It was incredibly freeing, not having to wonder if he was doing the right thing for his business or not, or whether this was the best path for him personally. None of those considerations mattered, not when a child was already in the picture.
He was grateful for their baby. Had it not been for Paige getting pregnant with his child, they might not be here right now as husband and wife.
Paige was now his wife. He still couldn’t believe how this simple fact had made him the happiest he’d ever been.
He deepened their kiss and started caressing her breasts, knowing how quickly she got horny when he did. Her boobs were getting bigger now and, from what Paige had told him, they were more sensitive—in a good way.
Paige let out a soft moan, wrapping a leg around him and pressing her hips against his, grinding slightly.
Ah, he loved his lusty wife.
“I want you to get me out of my wedding dress and have a shower with me under that massive shower head,” Paige breathed.
He kissed her neck. “I’m more than happy to do those,” he said, bunching up her outfit to put his hands underneath the material and caress her ass. “But I think you look absolutely gorgeous in this dress. I’m not ready to take it off you yet.”
“Oh?” Paige eyes hooded as his fingers delved inside her panties.
She was wet already. And his cock stood up to attention at the call of her body.
“I wanna make you come while you’re wearing this dress. Then I wanna make you come in the shower. Then, if you’re not too tired, I wanna make you come again in bed.”
Paige bit back a smile. “That all sounds good to me, husband.”
“Great, wife. Then make yourself comfortable on that couch.”
Paige sashayed to the sofa by the fireplace, her hips swaying alluringly.
Damn, she was fucking sexy.
Paige reclined, arranging herself and her dress in a sexy pose. “What next, hubby?”
He sat at the edge of the sofa and lifted her skirt. He let out an appreciative whistle at the sight of her garter belt. Eager, he pushed her dress up further and his cock jerked in excitement. Her panties were the kind that could be untied from the sides so they could be taken off without unclipping the garter clips.
He sighed. He was in heaven just looking at this hot woman in front of him.
And she was his wife! Incredible.
“Let’s get rid of this.” He undid the bow from one side of her undies, then the other. Then he pulled the whole thing off from under her. His tongue poked out at seeing her bare pussy, with that damned sexy garter belt and stockings still on.
He parted her legs and bent down to lick the evidence of her desire.
Paige gasped, shifting her hips so she could open herself up to him a little bit more.
He groaned, his pants becoming too tight. He undid his belt and unzipped his pants to free his steely erection. Then he settled himself more comfortably between her legs to give his new wife all the attention she needed.
He placed kisses on her pussy lips before parting them further with his fingers. Then he flicked his tongue on her clit.
Paige moaned his name, raising her hips to meet his mouth.
He inserted a finger in and out of her while his tongue remained busy—but only for a few strokes. Paige was panting like she was already close to the crest, and he didn’t want her to come yet.
He stood up to hastily undress while Paige watched him with hooded eyes.
“I want you,” he murmured.
“Then take me,” she answered.
He pushed her dress off her shoulders to expose her sexy bra, which he promptly took off her. Then he lay back on the couch and extended his hand to her in invitation.
Paige smiled, straddling him. With her pussy out of sight from her skirt billowing around them, she guided his hungry erection to her slick opening. Then she sank down on him.
They both moaned, looking into each other’s eyes as Paige moved on top of him.
Tristan’s breath hitched, his heart expanding large in his chest. He’d had Paige many times before, but knowing she was now his wife somehow made this moment more special. He took Paige’s left hand and kissed her ring finger, utterly amazed at the blissfulness of it all.
Paige whispered his name.
He cupped her breasts and circled her nipples with his thumbs, wanting to heighten her pleasure.
“Oh God,” Paige gasped, bucking faster.
He watched her face, ecstasy shaping her features as her moans got louder.
Ah, nothing made him hotter than seeing Paige coming apart while they made love. “Yes, baby, ride me,” he grunted, his own release fast approaching.
“Tristan,” Paige panted in a strangled voice before convulsing on top of him.
“Fuck,” he cried, gripping her hips as he pumped into her a few times more, feeling her pussy contract against his cock. Then he came, and came, and came.
“I love you,” he said as Paige settled herself on his chest.
“I love you,” she answered.
They rested for a few minutes, cuddling and revelling in the afterglow, until Paige got up and led him to the shower.
This time, Paige was fully naked too.
Tristan stirred as he felt the bed move. With eyes still shut, he reached for Paige and spooned her.
“Morning,” he said sleepily. “I guess it’s morning now, right?”
“Uh-huh,” Paige said, sounding more awake than he was. “It’s quarter to nine.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Yes, but I’m not ready to get up yet.”
He kissed her shoulder. “Me neither.”
Paige shifted to face him. “Did you sleep well?”
“Like a log,” he said with a grin, caressing a strand of hair off his wife’s face. “You?”
She nodded. “I was so tired I was out like a light. Didn’t you notice?”
“I dunno. I think I fell asleep before you,” he said with a laugh. “Do you want to get breakfast delivered or do you want to go to the dining room?”
“Delivered, please.”
“Let me call them, then. I don’t want you getting too hungry.” He picked up the hotel phone on the nightstand beside him and called reception to order their breakfast. Then he turned back to Paige and put a hand on her stomach, rubbing it. “Your belly’s getting bigger,” he commented happily.
Paige smiled. “Yeah, I’m starting to show. A few people are starting to notice.”
Tristan crawled down to put his lips on Paige’s tummy. “Hey, Tanner, how’re you doing in there?”
Paige chuckled.
“Just keep growing strong and healthy, okay? We love you.” He kissed Paige’s little bump.
“You’re going to be such a wonderful dad,” Paige said with a sigh, going into the circle of his arms as he went to lie back down beside her.
“I can’t wait,” he said sincerely.
“Tristan?” Paige said, her tone becoming uncertain.
“Yeah?”
“I have to talk to my parents today.”
He inhaled deeply. “Okay. Do you want me to leave the villa while you do?”
“No. I want you here. I’ll FaceTime them and explain to them what we did and why. Then you can join me so they know we only mean to help. I think they’ll feel better when they see that you do care about me, and that you’re not doing this to spite them.”
He tightened his arms around Paige. “Okay.”
He was curious to see how the Shiptons would react to Paige’s news. Carter and Gavin still didn’t have anything definite that would suggest Larry and Debbie were involved with a drug cartel, but with Preston being one of their trusted advisors, Tristan feared that Paige’s parents were indeed linked to a criminal organisation.
Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be a good idea to inform Paige of what he suspected. He could already imagine her defending them, probably even getting her parents to prove their innocence.
&nb
sp; That had to be avoided. The Shiptons must not know they were suspected of nefarious activities so they wouldn’t have cause to cover their tracks.
He suppressed a sigh. It would be tricky hiding things from Paige, especially when it involved her parents and the company she herself worked at. But he didn’t have a choice. Not only did he have to do this for the greater good, but busting Larry and Debbie—if they were indeed in bed with dangerous criminals—would also make the future safer for Paige and his baby.
He prayed it wouldn’t tear him and Paige apart.
Chapter 14
Paige paced the villa’s living room, holding her iPad.
Do it!
She quickly tapped the FaceTime app before she thought of another excuse to delay her call to her parents. This was the perfect time to get this deed out of the way, when Tristan was having a shower. By the time Tristan was ready to join her in the video call, she hoped her parents would have calmed down from their shock and fury.
“Hello, Paige,” her mother answered.
“Hi, Mum. You at work?” she asked casually, although she’d already caught a glimpse of the painting hanging on her mother’s office wall.
“Yes. Where are you?”
Paige ignored the question. “Is Dad available too? I’d like to talk to the two of you, please.”
Debbie’s brows furrowed, but she stood up and walked out of her office. “Are you feeling all relaxed now? Have you made up your mind?”
“That’s why I want to talk to you and Dad.”
“You seem to be in some nice hotel. Is that an indoor plunge pool behind you?”
“Uh, yeah.” She went to the dining table and sat down to stop herself from walking around nervously.
“Looks like a really posh place, Paige. Where is that?”
She told her.
Debbie’s eyes widened. “What on earth are you doing there?”
“Is that Paige?” Larry said in the background.
The video showed the carpeting in Larry’s office while Debbie asked her husband to move seats. Then her mother was back on the screen, with her father beside her.
“Hello, Paige,” Larry said. “Did you have to go to somewhere so expensive to think things through?”
“Don’t worry, I didn’t pay for it,” she said dryly.
“Who’re you with?”
She took a deep breath. “Hey, you guys know that I love you and I’d do anything I can to help you, right?”
Her parents frowned at her.
“I’ve thought about it,” she continued, “and I know this will be hard for you to accept. But I’m hoping you’ll see that this is the best thing for all of us even if you might not agree with me.”
“Are you saying you don’t want to marry Curtis?” Debbie asked.
“Yes, I’m saying I don’t want to marry Curtis, even if it’s only for show.”
Larry’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know how else to say it, Paige, but I can’t see any other way to save our company if you don’t help us.”
“I am helping you, but with the only option that’s acceptable to me. I’ve married Tristan.”
“What?!”
“Tristan and I love each other,” Paige said in a soft tone. “And he’s really happy to wipe the slate clean as long as you guys sit down with him for a conversation.”
Larry shook his head, stunned and speechless, while Debbie seemed to freeze in her seat.
Well, at least her dad hadn’t gone off on a tirade. Or was that still to come?
“This can’t be for real,” Larry said after a long moment, seeming to snap out of his shock. “You need a month’s notice before you can legally marry. I don’t think you and Tristan fulfilled that, so I’m assuming it’s a fake wedding.”
“That won’t work,” Debbie said with relief in her tone. “The trustees are not stupid. They’d know if it’s not legally binding.”
“We applied for a shortening of the notice and it was accepted,” Paige explained. “I am legally married to Tristan. We had the wedding here yesterday in front of his family and friends—and Bernadette.”
Debbie blinked, tears rushing to her eyes while Larry’s face darkened.
“Do you know what you’ve just done?” Larry bellowed.
Ah, here was the expected eruption. “I don’t know if you heard me the first time,” she said calmly, “but I said Tristan and I love each other.”
“That’s absurd! No way. I’m not accepting that.”
Paige’s heart squeezed tight. She’d seen this coming, but it hurt nonetheless. “It’s true, Dad, whether you accept it or not.”
“He tricked you, Paige,” Debbie said, shaking her head. “You might be able to apply for an annulment. There might be a way to undo this.”
Paige’s jaw dropped to the floor. Were they not listening to her? “I said Tristan and I love each other,” she said forcefully.
“I don’t think you understand what we’re trying to say, Paige,” her mother said. “He couldn’t be in love with you. He’s just using you.”
“And you don’t know what you’re talking about,” she snapped. “I really can’t believe you guys. Now I can see why Tristan is so frustrated with you.”
“This is a nightmare,” Larry muttered.
“No, it’s not,” Paige said stubbornly. “If you’re going to be so difficult, then please just… shut up and let me deal with this. As soon as I get the money from the trustees, I’ll let you know. But for the meantime, let me and Tristan enjoy our honeymoon. And when I go back to the office next week, don’t talk to me about marrying Curtis or annulling my marriage to Tristan. They’re not going to happen.”
Larry rubbed his face vigorously.
“We’ll talk when you get back,” Debbie said softly, a conciliatory smile on her face.
Paige relented at her mother’s demeanour. “Tristan’s here. He’s in the shower, but he’s finishing soon. You can talk to him and see for yourself that he doesn’t mean to hurt you or the company.”
Larry shook his head.
“Next time,” Debbie said. “We have to go now.”
“Okay,” she whispered, close to tears.
“Watch your back, Paige,” Larry said. “If anything bad happens to you, he’s dead.”
“Dad…” she started, but she had no idea what else to say. She was touched by her father’s words, but his statement was totally unwarranted.
“We’ll talk to you—and only you—when you come back,” Larry said brusquely before ending the call.
Paige dropped her head on her hands. This situation felt more hopeless that it had before she’d called her parents. Why was her dad so set in believing that Tristan was the bad guy in all of this? There had to be more about their dispute than she’d already been told.
“Hey,” Tristan said, coming out of the bedroom and tying the robe sash around him. “What’s wrong?”
“I just spoke to my parents,” she said wearily.
Tristan exhaled heavily as he sat next to her. “Not good, I take it?”
“No.”
“What did they say?”
“They can’t believe I’ve married you.” She looked at him pleadingly. “Was there something else that happened to make my dad dislike you?”
Tristan smirked. “Dislike me? That’s the understatement of the year, isn’t it?”
She smiled mirthlessly. “Yeah, so it makes me wonder what exactly happened that he’s so against you.”
“I honestly have no idea. Like I said before, the only explanation I can think of is that he couldn’t stand that TG has overtaken Shipton Enterprise.”
“I know how much Dad loves the company. It’s his firstborn. But his reaction to you doesn’t make sense and it’s bugging the hell out of me.”
“What if your dad’s hiding something that he doesn’t want people to know?”
She frowned. “Like what?”
Tristan shrugged. “Something he’s not proud of? Or scared of b
eing uncovered?”
“Are you suggesting he’s done something illegal or underhanded?” she asked with reproach.
“My experience is that people sometimes use anger to divert attention away from a matter they don’t want others to notice,” Tristan said carefully.
“My parents are not deceitful people, Tristan,” she said coldly.
Tristan sighed and reached for her hand. “Hey, I’m sorry. I don’t want to argue, okay? Maybe your parents were just shocked by your news.”
She got out of her seat and sat on Tristan’s lap, resting her head on his shoulder. “I just hate this. I wish Dad would agree to talk to you and be open to a reconciliation.”
Tristan kissed her forehead. “Maybe just give it time. Anyway, I really don’t want your parents to intrude on our honeymoon, even if they’re physically absent.”
She looked at him and smiled apologetically. “You’re right. And since I’ve already told them my news, I can relax a bit. So do you have any plans for us today?”
“Well, we have our very own field guide to drive us around the reserve anytime we want. We can even go to the glow-worm cave, if you’re game.”
“Ooh, yes, please. I also want to do the night-time stargazing around a campfire at least a couple of times. Bernie said a group of them are doing it tonight. I wouldn’t mind joining them, then go again another night with just the two of us.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Tristan said, placing a peck on her lips.
“And I’d like to visit the stables.”
“You’re not planning on riding, are you?” Tristan said with a frown.
She chuckled, placing her arms around his neck. “No. You’re the only one I plan to ride around here.”
Tristan laughed. “Good. I certainly enjoyed you riding me last night,” he added huskily.
Paige sighed with happiness. How could her parents think marrying Tristan was a mistake? They simply didn’t know him well enough.
Paige grabbed her car keys from the dresser, her hands already cold from nerves. She was going to her parents’ for dinner, and it would be the first time she’d be seeing them outside of working hours since coming back from Wolgan Valley two months ago.
At Tristan’s suggestion, she’d been waiting for her parents to initiate the building of bridges. Tristan had said her folks probably needed time to get used to the idea of her being married to him. She’d agreed, considering that every time she’d tried to bring up the topic of settling their dispute with Tristan, her parents had staunchly rejected the idea.
The Unexpected Husband (Captured by Love Book 8) Page 12
