by KB Winters
Our bodies melded together against the wall and I arched against the cool surface. Miles’ other hand wrapped around my waist, pulling my hips against him, and I felt the bulge in his pants as I ground in small circles against him. “Miles,” I panted, breaking loose for a second before he reclaimed my lips.
He dragged his lips from mine and trailed them over to my ear. “Just let go, Penny. Be free with me. No rules. No barriers. Just us.”
My eyes fluttered closed again, and I moaned as he traced the lines of my ear with the tip of his velvety soft tongue. He hit every spot and I shivered with the flood of sensations burning through me. “Just us.”
“Mmhmm.” Miles kissed me again, and his hand around my waist started to explore further north, sliding up the seam of my t-shirt. His fingertips grazed my skin, slinking up my side, and then detoured around to my back when he ran into the satin edge of my bra. He tweaked the clasp and released the bra with expert precision.
Damn, that was easy. Practice much?
If he was that good with a bra, I couldn’t even imagine what his fingers could do…
My mind wandered, imagining what he could do to my body, and I was sucked back under his spell. Miles worked his hands around to the front of me and slid them under the cups of the bra and over my breasts. I gasped when he touched my nipples and they instantly hardened. “Miles…” I breathed into his ear. He was licking at a sweet spot on my neck.
“Just let go, Penny.”
I raked my hands down his back muscles and groaned at the firm, bound up ridges along his shoulders and back. I remembered the way they’d looked when I’d walked in on his bare ass naked in our hotel room in Hawaii and clenched my thighs together at the memory. Everything was pulsing and I arched against him again. He tugged lightly on my nipple, and I bit down into his shoulder.
Miles chuckled. “That’s my girl,” he growled against my neck, his breath hot against my skin.
I shuddered as he palmed my breast and hurried to get to the end of his shirt. I pulled it up and he ripped it off over his head. “Good lord,” I sighed, pulling back to look at his impeccable body. “You really are from a cologne ad, aren’t you?”
“Nah, I could kick those guys’ asses,” he replied, smirking at me as I got lost in his magnificent physique. He was all hard muscle and lean hollows. His chest was defined and broad, his arms thick and chiseled, and don’t even ask about his abs. There were no words for the perfection. All I know was that my tongue wanted to take a thorough tour.
“Is that so?”
He grinned and in the blink of an eye, had my t-shirt pulled off. I let the bra slip from my shoulders and dropped to the floor. Miles backed up a half step to take me in and I fidgeted against the wall at his inspection. His eyes were dark and full of lust but I didn’t know what he was thinking.
“You’re gorgeous, Penny,” he whispered, taking my breasts in his hands. He smoothed down the curves and over my ribs and waist before flaring out to grab me by the hips. “So fuckin’ sexy. You’re going to make it hard for me to take my time.”
I laughed and rolled my eyes, letting the relief roll through me. The night was certainly taking an unexpected turn, and I was glad I hadn’t eaten much for the past few days and that my stomach was relatively flat. “We don’t have time at all…” I said, reluctant to remind him. But I didn’t want to show up to his parents’ house sporting sex hair and soaked panties.
He growled and flashed his eyes down my body again. “Then I guess I’ll just have to take a quick taste.”
I shivered as his fingers settled on the waist of my jeans. His meaning was clear.
Very clear.
Miles grabbed the button of my jeans and popped it free and released the zipper as he sank to his knees. He tugged the jeans loose and I bit my lip as I was exposed for him. He lifted my leg, his hands on my thigh, and removed my jeans completely before hitching my thigh over his shoulder. I arched back and he kissed the dark patch of wet satin fabric, covering my aching pussy. I gasped and dug my fingers into the muscles on his shoulders at the light touch. His lips were hot and I whimpered, wishing there wasn’t a barrier between his lips and my skin. He moaned against me, the vibrations getting me hotter.
He licked at the wetness on my panties and groaned before reaching up and tugging on the waistband. “I think we’ve pretty much ruined these for the night,” he said, lowering my leg from his shoulder so he could pull them down my thighs. I watched him as he stripped me, mesmerized by the way he drank in each newly exposed inch of my body.
When he had me naked, he lifted my leg back over his shoulder and applied his lips to my pussy, teasing my slit with the tip of his tongue. I gasped and dug my heel into his back. As he parted me and took his first taste, I stood up taller, stretching on the tippy toes of my other foot as each nerve strung tight. “Miles,” I groaned. He lapped at me and twirled his tongue around my clit.
“Just a taste,” he whispered, his breath teasing my swollen skin. “I just want a taste of you, baby.”
I bit my lip and nodded, urging him on. Miles plunged his tongue in deeper and then sucked at my clit, teasing it between his lips until I was gasping in an unknown language, pleading for relief of the pressure and heat building between my thighs. He plunged a finger inside of me and after a few thrusts, he found my g-spot and I’ll be damned to hell, but he knew exactly what to do.
“Miles!” I gasped as the pressure rocketed me to new heights and my leg on his shoulder trembled and then gripped him, pulling his face into my pussy as I clenched and tightened. Seconds later, I broke and shattered. I clung to Miles’ shoulders as I came, and when my eyes finally fluttered open, they locked on his as he watched me break apart.
I sagged against the wall and Miles gently dropped my leg from his shoulder before standing to gather me in his arms again. “I wish we had more time,” he growled into my ear.
Chapter Twenty-One
Miles
“Do we get the place to ourselves when this shit show is over?” I asked Penny. She didn’t reply, instead she glanced at the shield that separated the driver of the town car from the backseat where we were seated together, whizzing down the highway that would lead us to my parents’ estate. I grinned at her concern. “He can’t hear us. Scout’s honor.”
She turned to me and cocked her head. “You were a Scout?”
I shrugged. “No.”
She giggled and rolled her eyes. “Didn’t think so. You were probably the guy that gave them wedgies and stuffed them into lockers.”
“Ouch. That’s some accusation to make about your dear old husband.”
She lay her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. “I’m still not used to that.”
I stroked my fingertips down her arm until I reached her hand. We locked our fingers together and I leaned in, my expression serious. “If it helps, I’m not either.”
She shot me a disbelieving look. “Really? Cause you seem pretty content to go wherever the wind blows.”
“Are you referring to what happened at your place?” I dropped my gaze to her thighs for a half a beat before dragging them slowly back up her body.
She scoffed. “Of course I am! That was not supposed to happen. Remember? There was a rule.”
“I know, but come on, we needed that.”
“We did?”
I nodded. “Yup. Otherwise we’d be back here bickering or else silently plotting how best to off the other with a silver plated salad fork.”
“I think there are other ways we could have resolved our issues…which, for the record, aren’t really resolved at all. You just hit the pause button while you had your face all up in my lady business.”
I laughed. “You liked it.”
“Beside the point,” she retorted. “You crossed a line. Bulldozed, really.”
I groaned and raked a hand through my hair. This is not where I wanted to go. If we went much longer, we’d be back at the beginning. And unfortunately we still ha
d a good half an hour until we arrived at my parents.
“We can’t let that happen again,” she said quietly, shaking her head as she stared straight ahead.
I released my hold on her hand. “All right. Fine. Back to friends then. But we need to figure out what that means. Last time we talked on the phone you were making it sound like you were ready to pull the plug on this whole thing.”
“I know,” she said before heaving a sigh. She took a moment and then circled her gaze back to me. “All right, listen, I’m sorry for threatening to back out. I was struggling through some things and lashed out.”
“Why couldn’t you just talk to me. Of all the people you know, wouldn’t I be uniquely qualified to talk this out with you?”
“Probably, but that’s only going to mess things up more. Don’t you see that? Any late night calls, emotional talks, and physical stuff are only going to make it harder to untangle when this is all over. You’ll have your money, I’ll have my book, but one or both of us will end up with a broken heart too. It’s too big of a risk.”
“So, cordial, infrequent communication, and only see each other when we have mandatory events? That sounds better to you?”
“I—” Penny stopped, reconsidering.
“No, you know, that’s probably perfect. That’s a relationship my parents will really understand. Detached, frosty, and full of resentment. Those are all the things that have kept me from getting married. You know that?”
She shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”
“Yeah, well there it is. Miles exposed.” I scoffed and leaned back in the seat. If I was gonna start talking like I was in a shrink’s office, I might as well be comfortable too. “My parents hate each other. They only stay together because to divorce would cause a scandal and they’d have to go to the trouble of divvying everything up. They’re almost seventy so they figure they’ll stay together and fulfill the to death part of their vows since everything else is already broken. My father’s cheated on my mother more times than I can count. And my mother’s had her fair share of fun with different men over the years. They back charities based on which have conflicting event dates, that way they don’t have to go together and no one can blame them. It’s a fuckin’ train wreck. I never understood why they pushed me so hard to marry when it’s clearly brought them no joy. Or, if it has, it was a long time ago.”
“I hear ya,” Penny said, breaking in when I paused for breath and to rein in my emotions. “My parents were the same way. I think they were happy once. They must have been right? But when they had me, my mom kind of checked out. She shipped me off to school once I was old enough and I don’t think my dad ever forgave her for that. He never cheated on her, that I know of, but he didn’t speak to her most of the time. They lived parallel lives. I have no idea why they stayed together. Probably the same reason as your parents.”
She stopped and our eyes met. “I’ve watched dozens—literally dozens—of friends get married and every time I go to one, I wonder just how long they’ll last. And then I spend the rest of the reception drowning the despair. Most people think that when girls get drunk at weddings, it’s because they’re single and jealous. That was never my reason. I just wanted to shut up that cynical part of my brain and be happy for my friend. I needed to feel human and like I had a heart and not just a hollow place where one should be.
“My one, real adult relationship, dragged on for nearly a year longer than it should have simply because I was trying to convince myself I could do it. I could be happy and be like everyone else. But looking back, I hated everything about it.”
I nodded. “I’ve never even tried.”
Penny laughed softly. “Smart man.”
“And yet, here we are. Two hopeless un-romantics, married to each other.”
Penny nodded, her smile fading. “Trying to fight off any sign of something…real.”
“Is that what we’re doing?” I chuckled.
“Well, I guess I can’t speak for you…” She glanced away and I captured her chin with my fingertips and brought her back to face me. “I just meant—”
I stopped her with a kiss. Soft and slow.
“It’s not just you, Penny.”
* * * *
I smirked as I ushered Penny up the walk of my parents’ estate. With her form fitted red dress, her blonde hair twisted up in a updo, and her face painted to perfection, no one would ever suspect we’d just spent twenty minutes hot and heavy in the back of the town car I’d hired to bring us.
My mother would be so scandalized, I almost wanted to tell her.
I reached for Penny and kept my hand on the small of her back, guiding her steps up the long walk from the circular driveway. The house was lit up and looked warm and inviting from afar. However, I knew that just on the other side of the front doors, my parents would be cooking up their plan of attack.
“You ready for this?” I asked Penny.
She glanced up at me and smiled. “Anything they dish out—I can take it.”
“We can take it.” I winked.
“Right.”
I rang the bell when we reached the front doors and a half second later, the same butler from the holiday gala opened the door. “Jeeves? You’re still here? Kudos man. Gotta be a new record.”
“Good evening, Master Warren. Mrs. Warren.” He didn’t even bristle at my remark. Shame. I must be losing my touch. “Please come inside.”
We stepped into the foyer and Penny handed him her shawl. I slipped out of my jacket, leaving me in just my button up shirt. It was just a step down from fancy and would drive my parents nuts. “Stash this somewhere, would ya?”
“I’d be delighted to take your jacket, Sir.”
Still no comment. Not even an eyebrow raise. Damn, they’d finally found one I couldn’t corrupt.
I looped an arm around Penny’s waist and led her through the house toward the formal living room where my parents usually waited for me on occasions such as this. I hadn’t been to their home since the holiday gala but nothing had changed. The decor usually rotated seasonally, new paintings and pieces of art shuffled through to keep it fresh, but I couldn’t place anything new.
“Oh my God.” I nearly stumbled at Penny’s abrupt stop.
“What?” Then I heard it, a high pitched laugh that I couldn’t place. “Who is that?”
“My mother…” Penny’s face was sheet white.
“Shit.”
“Double shit.”
I drew in a breath. “We’ll be fine. We’ll schmooze, eat, and skip out early, blaming our newlywed urges.” I flashed another wink at her but she only continued to pale. “Come on.” I pulled her against me a little tighter and we proceeded the twenty paces into the living room.
“Miles!” my mother exclaimed, catching first sight of us as we entered the grand space.
All eyes turned towards us. My father, mother, and Penny’s mother, Wanda. I waved at the room and put on my best smile. “Good evening, everyone.”
I shifted my eyes to my father, narrowing my gaze into a stare to convey my irritation. If he tried to back out of our deal, I’d walk out the door and never step foot back inside this house as long as I lived.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Miles
“I’d like to propose a toast,” I said, rising from my seat, while dinner was being carted in by a couple of my parents’ household staff. “Before we all get started, I’d just like to say that I’m sure there are a lot of questions, but from Penny and me both, we’d like to thank you all for creating the circumstances that brought us together. Cheers.”
Everyone raised their glass and as I lowered back to my seat, Penny shot me an impressed glance, a smile on her lips. It was completely nauseating, but if the sentiment could smooth things over and make the evening pass without any friction, it was worth downing a bottle of Pepto-Bismol after dinner was over.
Knowing my mother’s rich tastes, I was going to need a swig anyways.
“Very well sai
d, Son,” my father said, raising his glass before taking a drink.
The two mothers threw in their sentiments as well, and we all fell quiet as the staff set a plate in front of each of us. Another uniformed woman walked around, whisking away empty glasses and replacing them with refilled ones.
“Did you bring photographs with you? From the ceremony?” my mother asked.
“We sure did,” I replied, smiling at Penny as her brows raised in surprise. The photographer had put a rush on them and they had arrived a few days before I left Georgia. Since Penny and I were distracted back at her apartment, I hadn’t had a chance to show her yet.
“Wonderful.”
“We think they turned out nice,” Penny said, grinning around her lie.
I squeezed her thigh under the table.
Maybe this would be fun after all.
“I still think a proper wedding would have been more appropriate. Don’t you, Ruby?” Wanda chimed in, offering her first sentiment of the night.
“Mother,” Penny hissed, shooting her a harsh glance.
“Don’t try to shush me, young lady. I’m sure the Warrens agree that a formal wedding would have been preferable to this cloak and daggers affair the two of you pulled off.”
“Cloak and daggers?” I repeated. “I assure you, Mrs. Laken, there were no weapons involved.”
Penny stifled a laugh. “It’s our life and it was our wedding.”
My mother and father exchanged a long look across the table. Then my father cleared his throat. Oh boy, this is gonna be good. “Actually, Son, we agree with Wanda.”
Who woulda thunk?
“Well, we’re sorry to disappoint. Penny and I are quite happy.”
No one said anything else about it, but the air crackled with tension.
The rest of the meal was much the same, an exchange of barbs and subtle insults from my father and Penny’s mother, before the entire thing came to a close when the final course was brought in. A seven-layer chocolate cake.
“Since you didn’t have a wedding cake, I had my caterer make something special,” my mother said, as the only one in the room who wasn’t openly attacking us.
