“Who?” she asked.
“Adam.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“Yeah. I was at work. Matt and I were in the back, and my phone rang. I didn’t even look to see who it was when I answered, and he just completely laid into me. Screaming and yelling about how I belonged to him and I shouldn’t have gotten married. On and on. It was kind of impressive, actually.”
I laughed, and Hannah shook her head. “Wow. Sounds like someone is a little bit jealous.”
“Maybe just a bit,” I said.
She held up her drink, and I clinked my glass against it.
We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the early evening shopping and bonding. The hours flew, and I felt happy and relaxed by the time I got home. When I went in and dropped my bags, I heard Matt in the kitchen.
“You home?” he called out.
“Nope. Serial killer here to add you to my collection.”
“Okay, well, you’re going to have to wait about fifteen minutes. Dinner is almost ready, and I don’t want it to burn.”
“That’s a big ask, buddy,” I said, walking into the kitchen.
He turned around and grinned. “How’s Hannah?”
“She’s good. That woman can make shopping an Olympic sport. What are you making?”
“Stuffed chicken breast,” Matt said. “It’s one of Tyler’s new recipes. I think he might be angling for a new career as a cookbook author. He keeps giving all of us recipes and asking us to try making them.”
“I don’t mind being a guinea pig.”
We ate dinner, which was absolutely delicious, and settled into the living room to relax. Matt poured us a few drinks, and soon we were laughing and all my inhibitions were slipping away. It didn’t take long before the chemistry between us skyrocketed, and I couldn’t keep my hands off him. Suddenly, I was in his lap and his hands were around my waist, grinding me down into him as we made out.
When we came up for air, I climbed off him and pulled him up off the couch to take this somewhere more comfortable.
I led him into the bedroom, and he shut the door behind us. The light from the bathroom cast just enough light to create deep shadows, and as he stalked toward my grinning face, only half of his was visible. He tore off his shirt as he walked toward me, and by the time our lips crushed into one another, he was already reaching for his pants button. Our lips parted and our tongues flicked and wrestled with one another. My arms flung tightly around his neck, and when his pants were unbuttoned, he reached for my ass, picking me up and walking me to the wall.
Matt set me down on my feet as he yanked on my sweatpants, pooling them at my feet. I kicked them away, and he knelt before me, pulling down my panties in one movement. He didn’t wait for them to come off all the way. They were at my knees when he dove into my hot, throbbing pussy, sliding his tongue between my thighs and bringing it up to tease my clit. I cried out in surprise, and he used one hand to push me in the center of my chest against the wall, the other to part my legs.
As soon as my legs were parted, he brought one finger to my opening and swirled the juices there, wetting his fingertip. Then he pressed into me, driving his digit deep inside and drawing another yelp from high in my chest.
I was completely at his mercy, but I wanted more, so I pulled on the wrist of the hand that held me to the wall and raised it up to my mouth. I took one finger into my mouth, simulating the sensation of his cock, and I groaned as he licked me. Having him inside me in both places and his tongue flicking the sensitive pearl in the center brought me immediately to a powerful climax.
My hips began to buck, and my legs shook as I neared an orgasm, and he increased the speed of his tongue. His fingertip inside brushed my upper wall, and I came as I moaned onto his finger. He lapped me up, seeming like he was relishing in the taste of me before moving back up my body. I pulled off the shirt and tossed it away as he neared my breasts. The clasp for my bra was in the front, and he made short work of it, letting it fall open like a loose jacket and revealing my heavy, swinging breasts.
He took one to his lips while his finger stayed inside me, and I reached for his pants. As he paid attention to my chest, I maneuvered his jeans off his hips, and his boxers revealed his massive cock and its hardness. I dove my hand inside, stroking him from the base and pulling the tip out of the top of them. He groaned and pulled them down with his free hand, and I knelt in front of him.
When his boxers were kicked away, I pushed him to sit on the edge of the bed. Walking on my knees, I placed myself between his legs and pulled my hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. His cock was throbbing and thick, and I clasped it with one hand before diving my mouth over it eagerly. My tongue slid along the bottom of him, feeling every ridge and wrinkle until he reached the back of my throat, and I held his hips as I pressed myself further down. I wanted to take all of him.
My hand clasped at the base of him, and I stroked as I moved my lips up the shaft to the head. I opened my mouth and let my tongue rest there before swirling it around him and diving back down. He let out a moan of appreciation as I repeated the movement over and over. I loved pleasuring him that way and loved even more when he took control.
One hand gripped my hair and began to guide me in faster motions. Soon he was pulling me up and down, and I relaxed my neck, letting him use my mouth to pleasure him. Giving in so completely was freeing and sexy, and I let my hand fall between my thighs to touch myself. As I dipped my fingers inside myself, he held me in place and thrust his cock deep into my mouth.
“Yes, Chloe, just like that,” he commanded, and I responded by tightening my hand over his base and flicking my tongue on his head as he entered me over and over.
Suddenly, he came in a powerful explosion, and I took it all deeply in my throat. I stroked him and bobbed, emptying him, moaning in appreciation. Yet, he remained hard. I stood, wiping my lips with my hand, and he pulled me to turn around. He was still sitting on the edge of the bed, and I maneuvered so that my legs were between his and my pussy brushed against the head of his cock.
With a slow, languid motion, I sank down, feeling his still-throbbing cock press deep into my soaking, hot pussy inch by inch. I cried out as he reached my walls and stretched them, making room for his thick rod. I sank all the way down onto him, and then his hands gripped my hips. With grunts of effort, he pushed and pulled me onto him, and I braced myself by holding on to his knees.
He pulled me to ride him like that for some time, and I felt the tension beginning to build. Then, pulling me down deeply over him, he grabbed me around the waist and maneuvered me so I fell back. Placing one hand on each side of him behind me, I put my feet on the edge of the bed and began to ride him from on top. His hands slid up my sides and kneaded my breasts as I thrust down onto him.
I caught my breath just in time to feel the tension begin to build to a breaking point. I needed the release, and I rolled off him, positioning myself on all fours. Matt didn’t need instruction. He slid off the bed and moved me to the edge.
Grasping my ass, he knelt again to slide his tongue through my folds. I cried out and he swirled over my clit before standing up and thrusting his cock into me hard. My voice left me as my jaw fell, and my eyes closed. I grabbed onto the sheets, tearing them as I tried to adjust to the pressure.
Matt held my hips in place and slammed into me over and over. He fucked me until my toes curled and the tension exploded. My eyes rolled back, and my arms shook, a guttural cry rumbling from my chest as I came again. The climax lasted for what seemed like an eternity as he plowed into me with no hesitation or relent.
When he finally slowed to catch his breath, he slapped my ass and grumbled for me to roll over. I did as instructed, and he pulled me by my legs so that my hips were hanging from the bed. I melted into the control he showed, knowing exactly what he wanted and taking it as I gave it willingly. He held both ankles of mine together in the air as he began to rhythmically thrust into me again, and I brushed
my hands down his sweat-covered stomach muscles.
His body was tight, and his veins strained under the skin with effort as he fucked me. I felt myself fall into a dizzying sensation of near euphoria. Another climax was on the horizon. Matt seemed like he was nearing his own, and the intensity in his eyes spoke of the hunger and desire for release. He curled over me, hooking my top leg and bending it toward my chest.
Our eyes locked as he plunged into me with a ferocious fury, and a grumble in his chest turned into an animalistic roar. Suddenly he clasped me with his arms, squeezing me as he pushed me down hard over his cock. I felt the warm explosion inside me, and it sent me over the edge into my own earth-shattering climax. We came together and pulsed until he was completely empty, collapsing into each other on the bed. I kissed the sweat from his chest and nestled myself there. Within moments, sleep took me.
25
Matt
The feeling I had waking up as the sun gently rose was indescribable. Warmth and comfort and satisfaction were all wrapped up in one. I was coming out of the deepest sleep I’d had in weeks, maybe even longer. Every muscle in my body felt relaxed and content, bucking my usual tradition of moving around a lot my sleep. Before I opened my eyes, I could smell lavender. It was the smell of her perfume, and it connected strongly with me. The scent alone soothed me and excited me all at once.
I became aware of the weight on my arm and the body underneath the other. She was curled up tight to me, and I was holding her around her waist. One arm was under her neck, below her pillow so she could rest as closely to me as possible. She shifted in her sleep, moving her leg up and down and settling her ankle between both of mine.
I nuzzled into her hair and took in the scent of her deeply. My eyes fluttered open, and I saw the body in my arms, outlined by the sun coming in from the window. She was wearing an old T-shirt of mine and a pair of panties that I could feel against my cock. They were silk, and just touching her made my body react and awaken.
Everything was perfect for just a few moments.
Then I realized it was all fake. As soon as the consciousness set in, as soon as I was fully aware of where I was and what had happened, the realization hit me like a lead mallet. We had tumbled into bed again. It had been raw and passionate and exciting. But we were friends with benefits and nothing more. Regardless of what the law thought.
I separated myself from her, partially because I needed the space as these thoughts ran through my mind, and partially because I didn’t want to awaken her by poking her with my hardon. I wasn’t sure how she was going to respond to us falling into bed together again as it was; the last thing I wanted was to seem like I was pushing for more. Not if she didn’t want it.
Looking at the clock, I realized we were running late already. We had an appointment to meet a jeweler to pick up the rings we would wear to fake our marriage in an hour and a half. Just enough time for us to get up, get showered and dressed, and get some breakfast before leaving.
Slowly, I slid out of the bed and went to the dresser. Grabbing a pair of boxers, a T-shirt, and some sweatpants just to have something to change into, I headed for the shower. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe opening her eyes and looking around just before I shut the door.
The hot water helped relax my thoughts, and I stood there for as long as I dared, knowing I needed to get things together to leave for our appointment. There was another bathroom in the hallway, and the apartment never had a problem with hot water, so I wasn’t shocked when I got out and heard the other shower running. Rather than putting on the sweats, I just walked into the bedroom wearing my towel to get my regular clothes.
By the time she got out of the shower, I was already halfway through making us a quick breakfast. I heard the water shut off and hit the coffee maker to run for a second round, having put away a couple of cups already. I turned to see her when she walked through the hallway, but my voice caught in my throat. She was only wearing her towel, and her hair was dripping wet. She smiled at me and peeked into the kitchen to see what was cooking.
“Smells good in here,” she said as she passed by and back into the bedroom. A few seconds later, she came out with her dirty clothes and brought them to her bedroom where she shut the door to change.
I realized I had been holding my breath the entire time and let it out in one big exhale. I had to get a hold of myself. When she came back from the bedroom, dressed and ready, I avoided eye contact as much as possible. We ate in relative silence, her checking some news on her phone and me keeping myself busy with dishes and things while I ate. Finally, it was time to leave.
“Are you ready?” I asked as I put on my shoes.
“As ever,” she said.
We got down to the car, and instinctually, I opened her door for her. As she got in, she stopped and looked at me with a sly grin.
“Oops,” she said, “I guess the annulment due to failure to consummate won’t work anymore.”
We both laughed nervously, and I shut her door to go around to my side.
By the time we got to the jeweler, the ice had been broken and we were mostly back to our normal selves. Music blasted from the radio, and she was singing along. It was some newer artist I wasn’t familiar with, but I didn’t mind it. After we pulled in, I left the car running for a minute to finish the song.
“That was pretty good,” I said.
“Yeah, I love her,” Chloe said. “Saw her in concert a year ago. Got to meet her. She’s very sweet.”
“I forget that you know some of those people.” I laughed.
“So do I, sometimes,” she said. “Though, I wouldn’t trade where I am now for that life again. Nine times out of ten, knowing a celebrity just means you know what kind of asshole they are.”
“Fair,” I said. “Never meet your heroes. It’s an old saying that still rings true to me.”
“Solid advice,” she said. “Though all my heroes are reporters. They don’t tend to have big egos about fans.”
“Not when the fan in question is rich and her family is powerful,” I said. “You could have been a source.”
“If only I had something important to tell them,” she laughed. “It’s not like I ever knew anything that was going on outside of gossip.”
We got out and went inside, arriving just one minute before our appointment. An older woman came to greet us, but we were all the way across the long room. She was very grandmotherly, and I felt bad waiting on her to cross, so I motioned for Chloe to follow me to meet her.
“Good afternoon,” she said, “how can I help you?”
“We have an appointment with Mr. Klaus for this afternoon,” I said. “For right now, actually.”
“Oh, I am afraid Mr. Klaus can’t make it today,” she said.
“Oh no,” Chloe said. “Does that mean our appointment is rescheduled?”
“I’m afraid we can’t reschedule either,” she said. “Mr. Klaus has passed on.”
“Dead?” I exclaimed. “I just talked to him two days ago.”
“Yes, he was very alive two days ago. Not as much yesterday. Very dead today. However, I can help you,” she said. “I am Carla Banks-Klaus. I was his sister-in-law.”
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Chloe said, looking over at me with widened eyes. I shrugged.
“It’s fine, dear,” she said.”
The sweet smile caught me off guard. Finally, I relented.
“Alright, well, let’s pick out some rings,” I said.
“Perfect. This way, please,” she said. Guiding us to a display case in the corner, she walked around behind it and placed her hands on the wood. “You two are so cute. I read that you were just engaged?”
“Just married, actually,” Chloe said. “We decided to skip the whole engagement and go right for the big day.”
“Oh my, that’s fast,” she said. “Congratulations. I can tell you are both very much in love.”
I felt my stomach churn and my cheeks blush at that. Chloe’s hand tightened
around mine.
“Thank you,” Chloe said. “We did it so fast we never got our rings. That’s why we’re here.”
“I see,” Carla said. “Well, I am happy to take out anything you see that you like.”
As we walked around the jewelry shop, looking at various rings and occasionally pulling them out to look closer or try them on, I got a text from Jordan. I thought he was going to call me in early, but he was instead asking if we had gotten our rings resized. Apparently, Mom had asked him if Chloe had a ring yet and intimated that if she didn’t that there were rings from our family going back a few generations I could come pick from. The thought made my stomach hurt.
If it were real, that would be what I would do. I would go visit Mom, pick out one of my grandmother’s rings that Mom and Dad had in the jewelry box in the safe, and I would give that to her. None of the other brothers had chosen that route, so I would have my pick of what was there.
But I couldn’t. As much as that made my heart warm, I had to remind myself it wasn’t real. Every time we started acting like we were more than a partnership, like last night, we ended up being awkward around each other. I didn’t know how much more awkwardness I could take like this morning.
I had to shove all those thoughts aside. Bury them deep. I could not catch feelings for Chloe. That wasn’t what this was about, and it never would be.
26
Chloe
The weird feelings I got when we were at dinner with Jordan and Hannah stuck with me for the next couple of days. Every time I tried to push them away or ignore them, I would have a little bit of a reprieve. But as soon as I looked over at Matt and he smiled at me or did something sweet, they all came rushing back.
The worst part was not fully understanding what it was that I was actually feeling. I knew the situation we were in was a bit awkward. It was just hard to discern exactly what that stirred up in me. There was definitely a hint of guilt there thinking that we were deceiving people, and if they found out we were lying, it might really hurt them.
The Marriage Contract Page 14