“We have all the resources at our disposal being thrown at ensuring that the Suebi network here is utterly destroyed, and yet we haven’t got half as far as this girl into discovering the remnants of the organisation. We have to protect her anonymity, even from our own people now,” Armando argued the case he was bringing to his brothers.
“What are you proposing, exactly?” Anthony asked with a frown.
“That we give them what they want, and let Marcella accomplish what she started to do – to find the evidence to support Olivia’s story while helping us bury an age-old enemy. I can draft a legally-binding agreement to hand over the house and ask Olivia to sign it, but I don’t want her or anyone who will want to interfere or protect Marcella to know that she is the one taking risks. I want to say that it’s me who brought this deal to the family and AFP,” he explained.
“You want us to lie to our sons,” Gianni said gruffly. “Dominic will not be so easily fooled, and if I am honest, nor do I think Xavier will believe that you were the one approached.”
“If we get involved and take over the negotiations, we might not only lose the opportunity to round up the last remnants of the Suebi power players, but also we will lose what little trust Marcella still has in our family. She believes she was imprisoned in that hospital by Junie at our request, not cared for by our family but imprisoned against her will,” he said pointedly.
“What Armando says has merit.” Claudio spoke slowly, as if still thinking through the situation. “It’s not out of the realm of possibility that someone would approach Olivia’s legal counsel with a deal like this, and with Noah apparently missing in action…” He paused, and seeing that he had their attention, he continued. “The mystery person could offer to help prove Olivia’s story by providing evidence anonymously, for a price. The decision is then left to Armando whether to put the needs of his client before the vengeance of his family which, as far as we know, is complete, save for the trials and sentencing of those already arrested. It could work to our favour having Armando be the source of the deal, and would allow us to involve Dom, X and Gen, as well as Olivia, and not have them interfere with Marcella and her plans to see this through.”
“She’ll do it with or without our blessing. She will go to Olivia with this deal herself, if that is what it takes,” Gianni prophesied and saw the agreement in Armando’s nod of the head.
“Alright, we’ll do it your way, if Marcella agrees. When are you meeting her?” Anthony asked.
“In about an hour. Isaac is dropping off some paperwork for me, and then I’ll head to the restaurant. I’ll let you know if she agrees and get started on the groundwork tonight. I came straight here to see if there was an undercurrent from the Tatar or AFP that we should know about before proceeding,” Armando looked between his brothers.
“As far as we can tell, everyone has assumed the investigation is now ended and is looking toward the trials of those arrested,” Anthony confirmed.
“Marcella and Noah have serious concerns that Suebi sympathisers are sabotaging her investigations from inside the AFP, and her contact has all but confirmed this. Are we sure of those we believe we can trust?” Armando directed his question to Claudio, but looked at all of his brothers as they frowned at him. “The assets list is missing several large items, if Olivia’s story is true, and if Marcella pulls off this deal, I have no doubt that we will be able to prove the validity of everything she has said. That could make those hiding assets nervous enough to do something stupid to stop this deal and the raid.”
“It’s true that some internal investigations are occurring, and there have been unconfirmed reports of involvement from ASIO in that investigation,” Claudio confirmed.
“Marcella’s a smart girl with good instincts,” Gianni nodded. “We have probably underestimated her, badly.” He pursed his lips thoughtfully and considered that she would have had to hone those instincts over her lifetime, as well as her resilience to remain as brave and forthright as she was. He had a lot of respect for his nephews, Armando’s sons, and he knew many men who would not go toe-to-toe with them, yet Marcella constantly did just that, rather than giving in to their dominant personalities.
“I believe that I could find a role for her among us, if she wanted to stay in our city,” Claudio grinned.
“I believe that Noah already has a role in mind for that young lady,” Armando chuckled. “If he can get out of his own way and show her how valuable she is to him instead of playing games.”
*****
Marcella looked over at Noah as he pulled the car into a parking space at Wharf One. He had been unusually withdrawn since she had left him to speak with his father, and it bothered her that Armando could have said something to make him withdraw from the easy, if caustic, banter that they had engaged in over the last few days. If truth be told, she wasn’t sure that she wanted to know what had been said to make him so pensive, but the silence was becoming uncomfortable.
“Before we go in there, spill it,” Marcella said as Noah shut off the engine and went to open his door. “What the hell is going on? Are you and your Dad selling me out now? Is that why you won’t look at me properly or talk to me?”
“What? No! I would never!” Noah looked horrified by her accusation but remembered his father’s words. She thought of him as her blackmailer, not her friend, or possible future lover, husband, soul mate, and he let out a depressing sigh and shook his head slowly. “I wouldn’t do that to you, Marcie. That’s not what this is about.”
“Then tell me what the hell is going on with you?” Marcella frowned at him, her body buzzing with anxiety.
“I wish that I could have thought of another way to make you let me help you, but I couldn’t. You wouldn’t let me, or anyone. I wish you could see me as your friend, someone who cares about you. I don’t like that you see me only as your blackmailer or that you see my family as prison wardens or worse because of what happened at the hospital. Most of all, I wish that you could speak as honestly to me as you seemed to be able to with my Dad.” He sighed and stepped out of the car, leaving her speechless. He knew that he couldn’t release her from their agreement, not yet anyway. He needed more time to show her his commitment to her and his willingness to compromise, to have her in his life for longer than the agreement stated, much longer.
Marcella was halfway out of the car before he had made it around to open her door for her, but he helped her none-the-less and took hold of her hand as he led her inside to the restaurant that his father had nominated. She was quiet now, thinking over his words. He was the one blackmailing her. This was his game they were playing. She had wanted to do this alone, so that no one got hurt if she was wrong in trusting Vinnie. He was the one that had forced her hand, and she had just been trying to keep him safe by talking to his father. If he backed off, he wouldn’t be at risk if her plans didn’t pan out. Couldn’t he see that she did that because she did care what happened to him?
Armando saw the young couple enter and frowned. They both looked anxious and even a little sad, and he wondered what had happened in the last two hours to change their demeanour so greatly. He stood as they were shown to the table and smiled at them both as they took their seats and the waiters fussed with the napkins, telling them the day’s specials, and taking drinks orders.
“I think I have a workable scenario that I would like to put to you.” Armando addressed Marcella directly, once they were alone. This was her show. Noah was following her lead, and he wanted to show both of them that he understood and supported that, no matter how strange the agreement, blackmail, or the game that they were playing with each other’s emotions.
“Go on,” Marcella said, liking that he wasn’t beating around the bush but had come straight to the point.
“It’s not out of the realms of possibility that someone might have approached Olivia’s legal counsel to make the deal for the house. If I tell the family and AFP that it was me, then you won’t have to run interference from your friends and your brothers.” He included Noah in the conversation now. “You could manage the deal yourselves, and just pass the information to me about the raid, and I could set it up from our end. You would still be at risk from Suebi backlash if you met with Bea again, but you would be safe from interference from my nephews and sons, because I would be handling everything on that side from an anonymous source.” Armando laid out the plan that he and his brothers had agreed was the best course of action.
“It could be difficult to coordinate with a third-person chain like that,” Marcella mused and fell silent as the waiter reappeared with the wine that Noah had suggested, and she had agreed to, earlier.
“Are you ready to order?” the waiter asked once Marcella had tasted the wine and nodded for him to fill up the glasses.
“I, umm,” Marcella started glancing down at the menu, unable to concentrate on it.
“Would you like me to order for us, so that you can continue your conversation with Papa?” Noah offered helpfully.
“Thanks,” Marcella nodded, hoping that he would stop sulking. He hadn’t talked over the top of her to take charge, but had rather given her a choice, just like he had with the wine, and she could see that what he had said in the car was affecting him deeply. Armando had obviously shared some of the things she had said about his sons, and she felt bad because, in the last two days, he had done nothing but offer her friendship, support and more, if she wanted it. He had blackmailed her into letting him into her plans, but she was also honest enough to admit that she had given him no other choice. She would have left him there and run if he hadn’t threatened her the way he had, and surprisingly, she was enjoying having him around, despite her misgivings.
“How would it work, with you as the middle man?” Marcella asked as Noah gave the waiter their order, saving Armando the trouble of ordering as well. He knew both of his dinner companions well enough to know what they would enjoy from the menu.
“In the courier satchel that I have in the cloakroom is a secure phone, a copy of Olivia’s deposition, with notes marked around the edges, and names of individuals not yet arrested or discovered highlighted. You need to read it and know it well before your next meeting with Bea. You need to know who she is willing to turn on and those that might be part of a faction she is involved in,” Armando began explaining.
“You think that she is part of a faction that wants to take over and rebuild the northern clan?” Marcella asked.
“Part of or leading it,” he confirmed. “The puzzling thing is why she wants the house so badly, and the fact that she called it her home.”
“She lived there. She was the housekeeper, according to Olivia, and was kind to her, nursing her when she was badly injured and caring for her needs,” Marcella said, as if that was enough to convince her of why Bea wanted the house.
“That’s exactly right. She was staff, an employee. It was Remington’s home, Olivia’s home, it was Bea’s place of work,” he argued. “If she cared for Olivia as much as she claimed in her deposition, why didn’t she stop Royce from hurting her so badly? Why didn’t she help her get away, instead of enabling him to brainwash her and abuse her the way he did?” Armando asked, not expecting an answer.
“I agree that there is more to Bea than we know,” Noah joined the conversation. “I was also wondering about her attachment to the house. It could be a status symbol in the clan, like a traditional headquarters, perhaps,” he suggested.
“I believe Royce built it, but that is an easy thing to check with the council. Any other theories?” Armando asked.
“At the risk of sounding all cloak and dagger, the body from the murder that Olivia witnessed was never found. What if…” Marcella paused, not liking her own thoughts. “What if their methods of disposing of victims are hidden on the estate?”
“The AFP has been over that place with a fine-tooth comb. If there were something to be found, it would have been,” Armando stated, unequivocally.
“True, but we also know that Royce had people in the AFP. Maybe the person Bea works for now is one of them, and they plan to rebuild the organisation, all the while knowing exactly what the AFP is planning and doing?” Marcella argued.
“She’s got a point there,” Noah agreed. “Bea did not seem concerned in the least about the AFP, but she definitely wanted someone else to approach them with this information. If the people in her faction do indeed work for the AFP, it would explain why she was released so quickly, and why she is so sure that Kairos will be released soon.”
“Geez.” Armando scratched his cheek as Marcella had seen Noah do so often. “That’s some theory.”
They stopped talking as the waiter returned with their meals. Noah had ordered her a taster plate that consisted of a range of house specialities, including duck and plum spring rolls, which were one of her favourites, pork belly, barramundi, scalloped potatoes and a small side salad. She was in heaven, not realising how hungry she had become, and enjoying having a range of smaller portions to taste and enjoy. The men both had large, marbled wagyu steaks topped with seafood in a mornay sauce that looked wonderful as well. She would have to remember this place for future dinners, she thought to herself. Not that she intended on sticking around after all was said and done.
They continued to talk through their plans at dinner and to muse over why the house was special to Bea. By the end of the dinner, and talking through their tentative plans once more, Marcella had to admit that Noah was right. They had needed help, and Armando had come to their assistance, not only willingly, but with ways to keep her at a safe distance from any family interference with her plans. With Armando on her side, she felt the pressure of what she was trying to accomplish lessen. He hadn’t criticised her or tried to take over, but rather took some of the heat from her by acting as a middleman between her and the AFP. The fact that Noah was right sat less well with her, but she could grudgingly give him that much credit.
“My parting advice, for what it’s worth,” Armando said as they walked through the car park to their respective cars, “Is to make the most of tomorrow. It will be the last day that you have on your own for a while once this raid happens. It will be far worse than when you found Olivia’s boat because I will have to out you as my anonymous informant, and you will have to tell them about your meetings with Bea and her request for the house,” he said seriously. She won’t be in any danger from us as an informant, but the backlash from the clan is something that she may not be happy about. We will deal with that when the time comes. Relax tomorrow. Do something fun and then come back fresh to do what you need to do.”
“Thank you, Armando. I appreciate all your help and advice,” Marcella said quietly then rose up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. She felt his arms wind loosely around her as he embraced her, and she froze for a moment before pulling away and stepping back, to put space between them. He was still a Table man, despite everything, and there were few of those that she trusted.
“Thanks, Papa, for everything,” Noah mumbled and hugged his father and pounded his back lightly twice. “Let everyone know that I am fine and content doing my own thing for a few more days.”
“Will do,” Armando smiled and turned toward his own car with a quick wave.
“Would you like to drive?” Noah asked as he unlocked the car.
“I’ve probably had too much wine with dinner.” She waved the question away.
“No more than me. Plus, you ate a huge meal, so you should be okay to drive,” Noah said, giving her the option again as he approached the passenger side door to open it for her.
“It may have slipped your notice, but I am a lot smaller than you, so while two glasses won’t register in your system, it will in mine.” She gave a half smile and slipped into the car while he held the door open for her.
“Fair enough,” he said and returned her smile then walked around and slid into the driver’s seat and started the car.
“Just so you know,” he said in a soft voice, “I did notice. I notice everything about you, Marcella.” Then he put the car in gear and began the drive back to StarCity, and they both fell back into the silence that had plagued their drive to the restaurant.
It was late when they pulled into the valet parking, and without thinking about it, Noah moved to her side and supported her with an arm around her waist as they walked to their room. It took him a moment to realise that she wasn’t fighting his familiar touch, and he tried to hide his momentary surprise before looking down at her. She must have been tired, or at least too tired to fight with him.
Marcella didn’t freeze when Noah slipped his arm around her, helping her from the car and into the hotel. In fact, she felt Noah’s warmth as they walked so closely as to feel the heat that radiated between them. She was tired of fighting the attraction that she felt for him, had always felt for him, from that first day when he had picked her up at the airport, when she had mistaken him for an employee, a driver sent to meet her and escort her to the Zenati’s. She gave a small smile at how he had failed to react to her faux pas, instead just carrying on as if she had said nothing.
She was tired of their constant flirtatious teasing. While it was fun, it had to end or move to the next level. She wanted Noah, and she was pretty sure that he wanted her now, even though he hadn’t in the beginning. What better way to find out how much, or if it was just a game to him or not, than now, while she was in control of their partnership. She could take the lead and put him on the spot. He would have to put up or shut up, once and for all.
“Everything okay?” Noah asked, seeing her frown as he looked down at her again and wondering what she was thinking. “Are you rethinking the strategy with Papa?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just… let’s go back to the room. It’s been a big day,” she sighed, not wanting to have the conversation that she was about to embark on in the lobby of the hotel.
“Whatever you want,” Noah smiled and continued to walk with his arm around her, enjoying the feel of her small body partially melded to his side. It was with more than a little disappointment that he let go of her when they reached their room so that he could unlock and open the door. He watched Marcella as she walked in ahead of him and then turned to shut the door behind them, expecting her to continue into the bedroom to change.
“Oomph!” Noah let out a large breath as Marcella barrelled into his back from behind, taking him by surprise and pressing him against the closed door. “Marcella? What?” He moved to turn around, but her words stopped him.
“Stay right there,” she said softly, moving her arms around his waist and pushing her body against his from behind, like she could imagine he would like to do to her. Her height was a problem she hadn’t considered in this position, but not an insurmountable obstacle, she thought with a grin, as she let her hands run over the muscles in his abdomen up to his chest. Then she ran them back down, teasing at his belt above what she could only assume was a rising erection, but she didn’t let her hands fall that far down to check if he was hard or not, yet.
“Okay,” he said slowly, enjoying the feel of her body against his and her hands exploring his chest and belly. He sucked in his tummy in a little, knowing how it would look and feel after such a big dinner and not wanting to give her an excuse to stop whatever was happening tonight.
“Until this plan is fully completed, who’s in control of what we do?” Marcella asked in a husky voice.
“You are, but just remember that you are setting the ground rules for what will happen when I am in control of our day-to-day lives,” he warned her, not for the first time.
“I know,” she laughed lightly, having no intention of hanging around once the job was done and Olivia was in the clear. “You tried to take over today by thinly veiling what you wanted in a suggestion. Which is one of the reasons why I called and met your father, alone. You can’t help yourself; you’re no better than all the other arrogant Table men who think they know best and have to push their own agendas, because a weak little woman like me couldn’t possibly think of a suitable solution on her own.”
“That isn’t what I…” Noah began, but Marcella cut him off.
“I don’t want to hear excuses. The fact is that you didn’t do as I asked today. You failed to stay in the car. You failed to leave when I instructed you to, and you came inside where I had told you I didn’t want you to be.” She trailed her fingers around the belt again, playing with the buckle as she started loosening it. “I’m thinking that, seeing as you saw fit to punish me for being a bitch with a spanking, that you, too, should endure some form of punishment,” she teased in a low, sultry voice, and let her hand run down the front of his pants and press firmly over his trapped erection.
“What exactly did you have in mind?” Noah asked, trying to keep his voice even but finding it extremely difficult with her hand on his cock. He could overpower her in less than a minute but to do that would end this little game that she was playing, and he was eager to see where it led.
“I want full control. You will be at the mercy of me and my whims tonight,” she said huskily, her fingers squeezing at his cock through the material of his pants.
“Okay, tonight,” Noah said after some thought. It would be difficult to dampen his dominant side, but the knowledge that he would have the opportunity to turn the tables on her soon enough was all that he needed to agree to her terms. “But, tomorrow, can I show you around the Darwin that I know and love?”
“As guide, where I can veto any activity that I don’t like the look of?” she questioned, curiously.
“More like a date, but I will do the guide thing, if you like,” he agreed.
“A date, huh?” She gave a soft laugh, and finally stepped back from where she had been crowding him against the wall. “After all these months of denying any interest in me, you want a date now?”
“I’ve never denied that I am attracted to you, Marcella,” he responded as he turned to look at her. “I turned down an invitation to spend the night with you when we first met because it was too soon, for both of us. We barely knew each other, and I didn’t want to be another notch on your bedpost. I want more. I want the date, and whatever this is tonight. I want to spend time with you, and I want to keep you safe, and if that means getting punished because I didn’t follow bullshit orders when I knew you were in trouble, then I’ll take the punishment,” he said, his voice rising in frustration with her. He didn’t reach for her even though his hands twitched to do just that. She needed to prove that she was in control, and he had to let her do it.
“My, my, my, who would have thought that Noah Zenati was such a prude that he baulked at one-night stands?” she mocked him, callously.
“I have no problem with one-night stands. It was you. You were different, and I wanted more with you. Especially after the agreement we made over breakfast that week. Speaking of which, we really should inform your parents that we made the engagement official with a ring,” he grinned, trying to lighten the mood. The mention of her father, however, had the opposite effect, and as her expression became hard, he cursed himself inwardly for a fool.
“This engagement isn’t official, Noah. It’s part of the disguise, remember,” Marcella said, in a stiff voice. “In no way, shape or form did I agree to actually marry you.” She went to pull the ring off her finger, but the tight fit had grown tighter after the heat and humidity of the day. She would need soap or something to get it off now.
“Don’t take it off,” Noah’s voice cracked as he held back from grabbing her hands. “There is no need to take it off yet. I was teasing. I am sorry. I forgot it was a touchy subject. You were going to punish me anyway, just add my droll humour to the list.” He gave her a half smile as he saw her relax, and her hands drop to her sides, the ring still in place.
“Fine, whatever. I’m done playing for the night, I just want to go to bed now,” she sighed, knowing that leaving him with a raging hard-on was going to be punishment all on its own. “Those blue balls of yours should be punishment enough.” She shrugged nonchalantly before unzipping her dress and stepping out of it on the way to the bathroom. She grinned as she heard Noah groan behind her.
Two could play that game, Noah thought as he followed her, pulling his shirt out of his waistband and unbuttoning it. He was shrugging out of it as he walked into the bathroom behind her. He struggled not to appreciate her lingerie and the need it evoked in him, for the second time that day, and undid his pants as he turned on the shower. He saw her eyes follow him as he removed the last of his clothes and stepped under the spray of the water. She continued to pull her hair back into a messy bun and removed her make-up, pretending to ignore him. She was still at the long double sink, brushing her teeth, when he wrapped a towel around his waist and grabbed his own toothbrush. He wondered if she had stayed to ensure that he wouldn’t jerk off in the shower to relieve the raging hardon she had left him with.
“So, I can organise a guided tour of the best non-touristy spots tomorrow?” he asked as he put his toothbrush away.
“What?” she snapped, as if she had been daydreaming. “Oh… the guide thing… sure. I don’t have any better ideas, aside of lounging by the pool.”
“Great. I’ll just make a few calls and set things up,” He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Sweet dreams, honeybee,” he grinned and left the room before she could veto that name, along with all the other pet names he had tried out on her.
*****
It was close to midnight. Genesis was rubbing the healing aloe cream into Olivia’s delectable body and admiring the marks that he had given her when his phone buzzed, not with a message but a call. He frowned. No one would call at this time unless it was important, and his heartbeat sped up with the thought that something had happened to Noah. He had always been far too reckless when left to his own devices, but then so was Marcella. He snatched his phone up from the bedside table and swiped across the screen with an oily finger to answer it.
“Yeah,” he answered the call in a clipped voice.
“Gen, good that you’re awake,” Armando said in a voice Genesis couldn’t quite discern. “I need to see you, tonight.”
“Is Noah okay?” Genesis asked his most immediate question.
“As far as I know, yes,” Armando said. “I’m in the car. I will be at your place in fifteen minutes.”
“That’s good, about Noah I mean. It’s late. Is it Olivia’s deposition?” he asked, not wanting to hear that the AFP had decided to press charges against her, after all.
“Genesis, nothing will happen to Olivia on my watch,” he said sternly, not wanting to get into the deal that Marcella was doing with the devil over the phone.
“Okay,” Genesis frowned with the uneasy feeling that the tone in his father’s voice gave him. “Is it Marcella?”
“As far as I know, she is fine too,” Armando said. “I’ll explain when I get there.”
Genesis listened to the click of the phone and pursed his lips, trying to make sense of why his father would need to see him at this time of night. If it were about Table business, they would call a meeting, at least for business of the older Table, if not the newly-appointed one on which he had a seat. He turned back to his beautiful girl, who now lay on her back, gazing up at him curiously but saying nothing.
“Sorry, little one, we will have to postpone round three. Papa is on his way here,” Genesis said, while crawling over her body to kiss her gently. “Let’s get you dressed, so you can say hello when he arrives.”
“But everything is okay with Noah and Marcie?” Olivia asked, a small tremor in her voice, as she took on Genesis’s feeling of confusion.
“As far as we know, they are both just fine,” he said and gave her a reassuring smile.
Ten minutes later, Genesis let his father into their apartment, greeting him with a strong embrace before allowing Olivia to do the same, and include a kiss on the cheek. Once they settled into the comfortable couches, Armando looked up and drew a deep breath.
“I know that it’s late, Olivia, but, since you are awake, can you tell me about the woman you call Aunty Bea in your deposition, again?” he asked gently. Genesis said nothing as he turned his gaze from his father to the sweet woman he loved.
“Aunty Bea?” Olivia frowned, taken aback by the question. “She looked after me, or rather Remy, and me because of him.” She glanced at Genesis, knowing that he hated any mention of Remington and what he had done to her. “In the beginning, she reassured me that Remy was a good man, and that I would want for nothing while I was with him. She oversaw the diet he insisted that I followed, and made sure I had my medications. She looked after me when I was sick or injured and, every time, reassured me about how much he loved me and that he would always look after me. I heard her argue with him a few times about the state of my injuries. She was the housekeeper, but she always spoke her mind and would argue with him occasionally. She wasn’t scared of him at all.” Olivia shrugged again. “I trusted her to protect me from anything really bad, just like…”
“Like?” Armando prompted when she fell silent.
“Like Marcella,” she whispered. “I was never injured at our home, only at Hermione’s, and Aunty Bea didn’t like it when Remy…”
“Went too far?” Armando asked, wanting to make the conversation easier for both her and Genesis, who was now grinding his teeth and trying to hide his balled fists. Olivia nodded but seemed to have run out of words.
“Did you feel like it might have been Aunty Bea’s house and that Remington lived with her, like she was his real Aunt? A family member?” he asked gently.
“I don’t know,” she finally whispered.
“Okay, your turn. Why all the questions?” Genesis asked through gritted teeth, showing his anger at having Olivia questioned about her time with Remington Royce, again.
“I’ve been approached by someone who claims to have information about the whereabouts of Hermione’s.” He held up his hand as he saw Genesis about to interrupt him. “Not only the whereabouts, but information about a meeting set to take place there in a few days, involving the remaining power players within the northern Suebi clan. They are willing to give us this information if Olivia will sign a statement indicating her intent to gift the house that she lived in with Remington Royce to his housekeeper, Bea Kottman.” He sat back, letting them take that information in.
“I never want to go back there anyway, so where do I sign?” Olivia blurted, after a few moments in which she watched the mounting anger stiffen Genesis’s body beside her.
“What’s so special about the house?” Genesis narrowed his eyes at his father. “Why betray your own clan for a house?”
“That’s the big question, isn’t it?” Armando agreed. “This is time-sensitive, however, and I need to start on the paperwork, if Olivia agrees. The only thing I can offer you is that the AFP have been all over that house. I doubt there is anything hidden there that they haven’t found.”
“Then why? I just don’t buy it. Have you talked to Gianni about this?” Genesis asked. “What about Imelda or one of the Tatar?”
“Gianni and Anthony know, as does Claudio, and they are looking into it while I deal with what’s in front of me and the timeline. My source is taking a big risk trusting us, and I have no interest in leaving them out there in no man’s land any longer than necessary,” Armando said, not brooking any argument. “Think about what it is they are asking from you, and if it’s worth putting other people at risk when you have no intention of keeping the house, and certainly don’t need the money so badly that you can’t afford to gift it to this woman.”
Genesis said nothing as he continued to think on the questions this situation raised. Olivia looked a little lost as she glanced between the two men.
“We will talk again tomorrow. There will be a meeting tomorrow morning, and I didn’t want you blind-sided and have the decision taken from you. Give it some thought, and weigh the risks involved carefully,” Armando advised and rose to his feet, walking back toward the door and letting himself out.
Genesis let out a large breath and turned to survey Olivia. She looked anxious and a little bewildered. Probably because of his reaction to the news, he admitted. Picking up her hand, he tugged on it, motioning her towards him.
“Come here,” he murmured, helping her to straddle his lap so that he could look into her eyes, the chemise she wore riding up her thighs as she did so. He indulged himself, running his hands up her thighs, making it ride higher as she leaned forward, twisting her hands around the back of his neck.
“I don’t care about the house. I never even thought about going back there. She can have it, if that’s what they need to get the other people at Hermione’s,” she said quietly.
“I know, little one,” Genesis said, trying to hold back the growl in his voice. He hated to think about what had happened to her and make her relive those moments. She belonged to him now, and he would show her what real love and care in a relationship like theirs looked like. He drew her to him and kissed her, sliding his hands around to her ass.
“Now, where were we, before we were so rudely interrupted?” he murmured hotly into her ear, not wanting her to worry about this any further tonight. He knew how she felt and that she would do whatever he and his father recommended. She was his, and he felt the need to remind her of that right now. Standing with her in his arms, he walked them back to the bedroom.
Olivia knew that he would need to stake his claim over her again, after the repeated mention of Remington. Her body ached from the session that she had already submitted to earlier, and she wondered how much more she could take. Wrapped in his arms, his lips bruising hers with the force of his kiss, he placed her on the bed. She moaned against his mouth as his hands eagerly removed the blue silk chemise and tossed it aside. Tremors swept her body, as his heat and need seemed to engulf her. Olivia was anxious, but relished the tenderness and concern that showed in his face, as he gently lay her back onto the bed, dragging his hands down her body as he moved to stand over her and remove his clothes.
Once naked, Genesis kissed his way up her leg, letting his fingers trail up both thighs, over the curve of her hips, and higher, until she felt him hovering over the top of her. He took both of her wrists, his gaze intense as he lifted them high above her head and tied them together, and then to the bedhead with a silk rope. As her head rested on the pillow, he began slowly stroking his fingers up and down her body, once again admiring the marks that he had given her earlier, and noticing the shiver that ran through her at his touch. Enjoying her reaction to this softer touch, he continued to lightly feather his fingers from her left ankle, up to her left shoulder, and then down her right shoulder to her right ankle. He teased her skin with the tickling almost-touches mercilessly. The inside of her upper thighs trembled the most from his teasing fingers, and he imagined that her plaintive mewls and twisting of her body begged for a firmer touch. He raised his head until their eyes met and she obediently stilled for him.
“Please!” Olivia moaned pleadingly, her eyes closing as he slipped his hands up her thighs and began sliding his fingers around the outer edges of her pussy, before dipping one probing finger into her warmth. She gasped as a second finger joined the first, and her hips bucked at the contact. He teased her with only a few strokes, before withdrawing his fingers and moving up her body to kiss her.
“Please, what?” Genesis questioned huskily, moving between her thighs and dropping his head to kiss the small hard buds of her nipples, while sliding his hands up the back of her thighs to cup her ass in his hands and rubbing his cock along the length of her pussy. His lips travelled over her breasts, nipping and sucking at her nipples.
Whimpering with desire, Olivia began rolling her hips so that her pussy moved more firmly against his cock, wishing it would slip inside her. She moaned and arched her back, thrusting her breasts further into his mouth. Finally, he pulled back and began to rub the head of his cock around the entrance to her pussy with a growl, showing that his own need matched hers.
After a few moments of enjoying the sight and sound of the sexy little nymph that he loved, Genesis knelt between her legs. His hands caressed her rounded hips, and his warm, wet tongue started to lick her inner thigh, slowly running up and down, moving closer and closer, before finally finding her hot, wet pussy.
“Oh Genesis,” she breathed in a whimper, as he continued to savour her arousal. His tongue bathed her aching pussy, lapping at her as she arched in response. “Oh fuck, I need to… Oh God… p… p… please! I need… I need…” she begged brokenly, unable to complete the thought, as he continued his assault, concentrating on her clit as his fingers delved inside her. Her breathing quickened, and she writhed and moaned from the pleasure that he was giving her. Her thighs tightened around him, confining his soft mouth and wicked tongue. His tongue continued to torture her aroused clit between the small bites that sent tendrils of pleasureful pain through her body. Lifting his hands, he grabbed her hips and held her firmly, as she rode out her orgasm on his mouth.
Slowly, he kissed his way up her body and stopped at her breasts. He listened to her plaintive mewls and whimpers as he gave the stiff peaks of her nipples more attention. She gasped as his hands slid under her back, slightly lifting her up, as he hungrily sucked hard on each of her nipples, his tongue bathing them as it had her pussy. Moving his teeth again, he tamely bit into the side of her neck, as he roughly and passionately kissed his way up to look down into her eyes. Finally reaching her mouth, he kissed her deeply, his tongue twisting around hers to share the taste of her body with her. Then, with a single sharp, forceful thrust, he pushed into her to the very hilt, and he swallowed her gasp of pleasure as their tongues continued to dance.
He reached up, and with a flick of his wrist, he had her arms free. Her hands grasped his back, her nails scratching his skin as she clawed and writhed in her passion. In a breathless whisper against his ear, she moaned unintelligibly. She was so wet now, that his cock easily glided in and out of her, over and over and over again, and with each deep thrust, she cried out in pleasure.
Her cries were music to his ears, and he wanted more. Pulling out of her, he flipped her over, then pulled her ass up high. She quivered as his hand moved to the middle of her back to make her body bow, and her head lifted to cry out when his hand crashed down to spank her ass. The lined flesh quivered and turned pink for the second time that evening, and he smiled, as he reached below her with his other hand to play with her clit. He continued to spank her several more times, before thrusting back into her velvety warmth with no warning, making her gasp loudly and bow her back further, as she took the forceful blow.
He ran his hand along her ribs and shoulder until he could twine it into her hair, jerking her head up to hear the squeals and whimpers of her passion better as he continued to pound into her tight little body.
“Oh God,” Olivia cried out, as her head was reefed back. She howled, minutes later, as her pussy pulsed with her orgasm, and she drowned in a feeling so overwhelmingly delicious that she floated on the endorphins that filled her.
“I fucking love you,” Genesis grunted, grasping her hips hard as he drove toward his own orgasm. “You are mine,” he growled as he came deep inside her. He pulled her hips so tightly against himself that he lifted her slightly off the bed, and his hard cock filled her completely.
Trembling, as their energy and adrenaline subsided, they both collapsed onto the bed, spent and glistening with a thin veil of perspiration. Genesis slowly pulled Olivia on top of him and kissed her deeply as their heartbeats returned to normal. They spent what seemed like forever indulging in long, slow, deep kisses, and tender strokes, until she rested her head on his chest, every muscle in her body relaxed, their hearts still pounding together.
*****
“Wake up, sleepy head,” Noah said softly, gently shaking Marcella’s shoulder.
“Go away,” Marcella murmured and burrowed down into the blankets.
“We have to go. A day of adventure awaits,” Noah chuckled. “I brought you coffee.”
“Sure, adventure,” she grumbled. “I think I can live without seeing what the man who keeps lecturing me about taking risks considers an adventure,” she groaned and pulled a pillow over her head. “A visit to the museum can wait until I’m done sleeping.”
“I think that you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the lack of museums on the itinerary today,” he teased, removing the pillow from her head. “Come on, get up. You’ll never know unless you move that cute ass of yours.” He felt buoyed by what had happened when they arrived back at their suite last night and intended to make the most of her apparent thawing out where he was concerned.
“You’re supposed to be following my lead, remember,” she growled.
“I am! You told me, last night, to plan today, because you had no better idea than lying around beside the pool,” Noah responded, defensively.
“I’ve changed my mind. Lying around by the pool sounds so good right now,” Marcella groaned, but she began to sit up and looked to her side where the tantalising smell of coffee was coming from. “My god, what time is it?” she frowned, picking up her phone once she had sat up and taken a sip of the coffee.
“It’s four thirty, and we have to go,” Noah said, becoming frustrated with how long she was taking to wake up. He had left it until the last moment, to allow her as much sleep as possible, and now he realised that was probably a mistake.
“You’re insane!” Marcella accused.
“No, just making the most of the day you gave me,” Noah grinned. “Please get up and get dressed. We have a schedule to keep.”
“A schedule!” Marcella snorted. “Oh yeah, that just reeks of adventure,” she said as she rolled her eyes.
“Care to make a bet on that?” he asked with a smug voice and crossing his arms over his chest.
“What sort of a bet?” she frowned, not willing to give up any more of her control than she already had.
“A baseball bet,” he chuckled. “For each adventure that you enjoy, I gain a base. If you are bored or don’t like what I have planned, you can call a foul ball and we move on to the next batter, so to speak. If you call foul ball three times, and mean it, we can return to lounge by the pool and drink cocktails.”
“Well, that’s a no-brainer, Mr-safety-first. We may as well just stay here and save time,” Marcella said, derisively.
“You won’t know until you try. Is it a bet?” He held out his hand to her, and she eyed it warily, before taking it in her own.
“Challenge accepted,” she laughed and then groaned as he used her hand to pull her from the bed. “Alright, give me a few minutes to get dressed, then we can go and keep your ludicrous schedule.”
“Ludicrous?” Noah asked, in mock indignation. “I guess that Stevie doesn’t want to come out and play with me today,” he teased.
“No sane person would make someone they’re trying to impress get up this early,” she retorted, through the partially-closed bathroom door. “Luckily, Stevie is more easily impressed than me and will do anything to get out of being cooped up here all day.”
He bit back the retort that was on his tongue about what made her think that he was trying to impress her, and that he might just be indulging his own adrenaline junkie which he rarely let free anymore. He was looking forward to the day, and the last thing he wanted to do was cause this acerbic banter to devolve into an argument before the day even started.
“The longer you take, the less time we have for breakfast,” he warned, as he walked out of the bedroom to avoid another teasing incident of Marcella parading around in lingerie in front of him.
He’d already packed a bag for her with everything that she would need for the day, including the bikini that added to his fantasies and an evening gown in scarlet red for tonight. He was confident in his plans for the day, and with the bet in place, he was now looking forward to the day even more.
“Breakfast?” Marcella asked, twenty minutes later, as she walked into the living area in jeans and a t-shirt, with a small cactus near her left shoulder and the words ‘Need a Hug’ stamped below it.
“We’ll pick it up on the way. It took far too long to get you out of bed,” Noah grumbled, but his face held the hint of a smile, showing that he didn’t mind as much as his words would lead her to believe. He was pleased to notice that she was wearing Chux, rather than heels, and his eyes swept up her body, admiring her again.
“Great. McDonald’s? Nothing else will be open at this time of day,” she grumbled in return.
Noah shook his head and opened the door for her, saying nothing in response to her dig about McDonald’s. Truth be told, he didn’t mind an egg McMuffin and hash browns on occasion. It was still dark when they stepped out into the valet parking area, and he struggled to hold back his smirk as Marcella sighed audibly.
“You know this being up before the sun isn’t impressing me, right?” she continued to grumble at him. “The chances of you even getting close to first base are diminishing by the minute. This pre-dawn wake-up call gets you your first foul ball, slugger,” she said so drolly Noah couldn’t help but laugh as he opened the car door for her.
Marcella gazed out of the window, ignoring the man beside her, as he drove towards the city and then through it, heading north for a few minutes, before pulling into a small bakery. A smiling older man emerged with a cake box and two coffee cups in a cardboard holder.
“Thanks, Gee,” Noah said, grabbing the box and cups, before passing them to Marcella. “Sorry we can’t stay. We’re running late to catch the dawn.”
“It’s all good, Trouble. You tell your Madrina that I said hello,” the man said cheerily, and hustled back into the bakery, as Marcella opened the box and perused the contents for a few moments, before what the man said registered in her mind.
“Trouble?” she asked.
“I told you that Madrina called me Trouble and why,” he said with a shrug, snagging a pastry from the box, before putting the car in reverse and backing out onto the main road again. “The coffees are the same. Take whichever one you want,” he offered.
“You drink the same coffee as me?” she asked, confused by that statement, and took a pecan and butterscotch pastry from the box.
“I’m not fussy,” he shrugged. “Flat white with two sugars is the most common way that people seem to order their coffee, so I just go with the flow. Personally, given a choice, I prefer coconut water or juice.”
“Then why order it, at all?” she questioned.
“I don’t mind the caffeine boost now and then, especially on early mornings like this,” he chuckled.
“We’re flying?” Marcella frowned. It seemed like Noah had driven for only minutes before he pulled off the main road to the road that she knew led to the airport.
“In a manner of speaking,” he nodded.
“What does that mean?” she asked, becoming annoyed with his non-answers about the day that he had planned.
“We’re taking off from here, but we won’t be landing back here,” he explained, cryptically.
Marcella opened her mouth to berate him for giving her stupid answers when she noticed the building in front of which they were pulling up. Tandem Skydiving blazed across the outside of the building in large sign writing, and she gasped. This was not what she had expected from Noah and his no-risk-lectures.
“You’re going to let me throw myself out of a plane? From a great height?” she asked, almost breathlessly.
“Attached to someone else with a parachute, after you have watched the training video and done the prejump instruction,” he nodded as he listed his conditions. “Unless, of course, you are a card-carrying member of a skydiving club, then you can jump on your own. If you trust someone else to pack a chute for you.”
“No, I’ve never skydived before, but I have always wanted to,” she admitted, excited by the idea of doing this. “You’re going to jump too?” she asked.
“I am. I am a card-carrying member of the club here, and I jump with these guys, often,” he admitted. “It’s a great adrenaline-fuelled way to start the day.” He chuckled at the look of surprise on her face.
“Had enough to eat?” he motioned to the box on her lap.
“Yeah,” she said, distractedly handing him the box. “We’re doing this now?”
“Once you have done all the prejump training, yes,” he said, with a half-smile that showed one dimple in his smooth cheek. “The sooner you do that, the sooner we can go up.”
Marcella frowned, wondering why she hadn’t noticed that dimple before, and refrained from reaching out to touch it. Instead, she turned and opened her door, eager to get started. Chuckling to himself, Noah followed her into the building. It took close to an hour before they could board the plane. Noah pulled Marcella close, her back to his chest, as they took their seats in the small plane.
“Don’t I have to sit with the guy I am jumping with?” she questioned.
“You are,” Noah chuckled, close to her ear. When she turned and looked at him with a horrified expression, he explained, “They wouldn’t let you jump with me if I wasn’t qualified to tandem,” he reassured her. “I’ve taken Sera more than once, and she is still alive, so trust me. You are safer with me than with Brett over there.” He indicated his friend, who was jumping with them to record the jump on a second camera to the Go-Pro he had strapped to his wrist. Marcella didn’t answer him, and they remained silent for the rest of the flight until they were close to the drop zone and Noah had to talk and move to do the prejump check, and attach her harness to his own.
Marcella said nothing and only nodded nervously, as Noah once again went through the instructions and positions for the jump. She felt the four carabiners clip into place at her shoulders and hips, and he reminded her, again, about crossing her arms over her chest and leaning her head back into his chest.
Noah believed that it would be a relatively easy jump for him, with her being so petite, but he had jumped often enough not to be cavalier about safety. It wasn’t that he was opposed to risk-taking, as Marcella thought. It was more that he liked to manage the risks and stay in control of the elements he could. Stevie wanted to become an adrenalin junkie, and he needed to show her that she could have adrenalin-fuelled adventures with him, here in Darwin.
Moving to the door, he could feel her tremble in his arms as he helped her cross her hands over her chest and grip the harness straps, then tilt her back. He gave her the thumbs-up signal in front of them, and the videographer stepped out of the plane and took up a position beside the door. Noah tipped them forward once, looking for the landing site, then tipped again and fell forward out of the plane. He felt Marcella’s body shake against him, and the vague echo of her scream, as they freefell. There was no talking during this part of the dive, between the wind and speed, and Marcella showed how much attention she had paid, by holding her position with her arms out and her legs inside of his.
The rush of the free fall was over too soon for Marcella as she was jolted to what felt like a full stop by the parachute. She waited until Noah had told her the chute was good before relaxing and letting go of the breath she had been holding, and she began to take in the vast landscape below them. The sun was still struggling to rise over the horizon, painting the sky with pale pastel colours. It was unbelievably beautiful, and she could now understand why he had woken her so early.
“We will be landing on that small beach.” Noah bent his head to speak close to her ear. “It should take us about five minutes to descend like this.” Then he began pointing out some of the prominent features in the landscape, so that she could orientate herself as to where they were. “Not quite the boring guided tour you were expecting?” he asked.
“No,” she shook her head. “Not at all,” she replied and grinned, still filled with adrenalin.
“Not a foul ball, then?” He reminded her of the bet they had made.
“No,” Marcella agreed. She had to give him credit where it was due. No one would consider this jump as a foul ball on Noah’s guided tour of Darwin.
“Arms in, legs up,” he warned, as the beach rushed up toward them and Noah brought them into land on their bottoms, with their legs making furrows in the sand.
“That was incredible!” Marcella crowed delightedly as Noah undid the clips that held her to him so that she could move and he could control the parachute in the stiff wind on the beach. She remained almost giddy as they removed the harnesses and jumpsuits, leaving them with the guy who had jumped with them and another man from the company, who had come to pick him and the gear up. When they began to move, as if to leave without them, Marcella became concerned.
“Where are they going?” she asked in alarm.
“Back to base,” Noah chuckled. “We’re not going with them. We have other plans,” Noah informed her as she turned to him, concerned that they were going to be stranded here.
“Then how are we getting off this beach?” she asked, a little more acidly than she had meant to. “The one thing that I do know about Darwin is that the water has the most dangerous creatures in it. I’m not swimming with Tiger sharks, crocodiles and box jellyfish! I know you said adventure, but you can’t possibly be expecting me to swim back from here! I have swum in the sea here once, and it wasn’t fun.” She remembered trying to find Olivia’s boat in the cove graveyard.
“No, I don’t expect you to swim all the way back,” he chuckled, and reached out to take her hand. “You didn’t eat much breakfast. Are you hungry?” he asked, and motioned to the men, who were returning from the four-wheel drive once the gear had been stored, with an esky carried between them.
“Yes, famished actually. You didn’t answer my question, though,” Marcella accused.
“No, I didn’t,” he agreed with a smile. “Let’s grab something to eat and then I’ll show you the next thing on today’s schedule. You gave me today to organise, Marcella. Can you just relax and enjoy it?” he asked softly. “You can veto any activity, and they will come back for us if you truly want to go home, at any point in the day. You should try and eat, though. You will need the energy,” he chuckled.
“You’re really not going to tell me?” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Maybe I should just call a foul ball on everything, and go back to Darwin with these guys,” she threatened.
“Fine, come with me,” he sighed loudly, disappointed that she couldn’t just trust him. He walked up the beach to the line where the dense forest started, and pointed to a smaller track than the one the SVU had arrived on. It took her a few minutes to see the two quad bikes, parked in the shade next to the track.
“We’re riding those?” she asked, a little nervously. She could drive a car but motorbikes, even quad ones, were not something she had ever considered.
“We’ll go slow until you get used to it. It’s easier than driving a car,” he chuckled. “Let’s grab some food before the guys go. They’re on the clock, and have other customers today.”
“So, we’re riding back to Darwin? Are those even street legal?” she asked, as they walked back to where the small picnic had been laid out.
“No and no,” Noah said, and before she could press him, he started talking to the guys. “Thanks for this. I’m starved.” He sat on the edge of the blanket and pulled Marcella down beside him.
“Thanks,” Marcella echoed Noah, before taking a soft bread roll that he handed her and began piling avocado, ham, cheese and tomato onto it. She also accepted a bottle of tropical juice as she sat back to eat. “You two have the best job in the world, by the looks of it,” Marcella said, making polite conversation.
“You won’t get any arguments from me,” one of the men grinned. “The boss can be a bit of a hard ass though,” he chuckled. “He’s all about the paperwork and legalities and risk management plans.” He rolled his eyes dramatically, while his friend chuckled with him, giving Noah surreptitious glances.
“Sounds like someone I know,” she smirked and looked at Noah, who was shaking his head but had a grin, knowing the guys were teasing him. “You’re the boss?” Marcella’s eyes went wide.
“More of a silent partner,” Noah admitted. “After my last big accident with the hang glider, my father took the opportunity, while I was healing and immobile, to teach me about risk management. Which is why these guys think that I can be a bit of a hard ass, but we have an impeccable record. In fact, all of the businesses associated with Northern Adventure Tours have impeccable safety records.”
“Now there is the Noah that I know, always warning about risks and the dangers of rushing into situations,” she chuckled. “Sometimes you just need to make a leap of faith,” Marcella advised through her laughter, teasing him.
“Yeah, I have to agree with the big guy there,” one of the men said soberly. “I pack my own chute, so I know that it will open when I need it to. I know the pilot checks over the plane every day and is one hundred per cent sure of his and the plane’s ability to get us where we need to go and land safely. You can’t trust anything to luck or faith up there. That’s how people die. There is no room for error when you’re falling out of the sky.”
Noah smirked, but said nothing. This was why he trusted these guys to run the business, while he came in once or twice a week to check in with them and make a jump. Marcella had gone serious, and he could see that she was trying not to look at him as she took a bite of her breakfast roll, after the good-natured rebuke. The guys continued to chat and lightly tease each other until Noah checked his watch.
“Have you had enough to eat?” he asked Marcella, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Oh yeah,” She blinked a few times. “Thanks, guys. It was great,” she said, before taking a last swig of her juice and returning it to the pile of debris reloaded into the esky. She let Noah help her up and then watched as some strange male ritual of hand slapping and wrist gripping went on, as the men said goodbye. Marcella shook their hands and smiled, thanking them again for a great jump. Then Noah took her hand and walked up the beach and into the tree line with her, to the quad bikes.
‘First, you owe me. First base, honeybunny,” he smirked, pulling her closer.
“I owe you a base? Isn’t the correct term stealing bases?” she asked. It was true that she hadn’t had a normal teenage social life, and although she knew about bases in reference to dating, she had never been quite sure what each base entailed, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Noah. “Besides, calling me honeybunny doesn’t make me inclined to give you anything you would enjoy.” She rolled her eyes at him, making him grin wider.
“It’s hardly stealing when you know what’s coming.” He stepped closer to her and lifted his hands to cup her neck and jawline, gently tilting her face up to his, and taking a breath as he closed the small distance between them. Then he angled her head slightly, as he softly pressed his lips to hers.
This wasn’t the hot, hard, clashing of mouths after arguing or teasing to the point of distraction that she was used to. This kiss was soft and tender, a melding of lips that told of restraint and desire in the same moment. Marcella parted her lips as his tongue gently ran over the seam of her closed mouth, as if asking for entry and, once granted, continued the same slow, languorous pace as his tongue explored her own, twisting together in a slow waltz, rather than a hot devilish tango. The kiss seemed to last forever and yet seemed far too short, as they finally broke apart, both breathing heavily and staring at each other. Marcella was stunned and, for once, wasn’t sure how to react to what had just happened.
“So, you didn’t call a foul ball over the quads.” Noah finally broke the spell and stepped to the first quad, holding out a helmet to her. “Boring safety guy lecture first, but then we can have some real fun getting to second base,” he chuckled, and winked at her.
Despite herself, and the strange gentleness of the kiss, Marcella laughed with him. She was enjoying this more relaxed and easy-going side of Noah. She had a feeling that she was seeing more of the real him, the one that he hid behind the suit and the lawyer face he put on in the city. She listened carefully to all his instructions, and let him show her how to attach and undo the chin strap on her helmet. She watched his mouth as he talked and she really wanted to kiss him again, but she couldn’t bring herself to be the one to instigate it, after the last kiss that was so different to what she was used to from the men she hooked up with.
“I’ll go slow at first. Just follow behind and, once you get the hang of it, you can take the lead for a while, if you like,” Noah suggested. “It’s pretty much one long track, I think. There are only a couple of forks in the road, and as long as you keep to the left, we’ll get to where we are going.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Marcella nodded, and as he turned to get on his own quad, she accelerated off slowly. It was stable and easy, and she felt comfortable on the big machine, despite her diminutive size. It took no time at all for Noah to catch up to her, as she took her time navigating the small track through the dense foliage. Noah didn’t seem to mind her pace and hung back a little, so as not to push her to go faster.
The ride seemed to go on forever, and the vibrations of the quad began to make her feel queasy after the food she had eaten at their beachside picnic. Just as she thought she may have to pull over and take a break from the ride, the trail in front of her ended abruptly in a small clearing, and she braked, pulling over to the side and shutting off the engine, grateful that she could take a rest. She sat there for a few minutes, stretching out her legs and wishing that she had worn shorts rather than jeans, as the day heated up.
“What now?” she asked, as Noah approached her, leaving his bike a few feet from her own.
“Now,” he grinned at her. “We take that leap of faith you were talking about and jump without parachutes.”
*****