He wasn’t mine. I couldn’t lust after him or fantasize about him. I had to keep things professional. My future depended on me being able to give my ex-lover the wedding of the decade. I was a little afraid of what Amber would do to me personally and professionally if I failed to give her the wedding she demanded.
Making eyes at her man was no way to win her over. If I wanted her to give me a good referral and tell all her other rich and famous friends about me, I had to be nice. I had to tolerate her rudeness and ridiculous demands. I doubted she was the only wealthy woman who acted in that way. If I really wanted to get my name in the big leagues, I was going to have to learn to pander.
My lip curled at the very idea of bowing down to the woman who was getting the man I wanted. She could have any man anywhere in the world. Why did it have to be my man?
“Deal with it,” I spoke aloud in the privacy of my car. “Accept it for what it is and stop thinking about him!”
It was my own fault for having gotten my hopes up just a little. When his assistant called and asked me to meet him at the restaurant for a private dinner meeting, I got excited. I knew nothing could happen between us, but I had been looking forward to having some time alone with him. It was not meant to be. I had to drown the damn torch I still carried for the man.
Chapter 9
Evan
I dropped my keys and wallet on the side table in the grand entryway of my waterfront mansion. Amber’s heels clacked across the floor behind me. I had forgotten how quiet my home was when she wasn’t there. She always had heels on. If it wasn’t her heels on the floor, it was her phone either vibrating or blowing up with notifications.
“I’m beat,” I said, hoping to go to bed without any more talk about the wedding. My head was still reeling with the information I had learned back at the restaurant. I couldn’t quite get my head around the wedding she was planning. I didn’t want any part of her circus. It was all theatrics. I hated theatrics.
“I want to bring in some color here,” she said, ignoring what I said.
“Bring in color where?” I asked.
She stepped into the sitting area where I was supposed to receive guests. It was all very formal. I wasn’t formal. At least not when I was alone. Amber wasn’t in town all that often and I didn’t exactly have a full social calendar. I spent my nights alone and didn’t mind a bit.
“What do you mean color?” I asked again, looking around at the very light shade of gray on the walls with the white rug over gray marble floors.
“Color. Red. Green. I want to make it pop. It needs to be vibrant and bold.”
I cringed. “Why not just one color? How about black?”
“Black isn’t a color. This room is the first room our guests will see. We want them to see and feel our vibrant personalities when they walk in. The room should set the tone of the visit, which means we need some excitement.”
“Our guests?” I repeated.
“When I make this my official home,” she cooed, walking around the room and eyeing the walls. “I can’t officially move in until after we’re married. I’m keeping my apartment, though. It’s important to have a nice real estate portfolio. But when I officially live here, we have to throw a housewarming party. I love parties.”
“I think it’s smart to keep your apartment,” I agreed, not wanting to talk about parties. I dreaded the idea.
“I’m going to call Stephen,” she said, coming back to where I stood. “He’ll know exactly what to do with this space. We’ll also need to makeover the bedroom and I want to add some seating to the patio. And some cabanas. The kitchen is probably fine, but the formal living room is boring.”
“I just redecorated a year ago,” I protested. “I like it the way it is. It’s clean and minimalistic and isn’t stuffed with a bunch of crap.”
She put her hands on my shoulders. “It’s cold and boring. If I’m going to be living here, I need to feel comfortable. I like color. I like excitement. I thrive on chaos. I think some colorful abstracts and maybe a statement wall will help brighten this place up. Your mansion looks like every other mansion I’ve ever been in. I’ve already gotten calls from a few magazines that want to feature our home in their magazine.”
“What? Why?”
“Because we’re the it couple right now. People want to see how we live. We need to give our fans something to drool over.”
I groaned. “But it’s my house—our house,” I quickly corrected. “We need to keep some things private. Isn’t it a security risk?”
She shrugged. “We’ll hire additional security. We won’t give them everything. We have to keep a few secrets for ourselves. It keeps the mystery alive.”
I rolled my eyes. “There is no mystery if everything is documented on social media. We’re going to have paparazzi hanging out at the gate.”
“Which is why we’ll have extra security,” she reasoned.
“Great, more people following us around.”
She waved a hand. “You won’t even know they are there. I only work with the best and they know how to remain out of sight. They are very discreet. We’ll make every one of them sign contracts that say they cannot repeat anything they hear.”
I sighed, knowing I was fighting a losing battle. When I had slid the ring on her finger, I lost all control of my personal life. “Fine. I’m going to bed.”
“You want me to be happy, don’t you?” she asked.
I paused at the base of the wide staircase. “Of course, I do.”
“I want to make our home a happy, fun place,” she replied.
I nodded. “I understand. Do whatever makes you happy, but my study is off-limits. That’s my space.”
She grinned. “Oh, sweetie, your study can be all yours. For now.”
I walked upstairs, trying to tell myself that a marriage was made of compromises. Amber loved her pizazz. It was what made her her. I just prayed there wouldn’t be any zebra prints or leopard patterns involved. I quickly changed and pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms before climbing into bed. It wasn’t long before she came into the room.
She climbed into bed next to me wearing one of her skimpy nightgowns. Any other time, I would have been excited to have a beautiful supermodel climb into bed with me. Her thin body did nothing for me. I couldn’t remember what I had been attracted to after seeing Cherie again. Cherie’s full curves and natural beauty were what made me excited.
“Goodnight,” Amber said. “I’m so jetlagged. We’ll have a real reunion after I’ve gotten caught up on my beauty sleep. I can’t have puffy eyes.”
I damn near hooted with glee. “Goodnight. Get some rest.”
“Don’t wake me when you get up for work. And make sure you tell the housekeeper to leave the upstairs until after I’ve gotten up. That woman has no idea how to clean without making a racket. She would never understand how hard it is for me to get the sleep I need.”
“I’ll let her know,” I told her.
“And make sure the cook makes my egg-white omelet.”
I rolled to my side. “I don’t have a cook,” I reminded her.
She slapped at the bed. “Dammit, why do you insist on living like a poor caveman?”
I didn’t bother answering. The woman was high maintenance. I knew that, and I had thought I could live with it, but I wasn’t quite as sure about it now that I was staring down a wedding. Amber was beautiful, and she could be sweet when she wanted to, but it wasn’t real. Out of all the women I had dated, I thought she was the one that was most befitting of my new station as a billionaire.
She was the kind of woman who could schmooze and smile and entertain when we attended the many benefits and parties. She was the perfect woman for a billionaire. She knew how to act and talk and what to wear. She was gorgeous and had connections. Any other man would be clamoring to be in my shoes. They would love the attention that came with being linked to her. They would happily pose for pictures on the red carpet and take a million selfies with her.
> The problem was, she wasn’t the perfect woman for me. I was still the flyboy from a small town who loved messing around in the swamps and drinking moonshine from a mason jar. Amber was perfect in many ways, but the woman that I wanted wasn’t her.
It was Cherie. My dark-haired beauty with the eyes of a goddess. She had what I craved. She knew me. She knew the real me and I had a feeling she wouldn’t give a shit if I drank from a mason jar. She’d share the damn thing with me. Cherie wasn’t pretentious. She didn’t have an image to uphold. We could have fun spending my money and doing all the things we dreamed about when we were young. Amber and I had very different ideas about what was fun.
I closed my eyes and drifted back to some of the happiest days of my life. I remembered hanging out at the end of an old dock, drinking beer, and listening to country music when we skipped school one day. Cherie’s laughter filled my ears as she teased me about my inability to catch a fish.
The memory morphed into the last night we’d been together. The last time I had gotten to touch her body, feel her lips on mine. I let myself sink deeper into the memory that was now my fantasy. I could smell the damp air, the rotting foliage that clung to the trees around us. It was pungent, and to many people, it stunk, but to me, it smelled like home. I opened my senses and could hear the frogs in the distance croaking a deep rhythm that mingled with the katydid song.
“I love you,” I whispered, gently laying Cherie onto the blanket spread out under the towering cypress trees.
The old shack was missing most of its roof and had never been rebuilt after Irma. It was a forgotten place that Cherie and I had made our own. It was the first place we had ever made love and it held special meaning to us.
“I love you,” she answered, her hand stroking down my naked back.
I kissed her, her lush lips parting under mine. My tongue swept inside her mouth, tasting the sweet chocolate milkshake we had shared earlier. She always tasted sweet. My mouth tore away from hers and moved over her neck. I suckled, being careful not to suck too hard and leave a mark. Her mama hated hickeys.
My hand slid over her breast, squeezing the fullness restrained by her bra. My skilled fingers deftly unfastened the front clasp, releasing the C-cups that I loved so much. My mouth immediately went to one nipple, suckling it before I moved down the heavenly peak and suckled hard. Her mama didn’t look at her boobs, which happened to be my favorite place to leave my mark. It was our special secret. I would look at her across the dinner table at my house or hers and smile, knowing my mark was on her, completely out of sight.
After paying each breast a great deal of attention, my hand slid down her soft belly. When we had first gotten together, she was a little embarrassed to get naked in front of me. She told me she didn’t look like the skinny cheerleaders. I had smiled and told her that was a damn good thing. My hand slid under the plain cotton panties and moved over her sex.
Warm heat filled my palm as I held her close, my mouth back on hers. She moaned when my index finger slid over her folds. I pushed it inside, making her grow wetter than she already was. “Damn, baby, I love touching you like this.”
She ran a hand over my arm, squeezing my bicep. “I love when you touch me like this.”
“Only I will ever touch you here,” I told her.
“Only you,” she whispered her reply.
I stroked my finger inside her, rubbing it over her clit until she was squirming under me. I knew she was close. I could feel her ecstasy building. I always made her come before I slid inside her. I liked to watch her orgasm. Her round mouth always formed an O shape. The look of sweet surrender on her face was beautiful.
“Come on, baby,” I urged. “Come on.”
“Oh, Evan,” she cried out.
I smiled, pulling my face away from hers so I could watch her in the filtered moonlight. Her boobs thrust forward as her back arched. “That’s it. That’s my girl.”
“I’m your girl,” she chanted.
“You’re mine, all mine.”
I pulled my finger out of her tight sheath and quickly pushed off my underwear. I was desperate to be inside her. I rose over her, nudging her legs wider with my knee. She looked up at me and smiled. “I love these nights with you in our perfect little shack.”
I reached up and pushed one of the thick chunks of hair away from her cheek. “I like these nights. Soon enough, we’ll have our own place. Every night, we’ll get to do this.”
A drop of rain hit my back. “With a roof,” I said with a grin.
She giggled. “I think I might miss these little blasts of rain. They do cool things off.”
I slowly shook my head. “I don’t want to cool off. I’m burning inside. All the rain in the world would never cool me down when it comes to you.”
I reached between us and guided my cock to her opening. The head probed at her opening, still slick with her earlier orgasm. I gently pushed myself inside. Her body stretched, opening for me as I slid in deeper. Her soft welcoming body pulled me in. It took every ounce of self-control not to blow my wad the moment I was inside her. I counted sheep. I counted to a hundred. I forced myself to go slow and savor every moment.
The rain picked up, pounding against my back and splattering on the floor around us. The heavy rhythm fueled my need to move faster. I resisted the temptation. I wanted to make it last. The night was special.
Chapter 10
Cherie
My body hummed with pleasure as his body joined with mine. He was my first true love, my first everything, and I wanted to spend the rest of my life with him. His body loomed over me, his bare chest tanned from long days out in the sun. I reached my hand up to press my palm over his heart.
“I love you,” he breathed.
His body slid in and out of mine, stroking over raw nerves that were still ablaze from the orgasm he’d given me. He was a generous lover. He always made sure I was satisfied. I didn’t think there was ever a chance I wouldn’t be satisfied with him.
I knew his body as well as my own. We had shared everything. I no longer felt ashamed of my body. He made me feel beautiful. He was sexy as hell and one of the most popular boys in town, but he had chosen me. It was an ego boost.
He worshipped my body, loving every inch. “Baby, you’re so good to me,” I whispered.
His blue eyes met mine. “I will always treat you like my queen. You’re my queen. I will never do you wrong.”
“I know,” I answered, my heart swelling in my chest.
He moved faster, every stroke taking me closer to another orgasm. He was only eighteen, but he was a skilled lover. Not that I had anything to compare it to, but I had heard the other girls talking. Their boyfriends were selfish. They got off and never let their girlfriends feel what I got to feel.
“Baby, I can’t hold back,” he said, his voice raspy. “You’re too good. Your body fits me like a glove.”
“Go, baby. Let me have it.”
He moved faster, his thrusts hard and forceful. Our bodies smacked together as the rain pounded down on top of us. We’d been rained on before. We never minded. A raindrop slid down his nose, landing on my face. His shaggy blond hair bounced as he drove his body into mine.
I gave over to the need. I let the sound of the rain and the sound of skin slapping against skin carry me away. My body spiraled higher and higher, releasing an orgasm that would rock my world for the rest of my days. I knew that moment would forever be ingrained in my life.
He collapsed on me after fulfilling his own need. He showered me with kisses over my face before sealing it with a passionate kiss on my lips. He rolled to the side, his face buried in my neck and his arm thrown over me in a protective manner.
“I can’t wait to spend the whole summer with you. I will give up everything if it means I can have you. You are my everything.”
I turned my face to look him in the eyes. I knew he was telling the truth. He was being completely honest. “I love you.”
He smiled. “Maybe we can j
ust move in here. We’ll put on a roof and call it a home.”
I laughed. “You’re crazy.”
He held me close. “Crazy for you.”
I looked up at the sky, the rain clouds already moving out. It was the most romantic night of my life and so bittersweet. My chest hurt when I realized it was my last night with him. I wanted to make it last forever. I knew just what to do to make the night truly unforgettable.
“Baby, I need you,” I whispered, pushing on his arm until he laid on his back.
He smiled at me, his fingertips stroking over my cheek. “You have me. I’m never leaving you.”
I jerked awake, my chest heaving and a tingling sensation between my legs. My body was primed and on the edge of an orgasm. I groaned, grabbing a pillow and pulling it over my face. I had been having erotic dreams about him for years, but since seeing him, they were so much more intense. The temptation to finish myself off was strong. It wouldn’t be the same and it would be the same as putting a band-aid over a cut to the bone. I would still be left wanting.
Instead of giving in to the need, I threw off the blankets and rushed into the bathroom to take a cold shower. I knew it was perfectly natural to pleasure myself, especially considering the dry spell I had been in. I was afraid of the moment I did get a man in my bed. I would give new meaning to premature ejaculation in women.
I let the cold water wash over my heated skin, trying to push away the images of his naked body. I had spent a long time looking at his body at dinner—or drinks because I never actually got dinner. His body had changed. He was broader through the chest and shoulders and he somehow looked taller. I didn’t think that was possible, but he looked bigger. I wondered if all his parts were bigger.
“Oh god,” I groaned. Just thinking about his dick took me right back to the edge.
I finished showering and quickly dressed before going into my small kitchen to get coffee. I sat down at the table with two slices of toast and my tablet. I pulled up the file I had created for Evan and Amber’s wedding.
Heart Breaker Page 6
