Chapter 3
CHAPTER 3
O nce the implication of the pirate crew member’s words penetrated, Sophia’s jaw dropped. “I’m sorry—what?”
The man pointed down at the paperwork he’d just handed Pirate, whose jaw was equally hanging open. “It usually doesn’t take too long. We’re midweek, so tomorrow afternoon at the latest. California doesn’t have a waiting period as you know, so they just check your licenses and off you go. Once the captain has us further out to sea, we can start the ceremony.”
“Ceremony?” Pirate repeated. “Wait, we aren’t getting married.”
The crewman paused. “Pardon me?”
“We aren’t getting married,” Pirate said again, this time with more force. “Isn’t this just a ride around the Bay or something?”
No one spoke for a long moment. Then the man dressed like a pirate pointed to a sign behind their heads. Both Sophia and Pirate turned to see the wood carving claiming this ship to be The Heart of Davey Jones and under that in smaller, black lettering The Wedding Pirate Ship.
Sophia felt her blood run cold. Married? Well, that certainly sobered her up quick. Hadn’t she just been telling her mom, again, at the bridal store that Sophia was not the marriage type? As happy as her mom was for Jasmine to be getting married, she’d also made it abundantly clear that she wished Sophia was also tying the knot.
Both of her parents often encouraged Sophia to settle down, to meet someone and start a family… But Sophia knew that wasn’t in the cards for her. Not just because she hadn’t been able to stomach being touched by a man since her kidnapping, but because no man would ever want her for anything other than her money.
Her older brothers, Dallas and Parker, had both found wives who came from similar backgrounds. Money, status, and college educated. Neither of Sophia’s sisters-in-law were gold-diggers because they didn’t have to be.
But nearly all of Sophia’s exes were. And she wasn’t even counting her drunken one-night stand she had with Carlos back in college that they both swore would never be mentioned again without severe punishment.
She’d tried to hide her wealth. Gone on dates and not told the guy until they’d been together for a while—but it always backfired. Always. They would get mad that she let them pay for things or be upset that she hadn’t bought them a fancy car or used her family’s influence to further their careers… Her dating life was like a broken record. The same thing, over and over again. It wasn’t until her late twenties that she’d stopped trying. She’d hook up for a night and then go on with her life.
But she’d given up on romance.
What Jasmine and Jumper had was just not in the cards for her.
Pirate was continuing to talk to the crew member. Sophia wasn’t even sure how he was able to form a full sentence. Her brain seemed to have short circuited. “If it’s not approved yet, can it be reversed?” he asked.
The man was shaking his head. “I’m sorry, sir. I wouldn’t even know how to do that. This has never happened before. You two are saying you didn’t know this was for a wedding ceremony?” He looked to Sophia. “We talked about it on the phone. I went over the different prices with you.”
Sophia swallowed nervously. Except that hadn’t been her . She grabbed Pirate’s hand. To the crewman, she said, “Could you excuse us please?”
Then she pulled Pirate towards the very front of the ship. If it was any other circumstances, she would have been tempted to reenact the flying scene from the Titanic .
He rounded on her. “We can’t get married, Sophia!”
Sophia’s spine straightened. “Are you saying I’m not worthy of marrying you?” She had no idea why she was questioning his statement, because she’d been about to argue the same thing. But his insistence, almost like defiance, made her hackles rise.
His eyes narrowed. “Sophia,” he said slowly like he was explaining something to a two year old. “We,” he pointed a finger between the two of them, “aren’t dating. I’m not even sure we like each other.”
Sophia snorted, enjoying watching him squirm. “Relax. I’m not going to hold you to this. We clearly had too much to drink tonight and you weren’t paying attention—” He cleared his throat pointedly. “Fine, I was not paying attention when you—” He cleared his throat again. “ Fine ,” she sighed, exacerbated. “ I was not paying attention when I brought us here.”
“And paid for us to get married,” he added with a glare.
“Only if you want to get technical about it,” she grumbled back at him. She’d honestly forgotten about that bit. She’d just handed over her credit card without asking how much what she’d then believed was a boat tour was.
Pirate’s eyes narrowed.
“Look,” she snapped, “it’s not that big of a deal. I don’t know what the rules are, but I’m sure we can just get it annulled. If that doesn’t work then we get divorced. Shortest wedding in history.”
His shoulders seemed to sag some. “Okay, fine. Good!” he added hastily. “That’s good. I don’t know what the rules are either.” He looked down at the paperwork in his hand that they’d both inadvertently signed without meaning to. “Maybe we can call someone tomorrow and stop it from being filed altogether.”
“There you go,” she agreed. “Now, can we finish enjoying the boat ride?”
Sophia headed back towards the bench where they’d been sitting. She wrapped his coat around her tighter, having the feeling she wouldn’t be able to steal his body heat again even if he did sit back down next to her.
“Still a ship,” he corrected as he passed her.
Sophia snorted and rolled her eyes.
By the time they docked, it was after one in the morning. Their flight didn’t leave until ten, but they still needed somewhere to sleep. Pirate located a hotel just down the block from the pier and they headed in. The night receptionist, though, informed them that the only room they had available was the honeymoon penthouse.
Pirate suggested they go look for another hotel but Sophia was too tired to wander about the city looking for other accommodations.
She slammed her card on the counter and pronounced, “We’ll take it!”
His eyes narrowed. “Must be nice to not have to worry about your credit card statement at the end of each month.”
She smiled up at him. “When I’m this tired and still a bit drunk, yes it is.”
Though neither was happy about their unplanned nuptials, they’d ended up having a good time on the ship. The crew did not push about them not having a ceremony and instead went about their pirate charades as they took their route around the Bay. Since it was a pirate ship, there was plenty of rum. Additionally, the crew packed up the leftover food and gave it to them since Sophia did pay for it.
Whatever the two didn’t eat for breakfast, Sophia was planning on dropping off at a homeless shelter or encampment on their way to the airport in the morning.
The honeymoon penthouse was huge with a breathtaking view of the Bay with the moon overhead. Sophia reached into Pirate’s pocket to take out his phone and grab some pictures. Something she’d been doing this entire trip but he’d only recently taken note of.
Silly man , Sophia chuckled to herself.
The large California king bed faced a massive television and had an electric fireplace on the far wall. Sophia went over to turn it on and take even more pictures. When she turned around, she saw Pirate was sitting on the edge of the bed, bent over and unlacing his boots.
“Do you mind if I turn the fireplace on but open the balcony doors? I love the sound of the waves.”
“Go right ahead.” After removing his shoes, Pirate headed into the bathroom. A second later, he called out, “They have toothbrushes here but they charge for them.”
“Use what you need,” she answered back, just as loud. After brushing her own teeth and using the bathroom, Sophia planned on curling up in that massive bed and passing out. She couldn’t recall ever being this exhausted. Spontaneous wedding aside, she’d really enjoyed herself on this trip. That was entirely unexpected, given the objective of it.
Once the doors were open and the fireplace on, Sophia journeyed into the bathroom too. The expansive double sink and vanity took up an entire wall. A walk-in shower with four shower heads, a hot tub, and a separate toilet room took up the rest.
Pirate handed her a toothbrush with toothpaste already on it.
She accepted it gratefully. “Did you put the food away?”
He spat into the sink on the left. “You mean in the massive fridge in the massive kitchen in this place? Yes, I did.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes at him in the mirror. “I’r’ooo’ire’ooo’agoo’wi’oo’ight’ow,” she told him around the toothbrush in her mouth.
Pirate sloshed water into his mouth before spitting. “ Gesundheit .”
She lowered her head to spit, careful to keep her hair out of the way. “I said , I am too tired to argue with you right now.”
“Who said anything about arguing? I didn’t even comment on the fact that this bathroom is bigger than my bedroom.”
“You’re welcome to go sleep on the street,” she told him before continuing brushing her teeth.
He was quiet for a moment. Finally, he ran a hand down his face. The stubble that had been growing since before their departure was starting to shape into a beard after not shaving for days. “Look,” he sighed, “I’m sorry. I’m tired and probably still a bit drunk.”
She smiled around her toothbrush. “That was some good rum.”
He chuckled. “Yes, it was. My point is, we’ve known each other for a while now. I don’t know what you are to me, other than annoying” —her smile turned cocky around her toothbrush— “but you’ve never been one to flaunt your wealth. Most of the time, I can forget your last name is ‘Groveton’. I guess this trip, the spontaneity and the expense, has really driven home just how different our lives are, Sophia. I didn’t mean to sound bitter.”
Sophia took a moment to gather her thoughts as she washed out her mouth and spat into the sink again. She put the cup back down on the counter. Movement out of the corner of her eye drew her attention to the towel Pirate held out to her. She accepted it with a small, “Thank you.”
After wiping the corners of her mouth and chin, Sophia put it on the rack to her left. She turned, leaning her hip against the counter. “I don’t like being rich. I know,” she let out a self-deprecating laugh, “that’s something only a rich person would say, but it’s true. Do you know why I love Jasmine? Above everything else?”
Pirate shook his head. “I assumed it was because she put up with your crazy.”
“That too,” Sophia chuckled. “But the truth is, she is the only one who doesn’t see it—has never seen it.”
“Seen what?” he inquired.
“My money,” she answered. “Jazz has never once looked at me and seen dollar signs. She’s never asked me for money or believed that I would buy her things because we’re friends. Hell, when I offered to go into business with her when she got turned down for a loan to start up her clinic, she refused and would only partner with my dad. She loves me for me , not because of my money.” Sophia shrugged, a little self-conscious. “When you have the money I do, it’s very difficult to make friends, to go on dates… You don’t know the intentions of the other people. Greed is a cruel motivator. I’ve been burned more than once. But not by Jazz. She is the one person in this entire world that I know will love me whether I have a single dollar or millions to my name.”
Pirate reached over and tucked some hair behind Sophia’s ear. “People can be cruel. I’m sorry you’ve been hurt because of your net worth.”
“When Jumper and Jasmine first got together, I wasn’t sure how he would act around me. Wasn’t sure if he would see Jazz as a way to get to me.”
Pirate’s eyes narrowed. “Has that happened before?”
“In college,” she answered sorrowfully. “We both thought this guy was into her but he only was with her because he assumed I would pay for things for him too. It blew up in her face and she got her heart broken.”
Rather than looking sad for his future sister-in-law, Pirate’s expression turned suspicious. “What did you do to him?”
Sophia grinned wickedly. “Broke into his car and peed on his front seat.”
He laughed before sobering. “You know Jumper’s not like that, right? He loves Jazz and puts up with you because he does.”
She snorted. “Yeah, I know.” Stepping forward, she closed the distance between them. “Neither are you, you know,” she said softly. “You don’t treat me like I’m special. I want you to know how much I appreciate that.”
“Oh, you’re special, all right,” he commented wryly. “Just probably not in the way you mean it.”
She laughed. “I may have gone a bit overboard. I just want to make sure Jazz’s wedding day is perfect. She deserves nothing less.”
“I live a simple life, Sophia.” Pirate indicated to the posh bathroom they were standing in. “The past few days aside, I don’t live beyond my means. And I do plan on paying you back for my half of this trip.” After a pause, he added, “Except the boat ride. That was all you.”
Sophia tipped her head up at him. “I thought it was called ‘a ship’.”
He shrugged. “Boat, ship… You still dragged me onto it and forced me to marry you.”
She snorted. The heat and tension building between them was making it hard to breathe. His eyes were so soft, yet she could see the lust in them. “You make it sound like I was some swanky pirate who dragged your virgin ass onto my ship to pillage and plunder your booty.”
Their faces were so close, Sophia could smell the mint on his breath from the toothpaste they’d used. His voice deepened with desire, “Trust me, wench, I’m no virgin. And if anyone’s ‘booty’ is getting plundered, it’s yours.”
They came together in a surge of passion and lust. Exhaustion faded with the fire lit between them. Pirate wasn’t even sure which one of them moved first. She was no longer wearing his VDMC coat, which, technically, she shouldn’t have been wearing in the first place. But she’d been cold and no one had been around to see her wearing it.
Being with Sophia felt natural. Easy. He’d never laughed so much with a woman in his life. He’d also never wanted to spank a woman so much in his life.
As much as they talked, bickered, and bantered, Pirate also recognized the oddity of the comfortable silence that fell often between them.
On the plane, she’d draped her legs over his without hesitation or asking permission. Almost like it had been a habit, though she’d never done it before.
The woman was insane, certifiable, and yet Pirate had never been so turned on in his entire life as he was in that moment.
His dick was so hard, it strained the stitching on his jeans. He cupped her sexy ass in one hand, using the other to grip her hair at the base of her neck. Her hot lips parted, allowing Pirate to delve into her mouth. Their minty breath commingled between them.
He felt her manicured nails rake down his back over his shirt. Pirate had to hold back a groan, enjoying the bite of pain. Somehow she sensed his pleasure, though, because she did it again. Harder.
Pirate arched his back, pulling his mouth away from hers. “You little minx,” he growled, low and husky. His grip on her hair tightened. He tipped her face up towards him, noting there wasn’t a trace of fear in her hazel eyes.
Good.
Quick as a flash, Pirate spun her around so she faced the large mirror behind the counter. Using his hold on her hair, he bent her forward over the space between the sink basins but kept her head tipped up so she could see her reflection in the glass.
His hand landed on her delectable bottom. Once. Twice. Using his open palm, he spanked her over the jeans she’d purchased that morning.
Sophia gasped and moaned, shock evident on her face. But she did not pull away or tell him to stop.
Pirate reached his hand into her back pocket, cupping her ass cheek through the denim. “Do you like that, naughty girl? Do you like me spanking your beautiful ass?”
He loosened his hold on her hair enough for her to either nod or shake her head. He was not worried about her being submissive or too shy to answer him honestly. This was Sophia after all. There wasn’t a meek bone in her body.
Hazel gaze staring back at him through the mirror, Sophia nodded her head. She straightened her knees, pushing her ass out towards him more.
Pirate squeezed her cheek. “Have you ever been spanked before? Because if there’s anyone in the world who deserves a good spanking, it’s you, baby-girl.”
Sophia swallowed hard. “No one’s ever had the balls to do so.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You’ve asked?”
Hesitantly, she nodded. A slightly pink rose on her cheeks.
“Anything else you’ve asked for?”
She shook her head, but her eyes screamed a different answer.
Pulling his hand out of her back pocket, he brought it down on her ass. Hard. Once, twice… Five times. Sophia cried out, gripping the marble countertop. Rubbing the offended area, Pirate demanded, “Tell the truth, Sophia.”
“I’ve,” she gasped, trying to catch her breath. “I’ve always been curious. Wanting to try other things, but…”
“But what?” he asked, still rubbing her ass.
Her eyes bore into his from the mirror, almost begging him to understand. “But I’ve never trusted anyone to try it.”
Fuck if that statement didn’t make him nearly come in his pants like a pubescent teen seeing a pair of tits for the first time. Not breaking their eye contact, he asked, “Do you trust me?”
“Yes.”
No hesitation, no coyness, no games.
Holy. Fucking. Shit.
Pirate had never moved so quickly in his life. He wasn’t even sure if he pushed down her jeans after unbuttoning them or if gravity did the act for him. He barely got his own jeans down in time. The sight of her reddening ass was the most perfect sight he’d ever seen. If he wasn’t so blinded by lust, he might have stopped to take a picture.
“Next time,” he muttered to himself.
Something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye on the counter. A fucking bowl of condoms. Wow, rich people really did live differently. At least he didn’t have to run down the hall to a vending machine or some shit.
Grabbing a packet, he ripped the foil open with his teeth. He let go of her hair long enough to drop his hand down between her legs. God-fucking-damn. She was soaked.
Sophia moaned against his finger’s ministrations. He worked her clit as he fumbled to get the condom down his thick cock one handed. Thank fuck he didn’t drop the damn thing.
Moving his sheathed cock to her soaked entrance, Pirate moved his hand back to her hair. He tipped up her head, arching her back and pushing her covered chest against the counter. Leaning forward, he placed his mouth at her ear. His teeth scraped against her lobe as he spoke, “Sophia Groveton, you are the epitome of sexy and crazy. I have never felt more alive than when I’m arguing with you. From your sassy mouth to your spankable ass, you infuriate me. And yet,” he started to sink slowly inside her core, “I find myself drawn to you. You are without a doubt,” he paused, pulled back and then pressed forward again, “the most confounding creature on this planet.”
Sophia let out a long, torturous groan. “Why the fuck are you talking so much?”
He wasn’t entirely sure. He’d never been much of a talker during previous escapades. So when the truth hit him, it made him freeze. “Because I don’t want to hurt you.”
Sophia turned on the counter, twisting her back in a way that kept her hips where they were and turned her face up towards him. Reaching out, she dragged her fingernails down his stubbled jawline. Their lips pressed together in a fast, hard kiss. When she pulled away, she told him, “I am neither fragile nor breakable.” The corner of her mouth lifted in a mischievous grin. “I can take a good plundering. Are you pirate enough to give it to me?”
The sound that rose up from his chest was a mixture of a groan and a growl. “Fuck yeah. Hold onto something, baby. This pirate’s going looking for some hidden treasure.”
The sun shining in through the open windows roused her the next morning. Sophia groaned, her head pounding both from a lack of sleep as well as a mild hangover. Pirate was dead to the world, naked as the day he was born, next to her. At some point during the night, he must have removed his prosthetic because it was on the chair next to the bed. Their clothes were who-knew-where.
After he’d fucked her over the counter in the bathroom, Pirate had carried her into the bedroom. Where he bent her over the bed, spanked her ass so red it still chafed even now, and then fucked her again. There’d been at least two other times, but her sleep deprived brain mixed with alcohol made it difficult to remember.
Based on the condom wrappers she could see, it was at least four times.
Damn. If she wasn’t so tired, she’d be impressed by the man’s stamina. Some interesting things about their night before started to come back to her. Needing clarification, Sophia tapped on his shoulder.
He groaned but did not move.
She tapped him harder.
He growled but did not move.
She brought her hand down hard on his naked ass.
Pirate shot up so fast, she barely had time to let out a squeak of surprise before he had her pinned to the bed underneath him. Her legs automatically opened to make a cradle for his hips. The man truly was perfection, damn him. Hard muscle, sleek skin, defined abs…and tattoos. She’d never noticed just how many he had before this.
Up and down his arms were intricate designs, names, and dates. On his back was the Via Daemonia symbol, only his demon’s skull had a pirate’s eyepatch over it. He had other designs on his legs, even one that made her think he’d had it before he’d lost his leg. Dog tags hung from his neck, which was another thing she’d never noticed him wearing before now. He must keep them beneath his shirts.
Or she just hadn’t bothered to look that closely at him before now.
After their very intimate night, she still took her fill of him.
He scowled down at her. Gathering her hands up, he took them between one of his large hands and pinned them by her wrists above her head. “I don’t believe I gave permission for you to spank my ass.”
She smiled up at him. “I couldn’t resist your booty.”
Though he tried to keep his annoyed composure, she saw the amusement in his eyes. “Are the pirate jokes ever going to end?”
“Are you changing your road name anytime soon?”
“No.”
“Then there’s your answer,” she told him mischievously.
“Minx.” He dipped his head to claim her lips.
It was a long while before either of them came back up for air. Pirate lowered his head down to her small mounds that barely passed as boobs in her opinion.
“Um,” she gasped breathlessly, “did we really get married last night?”
Pirate froze. He lifted his head very slowly. Very, very slowly. There was a lot of uncertainty on his face by the time he was fully above her again. “I was really hoping that was some sort of weird fucking dream.”
She shook her head. “Not unless the Sandman dragged us both into the dream.”
He rolled off of her, landing hard on his back on the mattress. “Fuck!” He threw his arm over his eyes. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
She nodded. Not really sure what to say. Fuck pretty much covered it in her opinion.
“What the hell were we thinking?”
“Not sure,” she answered honestly. “But based on my headache, a lot of alcohol was involved.”
He snorted. “My head hasn’t felt this bad in a long time.”
And yet he’d had the energy to make out with her? Sophia wasn’t sure if she should be flattered by that or not.
“Look, it’s not that big of a deal. We figure out who to call and get the marriage annulled. That means it never happened.”
He lifted his arm enough to stare at her. His eyes told her he thought she was an idiot. “We can’t get the marriage annulled, Sophia. I’m pretty hungover but even I remember the number of times we consummated the marriage last night.”
“Oh…” she said softly. Yeah, she’d forgotten that small tidbit. Not the having sex with him numerous times. That she remembered very well. But the fact that the marriage couldn’t be consummated to get the annulment. “Um, could we lie?”
He snorted and lowered his arm back down over his eyes. “If you could see your neck right now, you’d know that no one would believe you.”
Sophia gasped, her hands flying up to cover her neck like she was looking for vampire bites. “You did not!”
“Apparently I did,” he said unrepentantly.
She lifted the pillow from under her head and covered her face with it. “Not good, not good, not good!” Removing the pillow, she let it fall down her body but didn’t pay attention to where it landed. “Okay. Fine. We’re married. We can’t get an annulment so we just have to get a divorce. It’s not that bad. No one has to know.”
“Ouch,” he chided without reproach.
She turned her face to her right to glare at him. “Oh, shut up. It wasn’t like you were planning on making any announcements.”
He snorted. “Not hardly.”
Rolling to her side, she leaned up on her elbow. With her other hand, she reached over to lift his arm from over his eyes. “I’m serious, Pirate. No one can know. My best friend and your brother are about to get married. This is their time. Jasmine deserves to have her day in the spotlight. I will not let our drunken mistake steal her thunder. No one can know .”
He nodded his agreement. “Fine with me.” Then his eyes landed on her naked chest. “No one can know all of it?” he asked for clarification.
Sophia’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, you dog! All of it . You and me,” she pointed between them, “are not a thing.”
He pulled his arm out from her hold, turning to face her. “Are you sure?” His deep voice was pure seduction. Sophia felt gooseflesh rise all along her body at just the sound. Her nipples tightened into peaks that seemed to beckon his tongue.
“Pirate,” she moaned as he sucked on her left breast.
Lifting his mouth off of her with a loud pop , he rose up until their noses were nearly touched. “I’m going to ask you this once, Sophia, and whatever you answer will be the end of it…or the beginning,” he amended. “I might have been drunk last night, but I remember a lot of it. Mostly, I remember thinking that I’ve never enjoyed being with a woman more than I enjoy being with you. Now that I’m sober, I can verify that thought as being a hundred-and-ten percent accurate. You are,” he ran a finger up her side, drawing giggles out of her as he touched her ticklish spots, “a rarity. And I would be a fool to let you go without at least asking if you wanted to keep doing this.”
“This being…?” her voice trailed off in an open question.
He hiked her leg up over his hip, opening her center to him. “ This ,” he repeated, pressing his erection against her slick folds.
“We would still get divorced, right?” she clarified. Her brain felt like mush and she wasn’t sure how much longer she’d be able to manage coherent thoughts. Not the way he kept rubbing his thick cock up and down over her sensitive clit.
“Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I have no intention of marrying you, Sophia Groveton.” He pressed his lips to the crook of her neck. “But fucking you every chance I can get?” He bit her skin, creating a suction with his mouth. “Fuck, that’s tempting beyond measure. You ,” he clarified, “are tempting beyond measure. And I would love to spend every day reddening your little ass.”
Sophia moaned against him, his words a siren’s song. “You want nothing from me?” She hated to ask, but she also had to ask.
She let out a squeak of surprise as she was tossed onto her back. Pirate loomed over her. “Oh, I want a lot ,” he ground his hips against her pelvis, “from you. But your money isn’t one of those things.” He bent down and nipped at the underside of her chin, which was already sensitive from his beard burn. “In fact, if I ever ask so much as a dollar from you, you have my permission to bury me in that mountain grave you once threatened my brother with.”
Sophia let out a chuckle. “Just sex?”
“Just sex,” he clarified.
“No feelings?”
He snorted. “I don’t think you or I are the ‘feeling’ type of people. Hell, we’re not even ‘friends with benefits’ because you and I aren’t friends.”
She couldn’t argue with that. “You have yourself a deal.”
He grinned widely before slithering his way down her body until his wickedly talented mouth found the extremely wet heart of her.