“We need to have sex,” he said, pulling her against his torso.
He was so large, so tall, so physically…big. It made her feel small and delicate next to him. But no, they couldn’t have sex.
Because then she’d never be able to keep her heart safe.
“I’m not ready to do that,” she said. “I can’t.”
“I’ll get you ready,” he said. His voice came out soft, like a promise. He dipped his hand past the dark curls covering her mound, sliding his fingers over her nether lips.
She moaned, aware that he’d just found her quite ready. Quite ready for him indeed.
“You’re wet for me,” he whispered. He slid one long finger deep inside her and she gasped, holding on to his broad shoulders as she swayed with desire.
“I’m going to make you come,” he said.
That definitely sounded like a promise. Mack held her tightly, pushing her thighs open to give his fingers better access to her damp heat. He tortured her nub with his fingers, never giving her a moment to relax or take a breath as he brought her to new heights.
She scraped her fingernails over his tan skin, feeling his muscles flex under her touch. God, how she wanted him inside her. She needed him inside her, now. Immediately. She’d die if he didn’t screw her senseless ASAP.
No!
This was his plan all along, she knew. To get her so wrapped up in desire that she couldn’t think straight. And God help her, it was working. Her nipples tightened to taut peaks as he kept going, flicking her sensitive bud over and over.
She moaned, clinging to him like she was a drowning woman. She couldn’t let this go so far—she had to put a stop to it. Her hips wrenched away from him as if on their own accord, but he held her captive and continued to torture her slick folds. Her climax hit her all at once, wave on wave of sensation washing over her.
Her head snapped toward her chest, her hair falling over his body, as she waited out the storm. Finally her body relaxed and she could breathe again, could think again.
“We can’t keep doing this,” she said regretfully.
“You’re right. We can’t keep acting like horny teenagers afraid to have sex. We like each other. We’re attracted to each other. So what’s the big deal? Let’s just go screw and get it out of our systems.”
Typical male. And while Mack probably didn’t realize it, his words had just cemented in her mind what she already knew was true—he “liked” her, but he had no deep feelings for her. And according to what he said, he thought having sex wasn’t a big deal.
Well, it was a big deal to her.
“Mack, I’m serious,” she said finally, covering her naked breasts with her arms, suddenly self-conscious. “We can’t keep doing this because this—us—it’s supposed to be business. A piece of paper so we can keep Callie out of the foster system, remember? We’re not supposed to actually be…acting like we’re married for real.”
He pulled his pajama bottoms back on. As disappointed as she was to lose the view, it did help her think more clearly when he wasn’t swinging all that manly goodness around.
“Just business? You know I got to where I am today by going after what I want…in business. So if that’s what this is, then I see no problem in going after what I want.”
“A quick lay.”
“Actually,” he said, shooting her a crooked smile, “there wouldn’t be anything quick about it.”
Oh my. A flush of heat rose through her body. “Y-you need to uphold your end of the deal. That this would just be for Callie’s sake only. Because while it may not be a big deal to you, I’m the one who’s going to have to move out at some point and try and pull the pieces of my life back together. If we start sleeping together, that’s going to be a lot harder for me—I mean, for us—to do.”
There. She said it. She’d put it all out in the open for him.
Mack nodded thoughtfully. “It’s probably easier for guys to separate sex and love than for women. I promise that this won’t end up messy. You don’t have to worry, because I have no intention of falling in love with you. And I have no intention of being married to you ‘for real’ as you put it. So please…don’t worry so much, okay?”
Lauren winced as if he’d slapped her. How could he say that? Oh yeah—because she had practically insisted he draw the line. He’d done his job—he’d proven he was upholding his end of the deal, this marriage of convenience.
So why did it hurt so much?
Callie’s wail on the baby monitor saved her from having to respond. She couldn’t respond if she wanted to, not without saying something she’d regret. And she didn’t want to say something she could never take back.
“I’ll go check on her,” she said.
…
Mack watched as Lauren picked up his T-shirt off the carpet and pulled it on over her head, effectively covering her nakedness. Damn, she was gorgeous. Having her mouth on him may have been the highlight of his entire sex life—ever.
Not only was she beautiful, but she was smart and competent and a hard worker. And she loved her niece so much. Try as he might, he couldn’t help but to think about her when she wasn’t around. Thoughts of her came to him constantly, when he was working, resting, or attempting to diaper Callie.
He adored that baby even more now than he had before Joe and Marisol had gone into hiding, and that was saying a lot. Having her to look out for gave him an added reason to go to work each day—he now had someone to come home to. It made a huge difference.
And of course, it wasn’t just Callie he was coming home to now. He had Lauren—his wife. If only she’d let him into her bed so he could show her all of the wonderful facets of marital intimacy she was denying them both with all this “business only” foolishness.
Why deny their attraction to each other?
Like he’d promised her, he wouldn’t let his growing feelings for her get in the way. She didn’t even have to know he was starting to have feelings at all. It wasn’t like he wanted to be married anyway.
If marriage is anything like what my parents’ had, then, no thank you, ma’am.
Chapter Six
Later that evening, Lauren sat awake in bed, reading by the glow of the bedside lamp. Alone. She glanced at the empty space beside her. Sleeping alone shouldn’t bother her…she’d given up on the dream of getting married and having a family when Steve had dumped her. Dumped her because he’d finally realized that no matter how he felt about her, he couldn’t marry her if she couldn’t bear his children. They’d been together so long, and he’d stayed with her when they were teenagers, after she’d had her car accident. The break up had seemed to come out of nowhere. But, of course, it had come from somewhere—from the instinctual need men had to spread their seed and their DNA. To reproduce.
Maybe that’s why Mack had always been the one man she let herself fantasize about, the one she’d thought about when she was alone at night, under the covers. He was such a bachelor, and he’d never seemed like the type who’d want to settle down and have kids. That made him safe, right? But now, seeing him with Callie…he was a natural father. What if she slept with him, and fell for him, and then he left her, too?
Wait. He was definitely going to leave. This “marriage” was meant to be temporary. She needed to embrace that fact, not run from it. This could be her only chance to be with Mack! Her one and only chance.
Why was she torturing herself like this? She had her own personal fantasy-man sleeping down the hall in the guest room.
She got up and pulled a pair of jeans on to match the T-shirt she’d put on for bed and padded down the hall barefoot. The door to the guest room was open, the room empty. He must still be in his office.
“Still awake?” his deep voice asked from behind her.
She jumped, startled, and laughed. “I was just looking for you. To…talk about what happened before.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Damn, I knew that was coming.” He laughed. “I confused things by getting sexual w
ith you earlier this evening, huh?”
“Yeah, you did. I suppose I confused things, too.”
Her face flushed at the memory of his hands touching her. Of kneeling in front of him, her hand on his thumping heartbeat as she had dropped to her knees and taken him in her mouth…
Whoa there. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. Yes, he definitely confused things for her. She could barely think straight when he did stuff like that. No wonder she couldn’t fall asleep with him in the house.
“I have a solution to our problem,” Mack said. “It’s not the solution I was hoping for, but I understand that the last thing you need from me is mixed signals.”
She eyed him warily.
“I’ll just have to never touch you again that way,” he said.
That way. “Sexually?” The words made her blush, despite the fact that it was only hours earlier she’d submitted to his talented fingers on the living room floor.
“Yeah, sexually. It’ll be hard to be…celibate for so long. But I’ll do it, if you need me to.”
He’d stay celibate rather than cheat on her, even in a sham marriage?
“That’s sweet,” she said. “Thank you.”
He spoke in a low, melodic voice. “I just want you to be…comfortable.”
Standing again, he suddenly seemed too close in the narrow hallway. Too close for comfort. His very nearness made her breathless. Memories of earlier that evening crept into her mind, and she allowed herself to imagine the very long year they’d have together if they couldn’t finish what they’d started.
“I’m way too confused to be comfortable,” she said.
His lips were so close. A mere breath away.
“Maybe the problem,” she suggested, “is we’re trying to have a platonic relationship when we’re both so attracted to each other. At least, I’m attracted to you.”
He kissed her, his lips hot on hers, the penthouse around them melting away. “I’m attracted to you, too,” he said.
She captured his lower lip between her teeth, nibbling gently. “What are we going to do with all this very non-platonic attraction then?”
“New plan,” he said, his voice low in her ear. “We should sleep together and get it out of our systems so we can move forward.”
“Yes!” She kissed him again. “I like that plan.”
Could that really work? Perhaps, if she had the one thing she craved, she’d finally be able to sleep, instead of staying up till all hours, staring at the empty space beside her in the huge bed.
She could do this. Hell, she wanted this, desperately. But it was a big step to take—once they did it, it couldn’t be undone. They could never go back to pretending to just be platonic. To pretending it was all for Callie’s sake.
Because if it was only for Callie’s sake, then they wouldn’t be having sex. They’d continue to sleep in separate bedrooms. But that wasn’t what she wanted, and judging from the heat in his kiss, it wasn’t what he wanted either.
She watched his profile, the strong jawline with a hint of stubble thanks to the late hour. “Are you tired?” she asked.
“Not too tired to finally do this, if that’s what you’re asking.”
Oh. Okay then.
“Are you ready?” he asked, looking at her with concern, but also a hint of a devilish grin.
“I think so.” Her heart pounded at the prospect.
“Good, because we have a lot of lost time to make up for. And I plan on keeping you in my bed as long as I deem necessary.”
…
With Callie sleeping soundly in her crib and the baby monitor turned on, Lauren knew she now had no more distractions or reasons to keep from getting down to business. Mack was waiting patiently in her—their—bedroom, waiting for her to come in and finally consummate this marriage.
After all, he was technically her husband, right? But she was so nervous for some reason. It reminded her of the first time she’d ever had sex, after the prom in high school. The awkward feelings, the uncertainty of the whole thing.
Not that she was uncertain as to whether or not she wanted to have sex. That was probably the only thing she was one hundred percent certain of. It was the morning after she was worried about. Mack’s plan of sleeping together to “get it out of their systems” would most likely only work for him.
If the past was any indication of the future, once she slept with him she’d feel even more attracted to him than before. She might even start seeing things that weren’t there in their relationship…feelings that weren’t real. Just the products of the endorphin rush of sex.
She stood at the closed bedroom door, still wearing Mack’s old T-shirt and her jeans from before. She’d have preferred to change into something sexy first, but all her lingerie was in the room, hidden away in a drawer.
The door swung open and Mack leaned on the doorframe, blocking her entrance. “Took you long enough,” he teased. One corner of his mouth went up in that cute way of his and her stomach fluttered.
“I should shower,” she said.
“Are you procrastinating?” he stepped out of her way and she entered the bedroom. Having him in the room changed the whole vibe of the place, in a good way. In a sexually charged, testosterone-dripping-off-the-walls way.
“No,” she lied. “It’s been a long day at work, I just feel dirty.”
“Good, I like a dirty woman.” He said it in a teasing way, but the bulge in his pants made her wonder if it was true. What will he be like in bed?
She took a step back, smiling nervously. “I’m going to shower now.”
He followed her into the master bath and stood in the doorway, effectively trapping her inside. She felt like quarry being chased, hunted for the thrill of it. And if she were honest with herself, the thrill was all hers. The passion in his eyes, the look of unadulterated lust, sent a rush of desire to her core.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m going to watch.”
Oh.
Hell yeah.
She lifted the T-shirt up over her head, her bare breasts exposed to the air. She heard him take a sharp intake of air. Nice. She’d give him a show, if that’s what he wanted. Having him lust for her helped melt away her nerves.
Pretending he wasn’t there, she proceeded to kick off her flip-flops and shimmy out of her jeans, leaving only her panties. She slid them off slowly, letting them sit on the marble floor with her other clothes. The shower was huge, big enough for at least four people, although why there’d ever be that many people in a shower was beyond her. There were two showerheads. A couple’s shower. Had he shared this experience with other women before?
Of course he had. And that shouldn’t bother her…but it did.
Screw it. She was his wife, damn it, and she had dibs on him, at least for now. So she may as well take advantage of that fact. She turned the faucet until the shower ran hot, steam billowing up and fogging up the glass shower door.
“Leave the shower door open so I can see you,” he said, his voice low and commanding, but still sensual.
She stepped naked into the stream of water, sighing as it ran over her skin. The big pouf sponge hung over her head, and she reached her arm up to grab it. His eyes were on her the whole time, she could feel it, and it turned her on, knowing he was watching her, wanting to sleep with her.
Or not sleep, as the case may be. She grinned wickedly at the thought and poured a dollop of scented body wash onto the sponge, rubbing it in slow circles over her breasts. Her nipples stood erect from the stimulation, even in the hot water.
Mack groaned. “You’re killing me.”
“So join me.”
He pulled his shirt up over his head.
Would she ever get sick of seeing all those muscles? Probably not. She could stare at that smooth, tan skin with the sprinkle of dark hair trailing down his navel into his pants forever. Hmmm…maybe she couldn’t stare forever. At some point all that staring would incite her to jump his bones.
<
br /> Like right now.
Tearing off his shoes and pants, Mack finally stood fully nude before her. Steam billowed around her as she beckoned him to join her in the huge shower. He stepped into the water, seemingly oblivious to the drops running over his hair and face as he pulled her body against his.
His shaft was hard, pressing against her thigh. She took the sponge and gently soaped his broad shoulders, then his pecs, down to his navel, and finally soaping the thick length of him. She gripped him, letting her hand slide over him.
“Stop,” he said gruffly.
“What’s wrong?” She was having too much fun to stop now. That would be insanity.
He grabbed her wrist, restraining her from pleasuring him. “I want to be inside you. No more mutual masturbation bullshit. You’re my wife, and we’re going to have sex tonight, as long as you’re ready and willing. You are still willing, aren’t you?”
She kissed him deeply, relishing the spray of water that covered them both, rinsing away the grime and negativity of the day and cleansing them. He slid one finger across her slick folds.
“How’s that for willing?” she asked, her voice husky with need.
“Yeah,” he murmured, shutting off the shower, “that’s good.”
He wrapped a large fluffy sage green towel around her body and lifted her in his arms, still wet from the shower. “I’m taking you to bed, Mrs. Hansen.”
“Finally.”
He tossed her onto the duvet and covered her body with his. “I’ve been waiting for this since the first time we kissed, ten years ago.”
“Kissed?” she asked, his lips pressed against her throat, keeping up the pretense that she didn’t remember.
“Yeah,” he licked a trail down her neck to her breast. “When I heard that you were suddenly single, I knew it was my one chance. I saw you standing outside on the balcony at the graduation party, getting some fresh air, and you looked so beautiful I couldn’t help but kiss you.”
“I don’t remember,” she lied. “I was really drunk.”
Of course she remembered. Everything about that kiss had been exactly what she’d wanted, but Mack’s reputation as a player had preceded him. That, and Joe would have killed her if she’d gone out with him. She was so broken-hearted from her break-up with Steve that she had vowed to not make the same mistake again. To not fall in love again. What was she doing in bed with Mack?
The Tycoon's Convenient Bride... and Baby (Entangled Indulgence) Page 6
