The Secret Arrangement

by Vanessa Waltz

  Even more shocking. “You’ve told me.”

  “I’ve underplayed how much I like it.” His touch sweeps down my neck to graze my collarbone. “I’ve tried controlling myself, but—”

  A laugh escapes my mouth. “Are you going to break the bedposts?”

  “Maybe.” A smirk plays on his lips, which hover over mine. “I don’t want to scare you. Sometimes my emotions get the better of me.”

  I undo his buttons. “It happens to the best of us.”

  “You haven’t seen me when I let go.” He stills my hand’s movements. “I can’t hold back anymore.”

  I pull his tie, forcing him closer. “Then don’t.”

  I’ve noticed flashes of an animalistic roughness. August wields his impulses recklessly.

  A wild storm builds, darkening his eyes. He breathes in a simmering wave. Then we kiss.

  And everything shatters.

  August kisses me with bruising pressure. His tongue lashes my senses. My spine bumps into the wall, hands pinned to my sides. I can’t caress him.

  He grabs my waist, seized with a raw passion I’ve never seen before. He doesn’t know what to do with me. I gasp as the stab of desire moves to my chest and nipple. A sharp pain hits my breast, mingling with the wet heat sliding around the sensitive skin.

  He bit me like some kind of animal.

  A growl erupts from him as he embraces me. I lift in the air. The room spins in a fast circle before I’m dumped on the bed. He halts, shirt hanging half open. A sliver of August shines through his greed.

  I don’t recognize him.

  Without breaking his gaze, he tears his shirt and hurls it away. His knee sinks into the mattress. His weight covers me.

  I trace the fury building in his features. “Stop holding back.”

  The fingers at my neck seize. He yanks me, baring my throat as though to bite. Another hand gropes my tits, his thumb squeezing my nipples. Pleasure ripples through my body. I could have him stroke me all day—as though it’ll kill him if he stops.

  He sweeps my hips, across my thigh, to the mound that’s already slick. He kisses me, the pressure so intense my head pounds. I grab his neck. He makes circles over my clit, teasing my entrance. A whinnying sound escapes my lips.

  He pounces, flattening me when I arch. “You’re mine.”

  With a kiss, he steals my breath. I feel myself drifting like particles. It won’t be long before I give in and lose my mind to lust, but I’m not on birth control. And I should tell him.

  “Every part of you.” August pinches me. “And I will fuck you so goddamn hard, Lily.”

  I don’t care about the risks or how I said I’d wait. This is right. I’ve never craved anything so badly.

  I want him inside me, and I want it to hurt. “Please.”

  He stretches me. My hands sweep his muscled back flexing and rippling into stone. I reach his waist and find the even harder bulge.

  He fists my hair. “Don’t say that if you don’t mean it.”

  I unzip his slacks and seize him. He takes my hand, forcing it above. With the other, he rips the last stitch of clothing from his legs. He slides my thighs apart. They encircle his waist. His eyes darken. My heart throbs at their feral gleam.

  I’ve waited for this. I need him.

  He enters me in a swift stroke.

  My moan rockets to the ceiling as he buries himself to the hilt, mouth crushed against my breasts. He grips my waist, yanking my body. He bites me, the pain mimicking the stabbing, but it feels good.

  It’s incredible.

  The rutting knocks the breath from my lungs. I’m dizzy with the lack of air and the sensations. I had no idea sex could be like this.

  August’s lips drag from one breast to the other, sucking and biting until I’m raw. His cock hammers me, sometimes fast, always with a brutal pressure. He twitches inside me, and a burst of warmth coats my walls. Energy shudders through his thighs as he pulses. His forehead streaks with sweat. Powerful gusts blow over my skin.

  But he’s not done.

  He pulls out, hard enough to pound nails. A streak of cum follows his head. He flips me. “On your knees.”

  I’m too slow to obey, and he slaps my ass. “There’s more where that came from.” A rumble of amusement cracks through his tension. “I’m not finished with you.”

  His knees nudge mine apart, and I feel him sliding into me. I cry out as he ruts me deep, arms shaking from his rough thrusts. My palms slide on the comforter. He drags my hips, entering me like a jackhammer.

  My elbows buckle. He takes my waist and plays with me. I shut my eyes, lost in the feeling. He pinches me. His length rides against my clit. Electricity zips up my spine. I lose myself in the pleasure and frenzy, listening to August’s ragged breathing. Ecstasy coils like a spring, ever tightening until he bites my neck and surrenders with a moan.

  His hips jerk. My orgasm shakes from the swell of his cock, which releases a tide of wet warmth. August draws back, buries himself again with another roar.

  His gasps blow over me like the bellows of a large beast. He kisses me, gradually easing the pressure of his teeth. He lets out a long sigh, sounding like himself again.

  My glow radiates from our joined bodies, melting me into the bed. August flips me over, still buried inside.

  “Wow.” That’s all I can say. “You thought I wouldn’t like this?”

  He touches my chin, softening. “You were made for me.”

  I wipe the beads of sweat from his face, tasting salt on his lips. He returns the kiss, soft at first, and then with a bite.

  “Fuck, I can’t stop myself.” August yanks me into his chest, tongue dancing with mine. “Let’s shower.”

  He tugs me upright, hand closed on my wrist as though I’ll run off. My heart pounding, I follow him through the darkness into the bathroom. He flips the light switch. “Look at you.”

  A wild August stares at me through the mirror. The sight of his carved physique pressed into me sends butterflies soaring. His unshaven jaw scraped and rubbed my skin bright red.

  He turns me away from the doors.

  “Aren’t we going to get clean?”

  He kisses the shell of my ear, voice darkening again. “If I want you again, I’ll fucking have you.”

  And he shoves me forward. I brace myself, knocking aside cosmetics as August forces my legs apart and slides into me.

  “Oh my God.” I bend over, gasping at the quick, brutal thrusts. My hands smudge the glass. I’m sore, but pleasure gradually pushes past the pain. August grabs my tits and fucks me. I feel him lengthen inside me until he’s ready to fill me again, and he does. Jets of warmth spill down my thighs as he releases a strangled yell. And then he yanks my head by the hair to kiss my mouth. His hips smack mine. I cry into his lips as ecstasy shakes through my body.

  “I’ve never been fucked like that.”

  His only response is a smile.

  19

  I’m so goddamn sore.

  Sitting on a chair is painful. Hell, I got chills at my reflection. I am covered with dark circles. Love bites from August.

  They were worth it.

  A happy sigh blows from my mouth as I pause over the keys.

  I’m married.

  I wanted to tell you before you heard it on the news. Don’t worry about me. Everything is fine. I’m happier than I thought possible.

  Sorry you couldn’t come. The situation is tricky…I’ll explain in person when I visit. Hopefully, that’ll be soon.

  Love,

  Lily

  I hit send and bite my lip, anticipating Marcia’s reply. She’ll be hurt she didn’t get an invite. If I had a choice, she’d be the first name on my list. We lived together for a year. I know her more intimately than I should. Living in close quarters erases all privacy. We’ve helped each other through rough spots. I doubt she’ll understand.

  How could she?

  Sorry, I’m stuck in a third-world country that’s hostile to Americans. I decided
against inviting any friends or family.

  No need to worry, though!

  Everything’s fine.

  Yeah, that wouldn’t raise red flags.

  I can’t risk anything reaching August’s father. I won’t let anything bad happen.

  Closing the laptop, I shove thoughts of my California friends aside. I’m married. I should enjoy this. He is.

  August bumps into the chair, demanding my attention. “We’re supposed to go to the garden. Or did you want to stay in bed all day?” August slips into my shirt, grabbing my breast.

  I seize his wrist, torn between a desire to stretch my legs and the ache throbbing at his touch. “Both sound tempting.”

  “I know what I want.” His mouth grazes my neck. “You.”

  There are no words to describe how that makes me feel.

  A grin splits my face. “Let’s take a walk.”

  “Okay.” He shakes his head, bemused. “You make me unhinged.”

  Crazy enough to forget using a condom. Four times.

  I still haven’t explained about the birth control. We’ll discuss it soon. Just not now.

  I step around the tangle of sheets and jump in the shower. I watch him approach, rippling in the frosted glass, and then join me. August ducks under the spray, taking my hips. It doesn’t matter how often I see him naked.

  This will never get old.

  “You’re so fucking beautiful.” August pins me to the wall, trembling with restraint. “Such a tight, sexy body.”

  The steam wraps us, making my head pound. I palm his chest and run my fingers over arms. I can’t believe he’s all mine.

  My laughter bounces off the tiles. “God, if you told me six months ago this would be my life…I’d have probably blocked you.”

  August grabs the soap, lathering my curves. “Speak for yourself. I knew what I wanted.”

  I trace his collarbone. “What?”

  “A partner in crime. A wife. Someday, a family.”

  Shit. He brought it up. “Hmm.”

  “Anyway. I have everything I want.” A delicious warmth seeps into my skin as he kisses me, smiling.

  We finish showering and dress in silence. He opens the door, arm circling my waist as I walk through. He’s changed in the last twelve hours.

  I’ve caught him staring at my tits. It’s always a thrill. In the past, he might’ve averted his gaze. Now he doesn’t. I belong to him.

  Case in point: he slaps my ass when I stride ahead.

  I punch August’s shoulder. “Don’t do that!”

  “Can’t help it. Sorry.”

  “Careful, or I’ll give your guards a reason to gossip about us.”

  He chuckles. “Sounds exciting. What did you have in mind?”

  “Hmm. Blowing you on the balcony?”

  August makes a dissenting sound as he leads me down a hall, passing the locked room.

  “What’s in there?” I pause, tugging on his hand. “Your porn collection?”

  A grim line flattens his smile. “My mom’s bedroom.”

  “Oh.” Now I feel like a jerk. “Sorry.”

  I stare at the blank, white wall, wondering what violence it captured to make that shell-shocked expression on August’s face. “When did she pass?”

  “I was fifteen. It was an accident.”

  Fifteen. I had over two decades with my awful parents, but I can’t imagine losing a loved one so young. “So you keep her room preserved?”

  “The staff knows not to disturb the inside, aside from the occasional vacuuming to remove the dust.”

  I frown, suddenly bothered by the flatness in his tone and the obvious cues that he’s hiding something.

  August looks away. “Let’s go.”

  Maybe he’s not ready. I sure as hell haven’t confessed every black secret just because we’re married, but it still bothers me that he can’t be honest about this.

  All thoughts of family secrets fade when we burst into the sunshine. The warm rays brighten August’s face. He beams with a happy glow as we walk down a path. The jungle insulates us in cool mist. I stop to admire the intermittent pop of color among the greenery.

  “You never told me how beautiful this place is.”

  He squeezes my hand. “I’m glad you think so.”

  “Come on. Don’t tell me years of living here have made you that jaded.”

  “I guess it’s the world outside that’s ugly.”

  I’ve avoided thinking about anything beyond these adobe walls.

  We step through the kissing gate, kicking through fields before wandering into a hedge maze. I haven’t been here—his garden is too big for me to navigate.

  August takes a series of turns, stopping at a courtyard with a white marble fountain. “I need to show you something.”

  I balk at the gravity in his tone. “What?”

  August releases me and kneels at a patch near my feet. He brushes the sharp green blades, digging in to yank the flap of grass aside. He gestures toward the man-sized square. “This is the way out.”

  I gape as he wipes dirt from a panel sitting on the earth and slides a handle from a groove in the middle. He twists it and pulls, revealing a dark hole. Seconds later, lights illuminate the short distance down into a very narrow passageway.

  “This leads into the jungle. I had it built in case of an emergency.” He dusts his hands before taking mine. “Promise me you’ll talk to me before using this.”

  I could’ve left anytime I wanted. “Why do you need a tunnel?”

  A breeze makes the trees sigh. August sweeps hair from his eyes. “If the regime were ever overthrown, my father and his family would be high-profile targets.”

  Rebels would be gunning for August, his brother, and the Espadas I met at the party.

  I’m on that list.

  He shakes his head. “I know what you’re thinking, but it won’t happen.”

  “How can you say that?” I turn from the hatch. “Dictators are deposed all the time. Once your people have had enough, they’ll rise against you.”

  “First, I’m not him.” August rolls the grass over the trap. His shadow ripples over me as he stands. “I didn’t pick my parents.”

  “Do you think they care? All they see is the wealth of this place. You have everything that’s been denied to them. Safety. Shelter. Food. Education—”

  “I’d trade it all in a second.”

  “You’d be crazy. Some work their whole lives to achieve this.”

  “Now you have it all.” A humorless smile twists his face. “How does it feel?”

  I twist the wedding band, heat rising to my cheeks. “It’s shitty.”

  “Yes,” he sighs. “It is.”

  I glare at the sparkling ring as though it duped me into flying here. Nothing changes the fact I married him because I had no choice. I’m on the fucking hit list if General Asshole ever falls from power.

  I can’t stand this.

  A roar builds in my throat until August kisses my cheek. “We’re meant to be together, Lily.”

  Like it or not, he’s right. I don’t want to be without him. Which means I have to stay here.

  He strokes my hair. “We don’t choose who we fall in love with.”

  August stills my shaking as I fall into his chest. He kisses me, growling. My shirt rises over my belly. He yanks, exposing a canvas of skin marred by bites.

  He admires his handiwork, stroking the mark near my breast. August breathes into it. His tongue lashes at the sensitive spot.

  I arch myself, dazzled by the spark of pleasure.

  He pushes me down. “You’re mine.”

  Again with the possessiveness. “Saying that doesn’t make it true.”

  “You need reminding.” His mouth closes over my nipple. He makes a circle before kissing me.

  Another jolt draws a line between my legs to my breasts. “Damn you.”

  August doesn’t hear me. He’s lost. With a rough jerk, he rips my shorts off. He watches me, enjoying the si
ght of me helpless. He spreads my thighs and lowers his head to my mound.

  He’s halfway there before I realize what he’s doing. “August?”

  He kisses my clit. I tighten over his face as I inhale a deep gasp. Is he going to—

  His tongue reaches back. All the way. It slides with agonizing slowness, slipping in my wetness before he circles the finish. He stamps a hot, wet seal. Then he sucks.

  It’s heaven on earth. My hips spasm as he works, each flick like liquid flames. The ache inside me builds, screaming to fill the void. I grab August’s hair and stifle a moan.

  But he doesn’t make me wait long. August only has so much self-control. My gasps whittle away at it like a hammer chipping at stone. Eventually, the entire thing shatters.

  “Please, August.”

  He kisses my thigh and removes his pants. A wild, untamed fire consumes him. He seizes me and yanks. I slide across the grass. His waist dips. I wrap myself around him. I should ask for a condom, but why deny myself the pleasure?

  I want there to be nothing between us.

  His head pushes my walls apart. Then he thrusts.

  I sigh into August’s neck, the breath knocked out of me. He bites the healing marks in between groans. He fucks me with brutal strength, the ground pushing against me.

  His back moves like a rippling wave. He fists my mane and pins me, kissing me so hard I see stars. A moan develops in August’s chest. We join our bodies. Again and again. It’s desperate and violent, as though we’re two broken pieces trying to be whole.

  And when it’s over, I breathe again.

  Chat Archive (10/15/17)

  August: What’s your dream wedding like?

  Lily: Hmm. Well, I’ve never been into huge celebrations. Public speaking makes me sick to my stomach. So it’d probably be small. I love anything pink and purple, so lots of those colors, but hold on.

  Lily: Why do you care?

  August: I secretly (not so secretly) am a romantic. I like weddings.

  Lily: Uh-huh. I’ll take your word for it. I guess if money wasn’t an issue, I’d like it at an exotic location. A forest. Beach. Not really into big church ceremonies. What about you?