C hapter Two
It had been the best damn cookie Luca had ever eaten in his whole life, and he’d been to some patisseries over the years, that had worldwide accolades. They hadn’t been nearly as good.
Hehadn’t stayed in the kitchen. He returned to his office to savor every mouthful as well as the milk.
Who the fuck was Tillie Goodwin?
No, not Tillie Goodwin, Tillie Winters.
A few days later, he returned home after another business meeting, and what he was met by surprised him. First there was no one around, but it wasn’t silence that greeted him. Loud music played, and he didn’t recognize the song, but suddenly he heard his wife, and he followed the sound.
He found Tillie in the sitting room, standing behind the sofa, eyes closed, holding the remote to the television and singing into it, as if she was the person on the music video. Not only was she singing, he also watched as she swayed her hips from side to side and shook her ass.
The moment he saw the shaking of her ass, he dropped his briefcase in frontof himself, as his cock went from flaccid right to attention. She wore a pair of shorts that showed off her full legs, along with a tight tank top. One spin, and he saw her from the front, and those tits of hers were pressed up against the opening, giving an awesome sight of cleavage. The only problem was she saw him and immediately stopped.
“Luca,” she said. “I had no idea you were coming home. If I had known I’d have … prepared.” She rushed over to the stereo in the corner, and immediately the house went silent. It was so unexpected that for a few seconds, he merely looked at her as the silence suddenly felt deafening.
“Why did you stop?” he asked.
She nibbled her lip and then frowned. “I’m pretty sure you don’t want to hear all that racket.” She tucked some hair behind her ear. “So, uh, how was your day?”
Luca stared at her for a couple of minutes. He didn’t want her to be nervous.
He refused to answer her and then he moved, taking a seat in his chair, and he watched her. “Turn the music on and dancefor me.”
“Excuse me?”
He put his briefcase down on the floor and looked at his wife. “You heard me.” He didn’t make a habit of repeating himself.
“I’m not some kind of professional dancer, nor have I ever … stripped for anyone in my life.”
He saw her face go a bright red, and he found it adorable to watch.
“I’m not asking you to strip. Dance for me. I’d like to see it.”
She opened her mouth, closed it, and then nodded her head. He saw her hand shake as she pressed the stereo and a few seconds later, themusic played.
Luca watched as she turned her back to him, and then lifted theCD case. She tapped what he imagined was the song she wanted to play, and then pressed a button on the stereo several times. After a few minutes, the music blared and it was a soft rock song. He’d heard it many times, and slowly Tillie’s arms went up in the air, and he saw her hands were clenched.
He made her nervous.
The music, though, seemed to drum against his senses. With her arms above her head, one of her knees cocked out to the side, she looked so … mesmerizing to him. She wore a pair of white socks that ended at her ankles.
Her movements were slow, but they seemed to go with the song. Did she even realize how sensual she looked? He saw her eyes were closed, until she started to move.
She didn’t go too far, and no, she wasn’t a professional dancer, but he’d put money on it that she loved to dance. Her movements were her own, and she did whatever the hell she wanted. There were no rules, she swayed her hips, shook her ass, twisted around, and then he stared at her.
He didn’t know what happened, but it was like they were suddenly not controlled by rules or boundaries.The distance between them meant nothing. They were the only two people in the room, and as if by magic, in some way it brought her closer.
The moment she waswithin touching distance, Luca didn’t hold back but banded an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. Tillie didn’t fight him. Her gaze was wide, but she didn’t put up a fight to get away from him, and for a second, Luca could only stare into her beautiful brown eyes. They were so expressive.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked.
“No,” he said.
She licked her lips, and he didn’t know how she managed to make that simple action seem so erotic. This woman had been a fucking virgin before he touched her, and now she appeared to be an innocent seductress. There was no way he could win.His cock felt hard as rock, and there was no way to control it.
He’d never been so weak when it came to a woman, butTillie had a whole different kind of appeal. No other man had touched her. He had not cared in the past about whether his woman was a virgin or not. It simply didn’t matter. He’d been a man who enjoyed the pleasure of a woman’s company, and nothing was going to change that.
Now, though, as he stared into Tillie’s eyes, knowing only he had touched her, he felt something primal sweep over him.
He just couldn’t help it. His needs for her were strong.
Luca tried to fight it, but Tillie belonged to him. Shewas his wife, and he intended to keep it that way. There was no out, no end date. They were married for life.
“Tell me to stop,” he said.
“Why?” Tillie asked.
He frowned.
“Do you want to stop?” she asked.
“What are you doing to me?” he asked instead.
Tillie smiled. “I have no idea.”
And he knew that to be the truth.
Cupping her cheek, he felt the smooth softness of her flesh, and then, unable to resist, he ran his thumb across her lips. They were plump, and without any instruction from him, she ran her tongue across his thumb, and he felt like he’d been set on fire, but in a very good way.
He wanted to take possession of those lips, but Luca felt something he’d never felt in his life before—a loss of control—and that was simply unacceptable. No one had ever let him lose control like this, and no one ever would.
Without a single word, he shoved her off his lap, got to his feet, and ignored the sad look in her eyes. He just couldn’t respond to that right now.
****
AFew Days Later
Tillie opened thedoor to find her brother David standing in front of her. It had felt way too long since she had last seen him, and she immediately pulled him in for a hug.
“David,” she said. “It’s so good to see you.”
“It’s good to see you too, sis.” He gave her a tight squeeze and Tillie pulled away.
“Where are my manners, come in, come in.” She’d always beenclose to David. He’d suggested talking to their father about the beauty pageants, and it had been the best advice. Yes, it had caused problems with their mom, but she could handle that. “Not that I have a problem or anything, but what are you doing here?” she asked, leading him into the kitchen.
“I need a reason to come and visit you?”
“No, of course not. I guess it’s been a few weeks, and I wondered what the special occasion was.”
David chuckled. “You always did have a way of making me feel guilty. There’s no special occasion. In all honesty, I hadsome spare time to come and see you. It has been crazy busy at work, and you know with all the takeover stuff, I’ve needed to be at the top of my game. You heard what happened to Uncle Ed?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I did, but I thought you said he was in control of everything that was going to turn the company around.” Several years ago, David had told her absolutely everything, but unfortunately, she didn’t have a knack for speaking business, so most of what he did have to say went completely over her head.
Her brother sighed. “Yeah, Dad and I thought he was going to be as well, but it turns out he was dragging the company down. When Luca fired him, Dad and I told him everything Uncle Ed was doing for the company, and the vital role he played.”
“Luca didn’t listen?” Tillie asked.
David took a deep breath. “Luca showed us exactly what Uncle Ed was doing. First of all, he didn’t have any solid ideas. What he had were half-cocked thoughts based on other companies’ successes. Think of it like cheap-ass knockoffs, if that makes sense.” He ran fingers through his hair. “No one would pay for technology that was cheap and didn’t even work. Most of the time, he fired the men who couldn’t get it to work, and then we discovered he was channeling the funds into his own personal bank accounts. Uncle Ed was stealing from us, and that is why we’ve been struggling with the company for years, but we could never figure it out. Uncle Ed hid it from us, but with the takeover and Luca being so thorough, he was able to spot it, and now we’re here today.”
“Wow,” Tillie said.She was in complete and total shock. Even though she hadn’t been part of the business or had anything to do with it, she had known when Uncle Ed arrived, everyone had been excited. “So, did all the problems come from Uncle Ed?”
“Not just him.He was the main catalyst set to ruin us all, and I think he knew it as well. With Luca around, though, I don’t see that happening. The man is a machine. I mean, it’s like he is gifted with sight or something. He always seems to know what’s coming next. It is amazing to watch.”
Tillie smiled. She was pleased her brother was happy.
“So, are yougoing to tell me how married life is treating you?” he asked.
“It’s … fine.”
David frowned. “Just fine?”
“Tell me what you’ve been up to,” she said, hoping to change the subject.
He shook his head. “Nah, let’s talk aboutfine. I know this marriage was unexpected, and to be honest, came as quite the shock, but you seemed happy on your wedding day.”
“I was… I mean, come on, who wouldn’t be excited on their wedding day? It was a beautiful day.”
“You were marrying a stranger, Tillie. Don’t try to pretend it was anything but.”
She opened her mouth about to protest but then closedit and pressed her lips together.
“Come on, talk to me. I don’t imagine married life has been easy.”
Tillie glanced around the sitting room. Luca had a wonderful home. “There’s nothing wrong with being married.”
David rolled his eyes. “Why do I feel there’s abutcoming?”
“There isn’t, Luca has been … fine.”
David sat back and crossed his arms.
Tillie suddenly gasped and then was pleased for a distraction. “Shoot, how rude can I be? I didn’t even offer you a drink. Let me rectify that.” She got to her feet and was pleased for the escape. She had no idea what she was going to say. This was insane.
Actually, it wasn’t, because the truth was, she didn’t know how best to describe her and Luca’s relationship. They weren’t tense or uncomfortable. They were just existing in the same house. She didn’t share his bed. They didn’t spend a lot of time together. They were strangerswho were married, and had sex once. That was all.
Then of course, there was the other day when he asked her to dance for him, and they shared a moment—a rather confusing moment for her, but still just a small moment.
David didn’t let her have a few minutes of peace. “Has he done something wrong?” David asked, following her into the kitchen.
“No, of course not. Luca has been perfectly fine.”
She grabbed the kettle and filled it with water.
“Damn it, Tillie, I’m going out of my mind here wondering what the fuck this man has done to my sister?”
She put the kettle on the stove and then glared at him. “He hasn’t done anything to me, okay? Not a damn thing. We’re … nothing.” She shrugged.
David stared at her for a few moments, and then frowned. “Nothing?”
She nodded and threw her hands up in the air. “We might as well just be existing together, because we have nothing in common. We don’t talk or share meals. We’re nothing like our grandparents. We’re the complete opposite.”
“Tillie, I know you wanted to find a man and have that kind of connection like Grandma and Grandpa, but what they had was very rare.”
“I know that. You know I know that, but I … for as long as I remember, I… ugh, it was what I always wanted and I know that is insane.” She sighed. “Forget about it. I’m just being stupid.”
“Our grandparents had a love match, Tillie. You and Luca… it was a business deal.”
“I know. I was there.”
In order to keep the company together, Tillie had to marry Luca. It had been drawn up in a contract, signed, sealed, and married. It was so not romantic.
“What do you want?” David asked.
Tillie put the mugs down on the counter and turned to look at her brother. “What does it matter what I want?”
“Because it is important. You’re married to him and last time I checked, that deal has no expiration date. You’re in this for life, or unless you both agree to a divorce.”
“I don’t want it to be like this for eternity.” She wasn’t going to admit to her brother but she wanted passion, love, sex, she wanted to go on an adventure with her husband that they both could enjoy.
“Then I guess what you need to understand, Tillie, is that you’ll have to be the one to pull you both out of this.”
Tillie blew out a breath and shook her head. “I don’t have a clue how to do that. I mean, it’s Luca Winters, multibillionaire, a guy totally out of my league, and it was insane that he wanted to marry me in the first place.”
“Then you need to understand that that is exactly what Luca did,” David said.
“What?”
“He married you. That is what he wanted from you, and yet we know he has dated models, actresses, and a mass of beautiful women.”
She rolled her eyes. “Thanks, David. You fill me with confidence.”
“It should, because of all those women, none of them held his attention for longer than a couple of dates. He is still married to you, and he wears a ring on his finger. No other woman has caught his eye. He’s not cheating on you because that kind of crazy shit would be in the news.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. Cheating. She hadn’t even thought of that.
“So, I guess, Tillie, if you want to have what our grandparents had, then go and fight for it. Luca could be the right man for you, and you the right woman for him.”