Lakota's warm, calloused fingers massaged her neck, and she was beyond grateful for his arm around her waist, as the two nurses sprang into action and whisked little Beth back to her room.
"She'll be okay." His deep voice rumbled through her, and she closed her eyes and leant back into her husband. "She's a fighter, your niece, and don't worry. We’re not going anywhere until this latest crisis is over."
****
True to his word, they had delayed their honeymoon, until Beth had pulled out of her setback. Spencer Jamison had done his best to reassure both Alice and her mother that the little girl's condition was only to be expected, and that it was no one’s fault, but Alice had felt guilty nonetheless. Clearly, so did Lakota. He never said anything, but he was a constant brooding presence in the back ground, his temper far too short with anyone, and when Alice had dared touch him, he'd squeezed her fingers so hard, she had not been able to feel them for ages afterwards.
It had come as a huge relief to them all, when Beth had woken up this very morning, and unceremoniously pulled her oxygen tracks out, even if the alarms going off had given them all a minor heart attack. After much hustling and buzzing about on the part of the nursing staff—Lakota had barked at them to get Spence—and much hand wringing and attempts of soothing hurt feelings on Alice's part—it had finally been decided that the crisis was over.
"Right, off with you two." Elizabeth Wanderlund had issued the decree with much more of her usual degree of motherly authority, and Alice smiled in the confines of the back of the limo, taking her to Lakota's place of residence when in London. Lakota had looked set to argue with her mother, but one of her legendary looks had quelled his protests.
"No, I will not hear of it. You look exhausted, and Alice doesn’t look much better. The best thing you can both do is get out of my hair and let me look after my granddaughter. You will just get her over-excited again, and look where that led to. Now be off and enjoy your honeymoon. I'll let you know if anything changes."
Sat in the back of the limo Alice risked a glance at the brooding presence that was her husband. Dressed in simple jeans and a tee he nonetheless exuded power and strength, testament to how quickly they'd managed to exit the hospital. He'd grasped her elbow and propelled her along, releasing her immediately they'd made it into the limo. Seated apart from her as far away as the interior would allow, he hadn't looked or spoken to her since. His driver had taken one look at his face, sighed, and smiled at Alice, before the partition went up between them, effectively cutting them off from the rest of the world.
Alice was too aware of the quiet man she sat next to. Her skin prickled, and an army of butterflies seemed to be having a very merry dance in her tummy. With his long legs stretched out in front of him, fists curled on his thighs, and head rested back, his eyes were closed. His long eyelashes left crescent moons, accentuating the purple shadows under his eyes. He looked exhausted and devastatingly handsome, with several days' worth of stubble darkening his strong jaw, and Alice curled her fingers into fists to stop herself from touching him. She wasn't at all sure he would welcome her touch. Was he having second thoughts about marrying her already?
This was the first time they had truly been alone, after all, and she'd have hoped for some form of acknowledgement from him. Was this how it was going to be when it was just the two of them? Had everything up 'til now just been an act for the benefit of appearances?
Alice choked back a sob at the thought, and Lakota's eyes flew open. Glittering orbs of dark power, they pulled her into his hold, and she didn't dare breathe under his silent scrutiny, until he smiled, and his forbidden features relaxed.
"You're looking at me again, as though I'm going to eat you for supper, little Alice." He shook his head at her whispered denial, and reached across to tuck a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. Those butterflies were immediately joined by a brass band, and she couldn't help but lean into his touch.
His smile deepened, and he ran his thumb across her lips. What possessed her she would never know, but she parted her lips and ran her tongue across the digit. Lakota froze and withdrew immediately with a frown. She sighed and crossed her arms to stop herself from reaching out to him.
"So, where are we going?" she asked, desperate to break the sudden tension between them. Why the hell did her voice have to sound so wobbly and needy? She might as well put a sign round her neck to announce her feelings for fuck's sake.
He stretched, making the tee ride up and expose his midriff, and Alice bit her lip. As if her overactive hormones needed any more encouragement. The tanned, steel hard abs she glimpsed made her mouth water, and she dug her fingernails into her skin to stop herself from showing her reaction. He didn't seem to notice her near salivating state, fortunately.
"The Dorchester," he said. "I keep a permanent suite there for my stays in town."
"You keep a permanent suite at The Dorchester?" Alice was aware that she must sound like a parrot, and no doubt looked like a goldfish as she hastily shut her mouth. He simply quirked an eyebrow at her, as though amused, and shrugged his impressive shoulders.
"Yes, it's simpler that way. I value my privacy, and the hotel staff caters to every need with quiet efficiency. No need to make life more complicated than it needs to be." He smiled again as she struggled for a suitable response. "The only downside is there is only one bedroom, but the bed is huge, so we needn't disturb each other unduly. Tomorrow, we'll fly to our destination, and you need not see me at all for the duration of our honeymoon, once we've given the papers the necessary photo opportunities, of course. So, you see, there is no need to fear the big, bad wolf. Your virtue is quite safe."
He didn't look at her as he grumbled the last few words, and Alice's heart sank.
"I see." Her curt response did make him look at her.
"What's the matter, sweet little Alice? A marriage in name only, that's what you signed up for—what you insisted on in fact. Why am I getting dagger looks at sticking to my side of the bargain? The last few days have complicated matters enough as it is, no need to change the rules now."
Alice couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Well, I am so sorry that my family is proving such a complication for you. And there was me thinking you actually liked Beth, and Mummy. Let me guess it was all an act? For whose benefit?"
A small muscle twitched in his jaw. Other than that he held himself perfectly still, as he watched her from under hooded eyes, and Alice wanted to thump him.
"Answer me, damn it!"
"Your mother was on the verge of a nervous breakdown, as it was. The last thing she needed was for me to add to the situation. I simply did what I do best. I took charge of the situation and sorted it as best I could. Bringing emotions into it just creates problems. Look at what happened when I changed the venue to include Beth. It damn well nearly killed her, and—"
He stopped abruptly and clamped his mouth shut, as though he'd said too much, but Alice caught a glimpse of the emotions swirling in his dark gaze, before the shutters were once again back in place. Her heart skipped like a new-born foal in hopeful little starts.
"What happened to Beth wasn't your fault, Lakota."
"Wasn't it? You heard what your mother said." He took his hairclip out and ran both his hands through his raven tresses in agitation, and Alice scooted across the seat to him until their thighs touched. A frisson of electricity tingled across her skin at the simple contact, and she bit back a nervous laugh. You're so doomed, girl.
He tensed and stared out of the window, but he did grasp her outstretched hand and squeezed her fingers briefly.
With his hair hiding his expression, Alice couldn't be sure of his reaction, but she drove on regardless.
"Mummy didn't mean it in that way. If you knew her better you'd know that. Our wedding was one of the happiest I've seen Beth in a long time. Mum would never hold that against you. This fucking illness is cruel, and unpredictable, and just plain unfair, and if I learnt one thing since Beth
fell ill, then it's to live in the moment."
Some of the tension left his big frame during her impassioned words, and Alice carried on babbling, suddenly desperate to make him see. Her family owed him too much to let him take the blame.
"If you want to blame anyone, then blame me. If I hadn't come up with this hare-brained scheme to sell myself, then none of us would be in this situation. Of course that would probably also mean that Beth might well not have been alive now, so, don't you dare take on the blame for this, do you hear me? I simply won't let you. Without you, well, without you…"
Her voice trailed off as Lakota focused his attention on her.
"I didn't do all that much, little Alice." He shrugged his shoulders. "It's only money, and lord knows, I have plenty."
"Still, you needn't have done what you did, and I appreciate it, truly I do. I … I just had to say that, that's all."
He tapped her nose with his forefinger, and the first genuine smile she'd seen that day lit up his chiseled features.
"No need to thank me, little Alice. Like I said it was only money, and I'm not quite the ogre the media makes me out to be. Let's just stick to the deal we made, and we'll both be fine. You're tired and overwrought, and what we both need is a good night's sleep. I guarantee, you'll get your perspective back come morning."
"I am not overwrought, and I don't need any fucking perspective." Alice positively growled her annoyance and swallowed past the lump in her throat.
Lakota sighed and framed her face in his large hands.
"So, what do you need, Alice?"
"You!"
Chapter Six
Lakota was in the hell of his own making, and he had no idea what to do. For the first time in his adult life, he didn't have a clue how to proceed. She wasn't behaving like she ought to, but then again when had she ever done so? From the minute Alice had walked her cute ass into his country home, she'd turned his life upside down, and made him feel things he had no business feeling.
The permanent ache in his groin he could deal with. The suspicious tightness in his chest that had him acting out of character was not so easy to ignore. When she'd made that astonishing announcement back in the limo, he'd been saved from a response by their arrival at The Dorchester. Forrester had opened the door and greeted them with his usual reserved dignity.
"Mr. Kemnay, Mrs. Kemnay, on behalf of The Dorchester and its staff let me extend my congratulations on your marriage. If you'll follow me, your usual suite is all prepared as to your instructions, Sir."
"Thank you, Forrester."
The butler had smiled at them, and if he had been surprised by Alice's open mouthed wonder at her surroundings, he'd hidden it well. In true unexpected Alice fashion she had recovered quickly and stuck her hand out to greet Forrester properly. After a hesitation so slight, even Lakota would have missed it, had he not been watching so closely, Forrester had shaken Alice's hand, and Lakota knew, this time, the butler's smile had been entirely genuine. He suspected Alice had just made a staunch ally without even realizing it.
She'd been quiet following that brief interlude, and when she'd slipped her hand in his, the slight tremble of her slim fingers had made him pull her flush against him.
They'd been ushered up to their suite with the minimum of fuss, all tedious formalities having already been taken care of by Forrester and his team, and Alice now stood on their private terrace taking in the spectacular views. He, on the other hand, had a hard time keeping his eyes off her ass. The ever present jeans she wore stretched over her behind as she leant forward in wonder and promptly reared back in horror.
"For someone who doesn't like heights, you sure like to torture yourself, little Alice." He chuckled as she turned round and stuck her tongue out at him.
"How could I not with that view."
Lakota had to agree, but it wasn't the view of Hyde Park that made him step closer. It was Alice's child-like enthusiasm that drew him like the moth to the flame until he had her caged against the railing. She released her white knuckled grip on the intricate railing and leant back against him with a small sigh.
"I guess I can see why you like staying here, but it still seems terribly extravagant to me, and I dread to think how you're going to top this for this honeymoon we're supposed to be going on."
"Curiosity killed the cat, little Alice."
She blew an affronted raspberry in response and elbowed him playfully in the stomach. He dodged the impact easily enough, and then tightened his hold on her.
"I meant what I said in the car, Lakota, you know. Distracting me with all this is all well and good, but I can be as stubborn as the next person." She wiggled in his arms until he took a step back, and she swung round to face him. "And Mummy would say curious is my middle name, so if you want me to stop talking, you will have to come up with another plan. Your money does not impress me much, Mister."
She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him, but she couldn't quite suppress the smile twisting her lips up.
A smile that slipped when he stepped back toward her, until he was so close he could see the little flecks of yellow in her eyes. Like unexpected rays of sunlight on a cloudy day they pulled him in, and he stopped fighting his body's needs.
"And how would you suggest I stop you from talking, sweet little Alice, like this?" He covered her mouth with his hand, and her eyes grew huge, as he pressed her back into the railing. Her hands clutched at his tee, and her back dangled over the railing, yet she didn't flinch. The trust in her eyes blew him away, and he pulled her up against him, so close that the he could feel her hard little nipples poke into his chest, and her heartbeat thundered under his fingertips.
She licked the palm covering her mouth, and he groaned his warning. "Alice, you're playing with fire. I'm trying to do the right thing here."
She stomped on his foot, and he released her.
"The right thing by whom, Lakota? If you don't want me just fucking say so. I'm a big girl. I can take it, but don't play me for a fool." She pushed him away and would have stomped past him, but he caught her ‘round the waist and pulled her back against him. He bent his knees and ground his raging erection into her ass cheeks.
"Does that feel as though I don't want you, little Alice? I'm so fucking hard for you, I ache. All I want to do is bend you over that railing and bury myself balls deep inside your sweet virgin pussy until we both can’t walk straight." He deliberately made himself sound crass. He wanted to scare her away, to make the decision for him, but instead of recoiling from him, she pushed against him and twisted her arms back to grab hold of his hair. She tugged his head down until his chin rested on her shoulder, and her scent filled his nostrils. Fresh, with the lightness of a summer breeze it tickled his senses, and he swore into her neck. A shudder went through her, and she tilted her head sideways to give him better access.
He licked the rapidly beating pulse point there, and her whimper of need shot straight to his balls.
"I want you, Lakota, you, and just you. I don't give a fucking damn about your money, or anything, all I know is that I'll explode if you don't fuck me right now … please."
He groaned at her breathless plea, and when he kissed his way up to her jaw he tasted the salt of her tears. It proved his undoing. He didn't even know it was possible to cry so soundlessly. He released her, and she stumbled, emitting a shriek of a surprise, when he swept her off her feet.
"Okay, sweet Alice, have it your way, but by God your first time will not be out here, and not like this."
****
His growled words settled straight into her heart and branded her soul. She clung onto his shoulders, and her stomach hollowed out at the determined expression on his face. He had her inside and on the soft covers of the bed in seconds. With his weight pinning her down and his dark eyes searching her expression, she couldn't move, didn't even dare breathe under his silent scrutiny, until he shifted slightly. Propped up on one elbow, he stretched his long frame alongside hers, and settled his
large, warm hand on her abdomen. His touch burned through her summer top, and sent tingles of awareness to her core, and still, he just studied her until she couldn't stand it anymore.
"Lakota?" Her voice was no more than a breathy whisper, and he smiled in answer.
"What's the hurry, sweet little Alice? Can a man not just enjoy watching his wife?" His voice dropped lower as he spoke, and his hand tightened on her tummy. He tucked the top up slightly until his fingers touched her bare skin, and she sucked in a breath when those questing digits touched the underside of her breasts. It was the lightest of touches, yet it set her alight from the inside out. A fresh wave of her essence coated her already sodden underwear, and she rubbed her thighs together to relieve some of that delicious ache building in her core.
He noticed, of course, and his hand trailed lower, back over her quivering tummy, down to where she needed him most. He tapped her mound slightly, and Alice squirmed, and pushed her hips upwards in a silent plea for him to do something.
"Stop trying to rush me, sweet little Alice. We have all night, and I intend to taste every inch of you."
A delicious shiver went through her at his whispered words, and his smile was sin itself. He slowly slid his hand back up over her quivering abdomen, until he cupped her breast. He ran his thumb over her nipple and murmured his approval when the little bud tightened further. With a wink at her he bent and sucked her nipple into his mouth through the fabric of her tee. The strong suction created by his lips made her gasp and squirm. She grabbed his silken hair and pulled him tighter against her needy body. He growled into her cleavage and pinched the neglected other nipple hard. Alice moaned her need as the sweet pain zinged straight to her clit.
"Oh, Lakota, please, please."
He released her nipple with a graze of his teeth, and her stomach hollowed out at the determined expression on his face.
"This needs to come off, little Alice. I want to see you."
The Billionaire's Unwanted Virgin Page 7