Pandora's Pleasure: An Enemies-to-Lovers Romance

by Vanessa Fewings

  Pandora was in there, standing before a glass counter and talking with a woman on the other side. The shop keeper appeared bright and engaging.

  Adrenaline continued to surge through my veins.

  Taking a calm breath and at the same time finding true religion, I opened the shop door.

  The doorbell drew attention as I entered.

  I was greeted by a wide smile from Pandora. “Hey, you found me.”

  My nod probably appeared out of place, half casual, half subdued panic, as though my mind hadn’t gotten the memo she was okay.

  My fiancée stood before me looking devastatingly beautiful and unaware of the dread she’d caused. Her value had always come from her status, the fact she was a Bardot. Now, here, I saw beyond all of that.

  She was a sweet-natured girl, kind and worthy of a man so much better than me.

  “Find anything you like?” I tried to sound nonchalant to hide how unhinged she’d made me.

  She looked sheepish.

  The glass cabinet was filled with blue stones, a collection of sapphires and all of them engagement rings. I gave her an inquisitive glance and then flashed a smile at the emerald on her ring finger.

  I was suddenly reminded of how I’d thrown that ring at her in the kitchen back in my oceanside home and I squeezed my eyes shut for a beat.

  What an ass.

  The piece she wore was not even chosen by me. I’d merely had my assistant reach out to her family and inquire as to what kind of stone she favored. They’d told me emeralds. Clearly, they were wrong.

  Maybe no one really knew her.

  “Sapphires?” I said with a smile.

  She touched the emerald self-consciously.

  Stepping forward, I peered through the glass. “They’re all impressive.”

  “She likes that one,” the shopkeeper said.

  The sapphire was small and delicate and not at all what I’d have guessed Pandora would have liked. It was understated.

  “Not that one?” I pointed to a larger gemstone mounted upon a platinum band.

  “Too flashy,” she said.

  “Which one is your favorite?”

  “There’s an ice cream store a few doors down.” She wrapped her fingers around my arm. “Shall we treat ourselves?”

  “It’s nine in the morning.”

  She gave the shop assistant a sheepish glance.

  Guilt flooded through me with the realization that I, too, had been cruel to her—treating her the same way everyone else did with a disregard for her feelings. All this time I’d misread her shyness for snobbery.

  “I think it’s a fun idea.” I pulled her in and kissed the top of her head, closing my eyes and letting the relief saturate my soul. “Having ice cream for breakfast.”

  “Really?” She brightened. “Because it feels like we’re being super rebellious.”

  Right…of all the things that made me a rebel this wasn’t even in the same realm.

  Feeling like my life was back on track after having found Pandora safe, I led her out of the store and along the pathway, looking for any sign of the security team tasked with protecting us. If they were here, they were discreet. They should have read my panic and approached me. Though I had given them strict orders to stay the fuck away, so, there was that.

  Being a bastard was hazardous, apparently.

  Inside the ice cream store we picked up two chocolate cones and enjoyed them as we made our way back to the cottage. I found the sweetness of the creamy treat soothing.

  Beyond, the twinkling beach reflected the rising sun; the clear blue ocean spreading out and sparkling.

  Pausing, I took in the view. “We should go for a walk along the sand.”

  “We’re allowed?”

  “Of course.” I paused, taking a few more seconds to watch her lap her chocolate cone. It was purely erotic and she was so devastatingly unaware of it.

  She seemed more herself, her usual stuck-up demeanor replaced with a naturalness as though her defenses had come down. I felt like she was finally letting me in.

  I was letting her in, too.

  She shrugged. “I’ve never been in the ocean.”

  “What?”

  She reached up and wiped cream from the corner of my mouth, and the small gesture moved me beyond ordinary feelings. I dabbed my face with the napkin before throwing it into the trash.

  She crunched on the last of her cone. “We can dip our feet in.”

  The beach was deserted except for us; we’d have all the privacy we needed.

  “We can do better than that.” I reached over and slipped a finger beneath an extra strap on her shoulder. “You have your bikini on?”

  “Yes.”

  Sweeping her up in my arms, I carried her along the pathway and over the white sand, feeling it squish between my toes. She squealed with delight in my arms and kicked her legs playfully. We would seem like two lovers with no cares or troubles.

  Once near the lapping shore, I set Pandora down and grabbed her dress by the hem and eased it up over her head, dropping it on the sand. Kicking off my shoes, I pulled off my shorts and T-shirt until I was only wearing my swimming trunks.

  I picked her up again and carried her toward the shoreline, wading all the way in until I was chest deep with her still in my arms, enjoying her laughter.

  I let her down slowly.

  She sank into the water and her face lit up. “It’s so warm.”

  “Let’s swim out a bit.” I waited for her to catch her stride.

  She swam easily beside me, the ocean buffering us with small waves and the sun shining down on the clearness of the ocean.

  “We found it,” she said, her voice full of awe. “Damien, we found paradise.”

  I threw my head back in a laugh. “I suppose we did.”

  Or maybe paradise was wherever Pandora was.

  My throat grew tight again as I thought about what I’d put her through, having to be seen as mine, for having to endure my world and all its flaws. It was like my heart had cracked open, leaving me vulnerable.

  A tremor ran through me as I suddenly realized I had let myself fall in love with her.

  “All I’m saying is, let me know if you want to leave. I’d like to go with you.”

  I sat back on the couch, sipping my coffee. “I should have left a note.”

  He’d wrapped his hands around his coffee mug, too. His expression was softer than I was used to—gone were the frown lines and all traces of concern.

  Half an hour ago, we’d returned from our swim in the ocean and had even showered together. It was a nice romantic touch after our virtual standoff.

  “Just be more self-aware,” he said.

  “Security are still out there.” I looked in the direction of the team I never actually saw, toward the invisible men who gave us the illusion of freedom.

  “I’m responsible for you.” His brows shot up. “Is that my laptop?”

  I’d placed it next to me. “Yes.”

  “You want to check your email?”

  “I have my phone for that.” When he wasn’t going around confiscating it, that is. “Let’s find out who sabotaged your project.” I lifted his Mac onto my lap.

  “How do you intend to do that?”

  “You told me the project has been shut down. Come on, we’re losing precious time.” I patted the seat beside me.

  Damien gave me a suspicious look as he sat on the couch next to me. “Something tells me you’re about to surprise me.”

  “I’m polite enough to ask for your permission to access this information.”

  He leaned over and tapped in his password. “Please tell me you’re joking.”

  “Yeah, maybe not.”

  With a few taps of his fingers, we were in. “There you go.”

  “What’s this?” I pointed to the screen. “Is this the Fairfield Project?”

  He leaned over and pressed his fingertip on the mouse pad, bringing up a series of architectural designs. “These
are the schematics for my youth center with an after-school program.” He pointed to the adjoining building. “An indoor and outdoor area where we’ll hold sporting events.” He pointed. “See, the housing is over here. This is where they can safely walk from here to there, back home.”

  “This is incredible.”

  “Right up until they ordered us to stop.”

  I gestured, indicating I needed control of the keypad.

  Damien’s hand rested on mine. “You don’t need to do that.”

  “You know who hijacked your land?”

  “Have my suspicions, yes.”

  “Who?”

  “Helen King.” Damien sat back, his expression pained.

  My chest constricted. King refused to hide her contempt for political forward thinking. She was power hungry. If she had shut the project down, it would surprise no one.

  “Were you going to try to figure it out?” said Damien.

  “I was going to hack into the Title Office. See whose name was on record as taking over the land.”

  “Follow the money, and all that.”

  “This town is all about favors. Some cost more than others.”

  His brow arched. “Maybe I should be more wary of you.”

  I broke into a smile.

  It would have been polite to swim toward Damien and take that glass of freshly squeezed orange juice from his hand. He stood at the edge of the pool in his swimming trunks holding up two drinks, offering me one.

  The view was regally spectacular. He looked tall and devastatingly handsome, his toned muscles kissed by the sun’s golden rays as he presided over paradise.

  He noticed I was staring at his assets, and waggled his eyebrows playfully.

  Nibbling on my lower lip self-consciously, I continued to admire his striking, majestically sculpted form—perfectly proportioned as though plucked out of the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.

  Our school trip to Italy had seen the entire class staring up at an exact replica of this man carved in marble. We’d gawked at the statue’s perfectly chiseled features.

  My gaze traveled up Damien’s muscled calves to his firm thighs, that classic V a prelude to a taut belly and six pack abs.

  “I see what you’re doing there,” he said, finally wading in toward me.

  “I was looking over your shoulder at an exotic bird.”

  “Is that right?” He looked amused.

  I waded forward to meet him halfway and accepted the drink from him.

  “If you kiss me,” I said, “I imagine it would make a great photo.”

  “Not sure that’s necessary.” But that sidelong glance told me he liked the idea.

  “I think it’s important we play our part,” I added.

  “You mean something like this?” He leaned forward and nuzzled my neck, his lips tracing my jawline and gliding to my earlobe, causing a shiver of need to run through me.

  He reached for my drink and moved over to set our glasses on the edge of the pool. “Or are you thinking of something more like this?”

  He cupped my face and leaned in, pressing his mouth against mine, sparking a passionate response from me. Our kiss erupted into a frenzied attack. We explored each other’s mouths with firm lips and sensual tongues, deep and needy, wanton and full of truth. Our secret affection spilled out, exposing our hearts.

  I wanted this to be real. An authentic us, but I knew a love like this wasn’t possible. We were too entrenched on the path that was expected of us and there’d been too much hate between our families for this relationship to ever work.

  He would always keep holding back.

  For some reason, it hurt to believe this…and it shouldn’t. I’d been working for so long on not caring, but I couldn’t get enough of his touch. I found myself missing him even when he was close, as though our love existed in an alternate universe and was bright and vibrant but totally inaccessible.

  He cupped my face and kissed my forehead. “You’re not the girl I thought you were.”

  “Is that good or bad?” I asked breathlessly.

  His smile widened against my lips, feeding my anticipation, causing hope to flare inside me.

  “Damien…”

  “What do you need? Tell me.”

  “Help me escape,” I said quietly.

  He pulled back abruptly and stared at me.

  “Help me get out of this life.”

  Surprise filled his eyes. “You want me to…”

  I tried to let my true feelings show in my eyes. “After the election, obviously.”

  “I can’t do that.”

  My lips quivered. “But I can’t live like this—as another person’s symbol. No ability to choose my own way.”

  Because if I couldn’t have him, it would be no one.

  He pressed a fingertip to my lips. “I’ll make it bearable.”

  So many times, I had secretly plotted a way out of this existence, planning to extract myself from a loveless family.

  And later, this man.

  Damien may have shown me his true colors and they were bright and vivid and so addictive—but it was an illusion.

  Maybe it was all this pristine water that was having a healing effect, or the fresh air and the bright sunlight and the wildlife that showed little fear for humans. My thoughts were clearer because the clutter of chaos was gone.

  Damien lifted me into his arms and waded over to the tile steps, carrying me out of the pool and over to the Jacuzzi. We descended the steps into the hot water and he nudged me up against the tile.

  The shock of the steamy heat was welcoming. Bubbles caressed my skin and my thoughts wanted to wander free. My soul had been tricked into believing I’d found freedom here with Damien.

  From his kisses trailing along my sensitive neck, to the way his lips found mine again and savaged me with a scorching passion that stole my breath, he halted time. Our frantic hands were searching and grabbing—his for my bikini and mine for his swimming trunks—until we’d set our bodies free to enjoy skin on skin contact with nothing between us but our lies.

  His flesh felt hot against mine as we deliriously fought to remain close. Desperate to be closer still, I lifted my legs and wrapped them around his waist, drawing his cock toward me, tipping my hips in a way that begged for him to enter. That first thrust of his erection stretched me open.

  Fully immersed, with only our heads above water, we moved against each other rhythmically, up and down, secretly fucking. We were one now. Every caress, every glance, and every touch tender and loving. His gestures first gentle and then savage, taking everything from me. Our feelings rose and clashed and fought for new ground, our passion rising to heights we couldn’t deny—our awed expressions showing we were both aware of the bridge we’d crossed where there could be no more pretense.

  Coming hard, my orgasm stole my breath and I tried and failed to catch it, feeling as though I were submerged beneath the water, drenched in him.

  Time seemed to dissolve…

  Damien pulled out and threw me a rueful smile. “We needed a condom.”

  His lips quickly found mine again, ravishing me, as though he wanted me to know we were something greater than before.

  Both of us naked and hidden by trees, he carried me out of the Jacuzzi and along the pathway and into the cottage. Damien threw me down on the couch and knelt before me, easing my thighs apart. That same hungry mouth captured my other lips, the ones between shaky thighs, my clit tingling with bliss as his tongue traced along it lovingly.

  My body went rigid, completely owned by him as he gave me over to euphoria, my body quivering as he effortlessly stole my soul. Love fluttered out of me like a blossoming flower as Damien unlocked my heart.

  A blast of air-conditioning hit the droplets of water on my flesh, causing me to shiver, but all I cared about was being devoured by this man. His firm hands spread my thighs wider, until he’d seemingly had his fill.

  Pulling me back up, he carried me down the hallway and kick
ed open the bathroom door.

  Grabbing a condom from a discarded box on the countertop, he then pulled me toward the open shower.

  In a daze, leaning against his bare chest, I felt the rush of heat from the water pouring over us. Here is where I wanted to stay…snuggled within these glass walls within the arms of my lover whose touch short-circuited my brain.

  I watched as he pulled on the condom, his cock hard and ready.

  He dipped his head to suckle on my nipple, his fingers generously remembering the other, sending shockwaves of deliciousness into me. Lifting me, he directed my thighs to wrap around his waist and then he plunged deep inside me with one thrust, sliding in and out like a steady piston.

  “I’m going to fuck you hard, baby,” he said, his voice full of sex and need.

  I managed a nod before holding on, digging my fingernails into his back to endure the luscious sensations that soon morphed into a blinding intensity. Damien pounded me with fury against the tile, taking me higher again only this time I felt it was his turn to slip away.

  His lips at my throat, I heard his moans mix with my cries, captured in the bondage of his masterful fucking.

  Damien searched my face as he rode out the rest of his climax. His eyes locked on mine, his expression a mixture of lust and love. Withdrawing from me, he eased me down onto my shaky legs.

  I studied his face.

  “Don’t do that,” he said.

  I looked at him inquisitively through the shower of droplets.

  “Don’t over think this,” he added.

  My hand moved swiftly to his nape and I pulled him in for a deep kiss, fearing my words might betray me. If spoken, they would bind me to him.

  He pulled away as though needing to examine my reaction.

  My lips quivered with emotion. “I thought all of this meant we might change the way we are with each other.”

  “The way we are?”

  “That we’d be kinder.”

  He pulled me into a hug, squeezing me against his firm chest. “I might frighten you if I admit…”

  My eyes shot up to meet his.

  “I’m on the precipice.” His eyes were filled with an emotion I’d never seen in him, the expression on his face held an aura of compassion as he gently stroked my arm.