giving her a moment of peace. Right now he had the upper hand and he planned on keeping it that way.
“New Hampshire?” she said, looking up at him expectantly as he stood there, grinding his teeth and trying not to wince when his cock jerked eagerly at the sound of her voice.
Shit!
“I thought we’d go there for our honeymoon,” he said, clearing his throat as he turned around and made a show of examining the display of organic cookies while he tried to will his cock back under control.
“Honeymoon?” she repeated back slowly as though she’d never heard the word before.
“Mmmhmm,” he murmured absently as he tried to focus on all the paperwork waiting for him at work to get his mind off the woman behind him, who was probably contemplating running him over with the rickety old carriage.
“We’re not going on a honeymoon,” she bit out and then before he could stop her, the frustrating woman stole his carriage and stormed off, leaving him standing there, trying to get his cock to behave so that he could set the woman straight and calmly explain to her that she would damn well be giving him a fucking honeymoon to make up for brainwashing his poor, defenseless cock.
*-*-*-*
“We’re going.”
“We’re going where?” she asked with a frown as she continued to search the shelves for her favorite shampoo.
“On a honeymoon,” Darrin bit out in a strangled voice, making her wonder what he’d been doing for the last forty minutes.
Then she decided that she really didn’t care since it had given her a nice little break from his bullshit and a chance to clear her head and get her hormones back under control. Although she wouldn’t mind if he tackled her to the ground, yanked her pants down and tore off her panties so that he could have his wicked way with her, she was no longer desperate for his touch thanks to the last forty minutes that she’d spent strolling around the grocery store.
Okay, so she might have parked her carriage by the floral shop and spent the last thirty minutes at the small café in front of the store, sipping a tall glass of chocolate milk, or two, and nibbling on a large slice of chocolate fudge cake…a slice of apple pie…a large slice of carrot cake…and a brownie or two accompanied by ice cream to help settle her nerves of course. Now, after consuming more than five thousand calories in sugar, she had to admit that she was starting to feel a lot better.
She glanced over at the bastard that had been tormenting her since last night and felt her eyebrows arch, noting that he looked a lot worse than the last time that she saw him. His short dark hair was messy, looking as though he’d rammed his fingers through it a few dozen times, his jaw was clenched and he looked seriously pissed.
“Problem?” she asked, her gaze dropping to the large box of vegan butter cookies that he was holding.
“No,” he bit out.
“I see,” she said, studying him curiously now that she didn’t feel like she was going to die without sex.
“We’re going on a goddamn honeymoon,” he informed her as his eyes narrowed on her, daring her to argue with him.
And since she was feeling a lot better thanks to her sugar binge…
“We’re really not,” she said with a careless shrug that he didn’t seem to appreciate judging by the tick that he’d suddenly developed under his left eye as he glared down at her.
“Yes, we are,” he snarled, making her realize something very important.
He’d lost that cocky gleam in his eye.
Now that was interesting, she thought, cocking her head to the side as she studied him. Very interesting indeed, she mused as her gaze once again dropped to the box of cookies that no self-respecting Bradford would be caught with. She considered grabbing the box to prove her theory, but…
Ah, what the hell?
“Shit!” Darrin gasped as he made a mad grab for the box of cookies, but she’d already tossed it in the carriage as she shoved it away and out of his reach, forcing him to turn around and pretend to be studying the small bottles of shampoo that had no chance in hell of hiding that very large, and very noticeable bulge from curious eyes.
“Hmmm, well look at that,” she murmured, feeling her lips pull up into a shit eating grin that would rival that of any Bradford.
“It’s nothing,” he bit out, turning his head so that he could glare at her.
“Really?” she asked, cocking a brow in disbelief as she looked pointedly down.
“It’s fine.”
“If you say so,” she said, letting her words trail off with a mischievous smile as she walked away, leaving him stranded by the bottles of Head and Shoulders, rather pleased with the way things were turning out.
“Where the hell are you going?” he demanded just as a woman and four young children turned down the aisle and walked past her, effectively trapping him.
“To make plans,” she announced with relish as she pushed the rickety old carriage down the aisle, deciding that it was time to bring the bastard to his knees.
Chapter 17
“Shit!” he muttered with a cringe as he shot a nervous glance towards Marybeth’s apartment door as he waited for any sign that she’d heard him.
When he didn’t hear anything after a minute, he practically tiptoed the short distance to his door and slowly turned the doorknob all while shaking his head in disgust at himself. Fucking pathetic, he thought even as he shot another nervous glance over his shoulder to make sure the little tease wasn’t coming to destroy the last thread of his self-control.
He still couldn’t believe this was happening. One minute he’d been so sure that he finally had her where he wanted her and the next he was standing in front of the generic Head and Shoulders, explaining to the assistant manager that he didn’t need any fucking help as he struggled to get his cock to behave. Now, two hours later he was sneaking into his apartment like a coward, all so that he could get a chance to clear his head before Marybeth could take advantage of his momentary lapse of control.
Space.
He just needed to put a little space between them so he could clear his head and gain control before he continued with his sensual assault. He briefly considered coming up with a new plan, but just as quickly decided that this was his best chance to finally make Marybeth his. Now all he needed to do was to make sure that his cock was on board with his plan and everything would be fine.
Tomorrow he’d take up where he’d left off, but tonight he was going to take the night off and recoup, he decided as he closed the door behind him. After a slight hesitation, he locked the door behind him and threw the deadlock to make sure the little tease wasn’t able to sneak inside and take advantage of his weakened state. With that in mind, he moved his ass and made sure that the backdoor was locked as well, making sure that Marybeth wasn’t lying in wait, ready to strike.
When he didn’t find her lurking in a corner somewhere, ready to torment his poor misguided cock with her mischievous little smiles and generous curves, he went upstairs, swallowing nervously as he came to his closed bedroom door. He tried to summon the courage to open that door and face whatever was waiting for him inside, but he couldn’t move, not when there was a real possibility that Marybeth was in there, waiting for him, naked, eager and wet…
Oh, hell…
He should turn around and leave while he still had the chance. He could stay at his parents’ house or with one of his brothers or cousins. It would be the smart thing to do, he told himself, but he couldn’t stop himself from reaching for that doorknob as he licked his lips, anticipating the moment that he saw her, laid out and waiting for him.
He was so fucking weak.
The doorknob turned with a small click, his cock jumped with anticipation even as everything in him told him to run. He had a fucking plan and it was working. He just needed to be strong and push through this, he thought numbly as the door swung open, revealing…
An empty room.
He was not disappointed, he told himself as he walked into his room a
nd slammed the door shut behind him. He stormed over to his bureau, yanked open the top drawer, grabbed a pair of boxers and slammed the drawer shut. He stalked off towards the bathroom, shooting the empty bed where Marybeth should be waiting for him, naked and begging him to fuck her as she professed her undying love for him.
Pissed, because this was taking longer than he’d expected, he tore his clothes off, turned the shower on full blast and stepped inside. Jaw clenched, he washed up, determined to ignore his neglected cock as it jerked hard against his stomach, begging for release, but he couldn’t give in to his body’s demands without forfeiting the dare and losing the best chance he had at making Marybeth his wife.
Without resorting to kidnapping, that is, which he was willing to do, but only as a last resort. He’d rather have her cooperation, especially since it would make the honeymoon more enjoyable. Christ, just thinking about the honeymoon and all the things that he wanted to do to her had him licking his lips in anticipation.
He’d take her to a tropical island, somewhere where they could spend their days making love on the beach with the tide washing over their bodies as he slid inside her, cooling their skin from the hot sun beating down against them. At night, he’d lay her down in front of a fire and worship her body with his hands and mouth. He’d take his time with her, relearning every curve of her body, the feel of her skin against his tongue as he traced her curves, suckling and kissing every inch of her skin until he came to the very center of her.
His hand wrapped around his cock as he licked his lips, imagining just how good it was going to feel to slowly slide his tongue between her wet slit. He’d use the tip of his tongue to tease her clit as he gripped her thighs and pushed her legs open so that he could bury his tongue in her-
“Shit!” he snarled, dropping his hand away from his cock as he dragged in a deep breath, praying for control when all he wanted to do was find Marybeth and fuck her raw.
He wanted to-
“Are you going to fuck me, Darrin?”
The question froze him on the spot.
She was here?
“Marybeth?” he said, shutting off the water as he stepped out of the tub and grabbed a towel.
“Well?” Marybeth asked in that teasing tone she got when they were in bed, the one that made him groan and want to bury himself inside her and stay there.
“Are you wet for me, sweetheart?” he heard himself ask, only he hadn’t said anything.
Frowning, he opened the bathroom door and glanced over at the bed to find it empty.
What. The. Hell?
“Why don’t you come here and find out for yourself?” Marybeth suggested in that same tone, drawing his attention against his will to the television.
Oh, fuck no…
“Why don’t you show me?” he heard himself ask as the camera zoomed in on Marybeth, who was lying on his bed, half-naked, smiling and pleasantly buzzed from the champagne they’d served at his parent’s anniversary party.
He swallowed hard as he watched Marybeth send the camera a playful glare even as she reached down and shimmied out of a pale pink lacey thong. She drew up one of her legs, exposing her wet sex as she threw her panties at the camera.
“Do you want a closer inspection, Officer?” she asked, reaching down to trace her wet slit as the camera moved closer.
“Yes, ma’am,” he heard himself say as the unmistakable sound of a zipper being dragged down came through the television speakers loud and clear.
“Shit,” he muttered, dropping his towel as he rushed over to the nightstand and snatched up the remote. As soon as his thumb found the power button, he was pressing it, praying to God that the home movie shut off before it got to the part where Marybeth showed him just how wet she was.
It took him several long seconds to realize that it wasn’t shutting off. Cursing, he banged the remote against his hand, but it didn’t help.
“What are you doing?” Marybeth asked, sounding breathless as he glanced back at the television in time to see the scene jostle a bit as the camera was placed down on the bureau.
“Freeing my hands.”
He stared at the television, frozen on the spot as he watched himself walk over to the bed, his cock sticking out of his pants and bouncing with each step. Without a word, Marybeth leaned over with a smile and took the head of his cock in her mouth.
In the next second he was at his bureau, hitting the power button on the DVD player, but the scene continued to play out, loud moans vibrated throughout the room as he turned his attention to the television and tried shutting it off, but it wouldn’t shut off.
“Why don’t you get on your hands and knees, sweetheart?”
“Fucking hell!” he snapped, giving up on trying to turn the television off and grabbed hold of the bureau. He dragged it away from the wall, leaned around it and-
“Fuck!”
There was an outlet box covering the plugs. He tried to pull it out, to free the plug, but there was no give. He pushed away from the bureau and headed for his bedroom door, desperate to get away before things got worse. He grabbed the doorknob, yanked open the door and was forced to slap a hand against the doorframe when his legs threatened to give out on him.
“Going somewhere?” Marybeth asked with that mischievous smile that had his cock jerking happily against his stomach, desperate for her attention as the sounds of moaning grew louder.
“It’s not going to work,” he bit out, trying to ignore the sounds of Marybeth begging him to fuck her harder from the television as he stood there glaring down at her.
“Really?” she asked with a careless shrug as she walked into the room.
He opened his mouth to tell her exactly why it wasn’t going to work when a strangled groan tore from his lips when the little tease ran her fingertip down the underside of his cock. She shot him a knowing smile as she walked away, leaving him standing there, panting and licking his lips as he watched while she pulled off her shirt and tossed it aside, leaving her completely naked.
He stood there, feeling helpless as she crawled onto his bed and laid back, letting her legs fall open and gave him an unobstructed view of her swollen wet lips.
“Are you ready to put an end to this?” she asked softly, chewing on her bottom lip as she absently traced a finger between her breasts, drawing his attention to the fact that her large butterscotch nipples were hard and desperate for his mouth.
God, yes…
He raised his foot, ready to beg for mercy when he saw it, the triumphant gleam in her eye that told him exactly what she was doing.
She was playing him and doing it well.
Jaw clenched tightly, he forced himself to walk away, afraid that if he opened his mouth that he’d fuck up everything by telling her exactly how badly he wanted to put an end to this. It was only the reminder of what was at stake that kept him from doing just that.
Chapter 18
Life was good, she decided, unable to stop smiling as she waited for the cashier to finish bagging her breakfast. She normally settled for cereal or pop tarts in the morning before work, but today she felt like treating herself to a few slices of apple crumb coffee cake and an apple fitter from the best bakery in town, which also just happened to be the one that Darrin was banned from.
There really was no better way to celebrate, she mused as she gestured for the cashier to add another apple fritter to her order. Actually, that wasn’t true, she realized with a sad shake of her head as she pulled her phone out and snapped a quick picture of all the yummy looking Danishes and muffins laid out for the morning rush. She placed her money on the counter, grabbed her bags filled with baked goods and headed for the door as she hit, “Send.”
She wasn’t exactly surprised when he didn’t respond to her text. He was avoiding her after all, had been since last week when she’d commandeered his television. Since then she’d had him on the run. Anytime he saw her, he’d curse and abruptly head in the opposite direction. If she called him, he’d answer, ask if
she was okay before she could say anything and as soon as he knew that everything was fine, he’d hang up on her. If she sent him a text, he read it, but never responded. She should probably back off and give him some space, but that would only give him a chance to regroup and come after her from a different angle and she knew damn well that he was trying to figure out another way to break her.
Sooner or later he’d figure out that he didn’t have a chance in hell of winning and by the time he did, it would be too late. She’d turn the tables on him and make him beg before she let him have his dirty little way with her and put an end to this dare once and for all. Then she’d be free to enjoy the remainder of their time together without having to deal with another heartbreaking conversation about the future.
Sighing with relief, she opened her truck door and climbed in,
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