by Lee, Nadia
Oh shit. This is one thing David and I didn’t discuss, but I should’ve known Dane and Sophia would be curious.
He gives David a meaningful look. “He’s… I’m curious what it is about this reprobate that attracted you.”
Sophia elbows her husband.
“I’m just curious,” he says.
Hmm. Apparently he knows all about David’s womanizing. He’s gone through a lot of women—I know because there’s no way to miss his busy social calendar, especially when I was in charge of the calendar. And contrary to what Dane might presume, I don’t hold it against David. It was before we decided to do the fake engagement, and it’d be unreasonable to think he’d be celibate. “When he proposed, my heart said yes before my brain even engaged. I mean, he’s a fantastic b—man.” Man, not boss. That wouldn’t have sounded terribly romantic. I shoot a sidelong glance in David’s direction, but he’s smiling encouragingly.
Dane’s gaze grows thoughtful, while Isabella says, “I like David too. He’s cool.”
Thank you, Isabella! Maybe your daddy will agree and stop asking questions.
“Thanks, princess,” David says with a grin.
“It’s very similar to how I fell in love with Dane,” Sophia says.
“I was much more romantic,” her husband says. “I even hired André.”
“Threatened a lawsuit, too,” she teases.
“He was going to sue you if you didn’t fall in love with him?” I ask, stunned. I can actually see this frigid man doing that, but why would it make her fall for him?
David starts laughing.
“My lawyer said that wasn’t actionable, but I have my ways,” Dane says, in a tone that doesn’t invite further probing. “How about you?” He turns to David. “Out of all the women you’ve been seeing in the last few years, how did you know?”
That puts a stop to David’s hilarity. He grows more serious as he considers.
I hold still, anxious and curious about what he’s going to say. Why didn’t we think to talk about this yesterday? But if he’d brought it up, I would’ve been really uncomfortable…
“It’s… I wasn’t really struck by a lightning bolt of love, if that’s what you’re wondering,” David says finally.
He takes my hand. My palm grows hot. He gazes deep into my eyes, kissing the knuckles.
My pulse starts to gallop.
“If I had to make an analogy, imagine my heart as an…empty cup. And drop by drop, my feelings for her started to fill it until it overflowed with love for her. Then I realized she’s the one I want to make smile with happiness every day for the rest of my life.”
It’s such a good story, and it neatly avoids anything specific. But it also sounds believable. Not everyone falls in love dramatically, and the way David explains it makes it sound like we just naturally grew close over the two years we’ve known each other. It sounds so…normal and sweet, just what I wished for all my life.
“Aww.” Sophia sighs. “That’s so sweet.”
My heart grows tight and full, like it’s the one that’s overflowing.
And I realize my feelings for David go beyond anything I’ve ever thought possible, even if I don’t have the courage to peer into them too closely.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Erin
When David and I finally get home, it’s after nine. We might’ve lingered longer, but Dane and Sophia had to put Isabella in bed.
“I think that went well,” I say with a small smile. “They’re an interesting couple.”
“I still don’t know why Sophia fell for Dane. He’s such an asshole.” His wry smile says he’s just giving shit to his friend, even though Dane’s not here to hear it.
“Yeah, but your acting was incredible. I think he believed you a hundred percent when you told him how you fell in love with me.” My heart flutters at the memory. Whether it was real or not, every woman should have such a romantic experience at least once in her lifetime.
David blinks. “Well, of course he believed me. I was serious.”
Shock punches me, and I exhale harshly. I stare, unable to process. I should say something, but… “Thank you…?”
David’s eyebrows pinch together hard, creating three deep lines. “Huh?”
Shit. Okay, “thank you” probably wasn’t the most appropriate response. My face grows hot, and I fumble for something more suitable. “I meant… I don’t understand. Why you meant what you said. I mean… I’m not…”
David holds my hand, then turns until he’s facing me fully. “Listen, I’ve lead a very charmed life. A lot of things just came easily for me. School, sports. A great career that I love. But you’re different. You had to work for everything you have, work hard, and I admire your grit and strength. People like that are rare, and true gems. And at the end, they always get what they desire.”
If his announcement that he meant what he said at Dane’s home left me stunned, now I’m utterly speechless. I had no idea he felt this way about me. Or that anybody could see me like that—a strong, worthy person who deserves more than pity and sympathy.
“I hope you get everything your heart desires, Erin,” David adds softly.
A hot emotion I’ve never experienced blooms in my chest as I look into his soft, tender eyes. Goosebumps break out over my skin, and rapid boom boom booms thunder inside me.
I don’t want to hold back, trying to appear normal and sane. For tonight, I want to let go, have this man who sees me in such a beautiful light that it makes my heart full with longing.
Because that’s what I desire the most.
Guided by instinct and sheer emotion, I put my hands on his cheeks and kiss him. His lips are firm and warm. He tenses against me as though in shock. I press harder, then lick, like he did when I baked him that peach cobbler.
A harsh groan tears from his throat, and he kisses me back, wrapping his arms around me.
Yes. Oh yes.
Heat suffuses my body as I wrap my hand around the back of his neck. I whimper, wanting and needing more of him. Our tongues tangle, his mouth searing. I press closer, feel his erection against my belly. Lust pulses through me at the proof of his desire. I gasp softly as the throbbing between my legs intensifies.
“David, I want you,” I whimper against his mouth, fumbling with his shirt buttons. People on TV do this so smoothly, but I can’t seem to undo even one button, like my fingers can’t remember how to perform the simple task.
He picks me up, like a prince would a princess in a Disney animation, and I loop my arms around his neck in surprise. I’ve never been carried like this before. My heart thunders, surprise and excitement coursing through me.
“Bedroom. We aren’t doing this in the living room,” he says, starting up the stairs like I don’t weigh anything.
The lean strength of his muscles creates fresh sparks of need, stoking the fire. His heart drums against my skin, and I bite my lip to contain a moan. I never realized how erotic being carried in a man’s arms could be.
He walks through the door to his bedroom, then curses under his breath and turns right back out.
“What’s wrong?”
“That damned picture!”
I remember the portrait Mrs. Darling sent of David’s pregnant cousin and her husband. And the incredulity and outrage on David’s face when I helped the delivery crew hang it in his room, right opposite the bed so he would have to see it every time he goes to sleep. I start laughing.
He cocks an eyebrow. “Funny, is it?”
“I honestly don’t know why your mother sent it, because it isn’t going to inspire you to get married or give her a grandbaby.”
“Because she’s cra—single-minded.” His gaze turns heavenward. “She can’t imagine anybody not going along with her ideas.”
Even though he caught himself, I know he was about to call his mother “crazy.” But instead of derision, there’s a warm, helpless affection in his voice that just feels like another word for love. It’s sweet, a glimpse
of the kind of family life I wish I could have at some point—full of love and warmth no matter what.
He lowers me in front of my bedroom door. “Open the door. Let me in,” he says, his lips on my forehead, the tip of my nose, then my chin.
He’s giving control to me—a chance to turn back.
But I don’t want to stop. I shift my head slightly so that our lips are fused, then fumble with the doorknob behind my back until it opens. We spill into the room.
The room is dark, but light from the windows casts pale yellow illumination in elongated shapes. We make a half-circle until he’s caging me against the opened door and deepens the kiss. His hands skim over my body, and they are burning hot through my dress. Shivers run through me, and oh my God. I’m so hot that sweat’s misting over me, but I’m also so wet that it’s almost embarrassing. I always assumed the copious amount of wetness in porn videos I watched before was fake, like soap-opera tears except slipperier. But I assumed wrong. It is actually possible to be that wet.
He cups my breasts, and I cry out, our kiss muffling the sound. My heart is hammering; my mind is empty of everything but a need for him. The nearly uncontrollable restlessness is making me want to scream and tear away his clothes. But a tiny spark of sanity pulls me back. Do I really want to be out of control, driven by nothing but searing-hot instinct?
A hiss of zipper coming undone, and my dress glides down my body, falling into a heap around my feet. The cool air chills my skin, the fine hair on my body standing. I’m in nothing but my thong and sandals. No bra because the dress had it built in.
Suddenly, I feel incredibly vulnerable. Not just physically, but emotionally. David’s eyes are drinking my body in from top to bottom, but I don’t want to him to see too deeply. I’m afraid what he might find…and that he might be disappointed because I serve no real use to him. Even Warren, who I thought had genuine feelings for me, only wanted me for how I could contribute to his career.
The thing is: David doesn’t need me. At all. There’s nothing I can do for him.
“You’re gorgeous,” David whispers reverently before I can raise my arms to cover myself.
I swallow hard, shaky and relieved he likes my body. Maybe if he’s naked too, I’ll feel less helpless. “Can you, um, take off your clothes?” That comes out squeakier than I was hoping for.
“You bet.” He smiles, his dark eyes hot and beautiful.
His gaze is on mine, and I can’t look away. He toes off his shoes, pulls off his socks, unbuttons his shirt and disposes of his slacks and underwear in a few graceful, economical moves. Unlike me, he stands fully nude. His body is gorgeous—all those lean, powerful lines, the big, strong muscles.
But my eyes still drop. His cock is hard and thick, the head almost touching his flat belly. Dark veins run along the shaft, and the tip is glistening. I probably shouldn’t stare, but I can’t help it. It’s so much more fascinating than I ever imagined.
“Is it?” David looks down. “Um…I guess. I’ve kind of always had it.”
“Oh shit. Did I say that out loud?”
“Yep.”
I bury my flaming face in my hands.
He merely laughs, then takes my wrists gently and pulls my hands away. “Come on, Erin. Don’t be embarrassed about it. We all want what we don’t have. I mean, if I had your body, I’d never leave my bed.”
I laugh, the humor pushing away the tension in my body, and find myself relaxing bit by bit.
“I’ll even let you touch it,” he offers.
“Do I need to let you touch mine in return?” I say, surprising myself. I never thought I’d joke and tease during sex. In my experience, sex is just sort of…quiet and unmemorable. Mildly pleasant at the very best.
“Nah. You don’t have to. I’m a magnanimous guy. But you’ll like it better if you let me.” He rests his forehead on mine, gazing deeply into my eyes.
He’s exercising so much patience and control to make me comfortable. I smile as the nerves in my belly settle and excitement sparks. I trust that he’s going to make it really good for me because he cares. “Okay. Deal.”
I trail my fingertips down his lean, muscled chest. His skin’s so warm, so taut. I can feel the throbbing of his body through my fingers. My fingernails flick across his nipples. He inhales sharply. It’s so erotic to have David in front of me, naked and hot and hard and responding to me.
I grow bolder and let my hands travel down along the ridges of his abs. They’re iron-hard.
“I thought cheese-grater abs were a myth,” I say.
“Well, you know. For most guys.”
I have to laugh again. Having this much fun during sex is a novelty. “I thought you were going to do some touching too.”
“I’ve been debating where to start. You’re a feast, Erin.”
Heat suffuses my cheeks. “Just pick something.”
He cups my bare breasts. Without a barrier, the touch seems to sear my skin. I gasp, my nipples tingling. The sensation is so sharp that it’s almost painful. When he strokes over the tips, my vision defocuses for a moment. Without thinking, I reach for his cock and take it in my hand, resting my thumb at the base of the head as I wrap my fingers around the long shaft. I feel it leap and pulse.
Groaning, David pulls a nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. He uses his tongue and teeth to pleasure me.
Blazing white heat streaks through me like lightning. It’s too much, but I can’t pull away. My head thrown back, I arch into his mouth, craving more of this unimaginable bliss.
I pump my hand experimentally along his cock. David curses under his breath and picks me up, his arms around my hips, and carries me to the bed only a few feet away. After laying me down on the soft sheets, he drags the flimsy thong down my legs and tosses it away.
I start to reach for the straps on my sandals, but he stops me. “Leave ’em on.”
The intense desire in his eyes makes my skin tight and tingly. He sits between my legs, his knees keeping my thighs apart. Cool air brushes my exposed flesh, and I squirm, excitement and embarrassment tugging at me from opposite directions.
“Let’s see if you taste as delicious as you look.”
Just as it registers that he plans to go down on me, his mouth covers my slick folds. The sensation of having his hot tongue down there is overwhelming, like a wave of pleasure that’s so big and powerful that it’s going to drown me without giving me a chance to surface. I clench my teeth to contain the scream building inside, as the pleasure grows inexorably.
When his long fingers invade my pussy, my whole body seems to explode. I scream, “David!”
Through the tsunami of sensation, I vaguely sense him move, hear something tear. I manage to open one eye and see him sheathing himself.
And an urgency I’ve never felt before swells. I want him. Now.
He positions himself between my legs. I look up, his beautiful face above mine. “I want to feel that again, this time with you inside me,” I whisper.
With a groan, he dips his head and kisses me hard. I cling to him, my fingers digging into his shoulders, my legs wrapped around him. He drives into me, pushing into my wet, sensitive flesh. His thick cock stretches me until there’s a sharp edge to the pleasure. But with every thrust the pleasure grows, until all I feel is David, taking me to another peak.
This time the crest takes longer and hits harder. I clench around him, his name a desperate chant on my lips, as another climax breaks over me.
David curses over me and pushes into me hard one last time before he shudders, then places his forehead over mine. I hold him, warmth settling over me at the realization that we made each other feel good.
We struggle to even our breathing. When my brain is working again—barely—I realize I had my first orgasm. And the second one, too, all in one night with David.
So that’s what the big deal is…
But it isn’t just physical satisfaction that’s coursing through me. I feel so cherished—something I’ve never exper
ienced with anybody else.
David gets up and goes to the bathroom to get rid of the condom. When he returns, he moves us to the middle of the bed and pulls the sheets up. We spoon, and I close my eyes, enjoying the closeness.
He kisses my shoulder. “Can I sleep here tonight?” he whispers.
His warm breath tickles, and I shiver. “You’d better.”
Chapter Forty
Erin
I squirm around. My brain says it’s time to get up. My body says I should stay in bed. It’s warm and soft and…hard?
Confused, I blink and see David’s deliciously chiseled chest. Now, that’s a sight a girl could get used to waking up to.
“Good morning. You still look sleepy and tired,” David says.
“I am. A little.” I snuggle against him with a small yawn.
“Wanna call in sick?” Amusement lightens his tone. “‘Hey, boss, I don’t feel so good,’” he says in a terrible falsetto. Then he uses his normal voice “‘Well, sure, then. You go ahead and stay home. Get some sleep. Recover from last night.’”
Laughing, I gently slap his shoulder. “Yeah, that’ll go over great with HR.”
“I’ll put down something else. Like how you’re overworked. Nobody needs to know the nature of the, uh, work.”
“Just stop. I’m not going to skip work because of sex, no matter how many times we did it. Everyone goes to work after having sex.”
“Yeah, but see, the thing is? I don’t want to go in, either. I want to screw around with you all day,” David says, burying his face in the crook of my neck. His breath tickles.
My toes curl in response. “You’re a terrible temptation, Mr. Darling, but I’m afraid we have to get up. Besides, don’t you think it’ll look weird if both of us miss work?” I try to sound stern and serious, but I end up sounding weak and needy instead.
“The people at the company are smart. They know what’s going on.” He kisses my neck. “They’ll understand that I’m helplessly enslaved to your gorgeous body.”
Oh God. That tingling sensation’s spreading over me again. “Are you trying to score a morning quickie?” I ask breathlessly.
