Chapter 14
River and I aren”t fully alone again until many hours later, when the limousine finally drops us off at his beach house. I am still miffed at the lack of thought that River put into his marriage proposal. It didn”t even occur to him to give me a heads up so that my mom, brother, and my aunts wouldn”t find out my big news secondhand.
That lack of foresight on his part is frankly astounding to me.
River slides me a gaze as he opens the door. ”Are you brooding over there?”
I give him a look. ”You fucked up, River.” I kick off my heels and head straight to the couch, which is the only piece of furniture in this empty museum he calls a living room. ”I”m going to have to do some serious damage control tomorrow. My whole family is going to be furious with me.”
He pulls a face. ”I”m sorry, Pearl. I guess I thought that you would be more surprised and pull off the whole fake fiancée thing a lot better if I didn”t tell you. It was a mistake.” He sinks onto the couch beside me and looks me right in the eye, his gaze unwavering. ”I”ll make it up to you,” he promises. ”I”ll even explain to your family that it was a spur of the moment decision. I”ll tell them you didn”t know.”
”That won”t be a lie, at least.” I exhale a huge gust of breath. ”I just thought we were spending more time with your family. And Aunt Delta wants to meet you. If I hadn”t already agreed to this little deception, I would have to go along with it now. Or face public embarrassment, I guess.”
River”s eyes flash. He leans closer to me, a smile playing on his lips. ”Forgive me?”
I am caught in his sapphire blue gaze. He takes my hand and kisses the back of my hand. Then he places a kiss at the pulse point of my wrist.
My lips part. Between my thighs, my core heats. I swallow and press my legs together.
God, am I really going to forgive him so easily just because I find him so irresistible? I bite my lip, hating myself for it even as I lean into his beckoning posture.
”Promise me that you won”t do it again.” My voice comes out breathy. ”There can”t be any secrets between us, River. Or surprises. This is a contract.”
He moves closer so that there is no space between the hard line of his body and the softer one of mine. Shifting his weight, he sinks his hand into my hair and tugs back, exposing my neck. ”I promise, Pearl. No more secrets,” he utters. ”And I intend to seal the promise with much more than a kiss.”
Even though I am desperate for him to touch me, some unnamed alarm bells go off in the back of my head and I stiffen in his hold. ”What do you mean?”
He chuckles and lowers his lips to my throat, placing a single burning kiss to my flesh.
”It means that we are long overdue for my half of this baby bargain to be paid,” he whispers. ”I”ve kept myself in check around you because I respect you. But I”ve wanted you ever since I laid eyes on you, Pearl.”
He kisses my neck again and I can”t help but release a moan that”s been building inside me for weeks now.
”Tell me what you”re going to do me, River. I love when you talk dirty to me.”
He tugs my head back further and trails kisses down my neck into my cleavage. My adrenaline shoots through the roof and pleasure drips from my breasts to my pussy. He”s barely even touched me and I can tell that my panties are ruined already.
”I”m going to strip you naked,” River says, his voice ragged. ”I’m going to rub your clit, make you come, and then fuck you so hard you won’t be able to see straight.” He pauses, then shakes his head. “God, Pearl, you have no idea how much I want you. Do you know how often I fantasize about you when you’re not around?”
His voice wraps around me, husky and laced with desire. It”s all I can do not to visibly shudder. I shake my head.
”River...” His name escapes my lips on a breathy exhale.
I watch as his eyes darken. His pupils dilate with the same hunger that”s burning up my insides.
”Every time I see you, it”s like I”m drowning in this... this need.” He”s closer now. I can feel the heat radiating from his body. ”It”s not just your body, Pearl. It”s your spark, your essence. It”s all of you.”
A tremor runs through me. His words are like fingers trailing down my back, setting every nerve ending alight. The anticipation builds within me, coiling tighter and tighter until I think I might snap from the tension.
”River,” I whisper. It”s both a warning and an invitation.
”God, Pearl...” His voice is strained, almost a growl. It’s as if he”s holding onto his control by his fingernails.
I can feel the muscles of his torso through his crisp shirt. The firmness of his muscular body contrasts with the softness of my curves. It”s as if we”re two puzzle pieces clicking together. We’re made to fit in this exact embrace.
His large hands are suddenly on my waist, fingers splaying wide as if claiming their territory. They pull me in closer, leaving no space, no air between us. There”s a dominance in his grip, a silent assertion of you”re mine. It doesn”t scare me.
His possessiveness thrills me. With River, I never feel overpowered. I feel empowered. Like his strength is bolstering my own.
”Tell me what you want,” he commands softly. His breath is hot against my cheek.
”More,” I breathe out. I barely recognize my own voice, grown husky with desire. ”I want more. I need more. I want you to take control of my body.”
”That’s what I fucking want to hear,” River says. “I always want to give you what you need, darlin.”
I grip his shirt, biting my lower lip. “I’m starving for you, River.”
His lips graze the shell of my ear. In a flash of lightning, my world narrows to the husky timbre of his voice.
”I”m going to make you feel things you”ve never imagined, Pearl.”
Every whispered word is like a spark to dry tinder, sending a lick of flame through my veins. My breath catches, hitching in my throat. Suddenly I”ve forgotten how to do something as simple as breathe.
My knees tremble. My body threatens to betray me by buckling under the weight of his promises. But it”s not just his words that set me on fire.
It”s the certainty behind them, the raw edge of need that reflects the deep well of hunger I have inside.
”River,” I manage. “Please?”
He pulls back, just enough for me to feel the loss of his heat but not the magnetic pull of his gaze. His eyes dance with a mischievous glint that tells me he knows exactly what he”s doing to me. Slowly, deliberately, his fingers move to the top button of his crisp white shirt. The click of each button releasing seems to echo in the quiet emptiness of his beach house.
One button. Two. Then three. Each reveals more of that chiseled chest I”ve spent hours staring at. He’s honed from years of strict discipline.
”Like what you see?” he teases. The corner of his mouth quirks up in a devilish grin that does unfair things to my stomach.
”Maybe.” The word tumbles out. It sounds coy, and bolder than I feel as I drink in the sight of him. His skin is a canvas of smooth planes and hard edges, begging for my touch. My eyes trace the path down from his collarbone to where the fabric still clings to him.
My fingers itch to touch him. I reach out, but he steps back playfully.
”Only maybe?”
”Definitely,” I correct myself. “I think my pussy is getting damp.”
My heart races at my own audacity. River’s eyebrows rise. The air between us crackles with anticipation and the promise of what”s to come.
I reach out, my hand trembling. My fingers brush against River”s newly-bare chest, tracing the hard lines of his pectoral muscles. They are hot to the touch.
His hands encircle my wrists, gentle yet unyielding. There’s a look in his eyes. It’s a glint of raw, primal control that sends a shiver down my spine. He holds up a finger.
“I think we should go into the bedroom.”
Just like that, he picks me up, carrying me as if I weigh nothing at all. He puts me down in his bedroom right in the middle of a big white bed. It looks like a hermit lives in here. Aside from the bed, the only furniture is a bedside table, an ivory-shaded floor lamp, and a half-filled bookcase.
“Your décor style leaves something to be desired,” I say.
“Don’t worry about my room.” River’s lips twitch. He motions to me. “It’s time for me to get you out of that dress, darlin.”
I blush. Getting to my knees, I turn so that the long zipper on the back of my dress faces him. “Unzip me?”
“With pleasure.” He unzips the dress then pulls the straps down. Then he tugs the entire garment free, casting it aside.
I look at it, narrowing my gaze. “River, that is a five thousand dollar dress.”
“It can stand to lie there for a while.” His eyes dip to where my breasts are barely covered by a lacy black bra. “God damn, woman. You’re trying to kill me with those matching bra and panties.”
I giggle. “I knew you’d like them.”
“I more than like them.” He lifts my hands, guiding my wrists together with an ease that speaks of practice. Then he opens a drawer on his bedside table and pulls out a long strip of red satin. “Now be a good girl for me. Let me tie you up.”
“Oh!” I say. But it’s not a protest, exactly. More of an inquisitive sound than anything.
With deft movements, River binds my wrists together, the silk knotting with a soft rustle. The fabric is cool against my hot skin. But the sensation is quickly replaced by the warmth emanating from his closeness.
River knots the binding securely. The silk is taut enough to remind me of my position. Of the fact that he’s the one dominating me here. But it doesn’t pinch or chafe. He pushes me back on the bed and then raises my hands over my head.
I am very aware of my own vulnerability in this position. My lacy strapless bra digs into my sides and my tits are a quarter inch away from bursting free. I squirm and River clucks his tongue at me.
A rush of anticipation floods through me. I”m exposed, open to his gaze, to his touch. My heart hammers against my ribcage.
”Perfect,” he murmurs. He back to admire his work.
My breath is shallow, a silent symphony of nerves and need vibrating through me. I press my knees together because I’m feeling moisture slipping from my pussy.
It’s arousal and the awareness of what’s to come.
He comes to kneel on the bed. River’s breath ghosts over my skin as he lowers his head to my neck. Goosebumps break out over my skin. The first touch of his lips is a stroke of heat that blooms and spreads.
”River...”
It”s all I manage before he responds with his mouth. He traces the column of my throat with kisses that promise so much more. He alternates between nipping and soothing with kisses. My legs tremble and my hips rise toward him.
This is an ache that only he can satisfy.
”Stay still for me, Pearl.” His command is harshly spoken.
I force myself to relax and fight to obey his wishes. My instinct to arch into him is nearly overwhelming. But I clench my teeth and hold still. I’m held in place by the silk at my wrists and the intoxicating trail of his lips moving lower.
Each burning kiss teasing the sensitive skin at my collarbone.
”Please,” I whisper. I’m enthralled by the sweet agony of his teasing. There”s laughter in his next kiss. The feel of him chuckling against my skin that tells me he enjoys this.
”Patience,” he murmurs. ”Let me savor what’s mine, darlin.”
I’m his? But of course I am.
His for now, a voice says in the back of my head. I push it away.
A surge of heat courses through me as River”s hands glide over the contours of my naked skin. My skin tingles under his touch. I’m so alive and his caress reminds me of that. His fingers trail a path of fire down my hips.
It feels so good. I can”t help but arch into him, seeking more of that exquisite sensation.
”River...”
His touch intensifies. His fingers play over my skin with a skill that borders on reverence. It”s a dance of push and pull, each caress expertly bringing me closer to the brink.
”Tell me what you want,” he demands, his voice a husky whisper. “I want to hear it, Pearl.”
I bite my lip. ”Please, I need?—”
”Need what?” His words are velvet against my raw need.
”More,” I say on an exhale. “You know just what I like.”
River’s hand skates across the gentle curve of my belly. He teases the pair of lacy panties I’m wearing there. I tense, all my muscles flexing.
”Say it, Pearl. Tell me where to touch you. Beg for me.”
River places a kiss just above my belly button and then looks at me. There”s a gleam in his eyes. It’s a mischievous spark that speaks of his confidence and control.
”River, please,” I plead, my restraint crumbling. Every stroke of his hand fans the flames higher. My body trembles and burns with urgency. “Rub my clit. Put your cock in my pussy. Make me come. Please.”
”Good girl,” he murmurs. His approval sends a fresh wave of desire coursing through me. I can feel moisture seeping from my pussy, spreading across the wet spot at the front of my panties.
River parts my thighs and touches the wet spot ever so gently. I almost come off the bed. I’ve been teased and tormented quite a bit, so I’m shaking, already on the edge.
He strips my panties down my legs and pushes my knees apart. He looks at me while he casually skims a finger against my pussy. When I shudder, he kisses my knee.
“You’re so sensitive, darlin.”
Parting my lips, he runs his fingertips around the entrance to my pussy. I stifle a moan and shift my hips toward him. He shows me his glistening fingertips, wet from my excitement. Then he rubs his fingertips against my lips.
My mouth opens and my tongue catches his fingers, tasting my own essence eagerly. He chuckles and pops his fingertips in his own mouth. His eyelids flutter closed.
“So fucking sweet,” he concludes. “I love your taste, Pearl.”
He uses his fingertips to find my clit. My intake of breath is sharp and sudden. He swirls lazy circles over my clit and watches me squirm.
“You want to come?” he asks.
I grit my teeth. “Please,” I pant.
“Close your eyes, baby.” My eyelids shut. All I can feel now is him circling my clit, picking up speed. If he doesn’t make me come in a second, I’m pretty sure I will actually die.
The world narrows to the heartbeat thundering in my ears. The heat of River”s body against mine. The relentless movement of his hand. A deluge of sensation washes over me.
I”m drowning, sinking deeper into the abyss of desire with every calculated stroke. Or burning, destined to become cinder.
”Let go,” he commands. His words are laced with a raw edge that leaves no room for doubt. ”Surrender, Pearl.”
And I do. I shatter the walls I”ve built, brick by painstaking brick, all my practicality crumbling under the weight of what I feel for him. What he does to my body.
It”s terrifying and exhilarating. A freefall into the unknown.
I never want it to stop.
While my pussy is still spasming, he unzips his slacks and positions his big cock at my entrance. He pushes inside with one hard thrust. We both cry out.
“Fuck,” I whisper. I pull him down on top of me, rocking my hips.
He looks at me with such a reverent expression that it takes my breath away. “You’re fucking perfect, darlin. So fucking perfect.”
”River,” I breathe out, a desperate chant.
He starts moving, thrusting my cock into my tight pussy. I mirror his movements. Our bodies sync up, a perfect rhythm that echoes the pounding in my chest. We move together in a seamless choreography of need and fulfillment.
”Look at me,” he demands. Our eyes lock. There”s a fierceness in his gaze. A reflection of the possessive desire that he feels.
He grabs one of my hips and moves his hips faster than a piston. Just looking at the way he brings our bodies together and hearing the slap of hips upon hips makes me groan.
Oh god, I’m going to come again.
My moans crescendo. They mingle with his low groans as we spiral upward, chasing sheer sensation. The air crackles with the energy we generate. Each gasp and shudder a testament to the power he wields over me.
”River, I”m—” The words dissolve on my tongue as the dam breaks.
A cataclysmic wave of pleasure crashes over me. I”m ablaze, consumed by the fire he”s stoked within me. Each pulse of ecstasy radiates outward until I”m lost in pure feeling.
”Pearl!” His voice is hoarse. “Fuck, I’m coming…”
His fingers dig into my hips as he brutally thrusting into my pussy, stretching it, coming very close to hurting me. He shudders as he comes, four great thrusts and four intense lashes of semen. I can feel the burning hot liquid as it heats my pussy walls, coating them.
He closes his eyes and struggles for breath, his cock still twitching inside me.
My breath slowly returns to a regular rhythm. The frenzied beat of my heart steadies as I float back down to reality. His eyes open, still the same sapphire blue, and he reluctantly slips his cock from my pussy.
River”s fingers work deftly at my wrists and the smooth silk scarf slips away. It liberates my skin from its gentle restraint.
”Better?” River”s voice is soft, the rough edge of desire smoothed into tender concern.
”Much,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper as I flex my wrists, relishing the freedom yet missing the delicious pressure.
He gathers me into his arms, his chest still damp with the exertion of our passion. Our bodies meld together. His heartbeat against mine is a soothing drum.
”Stay with me,” he murmurs. His lips graze my forehead.
I nod, not trusting my voice as emotion swells within me. I don’t want to ask the only question that seems relevant right now.
Why would I want to leave?
When we resurface, our breathing beginning to slow, I look over at River. He rolls onto his side facing me and presses a kiss to my temple.
”Fucking hell,” he says, trying to catch his breath. ”That was... incredible.”
A laugh burst out of my throat, unbidden. ”It was.”
I grab a pillow, wiggling around to wedge it under my butt and tilt my hips skyward. River watches me with vague amusement.
”What are you doing?”
”Helping your swimmers swim in the right direction.”
He arches a brow. ”Does that actually make a difference?”
I shrug my shoulders. ”Maybe it will just make me feel better. Anything I can do to help the process is going to get done, period.”
”No rush.” River wiggles his eyebrows. ”The sooner that I get you pregnant, the sooner we have to stop fucking each other’s brains out.”
The thought gives me pause. ”Have you thought that far in advance?”
He looks at me a little skeptically. ”Yeah. Haven”t you?”
”Definitely not. I guess it’s pretty obvious, but I swear it didn’t enter my head even once. I’m a little ashamed of myself right now.”
He pushes his mouth to the side of his face. ”I think we”d be crazy to keep having sex if you”re already pregnant. I like you. Don”t get me wrong. But... I”m not looking to get serious.”
”Neither am I!” I say, defensive. ”I”m just looking to start my family.”
River relaxes. ”Just making sure we”re still on the same page. You”re smart and pretty and a definite catch. But I”m not looking for that right now. I have plans for the future.”
”Like moving away,” I say.
”Exactly. I want to relocate to Atlanta and eventually get myself an ambitious, career-oriented girlfriend. That”s what this whole fake fiancée ruse is supposed to help achieve.”
Putting aside the fact that we just had some of the hottest sex ever, I am in agreement.
”Like I said, I was just surprised that you”d thought it through that far. We are on the same team.”
”Team knock you up and get my family to release my trust fund early.”
”That”s the gist of it, yup.”
Silence stretches between us for half a minute.
”Since we”re already naked, do you mind me asking why you decided that you have to have a family right now? You”re pretty young. You still have plenty of time to meet someone and have kids.”
”Because in my family, women go through menopause really early. My mom had her change of life at thirty-six.”
He”s quiet for a beat. ”That”s still twelve years from now.”
I shake my head vehemently.
”I”ve done the math. Say I want to have three kids, with a year in between. That”s well over ten years. And what if I struggle to get pregnant? I can”t take chances with my fertility.”
”You could always adopt...”
I look at him, gesturing to my face. ”And miss out on seeing a baby with this adorable face? I don”t think so. Besides, assuming that Aunt Delta doesn”t lose the family land to the IRS, I have to have somebody to pass it on to.” I give him side eye. ”Our land is worth a lot, you know.”
River looks at me, his eyes widening. And then he clears his throat and looks away. ”I think I heard something to that effect.”
”Well, whatever you heard is true. In order for me to have a baby to inherit the land, you have to do your job and knock me up.”
His lips twitch. ”Yeah, well. Speaking of the deal... I think we”ll have to bring your family into the wedding planning that will no doubt be occurring starting tomorrow.”
I wince. ”I hate that my mom and Malik have probably already found out.”
”Well, if you don”t tell them, Instagram will. CapeSimonAroundTown will definitely know by tomorrow. Which means that the gossip will spread like wildfire.”
I squeeze my eyes shut with a groan. ”You got that right. I always kind of liked reading CSAT”s posts about our town gossip. But now that I”m the subject, I”m starting to rethink my admiration.”
””Yeah, well. Be on alert from here on out. We both have to be fully invested in order not to get caught out by CSAT. So, like... no screwing around with anyone else until our deal is complete.”
I roll my eyes. ”I wouldn”t do that. I don”t just have sex with every guy I meet, River.”
”I never thought you did.” He smirks. ”I have to say, Pearl. Given our explosive chemistry tonight, I am glad that you picked me.”
My cheeks feel hot. I bite my lip and reach out to run my hand down River’s bicep. ”You know, if you want, we could explore our chemistry again--”
He stops me with a kiss on the lips, dragging me back down into the depths.