Anna, she realized – Harrison’s trusted business admin. Anna knew almost as much about Harrison’s business as he did himself. She had been there with him from the time he had started out. She had been his first employee, and now she was his most important.
Leigh liked Anna, with her wisdom and her experience, and her way of never being shaken by anything. The conversation looked serious, thought Leigh, but that was nothing surprising. Harrison would be out of town for a week – that much, at least, she had been told – on their honeymoon.
Of course Harrison would have lots of details to take care of. It was no surprise.
She didn’t have such pressures. She and Roger had managed to get things set up, but she was still a fresh graduate. She wasn’t handling any cases solo and she had planned for the wedding knowing that she might not be able to take time off like that after she really started working.
Roger wasn’t at the wedding. He had been invited, but he hadn’t been able to make it. At least, that’s what he had told her. Leigh had a feeling that he wouldn’t want to leave Mia, his gorgeous wife, for longer than he wanted to.
Besides, they had a kind-sorta history that might have made it a little awkward, though she hoped that they were past that. They were colleagues, partners, and friends, weren’t they?
Leigh was more than happy that Roger had found happiness with Mia.
But there was a nagging feeling in Leigh that there was more to it than routine business, from how Harrison’s eyebrows drew together in that frown, and the way his shoulders seemed so tense. Anna, too, looked so serious. Could something be wrong at work?
Surely Harrison would’ve talked to her if something had really been wrong at work? They shared their problems with each other. They didn’t keep secrets from each other.
Of course they didn’t.
“This is frustrating, Anna,” said Harrison, his frown deepening.
“We’ll handle it, Harrison. It’s nothing we haven’t been prepared for.”
“I know. But I prefer it when contingency plans are not used. You know that, Anna. It means that our planning wasn’t meticulous enough.”
Anna nodded, calm and serene as usual, but Harrison knew her. She was worried, too.
“Jonathan Glades seems to be quite capable.”
Harrison nodded, agreeing.
“Yes, he’s one of the most gifted coders I’ve ever seen. He anticipates problems and comes up with solutions faster than I do.”
That was a rare admission. It was just as rare for that admission to be necessary. Harrison was used to being the best.
“Not quite, Harrison. You make sure that the solutions are written into the original code when you work on it personally.”
Anna’s loyalty made him smile. She would always be there for him, on his side. That would never be in question.
“You would say that, Anna. But I’ve been delegating, as you told me that I should, if you remember.”
Anna’s smile was affectionate, softening the lines of worry that were beginning to appear around her mouth, at the corners of her eyes.
“I’m glad you listened to me, for once. Your bride looks beautiful. And a little worried.”
Harrison glanced up and saw that Leigh was, indeed, looking at him.
“She might be wondering if I’m using the honeymoon as an excuse to set up a new offshore operation.”
Anna chuckled. Harrison always felt like a proud schoolboy when he made Anna laugh. She was always serious and usually right.
“Well, she should be happy with it. Though knowing Leigh, I don’t suppose she’s happy about being surprised.”
“That’s an understatement. She has gone to work on everybody trying to figure out where we’re going. Nobody’s given her anything. She’s a bit disgruntled.”
“The arrangements are all in place. I’m sure Leigh will be happy once you’re there. She’s a beautiful woman, Harrison. And a strong one. You’ll have to get used to listening to more than one woman in your life.”
Harrison glanced at Anna, surprised. She didn’t usually tell him anything that personal without prompting. But it was his wedding. Maybe they didn’t have to stand on formality so much. After all, both of them knew that Harrison would be lost without Anna’s iron hand, and her dependability. When it came to running an operation, Anna was gifted.
“I’m getting used to it. Slowly, but steadily. Leigh will make sure of it, anyway.”
Anna smiled again, swiftly.
“Then make her the center of your attention for the next week. I know you’re worried about the game, but believe me, we can handle any problems. Even if this project seems to be having more problems than most. I’ll be spending the week vetting personnel a bit more thoroughly. We’ve had a couple of people quit. There might be a problem in the team. But we’re still on schedule.”
Harrison nodded again, and went on to say what he knew Anna would never approve of, but he was the boss.
“Anna, I’ll be available on my personal number if there is more trouble with this. I want to be kept in the loop.”
Anna’s lips tightened, but she nodded.
“If you insist, Harrison.”
Using his first name was a good sign. Anna always called him Mr. Bloom when she disagreed.
“I do. Now please, enjoy yourself. I should go back to my bride. I wouldn’t want to start our marriage sleeping on the couch!”
Not much chance of that, thought Anna wryly as Harrison walked away, back to Leigh.
Chapter 2
Leigh had been delighted to see the rattling cans and the sign on the limo. So the tabloids would get those photos, after all – just not of them, since the windows were definitely tinted.
Saying goodbye had been oddly emotional. It wasn’t as if she was moving out of her parents’ home as a blushing bride or anything, after all! Still, she was beginning to see that perhaps there was something more to the symbolism of marriage than the legal contract she had insisted it was.
It changed things, somehow. Well, she would have a lifetime to figure it out.
So she embraced the moment that would never come again and settled in the back of the limo, and waited for Harrison to put his phone away. He was frowning. She knew by that line between his eyebrows that something wasn’t right.
But he had so many businesses, so many balls in the air at all times, that it wasn’t surprising. Taking a week off was nearly impossible for him, she knew that.
As if he heard her thoughts, he looked up at her and smiled. The frown faded, vanishing as if it had never been, and he set his phone aside, though not without all hesitation.
She could forgive the hesitation, considering that he wouldn’t be on it much for a week now. She planned to keep him so busy that he wouldn’t give work another thought. That was a challenge, but Leigh figured she was up to it.
“Ready to go?”
Leigh huffed, annoyed.
“I am, apparently. I don’t even know what’s been packed. I don’t know what’s in the overnight bag, and I don’t know what’s in the suitcase. What if I’m being used as a pack mule to move drugs, hmm?”
Leigh brandished her overnight case, disgruntled. She would’ve brandished the suitcase, too, if it hadn’t been stowed in the trunk already. Both had locks and she didn’t have the key. Even her outfit had been laid out for her by Martha – a nice sheath dress with ankle-length boots, all in a charcoal grey that could’ve meant anything. The coat was long and warm, but not too warm. She assumed they weren’t going skiing, which was probably a good thing, since she didn’t feel like spending her honeymoon slaloming down any hill.
It was like they had checked for loopholes and plugged every single one of them, making sure that she wouldn’t have a single clue to follow. Oh, she knew that they meant well.
Still, she wanted to make it very clear that she resented having all control taken out of her hands.
“You are beautiful when you’re angry.”
; Leigh’s eyes narrowed as she glared at Harrison, who was looking at her as if she were a kitten have a hissy fit.
“Oh, we could end up having a honeymoon you’ll never forget, but not for the reasons you hope,” she hissed, making him chuckle again.
“I’m amusing you, am I?”
“Leigh, do you trust me?”
Leigh sulked.
“That’s very unfair. You’re pulling out all the aces now, already. You’d do better to wait till we’re a couple of years into our marriage before getting out the big guns.”
Harrison laughed, delighted with her as always.
“I don’t know if I’m horrified or glad that you’re so bad at poker that you don’t know how to build a metaphor around it – I should be horrified, you’re a lawyer – but fair enough. I promise you that you will love it, and in a couple of hours, you will be so happy with where we are that you won’t even remember you were mad. It’ll be the best of surprises. You’ll have excellent network so you can check in with Roger, and that black bikini you’ve been sighing over and clicking on so often that the cookies drove the price up is packed in that suitcase. As for the rest of it, you trust Emily and Hana, right?”
Leigh had to smile, though reluctantly.
“There you go, pulling out the big guns again,” she grumbled, but she couldn’t keep up even the pretense of annoyance.
“Come here,” said Harrison, and Leigh laughed as she moved to him, cuddling up against him as he pulled her closer to him.
“You are so beautiful. When you walked down the aisle to me, I thought my heart would explode.”
Leigh thought her heart would explode from the love she felt for him. She hadn’t known she could feel so much.
“What about other parts of you?” asked Leigh, mischievous and giddy with happiness, pressing herself against him. This time, it wasn’t just for the closeness. It was for him to feel the fullness of her slim body against his hard length.
The gleam in his eyes told her that he got the picture.
“Impatient, aren’t you?”
“Aren’t you?” she asked, and turned her face up to his, confident in her expectation of that kiss that she knew he needed just as much as she did.
“Leigh,” he breathed, and kissed her, so softly and tenderly, as if she was everything to him. As if he was determined to cherish her and protect her, as he had vowed to do.
But she wanted more than that. She wanted him to need her, to look at her as he had when they had danced together.
“Touch me, Harrison,” she whispered, her hand undoing a button on his shirt nimbly and sliding underneath, seeking the heat of his skin.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” he groaned, as he kissed her again, his hand moving over her body as his lips parted and his tongue slid between her eager, welcoming lips into her mouth to stroke along hers, to tease and tantalize until she could hardly breathe.
His heart beat so hard against the palm of her hand. She stroked him, moving her fingers until she found his hard, small, male nipple, and flicked it gently with her nail as she knew he loved. He groaned again and his teeth closed on her lower lip, tugging softly. His hand stroked up her torso to cup her breast and stroke it, tease it softly and gently, as if he would pleasure her until she begged him to take her.
She was so close to begging him already.
“Harrison…”
To her disappointment, he moved away from her. Her eyes were still cloudy with desire as she looked at him, hurt and confused.
“We’re at the airport. We’ll be off soon.”
Sanity and common sense returned to Leigh.
“Oh, right. Of course. I kind of lost track of that.”
Harrison’s grin could only be described as a smug leer, thought Leigh as their door was opened.
Leigh wasn’t really surprised to see that they were at what looked like a small airstrip, and a small private jet was waiting for them.
“A day in the life of,” murmured Leigh, knowing he couldn’t hear her. They were escorted on board and Leigh looked around at the small but luxurious plane. There was a small bedroom – an actual bedroom on a plane – and what looked like a living area with extremely comfortable chairs with seatbelts. She was half dazed as the pilot introduced herself and her copilot, and the in-flight staff fussed over them as they strapped themselves in.
“They didn’t tell us where we’re going.”
“They know it’s a surprise, too,” said Harrison, but Leigh couldn’t even keep up the pretense of being annoyed anymore. It was all too perfect. She really was being whisked away on an adventure that she was pretty sure she would love.
Leigh had meant to get Harrison into the bedroom with her and start their honeymoon in grand style, but she fell asleep before she could. She only realized she had fallen asleep when she felt herself being shaken awake gently by Harrison.
“Look out,” he said, and when she did, she saw what looked like endless blue waters, sparkling as if the wind gods had scattered diamonds and sapphires over the undulating waves. The waters were dotted with islands that looked like her idea of paradise – green, with golden sands, and waters that became turquoise around the beaches.
“So, bikinis, I guess,” said Leigh, a little weakly.
“See that one? The one that looks a little like an eggplant?”
Leigh nodded.
“That’s your wedding gift.”
Leigh turned to Harrison, her eyes wide in disbelief.
“I got you an engraved watch,” she blurted out.
“And I got you an island. Good thing it’s not a competition, because I’d lose – you gave me endless time with your love, and I only gave you an island.”
Leigh smiled, charmed as ever. Harrison had a way about him, no doubt about that.
“Thank you. I shall be gracious and let you vacation on my island with me.”
Harrison threw his head back and laughed, delighted with Leigh as he knew he always would be.
“That is very gracious of you. We need to get a few signatures done before it’s actually yours, but we can take care of that when you’re inclined to do so. Now, buckle up, we’re landing.”
Leigh nodded, but she couldn’t help looking out, her eyes glued to the island, so beautiful and perfect. If she squinted a little, she decided, it looked a bit like a dick, too, not an eggplant.
She would tell Harrison that later. At the moment, he might be a bit offended if she compared his generous wedding gift to a dick.
“Are we landing on my island?”
“No, we’re landing on a bigger island and taking a seaplane to our – I mean, your island. There’s no airstrip big enough for landing on it.”
An island, thought Leigh, as it got larger, and they got closer and closer. She, Leigh Wells – she hadn’t changed her name, and didn’t mean to – owned an island. How about that!
Leigh was impatient as they landed on a larger island – the Caribbean, at least she got that much – and moved to the seaplane, which apparently also belonged to Harrison. Maybe she should get around to figuring out just how rich he was.
The thrill as they touched down in a spray of water made Leigh laugh in sheer happiness. As they were taken to the shore, she looked around, and decided that it was perfect.
“I can see you love it. We have a house here. It’s fully staffed. We’ll have everything we need, and complete privacy.”
“I like the sound of that,” she told Harrison. Complete privacy sounded good, thought Leigh a little wickedly.
The house – she decided it was a bungalow – was charming, old-fashioned and made her feel like a princess. When they walked upstairs to the bedroom, she decided that she was indeed a queen.
Turning to Harrison, she smiled.
“Now that we’re alone, how do you feel about starting our honeymoon as we mean to go on?”
Harrison’s smile was wicked.
“I suppose I must earn my keep while we’re here on you
r island.”
“That’s the idea. You can start by getting me naked and making me scream your name until I have no breath left to say a word.”
“Leigh…”
“I need you, Harrison. Whether we’re on an island or in a cheap motel or in the back seat of a car, I’ll need you just as much every time.”
Harrison was the one who was left breathless by the open desire in her eyes, by the way she shrugged off her coat and pulled down the zip of her dress, how she slipped it down her body and shimmied out of it.
She stood there, wearing ivory lace panties and bra, stockings and heels, and Harrison thought she looked like a goddess who could choose to give you all of your desires, or strike you down, depending on her whim.
And she belonged to him.
As much as he belonged to her.
“Leigh.”
His voice was hoarse, as if his throat had gone dry. He needed her more than he could believe, more than he could’ve imagined it possible to need somebody. He should’ve been used to it. But every time it hit, it was a shock to his system.
Would that ever change? Would his hunger to have her, to own her, to make her his, ever fade?
The sun might as well stop rising, thought Harrison, as he walked towards her, drawn to her as if he couldn’t stop himself.
He wouldn’t have if he could.
“Leigh, you’re so beautiful.”
The pink of the setting sun’s rays streamed in through the window and washed over Leigh, making her glow. She was the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life.
“Show me.”
Harrison’s fingers fumbled with unexpected nerves as he shrugged off his jacket, undid the buttons of his shirt. Leigh watched as he shed his clothes, as he pulled off his pants, kicked off his shoes and socks, and came to her, wearing only the boxer briefs that fit so snugly over him, riding low on his hips.
Leigh’s heart beat faster, a little wilder, as she watched him. She loved the look of him, the hardness of him, how toned and lean he was. She loved how he moved, how he looked at her, how his hands…
She knew what those hands could do to her and she wanted them on her. She needed to feel them on her.
Our Happily Ever After: BWWM Interracial Romance Black Women White Men (That Forbidden Love Book 3) Page 2