by Marian Tee
“Kiss me back, dammit, or I swear to God, I’ll touch you here.”
The words were supposed to be a threat, she knew, but somehow they just ended up seducing Mairi more, and she couldn’t help but whimper as she felt a rush of wetness in between her legs.
When Mairi’s lips parted, Damen seized his chance, his tongue pushing in and reclaiming what he considered as forever his.
The moment Damen’s tongue entered her mouth, she was lost. His kiss swept her away, destroying her ability to think and leaving her only capable of feeling. With a helpless moan of surrender, Mairi kissed him back as her arms went around his neck and her body softened against him.
The concept of time slipped away from their minds, and both of them forgot that they weren’t alone in the cab. They kissed and kissed and kissed, their heads twisting and turning until Damen lost patience and had Mairi straddling his lap so he could kiss her more deeply while his hand squeezed her bottom.
Mairi found herself rubbing against Damen’s hard cock, which slid tantalizingly between her legs like a hot pulsing rod that made her feel achingly empty. The delicious friction between their bodies made her gasp. It also made her want more, and she tried to satisfy her body’s craving for contact by grinding her pussy harder against Damen.
If she had her way, the kiss would never end. At least when they kissed, it was just them. It was Mairi and Damen, and no one could ever come between them.
It was only when someone knocked insistently on the window next to Damen that they realized they were already home.
Mairi tore herself away from the kiss, gasping and now red-faced in embarrassment as she realized just how much making out they had done in the cab – and with two other men present. She tried to pull away from Damen, but he didn’t let her, instead pulling her head down again for a short hard kiss.
When he released her, Damen said in a low hard voice, “Stop flirting with Morrison.”
Then stop talking to Alina, Mairi thought. But out loud, she only muttered, “I’m not flirting with him.” When Drake opened the door, Mairi hurriedly climbed off Damen’s lap and stepped out of the cab. Behind her, she heard Damen’s phone ring again and she stiffened, waiting to see if he would answer it or not.
He did.
“It’s still not a good time to talk—”
Mairi turned to Drake, saying brightly, “I’m not really in the mood to stay home. How about we go out for coffee and talk some more about PP?” As she spoke, she felt Damen glaring at her from behind. And when she invited Drake out, Mairi heard Damen end the call in an angry mutter. A second later, Damen had hauled her to his side.
“If you want coffee,” he snarled, “I’ll buy you some and you can have them with me.” Without giving her a chance to speak, he practically carried her back inside their home and only managed a nod for the other man before taking his wife upstairs.
Mairi jumped when Damen slammed the bedroom door shut. Whirling around, she saw Damen stalking towards her. The look on his face had her eyes widening and taking a step back. “Damen—”
“I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but if you think making me jealous of Morrison will make me let you go…”
Mairi gasped as Damen reached for her just to spin her around and tear her dress from behind. The cloth gave way with a loud rip. The sound was startlingly erotic in her ears, and her whimper was a mixture of fright and excitement as Damen pushed her to the wall.
“…that’s never going to happen.” Damen ripped her underwear next just before his body slammed against her from behind. Mairi bit back a moan as she found herself caged in hardness, her breasts pressing flat against the wall. She heard the sound of Damen unzipping himself and this time, she was unable to keep herself from moaning when Damen’s fully aroused cock rubbed against her buttocks. He was still fully clothed and she was naked except for a pair of stilettos, and imagining how they looked like made her moan again.
Damen took hold of Mairi’s wrists, pulling her arms up and chaining her wrists to the wall over her head with his grip. He was blinded with rage, fear, and jealousy. In his mind, he could still hear her talking to Morrison, still see her laughing with the other man. Had they been the same when they were in bed together?
The thought had him growling. “You’re mine, Mairi. No one can take you away from me. No one.” He didn’t give her a chance to answer, instead proving his claim as he slid his cock inside her. Both of them groaned as her wetness welcomed his penetration, and then he was thrusting in and out of her, his movements made deeper, harder, and wilder by Damen’s desire to keep Mairi at his side.
“Mine, Mairi. Mine.” He said the words as his cock pounded into her over and over, and she could only hold on to his fingers, feeling like her body was suspended in air and all that was keeping her steady was Damen’s sex.
Tears silently trailed down Mairi’s cheek even as her body became hotter and more sensitive with every thrust. Maybe…maybe if I keep him jealous all the time, Mairi thought, maybe he won’t have time for any other woman but me.
Damen’s free hand pushed between her body and the wall, reaching for her clit. She cried out when he started playing with the tiny bud of flesh, and when he gritted, “I want you to come hard now, Mairi,” she cried out in surrender, her body obeying the command of its master. Her orgasm had her screaming, and behind her Damen growled, his seed exploding out of his cock even as his hips continued to pump in fast and furious movements.
When the tremors of her release started to die down, Mairi dimly felt Damen turning her around and carrying her to the shower. She allowed him to wash and clean her, and when he pulled her close for a kiss under the hot pulsing jets of water, she didn’t resist.
As Damen gently toweled his wife dry, he tried not to let his tension show while he waited for her to speak. But she didn’t. By the time he had taken her back to bed and pulled the covers over their naked bodies, she still hadn’t spoken a word.
He wanted to say something, but what exactly it should be escaped him. And so he ended up kissing her softly on the forehead before reaching for his phone on the floor.
Mairi bit her lip hard and willed herself not to shed a single tear as she heard the sound of Damen’s fingers clicking on the screen of his phone. She wished she had the courage to demand an explanation from Damen. Why was he still lying to her? Why was he still talking to Alina? Why couldn’t he be satisfied with her?
But she couldn’t…because she was afraid of the answer. She knew, even if Damen didn’t want to admit it, that he had only asked her back and married her out of guilt. Damen might be cruel and ruthless, but he had always been honorable. His honor and pride would have demanded him to atone for his treatment of her by giving Mairi her greatest wish – to marry a Greek billionaire.
And he had done that…even though he was starting to fall for Alina.
Damen’s fingers continued to tap on the screen.
Mairi’s teeth sank harder into her lower lip. She had to stop the tide of questions that came to her tongue, knowing she wouldn’t be able to afford to hear the truth. If she did, she would have no choice but to leave Damen…and she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Tomorrow, Mairi thought numbly. Tomorrow, she’d flirt with Drake again. Tomorrow, she’d do anything to make Damen jealous just so he would forget Alina. Tomorrow, she’d try to think of a way to help Damen with his financial problems. Maybe if she did, he’d feel even guiltier – enough not to call Alina ever again.
Her weakness shamed her, but her love for Damen was greater.
Be strong, Mairi.
Be strong so you can stay by Damen’s side a little longer.
Chapter Eight
She said: To wed a Greek billionaire, you must exercise control over exploiting his One True Weakness when you feel hurt.
He said: What is it with you and Lord of the Rings…my precious?
She said: And that’s it.
He said: That’s what?
She said
: Your weakness. Me. Your precious.
He said: (Pause) Ah, matakia mou. You turn me on when you get cocky like that.
Mairi knew the exact moment Damen received one of those “calls”. It had been two months since they had tried to gatecrash Nelson Athanas’ birthday party and by now, she was an expert at figuring out when Damen was really talking to a business associate or friend and when Damen was…not.
Right now was one of those times he was not.
Even though he stood right next to her, looking immaculately polished in an all-white golf tee and pants, his arm around her waist, Mairi knew that he really wasn’t there. Right now, his whole world was centered on the phone vibrating insistently inside his pants’ pocket.
If I were Damen’s mistress, I wouldn’t be so selfish that I’d call him while he’s at a very important function. A hysterical laugh tried to bubble out of her. The thought would have made Mairi feel infinitely better if only she didn’t know how pathetic she was being. She was his wife, for heaven’s sake, and yet here she was, mentally competing with another woman.
“Mrs. Leventis, how about a picture?” A fresh-faced photographer came to her with a hopeful look on his face. He was one of the many, with the media coming in droves to attend the launch of the golf tournament, an annual fundraiser held by Mykolas Sallis, the Greek billionaire her friend Velvet married after a controversial whirlwind romance.
Held at Athens’ most prestigious country club, the event always commanded a huge turnout, and this year was no different. It provided Mykolas with the perfect opportunity to announce his intention to put up a joint venture with Damen, a red herring meant to have all eyes on Mykolas while Damen worked behind the scenes with his enemies’ enemies.
So far, the distraction was a huge success. If only, Mairi thought, she could be just as successful in distracting Damen from Alina Kokinos.
Her gaze returned to her husband, who was now reaching for his phone. In the act of telling the photographer to wait so she could call Damen to her side, Mairi instead gestured towards Drake. The other man stood a few feet away from her, his good looks and quietly commanding presence having caused quite a stir among the event’s female guests.
Catching sight of Mairi’s look, Drake swiftly made his way to her. “What is it?”
Mairi pointed to Drake. “How about taking a photo of me and the bodyguard instead?”
The photographer’s eyes widened. “The b-bodyguard?”
From the corner of her eye, Mairi saw Damen answer his call. She flashed the photographer a wider smile. “Yup.”
Absently looking up when his wife walked away from him, Damen cursed silently at the sight of Mairi about to strike a pose beside Drake Morrison for a picture. The other man’s all-black outfit complemented Mairi’s all-white collared shirt and short pleated skirt. They looked damn good together, and the thought had his lips clamping in a thin line.
To him, Mairi was easily the most beautiful girl in the room. Damen could not be any prouder of the fact that she belonged to him. Unfortunately, his wife seemed to have a tendency of forgetting the same fact.
Not taking his gaze off Mairi and doing his best not to bristle at Drake’s proximity to her, Damen muttered, “I need to go. I’ll call you later. This is really not a good time at all.”
An anxious sigh came from the other end of the line. “It’s always not a good time.”
Damen winced. “I know, but I promise I’ll make time for you tomorrow.” Shoving his phone back into his pocket, Damen strode forward and tapped Drake from behind. “Thank you for your assistance, but I can take it from here.” His voice was pleasant, but his smile was cold.
Drake nodded, a deferential look falling on his face like someone who had received his orders. But when he walked past Mairi’s husband, he murmured, “Do not blame me when you’re the one neglecting your wife.”
Damen’s nostrils flared and he had to consciously hold himself back from answering. He would have taken a swing at the other man if he was not aware of the fact that practically everyone in today’s event still thought of him as someone made crazy and irresponsible by his “uncontrollable” libido.
Taking his place next to Mairi, Damen pulled his wife close to his side. He expected her to resist a little, but she didn’t. Smiling for the photographer, he bent down to say silkily in her ear, “You seem to have forgotten who you’re supposed to have your photos with, darling.”
Mairi waited for the photographer to take his first shot before looking up at Damen. Tension was evident on his face, making her reach up to caress his cheek. “Sorry,” she said penitently. Now that she had her husband’s complete attention, her resentment disappeared, along with the need to flirt with Drake.
The apology had Damen shooting a brooding look at his wife, whose moods as of late were unpredictable as hell. One moment she was acting like the perfect wife, the next moment she was acting like she couldn’t wait to leave him for Drake.
It was as if she was constantly trying to pick a fight with him, hoping he would one day tire of holding on to her.
But surely she had to know that that day would never come?
“Could you turn to your side, Mr. Leventis, and face your wife?” the photographer asked even as his finger continued hitting the shutter button.
Damen shifted sideways, and as his gaze took in Mairi’s profile, he couldn’t help noticing how she seemed to get lovelier each day. She was practically glowing. It should have been a good thing, if only a part of him didn’t think his wife’s blossoming looks had nothing to do with him at all.
Mairi tried not to fidget as she felt Damen’s hooded gaze linger on her. She tried not to think of what his thoughts were either. If she did, she had a feeling she would just get depressed.
How long, Mairi asked herself silently, would she be able to survive this kind of marriage? Every night, Damen would tell her he loved her. But not once…not one damn instance could Mairi make herself believe him.
If only she could turn back time and be the same starry-eyed girl who had innocently dreamed of marrying a Greek billionaire. But she wasn’t that girl anymore, and she didn’t think she ever could be again.
Her heart had gotten smarter after being broken so many times. Now, it rejected every word, every touch, and every look that came from Damen that hinted of love. Now, her heart knew better. Now it knew the truth.
Damen’s honor and guilt might have made him believe he really did love Mairi, but he did not.
She wished he did, but he just did not. Maybe he never had.
“How about looking like you’re lost in love, Mrs. Leventis?”
The question startled Mairi back to consciousness.
Her inner turmoil leaving her a little raw, Mairi couldn’t make herself look at Damen. Instead, she searched for Drake in the room. In the two months she and Damen had been married, Drake had turned into her shield, everything about him serving as a reminder of how much she needed to be strong.
A steely glint flashed in Damen’s eyes when he saw his wife searching for Morrison. She needed to fucking look for Morrison in order to appear in love?
Jaw clenching, he reached for her, fingers curling around her nape. The moment she faced him, Damen captured her lips with a kiss. He had wanted the kiss to be a punishment and a warning, but the moment their lips met, his heart won over his jealousy and anger.
Soft. Tender. Gentle.
I love you.
Mairi willed herself not to cry. She had expected Damen’s inherent possessiveness to take over in his kiss, but instead she tasted something else. Something she didn’t want to name.
When Damen slowly ended the kiss, all they could do was look at each other.
The unspoken emotions in the couple’s eyes had the photographer swallowing. His fingers shook as he raised his camera to his eye and started clicking. It was as if nothing existed for Damen and Mairi Leventis, their love pristine and untouchable despite all the ugliness that surrounded them.
/> Did she know how much he started to hope whenever she looked at him like this? His hand lifted, the urge to possess her born from a need that came from his heart. “Do you need some more shots like that?” His fingers grazed her cheek as he spoke, Damen’s question was aimed at the photographer, but his gaze remaining on Mairi.
Her lips still tingling after Damen’s unexpected kiss, it took a second for Mairi to understand the import of Damen’s words. When she did, she blushed and stammered, “I think he’s got enough.” When Damen seemed prepared to argue, she sent him a pleading look. Dear God, didn’t he see that she was still trying to catch her breath?
The look Mairi darted towards him made Damen smile. He was about to tease her by asking for another kiss when his phone buzzed insistently in his pocket.
Since Mairi was standing right next to Damen, she, too, heard the buzz coming from his pocket. Paling at the sound, her whole body tensing, Mairi swallowed back an instinctive plea for Damen not to answer it. To not choose another woman over his own wife.
“I have everything I need,” the photographer was saying enthusiastically. “Thanks for the time. I’ll make sure you all look great and the piece that comes with the photos will be just as great.”
Mairi only half heard the photographer’s words since most of her attention was on Damen’s buzzing phone. Inherent courtesy had Mairi forcing herself to concentrate on the photographer. “Thank you, Mister—?”
“Guthrie, Mrs. Leventis. Eric Guthrie.” Eric found himself unexpectedly tongue-tied at the blinding smile that accompanied Mairi Tanner-Leventis’ words. So this was what had captured the ex-billionaire’s heart, he realized. Good, old-fashioned genuineness that none of the jaded supermodels and frivolous heiresses of the world could ever fake.
Her smile warm, Mairi shook hands with Eric, automatically slipping into her role as Damen’s #1 goodwill ambassador even as she couldn’t prevent her gaze from straying towards her husband. “Thank you so much, Eric. We appreciate your interest in sharing our side with the public.”