Chapter 19
19
J AMES
I put my jacket on, thread my fingers through my hair, and glance in the mirror.
I check my shirt and pants, swiftly running my hand over my groin.
I’m still stiff and can’t push back a telling smile.
I tuck the bowtie into my pocket before sauntering out of the bathroom.
Fully dressed, she observes the party outside, her sandy blonde hair draped over her bare shoulders.
She pivots to me, her low plunging neckline barely covering her breasts. I take her in, from the smooth lines of her legs to her silken lips.
She smiles, a grin I crave and love, her eyes sparkling like dazzling stars.
“Don’t leave...” I say, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’ll see you later. All right?”
“Okay,” she says softly.
I clasp her chin and look deep into her eyes.
“You mean something to me, too,” I say softly.
It’s the most I’ve ever said to a woman.
I kiss her lips and turn around, heading to the door, my heart pounding faster.
She got me good.
A moment later, I rush down the stairs, raking nervous fingers through my hair and constantly checking my belt.
“What the hell happened to you?” Ed asks as soon as he lays eyes on me. “Your face is on fire.”
He studies me, a knowing smirk curling his lips.
“Don’t you have something to do, Preston?” I ask, adjusting my package.
“You mean someone to do?”
“The place is filled with tail,” I say.
“Mm-hmm.”
He purses his lips, his eyes laughing.
“Take him away from me, Lex,” I say before we all chuckle.
I anxiously check the stairs for the next few minutes, waiting for her to show up.
The moments tick by, yet she’s nowhere in sight.
A foreboding sensation hovers over me.
“I’ll be back,” I say before striding back to the foyer.
I reach the stairs when I hear Veronica’s voice.
“I’m sorry. Guests are not allowed in this part of the house.”
* * *
RAIN
After James leaves.
His image stays locked in my mind––his face handsome and relaxed, his eyes shadowed and mysterious––while I imagine a story I don’t know if we’ll ever get to live.
Absently, I look out the window, the party barely registering with me as my gaze sweeps the crowd.
Moments later, I pull my focus away from the event and walk to the door.
Quietly, I slide it open and step out.
I barely get the chance to close the door and pivot away and a silhouette propped against the railing catches my eye.
I whip my head in that direction, and my heart stops.
“Surprise... surprise,” Daria says, a twisted smile clinging to her lips.
“What are you doing here?” I ask, wrestling with panic.
“I could ask you the same thing,” she says, wicked satisfaction glowing in her eyes.
Instantly, I realize.
She must’ve seen him.
“How did you get here?” I ask, scanning the empty corridor.
“Same way you did, although not escorted by two handsome men.”
The blood draws from my body.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure... You seem to be quite the prize these days. Oh, this will make for an interesting dinner conversation. I can’t wait to share the news with our mother. Her little angel is now the slut of the Kings.”
“How long have you been waiting here?” I ask, ignoring her mean comment.
“Long enough to see him coming... and leaving. No pun intended,” she says, grinning, entertained. “He can sure stay hard for a while. I’ve heard stories about him, but as you know, I’ve never had the chance to get to know him better.”
My teeth grind.
“What do you want, Daria?”
“It’s not what I want. It’s what I’ll do. I’ll tell Mom and Dad about your secret affair. And then, perhaps your sabbatical will end, and your sweet princess ass will get kicked out of their house. This will teach you something about life. You know... The stuff that regular folk like me do to survive. College, jobs, and marrying someone for extra money.”
“Nobody forced you to marry, Daria.”
“No? Really? And do what instead? Live with Mom and Dad? Have a cushy life but no life? Do you think that going to college is my fucking dream? Do you think that waking up in a mansion, getting fucked around the clock, and attending receptions every fucking week is something I’d sneeze at?”
“And do you think telling Mom and Dad will get you what you want?” I snap.
“No. But I won’t see it handed to you by the stud of the county. Even if you get it for a week, it’s still a lot. Besides, I’m doing you a favor. Make no mistake about it. He’ll fuck you and ditch you like all the sluts he’s railed before. You think he’ll change for you?” She chuckles, amused, searching my eyes. “If you do, you’re a bigger idiot than I thought. Anyway, if you don’t want Mom and Dad to know about him, you stop seeing him. Otherwise, I have no problem telling them. It sits well with me either way. I can’t wait to hear Dad roaring and Mom crying because her precious little girl fell for the most dangerous man in the county,” she mocks.
“What makes you think they’d be against him?” I ask.
A grin stretches across her lips.
“Oh, dear Rain. How can you ask me something like that? You already know the answer. That’s why you didn’t tell them in the first place. They wouldn’t have a problem with his money, but they surely resent his reputation and hate to have him in our family.”
“And yet you were obsessed with him.”
“Yes. I was. And I still am,” she admits. “I’m certain he’d have more fun with someone like me than you. That’s why––like you––I wanted to get a shot at him.”
“You think that’s what it was? Me getting a shot at him?”
“Honestly. No. I don’t think so. You’re too dumb. Idealistic. It was an accident for him and stupid luck for you.”
A soft rustle makes us whip our gazes to the stairs.
“Ma’am, you can’t be here,” Veronica says, making a beeline for us.
Daria moves her eyes to me, unsure whether the woman talked to her or me.
Veronica’s eyes go to Daria.
“I’m sorry. Guests are not allowed in this part of the house,” she says, gripping Daria’s arm and nudging her to a different flight of stairs.
“What about her?”
“She’s not a guest.”
Daria’s eyes look like they’re about to fall off her face.
“Fucking bitch,” she growls at me as Veronica hauls her down the stairs.
As they vanish out of sight, I suck in a shaky breath and lean against the doorframe.
Footsteps make me raise my eyes.
“What was that?” James asks.
“My sister had followed me and figured things out. She knows everything, and she’ll tell Mom and Dad.”
I look at him, waiting for a reaction.
“Good. Don’t worry about it. You’ll be fine,” he says, self-assured, bringing his hand to my hair.
“Okay?” he murmurs.
I nod.
I’d love to have his confidence.
“Let’s go out. You have no reason to hide or feel bad about it. It’s done.”
He laces his fingers through mine and leads me down the stairs.
The more I walk with him, the better I feel.
We saunter through a room full of people before slipping into the backyard.
People gasp in surprise as they glance at us.
We go straight to Lex and Ed.
“You two couldn’t be more obvious even if you tried,” Ed comments.
“It’s over,” James says, relieved. “Her sister caught us.”
“Fine. But I wasn’t talking about that,” Ed says, brushing a damp lock away from my face, studying me.
His nostrils flare as he takes in my scent.
Without saying another word, he slowly shakes his head.
“You two keep an eye on her. No touching, Ed,” James orders, grinning, as Ed keeps brushing strands of hair away from my face.
“Lex, put a leash on him.”
“He’s no better than me,” Ed says, amused.
“I know,” James says, surprisingly serious, prompting Lex to smile.
“Honey, please squeeze their nuts if they bother you,” he says to me before placing a kiss on my lips.
My world shifts on its axis.
It’s the first time he’s kissed me in public, and I don’t know if anyone else cares about it, but for me, this is the beginning of a new life.
“I’ll be back,” he says, walking to the mayor’s group.
For a moment, I look at him, trying to make sense of everything that happened in the last couple of hours.
And then, I sense the warmth of a body right behind me. The man lowers his lips to my ear, his voice rolling out softly.
“You chose him, darling. Otherwise, you would’ve been mine.”
I freeze before I turn around slowly.
By the time I look around, there’s no one behind me.
Ed and Lex talk to a couple nearby, neither of them looking at me.
* * *
RAIN
The house is quiet.
Silver-blue light streams through the windows, glowing around the rooms and the hallway.
Barefoot and wearing only a silk robe, I exit the kitchen, climb the stairs, and walk into his bedroom.
I shed my robe and slide under the covers.
For a few moments, I stare at the ceiling, a sense of peace falling over me. I know it’s momentary and perhaps the calm before the storm.
More light rolls over the windows when a car pulls up in front of his house.
The door falls shut––it’s his Bugatti.
He’s home.
Moments later, footsteps ring throughout the house, a faint dialogue drifting from the first floor.
More footsteps echo up the stairs before the bedroom door swings open.
I roll onto my side and prop myself up on my elbow, a smile tugging at my lips. He strides to the bed, his shirt undone, a few strands of hair falling over his brow.
I push up on my knees as he comes closer. His arms curl around my naked body, his lips finding mine.
He smells like cigarette smoke and pure sex.
I slip my hands inside his shirt, drape it off his shoulders, and let it slide to the floor.
“I have to shower,” he says.
“No... You don’t,” I say, nuzzling his chest and inhaling his scent.
I run my palms over his pecs before unfastening his buckle, sliding a hand down his pants, and stroking his hard-on.
Smoothly, I cuff his thickness and rub his throbbing flesh, my gaze swinging up.
“You know, I could get used to this...” he murmurs, drinking me in as I run my fingers up and down his hard meat.
“I think you’re already used to it...”
He flashes a cocky smile.
Slowly, I lower myself and pull him into my mouth, my gaze locked with his mesmerizing eyes.
He bites his lip as I take him deeper.
“You never fail to impress me,” he says.
I pull him out with a pop.
“Perhaps you’re biased because you like me.”
“That’s possible, too,” he says, grinning.
“Or maybe, because I like it,” I say, tossing a seductive smile at him.
“That’s not out of the question,” he says, winking at me.
I slip my hands inside his pants and smoothly peel them off before he walks out of them.
My hands go to his thighs.
Without delay, he grabs the back of my hair, positions his cock against my mouth, and slides it between my lips.
Pleasure beams on his face as he thrusts it deep into my mouth.
“Fuck, yes…” he murmurs.
He observes me for a few good moments before tearing away from me.
My head sinks into a pillow as he slides on top of me, my wrists above my head, locked in his fist while he smoothly enters me.
His lips crash onto mine, his tongue plunging into my mouth.
His kiss is hot and tormenting… suffocating. His hard cock slams into me. His breath is deliciously arousing.
A wave of pleasure surges through me, dragging me to my high and tensing my muscles.
“Don’t you move,” he barks as I fight his lock, trying to grab him.
He takes me all the way up and makes me come.
A lustful smile tilts his lips as he moves his body on top of mine, making me squirm with delight, captive under him, completely in his power.