Chapter 19
Clarke
The next night, I was sitting at the kitchen counter, typing on my computer, when Will came home. It still felt weird to say my apartment was his house, too.
“Honey, I’m home,” Will said, laughing.
I spun around on my stool, a smile in place.
“I always wanted to say that.” He held up a bag from Tony Luke’s. “Come and get it, wifey.”
I slid off the stool and rushed over to him. He leaned forward as I attempted to snatch the bag from his hand.
“Where’s my kiss?”
I pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
“Save those kisses for your grandmother.” Will hid the bag behind his back and gave me one of his boyish smirks. “Kiss me like you mean it.”
“You’re annoying,” I shot back before I kissed him.
Our lips melded, tongues tangling with so much passion this felt more like a reward than the food he brought me from Philly.
Will slid his arm around me and pulled me closer.
He kissed me hard and fast like he wanted to claim me.
I’d already lost the bet when I kissed him in the lobby, so why not?
There wasn’t much point to the bet, anyway.
We both knew one of us would cave and end up having sex.
“You must have missed me,” Will said as our lips separated.
“No, I’m starving.” I grabbed the bag from his hand and dropped it onto the counter.
Will came up behind me, caging me against the island. His lips grazed my earlobe as he said, “You lost the bet. You know what that means.”
“I’ll clear my schedule,” I joked.
“I was serious. You’re mine.” He ran his long fingers down my bare arm. “We’re not leaving this apartment, not even for air.”
His soft touch made me shiver.
“A deal’s a deal.” I pointed at the chair beside me. “Sit. I’m starving.”
I removed the sandwiches and containers from the bag as Will grabbed plates from the cabinet.
He leaned across the island and slid them in front of me. “I missed you. Did you miss me?”
I shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. You may never know.”
He shook his head and sat beside me. “How did it go with your boss? Is he onboard with the story about Ted Fairchild?”
“Yeah. He said to run with the idea. I was afraid he would give it to one of my co-workers.”
Will unwrapped his cheesesteak and set it on his plate. “Does he do that often?”
“If it means giving one of his friends some undeserved attention, then yes.”
“That blows. I’m sorry that happens to you.” He took my plate and got up to put it in the microwave. He tapped a few buttons, then turned around to face me. “The same thing happens to Mia. She gets passed over all the time for promotions she deserves.”
“It’s harder for women to get ahead,” I admitted. “We’re paid less, overlooked, and often treated differently than our male co-workers. I have to work twice as hard to get respect.”
His expression turned grim. “Now I understand why you resisted staying married to me.”
“A scandal like this could destroy my reputation. My friend, Savanna, the one you met at the club a few years ago. She works with me now. She doesn’t buy for one second that we’re in love and wants to see for herself.
If my friend doesn’t believe me, it will take some convincing to make the public believe it. ”
“We won’t get caught.”
The microwave beeped, and he passed my plate to me. I handed Will his plate to heat.
“Savanna is coming over for dinner on Thursday.”
“We’ll sell the shit out of our lie,” he promised.
I sank my teeth into the chicken parm sandwich and moaned as the sauce and cheese hit my tongue. “Mmm, this is so good. Thank you.”
“Whatever makes you happy.”
Will sat beside me and bit into his cheesesteak. We ate silently, tearing through our food like we hadn’t eaten in days. After we finished, I cleaned our plates as Will watched me from the other side of the island.
“I have to do some work,” I told him. “Shouldn’t take more than an hour or two.”
“Go ahead. I want to watch the game, anyway.” He glanced at his cell phone, then slid off the stool. “I’ll be in the living room. Come find me when you’re done.”
I smiled in response.
He walked away, giving me the perfect view of his toned ass in black track pants. Even through his thin Under Armour shirt, I could see his defined back muscles and strong shoulders. Real or not, my husband was one hunky man, and I was a lucky lady.
Around nine o’clock, I emerged from my home office to find Will in the living room watching the Phillies game. He leaned forward on the couch, his elbows on his knees, drinking a bottle of water. His bare chest was on full display, his muscles stretched so tight they looked like stone.
“Hey,” I said as I walked into the living room. “Can we talk for a second?”
One of his boyish grins graced his full, pink lips I wanted to kiss. That kiss earlier was smoking hot. I gave Will a lot of shit to keep him from hurting me, but I cared about him. A part of me wanted this marriage to work, even though I’d been too afraid to put effort into it.
“We’re meeting with The Gossip Queen tomorrow. Do you want to run through our answers?”
“It’s an interview, not a quiz. She’s not grading us.”
“No, but we have to be believable. Callie will see right through the lies.”
“I’m in it to win it,” Will said with a cocky grin. “She’ll believe I have feelings for you. Because I do.”
His words shocked me, but I recouped without him noticing.
“We should talk about all the bad press you’ve gotten over the past year. She’ll want to know how you went from a womanizer to a married man in one month.”
“Easy. Because I found the love of my life.”
“You got an answer for everything.”
“I have to. Comes with the territory of being famous.”
“We should get down to the basic details. Like my birthday—”
“June seventeenth,” he said without hesitation.
“Okay… How do you know that?”
“You told me once.” He tapped the side of his head. “I remember everything you tell me.”
“I don’t know yours.”
“May ninth.” He hooked his arm around my thighs and pulled me onto his lap. “I doubt she’ll ask questions this basic, but what else do you want to know about me?”
“What should I know?”
“Hmmm…” His eyes roamed to the television screen momentarily before he found mine. “Let’s see. My middle name is Michael, and my favorite color is navy blue. I’m ambidextrous.”
“You are?”
He nodded. “I broke my right arm when I was ten. It forced me to learn how to use my left hand for a few months. The best damn thing that ever happened to me. Being good with both hands has helped my hockey career.”
“How did you break your arm?”
He laughed as if recalling the memory. “I jumped out of my friend’s tree fort, thinking I was as cool as Bruce Willis in Die Hard, but I tripped when I landed and fell hard. Thankfully, it was a clean break, so I healed and could still play hockey.”
“You were always a risk taker, huh?”
He tightened his grip on me. “No risk, no reward.”
“Callie will want to know how we wet.”
“At a club. Next.”
“I’m not telling her this started as a one-night stand.”
“You wanted to tell the truth. So spill it, Clarke. People are already judging us online. Who cares what they think? I’m sure half of these people met their spouses similarly.”
“Fine. But leave out the one-night stand part.”
“That’s a given. We got this.” He brushed his fingers along my cheek. “Stop worrying your pretty little head about things that don’t matter.”
“I don’t want to screw up. Callie will know we’re using her to sell our lies if we’re not on the same page. She’s a friend. I hate lying to everyone as it is.”
“Then stop fighting this.” Will’s mouth was inches from mine. “If you’re faking it, people will know it.”
“Tomorrow night, I was thinking about ordering Italian from this place around the corner. You okay with that?”
“Yeah, whatever. I’m a sheep. Lead me, baby.”
I laughed. “I have a menu if you want to see it.”
He waved me off. “Whatever you want. Just order it. I’ll pay.”
“You probably have to eat special foods while you’re playing hockey. So you need to tell me if you want something in particular.”
“Nah, it’s okay. I can’t eat a bunch of carbs and junk. I love pizza and cheesesteaks, but this needs to be a once-in-a-while treat, not something we eat every night.”
“I eat as bad as your sister.”
“Can you cook?”
I shook my head. “Nope. You wouldn’t want to eat my cooking. I order most of my food out.”
“I can cook,” he confessed. “Well, not good. But I can make basic shit.”
“I’m looking forward to tasting what you whip up for us.”
“I’m not promising gourmet food, but it will be edible.”
Cheers blared through the speakers, drawing our attention to the flat-screen television on the wall. Our heads snapped in that direction.
Will clapped and cheered. Then he looked at me. “You like baseball?”
“I watch the Nationals occasionally.”
He frowned. “We need to get on the same page. You were a Philly girl for a while.”
“I only lived in Philly for a year before I got the job in DC.”
“You’re my wife now. We cheer for Philly teams in my house.”
“Good thing you’re in my house,” I said, laughing.
“Smart ass.”
He grinned, and then he brushed his lips against mine. Will slid his big hand down my bare thighs. I probably shouldn’t have changed into shorts after work. Oh, well. It felt amazing as Will rubbed my skin with his rough hands.
“You lost the bet,” he whispered against my lips. “I don’t want to wait until this weekend to show you how much I missed you.”
“Then don’t.”
His lips crashed into mine, aggressive and untamed, as our tongues tangled together. Will kissed me as if he needed the air from my lungs to survive. After fighting my desire for him for days, it was impossible to deny I craved him.
I straddled him with my thighs, pinning him against the couch. Will kissed my jaw, and I rocked my hips, needing to feel his hard cock. His length pressed against my inner thigh, teasing me. I wanted him—all of him.
I groaned against the shell of his ear, and without warning, he flipped onto his back, bringing me with him. He stripped off my shorts and panties.
I squealed as he plunged his fingers inside me. “You’re dripping for me, baby. Fuck, you feel good.”
His words sent a ripple of emotions throughout my body. He always knew what I wanted, and that was usually him. I wanted him so badly my skin pricked with a thousand bumps.
Reaching between us, I pulled out his cock and stroked him. His hand covered mine, and we worked in unison, both moaning.
He picked up the pace at which he stroked himself. “Wet my cock with your juices.”
“Do it yourself.”
He shook his head and slid his fingers out of me. With an irritated groan, I moved my hand between my legs to wet my fingers, then slid my wetness down his long shaft.
“Fuck,” he hissed, and I moaned as he thrust his fingers inside me again. “Does this feel good?”
“Yes,” I whispered.
He fingered me while I jerked his shaft, using my cum as a lubricant. This was so hot I was bursting from the inside out, so close to an orgasm.
“That’s better,” he said with his forehead resting against mine, his movements quicker. “Fuck, Clarke, I love your scent. Love the way you feel.”
If only you loved me…
I’d wanted that so badly over the years.
And after he confessed to having an ulterior motive for the marriage, it angered and excited me.
I didn’t like feeling like someone had gotten over on me.
Will got me drunk and tricked me into marrying him.
But if his intentions were good, did it still count as deceit?
It was a gray area I was interested in exploring with him.
“Damn, baby,” he grunted. “I need more of you. Ride my face.”
I straddled his face with my thighs. Will jerked his cock as he licked my pussy. My thighs trembled, forcing me to grip a couch cushion for support. I rocked my hips, needing to feel him everywhere.
After I hit the peak of my climax, he moved me down his chest until his cock rubbed against my pussy. My body ached for more. I wanted to feel him inside me, moving with me.
I palmed his chest, using his body for support as I lowered myself onto his cock. “Pull out,” I told him as our bodies moved.
I knew he was clean. We’d had sex before without condoms, and he got tested regularly. He once told me I was the only woman he’d ever fucked with a condom. So I trusted him.
I rode him hard and fast, and after I came, he took control. Will flipped me onto my back and fucked me so hard I saw stars. Holy shit, it felt better than anything in this world. Being with Will was like an experience.
“I’m gonna come on your tits.”
“Okay,” I moaned.
“Not yet. Just warning you.”
I wrapped my legs around his back, and he lifted one of them over his shoulder, driving into me.
He leaned forward and pressed his lips to mine, giving me a quick kiss before he sucked my lip into his mouth.
I could never say no to him or control myself around Will. He’d always had this power over me.
No matter how much I fought the way I felt, my tough girl persona was only a defense mechanism to protect myself from getting hurt.
But he saw through it all. Will knew me better than I let him believe.
And when we were together, like this, it was as if the world disappeared, and there was nothing left in the universe but us.