“Thank you.” Mack walked her to the door, and turned back around toward Lauren the moment Iris was gone.
He loosened his tie. “This is the living room,” he said, as if she couldn’t see for herself. “Kitchen’s through there. If you’re hungry, help yourself. My housekeeper keeps the fridge stocked. I think she said there’s lasagna prepared, too.”
“I’m not hungry,” she said. “Thank you.”
He tossed his suit jacket on the couch with the nonchalance of a man who knew someone would pick it up for him and have it dry-cleaned the following day. “Home at last,” he said, a smile finally breaking over his face.
Mack stepped toward her, suddenly so close she had to tilt her chin up to look into his eyes. His hand reached around her waist, the heat from his palm searing through the thin cotton of her dress to her skin.
“You might not be hungry…but I am.” His gaze on hers made it clear he wasn’t talking about the lasagna.
Oh God. Everything she’d ever fantasized about. Here. Now. The room spun.
“You look scared,” he said. “Do I frighten you?”
She felt breathless. His presence, so close to her, had taken up all her oxygen. “Were you serious about…? You know.”
“Consummating this marriage?” he asked, dipping his head, his mouth just a breath away from hers. “Yes.”
Her heart pounded, the sound so loud in her ears she was sure he could hear it. “I barely know you. I can’t sleep with you.”
“You’re my wife. But I won’t force you to do something you don’t want to do.”
Relief flooded through her at the same time as disappointment. This was crazy. What was she thinking? If she slept with Mack, how long could she keep her heart safe? Knowing her, she’d fall for him and be left broken-hearted when he didn’t return her feelings. Could she really handle looking at him, knowing he thought of her only as a means to an end, as a way to meet his obligation to her brother?
“I won’t force you,” he murmured, sliding his hand past her waist, cupping her bottom. “But I’d like the opportunity to see if I can’t convince you to come to the marriage bed willingly.”
“The marriage bed,” she laughed shakily. “You’re insane. What sort of marriage is this, anyway?”
But she couldn’t help but gasp as he dropped his touch lower, slipping one finger up past the hem of her dress, pushing the material out of the way.
“If we’re going to be married,” he said, “we may as well enjoy the perks associated with it.”
“Such as?”
He kissed her neck, pressing his mouth against her throbbing pulse. “Such as having a willing sex partner, every night.”
Every night?
She moaned, unable to hold back. She hadn’t had sex in ages. There was barely enough time in the day to run her daycare and heat herself up a microwaveable meal, much less go out bar-hopping to find a suitable partner. But Mack? What would it mean to have Mack at her disposal, whenever she felt in the mood?
He kissed lower, licking a trail down her décolletage, pulling her bra down with her dress until her nipple peeked up past the low neckline. She arched her back into his kiss as he twirled his tongue around her areola, hardening the taut peak into a tight bundle of nerves before sucking it full into his mouth.
“Take the dress off,” he whispered.
She looked around the open living room, with all the floor-to-ceiling windows. Central Park was visible right across the street. “But…shouldn’t I do that in the bedroom, maybe?”
“The windows are tinted,” he said with a smile. “No one can see in. The housekeeper is gone for the evening. And I want you naked.”
“And you always get what you want, don’t you?” she asked, pulling the thin material up and over her head, letting it fall to the floor in a heap. Before she could second-guess herself, she pulled her panties off as well.
He stared at her as if he were drinking in her nudity and she felt open, exposed, and incredibly desirable all at once.
“Yes,” he said finally. “I always get what I want.”
Lauren gasped in surprise when he lifted her, carrying her naked against his button-down shirt. “What are you doing?”
“I’m carrying my bride over the threshold into our bedroom.” He kicked the door open and, with only the moonlight filtering in through the bedroom window to guide them, laid her in the middle of his king-sized bed.
The bed made it all feel too real.
“Mack, I can’t do this.” She sat up, grabbing a throw pillow to cover herself.
He paused. “Why not?”
“Because while you apparently have no qualms about screwing someone you don’t care anything about, I’ve never done that before. And this—” she gestured around the master suite, “is not how I envisioned spending my wedding night.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and she scrambled away from him.
“Hey,” he said softly, as if he were calming a skittish animal. “It’s okay. Like I said, we don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for.”
“Good,” she said. “Because I’m not ready to sleep with you.”
“Is it because you’re worried about your brother?” he asked, concern in his eyes.
The question surprised her, coming from him. She hadn’t expected him to look past the superficial to what might be going on in her head.
“I think I’m more angry with Joe for getting himself into this situation than I am worried,” she admitted. “It feels like they’re not really gone, since I know they’re coming back.”
“Yeah, I know what you mean.” He stroked her hair. “So you’re not worried at all?”
“I am actually deeply concerned for my miniature roses,” she said, not bothering to pretend it was a joke. “I know that sounds stupid to you.”
Mack shook his head. “Just because I don’t get something doesn’t make it stupid.”
“But neither of those reasons are why I’m not ready to sleep with you. I’m just not—not yet. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll wait,” Mack said. Then, softly, “Why…why did you marry me?”
“For the baby,” she whispered.
And because this might be my only chance to see what if feels like to have a husband and a child, she thought. But she couldn’t say it. That was one secret she was keeping to herself.
…
Mack looked at Lauren, sitting naked on the middle of his bed, holding a large throw pillow over her delectable body. His length throbbed in his trousers, painfully hard. He wanted to grab that pillow, uncover Lauren’s nakedness, and ravish her right then and there. But she wasn’t ready.
Why?
And holy shit, he had a wife. That was going to take some getting used to.
“My wife,” he said aloud, tasting the words in his mouth, trying to get used to them.
“But not really,” she reminded him. “In name only.”
“Is that the problem here?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said, her lip quivering, like she was trying to keep her emotions from breaking free. “This is all so new and strange. First Joe and Marisol go missing, then suddenly I’m married with a child. I’d given up on having a child of my own.”
He’d heard about her car accident. He knew she wasn’t able to get pregnant. For some reason he’d thought she was over that. She had thrown herself into her career, after all. Apparently it still bothered her.
“And now,” she continued, “I’m living in your penthouse. I have to move my things. My flowers.” She looked outside at his terrace thoughtfully. “Does your balcony get good sunlight?”
“I suppose.” Was she planning on sunbathing? A vision of Lauren in a bikini flashed through his mind, doing nothing to help his situation.
“I’ve never been to your home before,” he said. That was so strange, that he’d married a woman he’d never even been on a date with before. Never picked her up at her front door, never courted her properly.
“It’s nice. Not nice like this, of course,” she laughed, gesturing around the room. The movement caused the pillow to drop away from her breasts and she looked down at her body, a blush coloring her cheeks. “I should really put some pajamas on.”
Mack couldn’t let that happen. This might be his only opportunity to have Lauren naked in his bed. He had to show her that she could relax and at least experience a bit of pleasure in the middle of all this chaos.
“Don’t move,” he whispered, trailing his hand up her ankle, caressing her calf.
Her gaze turned to his fingers as he slid them up her thigh and, finally, brushed against the dark curls at the junction of her thighs.
“What are you doing?” she asked softly.
But she didn’t move, didn’t push his hand away.
“You’re not ready to consummate this marriage, and that’s okay. But I can’t let you go to sleep on your wedding night unsatisfied.”
He slid his fingers along her labia, gently opening her nether lips, stroking until beads of moisture appeared, her sensitive bud swelling beneath his ministrations.
“We shouldn’t be doing this,” she said, but she opened her legs wider, allowing him better access.
He slid one finger into her damp heat, in and out, positioning his thumb to rub against her tender nub with each stroke.
“You’re right,” he said, feeling her muscles clamp around his fingers. “We should be doing so much more.”
Lauren laid back on the duvet, finally surrendering to his touch, her legs spread lewdly, granting him full access to her most intimate areas.
“I have to taste you,” he said.
He could smell her arousal in the air, and his body reacted, the hard length trying to burst out of his pants, pressing painfully against his zipper. But he’d keep it under wraps, for now.
Until she begged him for it.
Mack grabbed the throw pillow she’d tossed aside and gave her derriere a light smack. “Lift,” he ordered, and she bridged her legs, lifting her ass in the air. He slid the pillow underneath her hips, granting him a perfect view of her private parts.
“Oh God, Mack,” she gasped.
He slowly licked her slick folds, spreading them with his tongue, laving that one sensitive spot over and over, sucking it in to his mouth. Lauren’s legs twisted, moving as if of their own accord, and he grabbed her thighs, keeping her spread open for his tongue.
“Don’t stop,” she breathed, bucking against his face, meeting each stroke of his tongue with a swivel of her delectable hips.
“Baby,” he said, letting his words vibrate against her clit, “I’m just getting started.”
She climaxed then, her whole body shaking, clamping her legs around his head, holding him in place with her body. Her moans and gasps were music to his ears.
If she wouldn’t let him inside her, he was going to have to go take a cold shower, ASAP. But he didn’t want to pressure her. Let her just relax and know that he’d be here when she was ready.
As far as Mack was concerned, this was the perfect arrangement. A beautiful woman who loved baby Callie to help him take care of her until her parents came back.
The perfect choice to share his bed every night.
“Thank you so much,” Lauren said, pulling herself up on the bed. She grinned at him sheepishly. “I can’t believe we just did that.”
He shrugged. “My pleasure.” The painful throbbing in his pants had subsided a bit. “Hey,” he said, remembering what she’d said about her apartment and having to move. “I just had an idea.”
“While you were licking me, you had an idea?”
“What can I say, you inspired me.” He grinned and got up off the bed. “I’m going to change out of my clothes now, so that’s just a warning. I’m not trying to get in your pants.”
“Duly noted.” She turned her head, as if to avoid watching him change into sleep shorts and a T-shirt.
…
Tingles still shivered throughout Lauren’s post-orgasmic body as she sat on the bed naked, watching her husband get undressed.
My husband. Oh God. That sounded so weird in her head.
Mack slowly unbuttoned his shirt as he continued speaking. “Didn’t you say you live in the apartment above your daycare center?”
“I’m surprised you remember that,” she said. Oh, naked hot man abs and pecs, three feet away. She shut her eyes, but the vision was emblazoned on her eyelids.
“I have a head for details,” he said. “Especially if they involve commercial real estate.”
She laughed. “I guess that’s how you’ve gotten so successful with the shopping centers.”
“What if you turned your apartment into another floor for the daycare? You could expand, and double your income and business.”
“That’d be great,” she admitted. “I wish we had more space. And I really wish we had a proper outdoor playground, despite the fact there’s no room. But as much as I’d love to expand my business, at the end of our time together, when we go into our year of being legally separated before the divorce, I’m going to need a home to go back to.”
Mack paused as he dropped his pants. His shaft still bulged in his boxer-briefs, but she forced herself to look away. What had she been thinking, hooking up with him, when she already knew they’d be breaking up in the near future?
He laughed uncomfortably and pulled on some sweat-shorts and a T-shirt. Thank heavens. Now she could concentrate again.
“I guess we should go to sleep,” he said, glancing at the baby monitor. Callie was still out like a light, probably exhausted from her first day at the daycare center.
How were they going to sleep in the same bed? Lauren sighed. This was too complicated. Way too freakin’ complicated. Her life before this, busy as it was, at least had simplicity going for it.
This new life, this life where she was suddenly a wife and mother, made even the most normal daily tasks weird. Like figuring out how to sleep.
“I’ll go to the guest room,” Mack said.
“What? No. This is your bedroom. It’s your rightful place. I’ll go to the guestroom.”
“You’re right, it is my rightful place. But we’re married now, so it’s your place too,” he said softly. His words aroused an unfamiliar yearning deep inside her. “When you’re ready to accept me back into my bed, let me know. Until then, I’ll be down the hall. In the guest room.”
Chapter Four
Lauren woke to the sunlight streaming in through the master suite’s window. She stretched, wearing only an old T-shirt beneath the sheets. What a way to spend her first night as a married woman—alone.
Well, that’s what you get for having a sham marriage.
Despite everything going on, Lauren couldn’t stop thinking about her “wedding night” with Mack. She stepped into the shower. All of her own toiletries had been packed for her stay at Joe and Marisol’s house, so at least she had her own stuff to use. She lathered up a loofah and slowly washed the previous day away so she could start fresh.
Today, she’d have to be more careful to not let Mack arouse her so easily. She was skating on thin ice by fooling around with him. How long before she started to have feelings for him, true feelings?
He had no intention of being married to her “for real.” She knew that. He’d said so himself. Hell, she’d even heard him tell Joe that after witnessing his own parents’ messy divorce, he’d never make the same mistake.
And yet they were already planning on that. A marriage, then a separation. And if Mack had his way, it wouldn’t be the least bit messy. No messy feelings or emotions involved—not if he could help it. So she’d be stuck on the losing end if she let herself love him.
Was there any way she could indulge in the so-called sexual perks of being married without getting too emotionally attached? Maybe. If she tried really, really hard.
At least she was going back to work on Monday. Being busy at work again would hopefully lend some semblance
of normalcy to her newly-crazy life. She’d be so busy she’d barely have time to see Mack, much less sleep with him.
And that was a good thing. Right?
…
Monday morning came quickly. The air and sea search, as expected, had turned up nothing. Joe and Marisol were officially presumed dead, and baby Callie was now officially an orphan, so the search stopped.
Lauren imagined Joe was probably relieved the search had been called off, especially if he was trying to fake his own death. Lauren just prayed they were safe wherever they were hiding out. She wasn’t even sure if they were still on their yacht or not. The FBI could have moved them to a safe house, for all she knew.
It had taken all of her time and attention just to focus on being a wife, without falling into bed with Mack every second. No, that was a mistake she was going to have to avoid, to preserve her own sanity.
So Mack spent his nights in the guest room. She sighed and pulled on her blazer. A guest in his own home. That was messed up, but what else could she do? She couldn’t think straight if he was going to do things like he’d done on their wedding night.
Wicked, delicious, so amazingly hot things. Nope. If she wanted to think straight, he needed to stay away from her girly parts.
Mack knocked on her open door just as she stood up, finally dressed and ready to go back to work after the longest two weeks off in her life.
“Can I come in?” he asked, standing in the doorway.
“Of course. You don’t have to knock, you know.”
Mack stepped inside the door. “You haven’t invited me in, so I wondered.” He shrugged as if to shake off the tension. “Anyway, are you sure you’re okay with bringing Callie to work with you?”
Lauren laughed. “It’s a day care center, Mack. She’ll be fine. I’ll be able to check on her whenever I want.”
“I have a meeting today, but text me if you…need anything.” Mack’s hesitation made her wonder exactly what he thought she might need from him in the middle of the day. She blushed as the dirtiest option went through her mind.
“I better get going.” Lauren rushed past Mack, forcing herself to think about the day ahead. If she thought about the fact that she had her own husband, fake though the marriage may be, knocking on her bedroom door, she’d…she’d what? She’d do what she always did. Forge ahead.
The Tycoon's Convenient Bride... and Baby (Entangled Indulgence) Page 4
