Sugar Sweet

by Christine d'Abo

  As though her brain was programmed to accept his command, she closed her eyes and did exactly that.

  Chapter 19

  Vince had managed to stay in the same bed as Marissa for four hours, before he had to get up. His hard-on came and went over the course of that time, making it difficult for him to sleep. The sweet little noises she made weren’t helping matters either. Marissa awake was all laughter and energy, her beauty generated from the force of her presence. Marissa asleep, at peace was a far more seductive image.

  He’d been surprised when she’d come into the shower. Seeing her wet, emotional, was a sight that would never leave his memory for the remainder of his days. Knowing that it was his gift to her, his note that had propelled her to seek him out, brought his desire to make her happy to the forefront.

  It also was the strongest turn-on he’d ever experienced in his life.

  He got up as carefully as he could manage, and crept to the bathroom, his cock once again coming to life. There was no chance he’d get back to sleep now unless he took matters into hand, and got rid of this uncontrollable desire to wake her, to make love to her.

  He closed the door, pressed his back to it, and took himself in hand. The strokes came fast as he fisted himself from sac to tip, teasing himself the way he knew Marissa would. The memory of her here, skin damp, the slickness of her pussy as he fucked her with his hand, was as vibrant as if he’d recorded it.

  Marissa with her head thrown back, her lips parted. His desire to guide her to her knees and slide his cock into her mouth. To watch her with those beautifully large eyes staring up at him as he thrust past her full lips and against her tongue. He wanted to know what it was like to make love to her in his bed, to know that her unique scent would forever cling to his sheets, replacing the generic scent of fabric softener. He wanted to wake her up with kisses, wanted to put her to bed with orgasms.

  He simply wanted her.

  Fisting his cock, the first tingles of orgasm heated his cock, his very core. Within a minute, his balls tightened and he felt the first splash of his release cover his hand and belly. His legs shook from the force of his orgasm, and he fought hard to keep his cries bottled up, scared his moans would wake her.

  His thick cum stuck to his fingers, and clumped in the sink as he washed it away. It took him longer than normal to clean away the evidence, as he did his best to do what he needed to in the dark.

  Once he’d finished, he crept back over to the bed, hoping that now perhaps he’d be able to get some rest. Marissa had shifted in his absence and now took up the middle portion of the mattress, cuddled around the duvet as though she were holding a person.

  Great.

  He could move her over, but then he’d risk waking her. Given the type of day she was going to have ahead of her, that was the last thing he’d wanted to do. The even air was cool and he was still naked, making his decision one of importance. Instead of risking waking her, he grabbed his gym bag and left the room. It would be quiet out on the streets, which meant it was the perfect time of day to go for his run.

  Vince changed, grabbed his water, and headed out into the cool morning.

  * * * *

  Marissa sighed as she rolled over, letting her arm flop out across the mattress as she stretched. Warmth held her brain in a cocoon that prevented her from forming thoughts. It was nice to not have to worry about thinking. There was always too much on her mind, too many details to work out and worry about. This emptiness was heaven she hadn’t experienced in forever.

  Wait, why was she alone?

  Sitting up, she looked around the room for Vince. It was nearly eight o’clock, and he was not in the room. “Shit.”

  Her clothing was back in her room, but the damp towel she’d used last night was still on the floor where they’d left it. She shivered as she crawled out of the warmth of his bed and wrapped herself up, before racing to the door. Peeking out, she saw that the pile of clothing she’d left on her little failed trip to seduce Vince, was gone. He must have collected them when he’d gotten up this morning. No one else was around, so she scurried to the spare room, to find her things on the bed.

  She got dressed and pulled her hair into a ponytail at the back of her neck, before heading downstairs. “Vince?”

  “In the kitchen.”

  Oh, thank God. If he’d actually left her for the day, she didn’t know what she would do with herself. While she appreciated him putting her up for the night, there was no way she’d be able to stay here long-term. She had too many issues that she didn’t want causing problems in his life. Better to cut her losses now and move on.

  Even if the only thing she truly wanted to do was to take him by the hand and pull him back to bed.

  The smell of coffee hit her before she made it to the kitchen. God, that smelled even better than what they made down at the Pear Tree. The moment she crossed the threshold and entered the kitchen, he’d poured her a cup and set it on the counter. “There’s cream in the fridge and sugar on the counter.”

  “You’re a prince.”

  One thing she’d come to appreciate about Vince, was the fact he didn’t say an awful lot early in the day. Her mom was a chatterbox from morning to night, and Marissa had always found it difficult to deal with her before her brain had kicked in. She dressed her coffee and took several long, savoring sips before she turned to talk to him.

  Vince looked awful. “Did I kick you out of bed? I’m so sorry if I did. I sometimes will get these really vivid dreams and then I get talking in my sleep. I even punched Andrew once right in the spine, but I haven’t done that sort of thing in months.”

  With each word she said, his eyebrows rose higher. It was only once she stopped did he smile at her. “I couldn’t sleep, so I went for a run. Nothing to do with you.” He looked away as he said that, so she didn’t exactly believe him.

  “How far do you run? I tried to do that for a few weeks last year. I had this dream that I’d start training for a marathon or something. I ended up doing the zoo run and walked most of the five kilometers. Naomi laughed at me.”

  Vince turned and pressed his back to the counter. The shift showed off the muscles in his forearms and biceps. “I normally do ten K, three times a week. Helps with the stress and it helps with all the eating out I normally do.”

  Ten kilometers? Three times a week? Dear God. “I think I’d die.”

  “You get used to it. Like anything else.”

  “I’ve personally gotten used to sleeping in and drinking coffee. But if you want to get up before daylight and run around in the dark, go for it. You do you, crazy-head.”

  When he smiled, the last remnants of the previous night’s darkness were chased away from her mind. There was something wonderful about seeing him having fun. Now that she’d read his note to her, knowing that despite everything that he had available to him, that he didn’t enjoy things as perhaps he should, was more than a little heartbreaking.

  She was about to say something else, when there was a knock on the back door. Vince’s head shot up and his entire body went rigid. “The fuck?”

  “You’re not expecting anyone?” The hackles on the back of her neck went up, and she clung to the coffee mug a bit harder than necessary.

  “No, I’m not.” He strode to the door, his large body blocking her from being able to see who was standing on the other side. “How did you get into my yard?”

  “Hey. I’m looking for Marissa Roy.”

  “This is private property. Get the fuck out or I’ll call the cops.”

  Blood pooled in her stomach, making her nauseous. How the hell did a creditor follow her here? Before she could say anything, Vince stepped out the door, forcing the creditor to back up. He then shut the door.

  Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen.

  She put the mug down and followed them both out. Vince had his finger in the guy’s
face, his body appearing a hulking mass next to the smaller man. “…see you here again I’m going to kick your ass.”

  If the creditor was concerned, he didn’t show it. His gaze snapped to Marissa’s the moment she’d come outside. “You owe us money.”

  “I don’t owe anything. That’s my ex. Go collect it from him”

  “You co-signed the papers. That means it’s you too.” He then turned to Vince.

  “How did you find me?” She’d been so careful the past few weeks, especially since Vince had come into her life. She couldn’t imagine how they would have known where she’d disappeared to.

  “I showed up last night as you got into his car. I followed you here and waited until one of you came out.” He looked at Vince. “You need to be smarter about locking your gate door when you come back from your run.”

  The growl that came from Vince sent a shiver through her. He got right into the man’s face and shoved him hard.

  “I’m doing my job. She’s the one who’s been an asshole by not paying what she’s owed. But since you’re Big Shot Mr. Rich guy, you can grab a cheque book and pay off what she owes too.”

  “Fuck off!” And before Marissa knew what he was doing, Vince punched the guy—hard.

  The man stumbled backward, blood trickling down from his split lip. “You’re going to regret that.” He then turned tail and ran.

  Vince stared after him, shaking his hand out as he did. The guy opened the door next to the driveway gate and disappeared. Marissa’s heart pounded hard enough she was terrified it was going to stop. Everything she’d hoped to prevent had come to pass, all because she’d given in to the temptation of his comfort. Just like she’d done to her mom when she was younger, Marissa had brought him unwanted attention and pain.

  “I’m sorry.” She’d said it so softly, she wasn’t sure he’d heard her. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Sorry.”

  Vince turned slowly, his gaze morphing from annoyed to confused. “For what? I’m the one who didn’t lock my own security gate. I should be apologizing to you.” He gave his hand another shake. “No doubt I’ll be getting a visit from the cops later. Assholes like that will press charges every time. They love nothing better than being able to take down a celebrity.” Vince spun in a tight circle, before throwing his head back. “Fuck!”

  Marissa might be many things, but she was not normally one to cry. And yet, here she stood for the third time in less than twenty-four hours with tears streaming down her face. “I can’t seem to do anything right. Andrew thought I was cheating on him when all I was trying to do was set up a surprise party, and then I can’t get out from under all these bills. And now I’m dragging you down into a bunch of shit that you’d done your best to keep out of.”

  She didn’t see him cross the distance, but suddenly his arms were wrapped around her and her face was pressed to his chest. “You’ve done nothing wrong. Do you hear me? This wasn’t your fault.”

  God, it would be so easy to believe him, to let Vince simply make everything all right in her world. But what kind of person would that make her? She’d never become the woman she’d always wanted to be if she continued to let everyone fix her problems for her. “I should go.”

  He reached down and tilted her head back, until she had no choice but to look him in the eyes. “You go if that’s what you really want. If you need to leave to sort some things out, then I’ll drive you to where you need to be myself. But if you’re leaving because you think I don’t want you around, then that’s not acceptable.”

  She couldn’t believe after everything that had happened, that he wasn’t ready to toss her to the curb. “How can you say that?”

  “Because everything that’s happened hasn’t exactly been under your control. Including that asshole finding us.” He brushed her hair from her face. “If you let me help, then I can fix this for you.”

  “Then I’ll owe you. I don’t know if I can handle that.”

  Vince shook his head. “Then we’ll see if there’s another option. But you’re not in this alone. Understand?”

  The ache in her chest lessened slightly. “Okay.”

  “Good. Now, why don’t we go back in, eat and get dressed. I can then take you to your mom’s if that’s where you’d want to go.”

  She didn’t deserve this, or him for that matter. “Thanks. I’d like that.” No matter how screwed up her life got, or how badly she wanted to keep her mom from getting involved, Marissa would always need her.

  “Food first, then we’ll go.”

  Carefully, she lifted his hand, surprised that it was already bruising. “We need to get some ice on this too. It’s going to hurt later.”

  “Hurts like a bitch now.” Still, he casually looped his arm across her shoulders. “Let’s get that ice.”

  The weight of his touch on her should be reassuring, as should his words. And yet, Marissa couldn’t help but worry that as hard as he’d tried to make things better, they were only going to get worse.

  Chapter 20

  Vince had barely made it into his office when Caroline and Nate barged in. Caroline’s hair, normally neat and contained was wild. If she’d slept the night before, then it had been restless. Her gaze snapped to his and the next thing he knew, she was in his face. “What the actual fuck did you do?”

  Whoa. In the five years that she’d been a part of the firm, he’d never heard her swear. “What do you mean?”

  “She means we’ve both been inundated with calls for the past thirty minutes.” Nate crossed his arms and glared down at him. “You punched a dude?”

  Vine groaned. He’d hoped he was going to have longer than that to give everyone a heads up. “He was trespassing and insulted my guest.”

  “That wouldn’t be your little sugar girl, would it?” Caroline ran her hands across her hair, smoothing it back. “Because the media has caught wind that there’s something going on at your place and that it had to do with a girl.”

  “Media?” There’d been no one at his house when they’d left that morning, but that didn’t mean his privacy would stay that way. “I’m not going to be able to go home now.”

  “I’ve already called the cleaners to come in and open up the condo. It will be ready for you when you want to head over.” Caroline rolled her eyes. “And I’ve already had a heads up call that Simon Berry wants to talk to you this morning.”

  Acid in his stomach churned as Vince leaned back in his chair. “Great. If he’s finally swinging over to my side of things and wants to buy GreenPro, a scandal is the last thing I need.”

  Nate and Caroline shared a look, before Nate moved and leaned his arms on the back of Caroline’s chair. “We’re here to help you with whatever you need. But I think, and I’m sure Caroline will agree, that you need to cut ties with Marissa.”

  Logically, it made sense that they’d make that suggestion. While his initial dealings with Marissa had to do with ensuring he had a cleaner image for the New York trip, having their relationship around long-term would no doubt eventually be discovered by Simon and potentially ruin his business.

  Logically, he should cut ties, give her some money for her debts so she’s not struggling. She’d be able to pay off her debts, get a better place to live, and move on with her education and her life.

  But he’d be fucking damned if he’d let that happen.

  “No.” Vince turned to the computer and logged into his e-mail. “You can leave.”

  He didn’t need to be looking at them to know they were both shocked.

  Caroline laughed, but it sounded sadder than anything. “You know what, I’ve put up with your moods and bullshit for years now. Even when you decided to intervene with your dad and take his place with Marissa, I went above and beyond to make sure she was happy. I didn’t agree with it, and I was all for her being in your life if she made you happy. But this is interfering
with our company now and—”

  “My company.” He looked at her then. “My company and my decisions.”

  Caroline stood, her face flushed and hesitated in front of his desk. “Of course, sir.” She shook her head. “I’ll be at my desk when you need me.” She then turned and strode from the office.

  Shit, he’d never intended to hurt her. Caroline had always been there for him, gave him the reality check he always seemed to need. He’d have to apologize to her later, but for the moment, he needed time to figure out how to make everything work. Nate was still there, and that was also a conversation he didn’t want to have. “I’m serious, Nate. You need to leave.”

  “I know last night I was encouraging you to reach out to her, but I now think that it was a mistake.”

  Vince was on his feet and around the desk before his brain registered what he was doing. “Marissa is many things, but she’s not a mistake.”

  “I’ve never seen you be rude to Caroline before. You’re an asshole all the time to me, but not to her. She doesn’t deserve it, especially when she’s right.”

  The anger that had been propelling him for the last few minutes fizzled. “I’ll make it up to her. But I’m not giving up on Marissa, not when she has no one else to help her.”

  “Are you prepared to lose out on this deal? Because if Simon hasn’t heard about your little run-in and the media attention by now, he will soon. And once that happens, it will prove to him that you’re no better than your dad, and he’ll bail.”

  “Then I lose the sale.” He never wanted to sell to Simon in the first place. “I’ll find a way to talk Dad into going down another path, to sell the company to someone better suited. Sooner or later he’ll realize it’s the best option.”

  “You’ve been saying that for years. If you haven’t managed to convince your dad by now, it’s not going to happen. ETS is the best and currently only option to take GreenPro off our books.”

  Nate wasn’t normally one to care about Vince’s little side projects. “What aren’t you telling me?”