33. Hawthorn
Smiling reassuringly at Penelope, I leave her with her sister on the patio, then head for the den, where the guys are looking for a movie to watch later.
“I’m going to kill them,” I growl the moment I step foot inside.
“There’s no way we can make it happen without it coming back on us or the girls, I already tried to figure out a way when Barnaby beat the shit out of Izzy,” Gulliver says, his posture rigid and angry as he closes the distance between us and pulls me in for a hug.
His fist slams against my back, and I feel some of the tension that’s coiled inside me relax.
“Princess wants to walk away, she wants to change her surname and forget they exist, but I can’t do it. She’s mine, and I can’t let them get away with this, I just can’t,” I snarl.
“We need to know who inherits the Rhodes fortune now that Penelope is out,” Davis says.
“How can we find that out?” I ask.
“I have no fucking clue. Once the beneficiaries are notified, it’ll become public record, but till then it’s private, and unless we bribe the lawyer, I can’t see how we can find out,” Kip tells me apologetically.
“Maybe Penelope is right, maybe the girls should just cut all ties and walk away. I’m not saying that because I think we should back down from their asshole parents, but because Izzy and Penelope have been hurt enough. This article they leaked to the media, it’s fucked up. It’s bad if it’s true…” He trails off, obviously waiting for me to confirm or deny it either way.
“I think you’re all aware she has some issues with food,” I tell them. “They had her on a nine hundred calories a day diet. If she stepped out of line, they’d make her throw up and give her meds to make her even sicker, then they’d starve her for days on end. They’re fucking monsters,” I hiss.
“Jesus,” Davis says, his expression haunted. “And she thinks she’s the evil one.”
“I have no fucking idea what we do now,” Gulliver admits, sighing wearily.
“Me either, but we can’t just stop. She’s agreed to carry on with everything we have planned and that we should try to get as much of the Rhodes Corp. stock as we can. But if it doesn’t work, she thinks we should just walk away,” I tell them, hating every word as it pours from my mouth.
“She might be right,” Kip says with a shrug.
“What?”
“I’m not saying we give up completely, but we bide our time, we have the rest of our lives to fuck with them. As much as I want to destroy them now, pissing them off and mildly embarrassing them isn’t going to ruin them,” Kip says, his tone calm and rational.
I hate that he’s right.
One Week Later
Tonight’s the night. Tonight is the night I get to tell every old money family that my girl is officially off the market.
When we didn’t fire back at the Rhodeses’ after the article about Penelope’s supposed eating disorder, all went quiet on the western front. I’m sure they think they’ve won. Maybe they have, but we’re not down and out just yet.
We’ve managed to dispel the rumors about my Princess pretty easily by attending dinners and functions every night this week. Even if people believed the story about her, she’s not hiding. Instead, she’s learning to enjoy food again, and every bite she takes is her own personal revenge against her parents.
We’re hosting tonight’s party in the ballroom at one of Kip’s family’s hotels, the same hotel Izzy and Gulliver held their engagement party in. In one of the most prestigious locations in the state and with a guest list of over five hundred people, it’s going to be one hell of an event. Almost every single person we invited has RSVP’d. I don’t know if it’s to see Penelope or if it’s just out of curiosity, but at this point, who cares?
We’ve rented the same penthouse suite we were staying in the day Penelope came into my room and asked for my help. It’s ironic, really, that her asking me to take her virginity is what brought us all together. That one act reunited the girls and brought my Princess into my life. Back then, I thought she was just as bad as her parents, but I couldn’t have been more wrong, and now she’s one of us.
Tonight, I’m going to get down on one knee and ask her to marry me. I’m a little worried she might say no, that its’s far too soon, but I just can’t wait any longer. She’s mine, and I want to tell the world and tie us together in every way possible.
Her parents are going to lose their minds.
Oddly, my parents are over the moon. I introduced Penelope to them on one of our video chats, and my dad had my great-grandmother’s engagement ring overnighted to me the next day. He said he could tell just from seeing us together that she was the one for me.
Walking into the bedroom Princess and I are sharing, my step falters and I stop, frozen to the floor as I stare at her. Since she moved onto the boat with me, I’ve done everything I can to make positive food memories for her, and even though some days it’s harder than others, she’s slowly starting to learn to ignore her mom’s voice in her head.
I know she still calculates how many calories she’s eaten each day, but I refuse to allow her to starve herself. Food will probably always be triggering for her, but she’s fighting, and seeing her battle her own demons only makes me fall for her even faster.
She’s perfect to me no matter her weight, but the sight of her in a pale-blue gauzy bodysuit that clings to her skin, accentuating her newly developed curves, and hugging her perfect breasts and ass is enough to bring me to my knees. My eyes trail all the way down her body to the sky-high heels on her feet, and my dick stands to attention so quickly I go a little lightheaded.
“Fuck,” I rasp, my throat dry as my eyes refuse to move from the perfection before me.
Her hair looks like she just came out of an old-school Hollywood glamour film, swept over one shoulder and pinned with a diamond slide that sparkles in the light. Glancing at me in the mirror, her full, shiny lips tip up into a wide smile, and she turns to face me. My dick somehow hardens even more when I see her pink nipples beneath the translucent mesh cups of the bra.
“You look fucking divine,” I purr. Grinding my hard cock into her, I collar her throat and tip her head back. “I want you so bad, but you look too beautiful for me to take you how I need,” I breathe.
Wrapping her arms around my neck, she tangles her fingers in my hair, tugging me down so she can press her lips to mine. I can taste her desire on her tongue, and the urge to rip the flimsy fabric from her body is almost too tempting to resist.
“Later,” I whisper, pulling away from her mouth. “I’m going to rip this off you and unwrap you like you’re my gift.”
“What are you going to do to me then?” she asks breathily.
“I’m going to own you, Princess. I’m going to lick and kiss and touch every single inch of you until I’ve branded you with my scent, then I’m going to claim you, because you’re mine.”
“Does that mean I own you too?” she asks, cupping my hard cock through my pants.
“All yours,” I rasp, grabbing her hand and stopping her from teasing me.
Her eyes are hooded and full of promise when she drops to her knees. Finding my zipper, she drags it down, freeing my cock and gripping it in her fist. “I want to taste you,” she coos, dipping her chin and licking the head of my dick.
“Fuck,” I groan, pleasure spiraling through me as she licks and sucks and strokes, using her mouth and her fist to push me to the brink. My fingers find her hair, tangling in the silky strands and controlling her movements as she sucks my cock like it’s her favorite lollipop.
“I’m close,” I warn, thrusting my hips forward a little, desperately trying to stop myself from taking hold of her head and fucking her mouth the way I want to.
Her free hand finds my balls, and she sucks hard, taking me all the way to the back of her throat as she jacks me. Before I can stop myself, I’m releasing into her mouth, watching with rapt attention as she swallows down my cum while she looks up at me.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” I rasp, as she slides her mouth free of my cock and gracefully rises to her feet, a smug smile spreads across her full, slightly swollen lips.
“Good?” she asks, a hint of insecurity flashing through her eyes.
“Perfect,” I pant, dragging her to me and slamming my lips against hers. Her mouth tastes of me, but I don’t care, I’m too desperate to devour her.
“My turn,” I growl, scooping her off the floor and placing her down on the desk she’s been using as a dressing table. Pushing her makeup to the side, I press her to lean back until she’s propped up by her elbows. Lifting her legs, I place her heels on the edge of the wooden top, leaving her spread out for me, her pussy only hidden by the scrap of lace between her thighs.
“Don’t move,” I order, unfastening the snaps that hold her bodysuit together and revealing her naked, wet cunt to me.
Bending down, I run the flat of my tongue from her clit all the way to her asshole and back, dipping it into her sex before moving back up to her clit again. With the tip of my tongue, I flick at her sensitive bundle of nerves and slide a single finger inside of her, loving how her breath hitches.
Her legs start to close, but I keep them parted with my shoulders, licking and fucking and sucking her. Rimming her asshole with my thumb, I dip it into her tight hole, smiling to myself when she gasps and immediately pushes down onto me, begging me for more.
Pushing two fingers into her cunt, I slide my thumb almost out of her ass, then push it back in as I slide my fingers from her cunt. Alternating, I fuck her pussy with my fingers and her ass with my thumb while I tease her clit with my tongue. Within seconds, her hips are bucking and she cries out my name as her knees clamp onto my shoulders, keeping me firmly in place as she rides out her orgasm with my face pressed into her eager cunt.
“Fuck the party, let’s just stay here,” she pants.
Laughing, I lick her arousal clean from her pussy and carefully join the snaps on her lingerie together. “Finish getting ready, Princess.” I laugh, lifting her from the dressing table and lowering her to the floor, smacking her butt as I move past her and head for the bathroom to take a shower.
Thirty minutes later, her hair and makeup are flawless again, and the tantalizing underwear is hidden by an equally tantalizing dress. Made of the palest blue silk, the dress clings to her breasts, skimming her curves as the fabric gathers at one hip, then falls to the floor in a pool of silk.
“Penelope, you are exquisite,” I say, my voice filled with awe that this girl is mine.
“Thank you,” she says, a blush rising in her cheeks as she drops her gaze and glances down at her dress, smoothing the already wrinkle-free fabric.
“Come here,” I order.
Her feet move, and in a second, she’s in front of me, her head tilted back, looking up at me.
“Beautiful, real, and all fucking mine,” I whisper, lifting her chin and kissing her reverently. Reluctantly, I pull away. “Are you ready?”
“I suppose.” She nods.
“Then let’s go.” Placing my palm on the base of her spine, I lead her out of our bedroom and into the lounge area, where Kip and Davis are waiting for us. The guys are both wearing black tuxedos and playing on their phones.
“Pen, you look hot,” Davis catcalls, his eyes raking over her.
“Mine,” I growl.
“I know, dude.” He laughs. “She’s still hot, though,” he says, with an unapologetic shrug as he winks at my girl.
Gulliver and Izzy’s door opens, and they emerge. He’s in all black as usual, but Izzy looks beautiful in a silver gown that’s not dissimilar to her sister’s.
“Fuck me, I need to find me a girl, the twins are too hot.” Davis laughs, growling playfully at Izzy, who blows him a kiss back, while Gulliver glowers behind her.
“Eyes off my fiancée,” Gulliver snarls, narrowing his eyes.
Without even glancing in his direction, Izzy flings back her hand and smacks him in the stomach. “Behave.” She laughs.
When her gaze lands on my girl, her smile instantly widens. “Penelope, you look beautiful,” Izzy cries, rushing over to her sister and taking her hand to make her twirl.
“You too,” my Princess easily replies, tucking a strand of hair that’s escaped from Izzy’s artfully-messy hairstyle back behind her ear.
As the girls chatter comfortably, I take a moment to watch them, and I know the others do too. Two months ago, they were enemies, and now they’re sisters, twins, the affection between them so palpable you can literally feel it. At first glance, they’re eerily identical, even with the slight changes they’ve made to their appearances. But before, their energies were polar opposites, where Izzy was free and relaxed, Penelope was tense and wound tight, but looking at them now, they share a happy, easy joy that makes my heart jump in my chest.
I’m not a sentimental person, I’m a man, and most of the time my dick is solidly in control, but knowing and seeing my girl calm, relaxed, and happy, it makes me feel those things too.
I love her.
It shouldn’t be a startling realization. I knew I was falling in love with her, but there’s no falling anymore, I’ve fallen. I love her, and I know it now as certainly as I know I love my family and my brothers. The small black velvet box that’s nestled in my inside breast pocket seems to heat up as I think about what I plan to do tonight. I want her, I need her, and I can’t see that ever changing.