Unwrapped Kisses (Warming Up to Love Book 4)

by Jenna Rose

  “I’m this determined to show you that I don’t need a handout, Lance! Not from you, not from my father, not from anyone!”

  Anger flaring in her eyes, she snatches her sweater from last night and slides into it, grabs her bra and skirt, and practically tears the door off its hinges as she leaves the office. She storms right past everybody on her way out, and once she’s in the hallway, they all turn their eyes on me.

  Yeah. This did not go the way I thought it would.

  FAITH

  FOR ONCE, I wish I had a roommate so I could have someone to complain to. Instead, I’m pacing around my luxury apartment, yelling at the plush lobster doll I bought on my trip to Maine last summer.

  “I can’t believe him! What was he thinking? First I’m a gold-digging whore and now he wants to help me start my business? Like I’m not capable, right?”

  I look down and realize I’m wearing the pants his assistant brought over and immediately sit down on the couch and pull them off. I’m about to stuff them in the garbage when I realize a better option—I go to the window and toss them out into the street.

  “Poor little Faith and her little startup company needs help from Lance Frost and his big candy-making empire!”

  If only stuffed animals could talk.

  “Ugh, what was I thinking!?”

  Like the drama queen I apparently am, I slide off the couch and collapse onto the floor, holding my head in my hands. I never liked the ceiling in this apartment—stucco that is supposedly “in” right now but always looked cheap to me. It never really bothered me that bad, but right now I hate it. Right now I could take a sledge hammer to the ceiling if only I could reach it.

  How can I even go back to work for him now after what happened?

  Not only did I fuck him, but I also just did the walk of shame in front of the entire staff and basically told him to go screw himself. Whatever. I never wanted to be his secretary anyway. I’ll just have to start my company a bit faster than I had planned.

  Filled with a new fire, I get to my feet and head over to my laptop. As I open it, there’s a loud knock on the door. I freeze. The only people who know where I live are my mom and dad. Deliveries are left downstairs, so there shouldn’t be anyone at my door ever.

  “Faith?”

  Shit. It’s Lance. For a second, I wonder how even knows where I live, but then I remember he’s a billionaire and could probably get my medical records if he wanted to.

  “Go away,” I grumble, folding my arms across my chest.

  “I don’t think I will,” he replies calmly.

  “Go away!”

  So I’m being a brat. Sue me.

  “I’ll shoulder this door down if I have to,” he says. “So unless you want to hire a locksmith, get up and let me in.”

  I suddenly remember why I totally hate him sometimes. I want to protest, just to spite him, but I also don’t want to spend the night in a hotel while my lock is being repaired, so I get up and open the door for him. It’s obnoxious that just how good-looking he is makes it hard for me to be mad at him.

  Again, I cross my arms and wait for his condescending speech on how I’m being an overly emotional woman or whatever.

  “I’m sorry.” Okay, wasn’t expecting that. And I guess that’s written all over my face, because Lance smiles. “I shouldn’t have sprung that on you. I didn’t mean to imply you couldn’t do it yourself; I just wanted to help.”

  I hate the fact that he’s managing to calm me down with such ease. Normally, when I’m upset about something, I stay upset about it because I’m right to be upset. But Lance is making me wonder if I overreacted.

  “Well…you don’t have to,” I reply. “I can do things on my own.”

  “I know you can.” He nods. “But would you at least come take a look at the space with me? Maybe once you see it, I can convince you to take it.”

  “No, I won’t take it,” I say quickly. Which is true. But I also don’t want to just close the door on him. And inviting him in would be the absolute wrong thing to do right now. He has to know that he’s upset me and that he can’t just come over and romance me every time he does something wrong. “But I’ll come with you just to see it. Maybe in the future I’ll rent it for myself.”

  Lance smiles and nods, and I follow him downstairs to his car. This time, he’s driving a blazing orange Ferrari. No Rolls. No driver. Just us.

  “Hop in,” he says with a smile.

  “A Ferrari in the winter? I sure hope you know how to drive.”

  “I’m a man.” He winks. “Of course I do.”

  Enraged and turned on, I get in with him, and he speeds off, driving far faster than I think is safe in the snow and the ice. I want to tell him to cool it, but I know that’s why he’s doing it, so I keep quiet. Eventually, we arrive at a large, renovated warehouse building. He pulls up in the side lot and parks. When we get inside, I can’t help but get excited.

  The space is gorgeous, filled with tons of natural light that spills in through wall-to-wall windows on one side, and the hardwood floors have been refinished and gleam like they’ve been coated with caramel. I can practically envision the various stations for candy-making. There’s even a little office room built into one corner.

  “Nice, huh?” He knows it is, and the look on my face isn’t hiding anything. So I just nod.

  “It’s perfect.”

  “I’ve got an idea then.” He comes right up to me and takes me by the waist, and I don’t stop him. “Instead of me just renting this for you for nothing, how about this; you bring me in as an investor. Not a partner. I don’t want to run your company for you. But I’ll invest now, you give me a stake, and when you start making money, I’ll be paid back.”

  Just when I think I can stay mad at him, Lance proves his perfection to me.

  “I won’t be your sugar-daddy,” he says, pulling me closer. “I’ll just be Daddy. What do you say?”

  My body comes alive. Like a golden wave crashing down over me, my anger and frustration with him is washed away, and I’m left metaphorically naked on a warm beach, just waiting for him to do what he wants with me.

  “Yes…” I whimper. “Yes, Daddy.”

  His lips find mine, and before I can blink, I’m undressed and on the floor beneath him. Strong hands caress my body, drawing hushed moans from my lips. But Lance shakes his head and slides his fingers between my legs.

  “No need to be quiet. No one will hear you. Make all the noise you want.”

  I realize just how turned on I have been when his fingers enter me without resistance. I gasp and arch my back as he sucks my lower lip and confidently coaxes that spot deep inside me that causes my hips to begin to buck up and down. As my first climax rocks me, I realize the truth; I’m completely in love with Lance, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.

  Nor should I want to.

  He may infuriate me. He may have been the world’s biggest asshole to me. But he’s also already changed me in ways I can’t even understand. And I want nothing more than to be his.

  “You know how much you turn me on when you come?” He takes my hand and guides it between his legs. I feel the bulge, swelling and pumping with blood as I squeeze. “That’s what you do to me.”

  “I-I want it, Daddy…”

  He pulls out his cock, and my eyes go wide. Pre-cum drips from the tip, and I reach out with both hands as he tugs his pants off. It’s warm and so hard beneath my fingers. I explore every inch as he positions himself over me, and even the touch of his tip against my hole as he barely begins to spread me open is enough to send my emotions into overdrive.

  “I love you, Daddy.” The words fall out of my mouth in a way that shocks even me. I wasn’t expecting to say that at all, but obviously I was thinking it. So I go with it. “I love you, I love you, I love you…”

  “I love you too,” Lance replies just before he slides inside me.

  Our bodies seem to bind together, and I cry out with pleasure as he spreads me aroun
d his massive girth once more. I can feel the soreness from the last time he fucked me, but all it does is make me smile.

  His raw power and dominance overwhelm me. I writhe beneath him as his hips buck, and his cock pumps in and out, in and out. He’s relentless. Unstoppable. I wrap my arms around him, pulling him closer, exploring the taut, heavy muscles of his back and arms. He’s so deep inside, bottoming out with every thrust, threatening to split me open, but I can’t get enough.

  I want more. I want him to destroy me.

  “Fuck me, Daddy. Harder!”

  Lance’s reply is to wrap his hand around my throat and squeeze. Not hard enough to hurt, but enough to cut off my breath. For a moment, I begin to panic, but when our eyes meet, and I see the loving intensity there, I surrender myself to him.

  He would never hurt me.

  I feel the pressure building in my cheeks, followed by a swelling between my legs. His cock is somehow growing, and I slump back against the ground as he takes total control. My eyes roll back in my head as the pleasure rolls through me. I’m going to come again, and I would tell him if I could breathe or speak. But I can’t. All I can do is take it. Take Daddy’s cock.

  “You’re mine, aren’t you?” he asks. I manage to nod. The lack of oxygen is getting to me. I wonder if I’m going to pass out. It’s a scary thought, but I trust Daddy. “That’s right. This pussy is mine. So tight. So warm. I’m going to explode inside you, baby.”

  Just as I’m sure I’m going to lose consciousness, Lance releases his hand from my throat, and the whole world seems to explode.

  An orgasm so intense I can barely process it hits me and levels me completely. I open my mouth to scream, but my core is so tight I can’t even find my breath. My back arches up, but Lance pushes me down with a strong hand.

  I feel his release, hot, thick and sticky, gush into me with even more strength than last time. My legs curl and grip his strong waist and pull him as deep inside as he can go. A deep, dull pain of being stretched mixes with the bright, blazing pleasure of my orgasm. I lose myself in it—in him.

  My brain stops working.

  I slump back, feeling his cum drip out of me, and gasp for breath as I do my best to process what just happened. The changes in my life have come so quickly that I can barely comprehend them, but I know this: I am in love with Lance and am fully able to admit it now.

  LANCE

  I WAKE up feeling like a new man.

  Faith lies beside me, looking like an angel, her beautiful face drenched in golden sunlight slanting in through the wall of windows.

  This is how I want to wake up from now on.

  What a change. I never could have seen this coming. Faith came in like a surprise attack, completely decimated my defenses, and stole my heart. And when dealing with a man like me, that’s not an easy task.

  But Faith is special. I don’t know shit about astrophysics or physics in general, but it’s as though we both vibrate on the same frequency and are just meant for each other.

  She loves me, and I love her.

  And my life will never be the same.

  I want to do things for her. That’s something I’ve never felt before. I’ve always looked out for myself—put my needs ahead of everyone else’s, but right now, Faith is the most important person in the world.

  I slide my arm out from beneath her and quickly get dressed. The warehouse is only two blocks from the best breakfast shop in town. I hop in the car and quickly make my way over, order three bacon egg and cheese sandwiches and two orange juices and head back. I’m grinning like an idiot the whole way.

  Maybe I don’t have to work as hard anymore. Maybe I can do more with my life than simply make money and gobble up my competitors. Maybe I can help Faith succeed and get pleasure from that.

  Maybe I can make a big change.

  Still smiling, I push open the warehouse door and step inside. “Hey, babe,” I announce. “I brought breakfast!”

  But the warehouse is empty. Faith is gone.

  I quickly scan the space with my eyes, but there’s nowhere she could be hiding. She’s just gone.

  “Faith?” I call out pointlessly. I walk over to where she was when I left her and see my cell phone on the ground. When I pick it up, my heart sinks. There’s a brand new message from Danielle:

  Yes, I’m totally down to be your secret side-piece. Just as long as you’re sure this ‘love of your life’ doesn’t find out. Tonight? Gimmie some of that billionaire dick?

  “Fuck!” I bark. I almost smash my phone against the wall, but I take a deep breath and head back to the car. On the way, I dial Jane. “Jane, can you let someone at the office know that they need to call me if Faith comes in today? Yeah, it’s a bit of a situation. I’ll tell you later.”

  It’s not a long drive to Faith’s apartment, but it feels like forever, and my heart is pounding the entire way. This is just a simple misunderstanding, but knowing Faith, she’s going to take it hard. She’s going to hate me. I have to get to her now and explain things to her. But when I arrive at her apartment, the door is unlocked, and she’s not home. There is, however, a note on the counter.

  Dear dickhead,

  I left the door open so you didn’t have to break it down. I’ll be renting a new one, so don’t contact me or my father to get in touch. I want nothing to do with you. Oh, and take the warehouse space and shove it up your ass.

  -Faith

  “Fuck,” I groan again. This is bad. Faith’s dad has the means to help her disappear off my radar. Right now she’s probably back at his place telling him what kind of a shithead I am. That means he’ll be canceling his contract with us and going with another supplier. Hell, maybe he’ll even start dumping money into his daughter’s company so they can go head to head with me.

  This is a disaster.

  But I’ll be damned if I let my business concerns get in the way of this. Faith has to know the truth. I love her, and I’m not about to let some stupid joke get in the way of our future together. I hop back in the car and plug her dad’s address into my GPS. Then I dial Danielle.

  “Hey, baby,” she jokes as she answers. “Bringing that dick over tonight?”

  “We’ve got a problem, Danny,” I tell her. “That girl I mentioned? The love of my life? She read the last message you sent me when I was out. She freaked out, and I don’t know how to reach her. I’m going over to her dad’s house now to try and explain things to her.”

  “Shit…I’m so sorry, Lance.”

  “It’s not your fault,” I reply. “But I need your help. I don’t know if she’ll believe me if I just show her the messages. Can you come meet me at her dad’s place and explain it to her?”

  “Lance, you know I would. But I’m in Italy for the next two weeks.”

  “Fuck,” I mutter as the car swerves on some black ice. “All right, Danny. Thanks anyway.”

  I hang up and grit my teeth. This is going to be a tough one to get out of. But I’m not worried about me right now; I’m worried about Faith. How she must feel having read that…

  If I saw a message like that on her phone, I would go ballistic. Normally, I have my phone on me 24/7. I guess I was so lost in how great I felt this morning that I completely forgot it. What a stupid fucking mistake. A mistake that could cost me everything.

  FAITH

  “THAT’S IT. My contract with him is done!”

  My dad slams a fist on the counter and drinks his freshly-poured whiskey in one gulp. I recoil, half expecting him to smash it. Thankfully, he doesn’t.

  I just finished pouring my heart out to him—explaining everything. Well, almost everything. I left out the details a father wouldn’t like to hear, but I’m pretty sure he got the message.

  “I—you don’t have to do that, Dad.”

  “Oh, I’m going to,” he laughs angrily. “Lance Frost may be worth more than I am, but his contract with me still makes him a lot of money—money he will no longer have. Nobody does that to my daughter!”

 
I’m not going to cry.

  I told myself that the second I saw the message on Lance’s phone, and I’ve been repeating it over and over since I left. He may have been able to convince me he was a good guy, even made me feel bad for him, but he’s not going to get me to cry. No way, Jose.

  I can’t even understand why he left his phone there. Did he want me to see it? Stupid move if not, but I guess it’s better that I saw it now than later. Imagine if I had really committed to him and found out down the line that he’d been cheating on me the entire time.

  I guess I’d feel even dumber than I feel now.

  But Lance is smart. I have to give him that. The whole date/interview thing was a nice move. Making me prove myself to him, while the entire time he’s got some other girl (at least one) on the side. If that isn’t an experienced player, I don’t know what is.

  My phone rings. Private, which probably means the office. So I ignore it.

  “Lance?” my dad asks.

  “Maybe.” I shrug. “I won’t be going back to that job, Dad. I’m sorry.”

  “Of course you won’t,” he replies, shaking his head vehemently. “I’d never let you. Not after this shit.”

  The phone rings again. This time, I answer. “Tell Lance to leave me alone! Oh, and I fucking quit!”

  I slam my phone down on the counter with such force I’m surprised the screen doesn’t shatter.

  “You know what the worst part of this is, Dad?” I ask, fighting back tears. “He acted like I was the one with the agenda.”

  Like the awesome, sometimes over-protective father he is, my dad brings me in for a hug. It’s exactly what I need, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to cry when there’s a knock at the front door.

  “Are you expecting someone?” I ask quickly.

  “No,” my dad replies suspiciously. He lets go of me and walks slowly from the room. “Wait here.”

  My heart is fluttering in my chest. The last time this happened, it was Lance at my apartment come to apologize to me. Could it be him again? Coming to apologize again…?