Hitched: Volume Two
Page 12
I’m not sure how or when it happened, but she’s become mine. She’s the first thing I think about when I wake, and the last on my mind before I drift off to sleep. And before I can contemplate the ramifications, I know that I’m going to do what needs to be done to protect my future with her.
Tonight. I need to do it tonight.
I lift Olivia in my arms and carry her toward the bedroom, our mouths still moving eagerly together. Unable to even wait until we reach the bed, I stop in the hall, pinning her back against the wall with her legs wound around my hips.
She’s wearing a simple cotton sundress, and that means when I slide my hand along the outside of her thigh and under her ass cheek, I can reach all the way around to the damp center of her panties. Slipping my fingers under the elastic, I find her clit and rub in circles, pulling a moan from her lips that I quickly swallow with another kiss.
It’s insane to think that the man who once refused to let a conquest sleep in his bed now shares a home with his wife, and practically attacks her at the door after only a couple of hours apart. Damn, I’ve turned into a total mushy prick. But there’s something so addictive about this woman. The way she carries herself, her wit and intelligence, her insatiable appetite for me. It just feels right.
I’ve never even been in a serious relationship. According to Sterling, getting married—tied to one woman for all of eternity—should have scared me shitless. Instead, it’s made me loyal, faithful, loving. It’s brought me to life in all the best ways.
I only hope that doing what I need to do tonight doesn’t destroy everything.
“Yes,” Olivia cries. She grips my shoulders and rocks her hips into my hand, already getting closer.
I love how she keeps herself bare for me. Running my fingers over her silky center, I ease one in slowly. But my careful pace isn’t to last, because when Olivia groans and murmurs my name, I add a second finger and thrust in harder. I finger-fuck her against the wall, my cock so hard it aches. But getting off is the last thing on my mind. I’m content to kiss Olivia and watch her fall apart right here in my arms.
“Noah . . .” She moans, pushing her hands into my hair. “I want you.”
“You have me, baby.” I kiss the side of her neck, inhaling her honeysuckle perfume as my fingers continue stroking. That familiar scent, so uniquely Olivia, always gets me worked up and calms me at the same time.
“Inside me. I want you inside me when I come.”
Okay, then. That changes things. My baby wants the dick, then the dick she shall have.
Still supporting her weight with one arm around her hips, I reach between us and undo my jeans, shoving them down enough to free my cock. Then I line myself up, rubbing the head of my cock through her wet folds just to feel her shudder in my arms.
“How’s that feel?” I tease her again, dragging the length of myself through her heat, grinding against her oversensitive clit.
“Need you,” she moans brokenly.
It’s almost hard to believe this is the same woman who a mere month ago turned up her nose at the thought of sex. Thought it was some useless, vile affair that had no place in her busy life. I’m not an egomaniac, but I’d like to believe the reason is me. I alone bring out this side of her, make her crazy with desire, unleash her inner sex goddess. Which is fine, because she does the same to me. I crave her like I’ve never craved anything before.
“Come on.” Olivia groans. “Fuck me, Noah.” She grips my biceps and watches me with a desperate expression. The need in her eyes is almost painful.
I press forward, the first few inches of me disappearing inside her.
“Wait . . .”
I pause. “What is it?”
“The condoms. They’re by the bathroom sink. In the drugstore bag.”
Fuck that. “It would feel so fucking good to have you bare.” I groan, pushing my hips up so she can feel my hard length between her legs. “My hard cock sliding into your warm, tight heat . . . Please, baby . . .”
“Noah.” She groans, her head dropping back. “Not until I’m on birth control.”
My stomach drops. Right. Like that’ll help.
“Hurry,” she murmurs with a final kiss to my lips before shimmying down my body until her feet touch the floor.
I inhale a deep breath and head for the bathroom. Stopping in the doorway with my cock jutting straight out in front of me, I catch my reflection in the mirror and don’t like what I see. There’s a haunted look in my eyes that wasn’t there before.
“Noah?” Olivia calls from the bedroom.
“Just give me a minute.” Crushed by rising panic and guilt, I close the door behind me.
Fred’s ominous warnings ring in my head. I thought I’d be able to convince Olivia by now, but I haven’t even managed to broach the subject with her yet, and we’re running out of time. My father’s legacy, Fred Cane’s dying wish, all of Tate & Cane’s employees . . . everything is at stake. I know I have to act, but how?
I grab one of the condoms from the counter. My erection, despite the stress swirling through my brain, hasn’t gotten the memo. I stare down at the little foil packet in my hands.
What in the fuck am I doing? I feel utterly lost and confused. I’m falling in love with Olivia, more with every passing day . . . all while hiding the world’s biggest secret from her. Despite all our hard work, the company finances are so dismal, we’re still barely hanging on. A baby would solve so many problems. Tying up that last loose end of the contract would cement our inheritance and ensure that the board doesn’t sell our company out from under us, leaving us destitute—along with six thousand other people.
But Olivia will never agree to that. Hell, she’ll probably flip out and call off our whole arrangement if I tell her the truth. I’ve been racking my brain for weeks, trying to find the perfect sales pitch that will save everything I care about, and I just keep hitting the same brick wall.
I’ve always been so good with words, and now they’ve deserted me. Even if I knew what the fuck to say, the right moment never seems to come. And I can’t fight off the creeping terror that maybe . . .
Maybe it never will.
Maybe this conversation—this entire situation—really is impossible. Maybe there is no solution.
The thought makes me go numb. Moving on their own, my hands rifle through the vanity’s drawers and cabinets. I don’t know what I’m looking for until my fingers brush against it. My mother’s sewing kit. The little silver case she gave me the year before she died, when she taught me how to sew a button back onto my favorite shirt.
I pull out a needle and look down at its glinting sharp point. I test the end on my finger and feel its bite. A tiny red droplet wells up, grows rounder, heavier, until it rolls down my finger, leaving a vivid trail, but I still don’t move. I just stare stupidly at the stained needle tip. Silver shining through a film of red.
I feel like I’m in a dream—one of those nightmares where you can’t run fast enough, like trying to wade through quicksand. My heart is slamming against my rib cage. What the fuck am I doing? Am I really . . . can I ever even think . . . ?
A gasp of shock pulls my focus to the door.
Olivia stands naked on the threshold, her mouth hanging open. Her wide-eyed disbelief quickly plummets into horror. She stumbles back, bumping into the wall behind her, her hand pressed to her mouth like she’s about to be sick.
I look down at my hands—one holding a condom, and the other, a needle. With a spasm of disgust, I throw the condom and needle into the sink.
“Olivia . . . w-wait, it’s not, I wasn’t . . . !” My voice is hollow, unconvincing even to me.
A sob of pain tumbles from her open mouth. When I look back up, my wife is running away, her lovely face twisted with betrayal.
Not knowing what else to do, I follow her, hoping it’s not already too late . . . and knowing that it is.
Coming Soon
Hitched, Volume 3
I’ve ruined everything. I’
ve broken the cardinal rule and fallen in love with my fake wife, and then I went and did the worst thing a husband can do. Winning her back will be nearly impossible, but I’ve never backed down from a challenge before and I’m sure as hell not about to start now. Olivia will be mine, and I can’t wait to put a bun in her oven.
You won’t want to miss the final installment in Noah and Olivia’s love story, and especially the way this over-the-top alpha male wins over his bride once and for all.
Stay Connected
Sign up for my private mailing list to be updated when I have a new release or a sale.
Click here to get started: http://goo.gl/ZSbyUE.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank the following ladies who played an important role in helping me bring Hitched into the world: Alexandra Fresch, Hang Le, Natasha Gentile, Rachel Brookes, Danielle Sanchez, and Pam Berehulke. I’m so grateful to have each of you on my team.
A big thank-you to Crystal Patriarche and the BookSparks Team. I’d like to give a shout-out to the Cuties in my private Facebook Group, Kendall’s Kinky Cuties, and say thank you for cheering me on and being my go-to place when I want to steal a few minutes away and hang out online.
And to John. Always John.
About the Author
A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty titles, Kendall Ryan has sold more than a million e-books, and her books have been translated into several languages in countries around the world. She’s a traditionally published author with Simon & Schuster and Harper Collins UK, as well as an independently published author.
Since she first began self-publishing in 2012, she’s appeared at #1 on Barnes & Noble and iBooks charts around the world. Her books have also appeared on the New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller list more than two dozen times. Ryan has been featured in such publications as USA TODAY, Newsweek, and In Touch Weekly.
To be notified of new releases or sales, join Kendall’s private: Mailing List
Website: www.kendallryanbooks.com
Facebook: Kendall Ryan Books
Twitter: @kendallryan1
Get even more of the inside scoop when you join my private Facebook Group Kendall’s Kinky Cuties: www.facebook.com/groups/140575819476413/
Other Books by Kendall Ryan
Unravel Me Series:
Unravel Me
Make Me Yours
Love by Design Series:
Working It
Craving Him
All or Nothing
When I Break Series:
When I Break
When I Surrender
When We Fall
When I Break (complete series)
Filthy Beautiful Lies Series:
Filthy Beautiful Lies
Filthy Beautiful Love
Filthy Beautiful Lust
Filthy Beautiful Forever
Lessons with the Dom Series:
The Gentleman Mentor
Sinfully Mine
Alphas Undone Series:
Bait & Switch
Slow & Steady
Hitched Series:
Hitched Volume 1
Stand-alone Novels:
Hard to Love
Reckless Love
Resisting Her
The Impact of You
Screwed
Monster Prick