Resisting Her (Moving On Duology Book 2)

by Catherine Edward

  Boxer gave a short bark in response and sat while Philip secured his leash. Once they left, I slipped inside her room with a smile. Leaning over the doorframe, I admired her casual moves. I have heard Mike talking about her dancing skills and wondered if she would dance for me.

  As I stood contemplating, she turned. Her leg caught on something. With a surprised yelp, she fell backward, landing on her butt. The comical look on her face wanted me to burst into laughter, but I controlled not wanting to ruin the moment.

  “That was a wonderful performance, Arianna.”

  Blood rushed to her cheeks, painting it in a brilliant shade of red. Her perky nipples strained across the tank top she wore and I realized she wore no bra. My cock strained within the confines of my pants. Fuck. She had me hard with one gaze.

  “I liked watching you dance.” Her gaze averted and chest moved faster than before, showing how much I affected her. It only increased her appeal. I knelt and hooked a finger under her chin. “Will you dance for me?” Say yes, please.

  “Ah… I…”

  “Please…”

  Pearly white teeth caught her plump lift, nipping it. “Okay,” she whispered.

  After the initial hesitation, she began to dance slowly. Her hips moved in a steady rhythm as her shapely legs tapped in a choreographed tempo. She was a gifted dancer, I’d give her that. When her hip rotated, my heart did a flip.

  I changed the music, wanting something soft and sensual. Goosebumps erupted on my flesh when the next song played. A velvety soft voice of a singer I did not recognize drifted around us. Arianna stiffened but continued to dance.

  It was too bright. I fixated my eyes on her when I moved to close the curtains. Perfect.

  Her eyes were on me. Insecurity and doubt flashed in those warm brown eyes briefly. I could easily pick those emotions since they were my constant companions for years. I made my mind. I had to show this woman that she’s special. There was nothing to feel insecure about. The thought, as much as it surprised me, also felt right in every way.

  Slipping out of my suit, I pulled her close to my body. Soft breasts pressed against mine and her quick breath puffed into my neck. My seeking fingers dug into the soft flesh of her waist, admiring how silkily smooth she was. I rested my forehead rested on hers, breathing in her exhale, tasting her desire.

  A roll of my hip parted her lips with another gasp. This I could get used to. Arianna—a woman so responsive to my every touch. I let my fingers roam, wanting to find how she’d react when I touched her on certain places, starting at the base of her neck. Her body arched toward mine.

  Too much. The music and her proximity. My arousal stretched within the discomfort of my pants. I twirled her, pasting myself to her back, feeling every soft curve pressing pleasantly against mine. Our hips rolled to the rhythm. I ran my nose along her neck, enjoying the buttery smoothness. Hands traced the length of her body and her head turned toward me. I sensed her need to kiss me.

  Not so fast. I dipped her and we almost kissed. It was a task not to give in. Our steps were so slow and sensual. Touching and teasing. Her hips rotated, grinding her ass against my arousal before moving away. Little Vixen.

  Arianna was a seductress and her confidence oozed sex. The way her shorts tightened when she rolled her hips made her ass appear rounder and firmer. My hands didn’t shy away. I groped her ass, squeezing the firmness. Damn. I wanted her. No. I needed her.

  Arianna was the only woman who stirred my desire after so long. The need to have her overwhelmed me. Arianna panted harder, her hands now more courageous. They ran all over my front and back. Hard nipples poked at my chest and I cupped her breasts. Urgent movements took us to the bed. The song ended. She writhed with anticipation and because I could not wait anymore; I kissed her.

  I choked on a groan. She tasted fucking sweet and my cock throbbed. I wanted all of her and she was ready to give. I deepened the kiss, claiming her mouth with a need that roared like an ocean wave. It was a consuming desire to possess her.

  Urgent hands rolled her tops up, freeing her round breasts to my hungry gaze. Perfect. I squeezed the soft flesh— the size of an apple—before sucking one of her strawberry colored peaks. Fucking sweet.

  Her fingers tugged at my hair, chest arched pushing her breasts further into my mouth. Encouraging moans drifted around me. And, they were better than any music I’ve ever heard. The knowledge that I was the reason for her pleasure was too arousing.

  I tugged at her shorts, peeling it off her, my fingers delved in without hesitation, parting the already wet folds. I wanted to feast on her, but she was already pulling my head toward her mouth for another kiss.

  Her hips jerked when I thrust my first finger in. A rotation of my hips had my cock brush against her thighs, the gentle motion so relieving and pleasurable. I repeated it. I used my thumb to massage her clit and she groaned in pleasure when I added another finger to the first. In and out, my hand worked her walls up, fully intent to prepare her for the claim.

  She swallowed the groan hissed out of lips. Her needy hands cupped my cock, rubbing it over my pants. Damn. My head was all over the place. I paused when a sudden conflict washed over me. Should I let her continue? Her moans wiped away my concerns.

  Just as I was about to break out of her hold and take control, her grip around my neck tightened and she sucked my tongue. The hand on my cock increased its pace, causing my eyes to roll back into my head.

  Arianna rolled her hips and I added another finger. This time she yelped, her hips momentarily stopped its movement against my fingers and I froze, realizing I might have gone too far. Before I could pull away, though, her movements resumed, encouraging me to continue.

  She swallowed my grunts of pleasure and I came right in her hands. I sensed her nearing her climax and applied more pressure on her little pearl. The sounds of her pleasure brought real satisfaction and a smile on my lips.

  “Orlando.”

  She screamed my name in pleasure. With eyes half-closed and hair fanned over the pillow, she was a remarkable sight. I admired the redness of her face and her swollen lips. A gasp whispered out when I pulled my fingers out. Blood. Searching her face for any signs of discomfort and finding none, I relaxed. However, her expression changed.

  “I’m sorry about that,” she said, her eyes looking away.

  A relieved breath whooshed out. My smile was broad. Arianna Swanson chose me, Orlando Gabriel Cortez to share this special moment with. My chest expanded with this emotion that wanted me to jump and pump my fist in the air, screech at the top of my lungs. Then, I doubted she’d appreciate that.

  “This is an honor. Thanks for giving it to me, Arianna.”

  Her face turned to that beautiful pink shade I loved. “You’re welcome, I guess.”

  With a peck on her lips, I got up. “I’ll be right back.”

  My cell phone pinged with a message when I finished washing my hands. It was a reminder from Sheila regarding a conference call she’d arranged weeks ago. I thought I canceled the rest of my engagements for the day. With a grunt, I tapped the message and realized I can’t postpone this.

  Arianna covered herself with a blanket, her face flushed. A shy smile graced her lips.

  “As much as I’d like to stay, I have to leave now. I have a conference call with one of our European clients in less than ten minutes,” I informed her. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

  “Sure.” She smiled.

  I turned to go to my room and go through the email Sheila had sent me before getting on the call. Damn. I had a woman waiting on the bed and only a dick left like that. Arianna squealed when I pivoted on my heel and crashed my lips to hers. Her hands tugged at my hair and mouth opened wider when I traced her lip with my tongue. All mine. The call can wait.

  Chapter – 13

  The wind ruffled my hair. The sounds of the beach were so lively and relaxing. After being a workaholic for years, it would be a lie if I said this forced vacation did not relax me.


  It felt like a long time ago since I enjoyed some family time. However, I also missed being at work. The constant itch to check on my emails was still there. I refrained from doing so because I promised Enrique. Another round of laughter caught my attention.

  Arianna—the only name gave me a reason and pinned me to the place. While everyone drank and chattered away, I sat there on the beach chair, sipping my beer.

  I let my gaze take a sweep around the beach. Arianna was in the water with the girls, playing and laughing. The sight of her smiling face brought a smile on my own. A sigh passed my lips. I could see her smile all day.

  My hands went to my pockets out of habit, only to realize I’m in a swim trunk. Reaching for the phone on the table, I made a quick call to Marcus. “Did you find anything?”

  “So far there’s nothing that’s useful, sir. A lot of partying and drinking, stuff that doesn’t help.”

  I ran a hand through my hair and nibbled my lower lip. “We need something before the next hearing.”

  “We’ll find the evidence you need, sir,” he assured.

  “Okay.” I disconnected the call and took another sip of my beer. His assurance wasn’t convincing enough. Isabela was cunning and manipulative. We wanted evidence on how she managed to get my dad’s signature on it.

  Unknown number: I’m sorry I shouldn’t have talked like that.

  My phone vibrated with a message from an unknown number.

  Unknown number: Can we meet? –Ken

  Hell, no. Deleting the messages in a swift move, I threw the phone on the table. Her name stroked the anger and disgust within me.

  Enrique waved at me, asking if I wanted to join them. The roasted meat teased my nostrils, but I shook my head. What I needed now was her—Arianna. Only she could chase my demons away. When I looked around to see where she was, I saw her throwing the phone on the table. Fury coated her expression. A sense of familiarity washed over me on seeing her screwed-up face. I rushed to her side.

  “What's bothering you?” She relaxed as I rubbed her shoulders. I slipped beside her, I continued to massage her skin.

  “See for yourself.”

  Anger flared in her voice, directed at someone who infuriated her in less than two minutes. A frown marred my face as I grabbed her phone. There was no screen lock on her phone, it opened with a swipe and a photo of us together greeted me. It was a click from our costume party when I pecked her cheek.

  “Check my Instagram inbox,” Arianna responded while turning her face away to hide the pink taint that now coated her cheek.

  As soon as I read the messages from her ex, my blood boiled. Reading it all in a breath, I went over the conversation again. “What does he want?”

  “I'm not sure.” A sigh slipped out. “But I have an idea about what I want to do.”

  Arianna twisted her body, pulling me closer. A mischievous grin stretched her lips and she raised her phone in the air, focusing on us. “Let them burn,” her whisper fanned my lips before her lips crashed on mine.

  I grabbed the back of her neck, deepening the kiss and the phone slipped out of her hand. Our tongues wrapped around each other as her body pressed flush against mine. The surroundings faded from my mind and when I surfaced it was to see her crimson face now flushed. I traced her swollen lips and noticed others in the distance, sneaking secret glances toward us.

  ***

  Two weeks blurred past with Enrique’s wedding just around the corner. It was Enrique’s bachelor party, which didn’t feel like one since he stopped drinking. The four of us—Enrique, Mike, Jeff and I— hung out, watching movies and striking conversations. When I grew bored, I sneaked back into the mansion to see Arianna wandering the halls.

  The corner of my lips lifted into a smirk as I thought of a way to surprise her. She hated these unexpected appearances but her expression during and the aftermath was to die for. I slipped into the nearby room and waited for her to come closer. When she did, I caught her hand and pulled her inside the room before shutting the door.

  I covered her mouth to mask her surprised scream. When I released her, her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. “Orlando!”. A chuckle rumbled within my chest. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  I liked it when she chastised. “It’s not like I’m the one getting married.”

  “You should be with Enrique.” She pushed at my chest, but her gaze narrowed at my mouth.

  My gaze zeroed in on her lips. “He’s nervous.” A sudden commotion on the outside distracted us and we ran toward it.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “Don’t know.” We rushed outside. Foreboding churned my gut and when I found the source, things clicked. Enrique knelt before his fiancé. I gestured the security guards to remove the servants from the area. There were many contract workers working for the wedding and gossips was the last thing we wanted.

  “Trust me, please. This isn’t true.”

  “Did you meet her?” Her pained voice whispered out, tears streamed down her cheeks.

  “I did,” Enrique said and quickly added. “Babe, it’s not what you think.”

  Tensed coursed through my veins as my anger flared. I told him to tell her. Yet, he hid the truth. This was something I despised. How did she discover?

  “What do I think, Enrique?”

  “Please let me explain. Nothing happened that day. I never touched another woman, please trust—”

  Chiara stopped him in mid-sentence. “If you trusted my love for you, you wouldn’t be here begging for me to trust you. “

  And, her words were true. Had he trusted her with the truth, he’d have told her. The fear of losing her had rendered him silent.

  “Babe…” “I know these photos are perfectly timed to make you look guilty.”

  Rosalinda handed us the photographs in question My jaws locked. The well-timed clicks made Enrique look guilty. That woman. This was why I never dated. Because of conniving and manipulating women like her.

  Enrique pulled Chiara into his embrace. His relieved sob reached all our ears. “I’m sorry. She showed up in the office with her friend and demanded I give her two minutes.”

  My brother never cried. I could tell their love ran deep and I finally relaxed. His pathetic excuse of an ex wouldn’t get what she hoped for.

  “You didn’t tell me.”

  “I didn’t think it was important at that time. She said she’s moving to Washington to be close to her parents. Then she moved to kiss my cheek and then… then they left.”

  The tension in the room diffused when she nodded. “Never, ever hide something like this from me again.”

  “I won’t.”

  I grabbed Arianna’s hand. She squeezed mine in assurance. Women like Arianna were scarce and when our gazes met, conflict reined my mind. Am I ruining her life? Will I be able to live up to her expectations?

  “All right, enough for the night, ladies and gentlemen. It’s time to get the bride and groom to their separate rooms.” Jeff clapped his hands. “Enrique, buddy, if you had to see her, all you had to do is say so, or maybe you could have sneaked in. There’s no need for all this. “

  Jeff—well, he was just being himself. I shook my head and turned to Arianna. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Her smile lit my insides and I followed my brother out. Throwing a hand over his shoulder, I squeezed in assurance. “Keep her words in mind. Always stay truthful to your partner.”

  “I will.”

  ***

  The big day of my brother opened with trouble trying to sneak under our noses. Isabela had once again come to our steps with a demand to attend the wedding. The court dismissed her petition for the same earlier. While her antics weren’t harmful to any of us, I knew she did on purpose. The media vultures loved to feed on anything they got. And she definitely played the role of an estranged mother longing for her children’s love well.

  “Sir, we have something,” Marcus announced when I stepped into the foyer. His shoulders ten
se, but excitement bubbled in his features.

  “What?” I asked, leading him to my private office space.

  “Her boyfriend is a lawyer.”

  “What does this have to do with our case?” He fell in rhythm with my pace.

  “It does. At first, we didn’t think it was important. Then, we found this photograph dated back to thirty years. He was her first love.”

  “I’m listening.” Opening the door to my office, I gestured him to go in first.

  “Hendrick Lance dated her since high school. His parents didn’t accept their relationship because Isabela’s family status was below them. They forced him to break up with her and she married Sir Ricardo Cortez a few years later.”

  I nodded as the wheels in my head turned. Occupying one side of the leather couch beside the bookshelf, I pointed the other side for him to sit.

  “Isabela and Hendrick must have met again around the time she was still married to your father.”

  That made sense. I leaned back, crossing my right leg over the left. They might have rekindled the relationship. “What do you plan?”

  When Marcus pulled his laptop out from the bag she carried, explaining things, I listened. A new hope, blooming within my chest. Something made sense, yet I missed a puzzle piece or two.

  “Do what you need to. Follow them. Get to the bottom of this. Collect all the evidence and hand it over to my legal team. They’ll handle the rest.”

  “Sure, sir.” He secured the laptop inside his bag.

  A knock sounded at the door and Enrique poked his head in, disrupting our meeting. Marcus stood, ready to leave.

  “Hey, what are you doing here?” Enrique frowned, his gaze falling on Marcus before meeting mine again. “I need your help. Come on.”

  “I’ll see you soon, Marcus.” Though his team handled the security detail for the wedding, Marcus had other important things to do.

  “Did he find anything?” Enrique asked once Marcus left.

  “Yeah. We will talk later. I thought you‘d be ready. Where’s your tie?” I asked, noticing his wet hair and untucked shirt beneath the suit.