabulous idea. Fortunately, I know a really great real estate agent."

"Hmm... so do I. She's pretty damn hot too." He leaned down and kissed her collarbone. "Think she can find us a deal?"

"Possibly. If not, then I'm sure my cousins would be willing to build something for us."

"There's no way I can wait that long to collect my bodyguard fees." He said, pretending to look fierce.

"You don't have to. We can be at the Club-house in less than five minutes." With that she leaned down and opened the passenger side door. Placing a brief kiss on his surprised mouth she slid to the ground and then started running towards the lights in the distance. Before she'd gotten a few steps, she turned back and called back to him. "C'mon. Last one there has to do all the work." She wiggled her eyebrows at him suggestively and started running again, forgetting completely about Mark's bad knee.

Stunned, Mark watched her for a moment. The golf course was getting dark but her dress flowed behind her like a crimson flag. She had never looked more wild and beautiful to him. Doing up his pants, he climbed down from the truck and followed her at a much slower pace. He had no problem doing all the work once he got there. In fact, he was looking forward to pleasuring the woman he loved all night long. And for the rest of their lives.
_Epilogue_

Jacob Kingston lowered himself into a chair across from his brother and new sister-in-law. Most of the wedding guests were still dancing and drinking, but Lacey and Jack were cuddled up in a corner by themselves, talking quietly and making plans for the future.

Jacob ignored the intimate scene and pulled his wallet out of the pocket of his tuxedo pants. He fished out some bills and threw them down in front of Jack. "There," he said, pointing at the small pile of green. "I didn't manage to do it by the wedding. But it's done. Jeremy saw them an hour ago, getting all freaky in the front of Mark's truck."

Jack slapped him on the back. "Whoo-hoo! Thank you very much. Sucker. I'll take that." He crowed, pulling his winnings towards him. "Gotta say, you really buggered that one up. If you hadn't tried to convince him that he needed to let her wear the pants in the relationship, he probably would have gone to Hawaii after her, and you would have met your deadline. Now, you are shit out of luck, my friend." He made a show of counting the bills.

Jacob rubbed the back of his neck and squinted up at Jack. "What can I say? I miscalculated. How was I supposed to know she'd take off for three weeks? I thought he'd spend a few days acting like Mr. Sensitive, and then he'd lose patience and drag her off to his cave. She's such a workaholic, I never expected her to leave the bloody state."

Jack gave him a pitying look and started re-counting.

Just as he was about to tuck the money into his pocket, Lacey put out a delicate hand with the palm up. "Wait a second now." She said, wiggling her fingers. "I'm pretty sure it was my email that made her realize she had feelings for Mark. Shouldn't I get a cut?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at her husband.

Jack looked at the money and then back at Lacey. He didn't actually care about the cash, but he absolutely hated giving up bragging rights. But he loved his wife more than anything. Reluctantly, he reached over and tucked his winnings into the bodice of Lacey's white dress, taking a thorough inventory of her cleavage in the process. "You're absolutely right. You are the Ultimate, Supreme Matchmaker. Isn't she, Jake?"

"Well, I don't know about that." Jake shrugged. "I admit I screwed this one up, but Ultimate, Supreme Matchmaker? I don't think she's really earned that title."

Lacey narrowed her eyes at him and fished the roll of bills out of her white, lacy corset. She slapped the money down on the table in front of Jacob. "Double or nothing?" She asked, challenging him with her eyes.

He stood up and stretched until his broad back cracked. "No way. I'm done with match-making. No time. Important police business to attend to, you know. Besides, this was an easy one. Those two have been hot for each other for years. They just needed a nudge. Now, getting two strangers together. That's a real challenge. When you can do that you'll earn the big title. Until then, you're really just an amateur. Sorry, Lace. Congratulations, by the way, you two." With that he turned on his heel and made a beeline for Cherry, who was waiting on the dance floor for him.

Jack watched Lacey carefully. He didn't like the expression on her face one bit.

"He's next, isn't he?" Jack asked gathering up the cash and tucking it back into her cleavage again.

"Oh yeah. Jacob is going to get matched. Whether he likes it or not."

"Wow. Pregnancy is making you all ruthless. I like it." Jack laughed and pulled her onto his lap.

"He shouldn't have messed with me and my hormones." She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. They both watched Jacob slow dancing with Cherry, admiring how the profusion of white fairy lights illuminated the inside of the tent.

"Should I be worried for him?" Jack asked after a few minutes, rubbing her back.

"Jack, would I match him with someone inappropriate? Jacob loves a challenge and also suffers from 'white knight syndrome.' Whoever I find will fit both those criteria. And will be wonderful. Now how bad could this turn out exactly?"

Jack thought for a moment. "Not sure, but I can't wait to find out." And then he kissed his bride and all thoughts of Jacob and his impending match flew from his head. He always made pleasuring his wife his top priority. And that was just as it should be for a man so deeply in love.

THE END

