Sorry no weekend getaway, but be ready for a date tonight, my little snoop. Xo – R
I snorted. Damn Troy. He couldn’t even give me a tiny iota of his loyalty. I wouldn’t have told on him. I didn’t bother responding, there would be no point. What Royal wanted, Royal got. It was how things worked it seemed. Instead, I found my way to the kitchen for an afternoon snack.
A few hours later, I was in my room getting ready for a date with my husband. A date I wasn’t too thrilled about going on. Peter was hopping around exploring the whole upstairs, a baby gate solidly in place to keep my adventurous little furball from falling to his death. My phone was on speaker, Natalie giving me some solid unsolicited advice about how I should be dating my husband, the husband I didn’t even want.
“I’m telling you, drive him wild with your mouth and you will have him eating out of the palm of your hand.” She directed at the same time I heard a crash followed by some cursing from the stairs.
“I already drive him wild with my mouth.” Although, it most definitely wasn’t the wild she was referring to.
She missed my joke. “Good, then you’re halfway there. Don’t forget, anything along the bottom of their cock will drive them insane.”
“I already drive him insane, but you really mean anything?” I was sort of getting a kick of this, my poor friend acted like I was a virgin.
“Don’t be a bitch, I meant fingers and tongue and you know it.” I could almost hear her exasperation.
“She’s right you know.” Royal appeared in the doorway, my rabbit in the crook of his arm, a glare on his face. “Your tongue on my cock is the quickest way to getting anything you want. Want to try it?”
“Is that . . . him?” Natalie squealed. “He sounds so sexy, boo. Like, if you don’t ride him, I’m more than willing to.”
I cleared my throat. “I have to go.”
“You kids have fun, make sure to report back to mama,” she directed.
I skipped the goodbye and hung up. “I’m going to have to pass on your offer.”
Royal bent down and put my rabbit on the carpet. “It’s just a matter of time before you will, and there will be no reporting back to mama.”
“You’re awfully confident for a man who just got bested by a baby gate,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, well. I hadn’t a chance to learn how the thing worked, being as we don’t have BABIES.” He glared down at Peter. “You really need to cage that thing. At least a little. I just can’t figure out how you sleep like the dead with that thing constantly zooming around. It’s maddening.”
“That thing is my child, and I prefer that you use his given name.” I unplugged my hair wand, trying not to outwardly laugh at this whole conversation.
“Given name? He’s a damn rabbit. He has a given name?” Royal plopped down on the bed, staring at me, his legs crossed at his ankles and his arms crossed at his chest.
“It’s Peter Buster Max Moretti II,” I admitted.
“I don’t know what’s more baffling, the fact that you know all these kids’ shows to name him after, or that he isn’t even the first bunny with that horrendous name.” I looked over at him, shaking his head from his spot on the bed.
“You seem to know the shows just fine,” I pointed out to him.
He shrugged. “My men bring in the kids sometimes. That stuff stays with you. It’s like a damn loop playing in your head.”
“My ex had a kid, and he named it,” I offered, right before Royal growled. “What?”
“I don’t approve,” was all he said.
“Don’t approve of what? A kid naming my rabbit or my ex-boyfriend.”
He growled again and stood, his body taut as he stalked toward me. His eyes never left my own as he neared. When he got close, I stepped back, the back of my thigh hitting the sink vanity. “As far as I’m concerned, you’ve had no past relationships.”
His words were a rumble from his throat, dark and husky. “It didn’t last long,” I offered, swallowing hard.
“Long enough to name two bunnies.” His hands found the back of my thigh and lifted me easily, placing me on the sink ledge.
“Well, yeah. But to be fair, Peter Buster Max Moretti the first died within a week from an unfortunate accident involving a door left open and the neighbor’s dog. Peter Buster Max Moretti II was so I didn’t have to break a little boy’s heart by telling him the truth,” I clarified, feeling nervous that he was so close, especially when he picked this exact moment to fit his hips between my thighs.
I do not want my husband. I do not want my husband.
I tried to convince myself, repeated over and over again on how much I really, really didn’t want to be turned on by his nearness right now.
He is not a good person. He will suck in bed. He is a manipulator.
Royal leaned into me. “Peter Buster Max Russo has no other lineage.”
Fuck. Why did he smell so good? I sucked in a breath, trying to pretend like his scent didn’t have my hormones in overdrive, ignoring the fact that my robe was suddenly gaping open, the tie in my husband’s crafty fingers. “Are you claiming my bunny as your own? I didn’t know you cared so much.”
He leaned in, inhaling deeply and humming. “I like my last name attached to you.”
“Did you just sniff me?” My voice sounded shaky, even to my own ears.
“Uh-huh.” His head leaned into my shoulder, his tongue darting out and running a trail down my collarbone. “And tasted you.”
Shit. Fuck. Damn it. I do not want my husband.
He chuckled against my skin. “You said that out loud, Amore.”
I pulled his head away from my skin, right as his lips got to the fabric of my bra. “I do not want my husband.”
“No?” His eyes sparkled knowingly, and I hated how damn handsome he looked right now.
“No.” I had to push all the will I could muster into it.
“It’s a shame.” He dropped his head the moment my grip loosened, his lips finding my ear., “Because I want my wife.” He punctuated his words with his thumb grazing the junction where my hip met my thigh, right before rubbing at the edge of my panties.
I had no restraint, because at that very second, I really, really wanted him to go further. I swallowed hard, trying to force my body not to move when I really wanted to squirm closer to his thumb. “It would never work between us. We both know it.”
“If you read the contract, wife, you would know you signed toward all wifely duties,” he informed me. Ugh, that damn contract that I still hadn’t read. “All wifely duties include but are not limited to the bedroom.”
I tried to level my voice. “Are you going to force me?”
He laughed, like what I said was actually funny. “No, my little love. I’m going to show you.”
His breath fanning my ear had my whole body shivering. “Show me?”
“Show you. I’m going to show you just how good we are together, just how skilled I am, and then you’ll want me. You will want me so badly, you will burn with it, contemplate begging for it, wishing you hadn’t spent all that time forcing me away. But I won’t touch you again. Not uninitiated.”
I tilted my head defiantly. “I won’t come for you. I would rather never have sex again than ask it of you.”
He bit my neck. “You’re so defiant; does it ever get tiring?”
“Never.” I do not want my husband.
Damn, but I did. No matter how much I told myself I didn’t want him, his teeth grazing my skin were driving me wild, his thumb drawing circles on my inner thigh, making me mad. His thumb dipped past the seam of my panties, tracing my slit. “No?”
“No.” The single damn word gave away my weakness, the breathless pant did nothing to discourage him.
“I knew you wouldn’t yield so easily, Amore.” He buried his face into my hair. “You always smell so good.”
I was too distracted by his sudden change of subject that I didn’t realize it was his decoy until it was too late. Hi
s thick finger slipped inside of me, and I gasped, my hands going to his shoulder and pulling him closer instead of pushing him away. He pulled his finger out, pumping it in rough enough to jolt my body backwards. “Judging by how drenched my finger is in your pretty, little cunt, I would say that you must certainly want me. Give in to me.”
His finger curving against my wall nearly stole my breath. “Never.”
The word was automatic. At this point, the meaning behind it was totally lost to me. “It won’t be easy for you to resist me, Bianca.”
He slipped another finger into my body, causing my eyelashes to flutter. “I’m stronger than you give me credit for.”
“I’m going to make you suffer, Amore.” He crooked his fingers and I couldn’t help it; I ground myself against his hand shamelessly, right before his thumb began to strum my clit. “You’re going to crawl on your knees, begging for my cock, and if you’re lucky, I’ll give it to you.”
He could think whatever he wanted, as long as he didn’t stop. “I’ll never beg.”
“You will.” He lowered his head, using his teeth to push aside the cup of my bra before taking my nipple in his mouth. He bit down gently before swirling his tongue around it, easing the pain and releasing my nipple long enough to say, “I’m going to bask in your surrender.”
Fuck, the thought of surrendering had my core clenching, and he chuckled against my skin knowingly. But then, he pressed his thumb down hard, timing the pressure perfectly with his finger’s rough glide against my core’s front walls, and I lost.
All push and pull in this game we’d been playing was expelled from my mind when my whole body ignited, sending electricity shooting from my center, straight to my toes, my fingers, my head. Short-circuiting my thoughts until one minute, I was my own person, leaning back on the counter, the next I was one with the body in front of me, digging my nails so deep into the muscles that I knew there would be bruising. I gasped, struggling for oxygen, but the sensations coursing through me made it hard to focus on air when all I wanted was more. More of this feeling, or of his touch, more moments like this.
His movement slowed, and I wanted to scream for him not to stop, but my mind was too fogged to piece together words. The electricity ebbed, and the vice on my lungs lessened. I slumped forward, leaning my body against the solid wall in front of me, trying to will myself to open my eyes.
I couldn’t.
Not until I felt a hand come up, combing fingers through my hair. The fullness inside left me moments before a hand pushed my shoulders back. I blinked, once, twice, three times, before allowing my vision to focus on the man in front of me.
Royal. Fuck, I didn’t mean or want it to go that far. At least that’s the lie I just told myself because if I let myself examine it, I mean really analyze it, I didn’t think I could muster a single ounce of regret over what just happened.
“Next time, you’ll be on your knees, begging me, Bianca.” He pushed back, untangling my limp limbs from his body, licking his fingers as he walked out.
CHAPTER 18
ROYAL
I had to pause the moment the door closed and catch my breath. I hadn’t realized I was holding it until the moment she was out of sight. Fuck, leaving her there, her skin rosy from post-orgasm bliss, her robe parted open, her bra skewed, that damn tattoo she taunted me with peeking out from under the open material, had to be the hardest thing I’d done in my whole entire existence. She was beautiful, absolutely mesmerizing. So damn entrancing that I could watch her with her eyes closed, her breathing quick, her cheeks pink, for the rest of my days and never get tired.
But, I’d made it my mission to not fucking touch her again. Bigger things hadn’t broken me, but this one declaration had me teetering on the edge of impossibility. How was I to keep away when every look she gave me had me wanting to fall to my knees in front of her, declaring I was hers to do with as she pleased? I rested my head against the door, waiting for my heartbeat to calm and the tremors I felt wracking my body to ease. Nothing had made me this weak . . . until her. Amour. Bianca.
When I felt able, I pulled away from the door and walked downstairs and straight into my office. Was it bad manners to drink before a date with your wife you barely knew but wanted more than your next breath? Probably. But poor etiquette didn’t stop me from walking over to my bar and pouring myself some whiskey.
This was harder than I thought it would be. I thought I would marry the gal, share my space, the space that I hardly ever used, fuck a bit, and pretend she didn’t exist until the days and cycles repeated themselves. I never imagined I would want her this badly. A want that I couldn’t even satisfy.
I was too lost in thought, torturing myself in my own head, that I almost missed Bianca’s knock on the door. I turned, nearly stumbling from how breathtaking she looked in a simple pair of jeans, a blouse, and heels so damn high that she almost rivaled me in height. She looked meek standing there, a bit unsure about what to say or do, and I couldn’t blame her. Not after her body clenched around my fingers like it owned them, and her nails dug into my shoulders so hard, I could still feel bites of pain when I moved.
I spared her the embarrassment of speaking. “You ready?”She bit her lip and nodded, and I wanted to walk over and take that lip in my mouth. But, I wouldn’t make the next move, at least not so soon after claiming a piece of her body. “Good.”
I walked to her, reached out, and grabbed her bag before stepping out of the office and shutting the door behind me. It wasn’t a necessary action, but it gave me something to do while I built up a wall preparing for tonight. Initially, I had planned to woo my wife, taking her to the most beautiful restaurant in town and showing her what life with me could be like. Why? I had no fucking clue. I’d realized that materialistic things weren’t what pleased her.
I opted to change course at the last minute. If I couldn’t win over my own damn wife with money, I was going to have to win her over with the next best thing. Sincerity. Fuck, that sounded cheesy even as I thought it, but it was true; she wasn’t impressed by what I could buy her. Maybe if she saw good intentions were behind my actions, she might open to me more.
She followed me to the black hummer that was parked outside the house, and after beeping the locks, I held the door as she got into the vehicle, then handed over her purse before shutting the door. I jogged around the car, climbed in, and started it up.
“Where to?” she asked, trying to make an effort to have a conversation with me, even when she still couldn’t look me in the eye. I would change that, of course. There was no way I could spend hours with Bianca, and not look into her pretty, little eyes.
I turned my head, staring at her until she looked up at me, her eyes darting from my own to the windshield and back again. “I know this place.”
That was all I said, leaving her to create whatever she wanted to fill in the blanks. “What place?”
“A place you will love.” I was pretty sure she growled as she crossed her arms over her chest, pushing her luscious breasts up, causing me to almost swerve in the road as I stole a glance. Or two.
We arrived at Holmes Street fifteen minutes later, where I parked and made sure to open the door before she had a chance to get out. I took her hand, intertwining our fingers, and satisfaction coursed through me when she didn’t pull away. We walked half a block without saying a word until we reached the little window of the food stand. “Do you trust me?”
“Nope,” she answered instantly, and yeah, it pained me a little to know that she didn’t believe I would always put her best interests before my own.
“Let me rephrase this, can I order for you?” She thought about it, her damn teeth pulling at the bottom lip again before she finally agreed.
I let go of her hand long enough to lean down to the window, happy to see a familiar face greeting me. We chatted for a few minutes, catching up before I instructed Maria, the elderly lady I’d known since I was a kid myself, to give me two of the usual. She shouted to the cook b
efore handing me two drinks.
I pulled back and stood, looking at Bianca in just enough time to catch the weird look on her face. “What?”
“You seem friendly.” She didn’t pull away when my fingers found hers.
“I’ve known her since I was a kid. She and her husband used to give me food when I didn’t have any. She said her granddaughter just got accepted into Harvard, isn’t that amazing?” I took my phone out of my pocket and made a quick note to send her granddaughter an anonymous scholarship.
She looked at me like I had grown a second head, but nodded her agreement. “Yeah, that’s great.”
I tugged on her hand to pull her toward the picnic tables set up in a little alcove in the back of the alley. “It’s not fancy, but there are tables here if you want to eat. Otherwise, we can take it to go.”
She followed along, neither agreeing or disagreeing. I figured if she was totally against it, she would tell me before the food arrived so I could let Maria know, but she said nothing. Not a single word was muttered, until the moment Maria arrived.
I may not have told Maria about my recent engagement that lasted all of five minutes before my sudden marriage. It’s not like I had gotten up that day thinking, hmm, today is the day I’ll be shackling myself down to a female for life. But, every time I looked at her, I waited for the regret to sink it and still it hadn’t come.
Maria's shock was written all over her face as she walked toward the table with two heaping plates of food. “No Troy?”
Her thick accent made me smile. “No, he’s off today.”
She nodded her understanding. “He spend time with Genie?”
“Last update he sent, he begged me to rescue him from all the pink,” I confirmed.
“He such a good boy, that one.” She nodded again, and I nodded with her. He was one of the best men I knew, and I was not just saying that because I knew he always had my back. I was saying that because he had a heart of gold, and anyone who took the time to look past his arrogant attitude would surely see it.
Resisting Royal (The Repayment Series) Page 9
