by J. L. Beck
He reached out a hand and grasped my jaw firmly. “I’m a man who’s used to getting what he wants, Felicity. I wanted to find you. So I did.” The possessive look in his eyes made it clear that what he wanted was me.
“And set yourself up as my guardian?”
He flashed me a smug grin, and his hand shifted to cup my cheek. “It got you out of that group home and into mine, didn’t it?”
“You do realize that a guardian shouldn’t lust after their ward, right? If my case worker has even the slightest reason to suspect something sexual going on between the two of us, she’ll yank me out of here so fast your head will spin.” It was a lesson I’d learned in the foster home before my last one, when one of the other foster girls had fallen for our foster parent’s son. The second their relationship had come to light, she was out and placed in a new home in another town and they were forbidden to have any contact with each other.
5
Harrison
Damn, she was cute. Such an alluring combination of innocence and worldly maturity.
I ran my finger down her silky cheek, even as I felt my expression harden. “Felicity, nothing and no one will ever take you from me.” Unable to resist, I captured her chin once more and held her face still as I leaned in to brush my mouth over hers. “So sweet,” I groaned before pressing our lips together harder. A small whimper escaped her lips, and my control frayed at the edges. Releasing her face, I gripped her waist and lifted her until she was straddling my lap.
She was shaking lightly, so I rubbed my hands up and down her arms a few times before moving them to her back and pulling her even closer. She gasped when she felt my hard as fuck cock nestled against the heat of her pussy. I could feel her pulse, even through the thick material of her jeans. My hips bucked involuntarily and she cried out, her head dropping back and her hands flew to my biceps, holding them tight.
“I want you more than anything, Felicity,” I growled as I placed slow, wet kisses down the column of her neck. I made quick work of the buttons on her blouse. Leaning back slightly, I parted both sides of her shirt, exposing her small, pert tits cupped in satiny pink fabric. Her panting made them bounce slightly, and my mouth watered to taste their dark peaks.
Lowering the cups, her tits popped out but were held up by the underwire, as though they were offering them up for my feasting. I latched onto one nipple as my fingers toyed with the other. Felicity moaned, and her hips began to undulate. I released her with a pop and held her still. “I need to see you come, honey,” I groaned raggedly. “But if you keep that up, I won’t be able to stop myself from fucking you. Just the thought of burying my cock in your tight little pussy is enough to make me lose it.”
While my mouth lavished attention on her opposite breast, I ripped open the snap to her jeans and tugged down her zipper before plunging my hand in. “Are you wet for me, Felicity?” I scraped her nipple with my teeth while I drew one finger up the center of her pussy. “Fuck! You’re soaked.”
Lifting my head, I kissed her again, swallowing her cry as I shoved two fingers inside her. “Ride my hand, honey.”
“Harrison,” she moaned. The sound of my name in her husky voice had come leaking from my dick, making a fucking mess in my pants. I didn’t care, my whole focus was on my girl. I was desperate to see her get off again. I could already tell it was going to become an addiction.
My fingers plunged in and out, my tongue doing the same, driving her higher. Tearing my lips from hers, I went back to work on her nipples so I could hear her cries of passion. Every muscle in her body tightened for a half second before a scream ripped from her throat. My name.
“Fuck!” I roared and for the first time since I was a teenager, I came in my fucking pants.
I brought my hand out from between her legs and licked it clean, moaning at the sweet taste. Then I rubbed her back in gentle circles as she slumped against me, panting while she recovered.
“Harrison,” she whimpered. “We can’t do stuff like this. I—I don’t want to be taken away.”
My chest warmed at the last of her words. I was elated to hear her admit that she wanted to be with me. After placing a soft kiss on the crown of her head, I whispered, “Trust me, honey. Trust me to protect you.”
I felt her head move in a nod, and I fought the instinct to celebrate by taking her to our room and fucking her all night long. I sighed and kissed her temple. “I have the power and money to do as I promised. However, it’s probably for the best if we abstain until you’re eighteen.” I hated the words even as they left my mouth.
Felicity leaned back, and her violet eyes were still misty with remnants of her orgasm. “What happens after that?”
“Let’s get you settled,” I said, changing the subject since I wanted to put that question off for as long as I could. I righted her clothes and then helped her off of my lap and got us both to our feet. Taking her hand, I led her through the house and up the stairs. I hesitated at the door to my room but knew it would be impossible to stay away from her if we slept in the same bed. Taking a few more steps, I entered the next room. It had a connecting door to the master and after Felicity was permanently sleeping with me, I was going to turn it into a nursery.
“Put your things in here while I change, honey,” I told her. “For now,” I added with a soft smile and a wink. Her cheeks turned the most adorable shade of pink, and I had to fortify my determination to leave her be for the time being. “How about I take you to dinner? By the time we come back the rest of your stuff will be here and you can get settled.”
“My stuff will be here?” she asked with surprise and confusion.
I nodded. “I have my guys picking it up and delivering it.” Her mouth formed a little O, and her eyes widened. I knew she wasn’t used to having any luxuries and I loved seeing the wonder on her face and knowing I would be opening a whole new world to her. One where she was safe, happy, and loved. Where she could have anything she desired…as long as it wasn’t to leave me.
I kissed her cheek and then quickly ducked into my room. Stripping out of my suit, I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater before going into the bathroom to clean myself up. Once I was ready, I returned to find her waiting for me in the hall.
“What happens after I turn eighteen, Harrison?” She asked again, her tone filled with trepidation. I longed to soothe it, but I feared it was too soon to tell her the truth.
“Unless you want to be my dinner, I suggest we go eat.” She opened her mouth, and I placed a finger over it to keep her quiet. “We’ll have that discussion, just not right now. Okay?”
Her eyes were wary, but she nodded. I removed my finger and took her hand, leading her to the garage. I helped her into the Jag and chuckled when she batted my hands away as I tried to buckle her in.
“Where would you like to go, honey?” I inquired as I pulled out onto the road.
She shrugged and stared out her window. Reaching over, I took her hand and settled it on my thigh. “Anywhere you want, Felicity.”
Her head slowly turned in my direction, and I saw a sparkle in her eye that hadn’t been there before. “I really get to choose?”
I laughed and gave her hand a squeeze. “Tell me.”
A blush stole across her cheeks again, reminding me of how pink she got all over when we made love, and I was suddenly shifting in my seat to get comfortable around the steel between my legs.
“Can we go to Pizza Hut?”
I glanced over at her, my eyebrows shooting up. “I give you the choice to go anywhere, and you choose Pizza Hut?”
Her head ducked down, and I instantly felt like a complete shit. “I haven’t had anything but frozen pizza since my parents died. My foster families rarely took us out to eat and when they did, it was always the dollar menu at McDonald’s.”
Glancing at the road behind me, I saw it was clear, so I pulled over to the side. Then I lifted Felicity’s face with one finger and smiled tenderly. “I was just surprised, honey. Not disappointed. I thin
k it’s a fantastic choice. Pizza Hut it is!”
A smile crept over her face, and it began to light up once again. I didn’t think I would ever get used to how fucking gorgeous she was.
By the time we finished up dinner, I was convinced that Pizza Hut had been the worst decision EVER. Every time Felicity licked sauce from her fingers and let out a little moan with a bite, I had to quell the urge to drag her ass to the bathroom and put that tongue to better use.
Finally, the torture ended, and we returned to the house. As expected, Felicity’s few posessions and clothes were all in her room. I frowned at the pathetically small grouping.
“Tomorrow, after school, we’re going shopping.”
Felicity was already going about putting everything away, but my words had her stopping and turning to face me. “I don’t know why you did this, Harrison. But, I’m truly grateful. Still”—she shook her head emphatically—“I’m not going to take advantage of your generosity. I’ll never be able to afford to pay you back when I leave as it is.”
Her words ignited a fire in my chest, and I growled as I prowled over to her and grabbed her arms. “My money is your money, Felicity. And don’t even fucking think about leaving me. Is that clear?”
Her head canted to the side, and she studied me speculatively. “What happens after I turn eighteen, Harrison?”
I hadn’t wanted to answer that damn question yet, but maybe it was the only way to get her to stop talking about leaving after her birthday. “I put a ring on your finger and fuck my kid into your belly.”
“You—uh, wait—what?!?” she shrieked.
6
Felicity
I was waiting for him to laugh it off. To act like what he’d said was a joke of some kind. Teasing me about something like that didn’t make any sense, but it was hard to believe that he was thinking about our relationship—or whatever I should call it—in terms of forever. He was a hot as heck billionaire who had all of his crap together. And I was...me, a foster kid with nothing to her name.
But he didn’t look like he was joking. It was more like the opposite. His dark eyes weren’t filled with humor. They were intense. Heated. Determined. His fingers tightened on my arms as he pulled me closer. “You heard me, Felicity. I have very specific plans for how we’re going to celebrate your eighteenth birthday.”
I gulped, unsure if the pounding of my heart was because I wanted him to be serious or if it was a sign of how badly I was freaking out over the idea. “Plans that involve me becoming your wife?”
“And knocking you up.”
“I’m not sure that I’m ready to be a wife and mom!” I squeaked.
He tilted my chin up with one long finger and winked at me. “You’ll be ready when the time comes, honey.” I felt my brows lift in surprise because he really seemed to believe that to be true. “And I’ll be right by your side every step of the way.”
I wanted to believe him. I really did. But life had taught me that people didn’t always stick around. Maybe, just maybe, he would. But it had been one heck of a week and a half for me, with lots of highs and lows. This morning, I was stuck in a group home and didn’t know where I was going to live after my birthday. Then Harrison showed up at my school and told me I was living with him. Being around him every day in a mansion? It was a no-brainer. But forever as man and wife? I needed some time to wrap my head around the idea of that. Luckily, I had a handy excuse for some alone time.
“Alrighty then,” I mumbled. “I guess we’ll see what happens when the time comes. But for now, I have a crap ton of homework to do. So I better get to it.”
I wiggled out of his hold, headed towards my bedroom, and turned when I felt him following behind me. “How about you save that ‘by your side’ stuff for something other than homework? I’ve got that covered all by myself.”
His dark eyes searched my face before he smiled and nodded. “Okay, I can do that. But only if you let me know when you need help with anything.”
“Will do,” I agreed. Before I could turn back around, he yanked me close and devoured my mouth until I could barely see straight. When he let me go, I reached out to the wall to steady myself. Once my legs felt like they could carry me again, I hightailed it to my room where I hid out for the rest of the night. Harrison let me get away with it, only stopping in when he was headed to bed to give me a goodnight kiss. It was one heck of a kiss, too. One I woke up still thinking about the next day. Right up until the moment he gave me a good morning kiss, and I become obsessed with that one instead.
I started and ended each day the same way the whole week. Not that those were the only times I got kisses from Harrison, though. He’d done a good job of keeping his hands off of me. Well, okay, not really...but he’d kept his dick out of me, and that’s what counted, right? But he never missed an opportunity to kiss me senseless, and the moment we walked in the door after he picked me up from school Friday afternoon was no exception.
“Come here,” he rasped as he kicked the door closed behind us and pulled me into his arms. “Fuck, I missed you.”
“I was only at school for seven hours,” I sighed as I tilted my head up, offering him my lips for the kiss I knew I was going to get.
He lowered his head and practically breathed his words into my mouth. “Seven minutes or seven hours. It doesn’t matter. If you’re gone, I feel the loss.”
My legs felt like jelly before the kiss even began. He made me feel more than wanted; it was like I was necessary to him. It was as though he understood how important it was for me to feel needed and went about giving it to me.
His hand sifted through my hair, fisted gently, and I went up on my toes. Then he kissed me, wet and deep. Tongues tangling, lips smashed together. And I kissed him back as hard as I could, trying to show him how much his words meant to me. When he released my lips, I blinked a few times to clear my vision as I stared up at him.
“Set up at the kitchen counter and get an early start on your homework. I want your undivided attention this weekend.”
He patted my ass when I walked past him, so I put a little more wiggle into my hips as I crossed the room. A satisfied grin spread across my lips when I heard his strangled groan, and I felt a rush of feminine power. Being around Harrison was good for me. Damn good, and a lot of it had nothing to do with the things he could buy. It was him. The way he was with me. And the way he made me feel, like this really could last forever.
Harrison had followed behind me and sat down to work beside me. I was happy as I started my homework. Happier than I ever remembered being before. Even the daunting task of statistics homework wasn’t enough to get me down, and that class was kicking my butt. I had to work hard just to keep a B in it.
“Who’s that?” I asked when the doorbell rang. I was only half-listening to Harrison’s response while I tried to figure out the answer to a particularly hard question. Then the bell rang again, and his reply registered in my brain.
“My caseworker?” I hissed as I jumped out of my seat. “She’s here? Now? Why didn’t you tell me she was coming?”
He pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead and gave my shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Because I didn’t want you to spend the whole week worrying about it when her visit is just a formality.”
He was right about the worrying part. I absolutely would have done that. I could only hope he was also correct about her visit only being a formality. I was on pins and needles as he opened the door and welcomed her into his home—our home now. I had a hard time focusing while I tried to not freak out, and most of what was said didn’t register. Luckily, Harrison seemed to realize how out of it I was and he took control of the situation. He got me settled back at the kitchen counter while he gave her a tour of the house. I didn’t get a single question done while they were gone, but I pretended to look busy when I heard them get closer.
“This entire situation is completely unorthodox,” Ms. Jensen sniffed.
My heart was pounding as I rose from my seat and c
rossed through the kitchen to join them in the living room.
“It’s rare for us to place a female foster child in the home of a single, male foster parent. I’m not sure how you managed to get your background clearance check with the FBI and Washington State Patrol done so quickly.” Her gaze swept across the room. “But I can only assume it has something to do with your wealth.”
“Does it matter?” Harrison spoke softly, but firmly. “You can’t possibly think that Felicity would have been better off in that group home than she is here.”
“I’m not saying that,” she huffed. I had to bite my lip to keep myself from interrupting because that’s exactly what it had sounded like to me. “Just because you’re wealthy, I’m not going to let you off the hook when it comes to the rules. Felicity might be turning eighteen soon, but until then she’s my responsibility and I’m entrusting her care to you.”
Harrison’s eyes flared when she called me her responsibility, but he kept his cool as he responded. “I wouldn’t expect any kind of special treatment from you while I’m Felicity’s guardian.”
“Good.” She nodded happily. “Then you won’t complain when I ask you to start your ongoing training sooner rather than later. You’re required to obtain thirty-six hours of it during the first three years. Since I have my doubts about your pre-service training, I think it would be best for you to get some of those hours in before Felicity ages out of the system and leaves your home.”
“I’ll make arrangements to start next week,” he assured her.
It wasn’t long before she left. Probably only another five minutes, but it still felt like forever. I peered through the decorative window next to the door, waiting until I saw her car pull down the driveway. When the gates closed behind her, I heaved a deep sigh of relief.
“Were you just saying that to make her shut up? Or are you actually going to take one of those classes?” I asked, trying to picture him sitting in one of them with all of the other foster parents.
