by Kendall Ryan
I might be the one on top of her, filling her body with my cock, but I'm not stupid enough to believe I am the one in control. This girl fucking owns me. With her sweet nature, her strength, her innocence that she's letting me shatter and of course her warm, wet pussy. She's perfect. And she's finally mine. Nothing is going to change that.
Kneeling on the bed before her, I circle her clit with my thumb while I continue my long lazy thrusts into her. Her heat envelopes me in a tight, hot sheath, sucking my cock deep inside her. She's trembling all over, and knowing I'm getting close to the edge, I need to make sure she's taken care of before I go off. Our first time together, it was understandable that she didn't come with me, but this time I'm making certain she does. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t make sure my girl was taken care of?
Sophie's low murmurs grow faster together and I know she's getting closer.
"That's it, baby. Let go."
Damp sweat trickles down my spine as fighting off my orgasm becomes a physical ache.
I plunge inside her again and again, my jaw tightening. My heart is throbbing painfully in my chest and I'm about to come undone. I just need to get her there…
We move together, deeply, our eyes locked together. "I love you, Sophie."
She clenches around me, her body spasming wildly as she comes.
"Fuuck," I roar, burying myself in her perfection.
I wrap her in my arms and she clings to me. While we don't exchange a single word, the gesture speaks volumes. I don't even bother to pull out, happy to remain inside her for as long as possible.
I'm a controlled man in all things. In everything I do. From my company, to my charity, to stubbornly trying to manipulate the terms of my divorce, to buying Sophie that night… Yet all of that perfect order and control falls away in an instant. Love is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The force hits me like a thousand pound weight – weaving its way into every fiber of my being and taking up residence. I am deeply, madly in love with this woman. I feel like I've been cut in two, raw and vulnerable and unsure of myself for the first time in my life. It's terrifying, yet I wouldn’t trade this feeling for anything in the world.
Chapter Nine
Sophie
"So sorry about the mess," Kylie says, ushering me inside her cute beach bungalow. "Thank God you're back though." She pulls me in for a one-armed hug.
She's frazzled – I can tell. If it wasn’t for the crying baby she's bouncing on her hip, or the messy knot she's sporting on top of her head, the file folder she's holding in her teeth is a dead giveaway.
I pull the folder free. "Of course. What do you need me to help with first?" I ask.
It's clear she's overwhelmed, or maybe I just showed up at a bad time.
"Can you take Max?" she asks, handing me the crying baby.
"Sure." I grit my teeth. I'm no good with babies. Or animals. Or plants for that matter. I blame it on lack of experience. His screams quiet as he gazes at me thoughtfully, but it takes him all of three seconds to decide that he's not a fan. His cries rise to epic levels that leave my poor eardrums ringing. But Kylie has already disappeared into the kitchen, shouting something about needing to grab him a bottle.
Okay then.
As I peer down at the little guy in my arms, it occurs to me that I've never seen him aside from the numerous photographs Kylie has framed in her office. He's usually napping when I'm here, or with his nanny.
He's a chubby little thing with messy brown hair and giant bright blue eyes. And I would say he's adorable, but the ear-splitting howls he's letting out make it hard to judge accurately. I'm sure he'd be much cuter cooing at me and making sweet babbling noises.
I bounce him against my hip just as I saw Kylie doing, but it's no help.
Thankfully, she returns with his bottle and takes him from me. When the nipple reaches his mouth, he instantly quiets and the relief in Kylie is visible. Her posture relaxing and a slow smile uncurling on her lips as she gazes down at him.
"Okay, shall we go up to the office and I can tell you where I left off? I can finish feeding this monster and then get him down for his morning nap."
"Absolutely."
We head up the stairs to the office space above her garage that Colton so graciously had built for her so that she could work from home with her baby. I still don't know the story behind their relationship, and I make a mental note to ask him about it tonight.
Work keeps me busy all throughout the day and being back in Kylie's fiery presence – listening as she makes tough sales calls, doubling her efforts to secure more donations – makes me feel even better about my decision to return to LA. She cold calls potential investors and sells them on the project with ease. I'm sure she's heard about Colton's divorce settlement and the reduced funds he has to contribute.
Our work is occasionally interrupted by bouts of screaming that we can hear crackling on the baby monitor. Kylie works in fits and starts – darting from the room to retrieve a stranded pacifier, returning to the office to type a rushed email on her laptop, and later playing an intense game of peek-a-boo while fielding questions from an investor with her cell phone cradled between her shoulder and ear. She's truly a super woman. I never realized just how difficult it would be being a single mother until I see her in action. I'm exhausted just watching her.
When I arrive home from work, I know the motorcycle parked at the side of the house means Colton's beat me home. Home. I sigh, happily. Kicking off my shoes in the mudroom, I go off in search of him. I don't think I'll ever get used to how big this house is. Maybe someday I'll talk him into moving us into a cozy one-bedroom apartment. Though I'd miss the ocean views way too much.
I find Colton in his office, his tie loosened around his neck, white shirt sleeves pushed up his forearms and a crystal tumbler filled with bourbon. Hard liquor as soon as he's home from work? This is new.
"Everything okay?" I ask, sinking down into his lap and bringing my arms around his neck.
He sets down his glass and rests his chin on my shoulder. "Just work." He releases a heavy sigh. "Things are fucked up at the moment."
He doesn't normally talk about his work much, and I realize that I want to be let in to this facet of his life. He's the CEO of a company that I know very little about.
"What's going on with work?" I ask.
He lifts his head and meets my eyes. "It's nothing for you to worry about, sweetness."
I might not have an Ivy League education like him, but I was pretty sure I could understand whatever was troubling him. Maybe I could even help make it a little better. Isn't that what girlfriends do?
I rise from his lap and stand before him with my hands on my hips. "I don't think I have to remind you that withholding information got you into trouble before. You never talk about your work. Let me in. Let me be a true companion, Colton."
The frown line running across his forehead deepens as he watches me. "That's not…I'm not trying to keep anything from you."
"How do you know Kylie?" I blurt.
"Let's go have dinner and we'll talk about everything."
Oh, fuck. He has that look on his face like he has to tell me something unpleasant. Has everyone seen my boyfriend's cock? Work tomorrow with Kylie is going be extremely difficult if so. As much as I like and respect her, I will not be able to keep my cool if they shared some illicit past.
Colton
Once Sophie and I are seated at the dining room table with our plates of food in front of us, I know I can't stall any longer. I'm not used to bringing people in to my world so completely. Even when I was married, I rarely discussed my work with Stella. I don't think she even knew what I did, in all honesty. But I also knew it was time to change.
"First, I know Kylie from college. She and I were in the same business fraternity. And a few years ago, when I was founding my charity, I heard from a mutual friend that she'd moved out here and was looking for a job. I interviewed her over coffee. We hadn't spoken in a couple of years at tha
t point. I found she was more than qualified. She'd left her job at a big marketing firm out east to enjoy the California sunshine. I knew if I didn’t snatch her up, she'd soon have multiple offers from bigger firms."
Sophie fiddles with her fork. "So there was never anything romantic between the two of you?"
"No." It's the absolute truth, and I've never been more grateful that I kept my dick in my pants than I am in this moment. I couldn’t take another look of disappointment crossing my girl's features. "She's an employee, and that's all."
"Okay. Thank God, because work was going to be really strange if you two had some secret past." Sophie grins and takes a big bite of the food on her plate.
"Now, in regards to work. I'm not great at talking about my shortcomings."
She glances up at me and her expression sours.
"We had a bad quarter and the company stock is down fifteen percent."
"What does that mean?"
"It means that CNBC and various news outlets are discussing why the company is tanking and what the CEO is going to do about it."
"Oh. I'm sorry, Colton. I didn't know."
I nod. "I don't do failure well."
"This is not a failure, Colton. You are not a failure." Her bright blue gaze burns on mine. "You're a CEO at age twenty-eight. That's pretty freaking amazing. And what company doesn't have poor results from time to time?"
She's right. "True."
"Do you have a plan for how you're going to fix it?" she asks.
"I do." I'd met with my senior staff all afternoon to devise a six-month roadmap that would pull us out of the red. Hence why I was home early and hitting the hard liquor. It'd been a brutal day, but at least we had a plan. I'd been shouldering this burden alone, not wanting to worry Sophie, but as she reaches across the table and takes my hand, weaving her fingers between mine, I see how wrong I'd been. Telling her – opening up this way – it hasn't made the situation worse – it's somehow made things better. It's at least put them into perspective. Work was work. It would always be there. There would be ups and downs. But this was my real life. This woman, who was taking me with all my flaws, and loving me anyway.
"You got this," she says, giving my hand a squeeze.
"Indeed." I squeeze back.
We continue eating, and then carry our dishes into the kitchen together. "I was worried for a second that your mood had something to do with Stella, or your divorce settlement," Sophie admits, rinsing the dishes and handing them to me one at a time to load into the dishwasher.
I shake my head. "No. All that's squared away."
"I can't believe just like that…it’s all over."
"Yes, sweetness."
"Colton, I’m…"
"I know. I’m over the fucking moon about this too. Pace suggested I throw a party."
Her brow wrinkles in concentration. "We should do it."
"Seriously? You want to celebrate my divorce?"
She shakes her head. "No. I want to celebrate us together as a couple. We could invite my family, yours, get everyone together to co-mingle."
"I like that idea." I lean across the kitchen island and plant a kiss on her mouth. "What should we do?"
"I think the only appropriate thing would be a pool party."
"Oh yeah? I didn’t think you’d ever want to go near the pool again."
"That’s the point, Colton. It’s time to move on and let go of the past."
My chest swells with pride. I love this girl.
"Come on, let's go upstairs." She takes my hand again. "I think a massage might relax you."
I raise an eyebrow at her. "You remember what happened the last time you tried to give me a massage?" The erotic images of us in the shower after her failed massage attempt are burned into my brain.
"I sure do." She smiles and pulls me from the kitchen.
Chapter Ten
Sophie
"This is so freaking weird," I say, turning to Becca.
"What is?" she replies, adjusting the ties of her bikini top.
"Dad is over there talking to Colton." The man who purchased me at a sex auction, I mentally add.
"So?"
Becca and I both turn and gaze across the pool to where Colton and our father are standing under the shade of the cedar gazebo, sipping cocktails and talking casually.
"It's just weird," I admonish.
She shrugs at my discomfort. "We're big girls, Soph. Dad doesn't care if you're sleeping with a millionaire. Shit, he's probably proud. I know I am." She grins at me.
I roll my eyes, thankful for the cover of my sunglasses. She's crazy. The anxiety I felt planning this party was mostly over how my dad and Colton would get along. I've never introduced my parents to a man before. Especially not one who's seven years older, runs a company, and has his own mansion in Malibu. It's little nerve wracking.
My mom has made herself busy helping out in the kitchen, clearly uncomfortable letting the hired help wait on us hand and foot, even though Colton and I both told her numerous times to enjoy and relax. I don’t think my mother knows how to relax. It's something I'm just now learning how to do myself.
The day is pretty perfect though. The sun is shining brightly overhead. The temperature is perfect. Soft reggae music hums lazily in the background through the outdoor speakers and the bar is stocked with tropical drinks and icy bottles of beer. No one's in the pool yet, but brightly colored balls bob on the surface of the water enticingly. After much more laying out, I'm sure I'll be ready to take a dip myself.
Collins and Pace are seated at the bar, each with a drink in hand. It's early still and Beth, Colton's personal chef, has everything prepped for a barbecue later. Which makes me even more curious about what my mother could be helping with inside. She's probably driving Beth insane.
I take another sip of my mango daiquiri and try to relax.
Marta comes strolling through the patio doors like she's working a runway catwalk. For some reason the sight of her in her little red string-bikini makes my stomach knot. I hate that she and Colton had a fling – no matter how brief.
"Who the hell's that?" Becca asks, lowering her shades.
"Marta. She works for Colton as his personal assistant."
"She's gorgeous," Becca says.
Apparently Marta didn’t quite get the casual pool party theme, her makeup is expertly done and she's styled her hair in perfect waves that fall down her shoulders and back. My own hair is tossed into a messy ponytail and the only thing decorating my skin is a thick layer of greasy sunscreen. I feel the need to march upstairs, add mascara and lipstick and change into my pushup bra-bikini top. Instead I chug down the remainder of my drink.
"Refill?" Becca asks, chuckling at me.
"Yes, please."
Becca waltzes over to the bar, introduces herself to Marta and makes brief small talk with Pace and Collins, refills each of our daiquiri glasses, then stops to talk to Dad and Colton.
She finally returns with our semi-melted drinks in hand. "What was all that about?" I ask, accepting the drink and slurping down an icy mouthful.
"Okay, first off. Colton's brothers are hot as shit."
I nod. Duh.
"I still think Pace and I could have had fun in Italy…" she says to no one in particular. "Second, don’t worry about Dad and Colton. They're talking about Colton's charity work in Africa and Dad is practically drooling, hanging on his every word. I'm pretty sure Dad's got a mancrush on your boyfriend."
"Thanks, Becs." I wondered what she was doing. Then again, spying for me was practically in the twin handbook.
"Third, Marta is nobody you need to be concerned with. Her tits are obviously fake and seriously, who wears heels to a pool party?"
I hadn't noticed her footwear, but Becca's right, her sandals have a four-inch heel. Son of a…
"She's trying too hard, Soph," Becca continues. "You're naturally beautiful and men prefer that over fake any day. Trust me."
I release a heavy sigh. I know she's right.
Colton doesn’t look at Marta the way he does at me. "She and Colton had a fling," I admit to Becca. "When he first separated from his ex-wife. I'm pretty sure she's not only seen my man's package, but she's had the pleasure of being on her knees before him, taking him deep into her throat."
"What a royal bitch."
I laugh, loving Becca's instant hatred for Marta.
"Seriously, sis, are you good with her working for him, given their past? If not, you should talk to him." The frown that tugs down her mouth is familiar to me. It's the same one I see whenever I look into the mirror.
"He had a talk with her. Told her that if she caused any problems between us, she'd be fired."
"Yes, but when she shows up here looking like that, something tells me you should have your own little talk with her. A nicely phrased, back up off my man, bitch, ought to do the trick."
"You think?" I'd never imagined saying anything to Marta directly, but now that Becca is suggesting it, the idea fills me with both anxiety and a strange tinge of excitement. I've never laid claim to a man before.
I suck down the rest of my drink until the straw makes a loud slurping noise against the bottom of the cup. "Hold this." I hand it to Becca. Without giving myself the opportunity to chicken out, I rise from the chair and strut over to where Marta is talking to Pace and Collins beside the bar.
"Can I have a word, Marta?"
"Sure." She smiles at me sweetly and sets down her glass of white wine.
I lead her to the nearby set of cushioned chairs out of earshot of anyone else.
"So how is the redecorating going in the pool house?" I ask.
Shit. I can feel myself chickening out. This is made all the more awkward by the fact that she and I are kind of friends. She's been kind to me. She's taken me shopping and stayed with me when Colton was out of town on business. Of course, it occurs to me that all that friendship stuff could have been an act to get closer to Colton by befriending me. It's just not in my nature to be mean and it turns out I don't have the first clue about how to start.