Ruined (Ruined and Redeemed Duet Book 1)

by Marie Johnston

  “Challenge accepted.” I’ll make sure she remembers each and every one of those times clearly.

  I rip open the box and withdraw a packet. With efficient movements, I roll it on. I don’t want to waste any time touching myself when she’s naked in front of me.

  I sit on the side of the bed. She’s still boneless, but apprehension fills her eyes. She’s getting in her own head. I saw it in the bathroom as she warred against her own body’s demands.

  I could kill the fuckers who made her feel ashamed of her own wants and needs. “I won’t make you regret your decision.”

  “I know.”

  Instantly, guilt wells up. She’ll eventually regret this. She’ll hate me and she’ll hate herself. But I can’t stop the need to have this moment, to have her. The spark of hope that maybe—

  No. I came here for a purpose. It’s either me or some other stranger.

  Leaning over, I kiss her. Slow and easy, not rushing her into anything. She softens under me and I move over her and settle between her legs. It was enough of a change for her uncertainty to creep back up. Her kiss stiffens.

  I’m not willing to look further into why I’m so concerned about her side of this experience. I’ll force her to marry me, but I’ll never force this. “Do you want to wait?”

  “No. But I’m nervous. I want to say I don’t do this kind of thing, but then it sounds like I always do this kind of thing.”

  My words come easy. “It wouldn’t matter if you did. Right now it’s you and me.” It’ll be us from now on.

  “I want to, Jake. Don’t stop.”

  That’s all I need. Sinking into the cradle of her legs, I hitch my knee up to spread her wider. She undulates underneath me, her wet center teasing my dick. I’m gazing deep into her brilliant eyes when I thrust forward. Her sudden inhale and following moan mingle with my long groan.

  Fuck. She’s wet and soft and so flaming hot that I almost combust. Her walls grip me tight like she doesn’t want to let me go. I don’t want to leave her warmth, but my body insists there’s more pleasure to be found. Kicking my hips back, the stroke of her body is like lightning. I brace my arms beside her head so I don’t collapse on top of her.

  “So fucking good,” I moan.

  “I thought before was impossible, but this…” She scores my ribs with her nails.

  I’m right there with her. This is on a different level. Unlike anything I’ve experienced before. I have only entered her, and I’m wearing a condom, but the sensations are mind-blowing. Hotter. Wetter. Pure ecstasy. I’m inside her and it’s almost more than I can handle.

  I want to make her come again. I want her to explode with me. But it’s difficult to last long enough, especially with the way she’s moving under me. Her hips lifting to meet mine, the ripples of her body milking mine. We’re in sync, matching each other’s rhythm. Everything she feels plays out across her face. That lush mouth dropping open, her eyelids fluttering closed, her breathy moans when I pump inside. When I hit a certain spot, she whimpers my name.

  That name is the only thing that can dull this moment. I want her to say my real name as I claim her body.

  And I don’t know if I’ll ever get that. It shouldn’t be so important to me. Great sex is warping my mind.

  My thrusts grow in force with the conflict raging inside me. She’s nothing more than a means to an end. She’ll hate me, but I’ll get what’s mine.

  Then what?

  She tenses, her knees drawing up. “Oh God, Jake. I don’t think I can do it again, but I’m so close.”

  I’m driven to help her over the edge, to make this the best she’s ever had. “Let yourself go for me, belle. I tasted your release on my tongue, now I want it all over my dick.”

  Her nails dig into my shoulders and her back arches. Her tits are right there. I could snatch one of those hard nipples between my teeth and make her come instantly, but then I would miss the show. London orgasming is a sight to behold.

  She bucks against me and heat floods from her. “Jake!” Over and over she repeats that version of my name and she strains between me and the bed.

  I’m fighting back my climax to finish watching her explode. It’s glorious. She’s a work of art. Not one ounce of makeup and her hair barely dried and her skin flushed. She’s exactly what her company is all about.

  And she’s mine.

  My release races out of me. I kick my hips forward once, twice, three times as I empty inside her tight body. She holds me, her hands stroking my hair, tangling in the strands. She murmurs my name and I cling to it before I fly out of the stratosphere.

  I collapse on top of her, the strength leaves my arms and my chest is heaving. London Vanderbeek will curse my name in eleven days. She’ll hate me and every breath I take. And she won’t realize how much power she’ll have over me.

  Chapter 8

  London

  I’ve never done anything cowgirl style. But here I am, ass pressed against Jake’s stomach, riding him like I was racing down three barrels against the timer.

  His heels are braced on the bed with his knees bent, which I use for leverage.

  What makes this position even naughtier is the mirror across from me. That was Jake’s idea. He was the one who spun me around as I was about to sink down onto his length. I watched as his gaze left mine, looked behind me, and then a wicked grin spread across his face.

  I’m not complaining. Seeing myself have sex was never on my list of things I cared about. If I had to put it on the list, it would’ve been higher up on the nope side. But as I watch the crinkles form on the side of my hips where my legs are bent and my stomach is pooching as I gyrate up-and-down, I see what Jake sees. A sexual being who’s enjoying herself, freckles and all. Funny how I’ve never taken those love yourself encouragements that are behind the brand of my company and brought them to bed. The empowerment is intoxicating.

  He rolls his torso up and clamps his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to arch back into him. I find a rhythm and stick with it.

  “That’s it.” His breath whispers across my ear. “Ride me.”

  “Try to get me to stop.” My attempts to stretch out my climax so this could last longer aren’t successful. I’m going to come soon and I can’t stop it.

  Four solid days of sex. We’re halfway through the box of condoms, and Jake is trying to break his record of giving me five orgasms in a twenty-four-hour stretch. My clit should be numb, but it is so sensitive that all he has to do is look at me and I’m ready to blow.

  I could probably say the same thing about him. We’ll be in the middle of a conversation—in between rounds of sex—and his eyes infuse with intent and next thing I know I’m on my back. Or some other position I never considered before. He’s inventive when it comes to where and how we fuck. We haven’t left the resort room, but we’ve done it on the kitchen counter, the bathroom counter, the bed, and every chair in the suite. Yesterday morning, he spread me over the table like a buffet and licked me until I almost pulled his hair out.

  I gave him head in the shower and in the middle of the room where he had nothing to hold on to but to twist his hands in my hair and try not to fall as he came down my throat.

  I’ve blossomed into a sexual goddess and I’m loving every minute of it.

  Jake slides his hand down my belly and taps my clit.

  “Jake.” He’s probably getting sick of his name. I’ve said his name so often that I hope if I ever sleep with my future husband I will murmur Jake’s name in my dreams.

  But I don’t want to think about that here. My entire sexual future is being lived out in this room. I hold no hope for myself outside of these walls. At least not until Diana’s reputation is safe and I’m newly divorced.

  He nips the tender skin at my nape and I buck on top of him.

  His low chuckle vibrates through my belly and dammit, that is all I can handle. My climax washes over me, sweeping me into a now-familiar place where I feel cherished and safe. His strong hands grab my
waist and move me along his length until he’s flooding my insides with heat.

  I want to feel all of him. I came here ready to make an irrational decision, but having unprotected sex seems like it’s going too far. Yet the more we’re together, the more it feels right, and the more I want those experiences with him for myself.

  “What are you thinking about?” We’re still connected and his arms are around me.

  I look at myself in the mirror as if silently asking whether I’m making the right decision or not. The girl in the mirror doesn’t know the answer either.

  “Next time, let’s skip the condom.”

  He tenderly lifts me off of him and tucks me into his side. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m protected. I had an IUD put in last year. And I think after what we’ve done together, we’ve probably shared anything there is to share.”

  “I have nothing to share in that way.” His fingers lazily swirl on my arm, so in contrast with the demanding side of him when we’re having sex. He never hesitated putting a condom on and my intuition believed that he religiously protected himself.

  “I’m STD free, too. And I only get one more week with you. I want it all.” I let out a laugh. “Because I’m sure as hell not sleeping with my husband.”

  His fingers pause for a moment before he continues making his circles. “You’ll have it all.” He kisses the top of my head and rolls off the bed, leaving me alone and naked. “I’m going to shower.”

  His reaction isn’t quite what I expect. Did I remind him that we’re parting ways and we can never speak again? As long as I have to marry that asshole, I can never see Jake again.

  My stomach churns. It’s going to be hard to leave him. Harder yet to face the man I despise and say “I do.”

  My phone buzzes. Another message from Diana. I need to hear your voice.

  Smiling, I dial her number. We’ve been texting back and forth but my messages were admittedly short, especially the last four days. It’s not like I can go into great detail about what’s going on. I’m open with Diana, but the door is closed on my sex life.

  I’ve never really had to open it before.

  She answers. “It’s about time. I’ve been so worried. You can imagine all the nightmares popping up in my mind. Like, did some psycho murder you and text in your place so no one will know what really happened?”

  “I’m here, and I’m so alive.” I can’t keep the ear-to-ear grin out of my voice.

  “Things are going well?” Curiosity infuses Diana’s tone.

  “I met someone.”

  “Someone?”

  “Yes. My plan to be promiscuous was waylaid on the first night. I got stupid drunk and a really sweet guy came to my rescue. We hung out for a bit and now we’re… hanging out for the rest of my time here.”

  “I’m so relieved, honey.” I can picture Diana on the other end. In her typical sensible heels, wearing an earth tone pantsuit, with her dyed and highlighted blond hair in an elegant twist. “I was so worried. The way you rushed off, I just didn’t know what would happen. When you put your mind to something, you get it done. That’s usually a good thing.”

  “If it hadn’t been for Jake, I don’t know what I would’ve done. What if I followed through on everything I said, and regretted it?” But then I signed that stupid contract. No regrets. “It’s really sad though. I think this guy could’ve been the one.”

  “I’m sorry. You know you don’t have to go through with it.”

  “I know.” But I will. No one gets to hurt Diana.

  “So tell me about him. His name is Jake. Where does he live? What does he do for a living?”

  The shower’s running. I can gush about him like a lovesick teen. I roll onto my stomach and kick my heels in the air. “He’s tall, dark, and handsome. He alternates between being funny and charming to kind of serious, like he has no sense of humor. He’s in IT, and he lives…” Other than his dislike of loud crowds, that’s pretty much all I know about him. Other than his dietary habits and bedroom skills, I didn’t know anything about his family. “He lives by a beach.”

  “Uh-huh.” Diana’s waiting for me to tell her more.

  “I really don’t know more. There isn’t any point. There’d be more to miss when I have to marry that dick.”

  “Does Jake know all this?”

  “The general situation. He’s down with it.”

  “Well, you’re an adult and you’re safe. And you sound happy. That’s more than I hoped for. We’ll deal with the rest when you come home.”

  The water turns off. “Listen, he’ll be coming out of the bathroom. I don’t have to go, but I just don’t want him to hear me gushing about him.”

  Diana laughs. “I’ll let you go and see if I can get some decent rest. Roland’s been worried about me.”

  “I’m sorry I worried you.” I don’t ask if she told Roland. She’d violate her NDA, but she also needs someone to talk to.

  “Just have fun. And be safe. Oh, and maybe give Penni and Holland a call. They’ve been bugging me about what’s really going on with you.”

  I sent them a couple of messages. Once to tell them I’d be out of town for a while on business—because I can’t tell them the damn truth. But I usually send them photos of where I go. Natural Glow hasn’t extended into Mexico. Pictures would be too hard to explain.

  “I’ll let them know I’m alive and well.” But I couldn’t tell them about Jake. Then I’d have to explain the marriage. I love my best friends, but they’d try to help. They could make things worse for Diana. “Love you, bye.”

  The bathroom door opens and the smell of my favorite conditioner wafts out.

  “Did I hear you talking to someone?” he asks.

  “Diana. My stepmom.” I set my phone on the table. When I have an explanation for why I’m in Cabo, I’ll let them know. I can never get anything by them. When I get married, I’ll have to be extra sneaky. One whiff that Jacobi Dixon makes me unhappy and they’ll find their pitchforks and storm his house, fresh manicures or not. But a man like The Dick Dixon will dig up dirt in their pasts or their families’ pasts and use it against them. I’ll have to make it believable. “She was worried.”

  “You’re like a daughter to her.”

  “I am her daughter.”

  “It’s those princess stories you love so much. Blame them for giving stepmothers a bad rap.”

  I laugh, but what he said sinks in. “Wait. I thought you didn’t know those stories.”

  “I read a couple when you were sleeping.”

  My heart melts in a puddle. “What’d you think?”

  “Not my thing.”

  But he read more than one. I grin and ignore the melancholy weighing on me. He gets me like no one else before. My mind keeps wanting to concentrate on the end of this trip and my emotions snowball until my skin tightens. I need space. “I’ll jump in the shower next. Do you want to go out to eat tonight?”

  “I’ll pick a place while you’re getting ready.”

  I scurry into the bathroom, not caring if he chooses everything for the next eight days. I want him to have his vacation.

  After my shower, I take some time to get myself ready. The warm water helped calm me down. I vacillated between a sad attempt to ignore how sweet Jake is without expecting an award for it or relishing it because it might be the last time I get to experience such consideration.

  Rubbing on some Natural Glow moisturizer and topping it off with a few swipes of mascara and glittery eyeshadow, I emerge from the bathroom to find a cute outfit for the night.

  “What’s that stuff on your face?”

  I glance at Jake. He’s looking at me like I came out of the bathroom an entirely different person. “It’s called makeup. Girls and boys wear it sometimes.”

  He shakes himself, his expression lightening. “I’m not used to seeing you with anything on.”

  “I don’t wear a lot. The part of makeup that’s important for me is knowing what I want to wear and w
hat products are the best for my skin. I think too many companies exploit the ignorance of their customers while also withholding information that would help them make the best decision. They give consumers so many choices, and let them think that anything will work, so people jump from brand to brand, constantly in search of the right color, the proper tint, and the best quality product.”

  “And they don’t do that with Natural Glow?”

  “Are you assuming I also wear their makeup?” My game falls flat. I sound like an evangelist. When he flies back to the States, all he’ll need to find me is to search the company website. My face is right there on the About Us page.

  His expression shutters. “Yes. You talk so highly of them.”

  “Well, you’re right. They listen to their customer base and it shows in their products. In my opinion.” Natural Glow was such a part of me that I didn’t realize how hard it would be not to talk about it. But the less we know about each other, the better. “Right on the minimal packaging, the customer can read why it’s good for them, or why it may not be.”

  “Don’t they lose sales?”

  “No. I mean, I doubt it.” It boosts our sales. We have more repeat customers than ever. A high loyalty rate is a must in direct sales.

  He drops his towel and lifts his contemplative gaze to me. “Smart marketing.”

  “I’m sure they like to think so.” I can’t hide my beaming. Getting compliments on my business is better than receiving personal ones.

  His dark gaze stays on me. He opens his mouth to say something, but shakes his head. I’m sure the topic of makeup doesn’t thrill him.

  His eyes brighten and they return to fun-loving Jake. “Ready to eat?”

  Jacobi

  We’re seated at a little cantina in the heart of town. We grabbed a ride to this place, but I wanted more than resort food and I’m out of the U.S. for the first time ever. I should actually see the country.

  The noise level is fairly tame. That’s not what’s bothering me. This dark cloud hanging over my head needs to leave. London is stunning without makeup. When she walked out of the bathroom with eyes that could drive me to my knees, I hated Natural Glow. I knew the answer before I asked that she used company products. I don’t think she uses anything not Natural Glow. She believes in everything they put out.