“I was hoping to claim the next dance,” he said, blue eyes locked on my face.
Sullivan’s arm went around my waist. He threaded his fingers with mine and lifted my left hand to show the man the four-carat diamond ring he’d surprised me with during our wedding. “You’re too late. I’ve already claimed them all.”
“Ah, sorry. My apologies,” the man muttered before turning on his heel to stalk away.
“Like I said earlier,” Sullivan growled as he tucked me into his side and led me to the exit. “You’re too damn beautiful.”
I laughed at his possessive display, earning me a dark glower as he practically dragged me to the waiting limousine. But my laughter dried up in my throat when the door shut behind us and the car pulled away from the curb. Strong fingers hiked the skirt of my dress up, and Sullivan lifted me onto his lap. Then he ripped my panties from my body and yanked the zipper of his pants down.
“You drive me so fucking crazy. Before you, I had control. But with you? I have none,” he growled. “Sex in the back of a limo isn’t my style. But here I am, yet again, so desperate to have you that I can’t wait until we get home.”
My hands grabbed at his shoulders for balance as he lined his cock up and pulled me down on his hard length. It felt different from the other times we’d had sex. It was somehow more intimate as the world passed us by while we were locked together in a passionate embrace.
“I’ve been thinking about this moment all day and night,” he groaned. “And it’s finally here. This is my reward for working so hard: my wife’s tight pussy wrapped around my cock.”
I sucked in a deep breath at his admission, stunned to hear that he thought of me that way. Then all thoughts scattered when he slid his finger between my butt cheeks. “Someday soon, this’ll be my reward instead.”
I gasped, my face filling with heat as he reminded me that I’d agreed to anal sex before we’d even met. I thought maybe he’d forgotten that part of the contract, but apparently not.
“Don’t freeze up, baby. I promise I’ll make it good for you when I get in there,” he murmured in my ear, sliding his hand between our bodies and circling his thumb over my throbbing clit.
My walls fluttered around him, and I moaned, “Feels so good.”
I kissed him as I rocked my hips, his thumb working my clit as his hard length dragged in and out of my tight clutch. His other hand was at my hip, guiding my movements as I began to lose control.
“That’s right, baby. Use my cock to make yourself come. Let me feel that tight pussy squeeze the fuck out of me until I have to force my way back inside.”
His filthy words set me off. He wrapped my hair around his fist and held my gaze as I flew apart, not letting me look away. I felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed, but it was worth it to watch his face as he drove up into me. His hazel eyes darkened with passion, his cheeks filled with a ruddy color, and a muscle jumped in his jaw. He’d never looked sexier than the moment he lost all control and growled my name.
“Kinsley!”
His body shook beneath mine as he filled me with his hot come. My breath caught in my throat at the depth of emotion in his gaze, and then the moment was broken when he closed his eyes. But it didn’t stop me from feeling a rush of emotion as he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I was overwhelmed by the depth of it, stunned into silence as my brain caught up to my heart and put a name to it…love.
Somehow, I’d broken the first rule in the deal I’d made with my husband, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it.
…
One night later, I still hadn’t wrapped my head around the idea that I was falling in love with Sullivan. Dinner with his parents had been delicious, but I’d barely tasted it, since I was in a daze. I also hadn’t contributed much to the conversation because I’d barely been able to follow along.
“Kinsley.”
My head jerked up at the bite in Sullivan’s tone when he said my name. Everyone was staring at me, and I blushed when I realized I’d completely zoned out. “Sorry. What?”
“Nothing important, dear,” his mom answered. “Could you help me with dessert while the men talk business?”
“Sure.”
I felt Sullivan’s gaze follow me as I left the table and went into the kitchen with his mom, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t, not without blurting out the three little words I knew he didn’t want to hear from me.
“You look like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders,” Lynn said after she pulled a gorgeous white chocolate raspberry cheesecake out of the fridge. It had my mouth watering for a slice. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks, but everything’s okay. I think I’m still on Australian time or something.” I crept my fingers along the counter toward the dessert. “But if you’d like to give me a little taste of that before we feed the guys, I definitely wouldn’t say no.”
“Go ahead,” she laughed, slicing a big wedge and putting it on a plate she slid my way. “Us girls have to stick together.”
I took the fork she handed me and used it to shove a big bite of cheesecake into my mouth. It wasn’t exactly ladylike, but Lynn and I were family now, and I wanted a taste too badly to care about manners. Lucky for me, she didn’t seem to mind, since she grabbed herself a slice, too, and stood there eating it with me at the counter. It was nice, a bonding moment between the two of us as we ate pilfered cheesecake without the guys knowing.
“No matter how much a couple is in love, adjusting to married life isn’t easy.”
My mother-in-law sure did know how to hit straight to the heart of girl talk, but there was no way in hell I was ever going to complain to his mom about our relationship. Not when my role was to convince her how much in love we were with each other.
“It’s not that.” I licked the crumbs off my fork and waved it toward the kitchen door. “Things with Sullivan are great.”
“You can deny it all you want, but it’s obvious that something’s on your mind. I’m a mom, honey. You can’t pull the wool over my eyes.”
I was surprised when I blurted, “It’s my brother. He’s had spine issues for years and had surgery about a week after the wedding.”
“Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Has he taken a turn for the worse? Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I have him set up at an amazing rehab facility that’s taking excellent care of him. His progress has been great,” I explained. “I think I’ve just spent so much time worrying about him that it’s become a habit. Now that he was able to get the surgery he needed after we thought it was impossible because the insurance company was dragging their feet on approving it, I’m going to need to get used to worrying about him less.”
“I can’t believe Sullivan rushed you into a wedding and swept you away for a three-week honeymoon in Australia when your brother needed you home. That boy of mine, I hope you can teach him how to slow down and enjoy life instead of barreling ahead with all of his focus on work.”
“I’m sure she will, but I’m going to have to teach my wife to open up to me about important things going on in her life first.”
I swiveled around and found Sullivan standing in the kitchen doorway, staring at me with a mixture of stunned shock and relief in his hazel eyes. Apparently, the conversation I needed to have with him about my brother was going to happen sooner rather than later.
Chapter Seven
SULLIVAN
I searched Kinsley’s face as she stared back at me, wide-eyed. She looked a little panicked, but I didn’t see any signs that she was lying.
“Well, um…I’ll give you two a minute,” my mother murmured. She grasped Kinsley’s hand as she passed her and gave it a gentle squeeze. Then she patted my shoulder and whispered, “I like her, so don’t chase her away.”
Once we were alone, I stepped fully into the room and walked to Kinsley’s side. “Why didn’t you tell me about your brother?”
She cringed and looked past me, but I wasn’t about to let her get away with avoidance. I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger and forced her to look into my eyes.
“It wasn’t your burden, it was mine. I handled it like I do everything else in my life. On my own.”
“Kinsley,” I sighed, “that’s part of being married. You don’t have to deal with everything alone anymore.” The words were out of my mouth before I could think about them. I realized it was true…I wanted her to lean on me. I wanted to be the one she turned to for help and support. And not just financially.
Speaking of financially…
“The money you asked for when we signed the contract. That was for your brother’s operation?”
She nodded, and enormous relief swept through my body. I almost staggered from the lifted pressure. It seemed I hadn’t been aware just how much the idea of her marrying me for selfish gain had bothered me. It made sense when I thought about it, though. My feelings for her were growing intense, and the deeper I fell, the more I feared I was going to get hurt.
I’d tried to go back to just business after that special day on our trip, but I simply hadn’t been able to. I was addicted, and soon, I wasn’t going to be able to put off analyzing all of the emotions Kinsley inspired in me.
“I didn’t know what would happen with us along the way, and I needed to make sure that he was taken care of first. My brother is my only family. He means everything to me,” she admitted softly.
My fingers on her chin gentled, and I lowered my face to brush my lips over hers. “He’s not your only family, baby. I can understand why you didn’t trust me in the beginning, but I hope from now on, you’ll let me help. Are you sure he’s in the best rehab facility? Does he have a private room and nurse? Should I make some calls and—”
Kinsley’s lips cut off my rambling when she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me hard. I barely had time to participate before she’d torn herself away from me and backed up until she hit the kitchen island behind her. She put a hand on each of her flushed cheeks, and her blue eyes were a little bashful, despite being full of passionate fire.
“I’m sorry, I can’t believe I just did that. We’re at your parents’ house, and I’m sure you don’t want me mauling you like that. I should have better control like you—”
“Fuck that,” I growled as I prowled over to her. I pulled her in close and crashed my mouth down on hers. Her body was plastered to mine, and I quickly lifted her up onto the counter so I could wrap her long, lithe legs around my waist. “I don’t seem to have any control where you’re concerned,” I mumbled. “And it’s sexy as fuck to see you lose it too.”
“Why don’t you kids—oops!”
Kinsley and I broke apart, and I spun around just in time to see the back of my mother’s head as she once again disappeared from the kitchen. When I twisted back around, Kinsley had her hands over her mouth, and though she looked a little mortified, her blue eyes were dancing with mirth.
“Well, that hasn’t happened since I was a teenager,” I muttered drily. At that, Kinsley lost it and burst into hysterical laughter. It was contagious, and I found myself joining in, leaning heavily on the counter next to her and trying to catch my breath.
“How will I ever face your mom again?” she giggled.
“By pretending it never happened?” I suggested with a smirk. “At least she’s most likely convinced that we are madly in love.”
Kinsley’s laughter died quickly, and she nodded before hopping off the counter. “True. Mission accomplished, I guess.”
Shit. That hadn’t come out right. But…it was accurate. We weren’t in love. Right?
She gave me a small smile, and I frowned at the way it didn’t reach her eyes. “Oh, and about the whole pretending to be married thing.”
“We are married, Kinsley Bradford,” I snapped.
“Right, I meant pretending to be—um—you know, in love and all that.” She shuffled her feet and clasped her hands in front of her nervously. “I was hoping you’d agree to keep up the same pretense around my brother.”
“You didn’t tell him the truth?” I asked curiously. I adjusted myself as discreetly as possible, then stuck my hands in my pockets to keep from grabbing her and kissing her again. I wanted to see the light of fire in her eyes again.
“No, I made something up about having met you at work and knowing right away we were meant to be together…blah, blah, blah. I didn’t think he would have agreed to take the money and have the surgery otherwise.” She shrugged and watched me for a response.
“Sure.”
Her face softened. “Thanks.”
A knock on the kitchen door startled us, and I rolled my eyes at my nosy mother’s tactics. “What can we do for you, Mother?”
Her blond head poked around the corner, but her eyes were tightly shut. “Are you two decent?”
Kinsley’s face was red as a tomato, and I couldn’t help laughing. She stuck her tongue out at me before turning to face my mom.
“I’m so sorry, Lynn. That was inappropriate and—”
“Nonsense!” my mother declared with a chuckle. Then she smiled coyly and patted her perfectly coiffed hair. “Malcolm and I have certainly been caught with our hair down, so to speak, a time or two in our early days.”
I groaned and scrubbed my hands over my face. “Early days,” I scoffed. “I wish you’d gotten it out of your system then. Franny and I are both scarred from walking in on you two…ugh, never mind. I don’t want to think about it.”
“Oh! Right, that’s what brought me in here. Frances, Paul, and the kids stopped by.” Then she slipped her arm around Kinsley’s waist and led her away while chattering on about my sister and her family.
I waited a few more moments to make sure everything was…soft, before following them to the large, open living room with rows of windows that overlooked Park Avenue.
“Uncle Suwiven!” my two-year-old niece, Lenora, screamed as soon as she saw me and came barreling toward me.
“Hey, munchkin!” I bent and caught her as she ran into my arms, then swung her around and settled her on my hip. “How’s my beautiful girl?”
Lenora started to babble, with only around a quarter of what she was saying actually understandable. I gave her appropriate reactions, but my attention drifted to the women standing by the window.
My mother and Franny were chatting with Kinsley, who was holding my baby nephew, Peter. There was a glow about her that was impossible to miss as she stared down into the sleeping face of the baby.
Franny smiled and rubbed her swollen belly before taking a seat on the nearest upholstered chair. “You’re a natural.”
My mother threw me a sly and slightly smug smile. I shook my head and gave her a warning glare. The last thing I needed was for her to start badgering me and Kinsley for kids. I didn’t want Kinsley to change her mind about having kids when I wasn’t willing to budge on the issue.
At just that moment, Kinsley glanced in my direction, and her face softened as she watched me interact with Lenora. Peter started to fuss, and she turned back to him, cooing and gently soothing him.
The world went fuzzy for a second and when it cleared, suddenly I didn’t see Kinsley standing there holding my nephew. She was cradling a little baby girl with her mother’s dark hair and blue eyes. One that looked just like Kinsley but with the smallest hint of Bradford in her features.
I frantically shook my head to dispel the image. Where the fuck had that come from?
“You’ve been awfully quiet since we left your parents’ house,” Kinsley murmured. “Are you alright?”
I was standing in my home office, nursing a tumbler of scotch and staring out the window, deep in thought. “Yes. Sorry, I’m just distracted”—I took a swig of the alcohol and enjoyed the slow burn. Then I threw her a blank smile—“with work stuff,” I lied. “You go ahead and go to bed.”
“Okay. If you’re sure.” She took a step forward, but then seemed to chan
ge her mind and stopped abruptly. “Goodnight.” She was gone before I could say it back.
I turned back to the view without really seeing it. The truth was that I couldn’t stop thinking about everything that had happened today, from finding out about her brother to the extremely bizarre mirage of her holding our child.
When we returned to New York, I was sure that what I’d been experiencing in Australia had been nothing more than being caught up in the newness of marriage and being in an exotic place. But I still found myself stopping to think about Kinsley throughout the day and eager to return home to her at night.
Kline hadn’t said anything, but I was wondering how long it would take him to speak up and accuse me of being unfocused and tell me that work wasn’t getting done.
Despite my worries over letting things at work slip through the cracks, I found myself bombarded by the most disturbing thoughts. I was imagining Kinsley, round with my child. Christmases with our little family in a house upstate. Family vacations and second honeymoons. Growing old together and grandkids.
Normally, these types of contemplations would have me losing my shit. But here I was, spinning them around in my head and wondering at their validity. Did I feel more for Kinsley than I thought I would? Could I love her? Could I possibly be considering a home and family, going against what I’d explicitly spelled out in our contract?
I decided to put it all out of my mind, and the best way I could think of to do that was to lose myself in my wife. After setting my now-empty tumbler in the kitchen sink, I made my way to our bedroom. Kinsley was dressed in a silky nightgown, sitting on the side of the bed, rubbing lotion into her arms.
She glanced up when she noticed my presence and smiled softly. I walked over and took her hands, lifting her to her feet. She was so fucking gorgeous; it took my breath away. I was as ravenous for her as always, but for some reason, my movements were slow and unhurried.
I undressed her, leaving trails of kisses behind, then laid her on the bed and brushed my lips over every spot I might have missed. My hands glided over her body, reveling in the softness of her skin and the trail of goose bumps that followed my path.
Bought for Marriage (Bought by the Billionaire Book 1) Page 5