Chapter Forty
Reuben
Mariah’s moans are like music to my ears. She tastes sweet and sour simultaneously, and I don’t think I can ever have enough of her.
I can feel her thighs quiver, and I know she is close.
My hands are faster now and just a bit rough here and there, but it doesn’t stop me from being tender and loving.
I want every bit of her body, and I will always remember the taste of her flesh, that tender spot just under her breasts, the way that angle curves from her rib cage to her hip, and the smooth feel of it all under my palm and fingertips.
It feels outrageously erotic as we roll together on the bed without a care in the world. I feel her muscles tense from a mini orgasm. It’s still erotic when I make her strength waver toward weakness, feeling her shudder against my body when I find some new erogenous spot that pleases her.
She buries her face against my throat, fighting to catch her breath. “Reuben, for God’s sake. Now.”
“Not yet, not yet, not yet,” I say it like a chant.
Desperate, she sinks her teeth into me. “I’ll die in a minute.”
My mouth claims hers yet again as I slide my hand between her legs, slipping my fingers into the heat of her vagina.
My lips take hers with a fierceness that sends shock waves of hot, raging desire through her body. Even as her heart beats fast, I change the pace, becoming more tender until that raging heat flows slow and thick.
I capture her lips with mine, rub lightly, then go deep.
I kiss her as though I am starving, and at that moment, I’d spend the rest of my life doing nothing else but this.
My lips touch hers and retreat, and I repeat the motions until her arms lock around me. With an exasperated breath, she locks lips with me, and her tongue wrestles for supremacy with mine.
Taking time for each other adds a new layer to our intimacy.
I can hear the low sound of arousal as I play with her belly button. When my lips nibble down her throat, she turns her head away and sighs in wanton bliss.
All the worries and fatigue that had bothered her quickly melt away.
I can feel her surrender to me, to the pleasure I give, and hear her breathing quicken as I take my time.
She comes like a flood, fast and full, with her body bucking against mine. I swallow her cry of shock and release, absorb it, and savor it even as my blood burns for more.
Then she falls pliant, soft as freshly baked bread, and I’m free to feast on her mouth, on her throat, on her breasts.
“Just let me have you for a while.”
The pressure builds again, layer by layer, slick and slippery, until Mariah slides off the edge a second time. My flesh is as damp as hers, and my body is tense and ready.
Once again, Mariah arches against me, wrapping her legs tight around my waist. Our eyes meet in the shifting light.
“Now,” I murmur as I slip into her waiting pussy, silky and smooth as if we have made love a thousand times before.
My breath trembles in, then out. My hands cover hers, and she places her fingers with mine. We watch each other as we begin to move.
Rising and falling, pleasure meets pleasure. Her eyes are darker now, that dreamy blue turning opaque as she loses herself. When she tightens around my turgid rod, when her eyelids fall closed, and the moan ripples from her throat, I hold on for dear life.
Then I bury my face in her hair and let myself go.
I smirk and shove hard into her as she starts to lower herself.
Mariah whimpers, and the glorious peak of pleasure takes over my body.
She gasps and seizes up, grabbing my shoulders and squeezing her thighs.
I let myself come as well, just to make her orgasm all that much better.
She gasps and flops down on my shoulder, her soft ass shaking with pleasure.
When I begin to come down from my post-orgasmic daze, she pushes herself upright and sighs, “Not enough yet. Hope you’ve got more for me.”
“Oh, baby, you know I do.” I grin and lift her from my dick. We stand up from the couch, and I turn her around, rubbing my cock against her lower back. I crouch and rise, sliding my thick head up against her needy vagina. She bites her lips and hisses sharply as her love canal stretches wide open.
At this point, my dick feels as hard and hot as a poker rod, and she instinctively clenches her vaginal muscles. I immediately get the hint and take a few slow thrusts to work my way entirely into her.
“Sweet heavens, Reuben. You are killing me,” she groans, her body a mixture of pleasure edged with a tinge of pain.
“Oh, it’s going to get better,” I tell her, lifting her legs from under her. Mariah moans loudly as the last inch of my cock sinks inside. I grab her shaking waist tightly and pull back, thrusting slowly into her as she’s tormented by the ecstasy of my cock pulsating against her pussy.
I fuck her hard, and she screams, letting out constant streams of gibberish as her body is assaulted endlessly with orgasms. After a few minutes of this treatment, I bury myself completely in her and let loose.
My cock pulsates as I drag free of her. It leaves me panting, and I have to grab the edge of the couch to avoid falling over.
I am going to need a minute. Perhaps an hour. A day or two might be best. After that, I imagine I could move again or, at the very least, think about moving. But for now, it seems like the finest idea to just stay as I am, sprawled over the couch, plastering Mariah into the soft foam.
I can feel the warmth of Mariah’s body against mine, the sheen of sweat from our skin on the couch as we lie there.
The world around us goes silent, and for a split second, everything seems to be right.
She speaks no words, but I listen to her heartbeat slow until it becomes a calming rhythm in the room’s quiet.
The gentle morning sunlight streams through strange curtains while a warm presence rests on my body. As I open my eyes, I see Mariah’s sleeping form curled up next to me, her hair fanned out on the pillow. Memories from last night return to me as my lips begin to break into a smile.
Mariah starts to move as her eyes begin to open. She lifts her gaze toward me as her smile gradually fills her face. “Good morning,” she murmurs, her voice still husky from sleep.
“Good morning,” I respond, my hand instinctively moving to brush a strand of hair from her face. “Did you sleep well?”
She nods while slowly stretching along my body. “Better than I have in weeks,” she admits. A bright twinkle clears her eyes as she throws me that playful grin. “Though I’m not sure how much of that was actually sleep.”
My laughter bubbles up as a warm sensation fills my chest. This easy banter, this comfort—it’s everything I’ve been craving.
Mariah leans on her elbow while shifting her expression to seriousness. “Reuben,” she says softly, “about what you said last night . . . I love you, too. I’ve held these feelings for some time.”
A wave of happiness makes my heart beat irregularly. I bring her in for a gentle kiss against her lips. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that,” I whisper.
As we break apart, Mariah’s eyes dance with amusement. “You know,” she says, her tone teasing, “for someone who orchestrated an entire fake engagement, you sure took your time with the real thing.”
I give a light groan while I hide my face against her neck. “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”
Her laughter fills my ears with delightful sounds. “Not a chance, Mr. Crowley. Or should I say, Mr. Hope?”
I raise my head to establish eye contact with her. My preference is for Reuben rather than any other name. No more masks, no more aliases.
As Mariah’s expression grows gentle, she lifts her hand to hold my cheek. “I like that,” she says. “Just Reuben and Mariah.”
We lie in comfortable silence for a moment, basking in each other’s presence. Mariah breaks into giggles while her eyes shine mischievously.
“What?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“I was just thinking,” she says, her fingers tracing patterns on my chest, “about how you tried to act all cool and indifferent that first morning after . . . well, you know.”
I cringe at the memory of my foolish actions. “Not my finest moment,” I admit.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Mariah teases. “It was pretty entertaining to watch the great Reuben Crowley squirm.”
I roll my eyes but can’t keep the smile off my face. “You’re never going to let me forget any of this, are you?”
She shakes her head as her expression grows serious. “No, because it’s all part of our story. The good, the bad, the ridiculous—it’s what brought us here.”
I nod, understanding dawning. “You’re right. And I wouldn’t change a thing.”
Mariah pulls herself against me and places her head on my chest. “Not even the part where you had to save me from being thrown overboard?”
As I hug her tightly, I briefly return to that frightful incident. “Especially not that part,” I say softly. “It made me realize how much I couldn’t bear to lose you.”
She raises her head and locks eyes with me. “You won’t lose me, Reuben. I’m right here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
My head meets hers as I lean into her space. “Promise?” In a hushed voice, I open up emotionally like never before.
“Promise,” she confirms, sealing it with a kiss.
As we lie there, tangled in sheets and each other, I marvel at how much my life has changed. Everything about me feels foreign when I reflect on who I was during the fake engagement planning. Mariah breaks down all my barriers through her understanding and vision and chooses to love me regardless.
“What are you thinking about?” Mariah asks, her fingers following the curve of my jaw.
I catch her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “About how lucky I am,” I say honestly. “About how what started as a business arrangement has turned into the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
My breath stops every time I see her magnificent smile light up her face. “Who would have thought, huh? The relentless investigative writer has fallen heart-first in love with the billionaire master of living two lives.”