“I-I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, unsure of what else to say. “Maybe that’s because you haven’t mingled enough?”
I felt dumb after I’d said it but I could see she was sincerely wrestling with being where she was. The people weren’t helping her cause.
She didn’t answer and instead took a long sip of the white wine in her hand.
“Pinot?” I guessed. She eyed me warily.
“Yes.”
I turned to the bartender and ordered one for myself.
“I really should be getting home. I have a ton of work to do,” she told me and I was perplexed by the way she said it, like she owed me an explanation.
“I won’t try and stop you,” I replied lightly but I didn’t mean it. She wasn’t going anywhere until I got her name and number at the very least. She was confused by my response.
“Really?” she said in surprise. “Are you sure?”
I shrugged.
“I’m not a prison warden,” I told her, winking. Her face softened as she studied my face. “But I will be sorry to see you go.”
Her dark eyebrows rose and her mouth parted but instead of words, a short laugh escaped her mouth.
“Parties really aren’t my thing,” she murmured, looking down at her glass.
“Mine either,” I replied smoothly. “Let’s get out of here. It’s too noisy for me too.”
Her brow furrowed but she didn’t resist as I led her out of the house. I had to admit, I was stunned by how little resistance she put up. Maybe I’d read her wrong but as the scent of her perfume filled my nostrils, I felt myself growing more intoxicated by the minute.
We ended up by the pool house, away from the noise and other people. The mysterious lady peered at me with curious eyes.
“What are we doing out here? My car is the other way.”
I shrugged.
“Let’s just take a breather and then if you want to go, you can,” I offered lightly. “We haven’t really had a chance to talk, have we?”
Her mouth was agape but she only shook her head, cocking her chin to the side.
“I guess not,” she agreed. My body temperature rose drastically as the urge to touch her overwhelmed me.
“What do you want to talk about?” she asked finally, leaning back against the pool house and I gestured her to follow me inside. I found the key underneath the matt by the side door and we entered the air-conditioned unit together. I got a whiff of her subtle Chanel perfume as we entered the open-concept cottage and I quickly went around the house, closing the blinds. The last thing I wanted was to be interrupted. Something told me that it wouldn’t take much to turn this woman off.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her watching me and I wondered what was going through her mind.
“Why are you closing all the curtains?” she demanded. I finished and shrugged.
“Because I don’t want to be interrupted,” I replied honestly. “These people are locusts.”
A small smirk formed on her plump lips and she folded her arms over her firm breasts, pushing the swell of her cleavage higher.
God damn, she was sexy, the suspicion on her face only adding to her stoic allure.
The bulge in my pants was growing uncomfortable.
“I thought this was your party,” she said. “Why are you so eager to escape it?”
Oh. So she knew who I was. I wasn’t sure if that was good or bad considering I hadn’t introduced myself.
Through the veil of scorn in her charcoal stare, I thought I saw a gleam of interest flourishing too.
“This is more my brother’s kind of thing,” I replied, nodding toward the sofa. “You can sit down and relax. I know there’s a bottle of pinot chilling in the fridge.”
“I really shouldn’t.”
“Why not?” I asked, moving toward the fridge. “You’re already here. You may as well have a drink before you go.”
“I’ve had a drink and I’m driving.”
I had to laugh.
“Getting you home safely will not be an issue. We have drivers. What else you got?”
She looked at me blankly.
“Got?”
“Yeah. What other excuses are you going to throw at me?”
She scowled slightly.
“I’m not giving you excuses. I’m trying to be polite.”
I popped the cork and poured two glasses. By the time I rejoined her in the living area, she had resigned to sitting on the edge of the couch. She accepted the glass and took a long sip.
“Trying? Is it that hard to be polite to me?” I asked mockingly. She frowned and I immediately backed away. I didn’t want to scare her off, the realization stunning for me. When had I ever treaded so carefully with a woman?
But she had some kind of hold on me, one I didn’t fully understand but I wasn’t about to question it.
The more time I spent staring at her face, the more the urge to kiss her was overwhelming me.
I wondered what she would do if I tried. Would she smack my face? Push me away? Or would she succumb to it and let me explore the lines of her lips with my tongue?
Her eyes were luminous limpid pools or unshed yearning but what did she want?
She pressed the glass to her lips again and swallowed the liquid down in one final gulp before rising to her feet.
“I really do have to go,” she murmured without moving. She was waiting for me to make my move but inexplicably, I couldn’t do it.
There was an attraction between us but she wasn’t there for a one-night stand, I could somehow sense that. I couldn’t bring myself to touch her even though it felt like I was fighting it off with every fiber of my being.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“No kiss tonight?” she murmured, stepping closer and suddenly, my resolve dissolved and evaporated in one fell swoop. Maybe I’d just been waiting for the go-ahead.
“No,” I growled, reaching for her with such ferocity, she gasped. “I’ve got something better.”
4
Asha
I blamed it on the wine, the feeling of burning desire coursing through me when Adare swept me up in his arms and lifted me from the couch toward the breakfast counter. But I didn’t resist it, not for a second.
I couldn’t explain the reason I was immediately turned on by Adare tonight when the previous two had done nothing for me.
Of course he was gorgeous, there was no doubt about that but when he’d returned to find me inside the house, he seemed like a different person somehow.
There was a fire in his bright, green eyes I hadn’t noticed before and he seemed rougher than the clean-cut businessman I’d met three days earlier.
Even the hot kisses on my mouth felt different than the two almost dutiful, open-mouthed ones he’d landed on me over the last two dates.
No, something had changed in him, literally overnight and I liked it…even if it was vaguely worrisome.
The tight dress I’d donned for the party was flung from my body, exposing my taut nipples and Adare wasted no time grabbing at them with soft, warm hands. His mouth explored the curve of my neck, his breath emanating in uneven rasps, sending shivers cascading down my body.
The urgency in him seemed uncharacteristic but who was I to say anything about what was normal for him—I barely knew the guy, after all. Maybe this beast lapping at me with an eager tongue, his muscles rippling wildly as my nails splayed into his shoulders, maybe he was the real Adare Sphinx.
God, I hoped so.
He pushed me back onto my elbows, yanking my legs up around his shoulders and I tried to resist. One strong hand sat firmly over my chest as he raised his head to meet my eyes.
“Just relax,” he rasped. “I’ll take care of you.”
The words sent another wave of pleasure through me and his tongue lapped out to taste my damp center.
Oh, how I missed having my pussy licked and he did it so well. I moaned my approval and he scooped his huge hands under my ass to bring me upw
ard, deeper against his mouth.
Spreading my cheeks apart, his fingers toyed with my openings before his tongue spiraled inside my depth and I gasped in pleasure, shuddering against his skillful mouth.
I tried to pull myself up again, to watch him as he delved into my most intimate parts with a natural ability, like he’d known my body a thousand times before. His fingertips continued to dance around, kneading the cheeks of my ass and I could do nothing but lay back on the counter and clench my thighs against his face as the swell of an orgasm began to rise in my gut.
“Mmm,” he murmured, the reverberation bringing me exactly where I needed to be and in seconds, I was crying out, my own hands clenching as I released against him.
Even as I trembled, his lips suctioned over my throbbing clit, tongue flicking to ensure I reached the peak of my climax.
“Oh my God, yes…”
Suddenly, I was yanked down to floor level, spinning around before I could catch my breath and bent fully over the bar in only my heels.
With one hand on my breast, Adare’s other hand snaked around to play with my clit when his rock-hard cock pressed between my drenched cheeks.
I bucked against him, choking at the feel of his huge member. Surely that couldn’t all be him?
But when he eased himself in me, my breath was knocked out of me and I screamed out, the walls of my pussy seizing around him.
“Oh fuck,” he growled, pushing inside me, his breath hot on my neck. He went on forever, reaching inside me like I’d never felt before. This couldn’t be real. This was what porno films were made of.
And yet I couldn’t breathe by the time I felt the heat of his sack against my ass. God, it hurt so good and while he was trying to break me in slowly, I just wanted to be fucked, hard and fast.
I arched back, wincing again at the sheer size of him, wanting all of him in me. His hand squeezed my nipple, flicking at the skin and enacting the nerves. I was a bundle of endless sensations, drenched at the core, my cries becoming screams as his thrusts became long and endless.
I fell forward again, sweat forming between my breasts, under my arms, on my brow.
“Fuck me,” I managed to mewl although how I found my voice, I couldn’t say. I was floating up on the ceiling somewhere, watching my trembling form being taken like a wild animal and I couldn’t get enough.
His balls slapped against me and I wanted to spin around, to look at his face when he finally came but his hold on me ensured I was pinned between his solid body and the breakfast bar, taking his pounding until I felt like my legs were going to give out.
I was coming again, my voice raw from all the yelps of pleasure but from somewhere, I managed to let out a howl of delight.
“Ah…yes…”
Adare’s fingers worked faster against my clit and I came once, and twice. Only then did he release a low grunt of his own and like slippery bullets, I felt his hot seed shoot up inside me like an ambush.
My body fell forward as he melted into me and together we held onto one another, struggling to reclaim our breaths and ability to move.
Fuck.
I hadn’t expected that at all.
I hadn’t come there for that.
But I didn’t regret it either.
Slowly, Adare withdrew from me and I managed to turn so that my back rested on the bar as I looked at him.
He was so sexy, more so now that I could see what he could do with his tongue. Maybe this marriage wasn’t going to be as much of a burden as I had initially thought. Maybe he’d be good for something more than just kids.
I tried not to let myself get ahead of myself. After all, one tipsy night didn’t mean anything…did it?
“Should I pour us another glass of wine?” I offered and he looked at me as he slid his pants on over his perfectly sculpted hips.
Suddenly, I was hot for him again and I was embarrassed to realize it.
Had I ever been like that with anyone else before? I mean, I’d had sex after high school but I could hardly remember any of the experiences. I certainly hadn’t wanted to do anything but go home afterward and forget about them.
“Drink? What about all your work?” Adare teased me and I grinned, shrugging.
“I think it’s safe to say that this night is a write-off in terms of work.”
Adare snickered and wandered back toward me to wrap his strong arms around me and stare into my eyes.
“I’d love another drink,” he told me and I exhaled. I hadn’t even realized I’d been holding my breath.
I turned to look for my dress but Adare put his hand on the small of my back.
“Don’t,” he said. “I like you like this.”
I blushed slightly but nodded as I forsook the search for my clothes and wandered into the kitchen to find the wine before rejoining Adare in the living area. He was sprawled over the couch nonchalantly but his eyes were pinned on me. I could see the wheels of his brain turning but I couldn’t guess what he was thinking as I took a spot next to him.
I felt a little strange, pouring wine naked, donning only my heels and diamond brooch but Adare’s penetrating stare made me feel sexy, not weird and as I took another swig of my wine, I was beginning to relax around him.
I really never thought he had it in him.
“Why did you never make a move before?” I asked, more out of curiosity than anything. Honestly, before that night, I couldn’t have imagined having sex with him. I mean, he’d always been this gorgeous but there was something about him tonight that hadn’t been there before, something…hotter.
Adare sat up and eyed me.
“Before? Like inside the party?” he joked. “When did I really have the opportunity?”
I laughed.
“No…like yesterday or the day before. I guess it’s third date rule?” I chuckled.
Was that confusion in his eyes? He exhaled in a whoosh and sank back against the couch, his shoulders folding inward.
“I…” he started, seeming to consider his words. “I guess I didn’t think you wanted it before now…Asha.”
That was fair enough. He was probably right—I hadn’t exactly been putting out “come fuck me” vibes.
Suddenly, he sat back up and peered at me intently, his eyes boring into me.
“So, how are you handling this matchmaking?” Adare asked pointedly and I found myself stunned at the pointedness of the question. He’d danced around it before but never asked me so bluntly how I felt about the marriage.
In fact, we’d never even really discussed the marriage at all.
I’d thought he was waiting for me to say something but I guess he was just building up the nerve.
Although this version of Adare Sphinx didn’t seem to lack nerve in the least.
“I’m not really sure,” I replied slowly, honestly. “I’m not against it, if that’s what you mean.”
“Well that’s something. After all, this isn’t feudal England. I would hope you wouldn’t marry someone just because your father said so.”
Was he mocking me? It felt like it somehow although I couldn’t specifically say how.
“It’s the best for everyone,” I intoned, hating myself for sounding like my parents. “Isn’t that why you’re doing it?”
“I have my own reasons,” Adare replied elusively, winking at me. The answer gave me a warm flush.
He means me. I’m those reasons. Can he really have feelings for me this fast?
It seemed hard to believe but I couldn’t help but look at him differently now that we’d been intimate too.
I had a friend in Pinehaven who had mournfully said something to me, which I found painfully profound.
“You’ll do anything to keep good sex when you find it,” she’d said. “Good sex is worse than being in love. —you’ll put up with more bullshit. Trust me.”
I wondered if Adare was going to give me this problem, if I was already confusing lust for affection.
Who cares if you are? He’s going to be your
husband. It’s not like he’s going anywhere.
“Any thoughts on when we should tie the knot?” Adare asked and again, I was shocked by his forwardness. Maybe the liquor was loosening him up.
“We should probably announce our engagement first,” I chuckled. “Before all that.”
His brow furrowed slightly and he sat up like he’d just had an epiphany.
“Not necessarily,” he said slowly and I looked at him curiously.
“Not necessarily what?”
“We don’t need to announce our engagement,” Adare said, excitement forming in his voice. “We’re not getting married to appease the public. It’s a private matter, right?”
I didn’t know where he was going with this but I already didn’t like it.
“Yes…”
“Then there doesn’t need to be a big, time-consuming engagement or huge wedding, does there?”
“What are you saying, Adare?”
His eyes clouded, maybe by my tone of voice but he didn’t slow his train of thought.
“What if we just elope, Asha?”
I blinked at him. That was not what I was expecting. I had been expecting some big, elaborate plan to deceive everyone into thinking we were married but really that he was calling it off. Instead, he was recommending getting married—immediately.
“Are you sure you’d want to do that, Adare?”
He grimaced and met my eyes.
“I wouldn’t have suggested it otherwise.”
I didn’t know why but I felt like there was something I was missing, something I didn’t yet understand. Call it women’s intuition.
“But why are you suggesting it?” I insisted. “What difference does it make to you?”
Did he have some aversion to a girlfriend finding out about us? The idea sent a pang of jealousy through me but I shoved it aside.
Don’t be an idiot. A man like him probably has twenty girlfriends and thirty side-chicks. You’d be an ass to think otherwise.
But I didn’t want to think otherwise. I wanted to believe in this Adare, the one staring at me with so much desire in his eyes. I wanted him to be my exclusively.
Marrying the Wrong Twin: A Billionaire Marriage Mistake Romance Page 4