Peyton’s Price: A Singular Obsession Novel

by Leroux, Lucy

  Matthias put his hands in his pockets. “Well, for one, because I don’t mess around with my staff. And two, I have someone for that now.”

  He pulled her close, pressing her almost-naked body against his tall hard form. He pressed a hot kiss to her lips, but he raised his head too quickly.

  “Oh?” She couldn’t suppress her sarcasm. “Then why am I still a virgin?”

  Peyton had been on the Ormen Lange for days, but aside from a few toe-curling kisses, Matthias hadn’t touched her. Well, he hadn’t touched her enough.

  “Because I meant what I said that first night. You’re special. I want to take things slow, to establish a foundation before we get intimate.”

  She sighed, disappointed, but she knew he was right. Matthias was a wonderful man, but she didn’t know him well. Waiting was the best course of action, especially if she wanted a lasting relationship. It was an exceptionally good sign that he seemed to want one, too.

  “Well, don’t expect me to be satisfied with some cheap thrills on a massage table. I don’t expect you to go all the way, but you can at least put out, mister,” she teased, pressing a little closer.

  He didn’t laugh. Instead, he drew his head back. “Ha-eun didn’t make you uncomfortable, did she?”

  She laughed. “No, but you may want to warn your guests before she gets them on the table.”

  He shrugged. “I would only have to warn the women. And not all of them. She only does it to the most beautiful ones.”

  “She’s gay?”

  “I don’t know. I never asked.” He looked down, his eyes drawn to the cleavage exposed by the thin sheet. “I am sorry if she upset you, although I can’t say I blame her.”

  Shifting to hold the sheet up with one hand, she reached up to touch his cheek. “I’m not upset. In fact, it was a little…titillating”

  Surprise flitted across his features. Matthias grinned, a hot and deeply sex smile. He leaned down, a wicked glint in his eye. “Well, well, Miss Carson. I find that remarkably interesting news indeed.”

  She poked him. “I said titillating, not arousing. Not enough for a repeat performance. So don’t get any ideas about a threesome.”

  This time, it was disappointment that settled on his face. “Well, that nixes my big idea. I guess I can forget the speech I prepared.”

  “W-what?” Peyton stuttered.

  Sighing, Matthias gestured to the bed. “Sit.”

  Wide-eyed, she hauled up the ends of the sheet, making sure it didn’t drag on the floor as she crossed the room and perched at the edge of the massive bed.

  He rubbed his chin, studying her for a long moment without saying anything. The silence stretched so long Peyton hunched her shoulders, feeling downcast. “This is where you tell me you don’t want me after all and offer to send me home, right?”

  “I’m not sending you anywhere,” he said.

  “But you want a threesome because I’m apparently not enough for you…” Peyton stared at her hands.

  “You are enough. And I’d be happy in an exclusive relationship. For a while…anyway. But I know myself. Eventually, I’d want more.”

  Peyton wanted to crawl into a hole. “So you’re ending this before it even starts?”

  “No!” Matthias hurried over, getting on his knees in front of her. He reached out to grasp her hands. “I’m explaining this very badly, but I do see a future with you. The thing is, I know myself. I told you—I learned the hard way that I’m a man with certain appetites.”

  “Well, for a man with an appetite, you haven’t been indulging much,” she pointed out.

  “Not yet. The thing is—I sense we could be happy long term in a different kind of relationship.”

  She filled in the blanks. “You want a long-term threesome.”

  “Yes, but not with you and another woman. I’d like you to consider adding another man to the mix.”

  “Huh.” Of course he meant with another man. He’d told her about his affair with Liam. And he hadn’t been the only male partner. Matthias had mentioned others. No doubt there were plenty of women, too. Some at the same time.

  Still, the idea had some extremely interesting benefits to it. Images of herself with Matthias and another man flashed through her head. Damn, if I were wearing panties, they would be soaked by now.

  Peyton was certain her face was beet red. “Talk about jumping from the frying pan into the fire,” she joked weakly.

  “I know this is a lot to ask from you, especially given your level of experience. And no matter what you decide, I still want you. Nothing will change my mind about that. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking since you came aboard. The potential for lasting happiness is here. But I wouldn’t want to ruin what we could have with an affair three or four years down the line because I wanted a man, too. I won’t make that mistake again.”

  Again? Peyton absorbed that in silence. There was a lot he wasn’t telling her.

  “So you want to see if I can handle a—a…”

  “The word you are looking for is polyamorous.”

  “Yes, okay. You want to know if I can handle a polyamorous relationship right off the bat?”

  “I do…What do you think?”

  “I think…um…I don’t know. This is kind of a lot to ask of a virgin.”

  Matthias winced. “I know, but let’s look at it this way. You have a lot of catching up to do.”

  Peyton snorted softly. The man had a gift for understatement.

  Bracing his arms on either side of her, Matthias let his weight tip forward, leaning closer. “I may be wrong about this, but I sense you are well of untapped sensuality. It shimmers behind your eyes. I think you’d enjoy being with two men—a lot. Why don’t you take some time to think about it?”

  “No.”

  His face fell, but Matthias hid his disappointment with a self-deprecating laugh. “I see. Never mind. Forget I said anything—”

  Her head swam, but Peyton gripped her hands together, interrupting him. “No, I meant I don’t have to think about it. I want to give it a try.”

  His lips parted, but he shook his head. “Are you sure? I’m starting to think it was wrong of me to ask. You’re not ready.”

  Peyton grabbed him by the collar, pulling him close enough to kiss. When he lifted his head, he had the most adorably bemused expression on his face. “I forgot what I was saying.”

  “You were saying I get final approval on this other man,” she said.

  His expression didn’t change much, but she could tell she’d surprised him. “Negotiating, are we?”

  “Damn straight,” she answered. “It’s my body. And yours. We have to find someone who works for us both. And I get to use one of those black balls now—in advance.”

  “For who?”

  Wasn’t it obvious?

  “Liam Tyler,” she said, raising her brows for emphasis. “I know you have a soft spot for him, but he’s off the table, so don’t even think about it.”

  “Not even—”

  “I said no.”

  He held up his hands. “All right, I concede. Anyone but Liam,” he agreed. “But finding the right man may take a while.”

  “You’re the one determined to take things slow,” she pointed out.

  He stood over her for a moment, shaking his head in wonder. “I’m going to fall madly in love with you, aren’t I?”

  Peyton wrinkled her nose. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

  She rose on her knees, using his tie to pull him closer. “But until we find and both agree to this third man, there is no sense in waiting, is there?”

  If that were the case, then why the hell had she started taking birth control shots? It certainly wasn’t for her love of needles. Feeling bold, Peyton shimmied, letting the sheet she was wrapped in slide down several inches, exposing the tops of her breasts.

  “Omegadritt.” Matthias’ lips parted, his eyes growing hot as he ran his hungry eyes over the tanned mounds.

  She guessed th
at was Norwegian, but she had no clue what it meant. “Is that good?”

  His only answer was to push her down on the bed. Muscles tensing, Peyton tried to relax as Matthias covered her with his body, lowering his head to take one of her nipples in his mouth.

  “Holy…” Coherent thought eroded like a sandcastle in a storm. Lifting her head, she watched Matthias’ lips move across her chest to suckle at her other breast.

  Biting her lip, she willed her racing heart to calm down, but it was hard. Her whole body was flushed. Raising shaky hands, she pushed at Matthias, trying to work his linen suit coat off.

  Matthias caught her hands. “I meant it when I said we would go slow,” he said, pressing her arms above her head. “This is just a quick taste.”

  He meant that literally. After ordering her to leave her hands where they were, he tugged the sheet off her legs, leaving her completely exposed to his gaze.

  A little growl escaped as Matthias ran his big hands down her waist to her thighs. Embarrassed despite herself, Peyton waited, holding her breath as he slowly pushed her legs open.

  Crawling down, Matthias gave her one last smoldering glance before bending his head and licking her heat. She was already wet, but Peyton was surprised by the instant electric shot of pleasure that jolted through her when his mouth closed over her clit.

  Soon, his hands joined his mouth. Parting her lips with his fingers, he used his tongue to penetrate her, thrusting deep. Her hips started rocking in unison with his movements, trying to lengthen each burgeoning pulse of pleasure.

  Long minutes passed as Matthias worked his magic. As he alternated sucking and swirling her flesh with his tongue, Peyton climbed higher and higher. Nothing had ever felt so good. Each delicious stroke made her channel shiver. Apparently sensing her need, Matthias dipped a finger inside her.

  Peyton thought it couldn’t get better, but she was in the hands of a master. Working her G-spot with his fingers, he latched onto her clit with his mouth until she broke. Throwing her head back, Peyton moaned, her hips rising off the sheets as she thrashed in a maelstrom so intense she lost control. Falling back on the bed, she squeezed his finger tightly, desperately trying to hold onto the rapture for a few more precious seconds.

  When she had recovered, Peyton reached for him, but Matthias reared back, still fully dressed.

  “I need a cold shower. Excuse me.”

  “But—”

  He held up a hand like he was trying to ward off temptation. “You were delicious,” he called behind as he escaped into the bathroom. A moment later, the sound of the shower starting filtered past the closed door.

  Peyton threw herself on the bed. After a moment, though, she grinned, rolling around in luxurious sheets. This was definitely a step in the right direction.

  Chapter 22

  “Are we back here?” Caroline’s voice was like jagged glass against the inside of his skull. She threw her purse on the coffee table as he rose to a sitting position from the unfamiliar cream couch he’d been sleeping on.

  Liam winced, reaching for the cut-glass crystal tumbler next to him. He sipped the watered-down whiskey, wondering when the hell all the ice had melted. The silver ice bucket next to him was filled with water.

  “Liam, are you even listening to me?”

  He coughed, wondering why his throat felt as if it had been scraped with a cheese grater.

  “Where am I?” The room seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn’t place it.

  “Savannah. You’re at my hotel—the Wentworth Star. Apparently, you arrived last night stinking drunk while ranting and raving.”

  “Raving about what?”

  “That you needed to see me, of course. I wasn’t even here, Liam. I was in Boston meeting with the wedding florists. I don’t know what possessed you to fly down when I was minutes away from you back there.”

  “I needed to talk to you. But I don’t know why I came here. I don’t understand what happened.”

  Caroline crossed her arms, standing over him like an avenging angel. “Oh, I know what happened. You’ve gone off the rails again. And I don’t even need an explanation why. I knew this was going to happen the moment you saw him again.”

  “Him?”

  “Matthias Raske,” she snapped. “You went to him for help, throwing the door wide open for him to waltz back into our lives, to ruin everything—again.”

  Liam struggled to think with the cotton wool that had seemingly replaced his brain. “No. It’s not about Matthias. I mean, it is, but only because she left with him.”

  Caroline blinked, giving herself a little shake. “So this is about Peyton?”

  Liam didn’t say anything, letting the silence stretch as the copious amounts of alcohol in his gut roiled. He was in danger of being sick, but he had to keep it together. He owed Caroline that much.

  She snorted softly, closing her eyes. “Good God, I’ve been worried about the wrong one. All this time, I thought if you saw Raske again, you’d relapse and call off the wedding. When, apparently, the one I should have been worried about was perfect Peyton. I can’t believe what a fool I was. I should have seen it before.”

  “We’re both fools.”

  How could he have thought marriage to Caroline would solve any of his problems? It had only created new, even worse ones. And he’d hurt one of his best friends in the process.

  “I’m so sorry about this, Caroline. You have no idea how much. But we have to call the wedding off. I can’t go through with it.”

  She sniffed. “Well, obviously,” she said tightly. Jerking away, she whirled, her icy shield up so high it chilled the air around them. But the evidence of the pain he’d inflicted was all over her face.

  “If it makes you feel any better, this ends badly for me. I…I lost her to him. Matthias took Peyton away on the Ormen Lange. They’re gone, sailing off into the sunset together.”

  Caroline’s laugh was brittle. “Yes, well, I suppose that’s the one bright spot in this entire fiasco. Karma works.”

  She took a deep breath, picking her purse up from the coffee table in front of him. “I’ll have to sue you, of course. For breach of contract.”

  He frowned. “For calling off the engagement?”

  Liam knew some jilted fiancées went that route, but he’d never imagined Caroline would. She was too high class. “I didn’t think you’d want to call attention to the end of our relationship that way.”

  She sighed, rolling her eyes. “No, you ass. I’m going to sue you for calling off the merger. Not that I have a choice at this point.”

  “Oh, Caroline.” He hadn’t even thought about that.

  Gene, Caroline’s father, was getting on in years. He was eager to hand over the reins of his business. But the old fart was too much of a sexist to leave everything to Caroline outright.

  Caroline had been pushing their union for the sole reason of her father finally being able to retire and give his overworked heart a rest. Plus, the ailing Wentworth chain needed a bailout. Folding them into the Caislean group would have solved a lot of her problems, but now that wasn’t going to happen.

  He rubbed his face roughly with both hands. “Let me talk to Gene. The merger can still go on. I know you need this.”

  Disbelief and resentment flashed across her face. “You know that can’t happen now. Daddy will never agree to it on those terms. And neither will I.”

  “But—”

  She held up a hand. “Stop. Just stop. I’ve wasted enough time here. I need to get back to Boston. I have a wedding to disassemble.”

  I am a shitheel. “Please let me handle it.” His people could take care of those details. They did it all the time at the hotel.

  “I think you’ve done enough.”

  Caroline turned on her heel, heading for the door. Once there, she paused, determined to have the last word. “I would wish you the best and hope you will find what you’re looking for, but knowing you, you’ll ruin that, too.”

  Chapter 23

&n
bsp; The next time, Liam opened his eyes he was staring at the Chrysler building. He groaned, putting his hands on either side of his head. At least the view was familiar this time. He was in his own hotel, the penthouse suite of the Caislean New York.

  There was a knock at the bedroom door. “Anyone alive in there?”

  Calen poked his head inside. He walked in, wrinkling his nose at the smell. Empty liquor bottles dotted the tables of the room. “Did you drink the entire liquor cabinet?”

  “It feels like I did.”

  Calen shook his head. “I was afraid of this. I knew you shouldn’t have called Raske for help.”

  “Not you, too.” He groaned.

  “What?” Calen frowned. “It’s only natural you’d feel this way after seeing him again—even if it was only for a little while.”

  Calen was the only person who knew what had happened between Liam and Matthias. He’d been encouraging Liam to come out of the closet ever since.

  Liam hadn’t had the words to explain it wasn’t going to happen because he wasn’t in the closet. He liked women—and one man. That was it.

  But his best friend was tenacious. He’d sworn his support up and down, lecturing Liam about living ‘his truth,’ telling him he’d be a happier and better-adjusted person if he would just admit he was gay.

  Calen’s earnestness about his sexuality had been caring and infuriating in equal measure. There had been times when Liam had wanted to strangle him, but Liam didn’t have that many friends, so he let him live to bitch another day.

  As far as he knew, Calen had kept his secret. But now he was going to have to tell him a much bigger one. “Peyton left with Matthias. She’s back on the Ormen Lange headed to God knows where.”

  Calen froze in the act of sitting next to Liam on the bed. “Are you serious?”

  “Yup,” Liam confirmed with a dark scowl. “They’re probably fucking their way through the south seas as we speak.”

  Calen sank into the chair. It took him a long time to respond. “Huh. I wondered why Maia hadn’t heard from her. The wife invited her to dinner night before last, and nada. I figured you were keeping her busy.”