No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance by Michelle Love (7)

“I want to see you more,” David said, and his hands were so perfect on me. They stroked over my hair, smoothing it, and I found myself instinctively moving closer to him. “I want to take you out. Just you and me.”

Just him and me.

A shiver went through me as I opened my eyes, trying to fight through the sudden burst of happiness filling me from the inside out. If he was saying what I thought he was, then it was insane. I barely knew him.

“Do you mean you want to …date me?” I could be wrong. Maybe he’d meant something else entirely. I was taking it as a sort of romantic request, but it could just mean he wanted to be my friend. “Like a boyfriend?”

Was that what I wanted it to mean? Suddenly, I wasn’t entirely sure. I wanted more with him. If he was asking me out, I had my answer at the ready.

“Yes,” David said simply, and I drew in a quick breath, trying to caution myself—to keep myself from flying completely out of control.

And then he was kissing me again.

This time, I didn’t have it in me to push him away. I didn’t want to. I was hardly experienced when it came to this sort of thing, but the press of his tongue as it brushed against the seam of my lips—I found it irresistible.

I opened my mouth to him and utterly lost myself in the kiss. A wave of heat rushed through my veins, seemingly carried in my very blood, pounding through me until I couldn’t think of anything else.

For some unknown amount of time, we kissed and ran our hands all over each other, and I let myself do it. After all, he wanted to date me. He wanted to be with me. I’d never had a boyfriend before. He would be my first.

He shifted against me, and I felt something hard thrust against my hip, just for a second. I knew what it was, of course. A nurse would pretty much have to know, and though I was highly intrigued by it, I wasn’t about to tease him—tease both of us—by letting it go any further.

“David,” I whispered, pulling away from him. I thought he might show some anger at being interrupted, especially since I pulled my hips gently, but firmly, away from his.

There was confusion on his face, but it faded away into acceptance, and I realized something important. He wouldn’t pressure me. Even as his cock was hard—as it had obviously been—he let me pull away from him. And he hadn’t said a word to pressure me.

He was sweet and patient, even though it was far too obvious he wanted me. I couldn’t help but appreciate all of those things about him. Even him wanting me. Maybe even especially him wanting me.

It was going fast, at least for me. Just lying in bed wrapped in someone’s arms and making out with them was not the sort of thing I did. Ever.

But my body was pleasantly alight with a pulsing sort of warmth, and there was this strange, hot tingling between my legs I’d never experienced before.

The fact of the matter was, I wanted this. All of it. Maybe I was an idiot, but I never had been before, so I had to think this was something real. Why else would I be so very drawn to him? Why else would he drive me crazy, like no one else ever had?

“Do you mean it?” I asked, and I pressed my lips against his strong jaw, kissing along it and feeling the slight roughness of his stubble. He was so masculine and he smelled incredible.

“Yes,” he whispered, and his arms tightened around me. He didn’t try to push anything, though. His hands rested on the small of my back, but he didn’t try to grope me.

I could trust him. I was safe with him.

Maybe, just maybe, this could be something real.

“Yes,” I echoed, repeating the word he’d just said. Yes, I would date him. God, yes. We barely knew each other, and I knew it was a little bit crazy, but I couldn’t make myself turn something like this down. Not when I wanted it so badly.

“As long as we can go slow. We can see what happens,” I added, because the cautious side of my brain demanded it. I had to be careful. Even throbbing with heat and arousal, I couldn’t do anything else.

“We’ll see what happens,” he agreed. And then—just like that—I had, for the very first time in my life, a boyfriend. A strong, handsome, utterly gorgeous boyfriend.

When he kissed me again, I was right there for him, waiting. I wasn’t going to have sex with him, of course. Us dating hadn’t changed who I was.

Despite everything, part of me was just the tiniest bit disappointed that he didn’t push me further. I was relieved, of course, but I had never ached for anyone the way I ached for him. My body had never been so eager for anyone.

David

A man could drown in Kaye’s kisses. He could lose himself completely if he allowed it to happen. Those sweet, innocent, sexy-as-hell kisses that had me far too hard, far too quickly.

I had been so sure she had used her body to get what she wanted—that she gave herself to men and, in return, they left their money to her. I knew it wasn’t true anymore.

I had a virgin. And she had already given herself to me, at least a little bit, by agreeing to date me. My plan was working, and now—on top of everything else—I was going to get to be the very first man who ever had the lovely Kaye James.

“So how’s it going with the girl?” Brent had this smirk on his face. It made me—just for a second or two—want to smack him, though I quickly pulled myself together.

Damn it, though, couldn’t he at least learn her name? Kaye. He was hardly going to be able to seduce her if he couldn’t be bothered to learn it. Kaye. Her name was beautiful and sweet, just like she was.

“Kaye,” I corrected, and I fought very hard to keep my voice completely even. No need to fly off the handle. Brent didn’t have any reason to care about her name, at least not yet. As long as he could remember it when it counted, I should have no issues.

“Okay, fine. Kaye. How're things going?” Brent was nothing if not persistent, which made him pretty much the perfect man for this particular job.

“Well, I’d say things are going pretty well,” I said, fighting off a bit of a smirk. “She has herself a brand-new boyfriend, and I have …” I couldn’t help but brag a little. How many guys could say what I was about to say? “I have myself a virgin.”

“Oh my God,” Brent said, and I could pretty much see his eyes popping out just at the thought. Who could blame him? A virgin. Not only that, but a drop-dead gorgeous virgin. “Are you serious? She’s a virgin?”

I nodded, and though it was a bit ridiculous, I wanted to puff my chest out with pride. Just a little. It wasn’t like I had done anything special, really. It was complete luck that Kaye was untouched, but I knew I had impressed my best friend.

“Can we change things up, maybe?” Brent asked, after a bit of silence as he processed the news I’d dropped on him. “You could introduce me to her before you get married? I’ve never popped a cherry before.”

The strangest thing happened to me then. I had the urge to growl, to glare at my best friend, and to tell him to back the hell off. Kaye was mine. I took a deep breath, having to calm myself down and back away from some pretty serious potential rage.

And why was that, exactly?

I had no idea why I was feeling so prickly, but I was. And I wasn’t about to let Brent think for a moment that he could touch a hair on the girl’s head. “That doesn’t make any sense,” I pointed out. “I can’t discover the two of you in bed together before we get married, or it defeats the whole purpose. I need to be married to her, or we both get nothing.”

Brent frowned, and I had thought maybe he was joking, but I realized something then. He was actually sort of serious. At the very least, he was reluctant to let go of the idea of having her first, and the growl I had fought off threatened to come back in full force.

“It can be an ongoing affair,” Brent argued, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides. “I take her first. Then it’s even more of a betrayal if she’s been sleeping with me the whole time you guys were married and even before.”

I shook my head. No way was I going to let that happen. I was, to say the very least, attached to the idea of being her first. It had thrilled me deeply to know that I would get to be her first, and I wasn’t about to give something so amazing up.

“She’d never do a thing like that. You don’t know her at all. She’s sweet, innocent, and pure. Pure as the driven snow. She’s not the kind of woman who’d start sleeping with one man while keeping another dangling on the side.” While I wasn’t sure about her morals when it came to money, I knew she wouldn’t do a thing like that when it came to sex. “It’s not in her. No. I get her first.” I crossed my arms over my chest and looked at him with an expression I knew he would recognize. I had always been good at getting my way when I really wanted to and this was one of those times. “I don’t even want you to meet her until the wedding.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but …well. I didn’t trust him. I knew him too well, and when it came to women, he really wasn’t a very nice guy.

I couldn’t claim I was much better, of course, but I chose not to think about it too much.

“David …” I could tell Brent was going to keep arguing.

I shook my head firmly. “I’ll cut you out of the deal completely,” I threatened, and it wasn’t an idle threat. I made sure he knew it, too, pretty much glaring at him. “You’ll be out a lot of money. Just drop it.”

My threat shut him up, as I knew it would. I hated to do it, but I also didn’t want him thinking he could talk me out of this. Kaye was mine.

No. Not mine. I had to remember what this was.

Her first time, though, definitely belonged to me.

“Fine,” he muttered, clearly put out. He was such a child sometimes, but he was my only real friend and he was damn good at his job.

“You’ll get her soon enough,” I pointed out, smirking a little bit. Only, I didn’t feel quite right inside. It was one thing to plan this all out before, but it was all starting to feel so easy. Too easy.

“Yeah, that’s right,” Brent said, perking up noticeably. “You’ll be married to her in no time at this rate.”

It was true. I knew it. She seemed to have a sort of weakness around me, which gave me another of those strange twinges of conscience. It would be so easy to get her to fall in love with me and to sweep her into a whirlwind romance and marriage.

“So when do you want me to, you know, step in?” Brent asked, pulling me from my thoughts. I looked at him with a smile, though it didn’t feel natural on my lips.

“At the wedding,” I decided. “Which I think will probably be in just a few months.” I was already moving quite fast and definitely had no intention of slowing down, no matter what those inconvenient little twinges of conscience said. Nor the little shocks of pain that went through me when I thought about Brent touching Kaye or about her moaning and arching toward anyone else as he slid inside her.

Getting possessive over a woman had never really been the sort of thing to happen to me before. I had never let myself get close enough to one. It was an uncomfortable feeling, and I found myself having to push it away time after time.

“Okay, perfect,” Brent smirked, and it was a relief to me when he seemed oblivious to how strangely I’d been feeling about the whole thing. Not that I was having doubts, I assured myself. I still wanted what was mine.

It was just that maybe Kaye could feel like mine, if I let her.

“So you sweep her off her feet and into bed, and then marry her,” Brent plotted, and I forced myself to meet his smirk with one of my own. “Then I’ll meet her at the wedding, ask her to dance, and I’ll tumble her into bed myself with indecent haste.”

I let a deep, deep breath soothe me and forced my head to nod in agreement. Just think of the money, I told myself. Think about the betrayal of grandfather leaving everything to Kaye, who was almost a stranger. I was his own flesh and blood. I was the rightful heir. Why would he do such a hateful thing if not because of something she’d done?

Even thinking about Brent dancing with her at my wedding, though, could be enough to really anger me. If I let it. So the trick was not to let it, and I thought I was equal to the task. After all, I’d been with many women and none of them had ever gotten their claws into me.

I knew better. After what my mother had done to my father—and to me—I would never trust a woman. I wouldn’t make the same mistakes he had. No matter how sweet Kaye seemed, she was still a woman and she would betray me.

Which was the whole point. I was going to use her nature against her and let her inevitable betrayal benefit me. It was a small way of getting revenge, not only against my grandfather and against her, but also against my mother. Maybe she would never know, but I would and I thought it would be enough.

So I smirked at my best friend and nodded. “Yep, that’s the plan.”

It was a good plan too. Simple. In my experience, those were the plans that worked the best—the ones without too many bells and whistles.

Kaye would never know what had hit her, as long as Brent and I could pull it off. Simple didn’t mean easy, and I knew if either of us pushed too fast, we could scare her off.

Still, I was on the right track and I knew I could do this. I would have everything I wanted soon enough, with just a little bit of patience. Just a little bit of pushing. Not too fast, but just enough to keep her off balance and intrigued without scaring her off.

It was a thin line and I was going to have to walk it carefully. The rewards were astronomical, though, and it was more than worth it.

Glancing at Brent, I knew he would do his part flawlessly. He always had women flinging themselves at him, and Kaye, I figured, would be no exception.

“You and I are both going to be very wealthy men,” I commented and laughed as I raised a bottle of beer in a slightly mocking toast.

“To money,” he said, while I clinked my glass bottle to his.

“To money,” I echoed, and then added, forcing a nonchalance that I didn’t quite feel, “To Kaye.”

“To Kaye,” Brent repeated.

To Kaye. The woman who was going to make all of our dreams come true. Whether she knew it or not.

Chapter 7

Kaye

An odd, nervous, excited energy filled me as I got ready for my first real date.

Of course I had been out with people and done fun things with them, and some of those people had been men. But to go out, one-on-one, in a distinctly romantic context—I had never allowed myself to do that before.

David had told me to dress up, and as I glanced in the mirror, I had to admit I looked good. I rarely found occasions to wear anything fancy, but I’d picked a scarlet dress that somehow made my green eyes shine even brighter and set off my dark hair perfectly.

I tried not to blush when I saw how the bright fabric clung to my hips and breasts and made my waist look tiny. I looked sexy. Hot. Not at all how I would usually dress.

I even had heels on.

The look on David’s face when I opened the door to his knock made the whole thing worth it. His absolute delight was obvious as he scanned me from head to toe—but in a way, that made me feel beautiful and cherished, not cheap. He had some skills, I had to admit.

“You look beautiful,” he breathed, and I believed him. I both thought he saw me that way and thought that I actually was, which was fantastic.

“Thank you,” I murmured, slightly warm and flushed. David offered me his arm and I took it, feeling strange and fluttery inside. He was such a gentleman, and even though it was all happening so quickly, I couldn’t help but be glad I’d decided to go for it and date him.

I could almost swear the soles of my black pumps didn’t even touch the ground as he swept me out to the car.

“Where are we going?” I asked as I settled myself in his car, which was a BMW that I was completely sure would make me dizzy if I knew how much it had cost him. I knew, logically speaking, that I owned quite a few expensive cars myself, but I had never driven any of them.

Which reminded me, was this the time to offer him the half of the money I’d inherited? I watched his profile and shook my head. No. It wasn’t the right time.

Probate hadn’t even fully cleared yet. I probably wasn’t even supposed to be living in the mansion and I hadn’t gotten anything yet. It would be better to wait, so if he said yes, I could hand him a check right away.

Besides, I wanted to enjoy this night without any money hanging over our heads. So when he reached for my hand, I let him have it, his fingers slipping through mine and our palms touching, almost caressing each other.

“You’ll see.” He smiled over at me, dark eyes shimmering. “It’s a surprise.”

We held hands for the whole drive, and I could almost feel my inner defenses—the ones I had built up so firm, strong, and tall around my heart—melting away a little at a time. He was so handsome, and the sun was setting around us, and I couldn’t honestly think of a time I had been happier.

I didn’t have to stay curious for long, as it didn’t take long for us to get there. He drove up to a gorgeous building, trendy and sort of funky, and my eyes felt like they couldn’t get any bigger.

The restaurant, The Chameleon, was one even I had heard of, and I wasn’t much for the whole fancy dining scene. It was charming, with lights strung up around it and a gorgeous patio.

“Oh, Mr. Black. I’m glad you and your lovely lady made it.” A man dressed all in white smiled at us, seeming genuinely glad to see us. “We’ve already cleared the floor for you. Please, come in.”

We were led in and seated, and I looked around, trying to take it all in. It was, no doubt, the fanciest restaurant I’d ever been in. It had this gorgeous chandelier, one just trendy and modern enough to fit in with Portland’s unique scene, while still being lovely and elegant.

The tables had been pushed aside, just as our host had said, and the wooden floor was revealed. There was even a live band playing soft jazz, and a few couples were dancing.

It was the height of sophistication, at least as far as I knew. I was no expert, but I was definitely impressed.

“You did this,” I realized, turning to look at him seated across the table from me. I saw his little smirk and knew I was right. They were accommodating us with a special request.

“I wanted our first date to be special,” he admitted, and those barriers around my heart melted just a little bit more. There wasn’t a lot left of them.

Our first date. But not, I now knew, our last. Not when he was making it so perfect. How hard had it been for him to find a place for a romantic, candle lit dinner with exquisite food and dancing in Portland?

“Dance with me,” I whispered, and I stood up, holding his hand in mine and tugging him up. He came willingly and then led me out onto the dance floor, where he turned and wrapped his arms around me as we swayed to the music.

“You know, you’re the most beautiful woman here,” he whispered in my ear as our bodies moved together like they had been made to do so. “I’m so glad you came out with me.”

I had to close my eyes, just for a second. I had never been so swept away—not by anything or anybody. Nothing got to me like David did, and I let myself fall into him, knowing somehow he would be there to catch me.

He had won me over and he didn’t even seem to be trying. My heart was pounding for him, and in that endless moment, swaying together in his arms, I felt I would do anything he wanted as long as he didn’t stop holding me.

The whole night was amazing. It was nothing short of magic. I had read the books and I had watched the movies, but I had never seen what the big deal about romance was.

I knew now, because of him. And I let myself get lost in the magic.

The night seemed to fly by, and before I knew it, we were back at my house. At my new house—the one I had been left by Theodore.

For the first time, it felt like it really was my home.

When he pulled me close to him, enfolded me in his strong arms, and kissed me, I felt like I was home. It didn’t make any sense, but maybe that was the very reason I trusted it so much.

I didn’t try to pull back. I let him have my mouth. I opened up to him and it was nothing short of glorious.

“May I come in?” he asked, and he was polite, but definitely interested.

I hesitated. I knew it was a bad idea. After the fantastic night we had just had, I was far too tempted to say yes, and yet I had never been the sort of girl who would tempt fate.

Inviting him into my house would be doing quite a bit of fate tempting. “I don’t …”

“Please,” he whispered, and he was so close to me that his lips brushed over mine as he spoke in a way that sent delightful little shivers through my entire body. “Kaye, I need you. I promise I won’t hurt you or do anything you don’t want.”

Other men had said things to me, similar things, and I had never been tempted to believe them. I fought with myself, but it was a losing battle, and I really knew it before I even started to try.

I opened the door slightly, and then he was on me, kissing me, his hands finally sweeping down to cup my ass and pull me against him. I should have been scared, but he’d started a fire in the very core of my being—a fire that burned hotter as he fed it with his kisses and his touches.

Pinned against the wall, he ground his hard cock against me. I was completely helpless to stop him—not that I wanted to. His mouth was hot on my neck as he bit it gently, then sucked the spot. I was shaking with an unknown need. No wonder some of my friends said things like, ‘I was helpless. I had to give in to him.’ I understood them all a lot better now as David’s hand moved to massage my breast and I did nothing to stop him.

My pussy was aching for more as he pressed his cock against it, only the fabric of our clothing between us. Could I handle staying true to myself and keep my virginity in tact?

The way my insides were quaking, I knew I was in deep shit with the man. He was taking those walls around my heart down as if he had a sledgehammer to finish the job.

“Let me taste you,” he murmured, and even in his eagerness, I knew that he would back off if I told him to. There was so much confidence in his voice, though, like he knew I wouldn’t shut him down.

And he was right.

My heart pounded as I let it do the talking, leaving my brain out of it. “Do it, David,” I whispered, feeling far more reckless than I ever allowed myself to be. But I couldn’t resist. I’d tried, but it was pointless.

I needed him. He wanted to taste me? Well, I wanted to let him. I was completely caught up in him, like I was in the ocean and he was the undertow pulling me helplessly under waves of arousal.

Effortlessly, he caught me up in his arms and carried me to my bedroom. I ran my arms around his neck and kissed the side of it as he carried me away to do a thing I’d never thought about letting anyone do before. He set me gently down on my back, then his hands snagged the hem of my skirt and pulled it up.

I should have been terrified, and maybe part of me was. Mostly, though, I was fixated on the vulnerability of having myself bared to him—to anyone—for the very first time.

He slid my panties out of the way and ran his fingers over my slickened, slippery folds. No one had ever touched me there. Not even my own fingers had slid up my slit to find my aching clit, and right then and there, I was lost.

“I need to taste you, my sweet girl,” David murmured, and his voice was nothing less than pure, unadulterated sex. I was already wet for him, but with the magic his voice and his fingers wrought on me, I was soon gushing.

And all of this was before he leaned down and brushed his full, gorgeous lips over my engorged, desperate nub, teasing it until I felt like I would burst.

I’d never known it could be like this to be touched. I had no idea before then what pleasure my body could give me. The forces gathering within me were so intense, I found myself gasping and rocking up toward him, and there was something wrong with my breathing. I couldn’t quite keep air in my lungs and I was soon panting.

It didn’t matter. Nothing did, except for how good he was making me feel. He settled between my legs, spreading them wide, and I should have felt helpless and scared.

I felt anything but. There was a sense of power to this—in seeing this gorgeous man between my legs and in watching as his tongue bathed my clit lovingly. Without my conscious direction, my hips tilted up, rocking toward the sensation I knew would have me rocketing toward something I had never felt before.

So this is an orgasm.

I wasn’t even there yet, and I knew it was going to leave me helpless and shaking. My fingers slid into his dark hair as what felt like molten lava rushed through me. “David!”

The explosion that rocked through my body was every bit as intense as I had thought it would be. No, it was more. I wasn’t even sure I could hold on to my sanity as I rocketed up into the clouds, utterly gripped by the glorious explosions that took me over entirely.

I had waited so long for this and it had been worth the wait. Even as I thought the words, though, I knew it wouldn’t have been even close to as good had it been with anyone other than David.

David

The way Kaye moaned, writhed, cried my name, and trembled for me was almost as good—almost as intense—as if I had been the one having the orgasm.

I’d never had it be like this before.

Sex was always something fun, of course, but it had never felt so important before. Perhaps it was the importance she placed on it that made the difference, but it was different. I was utterly enthralled by how she moved under me and by the taste of her sweet fluids on my lips.

There was this sense of pride, too. I had given her the pleasure she’d clearly felt. I was the very first one.

I would be the only one.

The thought hit me over the head out of nowhere and I reined it in quickly. It was ridiculous. The whole point of this was that I wasn’t going to be the only one. Brent was going to have her too.

As I looked down at her, all flushed with her hair sexily disheveled, I made myself a silent vow. If I couldn’t be her only lover, and I already knew I couldn’t, then I would just have to be her best one.

“David,” she whispered, her voice slightly hoarser than usual and a little bit deeper. I felt my heart tighten up and fill with unfamiliar emotions, just from the way she spoke one simple word—my name.

Lying on the bed on her back, with her red dress hiked up to her waist, too exhausted from my attentions to even make herself decent again, she was nothing short of the most beautiful woman in the world.

There wasn’t a single thing about her I didn’t find gorgeous. Her body, of course, was a given. Any man would be enthralled by those sweet curves—her breasts, which seemed to beg for my touch and the round firmness of her hips and ass.

The red dress she had chosen had shown off her voluptuous body to perfection, no doubt about it. If her beautiful form had been all she’d had to offer, maybe I would have had an easier time dismissing her.

It wasn’t just her body, though. Everything about her appealed to me. I had been so sure she was some femme fatale who had seduced my grandfather and stolen my inheritance, but I was having a hard time holding on to that conception of her.

She was smart. I had picked that up easily enough. She was also somewhat naive, and the combination of brains, beauty, and innocence added up into the most fascinating human being I had ever spent time with.

“Kaye,” I whispered, and it was no problem—none at all—for me to act like I was deeply enthralled by her. It was supposed to be something I was only pretending to feel. Just a show. It was getting harder, though, to keep that in mind. “You’re so beautiful.”

She was. In every way. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and for her to show how she really was. But she kept on being the sweet, beautiful, sexy person who she always seemed to be.

Kaye smiled at me, and my heart did funny things in my chest. Why was she, of all women, the one I didn’t seem to be able to resist? She was the one that I, above all, needed to be able to control myself around.

“Thank you,” Kaye murmured, and I was pleased to hear the sound of her voice, just a little bit deeper than normal. It was full of a sort of dazed afterglow from the pleasure I had given her.

“No, thank you,” I replied, and I meant it.

This was all becoming a little bit too real, and I wasn’t sure I knew how to stop it.

I wanted her. My cock was aching, throbbing desperately between my legs, and demanding things I couldn’t allow myself to take. I needed to be buried deep inside her sweet, tight warmth. I needed to take her for the first time and make her mine, but I absolutely could not do it.

I’d promised. She’d trusted me to keep the promise I had made. She was worth patience.

So, even though I did ease on top of her, I kept my clothes on. I didn’t give in to my body’s urgent demand to take her. I would make her mine—I knew it without the slightest hint of doubt in my mind—but I could wait.

I did kiss her, though, and I let her feel how hard I was as I pressed against her hip. I wanted her to know what she was doing to me, and by the widening of her eyes and the way her breathing got heavier, she noticed and she liked it.

Whether she knew it or not, she was responding to me. I could swear I felt her hips rising and falling, just the tiniest bit, as she rubbed right back against me. She’d never felt a man before, had she? I had doubted it at least a little, but not any longer.

As I slid on top of her, she let her hands roam down over my back. I allowed it. If she wanted to explore, I was more than happy to let her do what she wanted. Her hands settled on the curve of my ass and she pulled me closer to her.

I didn’t push. I knew she wasn’t ready, and while I could probably make her ready pretty quickly, I didn’t want to deal with any repercussions if I did. I had to give her absolutely no reason to mistrust me.

Besides, when I did take her, I wanted her to be absolutely desperate for me. I wanted her to writhe and moan and arch under me as I slid inside her tight body. So I kept myself under control. I rocked slowly against her and let her rub up against me as we kissed, but I didn’t touch her, didn’t stroke her lovely breasts, or slip my fingers between her legs.

“Please,” Kaye finally whispered, her body trembling as she pressed against me. “Please, David, touch me.”

The way she spoke, she was almost begging. It sent arrows of hot desire through my whole body, making my stomach clench with the force of it. I hadn’t expected her to pretty much plead with me, and all on her own.

It was quite possibly the hottest thing I had ever heard. No, scratch that. It definitely was.

“Kaye, my pretty girl,” I whispered, and it was hard for me not to mean the words as they spilled from my lips.

My pretty girl.

Mine.

Only she wasn’t, and I needed to remember it.

Still, there was no chance in hell of me turning her down. Without hesitation, I pushed her legs apart and slid my fingers between them, stroking over her slick, swollen lips and teasing her clit.

I had never had a woman be this responsive before. The noises she made drove me wild and I eased a finger inside of her and felt the desperate movements of her hips as she pushed up onto me.

“David, David, David.” She moaned my name over and over again, and each time she did it made the heat inside me grow and burn hotter—made me need her so much more.

Each movement I made was very careful, though. I didn’t want to hurt her, and she’d never had anything inside of her before. If there had been any doubt remaining, it would have been completely banished.

To be as tight as she was, she pretty much had to be a virgin.

With my thumb, I found her clit, and I fucked her gently with just the one finger as I rubbed her.

Her brilliant eyes were almost wild as she moved under me. I could tell the tension was gathering in her body again and I kissed her to encourage her to let loose.

I wanted her utterly addicted to the orgasms I could give her. It wasn’t a logical thing. But when she came apart in my arms, when she gasped and moaned and clung to me as pleasure wracked her body, I felt a great sense of satisfaction that had nothing to do with the plan.

“Oh, David,” she moaned as she dug her nails into my arms, holding tightly to me as her body erupted once more under my touch. Her walls contracted on my finger, and she got ever wetter than she had been as cum gushed out of her. She’d had enough for one night.

I smiled at her and kissed her gently, just one more time. Better to leave her wanting more, I figured. But that meant ignoring my own throbbing cock, which was fighting with my brain to let it have some much-needed relief—relief I would not be giving it. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her off.

“I’ll see you soon,” I murmured, leaving a kiss just behind her ear. And then I left her lying on the bed, deliciously rumpled. I couldn’t help but look back a few times, just to drink in the sight of her.

“I’ll be waiting.” She looked satisfied, I couldn’t help but notice. She kissed her fingers, then waved goodbye.

If I kept this up, it would be absolutely no problem at all to get whatever I wanted from her. I would allow her to lose herself in a daze of eroticism, let her romantic self take over, and then she would let herself get swept up. Before I knew it, I would be inside of her, and then she would be mine.

A woman like her, I knew, would give herself completely to the first person she slept with. Once we were married, I would shut her out, and then she’d give herself the same way to Brent.

It was all going to plan. It couldn’t have been more perfect. Brent and I would have what we wanted within the year. I was absolutely sure of it.

If only I could keep myself from falling for her.

When I’d planned this out, I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t thought I could end up actually liking this young woman.

She was getting to me with her sweetness and her beauty and her kind heart—with the noises she made as she came and with the way she looked at me like she thought I could do no wrong.

A guy could get used to it, but not, I was determined, this guy. I wasn’t the type to be taken in by a woman—any woman.

As long as I was careful, this was still going to work out fine. She believed me. She believed I was nothing more than a guy who wanted to date her and try to build something with her.

This was going to end up being like taking candy from a baby, wasn’t it? I smiled grimly to myself as I left her, shutting her bedroom door carefully behind me.

It was just going to involve a little bit more willpower than I had originally thought. No big deal. I would just hold onto my anger about being cut out of my grandfather’s will.

As long as I could keep the burning anger fresh and vivid in my mind, I was sure I could keep myself from doing anything really stupid. It wasn’t in my nature to fall in love. Sure, Kaye had surprised me with her cheerful nature, but I wasn’t going to let myself lose everything now.

Newly determined, I left her house, jumped in my car, and very decidedly did not look back.

The woman was creeping into my heart—a place she did not belong.

Chapter 8

Kaye

I was pretty sure my bones had actually dissolved entirely. Either that, or my muscles had turned completely to jelly. Either way, I was in no shape to move. For a long time I just lay on my back, grinning like an idiot.

I’d finally had an orgasm!

Not one, but two. And all because David affected me like no other man ever had.

In all honesty, I didn’t want to move. Not right away. I could still feel his lips against mine, as though they had imprinted there. I could still feel the warmth of his hands on me and his lips as they licked at my most sensitive area.

Of course, I was sad he had left me. I would have loved to have had him stay for the night, holding me, kissing me, and maybe touching me intimately again.

Maybe that was the biggest reason it was good he had left. If he had stayed, would I have been able to resist him?

No. I knew it on a deep, almost instinctive level. If David had stayed, I would have given myself to him, and I had saved myself for too long to give myself to someone I barely knew.

It was too soon. Far too soon.

Or was it?

I had never had hang ups about waiting for marriage. All I had ever wanted was for it to mean something—really and truly—when I finally did it. Maybe this thing with David was new, but it definitely meant something to me.

I just didn’t know what exactly. I wanted him. When he’d had his mouth on me and when he’d slid his finger inside of me, I had almost gone insane with the desire to have him slip all the way inside of me.

Was he the one I had been waiting for? I had always assumed I would know, and something inside of me was telling me he was it. I had been saving myself for him.

On the other hand, I had seen enough of how people—men and women both—could act like idiots when they were sexually aroused. I had never been as impulsive as some girls were, but for some reason I wanted to throw caution to the wind and give in to what we both ached for.

Was David Black turning me into an idiot? Or would I be the idiot if I didn’t let myself do what I wanted so badly to do?

Slowly, I moved my hands down my body, arranging my skirt back down around my legs again. My whole body was still tingling. The orgasms he had given me had utterly blown me away and I wasn’t sure I could trust myself anymore.

My hands moved over my own body in a slow caress, just as I wanted his to do. I had never wanted anyone like I wanted him and the very intensity of the desire made me suspicious of it.

What I needed was some advice from someone who wasn’t connected to the situation. Someone who would have a clear head on the subject. It didn’t take me very long at all to figure out who.

Slowly, languorously, I reached over and snagged my phone. Through half-closed eyes, and fighting off the continuous urge to smile like an idiot, I pressed the screen beside Joan’s name and waited.

Joan was a friend who wouldn’t hesitate to tell me I was being an idiot if I was. Joan, who had never even met David and who would give me good advice, wouldn’t just tell me what she thought I wanted to hear.

It was only when she answered the phone and her voice was roughened with sleep and slight irritation that I realized it was past midnight.

“Sorry.” I could hear the sheepish tone to my voice. “I didn’t realize what time it was. I’ll hang up now and you can yell at me later.”

“Kaye?” Joan went from sounding annoyed to concerned in about half a second, which just made me wince more. I really didn’t want to worry anyone, but I could tell I had freaked her out. Of course I had. Normal people didn’t call their friends this late at night on a work night unless it was something important.

“I’m sorry,” I repeated, and I had gone to hang up when I heard Joan’s voice coming clear as day through the speaker of my phone.

“Don’t you dare hang up. What’s going on? You sound strange.”

I smiled a secret little smile to myself. Strange. That was one way to put it. She’d never heard me when a man had worn me out this way before. No one had.

“Something’s happened,” I admitted, and I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. This whole experience was new to me. I had never had to confess this sort of indiscretion to a friend before. I was always the one who was there to listen to her friends talk about boys.

Joan was silent for a moment, and when she spoke she sounded incredibly sure of herself. “It’s a man. You got laid.”

I guess my silence gave me away because she gave a whoop of happiness that was so loud I actually had to hold my phone away from my ear for a second while she got herself under control.

“I didn’t sleep with him.” I pulled the tattered shreds of my dignity around myself as she chuckled knowingly. “No, I mean it. I didn’t. We …messed around, though. But no dick penetration. I didn’t have actual sex with him.”

Even through the phone, I could tell she was grinning. I could hear it in her voice. “Well, why didn’t you?” Blunt and to the point, just the way I had expected her to be. It was why I had called her, after all, to talk about this stuff.

So I rushed forward, not thinking about my words for once in my life. “I don’t know why it didn’t happen. I wanted it to,” I admitted, and my cheeks flushed a darker pink when I said it. It wasn’t the sort of confession I was used to making.

“I’ve never heard you sound like this about a guy.” Joan paused, then added, “This isn’t about sex for you, is it? Or not just sex?”

Bless her. She was pretty much doing all of the work for me. She and I had been friends for long enough and it almost seemed like she could read my mind. It was making this whole thing much easier.

“It’s not just sex,” I whispered, and it helped a lot to know I didn’t have to explain more. I didn’t have to tell her I was a virgin. Maybe she didn’t know all the details, but she didn’t have to.

She knew what a big deal this all was to me.

“Say it,” she demanded, and I forced myself to calm down and take a deep breath. For some reason, admitting all of this to myself was far less terrifying than saying it aloud, even to a friend.

“It’s not just sex,” I repeated. “It’s more. I think …I think I might be falling for him.”

I could practically hear the satisfied smirk on her face when she spoke again. “I know you are. I can hear it in your voice. And I’ve seen the look in your eyes lately. You’ve got it bad.”

I shook my head. Damn her smugness. She knew exactly what was going on with me, and I was so out of my depth it wasn’t funny. “What do I do, Joan?” I hated how plaintive I sounded. I was the sort of person who always knew what I was doing when I did something, but with this I was a complete novice.

“It’s serious, isn’t it?” Joan didn’t seem to need an answer because she continued on, her voice much more solemn than usual. “How much does he know about you?”

I winced a little. I knew what she meant, even if I considered playing dumb. The fact was, there was a fair bit that David didn’t know about me.

“He doesn’t know much of anything about me, other than that I’m a nurse,” I said, my voice almost too quiet to hear. “We only went on our first date tonight, though. It’s too soon to tell him everything.”

I had sort of hoped, even if I knew it was impossible, it would always be too soon to tell him. There were already a bunch of firsts going on with David and I wasn’t sure I wanted to add this one in too.

“It’s up to you,” Joan admitted. “But I think you should tell him. If you think there is going to be something real between you, he needs to know. What if you get married someday and he doesn’t even know?”

She had a point. It wasn’t like I was planning to marry David, but the idea didn’t freak me out quite as much as I would have thought.

I didn’t like the idea of telling him. I didn’t like the idea of telling anyone. Even Joan only knew because I’d had a few too many drinks after she had dragged me out to the bar one night when it was all weighing heavily on my mind—the anniversary of the day my life had changed. And I’d spilled it all to her then.

Point being, I didn’t talk to people about it. But Joan was right. If I wanted to really be with him, I was going to need to tell him about my past. Maybe David could even be the sort of person to accept it, given his own background.

And he had opened up to me. I should open up to him too. If I wanted things to get deeper between us, that is.

There was a reason it hurt me so much to think about David and Theodore, both of them so alone. The truth was, I was all alone too. I had no one, just as he did. It was one reason, one of many, I found myself so drawn to him.

When my parents had died and left me when I was just fifteen, it had devastated me. I could far too easily understand how David had felt when he’d lost his father and then Theodore.

We shared this bond and he didn’t even know about it.

“Kaye?” Joan’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and made me realize I had probably been quiet for too long, lost in my thoughts. “Kaye, what are you scared of? It won’t change anything between you two, not if he’s the sort of man you deserve. I’ve known you for a long time now, and you’ve never felt like this about a man, have you?”

I shook my head, then realized she couldn’t see me. “No, he’s the first man I’ve ever wanted,” I whispered, and it was nothing but the truth. Joan would know. She had known me for years. In fact, we’d gone to school together and she’d known me pretty much from the month I’d aged out of the foster care system and started college.

“At least think about it. It’s not right to keep something that big away from the person you’re falling in love with.” Joan seemed to give up, and I appreciated it. She would state her case, but she also knew when to back off.

Fair enough. I could promise without any problem and I didn’t hesitate to do so. “I will think about it. You know, I just hate when people feel sorry for me. Sure, I was a young teen when my world changed. I lost my family and my home. I was sent to live with a house full of strangers. No one comforted me when I got sad and lonely for my family. I kept that all to myself, not wanting to bother anyone.” I knew I would think about telling David. After all, if I wanted to be serious with this man, he really should know more about me.

“If he’s the right man for you, he won’t be bothered by it. You’ll see. Tell him before it gets to the point that it looks like you purposely kept things from him. That would hurt him. I’m sure you don’t want that.” She sighed, and I could tell she was tired and needed to get back to sleep.

“Go back to bed, Joan. And thanks for the advice. I know you’re right. But I also know how damn hard it is to make my mouth open and talk about that very painful part of my life. But I’ll think about it and see what I can come up with. Maybe I’ll invite him over one evening, get drunk, and it’ll spill out of me like it did with you.” I rubbed my chin, as it itched from David’s whiskers. “Goodnight, Joan.”

“Goodnight, Kaye. You have yourself some sweet dreams.” She hung up and I put my cell back on the nightstand.

It was late as hell and I still had a bath to take before I turned in for the night. Thanks to David’s attention to me, I’d made a bit of a mess of myself.

A glorious mess.

David

For weeks I had been playing the same game. And I had been playing it expertly, without a single flaw. I could tell it was time to move on—to step up my game. I could tell she was ready to give more to me.

Maybe she would even give me everything, and God knew I was ready to have it.

I had taken her out every day. I worked around her schedule because for some unknown reason she was still working. The picture I had painted of her in my mind wasn’t as accurate as I might have thought, because if she’d been a gold digger, then surely she would have quit her job to enjoy the proceeds of her hard work?

It was a little uncomfortable for me to think about it, so I pushed those strange thoughts firmly away. Kaye was probably waiting on the money to get into her accounts—that was most likely the only reason she hadn’t quit her job yet. That had to be it. But I shut those thoughts off because they disturbed me and I hated feeling uncertain.

Instead of thinking, I went grocery shopping.

Most nights, I had taken my lovely Kaye out for dinner, but I had something very different in mind for tonight. I was going to cook for her—step up my game—and then, well, we’d see what happened.

I parked my car, then went to the door, ringing the bell. It was preposterous that I couldn’t just walk in, since the house had been my grandfather’s. But I had to play the gentleman with Kaye. My agenda was back at the forefront of my mind.

“David!” Kaye was clearly thrilled to see me when she opened the door. Her whole beautiful face just lit up, her bright eyes glowing with pleasure. She stepped forward and kissed me briefly on the lips in greeting before her eyes slid down to the bags I was holding. “What’s all this?”

I smiled and walked past her, going into the kitchen so I could put everything down. She followed along behind me. I turned to face her, then pulled her into my arms for a real kiss. When I let her go, I was feeling a little weak at the knees, and by her dazed expression, she seemed to be too. “I’m making you dinner.” I laughed at the expression on her face, then added, “You aren’t allowed to help. Sit.”

“Not at all?” She took a seat at the island bar, perching on one of the barstools and looking good enough to eat herself.

“Not at all. I’m pampering you, my sweet girl.” I poured her a glass of wine and one for myself, too, before getting to work. “You work hard, and I want you to know I see that and admire your drive.” Soon enough, I had a pasta sauce simmering on the stove, garlic bread ready to be toasted in the oven, and a salad all ready to go.

I had never—not once in my entire life—met a woman who was not impressed by a man who would cook for her.

“David,” she sighed with pleasure. “It smells so good. Thank you. I did have a hard day today. My patient had a terrible day—much worse than mine. But it makes the job a lot harder when you have to sit by and watch someone endure so much pain. It took forever for the meds to ease the pain for the poor old woman.”

While things cooked I turned to look at her and frowned at what I saw. She was as lovely as ever, but when I looked at her—really looked at her—I noticed she had dark circles under her eyes. She was slumped in her chair, apparently completely exhausted.

“So you had a hard day?” I asked, and I went over to her, pushing her hair aside and letting my hands rest on her shoulders.

“Hard and very long.” Kaye moaned and tilted her head forward, giving me full access to her neck and shoulders. They were tense and filled with knots, so I started to rub those knots and sore areas out.

Another thing the vast majority of women couldn’t resist, in my experience, was a man who would give them a massage.

It was hardly a hardship for me either, not with the soft noises of pleasure and sexy little moans she made. Her skin was warm and smooth under my fingers and I got the satisfaction of feeling her muscles become loose and pliant under my skilled touch.

“What did I do to deserve any of this?” Kaye murmured, her voice almost drowsy. Knowing her head was turned away from me, I allowed myself to smirk just a little bit. She really was falling for me, wasn’t she? I was on the right track.

“You’re you,” I murmured and placed a chaste kiss on the top of her head. “That’s enough.”

Her shoulders relaxed even more and I kept rubbing until she was almost completely limp for me. She pressed toward my hands, wordlessly imploring me not to stop, and I didn’t.

Not until dinner was ready, anyway. I carefully rearranged her long, dark hair so it fell down over her back again, a waterfall of black silk. She really did have the most remarkable coloring, with those green eyes and dark hair. Very dramatic and very beautiful.

Very easy to fall for.

I set the table, letting her sit in her languorous, sensual mood. It was exactly how I wanted her, after all—relaxed and receptive to what I had to say.

When I set the dishes out, I made sure I was sitting beside her instead of across from her, and as we ate, I teased her just a little. Nothing blatant—it was all incredibly subtle—but I knew what I was doing and I did it on purpose.

From the beginning, I had known that she found me attractive. Now, I shamelessly used that knowledge, letting my foot rest against hers, my leg close enough to her that I could feel the heat radiating off of her, and my hand lightly stroking over her thigh.

At first, she was sleepy and sort of relaxed, but as I kept playing with her, I actually felt her start to warm up under my attentions. She turned to me and her eyes were wide, luminous, brilliant and glistening, her breath hitching just a little bit.

I gently wiped at her lips with my napkin, just a little bit playfully. When I kissed her, she tasted of tomatoes and garlic bread and something else—something I simply identified as Kaye.

“Thank you for all of this,” she whispered sweetly to me when the kiss finally broke. There was nothing in her eyes but trust and caring. She didn’t suspect me in the slightest.

The tiniest twinge of guilt went through me, but I forced it ruthlessly down. This was going to be more difficult than I had thought—not because she was fighting me on anything, but because she wasn’t.

This was far easier than taking candy from a baby, and I made the decision—right or wrong—right then and there. I was going to push any thoughts about the real reason I was doing this from my mind and simply focus on how much I genuinely did want her.

“You’re welcome,” I murmured, then cleared my throat. My voice had come out husky and deep, and it was then that I realized that I had been teasing myself as much as I had been her. Maybe even more.

“I have something I want to ask you.” I looked right at her, fighting down the most bizarre, unaccountable surge of nerves. It wasn’t like I had much doubt about what she would say, but the nerves were still there.

“What is it?” She looked at me curiously, and I realized this was maybe my last chance to back out.

Not interested, I thought to myself. I’d worked too hard already to throw this all away and I really wasn’t even sure why I’d thought of stopping this at all.

I still had the same dreams I’d always had—of building Black Tech into something my grandfather would have been proud of. And Kaye, for all of her sweetness, was still standing in the way of what I wanted.

“I want to take things to the next level with us,” I admitted, and I let myself get lost in the moment. For just a few seconds, I let the feelings I was having for her come forward, to hopefully make me sound sincerer.

For just a moment, there was a flash of wariness in her eyes. I had noticed something about Kaye. Though I had wondered how she could be a virgin at her age, I had learned she was quite cautious, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

Which only made her more impressive to me.

“What do you mean?” She turned to face me fully, as much as the chair she was perched in would allow. Her voice sounded neutral enough, and though I was very watchful, I didn’t see any sign she wouldn’t be open to what I was about to say.

“I mean that I feel things for you, Kaye. I want to see where this goes between us,” I confessed. “I want to make things exclusive between us. I don’t want to see anyone else. And I don’t want you to, either.”

As I was saying the words, I realized that it was true. I had no interest in any other woman, not even sexually. Just Kaye. I let the sincerity show in my words and shine in my eyes.

Suddenly, she grinned. Just like that, she flung herself at me and I had her on my lap, with her slender arms around me. She made a delightful armful, to say the very least.

“Of course,” she exclaimed, her lips still tilted up in a smile so bright I thought it might blind me. “Of course I want us to be exclusive. I haven’t even looked at another man.”

I believed it. I also knew she was going to look—and do much more than look—soon enough. With Brent. The very thought of it made me just a little bit nauseous, but it was, after all, the whole point of all of this.

“There’s more,” I warned her, once more pushing down my emotions about the future. It wasn’t the time to be negative. “I want to really take our relationship to the next level.”

I paused and waited for her to get it, but she just looked at me, her body hot and beautiful as she perched on my lap. She really was remarkably innocent, and I couldn’t help but find it thrilling.

I was already desperately hard just from our kisses and from the way she so trustingly came into my lap. I hadn’t touched another woman since before I’d set my sights on her, and my own hand was not a substitute for a gorgeous lady.

So I pressed my hips up, letting the hardness of my cock press against her ass, letting her feel just how eager I was for her.

“I mean sexually,” I clarified, and this was where everything was on the line. She could get offended and push me away, and then I would have to try to figure out how to deal with it. “I care about you a lot, Kaye. I want to show you.”

I tried to look sincere and found it much easier than I would have thought. I did want her—that much I’d already known—but there was more to it. I wanted to give her a really amazing first time, the sort of thing she would remember for the rest of her life.

Things were going to end badly between us. I already knew that and accepted it. And yet, I wanted her to have absolutely no regrets about her very first time.

“I …” She paused and I had to fight to breathe slowly and evenly—to not let myself get too tense. Whatever she said here, we would be okay. She obviously wasn’t offended, so I could work with it.

“I would like that,” she whispered, with a very sexy little flush on her cheeks.

Deep down, I had known she would say exactly that, but it was still a relief to hear the words.

I didn’t wait. I didn’t give her time to change her mind. Right then and there I stood up, sweeping her into my arms, and carried her to the bedroom.

Here is where it all would change. I knew in my heart Kaye would marry me even then. She wasn’t the type of woman to give a man what she’d guarded for so long if she didn’t mean to spend the rest of her life with him.

I was close to the prize.

Chapter 9

Kaye

It had been less than a month since we’d started dating—since we’d even met, really. Less than a month, and yet when he asked me to go to bed with him, there wasn’t really even a chance of me saying no.

This wasn’t me. It wasn’t who I was.

I barely recognized the woman who clung to David as he carried her easily through the mansion. This woman—the one who could own a mansion and be carried so romantically by a gorgeous man—she was a stranger to me.

Her life, however, was a lot more exciting than mine was, and I gave myself over. I let her have control. She knew what she wanted, and to be honest, it was the same thing I wanted.

I’d held onto my virginity long enough. I could trust David and I knew he would make it amazing for me. It was time.

With exquisite gentleness, he put me down on the bed. He took a step back and tugged his shirt off, and for the first time I was afraid.

He was so big, so strong, and so masculine. He could hurt me, maybe without even meaning to.

For a second or two, the scared girl I had been for so long—the girl who was afraid of letting anyone close to her—that girl almost took over. But then David was there, half naked, beautiful, sweet, and tender as he leaned in and kissed me.

It was soft at first—gentle—as though he knew I needed to be soothed. As he went, he slowly turned up the heat until the kiss seared me right down to my soul and made me quake with need for him.

He knew just what I needed, and he soon had me melting into the heat of our kisses. When he slid his hand under my blouse and started to undo the buttons—one by one—I let him.

Soon, I was very glad I had. He expertly undid my bra and my breasts tumbled free. His fingers slid over my smooth skin, pausing over my nipples to toy with and tease them.

I watched, breathless, as his mouth replaced his fingers. The hardened little nub of my nipple disappeared between his lips and he suckled at it while he pushed my shirt off.

Our clothing was falling off, and even the warm air felt cool against my heated skin. After the first surge of nerves had been chased away by his touch, they never came back. He was too good, and arousal spurred me on past any fear I might have felt.

I had spent so much time living in my head. He brought me back into my body, made me feel these exquisite sensations, and showed me I had nothing to fear.

So far, everything we’d done together had involved him doing things to me. For the first time I reached out, slipping my hand curiously over his flat stomach, over the ridges of his abs, and down over his hips.

His skin was softer than I would have thought and so warm. My fingers tingled as my hand worked its way down over his hipbones, tracing over them before I got brave enough to wrap my fingers around him.

So hard. So hot. But smooth and soft, too. He felt like a warm, living steel bar covered in silk. I stroked over the length of him curiously and smiled a little when I heard him make the hottest, most gorgeous gasp of pleasure.

I had no idea what I was doing, at least not on a conscious level. His noises, though, taught me quickly. When he slid his fingers between my legs, tracing over my swollen, wet, sensitive folds, it seemed to tap into some sort of instinct, and my grip on him firmed.

“I love you,” I admitted, and it was only when I said the words that I realized how very true they were. It was the only reason I was allowing him to do this at all. I never would have let anyone touch me like this if I didn’t love them, and I was about to let him do a lot more.

I could tell he was surprised by those three words, and who could blame him? Everything between us was so new and this was all going so fast, but it didn’t stop those words from being true.

It turns out I could fall in love. I had thought perhaps it wasn’t possible for me, but when it was the right person, at the right time, I could definitely do it. Still, it was very quick, and I didn’t expect him to say the words back to me.

Even if I just knew I meant something to him, it would be good enough. And I could tell I did just by looking into his eyes.

After a few seconds he smiled and nodded, and his free hand—the one not doing amazing things to my clit—reached out as he ran his fingers affectionately over my cheek.

“I love you, too,” he whispered. Those words went straight to my heart and made it feel like it was swelling within me. Right then, I knew what it was to feel true, complete happiness. I couldn’t keep the huge smile off of my face.

He loved me!

“Really?” I breathed, and I felt my body tensing with the sensation I’d only felt a few times before. I was going to have another orgasm, and at least a part of it was due to the words he’d just spoken to me.

“Yes, really,” he murmured as he eased a finger inside of me. It felt good, but it wasn’t quite enough. I knew what I wanted and needed. “And I’m going to make you come until you can’t anymore.”

He flicked his finger in the exact right way and I cried out, wrapping my free arm around his strong shoulders. I clung to him as I worked on his member, stroking it, desperate to give him even a fraction of the pleasure he was giving me.

Seconds later my whole body was convulsing, shaking with the force of the pleasure that slammed through me, robbing me of my senses, and leaving me breathless and gasping.

“That’s just the start,” he murmured, and I got the distinct idea he was enjoying himself.

“Just a second, please,” I moaned, trying to pull myself together. The way he touched me, the way he made me orgasm almost without trying, was a bit overwhelming. I needed to catch my breath.

“If you want to rest for a second, there’s something I wouldn’t mind you doing,” David said with a small, mischievous smirk on his handsome face.

At first, I didn’t know what he wanted, but I figured it out when he gestured downward. I followed his gaze and blushed a bright red all the way to the tips of my ears.

If anyone had told me I would actually want to take a man into my mouth, I would have laughed at them. I had always found the whole idea a little bit gross. But for some reason, when my eyes landed on his thick, hard cock, I found it difficult to look away.

“You don’t have to,” he assured me, and I took a deep breath. I wanted to. It was a little scary, but then, all of this was.

“Tell me if I do it wrong,” I whispered, then gently pushed him until he was off of me and pressed him onto his back.

I started off kissing his lips, which I was fairly used to. I let myself get worked up by the movements of our lips together until it felt like molten lava was running through my veins instead of blood. Soon enough, it seemed natural to start to kiss lower.

His body was gorgeous. Utterly stunning. I had never given much thought to how beautiful a man would be naked, but this man drove me wild. I kissed over his chest, licking lightly at his nipples, and headed down over his stomach, tracing with my lips what I had only touched with my fingers before.

“Kaye,” he moaned, and it was more than enough to keep me going. I would do anything to hear him speak to me like he could lose control any second.

Lightly, I brushed my lips over the very tip of his cock, then parted them to lick at him. The taste actually made me moan softly—salty and sweet and so very masculine.

“Kaye, God, yes,” he whispered, and I felt his fingers clench into my hair—not pulling, just encouraging me. Feeling bolder, I let him in further, taking him inch by inch.

The taste and the way he stretched my jaw wide—somehow I couldn’t get enough of it. To my surprise, I enjoyed it, and those noises he kept making—little groans and pleasured whispers—only made it better.

I was starting to get into a rhythm, and I was pretty proud of myself. He started leaking more slippery precum into my mouth, and I knew beyond any doubt that he was feeling good—all because of me.

Suddenly, he reached down and pulled me away from his erection, making me look up at him worriedly. Had I done it wrong?

One look at him as he tugged me up reassured me. His color was high, his dark eyes alight with arousal, and his lips parted with his hurried breath. No, I realized, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

I’d done everything right.

“Kaye,” he gasped, as he slowly got himself under control again. I stared at him, realizing I had seen him right at the edge. He’d brought me to orgasm before, but I’d never done the same for him. This was my first time seeing him so close.

“I wanted you to finish,” I admitted, and he favored me with a smile.

“I will. But I didn’t want to come in your mouth this time,” he murmured. He was aroused enough that everything he said came out sounding sexy as hell. “I need you, Kaye. I need you now.”

As he spoke, I became aware of my own need and of how empty I felt. My body knew what it wanted. Maybe this was going to be my first time, but I still knew. The only thing that would satisfy me was him up deep inside me, taking me and making me his.

“Now,” I urged as I lay back on the bed, spreading my legs. I must’ve looked terribly wanton, but I didn’t care.

Especially not when I saw how he looked at me—like I was everything he’d ever wanted.

He covered me, slipping his tight, hot, muscular body over me, my hardened nipples pressing against his chest. His hips seemed to fit perfectly between mine—like they belonged there.

“My Kaye,” he murmured, and then he pushed inside of me. Slowly, carefully, he eased into my hot, tight channel, and I gripped tightly around him. Maybe there was pain. I honestly couldn’t say.

The only thing that mattered was that he was finally inside me. When he bottomed out, I clutched him to me and rocked toward his hips, letting the desperation in me take over.

David

I had been outright fantasizing about this moment for so long, and part of me, way deep down—a part I didn’t like to consider too much—had wondered if it would ever happen.

Gazing down at her, it was still a lot to take in. This beautiful woman, so sweet and caring, was giving herself willingly to me. I knew I could get most women if I put my mind to it. I knew I could do almost anything when I was determined enough.

Part of me, though, had thought Kaye was just too good for me. Out of my league.

But she was in love with me.

I echoed the words back to her, of course. I wasn’t stupid enough to turn down her devotion, especially when it was exactly what I wanted. It wasn’t like I meant them.

Did I?

It was sort of hard not to think about loving her when I gazed down at her. She was so gorgeous, and when I slipped inside of her, she clenched around me like she wanted to pull me as deep inside of herself as humanly possible.

I’d never been with a virgin before and I’d been a little bit worried I would hurt her when I took her. If she was in pain, though, she wasn’t showing any of it. I sank inside her, and she welcomed me, arms wrapped around me, her wet channel gripping me tightly as her hips rocked up to meet my thrusts.

“Kaye,” I whispered, and I started off nice and slow. She had no patience for slow, though, and I felt the slight sting of her nails as she gripped at my shoulders, pulling me closer to her.

I felt her long, slender legs lock around my waist like she never wanted to let me go. Each slow thrust seemed to bring us closer together, and for once, I let myself just go with it.

I knew women weren’t to be trusted. I even knew this woman wasn’t to be trusted, and I knew it could lead to heartbreak if I forgot it. But it was so easy to just lose myself in her, in our erotic dance, and for once in my life I decided to just let myself do it.

Only it didn’t really feel like a decision. It was more like my heart took over for me and I didn’t try to fight it too much. Buried deep inside of her, nothing else seemed to matter.

Each thrust and pump of my hips brought me just a little bit closer to giving in. By the time my orgasm was building, by the time I felt the familiar heat and pleasure as it coiled in my balls and made them clench up, I had forgotten all about why I was doing this at all.

“I’m so close,” she panted, and I was glad to hear it. I had a certain amount of pride in my lovemaking and I wasn’t going to be happy with myself if I didn’t give her pleasure too. At the same time, I knew I wouldn’t be able to last very long.

“Together,” I rasped, clutching her slender, sweating body close to mine. As sappy as it sounds, I almost felt like the two of us really had become one person, linked together by body, mind, and soul.

Of course, it was all nonsense, and on some level, I knew it. It was a fun fantasy, though, and it made our joining much more intense, which was all for her benefit. If Kaye believed we were really connecting, it would just make it easier for me to continue to reel her in.

“David!” her hoarse, sexy little cries of pleasure filled the room. Her cunt, which had already been so tight around me, squeezed me so hard that the pleasure was almost painful. It seemed to draw my release from me, milking me for it, and I growled softly as she convulsed around me.

In seconds, I was spilling inside of her, pumping her full of my fluids. Her noises as she clenched rhythmically around me only seemed to draw my orgasm out, taking everything I had to give until I had to fight not to collapse on top of her.

Slowly, she unclenched her beautiful body from around me, and I was able to roll off of her and lay beside her instead. Both of us were flushed, practically glowing from the intensity of the pleasure that had rocked through us. I pulled her into my arms without even the slightest thought of protest.

She felt good there. She felt like she belonged there, and when she nuzzled her head into my chest, my heart did a strange little lurch. I suddenly found it much more difficult to breathe—and it had nothing to do with exertion.

“David,” she whispered, grinning at me, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkling as she gazed at me. “Thank you.”

She was thanking me?

She had literally just thanked me for taking her virginity.

If she only knew just what I had in store for her …

“I wanted to talk to you,” Kaye suddenly said, as though she had just made up her mind about something. I arched an eyebrow and glanced down at her, draping my arm around her shoulder and pulling her close to me.

Those words had been known to worry even the bravest of men, but after what we had just shared, I didn’t feel like I had much to worry about. So I just smiled at her and nodded.

“The money. From your grandfather,” Kaye said abruptly, all of the words rushing out one after the other. “What happened to you wasn’t right.”

I frowned, looking at her thoughtfully. Was she actually going to do the right thing, and without me even needing to marry her and frame her for cheating? I was suddenly much more attentive, though I made sure to keep my body relaxed. I closed my eyes, pretending to be drowsy.

In truth, there wasn’t even a hint of sleep in my body. My adrenaline was pumping and my heart pounding, but I didn’t want her to know about those things. Maybe I was about to win this battle without firing a shot, but I didn’t want to assume anything.

So I stayed silent, and after a moment, Kaye continued on.

“I want to give you half of it.”

Half?

The one word echoed through my mind, teasing at it. The great and powerful Kaye, from her position of wealth and influence, wanted to take pity on me and give me half of what I actually deserved.

No way in hell. Why settle for a few billion when I could have twice that? Besides, I refused to see this settled because of some charity act on Saint Kaye’s part.

The money, this house, and all of the cars and the other properties that my grandfather had worked so hard for—I wasn’t going to give up half of what I was owed just because Kaye said so.

“No way.” I let the firmness of my conviction come out in every word I spoke. “I don’t want half of your money, Kaye.”

No. I wanted all of it, but I didn’t have to tell her that. I had learned a thing or two about Kaye. I knew she would take most things she was told in the best possible way. She was a bit of an optimist and seemed to trust me, at least.

She would think I meant I didn’t want any of the money, I was fairly sure. If I played this off right, it would only draw her closer to me and make her even more clueless to my bad intentions.

“Are you sure?” She rolled away from me and tilted her head as she gazed at me. “I won’t be offended if you do want it, you know. It’s a lot of money, but I also think it’s a link to your grandfather. I would hate to keep that from you.”

Well then don’t!

I didn’t say such a thing, of course, but I did think it. I deserved all of the money and all of the property. Everything. She was just some newcomer who had taken everything I deserved, and if she really was the sort of person she seemed to be, she would see that. My claim was better than hers—far better.

I wasn’t going to be bought off by half measures, damn it. Even if part of me did think I should just take the money, which would mean …what, exactly?

I would have no reason to woo her any longer. No reason to marry her. For some reason, those thoughts bothered me. The only reason I was allowing myself to marry her at all was because of this money.

No. It was just a bad idea all around. She was my enemy, as unfortunate as it was. I didn’t love her. I hated her for being given what I should have gotten all along.

Logically, of course, I knew it wasn’t her fault. My grandfather had made the choice, and it was really too bad Kaye had to suffer for it. But there was just no way I was going to accept the hand I’d been dealt.

“I’m sure. It’s not about the money,” I commented, and it really wasn’t. It was about what was right, and maybe sex had muddled my mind a bit, but now it was over. I still knew what the fair thing was, even if she didn’t.

The money was useful and it would help, but really, this was about righting a grievous wrong.

“Okay,” she said, and she smiled at me in a way that made my battered heart give a lurch in my chest. How did she keep doing these sorts of things to me? “I thought …I thought it was right to offer.”

“Thank you,” I replied, then folded her up in my arms again. I meant it, at least a little bit. She had no reason to think she needed to offer me anything, much less such a huge sum of money.

She really did think it was the right thing to do, and it was really just too bad. Fate, or whatever, had put us on opposite sides. Maybe she didn’t know it, but I did.

In another world, would we have had a chance?

Stupid thoughts. Pointless. I pushed them aside and focused on what mattered.

Kaye was mine. I should wait a few months, maybe, so I didn’t scare her off, but I knew her fate was inevitable. She had given herself to me, body, heart, and soul, and all I needed to do now was be just a little bit more patient.

“I love you,” Kaye whispered, just on the brink of sleep. This time, at least, I didn’t have to say it back.

Chapter 10

Kaye

I smiled to myself as I checked my makeup once more, running my fingers over the smooth satin of my brand-new dress. The jade green matched my eyes exactly and I had to admit, even just to myself, that I looked good.

It had been three months, to the day, since David and I had shared our very first night together. Three months since I had given myself to him completely, and I hadn’t regretted it for a single moment.

I had never dreamed that a man could be so attentive, so sexy, and so amazing in bed. David was the full package, and sometimes I found myself with the distinct urge to pinch my arm, just to make sure this whole thing wasn’t some sort of romantic dream.

If it was, though, I wasn’t sure I wanted to wake up from it.

David was taking me out and he’d told me I should dress up nicely for it. I actually appreciated how he warned me ahead of time, since I hadn’t always gone to very nice restaurants and was still somewhat out of my league.

I heard his car driving up and I gave myself one more look over from head to toe. No one looking at me would think I didn’t belong there, no matter where there was. I giggled at myself, utterly blissful.

When this crazy ride was going to end—or how—I had no idea, but I did know I was going to enjoy it while it lasted.

The restaurant was still gorgeous. David had taken me back to the trendy, adorable little place where we’d had our first date, and I loved it just as much as I had back then.

Once more, he pulled me into his arms, just like that first night, and we swayed to slow jazz together, so close I could feel his heart. It was beating fast for some reason, and though he seemed as calm as ever—just as pulled together and controlled—I could almost swear he was nervous.

When the song was over he pulled me back to the table, but instead of holding out my chair for me like the perfect gentleman he always was, he dropped to his knees in front of me and took one of my hands in his.

Maybe it sounds stupid, but at first, I didn’t know what he was doing. I figured he had just fallen or dropped something, and I started looking around to see if I could spot anything.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, and only looked back at him when he tugged my hand to get my attention. For some reason, he wore a rather pained, if amused, expression on his face.

“You have no idea what’s going on, do you?” he asked, and I shook my head. I still didn’t get it, as ridiculous as it sounds. It never even occurred to me what could be happening.

“Kaye James,” David said, his tone oddly formal, even though he still had the familiar glint of mischief in his eye. Of course he did—he nearly always did.

“What?” I asked somewhat stupidly, while a slight smirk tugged at the corners of his luscious lips.

“Will you marry me?” As he spoke, he slid a small black box out of his pocket, opening it up to reveal a ring with a single diamond on it that was almost as big as a golf ball. Okay, so I’m exaggerating a little, but it almost felt like it.

“Oh my God,” I whispered. It had been, what, four months since I’d even first laid eyes on this guy? Something close to that, anyway. I stared down at the ring, which sparkled, sending refracted candlelight around in a shower of rainbow sparks.

He rose to his feet, still holding the box, then guided me into my seat. I sat and was glad for it, since my legs seemed more wobbly than usual. I dropped down gratefully and then turned to him, looking at him almost imploringly.

He couldn’t be serious.

“Before you answer, I need to talk to you about something.” He shot me a charming wink as he settled down in his seat as well. He placed the ring on the table between us, and I felt my eyes drawn back to it, over and over again.

It was beautiful, no doubt about it.

“If you say yes, I want to talk about prenups. I know you’re a wealthy woman now,” he pointed out, and I winced. It still felt strange to me, but it was true. “And I’m not exactly headed to the poorhouse myself. I think we both need to protect ourselves.”

I took a deep breath and found it faintly fantastic that I was even considering his proposal enough to be having this discussion. Why hadn’t I just told him no? It was far too soon, and yet …

I loved him.

“What did you have in mind?” I asked, and he smiled at me approvingly.

“It’s pretty simple. What I think we should do is have everything we own belong to us jointly. If we, God forbid, get a divorce, everything would go to the injured party.”

I frowned a little. We weren’t even married yet, and he was already talking divorce? And, yet, in some way, I found it comforting. He was being practical, and as much as he had made me feel like I was lost in some romantic dream, I was—at my very core—a practical person.

“So the other person would get nothing,” I mused.

“Yes, that’s right. I think of it as a bit of a safety net,” he admitted. “For the marriage—to make sure it lasts. I don’t think I could handle losing you. This will encourage us to do the right thing—both of us—no matter what temptations come our way. Those temptations will definitely happen, but I want us to last through all of them.”

I frowned, looking down, but not at the ring. Honestly, I wasn’t seeing much of anything, lost as I was in my own thoughts. At first, it was difficult to get past the panic, but he gave me time to think and it definitely helped.

“I’d need that security if we marry,” David said, and I nodded. It made sense to me, actually, and I was sort of glad he felt the same way. It was better to be careful—to have everything set up so we would have the greatest chance of success.

As I looked at him, I realized he was exactly the sort of man I would marry. The only man I would consider.

What he was asking for really wasn’t much of a big deal, anyway. I knew myself well enough to be very sure of one thing: I would not be the one to end our marriage. This commitment would be for life, at least for me.

There was absolutely no risk at all—not to me. I would never want out of this marriage. I’d always been the type who was slow to make commitments, but once I’d made them, they were ironclad.

“I’ll sign it,” I murmured, gazing at him. No wonder he’d looked so nervous. I’d been silent, thinking about it, and I could feel him getting more and more anxious as I did. To his credit, though, he didn’t try to push me. He let me think it out.

There were so many reasons I loved him and this was one more. He was perfect for me. I’d never believed in soul mates, but with him I almost could.

“Really?” he asked, a smile spreading over his handsome face and making him look younger than he was. He acted so maturely and worldly most of the time, but I could tell I had sincerely made him happy by accepting his proposal.

“Yes,” I agreed. “I’ll marry you, and I have no problem signing a prenuptial agreement.”

“Yes,” he echoed me. “She said yes!” The people around us clapped, as they’d been listening in. A blush covered my cheeks.

I would marry David and I would bring the prenup to a lawyer—just to be safe—I decided. But the simple fact was, I was in love. It was completely crazy, but I did want to marry this man. I wanted to belong to him.

“Mrs. Kaye Black,” I murmured, then grinned at him. Elation bubbled inside of me and I held out my left hand, offering it to him. “I like the sound of it.”

“So do I.” David picked up the ring and slid it onto my ring finger. The band fit like it had been designed for me. I admired my hand, then turned a quizzical look on my new fiancé.

Fiancé!

It seemed incredible, but it was true. What I’d done to deserve this amazing man, I had no idea, but it must have been something amazing. Maybe I’d been a saint or something in a previous life.

He gave me a rakish grin and slid another ring out of his pocket, slipping it over the table toward me. I recognized it as one of mine, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

“You stole one of my rings,” I scolded, but I found it funny and quite touching, actually. He’d wanted to make sure the ring he bought me was the right size and he’d pulled off the plan without a hitch.

“I hope you don’t mind.” He grinned at me.

I couldn’t say I minded. It was pretty sweet. He’d gone to a lot of trouble. I hadn’t even noticed him taking the ring.

“I think I’m going to have to keep my eye on you,” I commented, but the stern tone of my voice was undermined by the grin on my face. I couldn’t wipe it off, no matter how hard I tried.

Though it had to be said, I wasn’t trying particularly hard.

“Yep,” he grinned, unrepentant.

I laughed softly and my whole body throbbed with emotion, soft and wonderful, like floating on a sea of perfect contentment. The ring on my finger sparkled, the gold quickly warming until it felt like I had always worn it.

“It suits you,” he commented and I smiled a little. I didn’t think of myself as the sort of woman who could wear enormous diamond rings, but when I was with him, I felt like a different person.

A stronger, braver, bolder person. The sort of person who would fall in love and get engaged in the course of only a quarter of a year.

Somehow, I didn’t regret my decision. Not when I looked across the table and saw David looking at me with complete devotion.

Somehow, against all reason, it was the right choice. After all, I’d fallen in love, and it seemed I was the sort of person who gave my whole heart when I gave it at all.

This was the start of our life together. I’d already been committed to him and this just made it official.

“I love you, David Black,” I whispered.

He beamed back at me. “I love you too, baby.”

I was going to marry this man. If I had ever been so happy in my whole life, I couldn’t remember it.

David

Kaye wanted to wait a little bit before getting married, but obviously, I wasn’t going to be able to give her the long engagement she wanted. I needed to get her tied to me before she thought better of it, so I pushed for a quicker wedding.

A couple of months. I was willing to wait only so long—long enough for the arrangements to be made. Long enough for her dress to be ordered.

She gave in pretty easily, and I couldn’t help but find it flattering. She really did want to be married to me. Of course, the whole point of me courting her and wooing her had been to make her want it so badly she ignored good sense, but it was actually really happening.

I loved watching a plan come together. Really, I did. Otherwise, there was no way in hell I would be getting married. It wasn’t something I had ever wanted to do, and if not for this act, I never would have considered it.

As it was, it suited me to play the devoted fiancé, at least for now. She had invited me to move in with her, which had just annoyed me even more. It wasn’t fair or right. She was inviting me to move into the house that should have been mine—which would have been mine if not for her.

It sat wrong with me. I’d had to accept her offer graciously, and then I prepared myself for a couple of months of torment.

To my surprise, she was a good roommate—a fun person to live with. She wasn’t clingy. She willingly gave me my own space and didn’t try to take up all of my time, but was always glad to see me when we did interact.

Not to mention the sex. God, the sex. It had started off incredible and had only gotten better as she got practice.

I wasn’t getting cold feet about the plan or anything. It was just because I enjoyed living with her more than I would have thought. No real big deal. I wasn’t going to change my mind.

Even if I did enjoy her company.

There was no rule against liking her. I just had to watch it and not let myself go too far with it. If I were careful, it would be fine. It would just make the whole thing more realistic.

“We need to send out invitations,” I pointed out. It wasn’t the first time I’d said something about it, but for some reason she didn’t seem very excited about the idea. I’d gone into this whole wedding deal expecting her to go over the top. You had to spend money to make money, after all.

She wanted a small wedding. Thirty people max, she had told me emphatically. I was more than happy to go along with it. I couldn’t think of many people I would want at my wedding, especially since it was the next thing to fake. It was nothing but a means to an end.

Of course, I hardly wanted that particular knowledge to become common. I knew, and Brent did too, but no one else. It was better to leave it like that. Two people could barely keep a secret. Any more and it was practically begging to get out.

“I suppose we do,” she murmured, and I was struck again by how unwilling she seemed to be. Not about the wedding, exactly, but about this particular part of getting ready for it.

“Who do you want to invite?” I probed, wrapping a comforting arm around her. To my surprise, her shoulders were quite tense and she wouldn’t meet my eyes, though she had been open and friendly before I’d brought it up.

We were lying in bed, getting ready to go to sleep. Like a lot of couples, we did a lot of our talking then. We weren’t really a couple, of course, but it was still surprisingly comfortable to act like one this way.

A comforting illusion.

Maybe I would have been a bit more withdrawn from her if the situation had been different. As it was, I wanted to give her no doubt about marrying me.

“Joan. Angela.” Kaye was very quick to give those answers, and I arched an eyebrow. It was a bit odd for her to go there first.

I knew who Joan and Angela were. They were her best friends from work. Was it normal for people to think of their friends before their family? I had no idea. I’d never done this before.

“What about your parents? Or do you have any siblings?”

I didn’t really know much about her family at all. Awareness dawned on me as I realized how strange it was. I’d never even met her family, even after she and I had become engaged. In retrospect, it was fairly bizarre. I would have expected to be dragged off to meet them, to get their blessing.

“No siblings.” Kaye looked at me, her eyes and voice hesitant. “I promised Joan I’d think about talking to you about all of this, but I guess I put it out of my mind.”

Well, now. As far as mysterious statements went, that one was pretty impressive. I turned to her, arching my eyebrow, waiting for some clarification. “I think Joan is right,” I stated firmly, though it wasn’t a statement I would expect to make. I had met Joan, and I got a sense she didn’t like me very much. She was always perfectly polite, and so was I, but there was some sort of tension there. “You should tell me.”

When Kaye did finally speak, after a few minutes of pulling herself together, her voice was almost too quiet to hear. “I don’t have any family.” She paused again, and I considered asking for more details, but something told me to shut up and let her tell it her way. She would, I was pretty sure. So I held my tongue and waited, my arm around her, and my fingers stroking lightly over her smooth, bare shoulder.

“My mom and dad, they were in a car accident when I was fifteen,” she finally whispered. I had to lean in a little bit to hear her at all, but she was speaking and I didn’t want to interrupt her to ask her to speak up.

This was obviously difficult for her to talk about. I would let her do it on her own terms, but I struggled to be patient.

“I lost them. They both …died.” I could tell this wasn’t something Kaye talked about much, or at all. There was as much pain in her voice as there would have been if they’d died just a few weeks ago, even though it had been a decade.

I ran my fingers over the back of her hand. “I understand.”

God, did I ever.

“I spent the next few years in foster homes. They kept shuffling me around.” Kaye still spoke softly, but there was more passion in her voice. This had been a hard time for her and she didn’t need to say it for me to know it.

How could it not be a tough time for anyone?

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked when it became clear she wasn’t going to say any more. I pressed a kiss against her temple, trying to justify it to myself. Offering genuine comfort would only complicate the plan. And then I quit even trying and just let it be me reaching out to someone else who was suffering.

Someone who had suffered the exact same thing I had.

“I don’t tell people about it very much,” she responded, and I frowned a little bit. I heard what she said, but I also heard the words she didn’t say. I heard them because they were the same words I would say if only to myself.

I don’t talk about it much because it hurts.

We both knew it. Only those who had lost a parent so young could understand. She’d been younger than me, by a few years. She’d been alone and in foster care, and she must have been terrified.

It had been bad enough for me, and I’d been in a cushy boarding school. Still, I had some idea of how she must feel. More than your average person did, anyway.

“We’re the same,” I realized. I hadn’t even known I was speaking out loud, not until I saw her react to my words. “You and I. We both don’t have anyone.”

She gave me the sweetest smile, and I felt my heart clench in my chest. She wouldn’t look at me so affectionately if she knew what I was up to. Nor did I think I deserved the look she gave me.

I knew why I was doing what I was doing and nothing had changed. I still wanted what was mine.

For the first time, though, I found myself very strongly wishing there was some other way I could get it. If only I could get what was owed to me without hurting her …

It would hurt her. I knew it. Part of this plan was for her to fall hopelessly in love with me, and I knew she had done that. She was completely devoted, and when we got divorced, it was going to break her heart.

Or maybe it wouldn’t. Maybe she’d fall just as hard for Brent. Only he would break her heart, too, because he wasn’t any more interested in being with her than I was.

Kaye had been hurt so much. Maybe even more than I had been. She would end up with nothing and no one, whereas I would at least end up with piles and piles of money. Her heart was going to be trampled on.

Of course, mine already had been. What responsibility did I have toward her?

But she had no one. Only a few close friends.

It was just a little bit too close to my own situation for me to feel entirely good about it.

“We’re the same,” she acknowledged, still giving me the same almost unbearably sweet, patient, loving smile. She really had it perfected, and I tried to think cynically about how it was all an act—how no one could be as amazing, as saint-like as she was.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, and I meant it on so many different levels, though I knew she wouldn’t understand most of them.

“It’s okay,” she said, clearly misunderstanding what I meant, which was really for the best. “It’s okay because we’ll have each other now. We’ll have a family. The one we’ll start on our wedding day. You and me.”

Damned if, for half a second at least, it sounded like a good deal to me. Damned if I didn’t want it.

Of course, I came to my senses soon enough and pushed aside the unfamiliar feeling. Even then, though, I had to admit something, even just to myself. I was spending an awful lot of time pushing down my feelings for her.

It was just so damn rare to find someone who understood where I was coming from.

Chapter 11

Kaye

This was going to be the best day of my life.

It sounds like such a cliché, but I knew it was true. It would be the best day imaginable, a magical day, because today was the day I married the one and only man I had ever loved. Today was the day I made him mine and gave him myself in return—forever and ever, ‘til death do us part.

I wore a dress that made me feel like a fairy tale princess. Cinderella or Snow White had nothing on me. It was silly and I knew it, but I felt elegant and beautiful in the white silk dress with the skirt that went on for days. The corset hugged my waist and pushed my breasts up, emphasizing everything feminine about me.

Not only did I look beautiful, but I felt it, deep down in my very core. My hair was a silken waterfall down my back and my makeup, which Joan had done for me, was flawless. I had never felt so desirable in my life.

Though part of it might have been the way David looked at me. It was easy to think of myself as someone who was precious and desirable when the look in his eyes spoke of affection, love, and desperate want.

“Will you, David, promise to love, honor, and cherish this woman as long as you both shall live?” the minister intoned, and I beamed at David, holding both of his hands in mind.

The black tuxedo David wore flattered his handsome features—his strong chin, his chiseled lips, and his eyes that looked at me with such adoration. “I will,” David replied, his voice sure and strong, not a hint of hesitation in it.

“And will you, Kaye, promise to love, honor, and cherish this man as long as you both shall live?” the minister continued, shooting me a tiny bit of a look. He’d wanted me to go with the more traditional “love, honor, and obey,” but I had balked. I would love David, and I would certainly cherish him, but to promise to obey without question?

I didn’t have it in me, and luckily, David hadn’t seemed to mind the substitution. He smiled at me, and he really seemed like he couldn’t be any prouder of me or any happier to have me.

“I will.” My heart was in my voice as I said the words and I knew all of my friends, and all of his, would know I meant it.

It was exactly what I wanted.

I smiled at my husband, and he smiled back.

David

I was going to strangle Brent. He was enjoying this whole thing just a little bit too much, to my way of thinking. Laughing, dancing like a maniac, and holding the woman who was now my wife by law.

I wanted to grab him and whisper fiercely in his ear a reminder about just what this whole thing was. Brent wasn’t supposed to actually be enjoying this. It was a job—nothing more. So why were his green eyes alight when he looked at my wife?

Brent in full hunting mode was something I’d seen before, of course. I’d been his wingman, just like he’d been mine. I knew how he could get, which was why I’d known he was perfect for this particular job. But I didn’t think he’d be enjoying it so damn much

As I stood there I had to remind myself more than once just what was going on here. Brent didn’t actually like Kaye. He was just doing this as my friend, so we could both become much wealthier men. He was doing his job and he was doing it damn well.

What did it matter? I should be happy about him doing it so well. The way she laughed …the way he flung her beautiful body around in an exuberant dance …I’d never seen her giggle for me the way she was for him.

Instead, what really made me happy had nothing to do with his performance at all. It had far more to do with how she kept looking back at me like she couldn’t stand to be parted from me. She always turned back to Brent, but she couldn’t look at him long before coming back to me.

It would be better if she fell for him now, of course. A lot easier. Still, it made me happy, somehow, to know she was still so devoted to me. As far as women went, she was definitely the most faithful I had ever known.

Which could be a challenge, I reminded myself. I wasn’t here to fall for her, and I hadn’t. I was only here to get what was mine. For some reason, I had a hard time remembering the plan sometimes.

I’d always been a little bit possessive, though I’d never allowed myself to get too serious with anyone. I’d always been able to fight those feelings off, and this situation was exactly the same, I told myself firmly. Kaye wasn’t special.

Still, there was an undeniable lightening in my heart when the song ended and Kaye pulled away from Brent with a laugh. The way Brent’s eyes lingered over the shape of her back as she turned to walk away made me want to punch him in the throat.

He didn’t have to undress her with his eyes, did he? The plan didn’t call for him to check her out quite as much as he was doing. I fought back a growl, but pasted a smile on my face as Kaye walked up to me.

She was glowing. Radiant. I’d always thought the whole thing about radiant brides was a load of crap, but she really was.

“Your turn, husband,” she said fondly, reaching out her hand to take mine and tugging me gently onto the floor. I went with her, more than eager to take her slender body into my arms once more.

It was a slow song, which suited me. When she’d gone to dance with Brent, it had been a fast, fun number. He hadn’t gotten to hold her tightly in his arms as I did or sway with her.

At least, he didn’t get to do it yet.

“Did you like Brent?” I carefully kept my voice curious and light. I didn’t let her see the jealousy I felt. Or the guilt. I tried to deny both of them, but they were both there.

“Yes, I did,” Kaye said, and I tried to tell myself I was happy about it. It was, after all, good news for my plan.

I had the strangest urge to strangle Brent though. I knew it was unfair, but it was still there.

“So what’s this I hear about you spending more time with me?” Kaye asked me, and I pulled her close to hide a smirk. I’d almost forgotten about that particular part of the plan.

“What do you mean?” I asked, playing dumb.

“Brent said you’re going to be working from home,” Kaye commented, and it touched me more than I would have liked to see the pleasure in her face when she spoke. She really did like spending time with me. I didn’t really understand why, but it was obvious she did.

“What? Damn it, Brent,” I put on my best aggravated tone, as though irritated with my best friend. I wanted her to think me and Brent didn’t tell each other absolutely everything, so she’d feel safe cheating on me when the time came. “It was supposed to be a surprise. He shouldn’t have told you.”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Kaye soothed me as her breasts, displayed in all their perfect roundness by her dress, pressed against my chest. Having her hot body squeezed up so close to mine could get me hard far too easily. I could swear she was doing it on purpose.

Not from her, though. Kaye wasn’t the type of woman to tease. The whole concept of a woman who wouldn’t tease was a little bit new to me.

What you saw was what you got with Kaye, though it had taken me awhile to be able to really get that. The more I got to know her, the less convinced I was that she had tricked my grandfather into signing his fortune over to her. But whether she had played a role in it or not, that money should belong to me. If it was getting harder for me to remind myself of that, well, I just pushed those thoughts aside too.

I let myself be soothed, smiling down into Kaye’s lovely face with one hand on the small of her back and the other raising up to lightly run over her cheek.

“Brent is my best friend,” I admitted. “He’ll be around a lot. I hope you’re okay with that. I wanted to spend time with you at home, but I’m still needed to make decisions. Brent will go between our house and the office so I can stay with you.”

“Oh, yes, of course. That’s fine.” Kaye smiled understandingly at me, and I felt my stomach squeeze uncomfortably. “I know why you’d want to have him around. He’s a lot of fun. He said he’s your ‘numbers guy?’”

Damn it. If only she could have a hint of meanness to her. If only she could be less understanding. It would be a lot easier to do all the terrible things I had planned if she were less …wonderful.

It was the exact right word. Wonderful. Sweet. Patient. Understanding. Loving. Affectionate.

Okay, so there were quite a few words to describe her. Like trusting. Maybe too trusting. This plan was like shooting fish in a barrel. It didn’t even seem fair. The money-grubbing gold digger that I had been expecting I could have shamelessly used, but Kaye wasn’t like that.

I had to pull my mind away from the direction my thoughts were heading and get back to our conversation. “He is. I count on him. I hope you two get along.” I smiled at her as we swayed together, and her body moving against mine brought up little flickering embers of arousal. Those embers could be fanned to full flame with the slightest bit of effort on her part.

How could anyone be this amazing? I honestly didn’t understand. In my entire life, I couldn’t remember ever meeting anyone as sweet as she was. Not to mention that she was sexy too. Far too sexy for my peace of mind.

I liked her so much. I wasn’t expecting it, but I did. It was actually kind of a problem. Having her in my arms was like heaven on earth, and I couldn’t get enough of it.

“I think we will. He seems like a nice guy.” Kaye smiled up at me, and I felt my heart give another one of those pathetic little lurches in my chest. I couldn’t let her get to me like this, but she seemed to do it without even trying.

She was like a saint.

A saint should be much more boring than she was, though. Still, she had this sense of innocence, even now. She’d given herself to me completely, and yet she still had a sort of naive aura about her, despite her obvious competence.

It was like she knew the world, she knew how horrible it could be, and yet she had retained a sort of innate goodness. Or was I romanticizing her too much? Maybe I was just letting the emotions of the day get the better of me—it was our wedding after all, no matter how much of a sham I knew this marriage to be. If she really was as good as I was making her out to be, there was no way she would ever cheat on me.

So I would just have to make it irresistible for her to do so. It was going to take a tiny bit more work than I had originally thought, but I was up to the challenge.

By the way Brent was following us with his eyes, he was too. Maybe just a little bit too much. As I met his eyes, I saw him scan over the length of her body from head to toe.

Normally, it wouldn’t bug me. I saw him do it all the time. It was really nothing more than his way of checking out a beautiful woman, and I had to remind myself to keep my irritation under control. It was just Brent being Brent. There was a reason he’d been the one I’d picked to do this job and to plan with me.

Poor Kaye didn’t deserve this, though. Not any of it. The more I tried to push the thought away, the more it kept sneaking back into my mind. I had gotten to know her, and it made it much more difficult to use her as I was planning to do.

If I were really a good guy, I knew I would back off. I would have backed off before we’d ever gotten married. But it was a bit too late for me to do the right thing and I was a little bit trapped now.

Nothing I wanted had changed, anyway.

We danced together, and I kept on fighting down helpless arousal as she swayed in my arms. I couldn’t wait until later, when I would strip off every layer of the fancy, white wedding dress she wore and see the lush body that was hidden within.

Maybe it would make me feel better if she wasn’t quite as much of the saint as she usually was. If I could prove to her—and more importantly, to myself—that she could be just as much of a sinner as anyone, maybe I could get rid of some of this guilt before it completely overwhelmed me.

Just how far would my new bride go to make her husband happy? I had no idea, but I thought it might be fun to test it out. Besides, with what I had in mind, it would probably just push Brent and Kaye together even quicker.

Yes. From saint to sinner. The idea appealed to me. Poor Kaye was never going to know what hit her, not by the time I was done with her.

I had some particular tastes that my sweet, pretty young wife didn’t know about just yet. But she would, and once she did …

My cock was suddenly at full attention. She couldn’t feel it through the layers of her skirt, though, so I let myself get hard. I even let myself grind against her a little bit.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

Chapter 12

Kaye

Our honeymoon was utterly magical. We took a cruise to Hawaii and spent every day relaxing in the sun and every night tangled up in each other, soaking our sheets. It was bliss.

It was difficult going right back to work once we were home. David didn’t see any reason for me to rush right back, and I had so much vacation time built up that my boss was quite eager for me to use.

So I did. About three weeks after our wedding, one week after our honeymoon, I sat in bed watching Netflix on my phone, feeling a little luxurious and very out of my element. I wasn’t used to doing so little, and even though I still had another whole week until I had to go back to work, I was seriously considering going back early just to keep myself sane.

My amazing new husband wasn’t around and I was bored. I knew his business was important to him, and I wanted to do anything I could to support him, but there were a lot of idle hours while he was working. It just wasn’t something I was used to.

I heard footsteps coming down the hallway and sat up straighter, grinning. There was only one person it could be, and when my husband came in, I couldn’t help but melt inside, my whole body yearning for him.

How was he so gorgeous? So utterly perfect? Even after close to a month of marriage, I still wanted him all the time.