Bitter Rival: an enemies to lovers romance

by J. Sterling

  “I’m saying it now.” She sounded breathy.

  “Say it with actual words.”

  “I’ve always wanted you, James. Everyone knows it. Everyone but you apparently.”

  Her eyes shot up to meet mine and held them there. My knee stopped moving. I thought my heart had stopped beating. My mind definitely short-circuited before it switched back on. I reached down and scooped her body from the couch as she squealed in half-shock, half-delight.

  “Where are you taking me?” she asked through a smile.

  “To bed, where you belong.” I easily moved through her tiny house, knowing exactly where I was headed this time.

  “Am I being punished?” She batted those damn lashes at me, and I almost stopped in the hallway and fell to my knees. I didn’t need a bed for what I planned on doing to her.

  “I plan on punishing you all night. First, with my tongue. Then, with my dick. Think you can handle it?” My inner caveman had come out to play, and the smile on her face told me everything I needed to know. Not only could she handle it, but my girl also couldn’t wait for it.

  COUPLE GOALS

  Julia

  I’d learned the first time that James Russo was a god in the sack, but it’d still held true the second time. And the third. And the fourth. And, currently, as he was under the covers, between my thighs, doing all the things I’d always dreamed about with that beard and tongue.

  I tangled a hand in his dark hair, the morning light spilling through my curtains as I raked my nails along his back with my other. It was too much, the way he so skillfully licked me, sending me over the edge time and time again, reading me like a treasure map he’d been given the key to.

  “James, please,” I begged.

  I’d learned pretty quickly that he liked it when I begged for him to stop eating me out and get inside me.

  “Please what?” His breath was hot against my core as I tossed the sheets off to look at him. His hair was ruffled and messed up from my hands moving through them.

  “Please get inside me. I want you in me. Why do you make me beg for it?”

  He licked his lips and wiped at his beard with one hand before slowly sliding up my body, never breaking contact. The sensation of his warm skin pressing against mine was almost enough to send another orgasm erupting through me. James and I were definitely connected and in more than just the physical way. Anyone could connect with someone on that level.

  There was something bigger and deeper at play here. The cord that bonded us was on full display even if it couldn’t be seen. We both felt it, tugging and tightening around our bodies, as if to make it known that there would be no more untethering after this. I couldn’t imagine wanting to untangle myself from James ever again anyway, so I silently willed the bond to strengthen. I wouldn’t fight it anymore. There would be no more opposition from this end.

  I had officially surrendered.

  James pressed his tip against my core, and he slowly moved inside me.

  “You’re doing that on purpose,” I said, unable to catch my breath.

  “Yep,” was all he said in response.

  I could tell that it was taking him a tremendous amount of restraint to not plunge in me all at once, but when James set his mind to something, he achieved it. Aside from beating me in competitions, of course.

  He pulled out before pushing back in, getting a little deeper with each thrust until he was finally all the way inside. Then, he stopped moving altogether, the full length and width of him filling me completely as we shared the same air, our eyes locked. I started to wiggle my hips, but he pinned me with his gaze before asking me to stop, and once again, I submitted without complaint.

  When James finally started moving again, I wanted to break out into song. No man had ever felt so good inside of me, and I wasn’t sure if it was just because I was so damn attracted to him or because of our connection. I decided that it was probably a combination of both and focused my energy on the plethora of feelings exploding inside my body. Every touch of his fingertips drove me mad. Looking into his eyes had me swimming in a sea of blue. I was lost in him, and I never wanted to be found.

  “Julia.” The sound of his breathy voice snapped me to attention, our bodies working in unison, grinding and lifting in perfect time.

  “Yes?” I asked as his hand cupped my cheek.

  “Tell me it’s me for you. Just me and no one else ever again,” he said before closing the small gap between us, his mouth enveloping mine.

  I gave him my answer in that kiss, my tongue changing between hard and soft, docile and demanding, submissive and dominant.

  His pace picked up, and I broke the kiss to watch the way his body moved—shoulders flexing, arm muscles bulging against his skin. I couldn’t stop myself from reaching out to grab them, loving the way their hardness felt under my touch. Sensing that James was close to coming, I angled my hips up and watched as he came undone inside of me. And, as small beads of sweat dripped from his brow, he thrust into me one last time before collapsing, the full weight of him crushing me.

  “James,” I tried to say into his shoulder, “you’re suffocating me.”

  “Shit. Sorry,” he said before pushing himself down and resting his head on top of my stomach.

  My fingers moved to his head and played with the strands of his hair as my heart beat like crazy inside my chest.

  “I meant what I said. That wasn’t just some heat-of-the-moment, passionate bullshit statement.”

  “I know you did.” I grinned to myself, secretly loving the bits of alpha male he possessed when it came to me. It shouldn’t turn me on, but it did.

  He lifted his head. “Well?”

  “Well what?”

  “Is it just me from here on out?”

  His head crashed back down, and I let out an oomph before I could answer.

  “Yes, James. No one but you.”

  “Good. Because I have plans for us,” he said against my belly.

  I giggled, lost in the way his head bobbed with my laughter. “Plans, huh? What kind of plans?”

  He shot up and gave me a look. “I’ll tell you later. I want to show you something first.”

  “I’ve already seen it, if that’s what you’re trying to get at.” I nudged my head toward the hard-on he was still sporting.

  “That’s not what I’m talking about, you little minx.” He kissed my cheek and dragged himself out of bed. “Come on. Get dressed. I’ll take you to eat after.”

  The promise of food after all the calories we’d burned was more than enough to get me to agree. “I love food.”

  “I love,” he started to say before my body completely stilled, “food, too.”

  He finished with a laugh, and I wasn’t sure if I was more relieved or disappointed. Realistically, I knew it was too fast for declarations of love, but our story wasn’t typical, so the same rules didn’t seem to apply.

  * * *

  We walked out of my house hand in hand without a care in the world it seemed. James hadn’t ducked out or snuck around the vines to avoid my father and his probable death if caught. We were out in the open, our blossoming relationship on full display for all to see. When we rounded the main house, we both stopped mid-step at the sight of our parents talking and laughing at the property line.

  “Will we ever get used to seeing that?” I asked, wondering when that image wouldn’t send a jolt of shock through my system.

  “I sure hope so,” James said in response. “But I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you that my first instinct was to run and hide.”

  I laughed because my first instinct at seeing them had been to duck and slowly back away. Some habits were going to be tough to break. I couldn’t wait until they were a thing of the past, something we looked back on and had to bring up to even remember.

  “Think they’ll retire sooner now that we’re together?” James asked as we started walking again toward our families.

  I smiled inwardly at how confident he’d sounde
d about us. He made me feel like, even though we’d just started, there would be no end.

  “Probably not.” I gripped his hand a little tighter as we neared.

  The four of them turned at once to face us, smiles all around, even on my dad.

  “Morning, you two,” my mom said in greeting before giving us each a hug.

  It was hugs all around, and even though it was weird as hell, it was also amazing.

  “Where are you two headed?” James’s mom asked.

  I shrugged because I had no idea.

  “I’m going to show her the barn.” He kicked at some dirt on the ground, and tiny rocks scattered.

  “Oh”—his mom clasped her hands together in joy—“she doesn’t know, does she?”

  My eyes pinched together as I questioned what kind of mom would be that excited over a boxing setup. “What exactly is in that barn? A full-size boxing ring? Do you have a secret boxing club that I’m being initiated into? I mean, I heard it’s a good workout, so—”

  “A what?” Mrs. Russo laughed, but her face was full of confusion. “Boxing?”

  I had asked James once what was in the barn, and he told me that he boxed in there. I remembered that answer clear as day even if he had looked weird when he admitted it to me. He’d said he was boxing the night of the fire. I knew I hadn’t heard him wrong, but now, I was questioning everything.

  Suddenly, I got excited. “Wait! Is it a horse? My dad never bought me a horse even though I asked for one every year at Christmas. Top of my list each year. Number one request. We have the property for it and everything.” I waved a hand toward our land. “But do you see a horse there? Nope. No horse. Santa hates me.”

  My dad crossed his arms and fought back a shit-eating grin. “We have land for growing grapes, not for growing horses. Do you have any idea how expensive and how much work a horse is? I always told you that once you got older, if you wanted one, you could get one yourself.” He looked at James before laying a strong hand on his shoulder. “The horse wish now falls to you. Good luck.”

  James gave my dad a resigned look before he glanced at me. “We’ll discuss the horse thing later.”

  I stomped a foot in a mock temper tantrum. “So, there’s no horse in the barn?”

  Everyone laughed, clearly entertained and amused by our antics, and I closed my eyes for a second to drown my senses in the new-to-me sounds and feel. Even the outside air had been altered by our war’s end. Or maybe it was our collective new energy that had changed it all. Whatever it was, it was palpable. And so beautiful.

  “I’m going to show her and then take her to breakfast. Would you all like to join us?” James asked politely.

  I prayed our parents would say no. It wasn’t that I didn’t want them there; I just wanted to be alone with him.

  “No, you two go ahead. We’ll grab dinner in town this week,” Mr. Russo suggested, and everyone agreed.

  Our two families sharing a meal in public was going to be the talk of the town for weeks, if not years. It thrilled me to think that the town would finally have something positive to say instead of avoiding the thick, dark clouds that seemed to hover over us at every turn.

  With my hand intertwined with James’s, we walked in step toward the barn. He pulled open the door and ushered me inside as I looked around at the light-filled space. There wasn’t a boxing ring or a boxing bag in sight.

  Confused, I turned to face him. “If you don’t box in here, then what do you really do?”

  “I’m sorry I lied to you at dinner when you asked. I just …” He walked quickly, and I followed right behind him, heading for the brightest area in the barn. It was in that moment that I saw the various easels, canvases, and paints set up. “Not many people know I do this, and I wasn’t ready to tell you.”

  There were so many paintings—landscapes, grapes, still life, and objects. All done beautifully with a whimsical touch. Each one looked like it sparkled.

  “You did all these?” I asked in awe. I’d had zero idea that James Russo could paint.

  “Yeah. Are they stupid?”

  He bit his bottom lip, and I wanted to wrap him in my arms and tell him that the last thing they were was stupid. How could he question how amazingly talented he was?

  “Stupid? They’re beautiful. They should be labels on every bottle of wine you sell,” I said before leaning in close, admiring the way they shimmered, the sparkle catching your eye as you moved away from it, therefore drawing you back in. “They’re magical, James.” I turned to look at him, my hands cupping his face. “Seriously. Magical. And eye-catching. How do you get them to shimmer like that?”

  “It’s a technique I’ve always favored. I kept at it until I mastered it. You really like them?”

  “Yes.” I nodded like a bobblehead for emphasis. I couldn’t nod fast or vigorously enough to make my point. “They should be labels. If you don’t rebrand all your wine, they should definitely be on at least the limited-edition bottles. You could even market them as James Russo exclusives and sign each one.” My mind raced with all the possibilities.

  “Think you could help me with that? Sell the idea to my parents?”

  “Of course! And, if they say no, we’ll do it ourselves.”

  It was my turn now to convince James that what we had wasn’t ending. We’d started a partnership I had no intention of leaving.

  “We’ll do what ourselves?”

  “We’ll make our own labels for a wine we create together,” I said with a smile.

  James reached for me, and his strong arms wrapped around my waist as he spun me in circles. “You want to create wine with me? Really?”

  “I thought we were doing everything together now. I thought you said this was forever. Were you lying to me, James Russo?”

  I leaned my body back in an effort to put space between us, but it didn’t work. His grip on me only tightened.

  “Nope. Just glad to hear you’re on board.”

  He kissed me hard with a ferocity and possessiveness I never knew I craved. I leaned in, giving it back to him just as hard.

  We broke away, both of us racing to catch our breaths and slow our heart rate.

  “What about the rest of the plans you have for us? Care to share them with me?” I asked while still in his arms, feeling more emboldened.

  “I’m not sure you’re ready to hear them, but I might as well let you know anyway.” He nipped at my nose, kissed my forehead, and tucked a long, dark strand of my hair behind my ear. “We’re going to get married, merge our wineries, and become a powerhouse that no one can touch. Ever heard of the hashtag couple goals? That’s going to be us in this industry and in life.”

  “We’re going to get married, huh?” I pushed away from him and started pacing a little as my heartbeat sped up again.

  “Not like tomorrow. Jeez, Julia. But, when we do, I was thinking the Russo–La Bella Winery has a nice ring to it.”

  My jaw dropped as a look of disbelief crossed my face. “No way. The La Bella–Russo Winery sounds far better,” I argued before realizing what I’d done. “I mean, for marketing purposes. It flows. It just sounds better than the other way, is all.”

  James wasn’t listening to me anymore. He had some dopey look on his face, lost in whatever scene was playing out in his head.

  “Oh my God,” I shouted, pretending to be offended, and he snapped out of whatever daydream he’d been lost in.

  “What?” He crossed his arms over his chest as if to ask, What now?

  “You’re just using me for my south side vines, aren’t you?”

  “You’ll have to marry me to find out.”

  “We should probably start dating first.”

  “Julia La Bella, always making me wait unnecessarily when the outcome will be the same, no matter what, but okay, we’ll do it your way.” He pretended to sound bothered, but I knew he wasn’t.

  My jaw opened wide as another thought flew into my already-overworked brain. “You’re in on the town bet, aren
’t you?”

  A loud laugh escaped him. “They won’t let me bet!”

  I laughed out loud, crouching over in half. “Did you try?”

  “Of course I tried! Hell, even Jeanine and Dane tried to get in on it, but no close friends or relatives are allowed.”

  “This town.” I shook my head in mock disbelief because I secretly loved it. The fact that there was a bet about me and James meant that they were rooting for us, and I liked knowing that everyone had been on our side all along.

  FEED YOUR GIRL

  James

  Julia’s stomach growled, and she tried to cover it with her hand, as if that would somehow stop the sound from echoing in the all but hollow barn.

  “Time for breakfast?” I asked.

  “Obviously. Don’t you know you need to feed your girl?” She stomped one foot on the ground.

  “I do now.”

  I still couldn’t get over Julia’s face when she had seen my paintings. I had always loved them but had no idea if they were really something marketable or even remotely good. Dane’s opinion never counted. Neither did my mom’s because, well, they were both biased. Not that Julia wasn’t, but I would have been able to tell if she was lying just by looking in her eyes. They gave everything away. Those hazel irises were going to be my biggest ally for the rest of my life.

  We headed into town, and my fucking heart raced at the thought of walking through the streets with her on my arm. And it had nothing to do with our family history and everything to do with me finally getting the girl I’d wanted my whole damn life.

  “What are you thinking about?” Julia asked from beside me, her hand resting firmly on my thigh.

  I glanced over at her before focusing back on the road. “Just how lucky I am. And how incredible it feels, knowing that I can be seen with you in public, and it won’t start World War Three at home.”

  She blew out a breath. “Tell me about it. It’s like we have a whole new life.”

  Reaching for her hand, I moved it to my lips and pressed a kiss there before putting it back on my lap. Navigating the busy streets, I found a parking spot right up front and chalked it up to the fact that as of last night, my luck had changed. Yes, I considered a primo parking spot good luck.