“Don’t, Britt!” He looks at me with hurt in his eyes, but I’m sure he’s learned how to use that look to end many an argument.
“How many?” I ask again as I stop squirming and look very hard into his eyes.
I wish I had a lie detector for this man!
“None. Not anyone. Crap, Baby. I didn’t even want kids or to settle down until I saw your face again. That’s the truth. Now can you stop jumping to terrible conclusions? It’s kind of exhausting.”
“Exhausting?” Oh, now I’m really mad. “Let me go.”
He eases his grip on me but doesn’t let me go until I pull my leg back like I’m about to give him a knee to the crotch. Then he lets me go and I turn away from him and start making my way back to the stairs to go inside.
He can sleep outside on the damn porch for all I care. But knowing Jason, he’ll find some woman on vacation here and sleep in her comfy bed for the night.
“Britt, stop!” he shouts at me. “Really, stop! Look ahead of you!”
A man and woman walk out onto their deck not too far from me and they point to a place ahead of me. The woman says in a very calm voice, “You should slowly come this way.”
Then I see it. A large fin in the water and it’s coming toward me. I’m frozen as I watch it coming at me. Not very fast but straight at me.
Hands move over my waist and I’m hoisted up and thrown over a shoulder. A broad shoulder, Jason’s shoulder. My body is out of the water entirely as he moves toward the stairs to the other couple’s bungalow.
The fin is still coming right at us and then I shriek as another fin pops up next to it, “Hurry! There’s another one!”
“I think they’re nurse sharks,” the lady says.
I don’t care what kind they are. They have teeth. Lots of teeth and they seem to be interested in us.
Just as Jason climbs up on the first step, I see the faces of the sharks. He gets up three more and I see them swim right where we just got out of the water at the bottom of the stairs.
He gets to the top and puts me down and wraps his arms around my shaking body. “Are you okay, Honey?” he asks me.
I nod but I’m kind of not okay. I’m kind of shaken up. And I’m kind of really glad he’s here, holding me tight and I feel safe.
The woman says, “I don’t think they meant to hurt you. Just curious creatures, really.”
Jason laughs a little. He lets me go and turns me around so I can see the sharks from up a higher and much safer distance. I watch them swimming around the lagoon and I guess they do seem curious.
“How big would you say they are?” I ask.
The lady rattles off, “The male is about five feet and the female next to him is about four. Nothing huge in shark terms.”
“I think they look about ten feet long,” I say and wrap my arms back around Jason. “Let’s go inside.”
We start to walk away and the woman says, “Night time is when they feed. It’s not a good idea to be in the water after dark.”
Jason looks back at her. “Yeah, we won’t be making that mistake again. Good night.”
The other couple goes back inside as we walk over to our bungalow and go inside. His fingers move quickly and the strings on my top and bottoms are undone and the skimpy material falls away from my body.
I’m spun around in his arms as he moves us back to the bed. “I need you.”
With one swift push, I’m on my back and his swimming trunks hit the floor. His face is pure, unadulterated want for me. It comes back to my mind that I was mad at him only minutes ago and shouldn’t be having sex with him right now.
But he’s kind of hot and sexy as hell and he said he needs me so I think I’ll let that little argument go. I can’t recall what it was about, anyway.
His eyes are glued to me as he pounces on me. His arms go behind my knees as he pulls them up then presses his already erect cock into me. It goes deep and stretches me out quickly.
It burns a little in the best way. “Jason!”
“Brittany, I love you. I love only you. I want only you.” He’s intense and seems so sincere.
Again, I feel a little like I’m being brainwashed. He’s making me feel so damn good and saying the right things. The argument has been avoided. All things are going his way.
I’m not sure how he accomplishes getting his way all the time. I guess he’s very practiced at it.
His mouth crashes down on mine and it takes my breath away as he thrusts hard and kisses me hard too. My body goes into animal mode with him and I buck under him to make our bodies collide harder.
Grunts and other animal-like noises fill the little bedroom. Cool air drifts in through the open windows and the sound of water gently lapping at the legs of the pier combine with the sounds we’re making.
I think the sounds, smells, and emotions will reside in my brain forever. Every time with Jason is memorable. Through the three years we were together we made love countless times. All have parts in my memory bank.
Maybe what we have is real. Maybe I’m being too hard on the guy. Maybe I need to lighten the fuck up.
His mouth leaves mine as he pounds into me. “I’m about to fill you up with my seed.”
His words make me want to laugh but his demeanor makes me hot as hell for him. I’m not sure what to do. It seems this guy is determined to make a baby with me.
Fuck it! I’m tired of resisting. “Do it! Let’s have a baby!”
The sound he makes is one of joy mixed with some kind of an animal and the next thing I know he’s going stiff inside me and his cock jerks. The action makes my body start climaxing and I guess this is what it feels like to give it all up.
Light seems to come from him as I look at him. My head is kind of loopy like I’m a little drunk. I assume because I’m shutting my brain down.
No more thinking. It’s done. I can’t take any of it back.
Then it hits me. He can’t take anything he’s done back either. And I find myself being a damn hypocrite again.
I really need to stop doing crap like that!
Running my hands all over his cheeks, I pull him to me and pepper little kisses all over his face. “I’m sorry, I’m so, so sorry, Baby. I’m a bitch. A complete bitch. Help me stop being this untrusting person I’ve become. Help me, Baby.”
Laying his body on top of mine, he smashes me into the soft bed. “No need to apologize, Sweetcakes. I understand. But the past needs to stay where it is. From here on out, we need to look forward, never back.”
I nod and nuzzle his neck. “I love you, Jason,”
“I love you,” he says then kisses the top of my head.
He rolls over keeping me in his arms and on top of him, still connected. I slip off to one side and he groans as I end the connection. “You can’t stay in there forever,” I tease him.
“Please,” he says with a chuckle. His arm tightens as he hugs me. “Brittany, if we can get past this hump, we can get past anything, girl.”
Slow circles I trace over his defined pecs. “We’re going to get over this. We have to. And just so you know, I’ve changed a lot. By that, I mean that from this point forward I’m not going to be that girl who cried and ran away when I caught you fucking around. I’m going to be the woman who kicks ass and takes names. Just so you know.”
He chuckles again. “Then we’re on the same page. I’m with you on that. I’ll fight the world for you, Baby. I sure as fuck hope you don’t make me, but I will if I have to.”
“Is this really healthy?” I ask him as I look up at him.
He shrugs. “I don’t know. I just know what I feel for you is fierce. It has a power of its own. It took me over completely by surprise. It runs through my veins and seems to have its own agenda. And I don’t think I could stop it if I tried. Which I’m not going to do.”
“That’s how I feel too. I feel like some other power has taken me over. I keep wanting to say it’s you who's taking me over, but the truth is it’s so much stronger than a
mere person.”
I let out a sigh then we both say, “It’s magic!”
We both laugh and then I let that final piece of, what if, go.
It doesn’t matter if this doesn’t last. I need to enjoy this for what it is, anyway. Amazing, awesome, love. Pure love.
What if he cheats on me? What if he’s only telling me what I want to hear? What if he leaves me? What if he knocks me up and leaves me alone to take care of a kid? What if something happens to him?
I let all of those go out of my mind for good. The truth is anything could happen. God forbid, Jason was taken from me tomorrow by a freak accident. Or I was taken from him, say a shark eats me up. If that happened we’d know we had love in our lives and it wasn’t a mistake.
None of this is a mistake. If a baby comes out of it and nothing else, then that’s great too.
No more what if’s!
Jason gives my shoulders a squeeze, “What if your parents can’t accept me?”
I roll my eyes. It seems Jason has a lot of what if’s too. Crap!
“They will.” I kiss his chest. “I’ll make them be nice to you. Don’t even let that worry you.”
“I don’t want you to have to make them. I want to win them over on my own. Don’t make them accept me. Promise me you’ll let me do it,” he says.
“Fine. But don’t expect them to welcome you with open arms or smiles on their faces. There will only be frowns and my father might throw a punch at you. He’s old and you’ll have to let the punch connect so he won’t feel worthless. Or I can just tell them I’m with you and they need to get over themselves.” I pat his chest and he sighs.
With a deep breath, he says, “Okay, you let them know we’re together and there’s nothing they can do to stop us and then I’ll make them love me. They used to like me, I think. Did they like me, Britt? Or was that all in my mind?”
“Are you kidding? Mom loved you. I think she took what you did harder than I did. I hid most of the cheating from them both. The last one couldn’t be hidden, though. Sorry,” I say as I look up at him. “And Dad liked you a lot too. You can do it. You can get back into their good graces. I have faith in you.”
With a smile, he says, “I know you do. I can see it in your eyes. I love you and I’m going to make you happier than you ever dreamed possible.”
With a kiss, he ends his sentence and I cross my fingers this is all real and what he’s saying will come true.
Can things really go right for us?
Chapter 10
JASON
The last day of our trip has come. Tomorrow we’ll be going back to the real world and tonight I’m hoping Britt tells me we can fly straight on to Vegas.
We’ve gotten along fantastically. If she tells me, we should wait I don’t know how I’ll take it. So in trying to make sure I hear a yes from her, I’ve had some special things flown in and am picking them up at the front desk.
A few surprises, like my grandparent’s antique wedding rings, I had Mom send me. I think that will be sentimental to her and better than something with no meaning behind it.
There’s also supposed to be some other things in the package too. I had Donovan get some things I’ve kept of hers all these years and I hope that shows her she’s always held a special place in my heart.
Granted the special things are a pair of panties, a bra, and one shoe. I lost the other one somewhere along the way but managed to hold onto those things and a handful of love letters she wrote me back then.
I kept them all in a shoebox and forgot I had them in the top of my closet at home. But with grappling at what kind of sentimental things I could use to get her to decide to let me change her name, I recalled those things.
As I enter the reception area, I see a tall thin woman behind the desk. She smiles at me. “Hello. What can I help you with today?”
“I was supposed to get a package, for Jason Brennan. I hope you have it. We’re leaving tomorrow,” I say as I look at her hopefully.
She nods and I let out the breath I was holding. She picks it up from behind the desk and taps her long fingers on a note on top. “It seems you need to make a phone call to a man named Donovan.” She points to a small room off to one side. “You can use the courtesy phone in there if you’d like, Mr. Brennan.”
I take my package and after telling her thank you, I go to make the call and have to wonder what the hell he could have that’s so important. It has me feeling nervous and I hate feeling like this.
Especially when I feel so damn nervous already about what Brittany is going to tell me in a little while. Putting the package down, I pick up the phone and make the call.
“Finally,” Donovan answers the phone.
“Nice greeting, Donovan. What’s up?”
“Are you sitting down?”
I sit down and say, “Now I am. Hurry up. You’re freaking me out.”
“Then get ready to really lose your mind. A lady showed up at your penthouse,” he says.
“That’s no big surprise, Donovan,” I say as I let out my breath.
Damn it! I’m on pins and needles here!
“The surprise is what she held in her arms. It was a baby, Jason.”
My wheels slow to a crawl as I try to figure out what the hell that has to do with me. “So?”
“So, she said it was yours. Her name is Beatrice. She’s from…”
I interrupt him. “She’s from New Holland, Texas. I know who she is. Number twenty-six, and that kid isn’t mine. I never have unprotected sex and all of my women take oral birth control too. She’s lying.”
“She came with an order for you to appear in court in Texas on Wednesday. If you’re not there, then she said the judge who is a dear friend of her family’s will grant her child support from you. So you better make that your next stop.”
“How can she get away with just saying the kid is mine and getting child support?” I ask as I hold my head in my hands.
“I’m not sure. I can call your lawyer and have him meet you down there in New Holland for the court date.”
“Do that. Fuck! This messes up everything I had planned,” I say with a groan.
“What did you have planned?” he asks.
“Vegas. I wanted to leave here and go to Vegas and get married to Brittany.”
“Oh man, that sucks. Well, maybe after the hearing you can do that.” He sighs. “If she’ll want to marry you after she finds this out.”
“Thanks for the information, Donovan. I guess we’ll be taking a detour through Texas to straighten this shit out.” I hang up and want to go choke that damn, lying woman who’s trying to mess up my life at the most inopportune time possible for me.
The crystal clear water and the cool salty breeze do nothing at all to calm my now extremely frazzled nerves. When I walk up to our bungalow with the package in my hand Brittany looks up from the book, she was lying on a lounge chair on the porch, reading.
“What do you have there, Honeybuns?” she asks me.
Taking her hand, I lead her inside as I debate on asking her this right now or telling her about my problem. I settle on asking her first. I need her by my side for the other thing, anyway.
I hand her the box. “Open it.”
She sits on the little sofa and pulls the brown paper off the package and smiles when she sees the old shoe box then says, “An old pair of Nikes, how thoughtful.”
“Open the box up and hand me the little box on the very top. Then look at the rest of the things.”
She opens the top and hands me the little jewelry box and smiles as she does. “That looks like it has a ring in it.”
“Can’t put anything past you, can I?” I chuckle. It’s forced but I fake it for her sake so this can be a great memory for her.
It will always have some bad in it for me, but I can’t make that ruin it for her.
She pulls out her old bra and smiles. “I always wondered where this went. I guess it was left in your truck.”
I nod and poin
t at the box. “There’s more.”
She pulls out the panties and wrinkles her nose. “Even these? My God what did I have on when I went back inside my house?” She pulls out the one sandal. “I left without one shoe too? Was I drunk that night?”
“On me,” I lean in and kiss her. “And you left both shoes. It was me who lost one sometime or another. I’ve moved a few times and somehow one has disappeared.”
She laughs and picks up the letters. All are folded into neat little shapes. “You saved all this, all these years?” The tears start flowing in slow trails over her pink cheeks. “I never in a million years thought you would save anything of mine.”
“I loved you. Of course, I kept everything I had to remind me of you, Sugar-britches.”
“I tossed anything that reminded me of you. Every last thing.”
I move down on one knee in front of her. “That’s okay. I don’t blame you.” I open the small box and show her what’s inside. “These were my grandparents. They passed away a few years ago. Mom asked me on my thirtieth birthday if I wanted them. I told her, no, at that time. I told her I wasn’t getting married. Ever!”
She laughs and I love the sound. “Not ever, huh? Just like me.”
I take her hand in mine and hold it to my heart. “Brittany, I’d like to use these rings in our wedding. And I’d like to officially ask you to become my wife, forever. Do you think that’s something you’d like to do in the near future?” I take out my grandmother’s solitaire diamond engagement ring and wait for her answer.
After what seems like forever she speaks, “Jason, I would love to become your wife in the very near future.”
“Thank God!” I say as I breathe out. I take her hand and run the ring up her slender ring finger and find it fits perfectly. “What do you know about that, Pumpkin?”
“I guess it was meant to be, huh?” she asks. “Do you think we can really do this, Jason? Do you think we can really be what each other needs for the rest of our lives?”
“I do,” I tell her and pull her to kiss me, sealing the deal.
The Shameless Billionaire Series: Billionaire Romance Box Set (An Alpha-Male, Billionaire, Bad Boy, Bad Girl, Romance) Page 12