Mack took his time bringing Lauren to her second orgasm of the afternoon. She tasted of chlorinated pool water and woman, and that worked for him. The sight of her shapely legs spread open for his mouth…he groaned, so aroused it hurt.
He’d had to stop her before or he would have finished too soon. This was their “honeymoon”—she deserved a lot more love-making than he could deliver in a quickie in the pool.
Whoa. Love-making? Since when had he ever thought of sex as making love? He’d been with his fair share of women over the years, and never once had the term “love-making” ever come into his mind before.
There was something about Lauren that had him thinking differently. Thinking things like how he wanted to have a pretend honeymoon with her…and how he wanted to take his time making love to her.
But making love didn’t have to include actually being in love, as far as he was concerned. He’d simply developed affection for Lauren because of their proximity, and the unique situation they’d been in lately. Right?
He should have no problem separating sex from emotion. After all, he’d had plenty of practice in the past.
Right.
Pulling her against his chest, he lifted her naked out of the pool and back through the terrace doors into the hotel suite. She slid down his torso, their wet bodies sliding against each other until her bare feet touched the terra-cotta floor, leaving wet footprints as he let her lead him toward the bedroom.
A breeze blew through the open window, rustling the gauzy canopy covering the huge, king-sized, four-poster bed. She hesitated before climbing on the bed, and Mack imagined she was debating whether or not to get the comforter wet with pool water.
How had he gotten inside her head in such a short amount of time?
The sight of her spread before him on top of the comforter, still dripping wet from the pool, hit him like a shock wave. Lust coiled in his gut and he had to close his eyes to slow his thudding heartbeat.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.
He heard her giggle and his eyes snapped open. “What?”
“That’s hard to believe when you’re saying it with your eyes shut,” she teased.
He could tell she knew what she was doing to him. After all, he was a red-blooded man, same as any other—of course the sight of a curvy woman, naked on a bed, would arouse desire. Especially a woman with her legs in that very open position.
Especially when the woman was Lauren.
Lately, only if the woman was Lauren. He hadn’t even looked at another female since she’d moved in with him. And it wasn’t just because she’d made him promise he wouldn’t have sex with anyone outside of their so-called marriage.
It might have something to do with how she made him…made him what? A little voice inside him was saying feel. But he pushed the voice down.
Don’t think about it.
Mack stood at the foot of the bed, savoring the sight of her laid out before him.
“Now, Mack, please,” she said, raising her arms above her head as if surrendering her body to him.
“Do you want me?” he asked, kneeling on the bed inside her thighs, pulling her calves up to rest on his shoulders.
“Yes,” she gasped, and he drove into her, thrusting inside her wet heat.
He groaned as her body molded perfectly around his, drawing him in even deeper.
Mack slowed his pace, determined to keep her on the edge for a little longer before finishing. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in even closer, and he lost all control.
He pounded into her over and over, crying out in ecstasy as she met him thrust for thrust. His climax overtook him and he emptied himself inside her, simultaneously grateful he didn’t need to wear a latex sheath between them and…some small, primal instinctive part of him felt sad he could never impregnate her.
He gasped and pulled out, throwing himself next to her on the bed. They lay on their backs, panting, catching their breath.
With his mind no longer fogged by crazy sex thoughts, Mack reconsidered his final thought right before he’d come.
Since when did he want to have a baby with Lauren? Why on earth would a small part of him be upset that he couldn’t?
“You definitely can’t have kids, huh,” he asked, before he could stop himself.
Her face was unreadable. “No. I can’t.” She rolled away from him.
…
The following evening, Lauren walked beside Mack, his arm around her, guiding her across the long wooden dock. She couldn’t see a thing through the silk necktie he’d wrapped around her eyes as a makeshift blindfold, but her other senses seem to inform her more than usual.
The sensation of Mack’s hard, muscular torso, covered in a button-down shirt, pressed against her side as they walked. She caught a whiff of expensive cologne on him, and the scent mingled with the salty sea air.
The hot Mexico sun had not yet set, though it would soon. It was dinner-time, and Mack had a surprise for her to celebrate their faux honeymoon.
“We’re here,” Mack said, giving her waist a squeeze as he came to a halt.
He held her face with both hands, and kissed her tenderly. Oh, the taste of him…
“Can I look now?” she asked.
“I don’t know,” he said teasingly. “You look very sexy wearing a blindfold …”
Lauren laughed and swatted his arm. “Come on, give a lady a hand.”
His fingers made quick work of the knot at the back of her head, and he ran his palm over her hair, smoothing the strands back into place.
Lauren looked out at the ocean, past the docked yachts, and smiled. The sun had indeed begun to set, throwing long streaks of orange and pink across the horizon. Below her feet, the rough-hewn wooden dock was the only thing keeping her and Mack from the water below.
“It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It is,” he agreed. “Now turn your head to the right.”
A small yacht waited not far from the dock, connected by a gangway. The incredible view of the sun setting over the ocean had distracted her from thinking the boat had anything to do with Mack’s surprise.
“Wait…you want to go yachting? Right now?”
He looked at her, his expression earnest. “I thought we could have dinner on the water. We won’t go far—we’ll always be right by the shore. I didn’t realize the idea might frighten you. That was…thoughtless of me.”
“No! It’s fine. I trust you,” she said, and smiled. “Although I agree it would be a good idea to keep land in sight.”
Mack laughed. He took her hand once more, and pulled out his phone, speaking into it. “We’re ready to come aboard, if we may?”
On the deck of the yacht, a man came out and waved at them. Lauren looked down at her high heels.
“Joe never lets me come aboard in shoes,” she whispered. “Should I take these off?”
“I’m always open to an opportunity to be barefoot with you,” he whispered back, and winked.
Shoes in hand, they crossed the gangway and were greeted warmly by the captain, who quickly went over the safety rules before introducing them to the steward.
“This way, señora, señor,” the steward said.
He led them to a lavishly decorated dining table, set for two. Candlelight glowed from within deep, orange glass candleholders, safe from the sea breezes.
“Oh my God, Mack,” Lauren breathed. “This is amazing.”
“You’re amazing,” he said, and pulled her chair out for her.
The steward filled their wineglasses with a delicious Burgundy, before departing to get their meal.
She sat, leaned back against the plush cushion behind her, and took in the ocean view. “I can’t believe you set up this whole dinner for us. Thank you, so much.”
Her voice broke on the last words, thick with emotion.
“Thank you for being here with me,” he whispered, and took her hand across the small table.
The steward returned, served plates of artful
ly prepared asparagus, and retired to the galley immediately. If Lauren hadn’t been paying attention, she might have thought the dish had arrived on its own.
“To us,” Mack said, lifting his wineglass, “and especially to you, señora.”
She clinked his glass, his words igniting a flame of passion…until she remembered what they were celebrating. A sham honeymoon for a sham marriage. The final hurrah before it all ended.
“You’re really doing a good job at…pretending,” she said, taking a sip.
He frowned. “Well, you’re not doing a very good job at pretending, if you need to tell me so.”
Touché.
“I suppose it doesn’t matter that we came here under unusual circumstances,” she admitted, “as long as we’re enjoying ourselves. It really shouldn’t bother me that you’re only pretending I’m your new bride, on our honeymoon.”
“Honeymoon or not, I still enjoy your company,” Mack said. “I enjoy being with you, Lauren. There’s no one else in the world I’d rather be with on this boat. Just you.” He gripped her hand tightly, as if he were a drowning man, holding onto a rope. “And there’s…there’s no pretending about that.”
“Tonight, let’s not pretend,” she whispered. “Let’s be real. Let’s be us, having a romantic dinner together on the water.”
He smiled. “That’s exactly what I intended.”
The yacht drifted from the dock, and Mack pushed his chair closer to hers. They watched the setting sun together.
By the time the main course arrived—shrimp flambé served in pineapple boats—the sun had set completely, the stars lit up the night sky, and the burst of flames on their dishes elicited enthusiastic applause from them both.
It was perfect.
Later, when Lauren had drunk one too many glasses of wine, Mack held her in his arms on the deck, watching the glittering lights on the shoreline as the yacht brought them back to the dock.
“Kiss me,” she whispered. “Kiss me like this is real.”
“It is real.” His mouth claimed hers, heavy, hot, and still tasting of chocolate from their dessert.
“Yes,” she murmured against his lips. “It is.”
If only their time in Cabo was a celebration of the beginning of their marriage, and not the end.
Chapter Thirteen
Lauren packed her belongings slowly, trying to prolong their stay in paradise. But the honeymoon was over, so to speak. Joe and Marisol were doing great and ready to be discharged from the hospital.
And of course, all they wanted to do was go home to Chappaqua and spend a lot of time with Callie. Lauren couldn’t blame them—if she’d been lost at sea for weeks without her child, she’d be desperate to sleep in her own bed and cuddle up with the baby, too.
Her time with Mack had come to an end.
Tears blurred her vision for a moment, and she had to wait until they cleared before she could see well enough to continue packing. It would have been quicker to blink the tears away, but that would mean they would roll down her cheeks, a clear indicator that she was upset.
She wasn’t upset. Not at all. Those must be—had to be—tears of joy. After all, her brother and his wife were back. It was everything she could have hoped for and more. She’d known all along that she was only going to be with Mack temporarily, until they came back to take care of Callie.
But now…now she didn’t have a family. It hadn’t bothered her before since she’d thrown herself so whole-heartedly into her work with the daycare. She’d replaced her dream of being a wife and mom with being a business woman. The trade had seemed like a good one.
Until she’d gotten to experience her dream.
Stop it. It’s not like she even had someone to have a baby with even if she wasn’t infertile. Although, she now knew from experience that Mack would make an excellent father. Who would’ve thought it? The quintessential bachelor and playboy was a great daddy.
But Mack had been willing and able to step up to the plate for his friend. She rolled a pair of socks into a ball and stuffed it into a pair of sneakers mindlessly.
And that question he’d asked her, right after they’d made love…had sex. Which had it been—did it even matter, if it was all over now, anyway? After her ex had left her to start a family of his own, how could she even think about getting involved with another man who might want to have kids, too?
When he’d asked her if she really couldn’t have a baby, it’d been a bullet to her heart. This was why she’d thrown herself into her career—a career caring for other people’s children. It would have to be good enough. Before she’d lived with Mack, it had been enough.
As if sensing her thoughts about him, Mack came into the hotel room, holding a pair of her sandals she’d left by the pool.
“Need any help?” he asked. “The jet will be ready within the hour.”
“Do you want children?” she blurted.
Oh my God, did I really just ask my soon-to-be ex fake-husband that? The memory of him playing with Callie—and his question about babies— must have addled her brain.
He stilled, as if sensing he was about to step onto a potential minefield. “I never thought I did before. I couldn’t imagine how they’d fit into my lifestyle.”
“But now?” she prompted.
“Yes. Now, after this experience, I absolutely want children.” Mack looked away from her and gestured toward her suitcase. “We need to get ready to leave soon. Joe, Marisol, and Callie are meeting us on the runway.”
Her heart fell. She’d known that would be his answer. It was in everything he did now, in the way he played with Callie, the way he thought of her well-being before his own. It didn’t matter that they could enjoy each other on a romantic dinner on a yacht, not when it came to their potential for a future together. Mack had gone from being a perpetual bachelor to being a true family man—and she could never give him a family.
Add that to the list of reasons they couldn’t stay together.
Lauren began throwing things in her suitcase quicker, ready to get to that waiting jet. She shouldn’t even be thinking of the possibility of them staying together. After all, they’d only married for Callie’s sake.
Now that Callie had her real parents back, they had no reason to stay married. They would legally separate as soon as they got back to New York, divorce after that, and that would be the end of everything. Hell, maybe they could just get the marriage annulled. It would be like it never happened.
Thinking of the possibility of staying married—of having a real future with Mack—was only going to make the whole thing harder on both of them.
Mack deserved to be free to date someone of his own choosing, instead of being thrust into the modern-day equivalent of an arranged marriage. Free to date a woman with whom he could start his own family.
She should never have played his little “let’s play honeymoon” game. Yes, the paradise surrounding them and the sandy beach had been enticing, but they both should have known better. They should have kept their cool.
But there was just no playing it cool around Mack Hansen. He inspired so many emotions and sensations within her—not one of which could properly be called cool. Hot and bothered, more like.
To be fair, the tense situation and dramatic excitement of the past few days had probably led to their coming together here in Cabo. Lauren had desperately needed comfort, and she’d found that, and more, in Mack’s arms.
Maybe that even explained every single time they’d been unable to keep their hands off each other. Lauren sighed. Or not. She had to face the truth at some point. She’d become completely attached to Mack. She wanted to be with him all the time, and it wasn’t just the tropical surroundings or the strawberry daiquiris talking.
As difficult as it would be to get on that jet and go home to a house without Callie in it, she imagined it wouldn’t be too bad, since she’d at least know Callie was with her parents, and she could visit and babysit whenever she liked.
But she�
��d have no excuse to go visit Mack whenever she wanted to see him. Once they got back to the real world, their relationship would be severed, and there was nothing she could do about it.
Unless…
The daycare playground.
Yes! The idea hit Lauren all at once, so simple and obvious she was amazed it hadn’t occurred to her before. Mack loved commercial real estate, and he’d been so interested in her daycare center that day when he’d visited her at work.
She hadn’t wanted him interfering at the time, but now…this was the perfect reason to continue to see him, even after they ended their marriage.
Lauren climbed aboard the small aircraft after Joe and Marisol, who held Callie in her arms. The couple looked so much better than when Mack and Lauren had first arrived.
Something else was different, too, although she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. The way they interacted with each other, even the joy Marisol seemed to be deriving from holding Callie in her arms. It was a huge difference from the un-Marisol-like depression that had seemed to overwhelm her following her daughter’s birth. Being stuck together on that yacht for weeks and weeks must have helped, somehow. Or maybe thinking they were going to die had helped.
When they were ready to talk about it, Lauren would ask. For now, though, she was content to watch her brother and his wife give each other little looks of endearment across the jet cabin.
She’d never get another look like that from Mack again. The longer she dragged out their inevitable separation, the harder it would be on her. There was no use torturing herself by hanging on to him longer than he wanted her to. She didn’t want to turn into one of those desperate, needy women.
Even if that’s how she felt. Desperate to be with him. Needing his body on hers once more.
No. When they got back to New York, she’d be the one to leave first. It might hurt less that way.
…
Back in New York, Mack rode with Lauren in silence up the elevator to their—his—penthouse suite. No longer something they’d be sharing, he supposed, now that there was no reason for them to stay married.
It was just as well. Lauren obviously wasn’t excited about being a wife and mom, and he couldn’t blame her, considering she’d spent half her life preparing herself to be a business woman, knowing she couldn’t have children of her own.
The Tycoon's Convenient Bride... and Baby (Entangled Indulgence) Page 13
