by Claire Adams
Before she could go any further, I remembered the ring and pulled it out. Her eyes widened when I flipped open the box. Mel had helped me pick it out. It was a three-carat, princess cut set in a platinum setting. The band was three carats of floating diamonds. “Oh my God.”
“Do you like it?”
“Oh my God.”
“Chloe, are you okay?”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Maybe you might want to answer my question?”
“Get married? Us? Logan, we’ve only known each other for weeks.”
“I know, but sometimes you just know. I mean, when it’s right, it’s right…right?” God, I sound like a ridiculous adolescent. “I want you to be my wife, Chloe.”
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Yes, why? I mean, why on earth would you want me to be your wife?”
I swallowed hard, and then I just said it, “I love you, Chloe.” Her face lit up, even though I could see she was trying hard to control her emotions. Her pretty eyes still held doubt. “I do, Chloe, I love you.”
“Logan, I think I’m falling in love with you, too. But maybe we should spend some more time getting to know each other. I mean, I just don’t see the hurry.”
I was about to play dirty pool. As soon as the words came out of my mouth I felt like shit. But I’d gone this far. I had to play this all the way through.
“Chloe, I’m not twenty-four years old. I want a family. I want a family with you. I don’t want to be such an old father that I can’t play ball with my son or teach my daughter how to roller skate.
“But before we start making babies, I want us to build a house here and that will take some time. I want to have a state-of-the-art nursery to bring our babies home to and I want it to be a house that any kid would want to grow up in. I want us to do all of that together. Look at me, Chloe.”
She was staring down at her hands in her lap. She lifted her head and looked into my eyes. She had tears in them and once again, I told myself what an incredible asshole I was just before I said, “I built a successful business from the ground up, Chloe. I was a billionaire before I turned thirty. I know what I want and when I see what I want, I go after it. I want you.”
She brought her hands up and took my face in them. “I want you, too,” she whispered. I pushed up higher on my knees, and she brought her lips down to mine. She gave me the sweetest, most passionate kiss and then she looked into my eyes again and said, “Yes, I’ll marry you, Logan. Jesus, I can’t believe we’re going to do this…but yes, I love you.”
I’m going straight to hell. I took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her finger.
“If you don’t like it, we can go and get whatever you want.”
She wiped at her eyes and looked down at the ring. “I’d have to be blind or crazy not to like it. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” I took her face in my hands and kissed her again.
“It’s not anywhere near as beautiful as you.”
*****
She pressed her lips to mine again. Her mouth was hot and eager, and the desire that had been simmering all day reached the boiling point. I managed to stuff the guilt down somewhere deep as I buried one hand in her hair and wrapped the other around her waist and pulled her down into my lap.
She was working on pulling my shirt out of the waistband of my jeans as we kissed, and her fingers shook as she worked on the buttons. I reached up and took over for her, and she wound her hands together behind my neck to pull me deeper into the kiss. I groaned into her hot mouth as her tongue slid against mine, seducing me with a promise of heaven to follow.
She felt so right in my arms that it was easy to forget what I’d just done to her. I’d lied to her and I’d lied about something that could very well alter the course of her life. But I couldn’t think about that. All I wanted to think about was how amazing she felt.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I realized my lungs were burning for air. I broke the kiss and tried to suck in a breath. It wasn’t easy with her soft breasts pressed into me and her round ass pressing down against my erection.
I stumbled up to my feet, taking her by the arms and bringing her with me. I felt like I was drunk, and as I tried to guide her out of the living room, I stumbled toward the wall. I didn’t care, though, because I took her with me.
I pinned her against the wall and held her arms above her head with one hand. I used the other to lift her sweater and brought my mouth down and used my chin to push her bra out of my way just enough to expose one of those delicious nipples. I sucked it into my mouth and delighted in the sounds she made as I did.
After a few minutes of that, I moved back up to her face to devour her mouth. God, I loved tasting her, sucking her tongue and her lips. I ground my hips against hers and the pressure in my groin built to an almost intolerable level. Our breaths became shallow once again. She pulled back and as she tried to suck in air, she whispered, “I love you.”
I felt that knife in my chest again, twisting and tearing at the flesh and bone there. I’m not a horrible person…I’m not. Maybe if I kept chanting that, I might believe it.
I almost caved, but then she pulled herself up with her hold on my neck again and as she covered my mouth with hers, she moaned into it. Once again, I was lost in her.
Without breaking the kiss, I lifted her up off the floor. She wrapped her legs around me and I carried her into the bedroom. I sat her on the bed and finished pulling off her sweater and bra. I ran my hands up her smooth, bare arms, and she reached for my shirt and pushed it back off my shoulders. I stood up and finished undressing before I did the same to her.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
“So are you,” she said with a smile. The difference was she was beautiful inside and out. I’d agree that I looked good on the outside, but my heart was as black as I’d accused Mel’s of being and at that moment, I almost hated myself for it.
Before I got too wrapped up in that, I pushed her back onto the bed and crawled up over her. She smiled again and reached up to pull me back into a kiss. I shifted so that I could lie down next to her and for a long time, we just enjoyed the feel of each other’s bodies rubbing against each other while we made out like teenagers.
My tongue had a mind of its own after a while and started making its way down her neck and across her sexy collarbones. I licked down to the swell of her breasts and all around the outside of her nipples as she squirmed and tried to get me to take one into my mouth. I teased her for a while before I finally did. I sucked on one and played with the other and then I switched.
After a while, I kissed my way down her belly and licked across the top of her mound. She writhed all over the bed before I finally slid down on my knees and pushed her to the edge. I held onto her hips tightly and buried my face between her legs.
I let my tongue come out and taste her. She tasted so sweet. I licked her up and down and then concentrated on her swollen clit. She was making sexy noises and had my head pinned with her hands and her thighs. I sucked it into my mouth and tortured her with my tongue until she was dangling on the edge, and then I rose back up and kissed her hard while my fingers took the place of my mouth and I finished pushing her off that cliff.
She screamed as she went over and when she was finally able to relax and her body had stopped quivering, she looked up at me with a look of pure, unadulterated love. Jesus Christ, I’m a demon.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHLOE
“My turn,” I told him as soon as I could breathe again. He grinned at me, but when I looked into his eyes, there was something there that worried me. There was a hint of anxiety, and my own insecurities made me wonder if he already regretted his proposal. I looked down at my finger first to make sure it was real and then as I sat up and nudged him onto his back I asked, “Is everything okay?”
He smiled and reached up to pull me onto his lap. I was sitting on top of his throbbing cock and it was evident all w
as well there. “Everything is fantastic,” he said, pulling me down for a kiss.
He reached down between us as he kissed me and tried to line himself up with my pussy. I almost panicked because he hadn’t put on a condom, but then I remembered what he’d said about wanting to have babies. Was he really ready so soon? I wasn’t sure about that.
I pushed myself up higher on his body and gave him another long, deep kiss. Then, I kissed my way down his neck and stopped to press my lips against the strong pulse there. I loved feeling his heartbeat.
I inhaled him, absorbing his masculine, woodsy scent. It went straight to my libido, and I knew I could inhale that scent for the rest of my life and never get enough of it.
I forced myself to move on and explored the hard angles and lines of his chest with my fingers and my lips. I kissed, licked, and nibbled my way down, thoroughly enjoying every guttural moan that escaped from him. When I reached his hard abs, I felt his body tense. When I took his steel shaft into my hand, I felt his body convulse. I loved the way he responded to me. I loved the way he did everything, and I was still trying to wrap my head around how I got so lucky.
I moved my mouth downward and caressed the tip of his cock with nothing more than my hot breath. He moaned loudly and said, “I’m going to explode.” I smiled and ran my tongue across it. “You’re evil.” I sucked it into my mouth, and he came up off the bed and grabbed me. He pressed me down on my back into the bed, and I got the giggles.
Finally, he covered my mouth with his and caught the giggles before he reached back down between us and slid his bare cock up inside of my soaking wet pussy.
Synapses fired off like machine guns in my body and brain. I got loud again as he pounded into me. He wasn’t playing around anymore and it only took minutes before I was clawing at his shoulders and back with my second orgasm. He followed closely after and then still tense and shaking, he collapsed down on top of me.
His weight was crushing me, but I just lay there holding my breath and hoping he would remember I was underneath him before he went to sleep. Eventually, he slid off me. The light sheen of sweat between us facilitated it and once he crashed down on the bed next to me, he wrapped me up in a possessive bear hug and pulled me into his chest.
No matter how often I questioned why he wanted me, it was moments like this that convinced me he really did. I could feel his heart beating and hear his ragged breaths, and I tipped my head down just enough to once again look at the ring on my finger.
I knew I would have a lot of explaining to do to my parents and I’d have to listen to a lot of crap at work and I was probably going to be made fun of in the tabloids… But no one could ever understand that one night like this made it all worth it.
I fell asleep in Logan’s arms and woke up cold and missing something. I got up and slipped on his robe and padded out into the living room. That was empty, too, but he’d left a fire burning in the stove.
I could smell the coffee, so I made my way into the kitchen. There was a fresh pot and a note next to it that said, “Breakfast at Mom’s this morning. Call me when you get up and I’ll bring the golf cart down to get you. Last night was amazing. Can’t wait to do it again.” He signed it with three big Xs and Os.
I smiled and poured myself a cup of coffee. As I did, I caught sight of the ring again. I’d almost forgotten about it. Jesus, it’s big. I lifted my hand up and looked at it. I’d never seen such a big diamond in real life. It was beautiful, but the truth was if he’d given me a bottle cap, I would be proud to wear it.
I loved the idea of being his wife, but the idea of telling my parents about it? Not so much. I slipped off the ring and put it back in the box Logan had sat on the counter before I went in and showered. When I was dressed and ready I texted him, and five minutes later, he was waiting at the gate in the golf cart.
“Good morning, gorgeous.” He got out of the cart and kissed me before helping me in. When he touched my hand, he looked from my ring finger back to my face and said, “Where’s your ring?”
“Um, I thought it might be better to tell the parents before I just show up with a rock on my finger, don’t you think?”
“Sure, yeah, that’s a good idea. Maybe we could wait until Monday and when your parents get off the plane in Minnesota, we could shoot them a text.”
I laughed as he fired up the golf cart and we started down the lane toward his parent’s house. “I think Daddy would be more pissed off about that than he will if I tell him to his face.”
“You think he’ll be pissed off?”
“He’s not going to be happy. But I’ll just tell him we’ll make the engagement longer.” I saw an instant change in his affect. He turned the cart into his parent’s driveway, and I said, “What? You don’t want a long engagement?”
“I was thinking,” he said as he parked the cart and turned it off, “I’d love to be married to you before Christmas.”
“Excuse me? You do know that Christmas is a month away, right? You mean next Christmas?”
“No. I mean like next week.”
“You’re insane. There is no way we could put a wedding together in a week, even if I wanted to.”
“You’re not in a hurry to be my wife?”
“Of course I am.” I put my hand on the side of his face. “But really, Logan, what is the hurry?”
“I just can’t wait, baby, that’s all. I want you – all of you – right now.”
The nature of the alpha male was getting what they want when they want it. That was exactly what Logan was and I guessed I couldn’t be surprised that he was being so demanding about this. But, I was feeling pressured and that wasn’t comfortable for me.
Kimber appeared outside the front door suddenly and saved me from having to tell him that there was no way I was getting married next week. “Is it time for the roller derby game yet?” she yelled at us. Logan smiled,
“Not yet, squirt. Does Grandma have breakfast ready yet?”
“Yep. You better hurry. Daddy and Uncle Frank and both grandpas are already eating.” I smiled at that. She was referring to my dad as one of the grandpas. He would love that. Logan and I climbed out of the cart and he grabbed my hand and leaned in and whispered into my ear,
“Are we telling them today?”
“I was thinking maybe tomorrow,” I said.
He laughed. “Okay, but then we need to talk about a date.”
We were almost to the front door. “Logan, next week is too soon.” He had a pained expression on his face as he said,
“We’ll talk about it tonight, okay?”
“Okay.”
*****
“Oh! That girl just fell right on her butt!” Kimber exclaimed loudly. I smiled at her. She was really enjoying the roller derby game. Logan seemed to be enjoying it, too.
When we got there, I did my best to explain to them both what was going on. It was not an easy sport to understand and neither one of them fully grasped it, but it was entertaining. Kimber had also already made three trips to the snack bar and talked her uncle into two souvenirs. He was a pushover when it came to her.
I sat there throughout and did my best to work up the strength to tell him absolutely, no way, no how, was I marrying him next week. He didn’t make it easy.
Every so often he’d lean over and kiss me out of the blue. He looked so relaxed and happy just being here with me and Kimber, and watching him with Kimber made me think about what an amazing father he was going to make someday.
Someday…not today and not next week. Next week was crazy. It was insane. My parents would both have aneurysms, especially my father, and his family surely wouldn’t be okay with it, either, would they?
“Hey, are you okay?” Logan was on one side of me and Kimber on the other. I looked at the pretty, dark-haired girl. Her face was lit up like a candle as she watched the bout. I looked back at him and saw the same kind of joy in his. I smiled.
“I’m fine. Are you enjoying the bout?”
“I’m s
urprised to admit that I really am. I’ve never watched a women’s full-contact sport before. It’s kind of hot.” I laughed and poked his ribs. “I’m serious. Look at Number 88.” He lowered his voice to a whisper and said, “I’m thinking of taking your ring back and giving it to her.”
I laughed out loud at that. Number 88 had taken her helmet off during halftime. She had a pink and blue faux hawk, a ring in her nose, and what skin that showed underneath her uniform and pads was completely tatted up, not to mention that she was about six foot four and over two hundred pounds of solid muscle. “If you think you can handle that much woman, you go right ahead,” I whispered with a wink.
He kissed me again and said, “I’m just saying I have options. You better snatch me up quick.” I rolled my eyes at him. God knows he has options, which makes this whole thing even crazier.
It wasn’t like he had to be in a hurry to get married. I was coming to terms with him choosing me over all his other options, but now he had me questioning things all over again because he was in such a hurry. I was beginning to be afraid that he had reasons he wasn’t sharing with me. It made me feel paranoid, and I didn’t like it at all, but it was all just too weird and too fast and my head was spinning.
What I couldn’t put my finger on is what that reason could possibly be. I wondered if I said no about next week if he’d change his mind about marrying me all together, and then I realized just how ridiculous that sounded. My head was pounding from it all.
After the bout was over, we took Kimber to the pizza parlor. Logan played video games with her until she met another ten-year-old and ditched him. He came back to the table and complained about it for several long minutes before finally saying, “There is definitely something wrong. Are you going to tell me what it is?”
I looked into his gorgeous, blue eyes and once again wondered if he told me it was now or never if I could walk away. I sucked in a shaky breath and said, “Logan, I can’t get married next week.” He looked worried or anxious, but he smiled and reached under the table to take my hand. He squeezed it and said,
