by Kendall Ryan
I could toy with her all night. But I won’t, because believe it or not, my cock has needs too. Still, a gentleman always ensures his partner gets off first, and that’s one rule I will never compromise on when it comes to Cami.
Slowly, I slide two fingers deep inside her snug body, pushing them in as far as they’ll go. She’s warm and tight, and so lovely. Watching her eyes drift closed as I fuck her with my fingers, I grab a fistful of her hair, tilting her head, and take her mouth with mine. My cock twitches with the need to be inside her as I slide my fingers in and out in a maddening rhythm.
“Wait,” she says on a moan. “Sterling . . . wait.”
Pausing with my fingers still buried inside her, I break from the kiss to meet her hazy eyes.
“Make love to me,” she whispers.
“Do we need to grab a condom?” I ask, one hand on her cheek, the other still fucking her.
I recognize that last time, in the heat of the moment, we didn’t use a condom. Today, I’m more prepared with a couple of the buggers stashed in my wallet, but remembering the way her bare skin felt against mine, I’m hoping we can forgo them. Guilt should have been the only emotion I had after fucking her without a condom the first time; instead, my only thought was again. The idea of putting something between us is maddening.
She cocks her head to the side, considering it. “It’s okay. I trust you. And I’m on the pill.”
Sliding my fingers out slowly, I bring them to my mouth, sucking them clean. “So fucking sweet, Cami.” I’m dying to taste her again, to feel her body quake as she comes against my mouth. But I need her just as badly as she needs me.
Positioning myself over her, I hold my weight on my elbows while Camryn reaches between us and brings me to the warm, wet slit between her legs.
Heaven.
“Slow,” she begs as I begin to press forward.
“Are you sure?” I tease her, sinking in just an inch, then pulling back again.
She lets out a frustrated grunt, angling her hips up. “More.”
Thought so, love. I want to laugh, but she feels so fucking amazing as I sheath myself in tight, hot velvet, I let out a ragged groan instead.
Reaching down to grip her ass in one hand, I roughly pull her onto my cock each time I thrust. Soon, I’m buried deep and we’re both breathing hard.
What began as something sweet and tender has turned intense and passionate. I pound into her again and again, and Camryn cries out, scratching my shoulders and back as she fights to hang on.
I grip her tightly as though I’m holding on to a precious treasure. “That’s it, baby. You like that?”
“Yes,” she cries. “More, Sterling, more.”
Giving her every ounce of pleasure I can, I rock into her, our desire building.
“I love you.” I groan, kissing her neck.
“I love you too.” She sobs out the words, her lips seeking mine.
She clings to me as her climax rushes through her, and feeling the way her body tightens and milks me, I follow her over the edge.
“Baby, you okay?” I brush her hair back from her face and kiss her swollen lips.
“I’m much better than okay. Holy shit, Sterling.”
Chuckling against her lips, I pull out slowly, groaning as I withdraw from her body.
As I clean her up and watch her lounge in the bed, I think to myself what a lucky bastard I am.
Crawling back in beside her, I tug Camryn close. I have no idea what’s going to happen next, but I know I need her in my life.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Camryn
Sterling and I are spooned together under my sheets. It’s just after daybreak, and we’ve both got to head off to work in a little while, but I wish we could stay like this forever.
We didn’t get much sleep last night. If I thought last Friday was good, that was merely a taste of what this man can deliver. It turns out he can go for hours. And then some.
We had sex, cuddled, had sex again, ordered pizza at midnight, ate naked, then took a bath. Then we made love slowly, and slept for all of four hours. It was heaven. The best part wasn’t all the sex, although that was perfect. It was hearing Sterling tell me he loves me. I still don’t know what happens next, but I hope we can face, together, whatever happens next.
“You awake?” he asks, his voice groggy.
“I think so,” I whisper.
He turns me around in his arms so we’re facing each other. “Morning, love.”
I smile up at him. “Morning.”
He presses a kiss to the tip of my nose and smiles back at me. For a moment, I fear I’ve done things totally backward. I’ve fallen in love with Sterling, slept with him—numerous times now—all before we were even officially dating. That was in stark contrast to the proper order, according to my matchmaker research.
But then I tell my inner voice to stuff it. I’m happy. That’s all that counts, right?
Rolling over, I heft myself up from the bed.
“Hey, where do you think you’re going?” Sterling’s arms wrap around my waist as he tugs me down on top of him.
“To shower. We’ve got to go to work, right?”
There’s a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’m suddenly feeling quite ill. Think I might have to call in sick and stay in bed all day.”
My mouth lifts in a smile. “Oh, really?”
“What do you say? Olivia will understand, won’t she?”
I’ve very rarely taken a sick day. I actually don’t think she’ll mind, given everything that’s happened. Plus, when your boss is also your best friend, there are a few perks.
“What will we do all day?” I ask with a smirk.
“I can think of a few things . . .” Sterling’s palms slide up my thighs and I squirm, ticklish under his skillful touch.
“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” I place my hands on his firm chest, loving the hard ridges of muscle I find, and push back against him. Of course, my efforts don’t even budge him an inch.
“We can stay in bed until late morning, go out to breakfast, maybe take a walk in the park, come back, nap, fuck again.” He grins. “Like a real couple.”
“Sounds dreamy.” I chuckle.
“But first, there’s something I want to tell you.” His voice turns serious, and I lift my head from the spot I’ve claimed on his shoulder to meet his gaze.
“I need you to know that I want to marry for love, not money. And I know this might scare the shit out of you, because it’s surprised the shit out of me, but when I think of being married, the only woman I see standing beside me as I make those vows is you.” He meets my eyes as his fingers trace lazy circles over my hip bone. “I never expected to want this. But I do.”
My heart jumps into my throat, and I’m not sure what to say. Is he proposing? We’re naked, for fuck’s sake. And I wasn’t even certain if we were dating.
“But,” he continues. “I want to wait.”
All the breath pushes out of my lungs, and I don’t know if I’m relieved or worried. “Wait?”
“And not because I actually want to wait,” he says. “I would make you mine tomorrow if I could. But because I want to show you that marrying you has nothing to do with getting my inheritance. A smart woman once told me that actions speak louder than words, and so that’s what I intend to do, to date you for however long it takes to show you that I want you as my wife.” His fingertips dance over my skin so lightly, they burn. “I want to wake up next to you every day and make love to you every night. I want to take you to Italy and put little babies in your belly. I want to grow old with you, Cami.”
Tears are freely streaming down my cheeks. I was wrong before about the nickname Cami. Cami isn’t a girlfriend you watch football with on Sundays. Cami is a wife, someone you build a life with. Cami is the name you call out from the baby’s bedroom because his diaper has exploded and you need backup. It’s the loving nickname you whisper in the dark when you need to know you’re not al
one. And I can see all of that and more in his loving gaze.
“Say something,” he whispers.
I take a moment, trying to find my voice. “Life is hard. Adulting is hard. Sometimes it sucks, actually.” I wipe my cheeks with the back of my hands, drawing strength as I speak. “But facing it together? Having you at my side? The man who makes me laugh, who makes every gloomy day seem brighter just by being in it?”
I pause to collect myself. My throat is so tight, and more tears threaten to escape. But these are happy tears. Sterling swipes under my eyes with his thumbs, and I take a deep, steadying breath.
“The man who makes love like a porn star, who makes me insane with desire . . .”
He leans in and steals a quick kiss.
“Of course I want this. At whatever pace feels right for us both.”
“That makes me so fucking happy,” he says with a groan.
“Wait.” I sit up suddenly, tugging the sheet up to cover my breasts. “You’re not marrying me for a green card, are you?”
At this, he bursts out laughing. “No, love. I live in this country legally. But that was cute.” He tugs the sheet from my grasp. “Don’t hide those beautiful tits from me again. I’m practically your husband.”
A bubble of laughter rises in my throat at the absurdity of it all, but then Sterling’s hot mouth closes over one nipple, and my laughter fades into a low moan.
Chapter Forty
Camryn
Nearly five months later
“Are you sure about this?” Olivia asks, navigating the stairs to the hotel in sky-high heels. She looks amazing for having a three-month-old baby strapped to her chest. I swear, nothing slows her down.
“Positive.” I grin.
Looking down at my engagement ring, I feel almost giddy at the thought of deceiving everyone. I didn’t want a big rock or a lot of fanfare, though Sterling wanted to spoil me. When he proposed in Central Park, he did so without a ring. It was Christmas in New York, which means it was that magical time of year where everything is filled with joy and cheer. Big white fluffy snowflakes falling from the sky, us huddled together in wool coats and scarves, drinking hot cocoa and watching the figure skaters on the ice rink. It’s a memory I will always treasure.
He dropped down to one knee with a sweet, short, and genuine request that I make his life complete by becoming his forever. He asked me with a shaky voice if I would be his wife.
While tears filled my eyes, he pulled off my mitten and kissed my left ring finger. When I sobbed yes, he told me he wanted us to pick my perfect ring together. We went into Tiffany’s beautiful New York store, my cheeks pink and my eyes watery with happy tears. They gave us champagne and let me try on every ring I wanted. I could tear up again right now remembering Sterling’s happy smile.
The sales staff teased him about proposing without a ring, saying that it was a brilliant plan just in case I said no. But when our gazes met, Sterling and I both knew there wasn’t a chance I would have said no.
I ended up selecting a simple, yet sturdy platinum band encrusted with five rows of diamonds. It was two carats, but all the diamonds were tiny flecks encircling the ring. The effect was so sparkly, and the significance of there being no beginning and no end held meaning for me. Sterling picked a similar style ring, thick platinum without any diamonds. To my surprise, he’s worn it every day since. I teased him and told him in this country that engaged men don’t wear rings, and he simply said I know.
“Well then, let’s get on with it. You have a groom to deceive,” Olivia says, pulling me from my daydream. Her hand pats Emma’s back softly as she coos to her daughter, who’s almost asleep.
Suddenly, my thoughts darken. “Oh God. I just thought of something. What if Sterling thinks I planned all this, that I’m only marrying him to get the inheritance money?”
Olivia chuckles at me. “You just now thought of that?”
“Yeah. Why?”
She shrugs. “That’s what I’ve been worried about the entire time.”
“Fuck.” I push my hands into my hair. “Am I slow or something?” I’ve never even considered that.
“You’re not slow.” She laughs. “You’re in love. It clouds the brain; not your fault at all. I think it’s cute.”
At the word cute, I roll my eyes. Just great. My fiancé, who wanted to wait to marry, is currently out with Noah for drinks, and I’m at the hotel panicking.
We’re in Vegas for what he assumed was a bachelor party for him, but really, we’re getting hitched tomorrow at noon at one of those cheesy drive-through chapels. Then we’ll have dinner with our best friends, Noah and Olivia, and there will be dancing and champagne, and then a whole lot of sex in our hotel suite later. I’m practically fucking giddy just thinking of it. Five months of dating hasn’t even begun to cool the insatiable lust I have for him.
We’ve had our ups and downs like any couple, there have been mundane things like dealing with stress at work, and busy schedules, and then there’s been the tougher stuff, like watching him suffer as his mom’s health worsens. I thought our names might be dragged through the mud when the media learned that New York’s most popular bachelor was dating his matchmaker, but there was only excitement as the will-they, won’t-they aspect of us marrying took center stage.
But there have been countless sweet times too. Sterling is a loving boyfriend, thoughtful and considerate. He’s an amazing lover, and my best friend. I hate to think where I’d be today without him. Probably a bitter, jaded, and very single version of myself.
I love him, and that means I care for him enough that I won’t allow him to miss out on inheriting fifty million dollars simply to prove a point. I know what that money could mean for his mother’s care, and for our future. I’m not marrying him for the money; I just hope he knows that.
My stomach tightens when I remember how set he was on the notion that we wouldn’t marry until later. He wanted to be absolutely certain I understood that he wasn’t marrying me so that he could get his inheritance. But now, standing here, doubt has started to creep its way in. Maybe he’s just not ready . . .
I guess there’s one way to know for sure.
Chapter Forty-One
Sterling
“Deeper,” Camryn whines.
“I’m trying, love,” I say with a grunt.
There’s an anxious edge to her voice, and I press in further.
“I can’t find it.” Sweat is beading on my forehead and my arm is buried up to my elbow. I push in deeper, the need to please my woman outweighing my discomfort. Fuck. Still nothing. “I’m in as far as it’ll let me, love.”
“My hands are smaller. I’ll have to do it,” she says.
Pulling my arm free of the sofa, I stand up.
“Are you sure you lost your phone there?”
She shakes her head. “I was sitting on the couch, and that’s the last time I remember seeing it.”
Checking the hotel suite, I return a moment later with her phone in my hand. “It was on the bathroom counter.”
“Oh.”
“Are you okay? You seem really jumpy today.”
Her gaze drifts to the floor and she nods. “Fine.”
I smooth my hands over her shoulders, rubbing the tension I feel there.
I wonder if she realizes, like I do, that tomorrow marks the six-month deadline. Maybe that’s put her on edge, though I’m not sure why it would. We agreed to wait to marry, and I feel more confident than ever that it was the right thing to do.
We can take our time and plan something special where all of our family and friends can be included. When you know something is going to last a lifetime, there’s no sense in rushing it.
Before, I was in a hurry to get to the altar, to sign the papers and be done with it. But love has changed everything. It’s given me a fresh perspective, and now I see that all the money in the world won’t make my life any better than it is. As long as I have Camryn by my side, we’ll figure the rest out.
“Come here, love.”
She lays her head on my chest as I fold her into my arms.
“Tell me what’s bothering you,” I say.
She shakes her head. “It’s nothing, Sterling.” She wipes her eyes quickly with the back of her hand.
I’m not sure of the right words to say to ease her mind—hell, I’m not even sure what’s on her mind—so instead, I do the only thing I can think of.
I take her to bed and make love to her until all she can feel is me.
• • •
“Babe?” I say, my voice shaky. “What’s this?”
Our limousine has stopped in front of one of those tacky drive-through wedding chapels. The neon sign outside promises weddings in fifteen minutes or less.
The smile on Camryn’s face falls when she meets my confused expression.
“Surprise,” she says weakly.
Noah and Olivia sit stoically across from us, seeming afraid to move or breathe.
“I don’t understand,” I say. Now Camryn won’t even meet my eyes.
The limo driver opens the door and offers Camryn his hand. “Miss, we’re here.”
She tells him that we’ll need a minute, and he closes the door.
“Cami? What’s going on?”
She swallows and takes a deep breath. “This all seems rather foolish now, but I—”
“Noah, Olivia, would you mind giving us a bit of privacy?” I say.
They nod and exit the car, leaving Camryn and me alone. The faint scent of leather and the hum of the air-conditioner are our only companions.
“I love you, Sterling. I wasn’t going to let you throw away the chance at your inheritance. I know you thought that was the right thing to do, but I’m ready. And I think you are too.”
“So you brought me here . . . to get married?”
She nods.
Holy shit. I never saw that coming. Maybe I should have, given that we’re in Vegas, but when she said it was a quick getaway with friends for a bachelor/bachelorette weekend, I believed her.