I jab my elbow lightly into James’s ribs and mutter, “Freaking caveman.”
James lowers his head and nips at my neck left exposed by the off-the-shoulder gown and whispers, “Behave” in my ear before straightening to shake Robert’s hand.
They talk a little about the company, and I can see that James appreciates Robert’s views about the new changes in management. Robert is the head of the IT department at the company, and we’ve developed a good friendship over the years, so I’m glad he’s not thinking about leaving after Dad is removed from his position as CEO.
We say our goodbyes after that and get in the car that is waiting outside the hotel to take us to James’s house. As soon as we are enclosed within the spacious confines of the limo, James takes my hand and tugs lightly.
“Come here.”
“I’m fine over here,” I say as my palms sweat and my breath comes in raspy pants.
The air is charged with electricity, and I can feel the sexual tension so thick it threatens to choke me. It doesn’t help that James hasn’t taken his eyes off me throughout the night and I can see the desire burning there.
“I want you here.” His voice is a deep rumble as he points at his lap. When I hesitate, he sighs, leans forward and, with his hands wrapped around my waist, picks me up and positions me sideways with his solid, muscular thighs under me. “You look so fucking beautiful.” He traces a hand down my lace-covered arm and then picks up my left hand and places a soft kiss on the simple, gold wedding band on my ring finger.
I’m lost in the triumph and satisfaction visible in the depths of his blue eyes, and when the car glides to a stop, I look up to see that we’ve reached his house. He puts an arm behind my back and the other under my knees and lifts me up into his arms as the door to the limo opens, and he gets out. I loop my arms around his neck and hold on as he carries me up the steps and over the threshold of his home where Henry is standing at the open door, a huge smile splitting his face.
James doesn’t stop to greet him but instead continues walking up a flight of stairs and down a long corridor until we reach a set of open double doors. He carries me into the master bedroom and sets me down in front of the huge, four-poster bed then walks to the doors and closes them before turning the locks.
I look around at the blue and white tones that the bedroom is decorated in, and my gaze lands on the dark blue duvet spread out on the bed. I startle when James comes up behind me and wraps his arms around my waist.
“Let me help you get this dress off.”
My nerves ratchet up a notch, and I take a step toward the en-suite bathroom. “I-I’m sure I can manage.” My voice comes out breathless and in a small squeak.
James pulls me back and places a soft kiss on my shoulder before whispering, “It will be my pleasure, my wife.”
He unzips the back of my dress and tells me to wait as he goes to his closet and comes back with a t-shirt clutched in his hands. I stand there with my dress held in place against my chest with my hands. He makes his way over to me and removes my tightly crossed arms before pushing the dress off my body. It pools on the floor, leaving me standing there in nothing but my white, lacy panties. He doesn’t look away from my face as he pulls his t-shirt over my head and then swings me up in his arms to carry me to the bed.
He settles me gently under the covers, and I’m helpless to look away as he stands by the side of the bed and starts to undress.
Chapter 5
James
I get into bed and pull Clarissa closer to me, but her body remains stiff. I put my arm around her to keep her pressed against my side as I use my other hand to trail my fingers up her bare leg where my t-shirt has ridden up and exposed her skin. She tenses up even more when I reach her upper thigh, but I ignore it and trace the hem of the shirt before moving my hand down again.
“Tell me something about yourself,” I say.
I want her to be comfortable with me, to open up to me, and she is too scared and nervous right now, so I want to distract her. I wait for a while but she doesn’t say anything, so I sigh and press a kiss to her forehead before laying my head back as I continue tracing my fingers up her leg.
“My parents died in a car crash when I was nineteen. My father had a good sense of business, and his company was doing well. After he died, everything fell to me, but I didn’t want to get into the clothing industry. Julia was young at the time, and we were both trying to cope with the loss. I wanted to be there for her in every way, and I couldn’t do that if I was busy running a company while getting my degree,” I tell her as she listens quietly.
She shifts slightly next to me, and her knee accidentally grazes my hard cock, which is straining under the material of my boxer briefs. I groan under my breath, thanking God that I decided to leave my underwear on before getting into bed with her. She stills and her breathing picks up. I grasp her knee and lift her leg higher around my waist before sweeping my hand up and down her trembling thigh in slow strokes.
After a moment, she relaxes again and asks, “So what did you do?”
I take a deep breath and try to concentrate on what I’m saying, a task that is difficult with her sweet curves pressed against me. “I sold the company. Then I used the money from the sale to set up a trust fund for Julia. She was very ambitious from the start. Had goals set in her mind and wanted to pursue them. I wanted her to be able to do that, and not have to worry about money in case something happened to me.”
I think back to those days when everything was so uncertain. My parents’ sudden death had blindsided me, brought home the reality of how lives can end in a blink.
“I was always interested in software development. My senior year in college, I built a software program that got a high price on the market, and I used the money from that to start my own company,” I tell her.
She lets that settle in, and I remain quiet, the silence around us easy and comfortable. “What about, um, dating?” she asks.
Her fingers that were tracing random patterns on my chest ball up into a fist and her cute nose scrunches up in disgust. I chuckle and bring her small hand up to my mouth and kiss her knuckles before laying her palm flat over my heart and pressing my hand down on top of hers to keep it there. The heat from her palm feels like a brand on my bare skin.
“I put all my energy into growing my fledgling company. I never had time for relationships, never wanted to make time for them.”
I think about the one or two times I tried my hand at dating, but it always left me feeling cold and unsatisfied. After a while I gave up trying, and it never felt like I was missing out on anything important.
I look down into her eyes and whisper, “I wanted something real, something meaningful. I didn’t realize I was waiting for you until the first time I looked into your eyes that day in your father’s office.”
I press her hand harder down on my chest, my eyes trying to convey the depth of my emotions, the need I have for her. I was content with my life before she came barreling into it, and now it feels like I can’t breathe without her. She brings color and light into my dull and monotonous existence. I think it will scare her if she knows the true extent of my need for her.
“You are it for me, baby,” I tell her softly, trying to put all that I feel for her in those simple words and at the same time knowing words will never be enough.
She blushes and breaks eye contact to look down at her hand on my chest. I want to let her have this reprieve, but I’m selfish when it comes to her. I want her to have nowhere to hide from me.
I bring my hand up and grab her chin to tilt her face upward and make her look at me. “Tell me one thing. One thing about you,” I say.
She squirms a little and tries to pull her face back, but I don’t let her go.
“One thing,” I repeat, and this time my voice is firm and my grip on her chin gets tighter.
She stiffens and her mouth presses into a mutinous little line. I fucking love how cute she looks when she’s trying to b
e stubborn.
“Firecracker, you should know by now not to refuse me anything when it comes to you.”
I don’t give her time to absorb that statement but instead push her to her back and loom over her, my forearms pressed into the bed on either side of her.
“I see you didn’t learn your lesson that day at my office,” I rasp as my hand travels down her side to reach the hem of her shirt before sliding under it, my fingers lightly tracing the edge of her panties.
She shudders and grasps my wrist to stop my movements. “James,” she whispers, and I can hear the hesitation and the fear in the way she says my name.
I know her walls are strongly built around her, but I won’t let her keep me out. I’ll fight to break down those barriers, piece by piece, until she has no choice but to see how deeply I’m entrenched inside her. Just like she is deeply entrenched in me; the other half of my soul. Every breath I take is for her.
“Let yourself go, baby. I’ll be there to catch you. I will always be there.” I lean down and my mouth rests at her temple, her soft hair tickling my nose, her scent of wildness and innocence in my lungs. She doesn’t say anything for a long moment, and I rest there, my body covering her small, trembling form underneath me, inhaling her sweet smell.
“I love writing.”
The admission is so low and soft that I strain to catch it, and she tenses as soon as the words are out, as if expecting a blow, but it doesn’t stop my elation and warmth from spreading in my chest. I push down her body in a swift move that takes her by surprise and shove her shirt up to her waist before I press my mouth to her white, lacy panties. The pure, sweet musk of her essence drugs my senses, and I flare my nostrils, pushing closer to get more of her smell into my body.
She bucks her hips under me, and her hands come down on my head, fingers tangling in my hair. God, I love how tightly she grips me to her. I hook my middle finger into her panties and tug them aside, taking a long swipe of her shining pussy with my tongue. She cries out and her fingers tighten, pulling at my hair and making my scalp tingle. I take another slow lick, because I can’t help myself, and then rise to look down at her. Her eyes are glazed and her mouth is open, her breath coming out in harsh pants.
“Fucking beautiful,” I whisper reverently as I lean down to peck her lips, but I pull back before she can deepen the kiss, because I’m greedy and I don’t want to share the taste of her pussy that is coating my tongue and the inside of my mouth, not even with her.
I lie down on my side and turn Clarissa so her back is pressed against my chest and my groin is cupping her ass, my hard cock resting in the cleft between her cheeks. She turns back to look over her shoulder at me, a confused look on her face. I press a kiss to her cute little nose and turn her around so she’s facing the front. I shove one hand into her panties and cup her pussy and slide the other under her shirt to palm one soft breast. She moans and presses back harder against me.
“Sleep, baby,” I urge her, my nose buried in her hair and my arms tightening around her.
* * * *
Early morning light filters into the room as I slowly wake up to softness in my arms and warmth pressed against my chest. I look at the clock on the nightstand and see that I’m going to have to get up soon if I want to reach the office in time for my meeting.
I loosen my arms from around Clarissa and turn to get out of bed, but she makes a small sound of distress and burrows back underneath me, her arms snaking around my waist to hold in a death grip as she snuggles into my chest, her nose buried in my chest hair and her soft, even exhales pebbling my nipple. I tighten my arms around her again, and she sighs sweetly in contentment but continues to sleep. I chuckle low in my throat and press a kiss to her temple.
“Wake up, baby. I have to go to the office.” I nudge her, but she remains oblivious. I lightly kiss along her neck and shoulder as I say a little more firmly, “Wake up, Clarissa.”
Her eyes flutter open, and as the cloudy haze starts to clear from her beautiful, chocolate-colored depths she realizes she’s wrapped around me with her leg in between my thighs. Her arms around my waist are clenching me tightly, and her breasts are smashed against my chest, the thin barrier of her shirt providing no protection.
She startles and starts to scoot away, but I tighten my arms around her and haul her up against me until there is no space left between our bodies and our lips are inches apart.
“W-what are you doing?” she asks as she struggles to get away.
That only pisses me off further. I roll her over and come up on my elbows, prying her legs apart to settle my hips in between them. She gasps when she feels my hardness against her core.
“Let me up,” she says, her small hands pushing at my chest.
“No,” I growl, capturing her flailing fists and pinning her hands above her head with one of mine.
“Please,” she begs, her voice catching on that one word. My heart warms and I press my forehead to hers, looking down into her eyes, which are filled with hunger and fear and confusion.
I gentle my voice as my other hand cups her cheek and my thumb caresses her soft, pouty bottom lip. “No, baby. I’m the only man you’re going to wake up wrapped around like this for the rest of your life.” I dip the tip of my thumb inside her mouth when she opens her lips, no doubt to argue with me. “So you better get used to every morning like this one. Now,” I say as I slide my thumb out of her mouth and lean down to take her lips, “give me my morning kiss.”
“No,” she says as she turns her head to the side.
“Are you mad about last night?” I ask, my lips twitching as I try to stifle a laugh.
She doesn’t reply, still staring at the wall to the side.
“Don’t be stubborn, Clarissa. I don’t like getting out of bed without tasting you first. Denying me will earn you a spanking.”
She gasps as her head whips around to glare at me, the fire in her eyes igniting. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Wouldn’t I?” I ask as I grind my erection into her pussy, the heat coming off her scorching the underside of my cock.
Her eyes widen, growing heated and aroused, her body becoming pliant underneath mine. I lower my head to hers and lick the seam of her tightly clenched lips.
“Open your mouth for me, baby. Let me in.”
She hesitates, and I apply more pressure, pressing my cock harder into her mound so my pubic bone rubs against her clit, and she finally opens her mouth, allowing me to plunge my tongue inside her and taste her sweetness.
I kiss her slow and deep for long moments until her hands are digging into my wrist and her legs are wrapped around my waist, ankles locked in the small of my back.
When I feel like I’m losing my control, I force myself to break the kiss and pull back. I have to be more patient with her, I remind myself. She’s not ready yet.
I press a soft kiss to her forehead before I release her hands and then get out of the bed, leaning down to gently scoop her up into my arms.
“Come on, baby. Let’s take a shower.”
Chapter 6
Clarissa
After I insisted I could wait for my turn while James showered alone, he reluctantly agreed and made his way toward the bathroom, but not before pulling me in close, planting another soul-stealing kiss on my lips, and whispering hotly in my ear, “Tomorrow we do it together.”
When I go down to the kitchen, I see James sitting at the breakfast bar, absorbed in something on his phone with a slight frown on his face, his thick, black hair still damp from the shower and curling at his nape. He’s wearing a gray suit with a light blue shirt, and his jacket is hanging off the chair at his side. As soon as I step into the room, he glances up from his phone, a beautiful smile gracing his face and making his eyes light up, clearing away all traces of the frustration I glimpsed before.
He puts his phone away and beckons me forward, “Come here, baby.”
When I’m within reach, he pulls me down on his lap and wraps an arm around my back
to keep me there.
I sigh and roll my eyes. “You know I’m perfectly capable of sitting on surfaces other than your lap, right?” I pointedly look at all the empty chairs around the bar in the large kitchen. But even though I’m teasing him, it warms my heart that he constantly wants me near him.
He chuckles then leans down and buries his nose in my hair, inhaling deeply. I feel a deep groan vibrate his chest before he lifts his head up and tells me, “You calm me.”
I play with the button on his shirt where his collar is open and the corded muscles of his neck are on display, trying to hide my wide smile at the sincerity and the genuine emotion in that declaration. James isn’t afraid to show me how much he wants me, and it’s refreshing and gratifying after years with my father making me feel like an unwanted burden.
“I thought I would go down to the office for a little while today,” I say. “I have some stuff to grab, and I want to see how everything is going.”
“Take Stone with you when you leave,” he orders. I look up and his eyes are soft and warm but his voice carries an undertone of steel.
“I don’t need a bodyguard to—”
“Firecracker,” he cuts me off. “You don’t get to where I am without making a few enemies along the way. I just want you safe.”
I’m so taken aback by his statement that I don’t realize Henry has served us breakfast until James spins me around on his lap so I’m facing the bar with the marble countertop and pulls a plate toward me and starts filling it.
“Eat up, baby.”
We eat in silence with James constantly putting more food on my plate until I grab his hand and stop him. “I don’t think I can eat anything else. That was delicious.”
“I don’t like eating out much, so I hire a cooking service to make things easier since I would probably end up starving if I had to cook for myself,” he tells me wryly.
I wonder if he would like it if I cooked for him. I enjoy cooking, but my dad thought it was a waste of time when he had a professional cook for the job, so I never got the chance to do it much at home. Before I can ask James about it, he picks me up and sets me down on my feet as he gets to his and dons his jacket.
Bound to Him (Alphamen in Suits Book 1) Page 3