by Lynda Chance
“It’s beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
She sucked in a breath. “And you want me to marry you and live here with you?”
“Yeah, I do.”
She studied the inflexible way he held himself. “But it’s so wrong. What you’re considering is wrong. I should say yes just to teach you a lesson.”
“I don’t need you to be my conscience, or my moral compass, or worry about my soul. I just need you to agree to the deal and help me present a façade of marriage to the world for awhile.”
“Sort of like a marriage of convenience, right?
His eyes ran slowly down her length and back up again. His reply was slow in coming. “Sort of.”
Jenna felt both a flare of excitement and a quiver of fear at the all-consuming, territorial look he was giving her.
Before she agreed or disagreed to anything, she needed to get to the bottom of why he wanted this, and what exactly it meant. To her person, and for her future. But she didn’t feel capable of dealing with it just yet, and besides, she was hungry.
“You have a lovely home. Can we go to the restaurant now?”
“I didn’t say we were going to a restaurant.”
Jenna began seeing red from being manipulated and anger came to the fore as belligerence took over. “Listen, Mr. Bennett, the only reason I came tonight was for the food. If you’re not feeding me, you can take me home now.”
David watched the bristling inferno in front of him. Her breath was coming quickly in agitation, lifting her breasts up and down as she dragged in oxygen. The red sweater was stretched tightly over her chest, and David began to swell and harden in his jeans. He had been semi-erect all through the drive here. And now, the sight of her raging in front of him, had his cock rigid and his control close to splintering. He forced himself to check the testosterone fueling his blood.
“Calm down, sweetheart. I’m going to feed you. My housekeeper made us a meal before she left.” He took her hand and pulled her behind him into the kitchen.
The kitchen was huge, yet cozy at the same time. Jenna glanced around, seeing the warmth and vibrancy the room generated. A wall of windows was the focal point, and the river glistening in the distance was stunning to the eye. Granite countertops wrapped around the kitchen, complimenting the pedestal style cabinets underneath. She sat at a huge island in the middle of the room on a wrought-iron barstool, and swiveled it a bit so she could watch him as he quickly warmed two plates in the microwave, and opened a bottle of wine.
Within minutes, he was sitting across from her, lightly touching his wine glass to hers before putting it to his chiseled lips and taking a drink. Jenna felt the scorch from his eyes as his gaze held hers. She lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip.
The wine was good, but she needed to be careful. Wine went to her head from zero to sixty, and she was already in a predicament she didn’t know how to handle.
He picked up his fork and dug into the flaky salmon and wild rice. Jenna followed suit. The food was perfect, and she tried with all her might to enjoy the sensations on her taste buds. Tomorrow, she would be back to eating ramen noodles and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
They didn’t speak while they ate, and after one aborted attempt at conversation, Jenna quit trying and concentrated on the ambrosia hitting her palate.
Supper was over too soon.
David tossed the plates and silverware into the dishwasher, grabbed his glass and the bottle of wine and walked over to the door and waited for her to follow him.
Slowly and with great hesitation, Jenna slid off the barstool, retrieved her glass, and moved to the doorway. They had come to the part of the night she had been dreading. It was time to pay for her meal by listening to his spiel.
They sat in the living room, the wine on the coffee table in front of them, and Jenna scrunched herself in the corner of the couch and prepared herself for the inevitable.
David swirled the wine in his glass and studied her for a moment. “You need to know something.” He took a quick sip, and deposited his glass on the coffee table. “No matter how this turns out, even if you don’t accept my proposition, your job is safe. You don’t need to worry about that. I’m warning you up front, I’m about to turn on the screws and try to get you to agree, but if you don’t, in the end, everything will be the same for you. I’ll find someone else for the deal, and you go back to accounting. Got that?”
Feelings were banging around inside Jenna. Turn on the screws was panicking her and she was shocked to feel an arrow of disappointment when he said he would find someone else, but she managed to nod her head, her eyes fastened to his as he continued.
“This is the way I see it playing out. We get married immediately in a civil ceremony with only the required witnesses. There will be a lot of questions at the speed of things, and we’re going to pass it off as a secret love affair that’s been going on for months that we hushed up because of our different positions in the company.”
Jenna held herself in a stiffened, rebellious position in the corner of the couch. Denial pulsed from her body. “Nobody will buy that.”
His eyes ran over her length, scanning her eyes, her lips, then dropping to the full curve of her breasts. His muscles seemed to clench as his gaze fastened on her lips once again. His mouth hardened as his voice hissed out, “Everybody will buy that.”
Her eyes flared, but she didn’t say another word and waited for him to continue.
“I’ll deposit a hundred grand in the account of your choice. You get the other half when the first year is up. You’ll move in here with me, and I’ll cover all your personal bills for the duration of the marriage. You’ll get a credit card and a monthly allowance.” He stopped talking and waited for the count of three beats. “But you have to give up the job, and you can’t get a different one. I need a wife for the whole family values scenario, and the relationship needs to look as traditional as we can make it. That includes you staying home and playing the part of my devoted wife. If you get bored, you can find a charity you’re interested in and spend your daytime hours volunteering. Whatever you want to do. I don’t really care. As long as you’re not out partying without me, your time is your own.”
Jenna studied him and found herself actually thinking about the possibilities. One major question ate at her. “Why?” Her eyes searched his. “Why do you need a wife so badly? Why now?”
“Nothing nefarious. I don’t want to get into it with you before you agree, but it’s enough for you to know it’s office politics. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
Jenna wanted to take the deal and run with it so badly she couldn’t believe it. She needed the money. Desperately. It was almost as good as winning the lotto. Or as bad as signing up to be the devil’s wife? She needed time to think it through. Could she live with a guy she didn’t know? How could she marry a guy she had no reason to trust? And what about— “What about s-sex?” She blushed red after the question popped from her mouth.
His dark eyes tangled with hers, his nostrils flaring. “The sex will be good, sweetheart.”
Her pulse went spinning as butterflies quivered in her stomach. Her mouth ran dry and she clenched her hands together in agitation. She was no virgin. She was twenty-five years old and had been in several relationships before. But this guy was—this guy was on a different level. That’s why his dark appraisals had always intimidated her.
There was something about the idea of putting herself out there, giving her body over to him that basically scared her shitless. No doubt the sex would be good, and a shaft of desire tightened her nipples and shot through her, making her thighs tremble. But she didn’t think she could do it, she didn’t know him and didn’t think she could surrender to a man of his caliber so quickly. And she knew it would be quick. Already, his cheeks were streaked with a flush of arousal, his nostrils were flaring, and there was a tic in his cheek that spelled out his tension.
He might be presenting this as a business
arrangement, but as she sat back on the couch under his intense sexual scrutiny, it all flashed in front of her how she had played into his hands.
If she was being honest with herself, she knew he had wanted her for months, and never made a move on her because of the employer/employee relationship. She saw that now. She had probably seen it all along and shied away from even thinking about it. All of those piercing looks in her direction. And the minute she had piped up and given him an opening, he was ruthlessly taking it. Sure, he probably needed a wife. But why not get one he wanted to sleep with in the bargain?
Jenna sucked in a much needed breath. She wanted to fist her hands in her hair and scream for time to think, time away from him. Her mind was racing with indecision. She was about to ask him for that much needed time when he interrupted her thoughts with more turmoil.
“You understand that sex has to be part of the deal, right? This arrangement for lack of a better word, needs to last for a couple of years, and the board of directors will be watching my every move.” He reached out and picked up a lock of her hair, rubbed it between his fingers and devoured her with his eyes. “That’s the reason I’ve chosen you.” His voice deepened. “I get a hard-on every time I see you. It’s been that way for months. If I have to limit myself to one woman for a couple of years, I’d like it to be someone like you.” He paused and ran his eyes over her again. “Someone exactly like you.”
Jenna’s heartbeat accelerated and went wild. Blood pushed through her veins, filling her with excitement. Having her suspicions confirmed enhanced the arousal beating through her system. His words were like magic, controlling her, seducing her into accepting his crazy proposal.
But still, she knew it was wrong. Two people shouldn’t marry with the intent to divorce. And never for money. But God, she was tempted. She was probably going to go to hell, she was so tempted. She could pay off her debt, live in the lap of luxury, and get to sleep with him every night? The chemistry sizzled between them as they studied each other. She imagined the sex would be great. So, where exactly was the downside?
Her brain fought her body. She tried to come up with a reason to tell him to forget it. Maybe she was wrong and he’d be horrible in bed? Right, Jenna. But still, a girl should be careful. She needed to know. She needed something to go on to know if they would be sexually compatible. She thought they would be, but wanted more tangible proof. She didn’t want to just outright have sex with him, in case this ultimately didn’t work out, and he found someone else. It would be too uncomfortable at work if that happened. She studied him, studied the lines of his mouth. “Can I—can I kiss you?”
Chapter Five
David heard the unexpected, hesitant question and lust hit his groin in a punch so hard he had to drag in a breath. She wanted to try him out? “Yeah.” It was all he could get out. He steeled himself to stay still and let her kiss him. Blood pumped through his veins with a violent beat.
Slowly, carefully, Jenna lifted herself and moved beside him, moving to her knees and leaning into his side. He wrapped a steely arm around her waist to help balance her. Immediately, she was swamped with hot, fierce, sexual desire. The feel of his muscular arm wrapped around her was exquisite. She sucked in a breath, caught her bottom lip between her teeth and studied his mouth, wondering how she should start, trying to calm the heart that was trying to beat out of her chest. His fingers bit into her side, rubbing the indentation of her waist, and then moving to her butt and squeezing. Her breathing went haywire and she hadn’t even touched his lips yet.
She waited too long and he spoke. “Are you scared?”
“No.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“There’s n-no problem.”
“Baby, if you don’t kiss me now, I’m going to have to help you out. Make up your mind.”
Jenna felt the smooth vibration of his voice slide down her spine in an agony of arousal. She wanted to rock herself against him so badly it was taking all of her control not to. She put her lips to the corner of his mouth and breathed in his scent. It immediately went to her head like a shot of tequila. Her mouth shook as she took a nip of his lips, moving them softly, quivering against him. His body stiffened in restraint. She felt his hard muscles tense at the same moment his arm tightened on her so much it made breathing even more difficult.
She lifted her face away from his and licked her lips softly, tasting him. His heavy-lidded gaze was narrowed on her mouth as he took a shuddering breath. Slowly, she put her lips back to his and delicately sucked his bottom lip. Without any warning, he grabbed her and with no effort at all lifted her in one motion until she was straddling him, her hands on his shoulders, his lip still caught under her teeth. She moaned a soft little sound and pushed the juncture of her thighs against him, currents of delight rushing through her.
Sensation shot through David in waves of pleasure that brought his cock to pulsating attention. Her breasts were bouncing on his chest, her hot liquid warmth pushing against his stomach in a way that brought a bead of sweat dripping down his face. And she hadn’t given him her tongue yet. Jesus Christ, how was he going to handle it when he finally got her stripped naked? It was going to go fast the first few times; he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
His hands clenched on her hips as he tried to endure the temptation of the hottest little closed mouth kiss he had ever experienced. He tried to summon control and knew he was only seconds away from grabbing her and ramming his goddamn tongue down her throat. He tried to stop his hands from biting into her flesh. He fought for breath. He fought for sanity. He fought for control. Couldn’t find it. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds—
Jenna gasped the moment his tongue pushed into her mouth. His hands grabbed the back of her head, turning it to the fit he wanted, and began kissing her with unguarded lust.
Her belly tightened, all hell breaking loose as he took total control. His tongue plunged into her mouth, retreated, plunged again. Shock and need cursed through her as she hung in his grasp and received a kiss unlike any she had ever experienced in her life. She was twenty-five years old, and she had kissed many, many men. From the boys in junior high, to parties in high school and college, clubbing with girlfriends and dating, she had been kissed by a lot of guys. Never, never had she been kissed like this. She’d read about it in romances, but never really believed it could happen like this until now. He was kissing her the way he would have sex with her. His tongue stiff, inundating her mouth, plunging it in and out the way he would plow in and out if he was having intercourse. It was literally blowing her mind.
And it didn’t stop there. He was consuming her whole. He held her head in the palm of one huge hand as he bodily picked her up off his lap with the other. Flipping her over on the couch, he came down on top of her. He sucked in her oxygen, continuing to ram his tongue in her mouth. She was being totally annihilated by his strength and size. Her heart hammered and her pulse pounded as she was caught under him, trapped by his weight. Her legs were spread wide, his hips pushing between her thighs.
She knew in a flash that if they had been naked, he would be in her already. Suddenly, the voracity of his appetite confirmed what kind of lover he would be. A lover like she’d never had before. Her breasts tingled, and a pool of hot moisture dampened her panties.
Desperate for oxygen, she forcibly turned her face from his and took a deep breath. The second her mouth left his, his face moved lower, pushing into the valley of her breasts, trying to get closer. He reached down and lifted the hem of her sweater up and over her head before she had time to attempt to stop him.
He tossed the sweater aside, and fastened his mouth on her nipple, over the cotton of her bra. He let out a groan of frustration, sat up and twisted the snap open between her breasts. Putting his mouth back on her nipple, his hand cupped her other breast, his thumb rubbing at the hardened peak. The twin assaults vaulted her into the stratosphere of desire, and she realized with shock that they were about to have sex. He wasn’t goi
ng to stop at kisses; he wasn’t going to stop at petting. And dear Lord, she wouldn’t be able to stop him. She might kill him if he did stop.
His mouth went from licking her nipple, laving it with his rough tongue, to sucking it, trying to consume her whole. His face was buried in her chest, sucking, licking, moving his mouth roughly, back and forth, from the valley between her breasts, to her nipple, and then to the plumpness of her white skin. He was devouring her whole, sucking her flesh into his mouth and holding it there, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. In the back of her mind, Jenna knew the force of his mouth was probably bruising her. His hand on her other breast tightened, and he pinched her nipple, rolling it between fingers and thumb. He was squeezing her so tightly it should have been painful, and almost was. Jenna couldn’t wrap her mind around the force he was using, he was blatantly dominating her. This wasn’t give and take. He was taking. Jenna’s mind was gone, her thought process completely shattered as she moaned softly in his arms.
At her moan, he lifted his head, his nostrils flaring, and fastened his mouth to hers again. Drinking deeply, sucking on her tongue, his hands moved to the fastenings on her pants and began to strip them just as roughly and quickly from her body as he had done with her sweater.
She ripped her mouth from his, dragging in oxygen, and his attention fell to her feet as he pulled off her shoes. His hands moved back to her hips and finished jerking her slacks off, his movements forceful, jerky, not caring about maintaining a façade of smoothness.
Through a haze of shock and desire, Jenna knew she had to make a demand. “I’m not on anything.” She lay still and panted, naked except for her twisted bra, and watched him attack his fly with the same speed as he had attacked her zipper.
She tried again. “It’s not safe. I’ll get pregnant.” The time for modesty was over. Subtlety wasn’t working.
He didn’t take the time to look at her as he continued to strip. “I got it.” His voice was gravelly and his answer was short, clipped, as he told her in three words that he would take responsibility for protection. He dug into the pocket of his jeans before he tossed them to the floor and Jenna swallowed hard as he tore open the package with his teeth, turned and spat a piece of plastic from his mouth, and rolled on the condom with a precision and dexterity that only came from experience.