Marco and I laugh hard as we continue to watch the entertaining show. Suddenly the room goes pitch black, except for the candle still flickering on the kitchen counter.
“W-what’s going on?” my voice stammers as I clench my fists. I mean, obviously, it’s a blackout; it just spooked me a little.
“Looks like we lost power.” Marco gently tugs my hand, pulling me closer. “I figured we would. You’re shaking.”
“I’m good,” I confirm in a breathy voice, as a large bolt of lightning illuminates the room for a brief second, followed by the loud crackling sound of thunder. I shiver as the rain continues to batter the windows, and the howling wind seems to roar louder. It sounds like the storm is about to break through the glass windows any second.
Marco stares at me, and I can still make out the crystal glow of his eyes. “Stay here for a second.” He jumps from the couch, leaving me alone in the darkness. I listen to him, rummage through his bedroom closet. “Got it.” The room is illuminated as Marco walks back over to me like a Boy Scout, holding up a bright, portable flashlight that looks like a camping lantern. “Come on.” He tugs my hand and coaxes me from the couch.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see,” He carefully guides me to the door. “It’s a surprise.” I’m rapidly learning Marco is full of surprises.
Marco leads us through the quiet gym down to The Pit, guiding me by the arm the entire way to balance me in the dark. You can barely hear the storm raging outside, and I instantly relax.
The cage in the center of the room is dimly lit with dozens of tiny, flickering tea lights, making the steel beast look almost...romantic. The door to the octagon is open and we step inside. My jaw goes slack at the makeshift blanket fort sitting in the corner with a bunch of pillows on the floor inside.
“You did this?” I ask dumbly. Of course he did it. “Why?”
“You’re afraid of storms,” he says in a casual voice. Like it’s no big deal. “It’s peaceful, and I figured we could ride it out down here. I wanted you to feel safe.”
“This is…” I’m not sure what it is, but the gesture is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I kneel into the mass of pillows and blankets, staring up at him towering over me. The man is casually battling his way into my heart, punching away at the cement wall I created. The more I get to know him, the more the wall crumbles, and the more I’m afraid I’ll shatter. “Thank you. This is wonderful.” No one’s ever done anything like this for me. I’m having a tough time resisting Marco’s sensitive side.
Marco drops to his knees in front of me, and I can’t stop staring into his eyes. “See, I knew you liked me.”
“You’re delusional,” I scoff, but we both know I’m full of shit. I do like him. I like him a lot. I’ve never met anyone like him.
Marco reaches across my lap, and for a second, I think he’s going to kiss me. And I’m definitely going to let him. He grabs something and rights himself back up into a sitting position, his ridiculously long legs sticking halfway out of the blanket fort. “I thought we could listen to some music.”
I chuckle as he fiddles with an 80s vintage boombox. “Um…nice radio.” I try to hold back my grin as he plops out a cassette tape that seems to have unwound a little. A freaking cassette tape.
“Shit,” he grumbles, and I cover my mouth because I don’t want to laugh at the oddity of it all and make him feel bad. I’m watching this six foot four brute of a man curse as he tries to reel in the fragile loose tape with his enormous fingers. I’m waiting for him to get it working so he can hold the radio high above his head, like John Cusack in Say Anything. Marco is a man with many different sides, from a beast of a lion to an old soul romantic. “Got it.” He plops the tape back in and presses play. Some sexy old-fashioned salsa music bursts through the speaker that sounds a lot like something I may have heard on Dancing With The Stars once.
“What are you doing?” I chuckle, as Marco stands and tries to snatch my hands.
“You wanted to see my ballroom dancing skills so…”
“I…I don’t think…”
He collects my unwilling body from the ground and pulls me to the center of the cage. “I need a partner to show you.”
“I don’t know how to do that. Any dancing I used to do was in a club, and that was a very long time ago.”
“As much as I’d love to see you dance like that, we’ll start with the cha-cha. I promise to go easy on you.” I take in his spicy, manly scent as he pulls me close against his hard chest, placing one of my hands on his shoulder and the other in his.
I try to ignore the rush of heat between my legs as he firmly grips my hip with his free hand. He takes three smooth steps forward and three steps backward, easily maneuvering my body with his, almost like he’s taking a simple stroll down the street. His hips move with the music, and he sways me back and forth, his erection unmistakeable against my stomach.
“That’s it,” Marco says after we do it a few times. “Feel the music.” The only thing I feel right now is his thick cock pressed against my abdomen and the wave of warmth flourishing between my legs. “Let’s try a little side step.” He shifts us left and right. Our hips grind against each other, and all I can think about is how good it would feel to kiss him right now. “Let’s try the rock step. Take a small step back with your left foot then replace the movement forward. Keep the movement just in your lower body.” Oh, I can feel the movement in my lower body, all right.
I’m starting to feel the Cuban beat, and I’m kind of proud I’m dancing the cha-cha. My feet get mixed up, and we both move forward at the same time, crashing together. “Sorry,” I say, and we both chuckle.
We glare at one another for a long minute when the song ends, and my pulse speeds up. There’s a heavy ache in my breasts, something I’ve never felt before.
“It’s okay. I know you can’t help it. It’s because you’re so attracted to me.” He shoots me a devilish smirk.
“You’re a jerk. I’m not attracted to you,” I scoff.
“Would you like to test that theory and kiss again? Just to make sure.” His gaze darkens with lust and heat, and it’s exhilarating. I’m prey caught in his line of sight, ready to be captured. I want to be caged.
I don’t want to be alone anymore. I can’t fight this attraction between us any longer, nor do I want to. I’m tired of running.
Marco strokes his thumb across my bottom lip. I release my hand from his and run it down his chest. My fingers tremble as I reach underneath the fabric of his T-shirt and trace his rock-hard abdomen. I’ve been dying to touch him here.
His breath stutters, and it’s warm against my neck. I remove my other hand from his shoulder and gently stroke it across the dark stubble already growing on his jaw. I gaze into his hooded eyes. My legs wobble a bit as I lift on my toes and press a soft kiss on his lips.
“What are you doing to me?” His voice is spiced with lust and desire, making my skin break out in goosebumps. All rational thoughts are out the window.
“Kissing you.”