Lovestruck at Sundown (Moonstruck Series Book 5)

CHAPTER 1 Beg

September 20, 2010

The sound of my vibrating phone on William’s hotel room nightstand woke me up. He groaned at the incessant sound of it, but his deep and even breaths indicated he was very much still asleep, unlike me. I squinted at my phone and took the call.

“Liam?” I cleared my throat. The concern about him calling me this late dissipated when I remembered he didn’t know I was in South Africa.

“Hey, Red! You’re on speaker with Belén,” he said in his usual cheerfulness. “Please tell me you’re not sleeping. It’s bloody eight in the evening.”

Shit.

He was going to find out about this either way.

“Hi, Belén,” I whispered. She was the tennis player Liam was involved with. He had invited me to her final match at the US Open where she lost and threw an ugly tantrum on the court. “I was asleep, you dumbass. It’s three a.m. over here.” William ran an arm around my waist, and I looked over my shoulder to see if I’d awakened him. I had. His blue eyes were half hidden behind shuttered lids.

“Baby, is everything okay?” His grave, husky voice made me shiver. He’d been working too much and needed to rest, and I was disturbing him.

“Yes. It’s Liam,” I cooed, running my fingers through his messy golden locks. I couldn’t believe I was in South Africa. In his bed. And now I was going to make it feel even more real by telling Liam about it. “I’ll take the call outside on the balcony. Go back to bed, baby. You haven’t slept in two days.”

“Mmm,” he moaned and shifted on his stomach, hugging his pillow. I smiled as I threw the bathrobe around my shoulders and slid the glass door open to step outside on the balcony.

“Sorry about that,” I said casually, like they didn’t just listen to my exchange with William. “So, what’s up, guys?”

“Was that a bluefin tuna talking in the background?” Liam asked with a laugh. I couldn’t withhold a chuckle. When I was upset about William being with someone else at Lily and Joel’s engagement party, Liam told me there were many fish in the sea, but he understood my predicament since William was one hell of a bluefin tuna. Liam knew how to make me laugh when I needed it the most. “Where the hell are you, and why hasn’t Tobias called to fill me in with the deets?”

“Oh, shut up, Liam.” I laughed. “Belén, I’m sure you’ve been introduced to Liam’s busybody tendencies. But wait till you see Tobias and Liam together. It’s like being on one of those live gossip talk shows.”

She laughed and agreed.

“You either tell me yourself, or I’ll call Tobias right now and get his version of the facts,” Liam warned. And I believed him. I knew he would call Tobias either way. “I’d rather give my version if I were you. You know how Tobias tends to—embellish things.”

“I came after the bluefin tuna,” I whispered, afraid I would wake up William again. “I’m in South Africa.”

“Noooooo!” Liam shouted and cracked into full-blown laughter. “My, my, my. This is—wow. Marvelous! I’m still calling Tobias, though. I’m sure you’re expecting that anyway.”

I was.

“Do whatever you have to do,” I said, leaning against the glass railing. It was chilly out, and the sound of the waves crashing against the dark rocks in the distance was so soothing. “Just … try to be discreet. Please. Very few people know I’m here.”

I heard William’s footsteps behind me and felt his warm hands, first on my shoulders, then sliding down to my waist, and finally with his thumbs hooking around the bathrobe’s belt. He kissed my neck once and said, “Tell Liam to fuck off and come back to bed.”

I gaped at him and at the audacity of his comment. He smirked at me, that very same infuriating little smirk that had made me go insane a thousand times before, and then he squeezed my hips, pulling me back against him. His growing erection against my lower back weakened my knees.

“Why don’t you guys call me sometime during the week? I’m seven hours ahead and usually alone most of the day since William’s re-filming a few scenes over here,” I explained. William tugged one of the bathrobe’s flaps to the side, revealing my breast, and squeezed it. I needed to end this call immediately. “But I would love to get to know you better, Belén.”

“Sounds good, Billie,” she said, sounding somewhat shy. “We’ll talk some other time.”

“It was nice hearing from you guys,” I said, trying my best to sound normal. William circled my nipple with his thumb, and I pressed my lips as hard as I could to keep a moan from escaping my lips. “We’ll—talk soon.”

“Bye, Red!”

I ended the call and tossed my phone on the sunbed next to us.

“What did he want?” William’s voice was gentle but still groggy from having just woken up. It was impossible to concentrate on replying when he touched me like that.

“To say—hi.”

“He woke you up, ?lskling.” His lips moved to my neck again.

“I don’t mind.” I turned around and ran my finger along his eyebrow. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

“Don’t be.”

“For a second, I forgot I was here. And since it’s late, I thought it was urgent. So I took the call.”

“You forgot you were here?” William spanked me and grabbed my ass to pick me up.

“Ow! And I did,” I confirmed, to keep teasing him. “Being here hasn’t proven to be a memorable experience.” I smiled and locked my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck as he carried me back inside.

He put me down against the edge of the bed and said, “Hike up that robe.” The right corner of his lips drew up into a cocky smile that reached his eyes.

“No.”

“Do it.” The smile was gone from his face. His tone was businesslike, and his gaze fixed on mine.

Like I would refuse him.

I lifted my robe, and his fingers slipped down my underwear, letting it fall on the floor.

“On your back.”

I rested my elbows on the bed and pushed myself back with my heels before lying down.

William pulled down his boxer briefs and tossed them to the side with his foot. He grabbed my ankles, brought me closer to the edge of the bed again, and knelt in front of me. He tossed my calves over his shoulders and ran the flat of his tongue between my legs.

“Fuck,” I muttered, fisting the comforter with my hands.

He undid my robe’s belt and flung the flaps open, a hand sliding down my chest and belly, finally stopping at the apex of my legs. “Are you now well aware of your whereabouts, ?lskling?” he said, two fingers entering me, his blue eyes staring up into mine. “Or do I need—to fuck you—back—into reality?”

I chuckled, but it turned into a moan. “William.” My head fell back on the bed, and I shut my eyes.

“Answer that.”

“I’m still confused,” I said, stretching the game we were playing. “I don’t even know if you’re real. I might be making you up in my head.”

“So, is this the type of scene you see inside your head? When you think of me?” His tongue teased my inner thigh, not even close enough to where I wanted him. His fingers were already bringing me to the edge of my release. “Dirty mind. Forgetful … but dirty.”

“William …”

“Now tell me where we are,” he said, his fingers stopping abruptly but still inside me.

I lifted my hips in protest. “South Africa.” Maybe if I replied quickly, he would resume what he was doing. “In your hotel room. On your bed.”

“Good girl.” He squeezed my thigh with his free hand and ran his nose along it. “Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to keep doing what you were doing,” I said with urgency, “and I want your mouth on me.”

He smiled triumphantly. “Now beg.”