“Okay, we’ll do cocktails and then go to our rooms,” Gab said quietly. “Let’s set our alarms for two in the morning. Everyone should have turned in by then.”

“I asked and the guest rooms are on the second floor,” Lily added. “How about if we meet at the top of the staircase.”

“My phone, has a camera and a flashlight,” Cam chimed in.

“Pretty much everyone’s does these days Cam,” Mark replied. Having worked out our plan, we all turned and followed the crowd. Bruno yipped and Braden spoke up.

“I think he has to go out.”

“I’ll go with you,” Cam offered and the two of them set off as we headed for drinks and billiards. As the others headed for the bar, Mark stopped me.

“Let’s not stay too long,” he said quietly and the stormy look in his eyes told me clearly what he would rather be doing.

“You know tonight is the night…” I began.

“I know,” he interrupted in a husky voice, eyes dropping to my lips. I took a deep breath and felt my heart start to beat faster with anticipation. “If we turn in by eleven, I’ll have a good three hours to get you out of that dress and make us both feel really good.”

“Okay,” I answered breathlessly, swallowing hard. He smiled his naughty smile and I felt butterflies in my tummy. He put his hand on my back and guided me toward the bar where the others were waiting for us.

Braden and Cam rejoined us after having put Bruno in Braden and Gabrielle’s room. As they did Braden said quietly, “We took a walk around the side of the house where you said the study was and we think we saw a weird shadow moving around out on the porch.”

“Maybe it was the ghost,” Adam said with a smile.

“Not unless he smoked,” Cam added. “Looked like somebody lit a cigarette.”

“Gerard might have security stationed out there,” Lily suggested.

“We can go through the house,” Caitlin spoke up. I wasn’t sure how much faith I had that she would be able to find the study in the dark in this labyrinth, but it seemed like we didn’t have any other choice if Gerard had security outside.

We went on to discuss the details of our individual clue cards for a while, and then Gab and Braden decided to turn in. That was the signal for the rest of us to do the same. Mark and I glanced at each other and smiled with lusty anticipation.

Chapter Sixteen

Mark

11:00 PM

As soon as our bedroom door was locked behind us I took Beth’s hand and pulled her into my arms. It had been one long, stressful week, and I needed to relieve some tension. Knowing that I was about to take her without anything between us, made me impatient and more aggressive than usual. I leaned down and kissed her hard, urging her lips apart and sweeping my tongue into her mouth. She melted and kissed me back eagerly, letting me know with her body that she would give herself to me willingly. She tasted good, like brandy, and I groaned as she pushed her hips up against me.

I wrapped her hair around one hand and held her head firmly in place, grabbing her ass with the other and grinding into her. I could tell already that tonight would not be my best example of restraint; I wanted her underneath me as soon as possible. Luckily, that seemed to be her plan too.

Pulling her body back, without breaking our kiss, she started unbuttoning her blouse. I tossed my hat and cape on a chair and started undoing my own buttons. To my relief she was out of that damned dress in record time. I finished the job by quickly getting her out of her bra and panties and practically knocking her onto the bed. She didn’t seem to mind at all, though. In fact, she was pulling me on top of her very impatiently, like she couldn’t wait to take my cock. Her skin was warm, soft and smooth, and the way that she squirmed underneath me was making me almost painfully hard.

“We should slow down,” I said kissing her neck as she tilted her head back to give me better access. “You won’t be ready.” With just a tiny moan that made my dick jump, she grabbed my hand and guided it between her legs, where I discovered, to my delight, that she was definitely ready. “Oh fuck,” I mumbled and pushed her legs apart further, positioning myself between them. She helped to bring me to her entrance, and when I felt that wet heat against the head of my cock I breathed in sharply and forced myself to hold back.

“I want you inside me now,” she said in an almost pleading tone that drove me nuts, and that was it. There was no holding back anymore at that point. I thrust into her and felt the most incredibly intense sensation I had ever encountered. It’s funny how you never know what you’re missing until you actually experience it. The problem was, that it was so intense, that I wasn’t sure I could control myself for long. I could feel everything for the first time, the heat, the velvety, wet softness of her clenching against me. It was pure ecstasy and I realized that all of my experiences before this had been like taking a shower with my socks on.

“I don’t know how long I’ll last,” I admitted, in a strained voice, breathing raggedly, my muscles tensed. I felt like I was seventeen again, like I might explode at any moment, even though I never wanted this to end.

“It’s okay,” she said soothingly, rubbing my back and wrapping her legs around my waist. “Just stop when you need to.” Her voice was so warm and sweet; she took the pressure to perform away, and it almost overwhelmed me.

At that moment, I felt something just as intense on the inside as what I was experiencing physically. The first time with her had been fantastic, but this was something beyond even that. I had never felt that kind of intense intimate connection with a woman before. I wanted to be inside her, connected to her and claiming her like this forever. She was mine and I never wanted to let go.