Chapter 29
Tiro watched Angela’s lashes flutter. She was dreaming. He’d thought to wake her, but seeing her like this, so soft and warm and vulnerable, he just couldn’t. His body might demand that he make love to her one last time before she left to go home, but his heart wanted to just savor this moment.
“You’re staring,” she murmured, her eyes still closed.
He chuckled, then pulled her against his chest. “You were faking?” he teased, sliding his fingers into her hair.
She yawned and pressed a kiss to his chest. “Nope,” she kissed another spot. “I’d just woken up a moment ago, but I could feel you watching me.”
He started to say something, but his words turned into a groan when she climbed on top, straddling his hips. “I’m leaving today,” she whispered.
Tiro noticed that her chin quivered even as she tried to pretend it hadn’t. He put his hands on her hips, his thumbs stroking the soft, pale skin of her inner thighs.
“I know.”
She blinked rapidly, then grabbed his thumbs. “Are you seriously going to pretend that I mean nothing to you beyond an enthusiastic bed partner?”
His laughter vanished. Jackknifing upwards, he wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. “Not a chance.”
“Good,” Angela replied, sliding her fingers into his hair. “Good,” she whispered, kissing his neck. “Because I wouldn’t believe you anyway.”
He shifted his hips, causing her to gasp when the head of his shaft pressed against her opening.
“Condom!” she hissed.
He grabbed the foil package and shifted her weight, trying to roll the protection down over his erection. But her pretty, pink folds were right there, distracting him.
“Concentrate!” she snapped, running her fingers over his chest.
Tiro wanted to laugh at her impatience, but it came out more like a groan. He eventually got the condom on, then grabbed her, repositioning her over his erection.
“You’re mine!” he announced, then slowly pulled her down, watching as her body accepted all of him. When she started moving, he continued to watch. The sight of her body wrapped so intimately around his erection was beyond hot! But then Angela grabbed his hand, distracting him from the enticing view .
With careful concentration and between gasps as she shifted back and forth against him while his woman pressed his thumb against her aching nub. It was one of the most erotic moments of his life. She directed his thumb, showing him exactly what she needed. He allowed her to direct him because there wasn’t anything else he could do.
When she cried out, her head falling backwards, he sat up and took one of her nipples into his mouth, increasing the intensity of her climax. She writhed against him and those sensual movements pulled him right over the edge with her. His body convulsed against hers, feeling her inner muscles clench around his shaft leading to the most mind blowing orgasm.
When she collapsed against him, her breathing ragged but their bodies still intimately connected, Tiro held her close, still trying to recover.
“Marry me,” he blurted out.
Tiro wasn’t sure where that command had come from, but as soon as he said those words, he knew they were right.
She looked up, her satisfied smile morphing into surprise.
“For real?”
He brushed her hair back, nodding. “Yes. For real.”
“But…what about…?”
“I think it was my bodyguard,” Tiro admitted, his heart clenching at the depth of his best friend’s betrayal. “Aziz is the one who released the video. I think he’s also the one that sabotaged your saddle. When he didn’t manage to hurt you then, I suspect that he put something in the food you’d ordered.” He kissed her softly . “That’s why the kitchen was in such disarray yesterday. Multiple people were poisoned by whatever he put in the food.”
“Good grief!” she gasped, rolling off him. “But…why?”
Tiro groaned, already missing feeling so connected to her. But he rolled off the bed and moved over to her side, prepared to scoop her up and carry her off to the shower. Instantly, Angela laughed and dodged away, rushing ahead to the bathroom.
He watched her go, enjoying the teasing look she shot back over her shoulder as she rushed into the bathroom. Naked. Damn, he loved this woman!
Angela reached in to turn on the overhead shower, testing the water. Tiro pulled her into his arms, irritated that she hadn’t answered his question. “So?”
“So?” the minx replied teasingly, resting her fingers lightly on his shoulders.
Tiro growled, lifting her up with his arms around her waist. He walked them into the large shower until the water flowed over them. “Are you going to marry me?”
She laughed, leaning forward to kiss his chest again. “Now that was a question!”
He growled again, smacking her bottom in teasing punishment. “Answer me, woman! No more of this fake engagement crap. I don’t want to pretend you’re going to be mine while you walk away from me in reality.”
Her smile slowly faded and she tilted her head up, ignoring the spatters of water. “I don’t want that either. It would destroy me if I saw you with another woman.”
“Then marry me,” he said, running a finger along her wet jaw. “I don’t want anyone else.”
“But…we’ve only known each other a total of seven days!”
“I’m sure, Angela,” he said with sincerity. “I love you. I love every damn part of you.”
“Even my family?”
He paused theatrically, thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. Even your family.”
She leaned closer. “Even Zayn ?”
“Don’t push it,” Tiro grumbled.
Angela laughed, delighted with his grumpiness. “Fine. If you are willing to put up with my family, then I’ll marry you. After all, that’s an enormous sacrifice for my hand in marriage.”
She turned away, lifting her face to the water.
He swatted her again. “You’re going to say it, Minx!”
“Ow!” she protested, laughing. “Say what?” Angela reached for the shampoo and started lathering her hair . He reached for the soap and started lathering her breasts.
“Say that you love me!”
She moaned instead, her soapy hands falling to his shoulders. His hands moved lower, caressing her stomach. She opened her eyes, staring up into his while she held her breath, waiting for those magical fingers to move even lower still.
He hissed when she wrapped a hand around his shaft, squeezing before starting to stroke him.
Neither spoke for long moments, staring into each other’s eyes while their hands moved strategically. It was almost a competition to see which one would break first. However, every time she stroked his shaft, he stroked that bundle of nerves. As she came closer to a climax, her hand squeezed more tightly, stroking him faster, which made his fingers move faster. So in the end, both of them came at the same time, Angela holding onto his shoulder while he braced a hand against the side of the shower wall. For long moments, neither moved, both trying to catch their breath.
He leaned down, lightly kissing her.
“I love you,” she whispered against his lips.
“I love you too.” He kissed her again . “Now tell me you’ll marry me, woman!”
She laughed, then lifted up onto her toes, enjoying the way his arm wrapped around her, pulling her body against his again. “Yes!” she sighed and kissed him one more time. “But only if you let me speak to Aziz.” She then stepped out of the shower, handing him a towel while she dried herself with another.
That pulled him back to the present. He glared down at her. It took him a moment, but eventually, he started drying off, then wrapped the towel around his waist. “Why the hell would you want to speak with him?”
She grabbed a robe, tying it at her waist before coming back to him. Angela slowly ran her fingers along his jaw as she contemplated her answer. “Because he’s your friend. And he was only trying to protect you.”
“As soon as he’s feeling better, I’m going to have him arrested,” he told her grimly. “He hurt others. His actions caused a man to break his leg, others are still in the hospital, and…!”
“And he did it out of a sense of loyalty to you.” She touched his chest . “I’m not saying he shouldn’t be punished, Tiro,” she continued. “Just…I need to understand why he wanted to hurt me.”
For a long moment, Tiro didn’t reply. He just stared down at her. After a moment, he huffed. “Fine!” He spun her around and finished rinsing the shampoo from her hair. “If that’s what it will take to get you to marry me, then we’ll do it .” He kissed her bare shoulder . “But as soon as he recovers, the man’s going to prison.”
She thought about that for a moment, not sure how to react. But in the end, she shrugged. “You are in charge, Tiro.” She lifted onto her toes and kissed him again.
“I don’t want you to leave here.”
His words warmed her as she headed towards the doorway. “I need to return to Lativa to explain to my dad and uncles that this is now a real engagement.” She held up a hand when he opened his mouth. “And yes, I need to do this alone. My aunts are completely on board,” she eyed his naked body pointedly, “obviously.”
“Why obviously?”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Because they not only vanished entirely for the past three days to give us privacy, but actively encouraged a sexual liaison by providing contraception and–”
He interrupted her with a kiss. “We’ve only tried one of those toys, haven’t we?” Angela smiled, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“Yeah,” she mumbled, looking down at her hands clutching the towel.
Tiro reached out and lifted her chin with one finger, so he could see her eyes. “Why are you embarrassed?”
Angela opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t come. “I don’t know, exactly.”
He kissed her, just a light brush of his lips against hers. “Angela, you’re a sensual, passionate woman. Whatever we do together will be consensual and exciting. If you aren’t comfortable with something, we won’t do it.” He paused, looking into her eyes . “Understand?”
“I understand,” she replied, her tone more confident now. “This just feels like a taboo subject, I guess.”
He chuckled. “There will be no taboos with us. Nothing is forbidden unless one of us doesn’t like it.”
At his words, she beamed. The awkwardness melted away. “Thank you!” she whispered, then stood up on her tiptoes. “You’re a wonderful…!”
They both jumped when the bedroom door burst open.
“Aziz?” Tiro called out. “What the hell are you doing?”
“It’s time,” the bodyguard announced.