Chapter 9
Nine
Emilia
I am left utterly confused by James. I found myself actually enjoying the kiss at the altar, not that I would ever admit it to him. I felt a shock run through me when he touched my knee in the car. What in the world was happening to me? It seemed as though James actually wanted me, which goes against everything I’ve come to believe. He declined my parents’ first proposition of marriage, so I assumed he didn’t want me. I thought his date requests were pity favors for my parents, but everything so far is pointing to the exact opposite.
I huff with irritability. I have a feeling that tonight will be interesting. I know he plans on having sex with me, but I’m not sure I want that. No one knows I’m still a virgin. Sure I’ve dated around but never went as far as sex with anyone. I always imagined my first time would be with someone I truly love and planned to marry. I guess I am married now, but I wouldn’t say I love James. I find him attractive and surprisingly a damn good kisser, but that’s as far as it goes.
Finally arriving at the reception, James exits the limo and holds the door open for me to get out as well. He definitely has chivalry, that much is for certain.
Taking his offered hand, I paste a smile on my face, one not quite reaching my eyes. This whole thing is a facade, but I have a feeling that James truly wants this now. It both sends a thrill and a shock through my system. And that is dangerous territory.
* * *
At the party, we must have kissed a dozen times, thanks to my exuberant family. It felt like every few minutes someone was ringing the damn bell. I hate that I enjoyed his kisses so much. It only put me in an even more sour mood. Every time we danced, his hand brushed the exposed skin of my lower back, sending chills racing down my spine. By the end of the night, I felt myself craving his touch. This was not good for me.
After a long night of dancing and socializing, we head back to James’s place, which I guess is my new home. Kayden and Brooke assured us they would take care of taking down the decorations and packing up food, so we didn’t have to worry about any of that.
I grow anxious with every passing minute in the car. So far, James is silent as a monk, looking out his window, seemingly ignoring me. I feel a pang of loss at his lack of attention, but quickly tell myself to get over it. Pulling up to his home, I am mesmerized by how simply he lives. While his home seems large, it is on a much smaller scale compared to a mansion.
Grabbing my bags, courtesy of my mother for packing them for me, I climb out of the car. James quickly takes the bags from me, ever the gentleman. Walking up to his front door, my legs suddenly feel like jelly. James sets my bags down, opens the door, and surprises me by picking me up and crossing the threshold. As he sets me down, I straighten my dress and right myself, standing tall.
“Can you show me to my room please?” I say, expecting him to oblige.
“I don’t think so, Mrs. Stonewell. The only room you’ll be staying in is mine and in my bed.”
Looking at him sharply, I furrow my brows in frustration. “I refuse.”
“There is no refusing, Emilia. I will carry you kicking and screaming into my room, but at the end of the night, it’ll be my bed you’ll be gracing, even if I have to tie you down.”
The audacity of this man never ceases to amaze me. I am slightly taken back by his forwardness, though. This is a side of him I’ve never seen, and it bothers me. Against my will, I feel a wetness soaking my panties. Why do I find his possessiveness so hot?
“Fine, show me to our room then,” I reply, feeling unsettled. I’m growing more nervous by the minute. On one hand, I am completely craving his touch, but on the other, I remind myself I despise him. I am at war with myself over my conflicting feelings.
Taking my hand and leading me down the hall and up a flight of stairs, I quickly see the sheer size of his home. Although on the outside it doesn’t look big, the inside is quite large. We pass a few spare bedrooms, and I immediately feel frustrated all over again. He clearly has plenty of rooms that I could stay in, but he insists I stay in his bed. It both sends a thrill through me and a sense of trepidation.
Putting my foot down and my hands on my hips, I stop in the hallway and wait for James to notice I’m no longer following him. It doesn’t take him long, however, before he turns to me, quirking up an eyebrow. “So you want to do this the hard way, Mrs. Stonewell?”
Flustered at his use of my married name I reply, “You have plenty of rooms I can stay in, James. This is ridiculous!”
“You’re the one being ridiculous, Em,” he says as he slowly stalks back toward me. “You are going to be in my bed, one way or another.”
He snakes a hand out to grab onto my wrist, but I’m faster. I dodge his grasp, kicking out a leg and catching him on his thigh. Before I can pull my leg back, he grasps my ankle, holding my leg in the air, and I put a hand out to the hallway wall to keep from losing my balance.
“Like I said, Emilia. We can do this the hard way or the easy way. The choice is yours.”
“Fuck you.”
“It would be my pleasure. Now, are you going to come willingly, or do I need to toss you over my shoulder and spank the sass right out of you?”
Holy shit, this man’s words should not have such an effect on my body, but they do. “Fine, cabrón , I will sleep in your bed. But that’s all.”
He releases my leg and picks my bags back up from the floor, waving a hand out for me to go first.
As I enter the last room down the hall, I am immediately on edge. The bed is large, probably a king size, with a dark mahogany headboard. My eyes immediately latch onto the round hooks at the top of the bed posts. He wasn’t kidding when he said he would tie me down. I feel another rush of wetness between my legs, and I try to clench my thighs at the sudden sensation.
I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but my body is betraying my mind. The very thought of being tied down is turning me on. I never thought I would be the type to enjoy that sort of thing, but turns out I find it incredibly sexy.
He must have planned for my arrival tonight because there is a dresser and nightstand dedicated to my things. He shows me to the en suite bathroom, where I deposit my toiletries on my side of the double sink.
Before we leave the bathroom, I ask James to undo my dress. I’m torn. On one hand I want to be as far from him as possible, but I also crave his touch. His fingers skim the skin on my neck as he undoes the knot and drags down the zipper. My cheeks flush with the chills that race throughout my body. I chance a glance over my shoulder to see James meeting my gaze, a fire burning bright in his eyes. I quickly look away. “I better get changed. Thanks for doing that, James.”
“Of course,” he replies gruffly, exiting the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. I let out the breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The man is going to be the death of me…
After hanging up my dress and changing into my pajamas, a simple tank top and shorts, I make my way out of the bathroom and toward my side of the bed. I quickly place my gun and holster in the nightstand, never willing to keep it out of reach.
James smirks at me and starts undressing in the room. The audacity of this man! I immediately turn around, looking up at the ceiling in embarrassment.
“Em, you better get used to seeing me naked, you’ll be seeing it a lot.”
I am speechless at his declaration. There seems to be no hope for me escaping tonight unscathed.
“That’s what you think, James.”
There is a silence before I feel his presence behind me. Leaning down to my ear, he says, “Emilia, tonight can go one of two ways. You either have the best orgasm of your life, or you go to bed, feeling empty without my cock filling you. Which do you prefer?”
He kisses my neck, sending shivers down my spine. I feel his erection on my lower back. How does he do this to me? I want to keep fighting him, but I feel my resolve dissipating. Do I give into my body, or do I follow what my brain is telling me?
Against my better judgement, my head falls back against his bare chest, reveling in the feel of his lips on me. I will curse and scream at myself for this later, but for now this feels so right.
Turning around, I loop my arms around his neck, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling him down in a searing kiss. James takes advantage of my moment of weakness to lift me in his arms, his hands grabbing my ass. I circle my legs around his waist, locking my ankles together so I don’t fall. His erection prods my center, and I nearly come undone at the contact.
“James, wait, we have to slow down,” I plead between kisses. My mouth says one thing but my body says another.
“No we don’t, Em. Tonight is ours.”
“James, you don’t understand. I’m not ready for this.”
“Emilia, if I put my hand down your shorts and slide my fingers over your clit, I would find you dripping with need.”
I push myself off him, huffing in frustration. Do I have to spell it out for the man? He takes a couple steps back from me, leveling me with a look that would make a lesser woman cower.
“I am not a toy that you can just play with whenever you want, you know!”
“I never said you were, but we did just get married. This is what husbands and wives normally do on their wedding night…”
“I said I’m not ready, cabrón .”
He stalks toward me and grabs me by the back of my head, tangling his hand in my hair, and angling my face up toward his. His eyes darken as he takes in my mouth, focusing on my plump lips.
“Tell me what you need, Em.”
I’m confused by his words. My body wants one thing, while my brain wants another.
“I-I don’t know what I need…”
“Then let me show you.”
As he brings his lips down on mine, I’m frozen in place. The two parts of me are at war, and I hate this man for using it against me.
His tongue gently caresses my lips, begging for entrance. Finally giving in to my traitorous body, I grant him access. His growl of satisfaction burns me hotter, and it’s all I can do to stay upright. Our tongues meet in a slow perusal, learning each other’s mouths. My body shivers with need as he takes the kiss deeper. Grabbing onto the hair at the back of his head, I pull slightly, satisfying myself by his hiss of pain. I might give in to him, but that doesn’t mean I have to go down easy.
“Want to play rough, huh, Emilia?” he says against my lips.
Before I can get a retort out, he grabs me behind my legs, hoisting me up around his waist. I have no choice but to wrap my legs around him, which puts us at the perfect angle for his cock to rub against my clit. The sensation is delicious and I grind my pussy on his cock, desperate for more contact. I feel James smile around my lips, and then he throws me on the bed, wasting no time in pulling down his briefs. His cock springs loose of its confines, and I’m honestly torn. The man has a beautiful cock, but at the same time I’m afraid it will tear me in two.
As he watches me on the bed, he starts to slowly stroke his cock, taking his pre-cum and running it along his length.
“Em, what I wouldn’t give to have that smart-ass mouth of yours wrapped around my cock. But for now, I’ll satisfy myself by tasting you first.”
Leaning back on my elbows, I watch as he steps toward the bed, crawling over me and settling between my legs. His cock nudges my pussy through my shorts, putting pressure on my sensitive bundle of nerves. I lift my hips, desperate for more contact. Kissing along my neck, he starts to lift my tank top up and over my head, freeing my breasts, which harden with the cool air. He palms my left breast before squeezing my pebbled nipple, making me moan and arch my back from the bed. The man definitely knows his way around the female body, and I’m losing myself to his touch. I hate him, but I love the way he makes my body feel.
I thought I could hold onto my hatred of him, but the lines are quickly becoming blurred.