Chapter 18
SETH
After dinner, Wren agreed to walk around the grounds with me.
She still had not acknowledged that we’d had sex last night or that she enjoyed it.
Hell, I wanted to rip off her shorts and take her right here and now in the grass.
The harder she fought against me, the more I wanted to claim her.
I’d never been with a woman as damn stubborn as her.
The sun had already disappeared below the horizon, bringing a coolness to the night air. My guys stayed out of sight as we strolled through the cactus garden and around the pool.
“I’m assuming with how happy you were to see the twins, that you’ll want to have kids of your own one day?” I asked.
Wren swirled the wine around her glass, intentionally not looking at me. “Maybe. If I don’t have any, I’ll be fine as well. I want to get in some good fighting time before settling down.”
I could understand that. “What did Peyton name the boys?”
Wren beamed and her glow was back. She was a badass female, but there was a soft side to her that I had a feeling she didn’t want people to see. If she wasn’t so happy about the boys, I highly doubted I’d be witnessing this side of her.
“Their names are Walker and Colby Jameson,” she said.
“Strong names,” I replied. She nodded and took a sip of her wine.
“What about you? Do you want kids?”
There was no choice in the matter. I had to have sons if I wanted the Michelson line to continue. But I didn’t want to bring that up with her; she wasn’t ready to hear it. She’d run away from me as far and as fast as she could.
“I’d like to have some,” I ended up saying.
“But to have kids, you’d need a wife, right?”
I gave a nod. “It’d be nice.”
Her brows knitted together when she looked at me. “What kind of woman would that be? We both know I don’t fit that type.”
I stared back at her, challenging her. “Why not?”
She snorted. “Please. I don’t care about wearing gowns, attending fancy parties, and looking pretty for the crowd.”
“That’s not all the women do, Wren.” My lips spread into a smirk. “Some are hardcore, just like you. You should be in jail after all the money you and Parker stole over the years, but you’ve managed to keep the law at bay. Not everyone can say they’ve accomplished that.”
Her lips pursed. “Someone else should be in jail, too.”
“True, but I’m smart, just like you.”
She shook her head. “But is a smart woman really what you want? I figured you’d like a submissive, someone you can order around and control.”
I stepped closer to her, and she tried to look away, but I clutched her face in my hands.
“I don’t want someone to control,” I said, meeting her emerald gaze.
“And I’m not looking for a woman to redeem me.
I need someone who can embrace who I am.
My world is dark and it’s not going to change.
If anyone could understand that, I figured it’d be you. ”
Slowly, I slid my hands away from her face and she sighed. “Believe me, I do. I’ve seen a lot of evil in this world.”
“Then, maybe my thinking is wrong,” I said. “Maybe you don’t need someone like me. You’ll probably end up with Ripp or one of the other fighters. They’re good guys.”
Amusement flashed in her eyes, and she scoffed. “That’s the problem. I’ve never been interested in the good guys. I don’t fit in with them.”
“You fit inside my world, Wren,” I told her.
She shook her head. “No, I don’t. I don’t fit in anywhere.
Guess it’s a good thing I don’t give a damn about finding Mr. Right.
He’s not out there.” Bringing the wine glass to her lips, she finished off the rest and forced a smile.
“Thank you for dinner and the lovely walk. I’m going back to my room.
” Before she could walk away, I grabbed her wrist. She sighed and faced me again.
“You have a habit of grabbing me, Mr. Michelson. If you were a stranger, I’d rip off your arm and shove it up your ass. ”
Chuckling, I let her go and a hint of a smile tugged at her lips.
“I’m getting into the hot tub in a few. You should join me,” I suggested.
Wren spun around and laughed as she walked away. “Don’t hold your breath on that one.”
Would she join me? I don’t know, but I was ready to find out.
* * *
I waited an hour before getting into the hot tub.
I tried to relax in the water, but my mind kept wandering.
Tomorrow was the meeting with my father and Nikolai.
A war was about to start, and as much as I was ready to end it, a part of me dreaded it.
Nikolai was my brother, and there was a time when we were more than brothers.
We were best friends, loyal to protecting each other and our family.
Sadly, that disappeared the second our father started showing favoritism toward me.
It didn’t take long for Nikolai to resent me after that.
He took that hate and twisted himself into something inhumane.
I don’t even recognize who he is anymore.
Nikolai was so far gone I knew he’d never return to who he used to be.
I closed my eyes and leaned into the jets, letting them work out the knots in my muscles.
I wanted one more night of not thinking about Nikolai, so I pushed him out of my thoughts, replacing him with Wren.
Was she going to join me? Hell, she was so stubborn she probably wouldn’t come.
Whenever I got close, she’d throw her walls back up.
I heard the soft creak of the door, and then the unmistakable smell of Wren’s perfume surrounded me.
It was a mix of jasmine and rose; sweet and musky at the same time.
I remained still and kept my eyes closed as I breathed her in, remembering exactly how it felt to have her body pressed against mine.
My heart raced and my dick twitched with anticipation. Wren’s bare feet slapped against the stone walkway as she came closer, her steps slow and calculated.
“I didn’t think you were coming,” I called out, opening my eyes.
Wren stopped mid-step, wearing the teal bikini she had on the last time we were in the hot tub together. Her eyes showed a hint of defiance, but she slowly stepped into the hot tub.
The night was chilly, and her nipples poked through her top. I wanted to wrap my lips around them and suck until she screamed my name.
“I hate myself for this,” she said, sinking into the water. She said the words, but I could see in her eyes she didn’t mean it. She wanted to be here with me.
I cocked my head to the side. “Then why are you here?”
Wren pursed her lips and then threw her arms in the air.
“Because if I don’t do this, I will go insane.
” Her green gaze flashed with need. “I want to have sex with you, Seth.” Her words caught me off guard, and my dick hardened instantly.
Wren waved her hands as if trying to push away her thoughts.
“I blame it on being sexually frustrated and deprived. It means nothing to me. All I want is a release.” Even as she said it, I could tell she didn’t believe it.
Wren was not a convincing liar. She wanted the connection just as much as I did.
“Fine,” I replied, clutching her arms and pulling her over to me. “We’ll do this casually. It doesn’t have to mean anything to anyone.”
She straddled my waist and bit her lip, circling her hips around my straining cock. “Good,” she whispered, untying her bikini bottoms and letting them float away. “Glad we understand each other.”
I untied her top and slowly lowered it, revealing her puckered nipples. “Oh, we do,” I groaned, flicking my tongue across her peaks.
She sucked in a strangled moan and arched her back, giving me complete access to her breasts. I sucked each nipple, loving how she cried out when I bit her.
“I want to feel you inside me,” she begged, reaching between my legs to grab my cock.
She pumped me fiercely, her hips moving like she was riding me.
I grabbed her hips and lifted, desperate to get my swimming trunks off.
I slid them off and slammed her onto my cock, her screams of pleasure spurring me on even more.
She was so tight, and I knew she wasn’t far from release with how hard she clenched around me.
Grabbing her face, I held her tightly and kissed her, her tongue intermingling with mine. She tasted sweet like strawberries, and I wanted more . . . a lot more.
Wren was wild as she returned my kisses, her fingernails digging into my back. I was never going to get enough of her. She rode me harder, and I thrust my hips into her, desperate to get as deep as I could inside of her.
“Seth,” she cried out, her body clenching tighter around my cock.
Wrapping my arms around her, I could feel her release coming swiftly, and I held her onto me, making sure my body rubbed her clit just right.
She screamed out and my cock pulsated inside her as her body milked me to completion.
But I was nowhere near done. Wren was like a drug I couldn’t get enough of.
She was here and I had her in my arms; I didn’t want to let go.
Wren sat back and bit her lip, her eyes clouded with lust. I circled my hips against hers again and she moaned.
“Are we going again?” she asked.
I kissed her and sucked her lip between my teeth. “We’re going until you tell me to stop.”
She started riding me again and smiled. “That won’t be for a while.”
I was perfectly fine with that.