How To Wed A Billionaire (How To... Book 3)

by Layla Valentine

  Aaron’s brows knit, eyes looking upward as he loses himself in reflection.

  “Don’t hurt yourself thinking about it,” I joke.

  “It’s been…a while.”

  He swims toward me. My breath hitches in my throat.

  Instead of stopping next to me, though, he hauls himself from the water and pads for the towels. I can’t tell if I’m disappointed or relieved.

  “Are you staying in?” he asks.

  I don’t want to.

  “Um, yeah…I mean, no. I’m coming out.”

  He doesn’t look at me as I climb from the pool, nor when he extends a towel, and it’s not until the fluffy cotton is wrapped securely around my body that he makes eye contact. Turns out, he’s quite the gentleman.

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “You’re welcome.” He rubs the back of his neck and clears his throat. It’s hard to tell with only the pool and solar lights in the grass, but I think his eyes briefly dip down my torso before he corrects himself and turns for the house.

  “I’ll clean up the kitchen,” I say.

  “No way. You made me one of the best meals of my life.”

  “You provided the wine,” I remind him, opening the back door.

  “How about we both get dressed and meet back down here in fifteen?” he suggests. “We can do it together.”

  “I like that plan.”

  Once upstairs, I peel off my wet panties and bra, drop my clothes that are dusty from riding into the laundry bin, and turn on the shower.

  I make the rinse-off as quick as I possibly can, even though it includes a thorough hair-washing. One thing I really don’t like is chlorine in my hair. If I don’t get it out right away, it’ll make my strands all stiff and rough.

  After drying off with a clean towel, I rifle through my suitcase for something to put on. There’s an empty wardrobe in the room, along with a walk-in closet, but I haven’t unpacked my suitcase. Keeping everything in it serves as a reminder that I’ll be leaving here soon.

  For the first time, the thought causes a bit of pain. The last hour with Aaron has been nice.

  Trying not to think any more about the matter, I select a pair of black sweatpants and a T-shirt from a Dallas local band. Before pulling them on, I hesitate briefly.

  Maybe nothing will ever happen between me and Aaron, but he’s still a man and I’m a woman. I can’t help that I want to look attractive in front of him, and the oversized shirt screams anything but “sexy.”

  It’s more overthinking on my part. Pulling on the clothes, I head downstairs.

  Aaron’s already in the kitchen, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, wiping down the counter. The dishwasher gurgles, and our plates are nowhere to be seen. The entire room is pristine.

  “Hey,” I protest.

  “Sorry. I can’t help it if I get changed faster than you.”

  “I took a shower.”

  “So did I. A two-minute one.” A smug look on his face, he crosses his arms.

  “You said fifteen minutes.”

  “Did I?”

  “Yes.” Passing him on my way to the fridge, I poke him in the chest. One very hard pec offers no give against my touch.

  “Huh.”

  I concentrate on helping myself to a bottle of apple juice. Conveniently, keeping my back turned to him means there’s less chance of him reading my desire.

  “How about a movie?” Aaron asks.

  Spinning around, I eye him as I take a drink of juice.

  “There are some DVDs,” he says.

  I shrug. “Guess it wouldn’t hurt to look again. The only other choices are stare at the wall or walk on the beach.”

  “We’re walking on the beach in the morning,” Aaron reminds me. “That’s tomorrow’s date.”

  “Right.” I check my groan just in time.

  “Not excited?”

  “It’s okay. I’m a little, um…”

  “I understand. The cameras are a lot, and it’s likely completely different from acting.”

  “Yeah,” I say, relaxing.

  What I don’t tell him is that I’ve been playing a character all along, just as he has. That’s something he doesn’t need to know.

  In the living room, we squat in front of the DVD selection.

  “How about this one?” Aaron holds up a black-and-white movie. It looks like some kind of noir film, but it’s one I’ve never heard of.

  “Sure. It seems to be the best out of the bunch.”

  He pops it in while I settle onto the couch. My pulse increases when he sits next to me. Anxiety prompts thirst, which prompts finishing the whole bottle of apple juice.

  Aaron eyes the empty container. “Want me to get you another one?”

  “What? No, you don’t have to do that.”

  The complete credits are at the beginning of the movie, like with all films up to a certain date. I try to check the comment that’s on the tip of my tongue.

  Eventually, I fail.

  “You’re being really nice.”

  Aaron’s quiet for a long moment. I realize how rude of a statement it was and instantly want to take it back.

  “Things feel different between us,” he finally says.

  I gulp. “How so?”

  “Until lunch today, everything felt fake.”

  Closing my eyes, I shake my head. “Yeah, I know.” Opening my eyes, I take in his stoic expression. “But we need to present a certain, ah, image for the show.”

  I couldn’t have been the only one Tina went over that with.

  Aaron’s lips turn down.

  “It’s lame,” I say. “I know.”

  “I really have come to appreciate you, Rachel. That’s not an act.”

  My breathing quickens. “Oh,” I say in a small voice.

  He nods in affirmation. The credits are over, the movie starting.

  I’m sitting facing forward, watching the actors move about on-screen, but everything they say is in one ear and out the other. Aaron’s closeness commands all my attention.

  I’m curled up on the cushions, feet tucked under me, and he’s sitting straight. Our hands are only inches apart. If I moved mine a little to the side…

  I bite the inside of my cheek. I haven’t dated or anything since JT and I broke up. A months-long period off the market isn’t normal for me. Usually, I bounce right back after things don’t work out with someone. I guess I’m lucky in that I’ve never had a serious heartbreak. There’s been no one specific that I imagined spending the rest of my life with.

  But that’s not why I’m hesitating, I realize as I stare at the TV screen. I’ve made moves on guys before.

  But Aaron isn’t any regular guy.

  He’s something more. He owns his own business. He works hard, is focused, and unapologetic. Sure, that was a dick move with the parking spot, but he apologized, and I could tell he meant it.

  He’s also fun. Maybe he doesn’t relax and hang out much, but in my personal opinion, he did a pretty good job at it tonight.

  “What are you smiling about?” Aaron suddenly asks.

  “Huh?” The embarrassment over being watched wipes whatever grin I might have had away.

  “You were smiling,” he says, his own smile on.

  “Why weren’t you watching the movie?” I haughtily respond.

  He makes a face. “It wasn’t as good as I remembered it being. Especially not with you here, distracting me.”

  Everything in the room but his face blurs. That touch I was uncertain about before magically becomes undeniable. My hand drifts to his. Our fingers brush against each other.

  Aaron’s face closes the distance. Soft lips press to mine. His kiss fills me with air. I’m floating away, the sound from the movie and the kicking on of the air conditioning nothing but gentle hums from a hundred feet away.

  He cups the back of my neck, fingers threading up into my hair as our lips sweep together. I reach out for him, desperate to grab hold of any part I can find. My hands disc
over his shoulders.

  Hard muscles roll underneath my palms. One look could tell you he’s fit, but he feels twice as ripped as he looks.

  The kiss deepens, Aaron’s tongue taking charge and exploring my mouth. Heat swirls in my core. The longing that I’ve been working so hard to keep in check is finally allowed to be released, and its coming out causes me euphoria.

  I tug at his shirt, barely thinking, mostly feeling. Clothes are wrong. Were we crazy, putting them on after our swim? There should be nothing between us.

  My desperate efforts on his shirt have an effect. Aaron tugs it off, breaking our kiss momentarily when it passes by our faces, only for us to go back to kissing, not a heartbeat too late.

  He draws me flush to him, wrapping his strong arms around me. The heat from his bare chest has me melting. I’ve barely started to enjoy it when he lifts me up and deposits me in his lap.

  My legs naturally fall on either side of him. I’m straddling him, knees digging into the couch cushions. A bulge presses against my thigh, and a shiver runs through me.

  Looping my arms around Aaron’s neck, I lower my face and run my nose along his jaw. The stubble there nicks at my skin, its harshness a contrast to the soft hold he has on my hips.

  Driven by a primal need that my mind and heart aren’t privy to, my body rocks against his. His grip on my hips tightens, fingers grabbing at the fabric of my sweatpants.

  I cup Aaron’s face, kissing him harder, faster. Two warm hands slide under my shirt and over the dip of my waist. He takes his time exploring the contours of my body, palming my hips and belly. When one hand goes slightly higher and skims the underside of my breast, a whole new need fills me.

  Arching my back, I drag my ass against the bulge in his pants. It responds immediately by growing stiffer.

  Aaron makes a noise of pleasure into my mouth, which has me smiling. I’m about to rock against him again when he flips me over.

  In one breath, I go from on top of him to flat on my back, spread across the couch. Without my meaning to, I guess I threw my arms up, because they’re on the cushions above my head. Aaron laces his fingers with mine, locking me into the position.

  His lips skim my earlobe. I squirm against the touch, even though it’s pleasurable. Everything feels so intense right now, like if Aaron only exhaled on me in the right place, I’d reach the height of ecstasy.

  Lethargic kisses hit my neck and cheek. Closing my eyes, I roll my head to the side. Aaron’s lips dance across the edge of mine, and I take the opportunity and capture them.

  While he’s distracted with kissing me, I tug my hands free from his and grab hold of his ass. There’s no point in playing coy, here. I know what I want, and I’m almost a hundred percent sure he’s of the same mind.

  He growls into my mouth and yanks me closer to him. Something doesn’t go right, though. One moment cushion is beneath me, and the next, it’s air.

  We hit the carpet with a thump, the impact knocking the breath right out of me.

  “Oh, no,” Aaron says. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah.” I rub the part of my head that made contact with the floor. “Are you?”

  “Of course I am. I landed on top of you.”

  “Oh.”

  So he did. Right dab on top of me.

  “Right,” I say and start laughing.

  “Here.” Aaron climbs off of me and offers me his hand. The view from where I’m at affords a wonderful look at his abs.

  “Actually, here is pretty nice,” I say.

  His grin is lopsided and bright. I reach my arms up to him, and he obliges by embracing me once more.

  This time, our kiss is slower. We’ve gotten the frantic, nervous part over with. If falling on the floor can’t break any tension, I don’t know what can.

  With one hand cupping the small of my back, Aaron slides the other up my shirt. His palm closes over my breast. My nipples harden, and I arch my back, pushing myself up into his touch.

  Pushing my shirt up so that my torso is fully exposed, he lavishes attention on my breasts. I’m lost in a flurry of sensation, grabbing Aaron in a variety of places. His shoulders. Hips. Hair.

  I wiggle out of my shirt to allow him better access, and the rest of our clothes follow like it’s the most natural thing in the world. Reaching into his discarded pants, Aaron opens his wallet and smoothly withdraws a condom.

  Every second without the full length of his body pressed against mine is painful. I welcome him back with open arms, wrapping my legs around him and drawing him in tight.

  His warm touch slips between my thighs to tease me. I wiggle and gasp, the pleasure rising until it feels like I’m about to explode.

  Withdrawing his hand, Aaron presses his girth to my aching opening. He slips inside me easily, and from there we’re like one, rocking and ebbing together even better than the ocean waves out the back door.

  Sweat beads roll between us. I hang onto Aaron like he’ll fly away if I don’t, but if the tight hold he has on my hip and waist is any indication, he doesn’t mind at all. The tension has been building between us for two days, and to finally allow it release has brought out something animalistic between us.

  The pleasure rises and spills through me. I dig my nails into his back, welcoming his thrusts. Our hot gasps for air intermingle with our deep moans.

  An orgasm rips through me with lightning speed. Aaron burrows deep into me, burying himself to the hilt with one final, forceful thrust.

  He collapses on the floor next to me, drawing me against his chest as my head is still spinning and I’m seeing stars.

  I’m dimly aware of the movie still playing in the background, but what little interest I initially had in it has completely died. All I care about is the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath my cheek, his hand smoothing my hair, the satisfaction laying as a blanket over it all.

  Right now, here, there is no reality show. There’s only me and Aaron. Whatever our situation is or isn’t, one thing is for damn sure: we’re happy.

  Chapter 15

  Something warm moves against my back. My eyes start to flutter open, but I resist the impulse to wake up and keep them closed. What could this day hold that could possibly be better than having…

  Aaron!

  It’s his chest against my shoulder blades. His arm hung over my torso. His breath caressing my neck.

  The desire to stay asleep vanishes. My eyes pop open, and I stare at the wall of my bedroom in the Santa Monica house.

  Memories from the night before come flooding in, all of them amazingly delicious.

  After our roll on the couch/floor, we took a shower together, and prepared to go to bed. But apparently a twenty-minute break was all that was needed before we were right back at it again. If my still-sleepy memory serves me correctly, Aaron picked me up in the bathroom and put me right over his shoulder.

  I squealed and slapped at his back, but really being carried in that way was one of the most exciting things to ever happen to me. If there was any doubt before that Aaron is strong, well, no more.

  In my bed, we went for it again…and maybe one more time after that. It’s hard to say. The minutes and hours spread through the night all blurred together.

  But now, it’s morning. Time to face reality.

  Which is really, really hard to do with Aaron’s morning wood pressing into my lower back.

  Taking a deep breath, I edge my way out of Aaron’s hold. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I gaze down at the specimen of male perfection. My chest constricts.

  Last night, he showed me a part of himself that I never expected existed. It was beautiful and invigorating.

  But the timing is so wrong. So, so wrong.

  Aaron stirs and stretches out the arm that was on me. I fight the temptation to flee before he opens his eyes. Even if I was that much of an ass and a chicken, there would be the matter of the contract to consider. The two of us are stuck together for many more days.

  His eyes open slowly. For a
moment, he looks at me with the same dusting of confusion I felt upon waking. It’s quickly gone, though.

  A smile that melts me like butter consumes his face. He’s really happy to see me, and, damn, it feels good to be wanted.

  “Good morning,” he says.

  A weight presses on my chest from the inside out. “Good morning,” I rasp.

  “You look amazing this early.”

  Self-conscious, I touch my hair. It’s a tangled mess.

  Aaron reaches for me, but I stiffen. He freezes, hand on my leg, then slowly retracts it.

  “I didn’t mean for last night to happen,” I whisper.

  His lips draw thin. “Okay.”

  “It was the wine.”

  “We didn’t have that much.”

  My heart beats its way into my throat. “Okay, maybe it wasn’t the wine. It was a lapse in thinking.”

  “Rachel,” he murmurs.

  I turn my face down, unable to look at him. “I don’t know what your intentions are, but I don’t want to mislead you. I didn’t come into this project looking to meet someone. It was a move for my career, and I…I’m not planning on staying married at the end of the two weeks.”

  The silence in the room is painful.

  “I understand all of that,” Aaron finally answers. “And I certainly am not asking you to stay married to me.”

  The tension remains in my body and heart. Being stuck in this marriage was actually the last thing I was worried about. My concern was navigating dating a person that you met under such crazy circumstances.

  “I don’t want to complicate things,” I say.

  “And yet, we already have.”

  My teeth catch my bottom lip. Uncertainty swirls fast in my heart. He’s right, in a way. There’s no undoing what’s been done.

  But he’s also wrong. We have the opportunity to end things before they get messier.

  And I get my heart broken.

  “Rachel.” When he touches my arm, I don’t protest. The simple, slight contact feels so amazing. I want to fall right into his arms.

  “I don’t regret last night,” he says.

  His hazel eyes pierce mine, and what little strength I summoned in order to tell him everything I just did is gone in a flash. My body falls back into bed, back into his warm, secure embrace.