Wicked Rich

by C. Morgan

  Then again, after what he’d just unwittingly done for me, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on him either. But I was still curious about what had brought this on.

  “Dax?” I asked quietly, my tone curious but also amused. “I’ve heard the saying that even the wind blowing can turn a teenage boy on, but I didn’t think it was true.”

  He shut the car down after pulling over into a grove of trees a ways off the road. We were partially hidden by the broad trunks and low hanging branches, but I doubted it mattered. There hadn’t been another car passing us since we’d turned onto this road.

  Dax laughed dryly, unbuckling his seatbelt before reaching for the clip on mine. “It’s not the wind. It’s you. Seeing you look so happy and free…” He shrugged as he trailed off, his hands rough as he gripped my hips once my belt was undone. “I wish it could always be like this. Just us. None of the other bullshit. Just you, me, and the road.”

  “You’re still annoyed that I made you stay in the coffee shop to finish our schoolwork?”

  “No, it’s not that.” He released one of my hips to drag his hand through his hair in a frustrated motion I didn’t quite understand. When his gaze came to mine, he seemed troubled. Like there was a storm brewing in his head and I was only catching the edges of it in his eyes.

  Bringing my hand up, I caressed his cheek gently with my fingertips. “What is it then? What’s wrong?”

  His features twisted, but then he sighed and cupped my hand on his cheek between his long fingers. “It’s nothing.”

  Expression changing in a flash, a devilish grin tugged at his lips before he leaned forward a few inches. “Remember last weekend when I said we’d have to work on your sense of adventure?”

  “You mean when you propositioned me for sex in the boathouse and I said I wasn’t quite ready for that?” I asked, barely suppressing the laughter that the memory brought on. “It was only six days ago, so yes, I remember.”

  “Technically, I propositioned you for sex in my room. You were the one who brought up the boathouse, but yes. That’s the conversation I was referring to.”

  “I figured.” I looked into his eyes, feeling the humor draining out of me again when I thought back to the storm I’d seen in them just a minute ago. “Are you sure you’re okay? You’re a little off today.”

  “I’m fine. Really. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure it out.” His fingers flexed on my hip and the grin inched back onto his face. “More to the point. How do you feel about making out right here? It doesn’t really count as a public place, but it’s still pretty adventurous.”

  “It could become real public real fast if someone drove by,” I said, but my fingers were already curling into his hair and pulling his face closer to mine.

  His gaze dropped down to my bare thighs, his hand moving from my hip to toy with the edge of my denim skirt. “All they’d see is two people kissing. This wouldn’t even need to come off, and that’s only if it went further than making out.”

  “It’s us,” I said, running the thumb of my free hand over his lower lip and watching as that hunger darkened his eyes again. “It always seems to go further than making out with us.”

  He laughed softly, fingers stroking my thigh under the denim now. “True, but it doesn’t have to. I just want to touch you, Hadley. I think I’m becoming addicted to you. I can’t even look at you without thinking about kissing you. It’s a real problem for me.”

  “A problem, huh?” I teased, even though I sensed he was being serious. “If it’s a problem, I think I have a solution for you.”

  “Yeah?” He cocked his head to bring his mouth to the crook of my neck, his voice lowering to a husky whisper as he spoke against my skin. “What’s your solution?”

  “That you kiss me whenever you want,” I said. “I could definitely get onboard with that plan.”

  “Is that so?” He planted kisses in the hollow of my neck, and I rolled my head back, my eyes fluttering closed as I gave him better access. “In that case, don’t ever leave me, Haddie.”

  My brow furrowed, but I didn’t stop him to demand an explanation. “I won’t. Not anytime soon anyway. We’ll get tired of each other soon enough. Then we can talk about it.”

  “You’ll leave me long before I get tired of this,” he murmured, his fingers creeping higher until I was squirming under his touch. “Promise me that when the time comes when you want to leave me, you’ll hear me out before you do.”

  My frown deepened, but I wrote the strange request off as being part of the contemplative mood he seemed to be in. “Sure, Dax. Like I said, when the time comes, we’ll talk about it.”

  “Okay,” he whispered, his mouth leaving my skin before it captured mine.

  Kissing him was always intense, but it felt different today. More meaningful for some reason. He kissed me deeply and slowly, taking his time to explore every nook and cranny of my mouth while his hands teased without actually touching me. It was more like he was committing the feel of me to memory.

  We had the whole weekend together in Hawaii next weekend and yet, it somehow felt like today meant something more to him. What more it could mean when I was going home—to his parents—with him in just a week, I didn’t know. But I couldn’t help the way it felt.

  Since it had definitely turned into more than just a friendship with a casual sex element for me too, I didn’t question him. If he was anywhere near as taken aback by how things were developing between us as I was, then I didn’t blame him for not wanting to tell me what was going on his head.

  The truth was that I didn’t know what was going on in mine either. That was why I hadn’t pushed him to talk about what was confusing him so much earlier either. If it had to do with me, then I didn’t want him to say it. When he did, I would face my own feelings on the matter and I just wasn’t ready.

  I was keeping my promise about being careful with my heart and I still didn’t think we were going to have this fairytale romance which culminated in marriage after graduation. But it also definitely wasn’t just a one or two time thing anymore either.

  Dax held my face in one hand while the fingers of the other brushed me through the thin fabric of my panties. I moaned into his mouth, my hips starting to rock of their own accord.

  He swallowed every noise I made as he stroked me through my panties, eventually hooking the front panel between his fingers and dragging it away. When he pushed the first digit into me, I broke our kiss to whisper his name, my hands fumbling with the button on his jeans.

  “Forget about me for now, Haddie,” he said between clenched teeth. “Just relax. Let me take care of you while I still can.”

  Wow. He really is hung up on this thing between us ending today. I was too far gone to be concerned about it in that very moment, though. The only thought that filtered through to me was that it was sweet that he was so worried about not wanting it to end soon.

  As his thumb moved up to circle my clit, I lost track of even that one last thought. A strangled cry came out of me, but then Dax’s lips sealed over mine. Unlike so many other times, he didn’t seem to be in the mood to play with me today.

  He went right for gold, and he got it as I came apart around his fingers. When I came, he groaned right along with me.

  I barely caught my breath before he was pulling me into his lap. Together, we worked to free him from the confines of his jeans. We didn’t take the time to stop to take off any of our clothes. My panties were merely brushed aside again and we pushed his pants and underwear down only as far as we needed them to go.

  Lifting his hips with me sitting in his lap, he reached for his wallet in his back pocket. It was tricky to get the wallet out without me having to get off, but then he had a condom between his fingers and the wallet dropped on the floor somewhere.

  He rolled the condom on at the speed of light. Then he gripped my hips when I positioned myself over him. With a light breeze in my hair and his clear blue eyes locked on mine, I sank down on him. His brows mashed t
ogether and his lips parted, but his gaze never left mine.

  Not when I took him deep inside me, not when we started moving, and not when I eventually went flying over the edge just seconds before he did. My head dropped to his shoulder as I tried to catch my breath, but when I looked up at him, I found he was looking at me again.

  “You okay?” I asked, my voice breathy as I planted a kiss on the strong column of his throat.

  He nodded, turning his head to kiss my forehead before resting his cheek on it. “I am now. You?”

  “Perfect,” I whispered, closing my eyes as I breathed in his unique, expensive yet masculine scent. “I’m glad we ran into each other again, Dax. Edgewater wouldn’t have been quite the same for me if you weren’t here too.”

  Chapter 25

  DAXTON

  “It’s good to see you, Daxton,” David said stiffly, reaching for the strap of my bag as I approached him. He stood next to the same black, luxury town car we’d used the day he’d accompanied me to campus, waiting to deliver me back to my parents for the weekend.

  “You too, Dave,” I replied, letting him take the bag from me as I slid into the back seat. When he’d joined the driver in the front, I scooted forward and propped my elbows on each of the front seats as I looked between them. “We have one more stop to make. Edgewater Halls.”

  The driver gave no indication that he’d heard me but pulled away from the curb and headed in the direction of the dormitory buildings. David shifted to look back at me, a slight frown pinching his brows together.

  “I wasn’t aware that you were bringing a friend,” he said. “We’ll have to phone ahead to have a room readied for him.”

  “Not him. Her.” I smirked before sitting back again. “Don’t worry about calling ahead. I’ll take care of it.”

  There was a reason I hadn’t said anything about bringing someone with me for the weekend. My mother wouldn’t have let up trying to find out the girl’s name once she found out I planned on bringing her home with me, and I didn’t want her knowing it was Hadley just yet.

  Once she knew, she’d want to talk to me about the past and what’d happened, and I didn’t want to talk about it. No doubt she’d try to discourage me from trying to get my revenge if she figured it out, and she would.

  Mom wasn’t always interested or available, but when she was, she was like a dog with a bone. She also wasn’t stupid. Since it had been just her and me in Hawaii at first, she was the only one who’d seen firsthand how hurt I’d been. She was the only one who knew how deeply Hadley’s actions had wounded me. If there was anyone who would question my intentions in bringing her home, it was my mother.

  When we got home, I would obviously have to cross that bridge but we weren’t there yet. Besides, there was more than enough space at the house for a guest. I’d already started hinting to Dad that I might be bringing someone, but I’d been light on the details and vague about whether the person had confirmed yet. Either way, I knew there would be a room for her.

  David tapped away on his tablet on the drive over to Edgewater Halls, then followed me out of the car once we stopped. Hadley was waiting for us at the bottom of the steps, and her eyes grew wide when she saw me climbing out of the town car.

  She looked fucking amazing in a deep green dress that was a little more formal than a sundress. I’d never seen it before, but I liked it. A lot.

  It had a square neckline and hit just at her knee, but it was tight enough to hint at her luscious curves and the color looked good on her. She’d taken her hair up at the front but left it hanging at the back, and there were golden hoop earrings in her ears that matched a fine necklace around her neck.

  All things considered, she didn’t look like a college student about to go home with a friend. The look was more reminiscent of what I thought she’d wear once she started working. In a future I wouldn’t be a part of.

  “A limo, Dax? Really?” she asked, quirking an eyebrow when she noticed David opening the trunk. “A limo and a… butler?”

  “It’s not really a limo,” I said, bending over to kiss her cheek as I took her bag from her, banishing all thoughts about the future. “David’s not a butler either. Technically, he’s my assistant but I understand why you’d think he’s a butler.”

  “What on God’s green earth do you need an assistant for?” she asked, her glossy pink lips parted as she glanced from me, to David, and back again. “You’re a freshman at college. Last I checked, we’re our own assistants.”

  I grinned down at her, winking as I motioned for her to precede me to the car. “He assists me with stuff. Not so much now that I’m here, but he keeps on top of the administration we need to do. The idea is that he’ll stay with me once I start working at the firm. We’re building our relationship. That’s what my dad calls it anyway.”

  “Wow.” Amusement filled her eyes when he took the bag from me and stashed it in the trunk with mine. “I’m Hadley. It’s very nice to meet you, David. You must be a special kind of person to be able to work with Dax. I’ve tried getting him to study, and even that’s a challenge.”

  To my surprise, David’s lips actually twitched into what I was pretty sure would’ve been a smile if he’d let it grow. “I’ve been with Master Daxton for a long time. One learns the appropriate ways to incentivize him.”

  Haddie chuckled softly, then turned back to me and kept her voice low enough that he wouldn’t be able to overhear us as we climbed in. “Maybe he’s onto something there. I need to provide you with proper incentive to get you to study.”

  “I already provide you with tons of incentive not to study,” I murmured into her ear, seeing the goosebumps that ran across her flesh when my fingers brushed over her skin as I moved her hair out of the way. “I’m sure I can find a way to remind you once we’re on the plane.”

  She paused but then ducked into the car and smiled coyly at me when I followed her in. “I’ve brought a few of my assignments along. One of them is for Business 101. If we get that done on the plane, maybe I’ll let you remind me of all the ways you incentivize me not to study.”

  When she added a little wink of her own, I laughed and scooted over on the seat, linking our fingers together after we both buckled up. “I can’t wait to have this whole weekend with you.”

  “Same here.” She moved into my side but kept facing the window as the driver navigated us away from the dorms. “Are you sure your parents are going to be okay with this?”

  “They’re going to be really happy to see you.” At first anyway. They’d given up on encouraging me to connect with people from my past, but it was something I knew they still wanted me to do. Apparently, it was necessary for me to heal. What a crock of shit.

  The thought reminded me of my plan. These next couple of days were officially going to be my last with Hadley. A fact I conveniently kept forgetting about since thinking about it still tended to confuse me.

  She turned slightly in her seat to smile at me. “I’m looking forward to seeing them. It’s been such a long time.”

  I didn’t respond to her comment. It had been a long time, but there was good reason for it. Which is why you’re doing this, remember?

  My mood plummeted, but Haddie had turned back to the window and was now talking to David about the airfield and the plane. “I’ve never been on an airplane before. Having my first trip on a private plane feels like a bad idea. How am I going to start flying commercial when I’ve already seen how the other half lives?”

  David must’ve already answered a few of her questions because he started referencing things he’d said to her earlier. Tightening my grip on her hand, I tuned into their conversation in an attempt to keep myself out of my head.

  “I’m sure Master Daxton will let you use the plane as much as you like,” David replied to her, then cleared his throat when he caught me glaring at him in the rearview mirror. “Sorry. Just Daxton. I’m no longer supposed to refer to him as Master Daxton.”

  I was surprised David was so
at ease speaking to her, but since I could see it was helping her relax, I didn’t mention it. “Like I told you. You can keep calling me Master Daxton if I can start calling you Old Man David.”

  “I maintain that it’s unprofessional to do that,” he retorted, but I didn’t miss the tiny smile he shot Haddie when he caught her eye.

  The two of them poked a bit more fun at me on our way to the airfield, but Haddie quickly stopped saying anything at all once we parked next to the plane. She stared up at my last name emblazoned the side, then gaped at me.

  “That’s just—” She licked her lips and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m actually going to get to go on that.”

  I squeezed her hand as the driver opened our doors. “Whenever you want. I told you I’d talk to my dad about Greece, but let’s get through this weekend first.”

  “This is already more of a romantic, whirlwind getaway than I ever thought I’d get to go on,” she said as we climbed out. “You really don’t have to promise me Greece.”

  A romantic, whirlwind getaway weekend? Clearly, she had no idea what was coming if that’s what she thought. When really, it was all about me finally getting the satisfaction of revenge. It would remind her of who she messed with all those years ago. Not that there was much satisfaction coursing through me at the prospect of it, but I was sure it had come.

  Once we got on the plane, she was so blown away by everything that my plan to leave her behind at the end of the weekend completely slipped my mind again. Hadley was in awe again and, as always, the purity of her expression when she was like this made me want to throw myself across her body to protect her with my own—even if it was from myself.

  But she didn’t need protection. Despite the urges she triggered in me at times, I knew she was perfectly capable of protecting herself. It didn’t make me want to do it any less, but it did make me feel better about not doing it after all.