“Told him wha—ohhh.” Her eyes widened. “You told him about your uncle?”
“No, not about Rice specifically. Just that Henry Bishop wasn’t my real father.”
Mari shook her head in dismay. “Why on earth would you tell him now of all times? And right before your mom’s party?”
“I didn’t plan on it.” His expression grew pained. “It just slipped out.”
Austin deposited their bags on the floor near the door, then headed to the queen-sized bed and sank on the edge of it as if he could no longer support his own weight. Breathing hard, he dropped his head in his hands and cursed softly.
“Fuck. Fuck, I shouldn’t have told him. Especially out of the blue like that.”
“You know he’s going to have a million questions,” she said gently.
When Austin lifted his head, the pain in those gorgeous green eyes made her heart clench. “I know.”
Mari went to sit beside him. She reached for his hand and squeezed it.
After a beat, he put his arm around her and pulled her close. “Thanks for being here, Mari.” And then he grasped her chin and brushed a soft kiss over her lips.
Or at least it started off soft. Before Mari knew it, the kiss took on a life of its own, turning into a tongue-tangling, passion-heavy make-out that left her breathless. When Austin’s hands slid beneath her shirt to cup her breasts, she moaned, allowed herself three seconds of exquisite pleasure, then swatted his hands away.
“We can’t,” she reminded him. “We have to get ready for the party. Both of us still need to shower and change.”
He leaned in again and brought his lips to her neck, giving it a light nibble that made her shiver. “You’re right,” he agreed huskily. “We definitely need to shower.”
Mari yelped as he hauled her to her feet and ushered her toward the ensuite bathroom like a man on a mission. She couldn’t help but laugh as Austin started stripping like his life depended on it, but the laughter turned into a happy sigh once his magnificent body was exposed. God, she loved his chest. So broad and hard and perfectly muscled. Her gaze dipped to the thick erection that rose to his navel, and she promptly found a new object to drool over.
She was about to ask him how he could possibly be turned on after that confrontation with his brother, but his expression was all the answer she needed. It was desperate. Hungry. Tormented. He was looking for a distraction, an outlet for the frustration and pain he was feeling, and Mari didn’t begrudge him that. She couldn’t even imagine what he was going through. Finding out the man who’d raised him wasn’t really his father, feeling like his identity had been torn away from him.
She wasn’t sure how she would react if she discovered her parents had kept a secret like that from her—would she shut down the way Austin had? Or would she take it in stride?
But this wasn’t about her. This was about the man in front of her. He was hurting, and she hated seeing him in such pain.
Keeping her eyes locked with his, she quickly wiggled out of her jeans, T-shirt and underwear. Austin’s nostrils flared, lust flooding his expression and edging out some of that desperation, just as she’d intended.
“C’mere,” he said gruffly, holding out his hand.
Naked, she walked toward him and accepted his hand. He laced his fingers through hers, then led her to the glass shower stall. As he turned on the water and adjusted the temperature, Mari stroked his chest, dragging her palm along the warm, male flesh, enjoying the way his muscles quivered under her touch.
It wasn’t long before he was kissing her again, while the hot water cascaded over their naked bodies. His big, callused hands traveled down her body and began a slow, torturous exploration that made her whimper. He cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples with his thumbs, squeezing and stroking and kneading until she couldn’t think straight anymore. But she forced herself to focus, to ignore the arousal building between her legs and give Austin what he needed.
Before he could protest, she pushed his hands away and dropped to her knees.
Water soaked her hair and slid down her back, droplets clinging to her eyelashes as she peered up at him. “Let me make you feel good.”
He gave a little moan as she brought her lips to his cock, then shuddered when she engulfed him with her mouth.
She sucked him all the way down to the root, her pulse speeding up as the pressure between her legs grew even more intense. He was so big and so male and the feel of him filling her mouth was a turn-on she hadn’t expected. Blowjobs had never really excited her before. She’d performed them because her boyfriends enjoyed them, and though she’d felt good knowing she was bringing someone else pleasure, she hadn’t gleaned any physical pleasure from the act. But as she licked the crown of his erection and glided her tongue along the sensitive underside, her core throbbed incessantly and she knew she was experiencing the same pleasure she was bringing Austin.