The Surprise

by Alice Ward

  Dani blinked. “What?”

  I gave her an apologetic look. “No one will believe we’re married if we live in separate apartments.”

  Dani stared out the window for a second. She was tipsy from the wine, and I could see the wheels turning in her head. She didn’t like the idea, but I knew I was right. This was the only way to be sure.

  I nearly melted in relief when she nodded. “Okay. That makes sense.”

  “I can take you there now,” I suggested. “Just so you can see it.”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Sure.”

  I smiled and pulled out of the parking lot.

  We drove through town, talking, and laughing together. Our conversation was easy this time. I didn’t know if it was the wine or just our new promise to be nice to each other, but I felt at ease with Dani in a way I hadn’t before. I no longer felt nervous or unsure of myself. I was glad to be with her, glad to be taking her back to my place.

  When we arrived at my building, I parked in the garage and led the way to my apartment. I lived on the top floor, so we rode the elevator all the way up. Dani’s eyes were wide when I opened my front door.

  “When you said apartment, I thought you meant something a bit more like mine. This isn’t an apartment.”

  I shrugged. “Sure, it is. Just a really big one.”

  Dani laughed and shook her head. Her eyes roamed around the entryway and living room. I saw my apartment through her eyes, and it did look huge. Once you made it out of the entryway, there was the kitchen to the right and three bedrooms to the left. My room, the master, was probably as big as her entire apartment, and the master tub was large enough to swim in. The guest rooms were much smaller but still nice. There was a guest bathroom down the hall. All of that coupled with the terrace was a lot to take in. I felt slightly embarrassed that I hadn’t warned her, but she didn’t seem to mind. If anything, she seemed impressed.

  “I should have known,” she said as we walked into the living room. “You’re rich, after all. I don’t know why I didn’t expect this.”

  I shrugged. “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s beautiful,” she said, her eyes connecting with mine.

  I stuffed my hands in my pockets to keep from reaching for her. “Thank you.”

  We stood together awkwardly. I thought about offering her a drink, but I thought the wine in our system was probably enough. The last thing I wanted was to get her drunk again.

  “Listen,” I said softly. “There’s one other thing I thought of.”

  “Yeah?” she asked, turning to face me.

  “When we kiss in front of people.” My eyes fell to her lips. “We’ll have to make it believable.”

  “Kiss?” Dani’s eyebrows shot up.

  “We’re married,” I reminded her. “Married people kiss. Hug. Touch.”

  “That’s true.” She licked her lips and I remembered the taste of them. Wanted to taste them again. “But, we’ve already kissed, remember?”

  “Not sober,” I pointed out.

  She nodded and kept her eyes on mine as I stepped closer to her. Part of me was telling the truth. I wanted everything to be believable. Still, a bigger part of me just wanted to kiss her. She looked gorgeous, and her lips had been calling to me all night. My attraction to her never faded, even when we were yelling at each other. As I wrapped my hands around her waist, I expected her to pull away, but she didn’t. She stepped forward, pressing her body against mine.

  Our lips touched lightly at first. I kissed her gently, not wanting to freak her out. As we kissed, I felt her body come alive beneath my hands. The kiss deepened, and she wrapped her arms around my neck. Her fingers found my hair as I slid my tongue into her mouth. She parted her lips for me, and I tasted the wine on her tongue. Everything about her, about this, was perfect.

  I knew we should pull away soon, but I couldn’t. Dani wiggled against me, and I could tell how badly she wanted me. She wouldn’t admit it, but I could feel it. I was hesitant to push things further, but I wanted her so badly. Our kiss became more passionate and my cock swelled in approval.

  Testing the water, I slid my hand down to her butt. At first, just my fingers touched, but when she didn’t pull away, I squeezed her gently. She moaned against my lips, and I took that as permission. In an instant, our kiss intensified. Dani’s hands tightened in my hair, and I gripped her ass so tightly that I could almost feel her skin beneath the thin fabric of her dress.

  We broke apart for just a second. Dani gasped as I lowered my lips to her neck. I licked her skin in long strokes, feeling her shiver against me. I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to have her. Slowly, I led her to my bedroom.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Dani

  Talen held my hand and pulled me behind him as he led me to his bedroom. My heart was pounding, and my lips tingled from his kiss. I wanted him to kiss me again and never stop. I didn’t know if it was the wine in my system or just my attraction to him, but my entire body ached to be close to his.

  Talen turned and pulled me against his chest. We stepped into his room while his lips collided with mine again. He pushed me backward toward the bed, his hands roaming over my body. I kissed him hungrily, trailing my fingers down his chest. I could feel the curves of his muscles beneath his shirt, and I wanted to feel more.

  I unbuttoned each button quickly, shoving his shirt aside. It fell off his shoulders and landed on the floor. My hands returned to his chest. His skin was hot beneath my palms, and I wanted him more than ever. I kissed him harder, tasting his tongue and his lips. He groaned as his fingers pushed the straps of my sundress down my arms, and soon, the dress was a puddle at my feet.

  He pulled back, gazing down at me. “You’re so incredibly beautiful.”

  I stood before him in nothing but my bra and panties, but I didn’t feel exposed. I was excited and eager. Without prompting, I stepped backward and sat down on the bed. Talen looked at me with desire in his eyes. I stared at him for a second, taking in the sight of his shirtless body before he leaned down and pushed me onto my back.

  Climbing on top of me, Talen kissed me again. His hands tangled in my hair. I loved kissing him, but I was ready for more. I pushed him away, just enough that I could reach behind me, and unhooked my bra. Talen’s eyes traveled down to my bare breasts, and I saw another flash of desire. I grinned at the sight. He wasted no time. His lips found my chest, kissing every inch of skin he could reach. When he took my nipple in his mouth, I gasped and wrapped my legs around his waist. Everything he did felt amazing.

  My hands clawed at his back while his explored my hips. His teeth continued to tease my nipples, and I soon came completely undone.

  Talen pushed himself off me abruptly. He slid his jeans off in one swift motion, his boxers following close behind. Damn, he was sexy. His dick was erect and perfect. His body was muscular, and I longed to touch him again.

  He came back to the bed, but stopped at my stomach to place gentle kisses there while he pulled my panties down. Within the space of a few heartbeats, I was lying completely naked, exposed to his hot gaze. As his weight settled onto me again, his lips on my neck, I trembled with desire and need.

  Unable to take it anymore, I flipped Talen onto his back and straddled him. I feasted on his lips as if I were a starving woman, my body rocking hard against his. I wanted to feel him inside of me. I rubbed my wetness against his cock, grinding against him slowly. Talen grew unbelievably harder as he reached for my breasts, rolling the nipples between his fingers.

  With a grin, Talen flipped me back over, pinning me to the bed. He licked my neck, and I shuddered. When his hand slid down between my legs, I lifted my hips to meet him. He played with me for a few seconds, his fingers sliding down my wet folds before circling my clitoris.

  “God, you’re so wet for me.”

  I stared into his blue eyes, losing myself completely. When his fingers sank into me, I sighed and pressed myself harder against him.

  “I want you,” I wh
ispered and his nostrils flared.

  “God, I want you too.”

  Nothing existed beyond this room, beyond us as he kissed and stroked me to release.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” Talen dipped his head and took one of my nipples deep into his mouth. Then he moved lower, and lower still. He kissed my hipbones and thighs before hooking my legs over his shoulders and diving into my heat.

  I cried out and clutched at the blankets, arching into his mouth as his tongue swirled over my clit. I looked down my body and met his eyes as he licked and probed, stimulating nerve endings I didn’t know I had.

  Heat pooled between my thighs, growing hotter and hotter with every lick, every touch. A knot of tension tightened in my core, and I sank my fingers into his hair just to keep myself from floating away.

  Talen moaned against my clit, and the vibration shot through it as a finger sank inside me. I cried out and bucked against him, unsure if I could handle the double assault on my senses.

  “Oh, Talen. Yes, yes...”

  He added a second finger, then twisted them both, stroking some hidden part of me that acted like a trigger for my release.

  Pleasure barreled through me, and I came undone in time and space. I heard myself scream his name as I floated to a place that was unfamiliar.

  I shuddered, riding high on the ecstasy of the moment as Talen began to kiss up my stomach, scraping my skin with his stubbled chin. By the time he reached my breasts, I was sane again, my breathing returning to normal.

  When kissed me, I could taste myself on his tongue and I sucked his lower lip into my mouth.

  “Tell me you want me, want this,” he said against my lips.

  “I do…” Those two words made me smile and he caught on, smiling too. Then he was kissing me again, and I was wanting and needing, on the edge of begging him to connect our bodies.

  He reached for a condom, rolled it on quickly, then… heaven. Inch by beautiful inch, he pressed inside me.

  Talen watched my face as the tip of his cock began to slowly press inside of me. He was so much bigger than Perry, and at first, it felt like I was stretching too much, too fast. At the same time, I yearned for more. And then, just when I thought I couldn’t take any more of him, he was sheathed to the root and our bodies were flush against each other.

  “You okay?”

  I looked into those beautiful eyes. “Yes. I’m good.”

  “Just good, huh?” Talen’s grin took on a mischievous glint. “Let’s see what we can do about that.”

  His lips came down on mine just as he pulled out and began a series of short, slow thrusts. I held onto his back, feeling the muscles ripple as he moved. He glided his tongue along my lower lip before snaking it inside my mouth to dance with mine. The faster he moved, the harder his lips devoured mine, the more intense everything became.

  I hooked my legs over his hips and urged him deeper, faster, harder, until the coiling tension in my belly would surely soon explode.

  My nails dug into Talen’s back. I was moaning, crying out his name, riding toward that delicious high of pleasure, and I knew. There would be no coming back from this.

  “Talen!”

  He growled as I screamed his name, his lips finding my ear as I came undone around him. But there was no rest. Instead, he lifted me from the bed and slammed into me from a new angle. I held on, nails digging into his back as I rode and was ridden to a new universe.

  I was blind. I was deaf. I was hit full force by a maelstrom of pleasure that took the very air from my lungs.

  “Fucking beautiful.”

  I felt beautiful as I watched him watch me come apart again, my body shaking and quivering of its own accord, my internal muscles clamping down on him like a vice.

  He roared my name, his face tight with his release. With a growling moan, Talen anchored inside of me, our bodies hot against the other. Following me down, he dropped me back onto the bed, covering me with his sweaty body.

  “Holy shit. Fuck,” he murmured in my ear as he licked the outer shell, causing me to shiver. “So intense. Tight. Fuck.”

  I smiled and held him close, glad to know I’d nearly rendered him speechless.

  I kissed his shoulder, tasting the salt and wanting more, so I kissed it again.

  When the waves of pleasure finally subsided for us both, Talen pulled out of me and rolled onto his back. The effects of my orgasm were still working their way through my body. My toes tightened and relaxed over and over again. When I finally caught my breath, I looked over to see that Talen’s eyes were closed. I didn’t know if he was asleep, but I didn’t want to wake him.

  I turned over and tried not to think. I no longer felt the effects of the orgasms or the wine. I wasn’t tipsy anymore, and my sober mind kicked into overdrive. My head ached with the intensity of my thoughts, and I tried desperately to push them away. They were insistent. They took me prisoner, and I soon felt like I was drowning.

  I couldn’t believe I’d just slept with Talen. It was amazing, more than amazing, but I just broke up with Perry. It hadn’t even been two weeks, and here I was, in another man’s bed. The fact that he was technically my husband only made me feel worse. I felt nauseated. As I laid there in silence, I didn’t know what to do.

  “You don’t have to sleep in here,” Talen said softly. “I mean, if you don’t want to.”

  I glanced over at him. His eyes were focused on my face, and I wondered how long he’d been watching me. His forehead was furrowed. I didn’t know what was bothering him, but I could only assume it was my presence.

  “There are guest rooms,” he continued. “Just down the hall. You can take one of those if you want.”

  Immediately, I realized why Talen was looking at me that way. He didn’t want me in his bed any longer. Now that the sex was over, he just wanted to fall asleep alone. My stomach sank, and I felt weak in the knees. I couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid as to fall into bed with him. I knew what kind of person he was, and yet, I let myself get carried away. I got lost in his blue eyes and hard body, and I forgot to use my brain.

  Without a word, I climbed out of bed and grabbed my clothes. I hurried out of his room and down the hall. If he didn’t want me in his bed, then I wouldn’t force my presence on him.

  As I considered my options, I realized there was no way I could go home that night, not unless Talen wanted to drive me. I thought about calling a cab, but I knew I didn’t have the money for it. After taking a cab twice in one week, my bank account was dangerously low. Even the sale from my last art show wasn’t enough to sustain me for very long. I had no choice but to sleep at Talen’s.

  I found the first of the guest bedrooms and opened the door. The room was beautiful. It was all white with a big, fluffy blanket thrown over the bed. I was impressed, but I still felt too ashamed of myself to really appreciate it. I got dressed, not wanting to sleep naked, and crawled under the covers. My legs still felt weak from my orgasms, and the sensation kept me awake longer than I wanted. I wished I could just fall asleep and put this whole night behind me.

  Not only had I slept with Talen, but he kicked me out of his bed without a second thought. He didn’t say anything about what happened between us. He just wanted me gone. I felt like an idiot. For a second, I let myself believe he might actually care about me, but I was wrong. He was just horny and tipsy. That combination was dangerous in men like Talen. He only had sex with me because I was there. I was available.

  I rolled over on my side and punched the pillow angrily. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have fallen for his bullshit? Was I really the type of girl who would lose herself after just one kiss?

  I cursed myself and tried to think of something else. The only thing that crossed my mind was Perry. He didn’t deserve my time or energy, not after leaving me for another woman, but I couldn’t help it. Perry and I were together for five years. Despite his infidelity, I loved him for a long time. Perry was the only man I’d ever slept with until that night
. I lost my virginity to him when I was twenty years old. He was my first, and until Talen, my only.

  My stomach rolled and I thought I might be sick, but I forced it back down. I told myself that I was overreacting. Perry didn’t matter anymore. He found someone new, and I was just someone from his past. I felt certain that he didn’t think about me after he had sex with his new girlfriend, so why should I think about him now? I told myself that I shouldn’t, that he wasn’t worth it, but it didn’t help. When I wasn’t feeling guilty about Perry, I was feeling awful about Talen. The entire night was spent with me flipping between the two emotions.

  For the past two weeks, my life had been taking wild turns. I didn’t know who I was anymore. Being dumped by Perry. Running away to Vegas. A drunken marriage. Agreeing to stay married for the money. Sleeping with my “husband.” None of these things were me. This wasn’t the person I wanted to be, and yet, I didn’t know how to stop it. I felt like I was stuck in a tornado, and it was blowing me all over the place. I was bruised and beaten, but it wasn’t done yet. Everything just continued to get worse.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Talen

  I didn’t sleep well that night. Just knowing Dani was down the hall was enough to keep me up and alert. After we had sex, I’d been ready to drift off to sleep. For the first time in a while, I was relaxed and at peace. Then, I saw Dani’s face, and all that changed. She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She looked like she was about to cry, and I immediately felt a pit form in my stomach. The regret etched on her face was enough to make me wish we hadn’t slept together. I never wanted to make her feel bad.

  So, I offered her the guest room, thinking it might make this easier for her. She seemed like she couldn’t wait to get away from me. I thought about driving her home, but I knew that wasn’t an option. It was too late, and I was too exhausted and had been drinking. I would never make it all the way to her place and then back again. Plus, if we were going to spend the next month together, we would have to get used to each other’s company. As much as I hated it, I told her about the guest room, and she left.