by Bella Andre
“You’re right. You shouldn’t make the decision to stay married to me for her. Or even for me.” He paused, dropped his gaze to her mouth with such desire her traitorous lips actually tingled. “You should do it for yourself.”
“How could I possibly want to stay in a fake marriage to you for myself?”
The supply room suddenly seemed too small as he moved closer and she backed into a laden metal shelf.
“Remember what you said to me last night, sweet Anna, about how you’d never even had the chance to do something crazy that you could regret in the morning?”
“Well, I sure have now.”
“And was it enough?”
“Yes.”
“Now you’re the one who isn’t telling the truth, aren’t you?”
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He didn’t come any closer, didn’t press his hard body against hers, simply brushed the back of one hand against the side of her neck.
“Now that Pandora’s box is open, you’re wondering what else there is in there, aren’t you?”
Yes.
“No.”
“Tell me, sweet Anna, how has lying to yourself about what you need worked so far?
How many nights have you spent like the one we had last night? How many do you think you’ll have if you run now?”
Her breath was coming too fast. Her body was heating up too much. Her brain was scrambling, leaving her without a retort.
Without the strength to do what she knew she needed to do.
Without the will to do the right thing.
“You want to know crazy. I know crazy.” Now his voice was a low, seductive whisper against her skin. “Last night was nothing, Anna.”
Unbidden, a movie reel of their lovemaking played in her head. God, the things he’d done to her so far had already blown her mind.
There was more?
She’d never survive it.
“All I’m asking is that you stay until—” He obviously couldn’t finish his sentence. “If you stay—if you let my grandmother think that our marriage is a real one—I promise to make it worth your while.”
“I told you, I don’t want your money or jewelry.”
“I’m not talking about those things, sweetheart. I’m talking about pleasure. About coming so hard you black out. About finally experiencing everything you’ve been waiting for and wondering about.”
“No.”
She pushed away from him and blindly fought for the door. He was asking her to become a slave to her body. To reckless desire. He was asking her give up her morals in exchange for more pleasure than she could imagine.
And she’d been about to say yes.
“Wait a second, Anna. Don’t go out there. Not yet. We need to talk first, figure things out.”
Did he really think she was going to turn around and let him “convince” her some more?
She was done talking.
She pushed through the heavy door and walked into a wall of photographers...and suddenly realized why he hadn’t wanted her to leave the building.
She’d forgotten that Cole was a famous football player.
And their marriage was big news.
Big enough news that if they went straight from the hospital to the courthouse to get a divorce, his grandmother would be reading about it on the front page of the newspaper's afternoon edition.
Frozen in place, Anna was actually glad to feel Cole's warm arms encircle her waist from behind. The way she sank into the relative security of his body wasn't an act for the cameras.
He pressed a kiss to her cheek and she heard his faint urging, “Smile, baby,” a split-second before he told the crowd, “Last night, Anna made me the happiest man on earth.”
And then, as flashbulbs blinded her and journalists pelted them with questions, Cole maneuvered the two of them across the parking lot and into his car.
Chapter Nine
“I need to go home, Cole.”
“I thought we had a deal.”
Anna blew out a frustrated breath. As they'd driven back to the Wynn, they’d agreed that she’d remain his wife for as long as she had to. Now they were back at the hotel and she was staring down the barrel of who-knew-how-long as Mrs. Cole Taylor.
“We do have a deal,” she said. Although neither of them had spoken again about what he’d said to her in the supply room.
I’m talking about pleasure. About coming so hard you black out. About finally experiencing everything you’ve been waiting for and wondering about.
“But I have a job.” And a family that was going to demand an explanation.
“Tell the school you’re on your honeymoon. They can get a sub.”
More tempted than she would ever admit—especially to herself—she said, “Maybe that’s how things work in your world, but for us normal people we either go to work Monday through Friday or they give our job to someone who will.”
“I don’t want to leave my grandmother.”
Every time she’d convinced herself to be good and irritated with him, he said something that pulled hard on her heartstrings.
“I’m sorry, Cole, I would stay if I could.” Sadly enough, she was telling the truth. Fake marriage or not, she was powerfully—stupidly—drawn to the man standing in front of her.
His phone rang. “It’s her,” he told Anna, before picking up. “Yes, I know she’s beautiful.
Very sweet, Grandma. I knew you’d love her.”
His eyes ate her up as he spoke and the only way to hide her flush—and her growing desire—was to bend over her bag and pretend to pack. Even though she’d finished earlier that morning.
“The team will survive without me.”
She lifted her head at his abrupt change of tone.
“I’m staying here.” He paused, listened, frowned. “It’s my life, Grandma, not yours.”
Anna lifted her hand to hide her smile. It really was something to watch such a big, strong, tough man be such a softie. All for a woman he loved dearly.
“Fine, I’ll play the damn game Sunday. But I’m flying right back.”
Another pause, one where he looked like one of her first graders who knew he’d spoken out of turn.
“Sorry, ma’am,” he said, and then, “Well, if you want me to stay in San Francisco with the team for practices, then I want you transferred to a nearby hospital.” His face was like thunder. “We’ll talk about this again soon.”
He all but threw the phone down on the couch.
“Grandma is sending me back to California.”
Anna knew she shouldn’t be happy to hear it.
But she was.
* * *
It was all too much for her. The flight home in first class. The knowledge that she’d soon have to explain her rash marriage to not only her family, but also her friends and colleagues. All the while knowing that it would be coming to an end in the near future—and then she’d have to figure out how to explain her divorce. But mostly, Anna was overwhelmed by being so close to Cole for so many hours. He was always touching her, a thousand little caresses that slowly but surely drove her out of her mind.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Placing his hand at the small of her back to guide her through throngs of photographers outside both airports.
Brushing her shoulder and arm with his during the flight, despite the fact that her first-class seat was the size of a small ocean liner.
Thankful that James was already waiting for them just outside Arrivals, Anna was glad for Cole’s large frame protecting her from the bulk of the flashbulbs.
“I didn’t realize football players were so well known.”
“Most women would be thrilled by my fame. And fortune.”
She scooted as far away from him as she could in the backseat. “I’m a good girl, remember? We don’t care about that stuff.”
She didn’t bother to hold in her bitterness. Why should she? It wasn’t like she had anyth
ing left to lose.
Except for her heart.
Anna shoved the mute button down on the stupid little voice in her head. She could feel Cole’s eyes on her, just by the way her skin was heating up.
“I know it’s strange, but you get used to the fame after a while.”
But Anna wasn’t sure she would. Hopefully the pictures and the short statement Cole had given the paparazzi about Anna making him “the happiest man on earth” would be enough.
“Damn it. I expected them to figure out where you lived, but not this fast.”
Anna realized a crowd of journalists were on the sidewalk in front of her apartment.
“Why would they care about me? I’m a nobody. I’m not important.”
He was in her face in an instant, gripping her shoulders in his strong hands. “You’re beautiful. And sweet. And intelligent. You’re very special, Anna.”
Looking into his eyes as the rough tone of his words pummeled her, she realized he was angry. Because of what she’d said...about herself.
He rapped on the shaded window that separated them from James. “Keep going. We’ll head straight to my house.”
“But I need to go home.” She poked a finger into Cole's chest. “And don’t you dare say you’ll send someone for my things again.” His eyebrows rose at her no-nonsense tone of voice.
“Please park outside my apartment, James.”
James made a U-turn. “We’ll be there in just a moment, Anna.”
She straightened her shoulders, ran a hand over her hair, then opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. “Hello. Good afternoon. Excuse me.”
She carefully walked past the camera-laden strangers, keeping her smile firmly on her face. She could feel Cole a step behind her, knew without looking that he was barely keeping a lid on it. She refused to let her hand shake as she put her key in the door.
She had barely closed—and bolted—her front door when Cole spun her around and pressed her against it. He hunkered over her, his eyes flaming.
“Damn it, you’ll listen to me next time.”
She could feel his thick erection pressing into her body and even though he had no right to treat her with such disrespect, her body instantly responded with a flood of arousal, her breasts peaking beneath her bra and shirt.
“No, next time you’ll ask me what I want to do before making a unilateral decision. And you’ll heed my answer.”
His dark, sinful eyes moved from her eyes to her mouth, then back up again. “Are you talking back to me, sweet Anna?”
She couldn’t stop staring at his mouth. “Get used to it.” The throbbing between her thighs had turned into a deep ache.
“What happened to my good girl?” His mouth was now so close to hers that she could smell the mint from his toothpaste.
“Don’t you remember?” she asked in a voice that was barely more than a whisper. “You tied her up and played with her.”
Cole’s mouth found hers on a desperate groan, his tongue pushing past her lips as he took her kiss. “I need you. Now.” His hands were already on the button of her pants, his hands pushing down past her panties to the wet warmth that waited for his touch. Always. But he wasn’t the only one ripping at clothes, because her hands were on his jeans, shoving down the zipper and then the waistband of his boxers.
She gripped his penis, thick and hard, thrilled at the feel of him in her hands, more aroused than she could believe simply at the knowledge that someone wanted her this much.
No, not just someone.
Cole.
Cole could have anyone, the most beautiful women in the world. But he wanted her.
She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but suddenly it was the most natural thing in the world to drop to her knees and put her mouth over him.
“What the hell are you doing now, Anna?”
His words were hard, but his fingers had already threaded through her hair. Who would have thought that she had it in her to turn a man like Cole inside out? Certainly not her. And, judging by his response to the slow swirl of her tongue under the rim of his head, the way he groaned like a man who couldn’t believe he was giving in rather than leading their dance, definitely not him.
She would have smiled around his shaft if she’d been able to, but he was more than a mouthful and her jaw was opened as wide as it could go, her lips completely stretched around his beautiful penis.
She suctioned him deeply before letting him go with a loud pop. Licking her lips, she looked up at him mischievously.
“Just what it looks like. I’m sucking my husband’s cock. And enjoying myself immensely.”
His large hands came under her so fast she didn’t have time to react. “Bedroom.”
“Through the kitchen.”
Her drapes were closed, but they were fairly sheer and she knew someone might see Cole carrying her through the house, their pants partially undone.
But as he held her against his chest, and she pressed her palm to the strong, steady beat of his heart, she simply didn’t care. The only thing she cared about was making love to her husband. The fact that it was only a temporary marriage made her even hungrier for him, made her want to squeeze every second of pleasure out of being with him.
“Don’t forget our deal.”
“Which one?”
She pressed a kiss to his Adam’s apple. “The one where you make me come so hard I black out.”
He dropped her onto her bed. “Get those clothes off before I rip them off.”
She tried her best, but it wasn’t easy to focus on herself when he was revealing his perfect, muscular body as one piece of clothing after another fell to the floor. She was still trying to get her jeans off when he came at her and yanked them off. Her shirt was next, the rending of the thin silk the only sound in the room apart from their heavy panting.
“So damn gorgeous.” His mouth came down over her belly, his tongue dipping against the small indentation. “So damn soft.” One quick yank and her panties were gone. “So damn sweet.”
And then his tongue was there, licking, tasting, teasing, swirling, and she was arching into his mouth, already so aroused that it took nothing more than the pressure of his lips around her clit and the smallest suction to send her flying over the edge.
She was still flying when he came over her and pressed her thighs further apart with his knees.
But her orgasm hadn’t taken the edge off her need. It had only made her hungrier, more desperate for Cole.
Not to mention slightly disappointed that he hadn’t let her finish what she’d started, on her knees, with her mouth and hands on him.
“I wanted you to come in my mouth, Cole.”
Using his surprise to her advantage, she used every ounce of strength she had to twist and roll them over so that he was the one on his back looking up at her. He gripped her hips and tried to lift her over his shaft. The head of his penis slipped just inside her slick opening and it felt good, so incredibly good that she almost gave in to his lead.
But something had snapped inside Anna in the car on the way to the hospital, when she’d realized that Cole had lied to her. Or maybe it was before that, when he’d tapped into her secret desires in his bedroom.
She was sick and tired of letting everyone else take the lead in her life.
From here on out, she was taking charge.
“Here’s how it’s going to be,” she said in a deadly serious voice. “You are going to let go of me and I am going to finish what I started in my foyer.”
His fingers tightened on her hips.
“Later, Anna. I need to be inside you. Now.”
His demanding words caused a new flood of arousal to pool between her legs.
No, damn it. She was going to hold firm, for once!
“Move your hands, Cole.”
His cock twitched against her and she almost sank down onto him out of pure feminine instinct, but then he said, “Yes, ma’am.”
She could still feel the imprin
t of his hands on her skin even after he’d removed them.
“Put them above your head and keep them there until I tell you otherwise.”
He didn’t move for a long moment and she felt a smile move on her lips. She’d never played with anyone like this in bed, had never fought for dominance with a man, had never even known the need to be on top.
And in charge.
“This won’t happen again, Anna. So you’d better enjoy the hell out of it.”
“Oh, yes, it will,” she replied, and then, “And I’m sure planning on it.”
Very reluctantly shifting herself from his groin, she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, moving slowly down his chest to the faint dusting of hair over his nipple. She’d never paid much attention to men’s nipples before, but the dark circles on Cole’s chest demanded her attention, her appreciation.
She licked across the already taut tip and it came alive beneath her tongue. He gripped her back, his thumbs working to find her nipples.
She lifted her head from his chest. “I’m going to get something to tie you up pretty soon if you’re not careful.”
His reaction was instantaneous. And fierce. “Like hell. You’re not tying me up.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Wanna bet?”
He groaned and pinched his eyes shut, his hips seeming to move off the bed on their own.
“You’re killing me.”
“Too bad.” She moved up the bed and picked up one of his hands. She wrapped his fingers around a section of her pewter bed frame. “If you need to hold onto something, hold onto this.”
“You’re pushing it, sweetheart.”
She shifted back over him, letting her hair brush over his neck and shoulders and chest, loving the way his muscles rippled in response.
“Ooooh, I’m scared.”
And the fact was, there was a little fear there. Just enough to keep her on the edge of her seat. She had no idea how far he’d let her push him. Just as she had no idea how far she could push.
But boy, was it fun figuring all of that out. Shockingly so.
She swirled her tongue around the nipple she’d thus far neglected and the entire bed moved and groaned as he gripped at the bed frame with both hands. Using her tongue to guide her explorations, she roamed down his body, tasting the indentations between his incredible abdominal muscles.