Take My Hand: BWWM Romance

by Shanade White

  “Exactly, none of that stuff unless we have an audience,” she said, walking farther away to make her point.

  Scott laughed, then said, “So, let me get this straight, no touching or kissing unless we have an audience?”

  “Kissing? I don’t think I agreed to any kissing,” she said, her mouth gaping open at his words.

  “Oh, I definitely think there should be some kissing if we want to make it look real. Which I have been wondering about. Why is it so important that we make this look real anyway?”

  Marissa was still thinking about the kissing, but managed to explain, “If we make it look real, then everyone will accept it sooner and stop asking questions. The less mystery, the sooner the talk will die down.”

  “Hmm, I see,” he said, looking around the mall, then spotted a mother with two toddlers sitting by the fountain. Pulling a surprised Marissa into his arms, he kissed her, his tongue sneaking into her mouth when she gasped in surprise.

  Marissa was shocked and pushed back against Scott’s broad chest, then had no choice but to lean into the kiss when it was clear that he wasn’t going to stop his exploration of her mouth. Sliding her hands up his chest, she wrapped them around his neck, completely lost in the way his smelled and tasted. But when his hands skimmed her ribs to pull her closer, she remembered where they were and managed to pull away.

  Panting, she looked up at him, her hands on his chest feeling it rise and fall with his heavy breathing. “There’s no one around,” she managed to say, trying to shoot him a dirty look, but failing when she saw the desire in his green eyes.

  “I just wanted a practice kiss to make sure we did it right,” he said, taking her hand and entwining her fingers with his, amazed at how small it felt in his large one.

  Marissa followed him out of the mall in a daze. That kiss had been explosive and strangely addictive. In her limited experience with men, she’d never been that aroused by a simple kiss and that had been nothing more than a simple kiss. But the power in that one kiss had only shown her what was possible if she let her guard down, a temping but dangerous thought, one that could only complicate an already complicated situation.

  He walked her to her car in silence, but when they got there and she was safely buckled in, he said, “I’ve been thinking, if we want this to look real then maybe we should go out on a date. I mean, isn’t that what we would normally do?”

  She thought about that for a second. “Yeah, I guess that’s true, but we have to go somewhere that we’ll be seen,” she said, trying to remember that it wasn’t a real date.

  “You pick the place and the time and let me know. I’ll pick you up,” he said, smiling at her, making her heart pitter patter and a tingle of desire form deep inside.

  “Okay, I’ll let you know,” she managed to squeak, then drove away before she embarrassed herself.

  Marissa wanted to bang her head on the steering wheel. How had this gotten so out of hand? They’d just been kissing in the mall, and what was worse she’d enjoyed every second of it and would have happily done it again. This wasn’t going how she planned. She’d hoped to keep Scott at a distance, a working relationship of sorts, but he was making that impossible. If she’d known that this was going to happen, she might have made a different decision.

  Keeping her other activities was going to be impossible if they became involved with each other, especially since something told her that Scott wouldn’t think it was such a good idea for her to be hanging out in some of the places she did. Then she’d be fighting with both her father and her husband for her freedom. Just that thought of that was enough to make her desire go cold. Her only choice was to keep her distance from Scott, no matter how hard that was going to be.

  Scott watched Marissa drive off thinking that today had gone much better than he could have ever imagined. He was beginning to like this free lifestyle, no emergency phone calls to worry about, no board meetings to prepare for, just the mystery of the woman he was about to marry and the delicious thought of coaxing her into bed. The invitation to dinner had been the first step, and if her reaction to his kiss in the mall was any indication, he might actually get lucky on his wedding night.

  Chapter 4

  Marissa was pacing nervously in the foyer waiting for Scott to pick her up for their date, calling it anything else was fooling herself and she’d never been one to avoid the truth when at all possible. She’d dressed carefully for dinner, not wanting to appear like she was trying too hard, but the truth was she wanted to look good for Scott. The attraction she’d been feeling had suddenly turned into full blown infatuation, a dangerous turn of events, but one she seemed powerless to stop.

  She somehow knew that tonight was a turning point. If her attraction to Scott intensified, then she was going to have be even more careful of her feelings. As much as she’d like to be one of those people who could sleep with someone then move on the next day, it had never been that way for her. Sex to her represented a real connection and she’d promised herself long ago that she’d treat it with the respect it deserved. She’d lost a few boyfriends because of her attitude over the years, but that only proved that she was right, sex should only be a part of a committed relationship.

  No matter that they were married, what she and Scott were going to have wasn’t a committed relationship and treating it like it was would only lead to a broken heart when it was over. Thinking about his kisses made her wish that she was a different kind of person. Sex with Scott would be fantastic, that much was clear from the way he’d kissed her in the mall. His hard body pressed up against hers had been intoxicating and arousing beyond anything she’d ever felt before.

  The doorbell rang, interrupting her thoughts, and she was suddenly as nervous as she’d been on her first date, but it was only Scott on the other side of the door she told herself. There certainly wasn’t any mystery where their relationship was headed, she thought, centering her thoughts again before opening the door.

  When she saw Scott on the other side of the door dressed in one of the suits they’d bought together the other day, her nerves ramped up even higher and a small sigh escaped her lips. He looked unbelievably handsome in the charcoal grey suit, the purple tie she’d insisted on giving him a rakish look and accenting his green eyes. He smiled at her, making her heart pound in her chest and her knees go a little weak.

  “You look wonderful,” he said, his eyes taking in every inch of her body, from her three-inch heels to the complicated hairstyle she’d worked on for hours.

  Her mouth was practically watering at the sight of him, but she finally managed to say, “You don’t look half bad yourself.” Then she notice the flowers in his arms. “Are those for me?”

  “Oh, I forgot. I wasn’t sure if it was still a thing to bring flowers, but these are for you,” he said, stammering over his words a bit.

  “There’re really pretty,” she said, taking the bundle of bright yellow daisies from him. “I should put them in some water before we leave.”

  Following her into the kitchen, he wondered if he could get away with a quick kiss, then decided that there was only one way to find out. He watched her stretch on her toes to reach a vase on a top shelf and couldn’t help but gasp out loud when her dress rode up her thighs exposing another few inches of her legs.

  She must have heard him because she turned and said, “Is something wrong?” Then blushed when she realized the show she’d just given him.

  “Nope, everything is just great,” he said, grinning at her.

  She turned to the sink and began to fill the vase. When it was full, she set it down on the counter and began to clip the ends off the stems of the flowers. He slid up behind her and looked over her shoulder, her mouth only inches from her ear, his breath coming in little puffs that sent shivers down her spine.

  “Are you cold?” he asked when she shivered.

  “Nope, I’m fine,” she said, trying to adopt the same tone he’d used earlier, even though all
she wanted right then was to feel his hands on her and his tongue in her mouth.

  When she’d put the last blossom in the vase, she put her hands on it to pick it up, but Scott stopped her by covering her hands with his own. He turned her around until she was trapped between the counter and his hard body, their faces just inches apart. Marissa was trying to look anywhere but into Scott’s eyes knowing that if she saw what she thought she would in their green depths, she’d be lost.

  “Marissa,” Scott said, pulling her chin up so he could look into her eyes which were filled with desire, then nodded his head and dipped his head to take possession of her mouth.

  His body pressed against hers, he ravaged her mouth, not trace of the exploratory kiss of the day before present now. This kiss was demanding, his tongue dipping into her mouth, his teeth capturing her lip then licking the spot he’d just bitten. The world around Marissa drained away, all her senses alive and responding to Scott’s assault on them.

  When he finally broke the kiss and pulled her into a hug, they were both panting, their desire throbbing through their veins. “That really wasn’t a good idea,” Marissa finally managed to say.

  “I think it was an excellent idea,” he said, grinning at her.

  Flustered, she left the flowers sitting by the sink and grabbed her purse. “We better go. Our reservation is in a half an hour and you know how traffic in Los Angeles can be. I can’t wait to get out of this town for a while,” she said, trying to distract herself from what she was feeling.

  “You seem right at home here,” Scott said, following her out the door. “You seem to know everybody, have lots of friends.”

  She looked at him shocked. “You really haven’t spent much time away from the board room, have you?”

  “No, not really. Why?” he asked, holding the door while she got in the car, which was a bright red sports car.

  “Those people are not my friends. They’d just as soon see me fall on my face than catch me if I tripped. It’s all a big competition, that’s why I keep my distance most of the time. Where did you get this car? Is it yours and can I drive it?”

  “Wait, slow down. So, you’re not a drunken socialite?” he asked, wondering how accurate the information he’d been given was.

  Marissa didn’t know what to say. It wouldn’t be long before he figured out that her stunts were just that stunts, carefully planned and executed for the maximum effect. “No, not really. Don’t get me wrong, I like to have a good time and I do enjoy shocking people, but I rarely have more than one drink,” she said, shrugging her shoulders.

  “Then why the big act?” Scott asked, seeing yet again another side of this complicated woman sitting next to him.

  “It gets my business exposure. The first time was a genuine crazy night out, but once I realized how much traffic it brought to the website, I looked for opportunities to get my picture on social media. That’s one of the reason the upper crust doesn’t like me, they think I’m too commercial.”

  Scott had to admit that she’d found an excellent way to get free advertising, “Very smart, excellent marketing technique.”

  “Thank you, but I trusted you with that information, please keep it to yourself,” she said, suddenly worried that she’d said too much. Her reputation as a wild child was going to come to a halt soon, but she didn’t want the truth getting out, that would bring questions she didn’t want to answer.

  “So, if you don’t mind me asking, how are you planning to get that attention now? Because I hope you’re going to tone it down. Real marriage or not, I’d rather you weren’t up on stage making out with strippers,” he said, suppressing a smile as they pulled into the parking lot of the most popular restaurant in town.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll find some other way,” she said, taking a deep breath in preparation for their upcoming performance, because that’s what it was: a performance.

  “Well, if you need any help with that, just let me know,” he said, trying to mask the teasing tone of his voice.

  “Wow, thanks. Now, are you ready for dinner?” she said, hoping she’d be able to make it through the scrutiny that was sure to begin the minute they walked in the door.

  “Let’s do this,” Scott said, taking her arm.

  When they walked through the door, it was as if everyone had been waiting for them to appear. The place was packed, but a path opened up to the front, and Scott, with his hand possessively on her bare back, led her forward. His hand never moved as they made their way through the restaurant to a choice table by the windows. After ordering an expensive bottle of wine, he waved the server away and took her hand in his.

  “I had no idea what a commotion we were creating,” he whispered, then kissed the back of her hand, sending shivers of desire rushing through her.

  “Hmm, I told you,” she said, trying to concentrate on his words.

  Once the initial shock of them actually appearing together had worn off, the other diners returned to their own meals and conversations, allowing Marissa a second to catch her breath. Before long, between the wine and Scott’s presence, she forgot about the other people in the room and began to enjoy herself. From the research she’d done online, she didn’t think that Scott had many passions besides making money, but she found that he had a love of art as well as music and books.

  Before she knew it, they’d been served dessert and coffee and it was time to go home. She’d been having so much fun she’d forgotten that they were supposed to be putting on a show. Scott took care of that as they were walking out of the restaurant by accidently tripping her, then saving her by wrapping his arms around her and holding her in his arms.

  Nuzzling her neck, he whispered, “Sorry about that, but I just thought a little scene might cause a stir.” Then he tickled her, making her giggle.

  Marissa was sure she actually heard several of the diners gasp at their behavior and couldn’t help but giggle some more. Not only would this get tongues wagging, but it would drive her father crazy. They finally untangled themselves and walked hand and hand out of the restaurant bursting into laughter when they got out the door.

  “You learn fast.” Marissa laughed, then added, “But I really thought I was going down there for a minute. Don’t ever do that again.”

  “Don’t worry, that move only works once. I would have warned you, but it needed to look real,” he said, smiling innocently.

  “You enjoyed that. Don’t try to look innocent,” she said, getting into the car.

  Once he was in the car and on the road, Scott said, “It’s not my fault that in the process of keeping you from falling you ended up in my arms.”

  Marissa didn’t reply, her mind drifting back to the feeling of his strong arms supporting her when she would have fallen. Honestly, she wouldn’t mind if he tripped her every day. Scott turned on the radio and they rode in comfortable silence back to her house. When they got there, he turned to her and said, “I know this is all a game to keep people from finding out the truth, but I had a good time tonight.”

  Marissa looked at him for a second, then said, “I did too.” When she reached for the handle to get out of the car, he stopped her with a quick shake of his head.

  “I’m going to walk you to the door and kiss you just like this was a real date. Don’t say a word about there being no one watching, I’m doing it anyway,” he said, getting out of the car and coming around to her side.

  He opened the door and offered her his hand. Once she was out of the car, he kept a tight hold on her hand as they walked up to the porch. Once they’d reached the door, Marissa reached for the doorknob, heart racing in her chest. He’d said he was going to kiss her and she knew that she wasn’t going to stop him if he tried, if fact she was hoping that he would. As crazy as this was she wanted Scott more and more each time she was with him.

  Their hands were still joined, so it was easy for him to pull her to him and wrap his arms around her. “I told you I was going to kiss you,” he
said right before his mouth came down on hers.

  Tonight, his kiss was hungry, his hands roaming as his tongue tasted and explored her mouth. Caught up in the rush of feelings, Marissa kissed him back, darting her tongue into his mouth to timidly explore the way he had explored hers. Scott growled low in his throat and backed them up against the doorframe, his hands skimming over her hips, down her thighs and legs, then up again.

  When they finally broke the kiss, sucking in deep lungfuls of air, Marissa raised her eyes to his and gasped at the raw desire in his green eyes. The pure animal look staggered her and she leaned more heavily against the house, her legs hardly able to hold her. Scott took her face in his large hands and brought his head down until his mouth was only inches from hers, but instead of kissing her, he slid his thumbs down her face to her throat, making her tip her head back.

  His mouth followed the path his fingers had just taken, burning a path on her skin as he kissed his way down her neck, creating a storm of sensation so strong she had to grab his shoulders to keep from falling. His hands continued to roam over her body as he nibbled on the sensitive skin on her neck, his hot breath in her ear making her shiver.

  “I’m hoping I can convince you to change your mind about the sex stipulation of our agreement,” he whispered in her ear, his hand moving to the center of her thigh and creeping up under her dress.

  “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” she managed to say, pleasure beginning to build deep inside her.

  “We’re going to be married, isn’t this what married people do? One of the benefits of marriage,” he said as he gently spread her legs and slid his hand up to where her thighs met.

  “This is definitely not a good idea,” she said, barely able to form the words let alone make him stop.

  When she felt him slide her panties to the side, she knew that she needed to make him stop but couldn’t make herself do it. His finger was slowly parting her folds, sliding against her clit, making her moan with pleasure. Then she dug her fingers into his shoulders as her orgasm began to build. Marissa was beyond thought, focused only on what Scott was doing to her with his fingers and his mouth, the waves of pleasure rushing through her with such force that she could hardly breath.