He was still slathered in body paint, the silver of it and his clothing making him look like a statue of a Greek god. I longed for him with all of my body and soul, but how could he see anything in someone who couldn’t even stand her ground?
“Ella, honey,” he murmured, stepping closer. I realized belatedly that the tears were still falling, and cursed myself for what a giant baby I was being.
“I’m sorry,” I blubbered. Paul looked taken aback, but who could blame him?
Before I could sputter out some other apology, he drew me into his arms and rested his chin atop my head. I pressed myself into his chest, aware of the body paint smearing onto me but not caring enough to pull away. He stroked a hand through my hair, and I sniffled softly, the scent of the paint stinging my nostrils.
“I really wanted to see the show. You were so handsome, and, God,” I paused, my voice strained. “I couldn’t have asked for a better performance, from what I managed to see,” I whispered.
He chuckled warmly, drawing back just slightly to look me in the eye. I could only stare in wonder at just how well the body paint adhered to his skin, even after I had been sobbing against him. I traced my fingers along his pectoral muscles, smirking at the darker shade of blue they had used on his nipples. It was a welcome distraction from the guilt at missing his performance, though that came flooding back as I met his gaze.
There was an unfamiliar sadness in his eyes, and my heart ached at the thought of being the reason for it.
“There will be other shows,” he said soothingly, brushing a hand through my hair.
I took my lip between my teeth, nibbling at it as I tried to discern if he was truly upset or not. I was so used to manipulation from those who claimed to love me; saccharine sweet smiles that prefaced a soul-shattering insult. Such was what made Martha Beck tick, it seemed.
“How can you not be angry with me? I tucked tail and chased after my mother like some sort of child,” I muttered softly, and his expression turned stern.
“Ella, you have every right to miss my shows if it means patching things up with your ma. While I certainly don’t agree with the old broad’s methods, I know you love her dearly. Makes my heart ache to think about how she treats you, but come on, love. I wouldn’t be so cold; I thought you knew me better than that by now,” he murmured.
He brushed the pad of his thumb across my lips, and I took a moment to revel in his gentle touch.
“I take it things didn’t work out how you might have liked,” he said gently, tugging me from my reverie.
I felt my eyes prick with tears again and quickly raised a hand to wipe them away before they could fall. My mascara was long past being salvageable at this point, and I knew I likely looked like a raccoon. Paul didn’t seem awfully put off, however, so perhaps it was safe to share my innermost thoughts with him.
“She said that no daughter of hers would behave in the way I am currently. She seems prepared to disown me over the fact that I want a life beyond EBgen. I’ve been thinking about what you were saying about fate. About how we’re on these trains, waiting until we come to our stop. For so long, I’ve been convinced that my railway lay alongside my mother’s. But now…I’m not happy with where it’s taking me. I want to change directions; I want to…I want to change my fate. I want to be with you, Paul. More than anything, I just want to be your little bird.”
I wept, and he drew me near to his chest again. His skin was as warm and welcoming as ever against my own.
“Your old ma is headed towards a train wreck, baby girl. Hell, maybe I have been too. Now I know, though, that you and I are due for a new ride. I’ll change my future, I’ll change my fate, I’ll change everything if it means being with you. As long as we reach that final destination together, I can die a happy man,” he murmured.
I leaned in to kiss him, sucking on his bottom lip. He shivered, tensing a hand in my hair. There was a pressure to his touch, but nothing harsh. It was simply enough to ground me, to keep me from drifting back into hysterics.
“Tomorrow, I’ll collect my last check. The money I get from this job will be enough to get us a plane ticket to somewhere in Europe, or something. We may be living paycheck to paycheck for a while, but that’s a risk I’m willing to take if it means being together. I can’t offer you riches, Ella, but I can show you the world as best as I know how,” he said warmly.
I felt my insides shudder with delight and a touch of disbelief. Was I truly going to run away with this man, this gorgeous performer who I scarcely knew? Was I willing to give up the life I knew for a chance at exploring my destiny? The answer was an easy one to come to.
“Tomorrow, we’ll talk about the future. For now…we have tonight,” I whispered.
His eyes danced with mirth, and he abruptly scooped me up in his arms. I had to swallow a squeal as he carried me, bridal style, across the deck.
“Where are we going?” I giggled, the doubt I had felt slipping away with ease.
“To my room. Your mother won’t know where I’m staying, so we shouldn’t have any interruptions. You’ll have to give me a minute to wash this body paint off, though.” He chuckled.
I grinned, leaning in lick his cheek. The paint seemed to be water resistant, and I imagined he would have a hell of a time getting it off, which meant less time in bed together.
“Leave the paint on. You’re my fantastic fairy prince, carrying me away on the adventure of a lifetime.” I grinned, tracing my fingers along his jawline.
He rumbled a laugh, quirking a brow at my choice of words.
“Fairy, huh? That’s a new one.” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Sweeping you off of your feet is something I have no problem with, though, I gotta say.”
The sun was sinking towards the horizon as we made our way to his room, and I stared at the mishmash of colors in the sky as the clouds melded together. I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
“You’re so wonderful. Too good to be true,” I mused aloud.
He might have thought I was being mushy, but in my eyes, it was the truth. He was better than any man I could have ever imagined meeting. Though we had not yet said the words, I had no doubt that he loved me as dearly as I loved him.
“I could say the same about you, missy,” he replied, stepping around a corner and swiping his key card in his locked door.
The light flashed green before the door unlocked, and he swept it open with gusto. I giggled as he carried me into his messy room, squealing as he tossed me up into the air. For a moment I was flying, but soon I crashed onto his mattress with a loud thump. He grinned, looping his thumb in the waistband of the shorts he was wearing.
“You sure you don’t want me to wash off first?” he inquired, sauntering towards the bed. I reddened, excitement flowing through my veins.
“Come on and take me, my prince,” I announced grandly, shimmying out of my gaudy evening gown. I tossed it carelessly to the floor, deciding I would be just as content if I never saw it again. Paul tilted his head, chuckling as he shifted the shorts down his legs.
Wow. It seemed like whoever had applied the paint had been painstakingly thorough. I wasn’t sure if I should feel jealous or excited. Perhaps a mix of both. He seemed to sense my trepidation, flicking the tip of his blue-painted cock with his finger.
“I applied it myself, little bird. You don’t have to worry about sharing the goods.”
He grinned, waltzing towards the bedside table and grabbing a condom out of the drawer before approaching the bed. He wasted no time, slipping on top of me and curling his fingers in the waistband of my underwear. I took the initiative to unclasp my bra, and he smiled toothily as my bare skin was exposed. I shivered at how animalistic he looked in that moment, like I was some morsel, ready to be devoured. For all I cared, he could consume every ounce of me.
“So, if you’re my fairy prince, what does that make me?” I inquired softly, ghosting my fingers along his abdomen.
He smiled, peppering kis
ses along the length of my collarbone.
“I imagine you’re some human princess, held captive by an evil witch. Evil not-step-mother? Hell, I don’t know. All I know is that she’s the bad guy in our love story.”
I smiled bashfully, taking no small pleasure in his use of the L word. While it wasn’t an outright confession, it was only a matter of time before we were saying it with every other breath. I tangled my hands in his hair, shivering as he aligned himself with my entrance.
“What happens when the clock strikes midnight?” I asked.
“Oh honey, you just wait and see,” he riposted, easing into me with a groan.
It was still a process adjusting to his large girth every time he entered me, but you wouldn’t find me complaining. He sank his teeth into my shoulder, and it was all I could do but to scream his name as he began to rhythmically rail into me.
His thrusts were slow, almost agonizingly so. He seemed intent upon dragging our pleasure on throughout the night, and I was certainly in no mood to stop him, even if I could have gotten the words out.
Once my shoulder was thoroughly marked, he tilted his head to meet me for a kiss as he worked me towards my first orgasm of the night. I tensed around him, and he paused for a moment before quirking that predatory grin once more.
While I wasn’t quite sure I could make it all the way until midnight, I was certainly willing to give it a go, and it seemed that Paul was all too eager to push me to my limits. All my worries were swept away as we carried into the night on a wave of orgasmic bliss.
I couldn’t have asked for a better source of comfort than his lips upon mine as I came, time and time again.
Chapter Thirteen
Ella
Though our night together had been exhausting, waking up in Paul’s arms the next morning was possibly the most satisfying moment in my life thus far. It felt as if our adventure was just beginning, a long and exciting road laid out before us. For once, I felt like my fate was free for the taking. I didn’t have to worry about what my mother thought; it wasn’t as if she could force me to remain. While the thought of leaving her behind was a painful one, the thought of going on without Paul in my life was unbearable.
You only have one chance to meet your soulmate, and I was confident that I had found mine. Even if he had flopped into the bed soaked after finally getting a shower the night before. The sheets were still damp, even now, and I was fairly certain it wasn’t just water. I reddened at the thought, curling up closer to his side.
Paul was at his most adorable when he was asleep, his mouth parted slightly as he drew breath. He snored softly, and the thought of waking him was an unpleasant one, but I knew he had to pick up his final check that morning, as we were due to hit Rio in a few hours. From there…well, our future awaited us.
I shook him slightly, and he jolted in surprise as he woke up, seeming startled to have another person in bed with him. He relaxed upon seeing my face, and I leaned in to press a kiss to the tip of his nose. He rumbled with laughter, crinkling his nose in delight.
“What’s the story, morning glory?” Paul murmured sleepily, resting his cheek in his hand. His eyes shamelessly roved my body, and I arched my back just so as to give him a bit of a show before he departed. He growled hungrily, leaning in to capture my lips in a kiss, and I giggled against his mouth, squealing as he rolled on top of me and pinned me to the bed.
“Ready for round two?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.
“More like round fourteen by now, isn’t it?” I retorted, grinning as he palmed my breast in his hand. “As much as I’d like to go again…don’t you have a check to collect?”
I brushed his lips with mine, and immediately he tried to deepen the kiss, but I pushed against him, rolling on top of him and taking my turn to pin him. He grinned cheekily, and I could feel him growing hard beneath me.
“No, no! Bad!” I laughed, slapping his chest.
“Well, getting on top of me sure isn’t going to get me moving any sooner,” he teased.
I rolled my eyes, giggling in spite of myself. I slid off of him, and he pouted adorably when I did so.
“Come on, don’t we have time for one little…” He trailed off, reaching down to pinch my behind.
I blushed, slapping him on the shoulder this time.
“No, baby. I don’t want you to miss your chance to get your check. Our final stop relies on it, after all,” I murmured, stroking his cheek.
Before we’d drifted off the night before, we’d discussed what we would do once we hit port in Rio. With his final check, we would buy plane tickets to Paris. Once there, we’d buy supplies and then backpack our way across Europe. It was unlike anything I had ever dared to dream, but he assured me that it would be as amazing as it sounded.
As much as I wanted to stay in bed with him all day, all night, I knew that we would have to get a move on, eventually. I wanted to avoid seeing my mother if possible, knowing that she would dig her heels in and try to convince me to stay.
I couldn’t chance that; I couldn’t risk the possibility of falling for her trap again.
After a long moment of simply lazing in bed and staring at me, Paul exhaled a sigh, sitting up and swinging his legs off the side of the bed.
“All right, then. I expect to see you dressed by the time I’m back, missy,” he announced.
He rose from the bed, slipping into a pair of khaki shorts and nothing else. I envied his ability to get ready with only the slightest of effort, though I couldn’t deny that the view was one I could ever get bored of. He watched me for a moment longer, rushing towards me to kiss me one last time before he departed. I wrapped my arms around his neck, drawing him in as close as possible. Our kiss deepened, and he shifted to grab my chest once more. I slapped his hand away, pulling back.
“Naughty boy. Go get your check, then we can celebrate,” I assured him.
He pouted once more, but seemed to give up on the idea of keeping me in bed all day.
“All right, little bird. You’d better be waiting for me,” he said, his eyes warm.
“Always,” I replied, making a shooing motion with my hands. He chuckled, shaking his head and slipping out the door.
The room felt almost painfully empty the moment he stepped out, but there were small reminders of his presence throughout. His pillow still smelled like him, for one, and I was tempted to bury my face in it and drift off for a few more hours. The sun had scarcely risen, and it would be some time before we docked. All the same, if I had managed to push him on his way, I supposed I could force myself out of bed as well.
I swung my legs around, rising to my feet and stretching my arms languidly over my head. I reached down to scratch my stomach, grinning at how unattractive I must have looked. A girl had to have her ugly moments, after all.
Realizing I would have to get dressed to enjoy any of the last-minute activities on the ship, I grumbled under my breath, scouring the floor for my clothes. They were nowhere to be seen, and I groaned loudly before dropping to my knees, giving the floor another once-over. This time, I managed to see my bra strap hanging out from underneath the bed, and I giggled softly at the memory of how rambunctious we had gotten.
I reached in, feeling for my bra as well as my other clothing. As I did, my hand landed upon a satchel that was tangled in my bra, and I sighed unhappily as I drew the bundle of clothes out from under the bed. I fidgeted with my bra, cursing the suede laces of Paul’s bag as I tried to free my undergarment. Just as I managed to work it loose, the satchel spilled open as well, its contents spilling out over the floor.
I cursed loudly, trying to gather the various papers before Paul came back. I didn’t want him to get the idea that I’d been snooping or something.
Just as I was trying to carefully sort the papers back into his bag, something gave me pause. There was not one, not two, but five different passports in the bag. All with Paul’s picture, and all with different names.
Dread gathered in the pit of my stomach,
and deciding to abandon the whole ‘not snooping’ idea, I dumped the entire contents of the bag onto the floor. There were passports, driver’s licenses, and currencies I’d never seen. There was also a folded note amongst all the passports, tucked between them as if it were meant to be doubly hidden.
Drawing an unsteady breath, my mind raced as I unfolded it. A picture of my mother fell out of the folded paper, and I gasped as I read over the handwritten note. It had outlined a lifetime of personal information about my mother, most notably the trade secrets on her flash drive that could send the company up in smoke. I swallowed the hard lump forming in my throat as I tried to make sense of what I’d found.
There only seemed to be one explanation, but I was reluctant to come to it. Perhaps this information had been given to all of the performers? Possibly so that they could see that my mother had a really good time?
Even I couldn’t believe the lie I fed myself, however. I was reluctant to remain in the room and see what Paul…or Bill, or Michael, or whatever his name was, had to offer by way of explanation. I quickly got dressed, cursing myself for allowing myself to get swept up in the magic of the whole situation.
Had everything the man told me been a lie? Had it all been an act to get closer to my mother? Had he intended to turn me against her all along, in the hope that I would turn over the flash drive?
I had no idea what purpose getting close to me could have served, especially considering the rift that had been growing increasingly wide between my mother and me. Again, I wasn’t prepared to stay and find out. I needed to get out of the room before he found out that I knew what he truly was…
Paul Drake was a conman.
Rising to my feet, I gathered my things and dressed before darting towards the door, leaving nothing behind, save for my dignity.
The tears that flowed were a mix of anger and misery, and as I rushed out the door, I knew I had to find my mother. I had to apologize. I had to warn her to avoid that scumbag that I had been so taken with. I should have trusted her all along; mothers always knew which men were bad, before their foolish daughters could ever hope to find out.
Jay's Lucky Baby - A Secret Baby Romance Page 64
