Cory barely had a chance to dart his tongue out, licking at it, before shockwave after shockwave tore through me, the lightning all around us nothing compared to the electricity shaking my very bones as I rode his stubbled face, hard. “Unngh! Fuck!” I cried out, my entire body quaking.
I was granted only a moment to get a grasp on the situation before my legs were pushed farther apart and Cory’s thick cockhead slid between my dripping wet and still spasming slit. His groan said it all, and he threw my legs up over his shoulders, my feet barely reaching as he slammed home deep within my pussy.
The bed shook underneath us as Cory relentlessly fucked me with all his might, his brute strength easily holding my hips in place as I took it all, as deep and hard as he went. The intensity in his eyes, the way his fingers dug into the fleshier part of my hips, his rhythm changing to grind himself against me… it was all too much.
“So. Fucking. Tight. Jesus fucking Christ, Emma…”
My chest heaved with every thrust. “Fuck me harder, Cory. More!” I cried out, shouting for more each time he pulled out.
And when his thumb began making small quick circles around my already super sensitive clit, stars burst behind my eyelids, my mouth opened wide, and I thought for sure I’d break the glass of every window in the room as I let out a long, wailing shriek, falling apart all over again.
Cory was right behind me, gripping even tighter if possible, and letting out a roar of satisfaction, spurting his release deep inside of me, coating my insides with his hot warmth.
The sheen of sweat on his forehead matched mine, and as he laid down next to me, spent, I looked out the window, breathing heavily yet more satisfied than I’d ever known before.
As I approached the edge of sleep, my mind fogging over, I heard Cory whisper, “Happy birthday, Emma,” before I was finally out cold.
Chapter 5
CORY
* * *
Slipping out of bed without waking Emma was easier than I expected as I looked back over my shoulder and watched her for a moment, smiling to myself as I realized there was a tiny little pool of drool right next to her mouth on the pillow. It didn't matter… Nothing could replace the devilish scene in my head from last night.
Right as I got to my room my phone rang on the nightstand, the sound of AC/DC blasting through the speaker. Well, I knew who it was then…
But it'd already gone to voicemail by the time I picked it up, my mom's name flashing across. Tentatively I listened to her voicemail, wondering what kind of crazy news she had for me today…
"Hey honey, I was hoping you'd be up already. Guess not. Well… I've actually got some pretty amazing news. Are you sitting down, because I hope you are. I know I told you all about my boyfriend, but you've yet to meet him. Let's just say you're going to meet him much sooner than I anticipated. He um, proposed to me a few nights ago and I said yes," her voice chuckled into the phone, laced with excitement. I almost dropped my phone, slowly closing my eyes as I listened to the rest. "Can you believe it? We’re having the wedding very soon but we’re thinking a little bit something more low-key and exciting. Just call me back when you can, okay? Can't wait to tell you more!"
The dial tone clicked in my ear and I groaned to myself, not sure how to take what my mother thought was amazing news. I hadn’t even met my wannabe stepfather or whatever, but the idea of someone coming in and replacing my own father's memory since he was no longer here didn't sit well with me.
Glancing out the window, I realized the sun was pretty high overhead, meaning I lost a good chunk of time already. I sauntered into the kitchen and started working on brewing some coffee to help wake myself up. The dark liquid gold poured into the pot, unfogging my brain one drop at a time. I almost didn't hear the soft footsteps coming from the direction of the bedrooms.
"Good morning, hello?" Emma called out, her voice echoing throughout the house, shifting everything inside me in an instant.
"In here," I replied, opening the cabinet to pull out two coffee mugs for us.
"Mmm, that smells like heaven," her voice said closer behind me, and when I turned to hand her the hot mug she smiled. "Thank you. I don't suppose you have any creamer?"
I didn't actually, but that wouldn't stop me. "I can have Beckett pick some up. He wouldn’t mind at all."
Emma scoffed, waving her hand. "No, no. It's really not that serious. I'll just stir in some sugar. I'm guessing you probably have some of that that though, right?"
I grinned back. "That I do have. In the pantry next to you. Somewhere along the back wall I think."
Handing her a spoon, I blew on my coffee as I took a slow sip, watching her look around inside the pantry while muttering something about it being bigger than her dorm room.
If she had a hard time looking at me before, whatever it was must have faded away because she had no problem smiling over her mug at me once she stirred in the sugar, her brown eyes crinkling in the corners. Only then did I realize she was wearing her white dress again, with her strawberry blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The little bit of makeup smudged under her eyes did nothing to hide just how goddamn gorgeous she was.
My phone buzzed again, the wind in my sails gone. And just as I suspected, it was my mom again, probably wanting to gush about her ridiculous decision to get married to a man she barely knew. I pushed my phone away, not sure if I could handle dealing with such an onslaught of insanity this early in the day.
Running my hand through my hair, I wondered how my mom could do something on a whim like this. She was known for having a good head on her shoulders, yet lately, it was one new crazy thing after another. I teased her before, telling her it must be that mid-life crisis everyone was always talking about. When she told me she wanted to take sky-diving lessons after being scared of heights her whole life, I nearly spit out my wine.
My dad would've loved to go do the crazy things with her, and maybe that was why it was so upsetting to see her only now wanting to do them. With someone else, no less… I leaned back against the counter facing Emma as she absent-mindedly flipped a page of the newspaper spread out over the kitchen island.
The idea of some new guy coming into our lives and trying to replace Dad's memory was hitting me harder than I thought it would. I couldn’t get the image of my mom and dad taking me for a stroll down the beach during one of our more low-ley summer vacations. Nothing was ever that simple, not when you were the son of Wesley Shire, heir to the entire Shire Oil Industries business. But this particular day was, and I remembered seeing the smiles on both my parent's faces as the Texas sun set.
Who the hell did this guy think he was, anyway? I bet he was probably close to my age, wanting to marry into money, no doubt. I shook my head at the thought, wishing I could just let it go.
"You okay?" Emma asked, tilting her head to the side and holding the mug up to her mouth.
I focused on the way her lips pursed over the edge of the mug, remembering how delicious she tasted. A smile finally spread across my face. "Absolutely."
Chapter 6
EMMA
* * *
The sun broke through the line of clouds in the distance, shining right into the kitchen window, setting a halo of light around Cory's light brown hair. He may look like an angel now, but he was sure a naughty thing last night…
I stirred my spoon around in my nearly empty mug just for the heck of it, unable to keep myself from looking at Cory out of the corner of my eye. It was still hard for me to believe everything that happened in the past twenty-four hours. I went from celebrating my birthday with a group of my drunken, embarrassing friends, to nearly crying about being too poor to pay for a giant broken wine bottle, to being asked out to dinner by a sexy and mysterious cowboy who just happened to own the whole place.
Not to mention the amazing sex… No, there was no way I'd ever forget that. Not in a million years.
Cory was pretty quiet this morning, though, considering how much he talked to me last night. I didn't
really know what to make of it until he looked back out the window and brought up the sunshine too.
"With the floods subsiding, it looks like you'll be totally fine getting back to UT," he said, setting his mug in the wide double sink.
My heart sank but I didn't want to let on. It was so silly to feel this disappointed, I mean, what did I expect? I had to go back to my life at some point; this wasn't some crazy fantasy, after all. Plastering on the best smile I could muster, I simply nodded. "I had such a wonderful time. Thank you, again, Cory."
I loved hearing him call my name, but saying his name also sent a special little thrill up my spine, too. The way his mouth twitched in the corner made me think that maybe I wasn’t the only one.
Once I was seated in the back of his car, Cory leaned in and gave me a tight hug, his arms lingering for a moment as I turned and kissed him on the cheek. It was weird being this chaste with him after the thorough fucking he gave me last night, but it was most certainly better than nothing.
"Enjoy Italy, Emma. I know it'll be a great time for you."
Italy! How had I managed to forget about Italy? I wanted to reach out and stroke his stubble like I did right before I fell asleep but I kept my hands in my lap, fidgeting with my purse. "Definitely."
The door shut and I did my best not to desperately look out the window and watch him fade in the distance behind us as we headed down the long driveway back to the road. Taking in a deep breath, I smiled at Beckett, Cory's driver, and thanked him for the trip home.
"It's my pleasure, miss. I've got the directions up and running here, and it looks like it will be approximately fifty-one minutes until we make it back to your school. Any requests for music?"
I chuckled, wondering what Beckett would say to a little Lady Gaga. "No, that's okay, thank you. I could use some peace and quiet."
The wildflowers growing along the hillsides blurred together in a colorful mishmash, my thoughts tilting back into Cory territory. He'd been a little disengaged this morning, not that I could blame him. He was probably used to having a new woman in his bed every night of the week… but thinking about that didn't do me any favors. It hadn't mattered to me last night because he was there with me and no one else, but I was most likely right. Cory was so drop-dead gorgeous with his deep tan, that cute dimple, and those amazing eyes that stared right into your very soul. It only made sense that he had other prospects besides some college girl who was off to another country soon enough.
Cory was cultured, rich, and ten years older than me. I needed to let go of what happened between us and refocus instead on my upcoming graduation and everything else that came after. The first thing on that list? Cramming for tomorrow's final.
Perfect diversion. I'd have my head so deep in the books that I wouldn't even know what year it was.
When we made it back to the sorority house, I giggled and gave Beckett my best curtsy after he opened my door for me. With a wave, I walked up the sidewalk and fumbled for my keys, unlocking the door and barely making it into the house before one of the younger sisters craned her neck around the corner and said hi.
"Emma's back? Oh my God!" came Cassidy’s raspy voice from the top of the stairs. My shoulders slumped. I didn't feel like having to go through the whole evening play by play like they’d surely ask me to do.
"Look at this little slut!" Lindsey squealed, her eyes puffy and red.
I raised a brow at her. "What's up with you?"
"You expect me to be all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed like you this morning? Ha! Not everyone got laid by a seriously sexy cowboy in what, a meadow of soft grass or something? We're all hungover. I'm just waiting for Holly to finish up the bloody marys for us."
I swung my purse over my shoulder and headed toward the steps, pausing mid-step when Cassidy threw me an evil look.
"Oh, no you don't. You owe us some details, Em."
"Um, I don't owe you anything. And don’t think I forgot about what happened at the wine tasting bar, either," I replied, shaking my head. But everyone kept whining, making it damn near difficult to keep from caving in much longer.
The doorbell rang just in time to save me from having to go into all the details. I had to admit I was a little tired, and if I was going to try and immerse myself in all things exam-related, I was going to need a little extra sleep.
The freshman sister, Gia, answered the door, letting out a noise of excitement. She threw the door open even wider, and on the other side of the threshold stood a tall, skinny teenager in a hat, holding the exact same kind of huge wine bottle Lindsey had knocked over last night. "Oh my God, guys, look at this!"
"Is there an Emma here? I have to check your ID, sorry about that," the kid mumbled as I slowly walked to the door, raising my hand. Somehow, I managed to pull out my license and show it to him, pocketing it when he nodded at me. "Okay, great. This is for you. The note is taped on top. Where would you like this?"
"How about the kitchen?"
"How about in my room?" a few of the other girls chimed in, everyone staring as I gestured for him to leave it by the front door. Once I shut the door behind him, I spun around and made a mad dash for the note, ripping it open.
So you can always remember what brought us together. - Cory
I bit my lip, unable to hide the blush that took over my face.
"Jesus, Em, how rich was this guy?" Lindsey asked, her eyes following mine as I read the note.
I knew it would come up eventually, and I sighed, tucking the note into my purse so I wouldn't forget it. "Richest guy I've ever come across, that's for sure. His name was Cory."
"Cory? Did you get his last name? We have to look him up online," Holly chimed in, strolling into the room in her tank-top and shorts.
"Uh, Cory Shire, I think." At least that was what I thought he said. I had a couple of glasses of very good wine, so it was honestly my best guess.
Both Holly's and Lindsey's mouths dropped open. "Do not tell me that you were with the Cory Shire?!" Lindsey shrieked.
"Cory fucking Shire? Seriously?" Holly said, exchanging glances with her. "How was it? Did you sleep with him? Was it on a bed made of one-hundred-dollar bills stitched together or something?"
Now they were just being ridiculous. "Really, Holly? I mean he's rich, yeah, but not stupid."
"I think you need to see this," Cassidy said, handing me her phone. She'd pulled up his name on Google, thousands of search results popping up. "He's not just rich, Em. He's like holy-shit wealthy. According to his Wikipedia page…"
"Wait, he has a Wikipedia page?" I mumbled, staring down at it as I scrolled through.
"It says he's the son of oil tycoon Wesley Shire. Billionaire Wesley Shire, that is. Just look at the images."
Sure enough, tons of pictures of Cory came up. Some of him at black-tie affairs, looking insanely gorgeous as he smiled at his companions—more super rich people. "Whoa." I clicked on one of the pictures to see where Cory had done a photo shoot with a company called Hill Country Luxury, whatever that was. He was shirtless in nearly all of them, donning a pair of Wranglers and those same cowboy boots he'd worn to the winery, plus, of course, his hat.
He looked like a model leaning up against a bale of hay, straw stuck between his teeth as he hooked his fingers in his belt loops and stared off into the distance. It nearly took my breath away to think that I'd been lucky enough to sleep with him. Everything started rushing back to me all at once, my skin feeling way too hot.
"How was it? I know you didn't come home the next morning without getting some kind of action," Cassidy asked.
"Oh my God, she totally slept with him!" someone else squealed. Everyone started to crowd around me, asking even more questions.
"So, Em. You going to see Mr. Hot and Rich cowboy again, or what?" Holly finally asked.
I was beginning to wonder if maybe it was possible.
Chapter 7
CORY
* * *
"Would you like me to fill up your glass, sir?" the serv
er asked, gesturing to my empty wine glass.
I glanced across the table at Mom, watching as she finished off the rest of hers, too.
"If he won't, I will, darling. There you go," she said, smiling as he tilted the wine bottle down into her glass, filling it up halfway. "Perfect, thank you."
"Might as well then." I picked up the no-longer-empty glass and nodded to my mom as our server walked off. "To outlandish ideas."
She rolled her eyes playfully, still smiling. Obviously, nothing was going to dampen her mood. "Oh, don't be so dramatic, Cory. Can't we simply sit here and enjoy the scenery? And celebrate even? The wine is superb, by the way," she added. Renoir had just recently started carrying my wine, which Mom never passed up a moment to indulge in.
I leaned back, swilling it around in my glass. The mid-day sun was hot overhead, but luckily we were seated in a more shaded area, where we had a clear view of the Austin skyline wavering in the heat. "Don't you feel like you're rushing into things, Mom? You’ve hardly even known the guy that long. I mean, like you said, I haven't met him yet."
Clearly Mom had been expecting my questions; she batted them off as if they were ludicrous. "Just because you haven't had time to meet Jeremy doesn't mean that I barely know him. I know plenty about him, believe it or not."
"In the two months that you've known him? What makes you think he's going to be what makes you happy? What is it about this guy that seals the deal?"
Taking another bite of her pasta, Mom looked past me, her gaze unfocused. "I don't know, honey. He just does. He's a very smart, ambitious man. And he makes me smile. A lot."
"Does he come from money?" I asked.
She scowled at me, pushing the plate away. "Cory! Is that really necessary?"
"Yes," I countered. "If he's not wealthy, then my mind immediately goes to wondering if he wants you for your money. Don't tell me you haven't wondered that yourself."
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