Be My Wife: A BWWM Romance (Make It Marriage Book 6)

by Nia Arthurs

  Down her stomach.

  To her navel.

  She shivers when I press my lips against her inner thigh.

  My name rattles past her lips like a forbidden cry.

  Damn.

  I need that.

  More of that.

  I turn to her other thigh.

  Give it the same attention.

  Elizabeth is unraveling beneath me.

  Calling my name.

  Hoarsely.

  Desperately.

  I’m a wicked man.

  I won’t give her what she wants so easily.

  Not tonight.

  Not after the way she wormed under my skin.

  Caught me off guard.

  Stole my heart when I wasn’t looking.

  Because of that, she’ll have to pay.

  I flick my fingers inside the lining of her panties.

  Up.

  Up.

  Up.

  There.

  Elizabeth gasps.

  For too many nights, I’ve heard her snap, bark, and bite at me.

  But this?

  I could get used to this.

  Teasing her.

  Touching her.

  Breaking her.

  Just like she broke me.

  Tonight, only for tonight, I’ll lower my defenses.

  Give her more than pleasure.

  More than rolling, exploding release.

  Give her my love.

  It’s more.

  It’s my heart.

  It’s my everything.

  Even if my everything is less from having been broken and burned.

  I love you, Elizabeth.

  Her moans come louder, closer together.

  Her hands reach for me.

  I hold her close.

  Rest my forehead against hers.

  Rock her world.

  I love you.

  Twenty-Four

  Elizabeth

  My world is rising and falling like an inflatable balloon. Like a boat drifting on choppy waves.

  I moan.

  Try to get the bed to stop moving.

  The bed responds by holding me tighter.

  Wait.

  My eyes burst open.

  Sunlight burns my irises.

  Golden rays.

  Rumpled sheets.

  A man’s chest.

  I gasp.

  Brogan’s chest.

  The sheets dip low enough to reveal—

  I sigh in disappointment.

  He’s wearing a pair of tight black boxers.

  I peek down at myself.

  Cringe.

  I’m still naked.

  Last night comes rushing back to me.

  Brogan over me.

  Inside me.

  Kissing me.

  Heat.

  Sweat.

  His groans in my ear.

  My nails clamoring for purchase on his back.

  Sinking into the mattress.

  Screaming his name.

  My toes curl in the blankets as I quiver from the memories.

  So…

  That was… intense.

  Brogan totally knows what he’s doing.

  But it was …

  I don’t know.

  More than just sex.

  Brogan started off teasing me to the very edge of my frustration.

  But then—

  When he kissed me—

  It hadn’t been hot and desperate like before.

  Like it was at first.

  He’d caressed me tenderly. Like I was the most precious person to him.

  Like…

  Like he loved me.

  It was enough to drive me insane.

  But that can’t be right.

  There’s no way this big brute of a man loves me.

  I frown. Why would I get that impression? Am I that desperate to have someone stick around for once that I’m imagining things that aren’t real?

  Just then, Brogan turns on his side. Since I’m locked up in his embrace, I have no choice but to change positions too.

  His breath fans across the back of my neck.

  One hand gently caresses my bare hip.

  The other hand drops over my waist, caging me in.

  I go stiff, considering how to free myself from his arms without waking him. As I test different wiggle techniques, Brogan’s body responds. I freeze, my breath escaping in one big whoosh.

  Okay.

  New plan.

  New plan.

  As I struggle with what to do, Brogan groans softly and pulls me in, his cheek flattening against the top of my head. His hand moves up, caressing my skin as he goes.

  Over the curve of my waist.

  Up my ribcage.

  Sweeping over my chest.

  To my neck.

  Back down over my shoulder to my elbow.

  He’s still asleep, but my body is not.

  Talk about a sticky situation.

  Heat flushes through me, throbbing and intense.

  My hand falls on top of his.

  It does little to slow his subconscious exploration and, by the time I gather my wits, Brogan’s already wound me up to near combustion.

  Ah, screw it.

  Moving down, I try to rub against him to ease the tension pooling between my thighs.

  Just a little further…

  A little…

  He sighs.

  Rolls away.

  I stifle a moan when he moves back and out of reach.

  Dang it.

  I feel him stir.

  Yawn.

  Then Brogan presses a kiss to the back of my neck.

  “Are you up?”

  His voice is husky. “Morning.”

  “Morning.”

  He stretches, his muscles rolling with the movement. “What time is it?”

  “Let me get my phone.” I reach over to the nightstand and grab the cell. “It’s six thirty.” When I glance up, I find Brogan staring at me. “What?”

  His hand reaches out. Caresses my cheek. “You’re stunning.”

  “Uh…” I try to swallow but my throat has suddenly forgotten how it’s supposed to work.

  Brogan shakes his head. Turns away. Almost as if he’s talking himself down from doing whatever he’s thinking. “I should run downstairs and grab food from the café. How do you like your coffee?”

  “Black.”

  He turns. Grabs a shirt. Pulls it over his head. “Want anything special for breakfast?”

  Yes, but it’s not on the menu.

  “Elizabeth?”

  I shake my head and hold my hand out.

  He stares at it, confused.

  I arch both eyebrows and flutter my hand. He hesitantly reaches out and drops his palm into mine. I take his hand, turn it around and press a kiss to the scars. His shocked expression makes me smile against his skin.

  “You’re very touchy-feely in your sleep. Did you know that?” I turn his hand around. Lower my head. Drop a kiss into his palm.

  His shock melts into a smirk. “I didn’t.”

  “Well, heads-up. You are.”

  “And?”

  Hauling him by the front of his shirt, I pull him to the bed, rejecting the voice in the back of my mind reminding me that I’m going to get myself hurt if I keep this up.

  “And,” I whisper, “since it was your body, I’m going to hold you responsible, even if you were unconscious.”

  “Is that so?”

  “You, sir, need to finish what you started.”

  Brogan chuckles and yanks his shirt off as he climbs back into bed.

  It’s weird not having to drive to work.

  And using my own private elevator.

  And sleeping in the penthouse suite.

  Not that I own any of those things.

  Brogan does.

  Brogan has control of this building.

  This elevator.

  The guards.

  Everything.

  He even ha
s control of my body, if his simple thumb caress over my hip through my clothes and the speeding of my pulse is any indication.

  But Brogan Harrington does not have control of my heart.

  I still own that.

  Barely.

  “Are you working in the office this morning?” I ask, from where he has me trapped in the corner of the elevator.

  He nods. His forehead brushes mine with the movement.

  I sigh happily. “Good.”

  “You like that?”

  “I get to watch you all day. What’s not to like?”

  He smirks.

  The elevator dings, opening up to the right floor.

  Brogan reaches out. Punches a button.

  The door closes and heads up to the penthouse again.

  I laugh. “Brogan, you can’t keep doing that. I have to go to work eventually.”

  “You’re lucky I’m not taking you back to our room,” he says.

  Our room.

  It’s ours.

  His and mine.

  A giddy feeling stirs in my chest.

  His answering smirk tells me I’m not being subtle.

  Not that I care.

  Last night changed things.

  Changed us.

  It’s more than our insatiable need for each other, which a morning round and a quick shower that turned into a long, steamy love-fest failed to curb.

  It’s something inside Brogan.

  He’s lighter, I think.

  Like he’s made a decision that he’s grudgingly pleased with. I wish he’d tell me about it instead of stripping me naked at every turn but, since I very much enjoy when Brogan unclothes me, I’m not going to complain.

  Yet.

  Soon though.

  We’ll talk about it eventually.

  Maybe tonight.

  No, not tonight.

  Tonight, I want him again.

  And this time, I’ll be prepared.

  No cotton panties for me.

  I’m wearing my nice, lacy thong.

  And he’ll be eating out of my hand.

  We’ll see how he likes to be tortured.

  “What are you thinking?” he rumbles.

  “Nothing.”

  He grunts.

  I draw my hand over his cheek to distract him and quickly press the button for the floor below us.

  He glares at me.

  I smile serenely, playing with the collar of his shirt. “Relax.”

  “Try taking your own advice.”

  “You’re the one who can’t keep his hands off me.”

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing,” he mumbles.

  I trace my fingernail over his bottom lip. “I like that you want me all the time.”

  He backs me further into the corner, pressing his body against mine. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?”

  “What?”

  “Teasing me?”

  “What did you do last night?”

  He narrows his eyes, but we both know I have a good point.

  Brogan kisses my neck. “I really don’t want to let you go.”

  “You’ve got five seconds.” I glance at the elevator screen. “Four. Three. Two.”

  Brogan swoops in and kisses me.

  I wrap my arms around his neck.

  Slide my fingers through his hair.

  Kiss him with all my heart.

  I mean, half of it.

  No quarter.

  Right.

  Just enough of my heart that I can pull it back if I need to.

  The doors open.

  I lean back. “I have to go.”

  He frowns.

  Pulling away from him, I strut out of the elevator. I already know today will be a long day. Maybe I should convince Brogan to sneak away during lunch and meet me upstairs…

  My phone chirps.

  I fish it out of my purse, surprised to see I’ve got a text from Novah.

  She didn’t show up to the impromptu family gathering at Brogan’s penthouse a few days ago and she hasn’t reached out since. Mom mentioned that she might be upset that I had a wedding before her. I’ve been meaning to call her but, with all the Brogan drama, it slipped my mind.

  I swipe my thumb across the screen.

  Read the message.

  My smile falls flat.

  Brogan comes up behind me. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Novah.” I show him the message. “I think she knows.”

  Twenty-Five

  Brogan

  I watch Elizabeth chew on the back of yet another pen. She blinks. Looks down. Tears the pen out of her mouth with a disgusted scoff.

  Novah found out about us.

  Which sucks.

  But it’s not what concerns me.

  Elizabeth’s acting like her cousin finding out the truth is the end of the world. I highly disagree. So our beginning was less than conventional? So we started out as fake?

  It’s different now.

  Last night—

  This morning—

  In the shower…

  Damn.

  That shower.

  There was nothing fake about her moans.

  About my fingers caressing her naked waist.

  Down her thighs.

  Water hitting our backs.

  Elizabeth’s pleasured gasps drowning in my mouth.

  The rhythmic smack of her body against the slippery glass wall.

  I force my mind away from it.

  Shake my head.

  Breathe deep.

  There’s something between us.

  Something more than the premise of our marriage.

  More than the contract.

  More than pride.

  Something real.

  She has feelings for me.

  Even if she doesn’t say it out loud, I can see it in her eyes. On her face. In her smile.

  Her expressions hide nothing.

  So screw Novah.

  Let her find out.

  It doesn’t change anything.

  What if you’re wrong?

  I’m not.

  Lana had feelings for you too. Pity.

  Shut up.

  She made love to you because she felt sorry for you.

  I squeeze my eyes shut.

  Fist my hands.

  She moaned for you to throw you off the scent.

  I slam my fist on the desk.

  No.

  Elizabeth is different.

  She told me last night that it wasn’t pity and I believe her.

  It’s genuine.

  It’s real.

  It has to be.

  I’ve gone and fallen for her.

  If she’s just stringing me along…

  My heart can’t handle another fake out.

  There’s a knock on the door.

  Levy enters, smiling. “Morning, Brogan.”

  “What do you want?” I snap.

  “Whoa.” He holds a hand to his chest. “You woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning?”

  No.

  I woke up to Elizabeth trying to grind on me.

  I woke up on the best possible side.

  The side I want to wake up on every morning.

  “I just wanted to tell you that the liquidation process is going smoothly. You might even have the money in five days instead of seven.”

  I don’t respond.

  “Is… that your happy face? I can’t tell.”

  “That’s great, Levy.”

  “You can save the girl. She can have her surgery…” He dips his head, a confused look on his face when I don’t respond in the way he expects. “Is something wrong?”

  “No.”

  Levy glances in Elizabeth’s direction. “Oh.” He runs a hand over his shorn hair. “I see.”

  “You see what?”

  “When the girl receives the surgery, she’ll live, but your marriage will—”

  “It won’t.”

  “Brogan…”

&nb
sp; “You don’t know anything.”

  “I know that you and Elizabeth were total strangers before all this.”

  I glare at him.

  “Hey,” he lifts both hands, “I’m on your side here, remember?”

  I smooth my palm over my face, feeling out-of-sorts and so freaking uneasy. “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just…there’s a lot going on.”

  “The girl—is she okay?”

  “The doctors are doing everything they can.”

  “I hope it works out. You deserve a break, Brogan.”

  Maybe I do. Maybe I don’t.

  I’ve never wanted much.

  Just a wife.

  A family.

  All dreams I’d given up on.

  They burned to a crisp in the fire.

  But then I met Elizabeth.

  Can I really hope for those dreams again?

  What if… getting my inheritance doesn’t spell the end of my marriage?

  Levy studies me. “She’s good for you. You’re happier now. I’d hate to see that—” He shakes his head. Forces a smile. “I’m sure you two will figure it out, but if you need any help you know where to find me.”

  I nod.

  Levy gets the hint and leaves, closing the door gently behind him.

  Another sigh wracks my body.

  I turn my chair around.

  Stare at the sky.

  A vibrating sound grabs my attention.

  It’s my phone.

  I check the screen.

  LUC: You tell her yet?

  I turn the phone face-down.

  I let Elizabeth in last night. Gave her more access than anyone else in the world. I told her how I felt… in my own way.

  In a way that won’t burn me if my signals are wrong.

  In a way that keeps me safe.

  Just in case…

  Just in case I’m seeing what I want to see and making the same mistake for the second time.

  A knock sounds at the door.

  I spin my chair and find Elizabeth standing there, looking uncomfortable.

  “I’m heading out to meet Novah now,” she says, keeping her eyes trained away from me. “Just thought I should let you know.”

  I grab my coat. “I’ll come with you.”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “We can convince her together.”

  “I said it’s fine.” Her eyes jerk up. Blaze into me with determination.

  She’s already made up her mind.

  I set my coat back down. “Okay.”

  “I…” She shuffles her feet. Seems to rethink whatever it is that she was going to say. “I’ll see you later.”

  I watch her back away from the door.

  Watch her hips sway as she treads to the elevator.

  Watch her disappear from sight.

  I drop into my chair, my chest aching like crazy.