23. Twenty-three
Twenty-three
Payton
W aking up with Ainsley wrapped around me wasn’t how I imagined starting my Saturday after she refused to cuddle before bed. We threw the covers off at some point because it’s warm in here with her covering me, even in the scraps of clothing she calls pajamas. Barely there boy shorts and a tiny tank top that leaves little to the imagination made her a walking temptation, yet I somehow managed to refrain from fucking her into the mattress, which is a credit to my restraint.
I blink slowly as the early morning light filters in and glints off her tan leg where it’s thrown over my thigh, her small foot tucked under my calf like she couldn’t get close enough. Her pussy is snuggly pressed into my hip and her upper body is draped over my torso. Her cheek rests on my bare chest, her hands tucked under my shoulders. I became a life-sized body pillow for her at some point in the night. She’s snoring softly and may have drooled a bit, but it’s fucking cute that she felt comfortable enough to sleep that deeply. It’s nice. I was serious when I told her I like cuddling, even if she scoffed at the idea.
After Ainsley told me her story about the ordeal she went through in New York, I just wanted to hold her longer, but I let her leave my arms and go to sleep. I can’t believe she’s connected to the fucking asshole I’ve been dying to get my hands on for the last six months. Learning Archer hurt and manipulated Ainsley, discredited and forced her out of her graduate program, sent her running away from everything she’d wanted for herself, and is now intimidating and harassing her because she’s with me made my blood boil even more than him costing my company millions of dollars. He fucking put his hands on her.
More than ever, I want to hurt the punk-ass kid, embarrass him, make him feel small, and show him what it feels like to be scared and powerless the way he’s made Ainsley feel. It was business before, but now it’s personal. All because of a chance meeting with the blonde spitfire wrapped around my body, who’s afraid to embrace her desires and represses her needs because he taught her to fear intimacy and gave her trust issues.
He’s fucking up my life even more than he knows. Not only will I make his life a living hell, I'm going to pick up the pieces of the woman he crushed and make sure she knows she’s treasured, important, amazing, and so fucking strong. She’ll walk away from our arrangement better than I found her. If I can let her go at all.
I tighten my arms around Ainsley’s back, holding her to me as I make that vow to myself, grateful for the chance to even hold her and maybe have a shot at helping her come into her own and take down her shitty ex in the process. But at this very moment, I’ve got a cock that likes her soft body lined up with mine a little too much, and if she wakes up and sees us like this, she’s not going to like it, no matter how far we’ve progressed.
Her hips move against my thigh and she lets out a quiet moan. I stifle a groan of pleasure so I don’t wake her. This is exactly what I teased her about last night, and fuck if it’s not the hottest thing ever to know she’s having a sex dream while I’m holding her. I trace my fingers down her back gently to see if that slowly wakes her up so she’s not grinding that hot little pussy against me and ends up embarrassed. I keep rubbing her back, but her hips are moving in erratic attempts to provide her needed friction, and I’m half tempted to wake her up and offer to help.
“Payton,” she murmurs into my chest. I look down to see if she’s awake now. Her eyes are closed, and she seems to be asleep, so she’s dreaming about me as she grinds against my thigh.
“Fuck, Ainsley,” I mutter as I let my head fall back on my pillow, not wanting to be a good guy. Instead, I want to pull her on top of me, nestle my cock between her thighs, and let her ride out her dream over my hard length. I don’t have to be inside of her to make her feel good, and fuck would that be nice for us both. Instead, I keep my cock out of it and press my palm against the top of her ass and move her hips in a steadier rhythm than her dream motion was able to establish and feel her arousal seeping through my shorts to my thigh. Jesus. Fuck, I want to bury myself in her sweet pussy and feel that for myself. My fingers, my tongue, my cock. All of the above. I groan as the feel of her, hot and wet even through layers of clothing, teases me. Fucking hell.
Ainsley gasps and shudders against me, and I slow the rhythm of my hand at her back until she’s still again. I’m sweating from the effort of restraining myself from turning her onto her back and taking over, but that’s not what this is about. She’s dreaming, not asking me to fuck her. She can grind against me anytime she wants, but I won’t take that as an invitation unless she explicitly offers it. I’m a hedonist in my pursuit of pleasure, but I know she wouldn't be happy if I didn't have her conscious consent.
Ainsley wakes, her eyelashes fluttering against my chest, her body stiffening as she realizes how entwined we’ve become. She rolls away, untwisting her leg from mine and leaving me cold without the heat of her against me. She sits up, looking confused.
“Good morning, Muffin.” I stretch as I look at her surprised face. Her hair is tangled and wild, a crease down the cheek that was pressed to my chest, and her nipples are hard enough to cut glass as she stares at me like I’ve just appeared out of a horror movie wielding a chainsaw. I don’t look that bad in the morning, and my morning breath can’t be any worse than hers at the moment.
“What was that?”
“It looks like you’re a cuddler after all. I woke up with you draped over me. I told you it was fine, so I guess you took advantage of the opportunity at some point and came over to my side to snuggle.”
She shakes her head. “Did I—” she cuts herself off and closes her eyes.
“Snore? Not very loudly. Just cute little sounds that were totally fine.”
Her eyes fly open. “I don’t snore! And that’s not what I was going to say. I was…dreaming.” She looks down at her hands twisting in her lap .
“Oh yeah, what were you dreaming about?” I ask as I sit up against the headboard and pull a pillow over my lap to hide the evidence of what having her draped over me and watching her dream did to me.
“Stop it and put me out of my misery. Did I make any noises? Like talk in my sleep or anything…weird?” She’s so uncomfortable, I just want to kiss it out of her. She shouldn’t be worried about what her subconscious plays out in her sleep.
“Nothing weird. Just some sexy noises that still have me hard.” I pull the pillow off my lap to show her, hopefully easing her tension and putting the focus on me instead. I don’t want her uncomfortable with her body or her sexuality around me at all.
She covers her face with her hands. “Oh my God, I can’t believe I had that kind of dream while I was sprawled on top of you.”
“If it makes you feel better, you can tell me all about it in graphic detail,” I say hopefully.
She drops her hands and glares at me. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” she says sarcastically.
“You have no idea.” I drop a hand onto my shorts, stroking my cock that’s painfully hard, and lean my head back against the headboard. “I’m ready when you are, Muffin. This is better than breakfast in bed.”
I’m surprised when the bed dips and I open my eyes to find Ainsley crawling into my lap. She’s playful in the morning. I smile as she removes my hand from my cock and picks up the other, lacing our fingers together. She lifts onto her knees so she can press my hands back against the headboard by my shoulders and leans into me until her breasts rub against my bare chest as she slowly settles her ass into my lap right over my cock that jumps at the feel of her hot pussy just a few pieces of clothing away.
Fuck, what is this little minx doing to me now? Does she want to start something I’m more than happy to finish, or is she teasing me? I’ve warned her that I won’t let her tease me for long and I’ll take control back if she wants to play games. She had better be ready for a taste of her own medicine if this is how she starts her day.
“I wasn't even dreaming about you, but if I was, it would have been a nightmare where you wouldn’t stop smiling and annoying me.”
I smile at that and lean forward until our noses are touching. “Liar,” I say playfully. “You moaned my name and came against my thigh.” I was ready to keep that little fact to myself. If she’s going to tease me like this now, she’s going to get it right back. “Your pussy felt so good rubbing against me, and those noises you make are pure heaven.”
Her eyes go wide, busted in her bravado, but I don’t give her a moment to get embarrassed. I flip her onto her back below me, getting a surprised sound from her as I settle into the cradle of her hips like I wanted to earlier. Her thighs spread and she wraps her legs around me in reflex, holding me tightly.
“That’s my good fucking girl,” I growl out at her reaction that could’ve been to knee me in the balls.
“Oh, wow,” she says, realizing how lined up we are.
“You’re allowed to dream, even the sexy kind. You don’t have control over those things. It’s what you do when you’re awake that counts, and I want to eat you up after all the teasing you’ve done this morning.” I drop my mouth to where her neck meets her shoulder and nuzzle, breathing in her intoxicating vanilla scent. I lick and suck gently along her neck and she writhes under me.
She sighs and wraps her arms around my shoulders. I try not to show my surprise since I expected an entirely different reaction. Maybe sharing her story with me last night also changed something for her. She’s certainly more receptive to my playfulness and touch today.
“Why do you feel so good even when I don’t want you anywhere near me?” she asks quietly, her fingers raking down my bare back. I groan into her neck, making her shiver, and buck her hips up into mine. I press her harder into the mattress for the friction she’s looking for and she digs her heels into my ass as she dry humps me with the same ferocity.
“Your body wants me near you, even if you don’t. We’ve discussed this.” I trace my thumb along her ribs as I kiss up the column of her neck. I swipe along the side of her breast and she arches against me with a moan.
“Why does it feel all too real when it’s supposed to be fake?”
I hum against her neck. “It’s only as real or fake as we make it,” I answer. I take her earlobe in my teeth and suck before I let it out with a pop as she shivers. “How real do you want this to be?” Please want me.
“I don’t know,” she says, her voice breathy. “This is supposed to be fake.”
My heart sinks. I place a kiss on her flushed cheek and reluctantly pull myself off her despite her hands trying to pull me back down. “Until you know for sure, I’ll hold the boundaries for you. Now get up and get dressed. We have a full day to look forward to.”
The disappointment on her face is worth the case of blue balls I just gave myself. It means she’s seriously considering exploring something with me that could feel so fucking good despite this all starting out as a ruse to throw Harlowe off her mission. Now that I've had her submitting to me and woken up with her in my arms, I want her begging to be mine for real.
I stare out over the South Georgia water on the starboard side of the top deck. Up here, I can enjoy the Atlantic breeze that cools some of the oppressive summer heat, reminding me why I like to escape here from Atlanta as much as I do. My phone vibrating pulls me back to the moment as I wait for Ainsley. I pull it out and stifle the groan that automatically rises.
Harlowe: You’ve been keeping Ainsley away from us long enough. Bring her to a family function so she gets to know us better. Otherwise, this isn't as serious as you say and you’re just fucking around. In which case, I have friends I want you to meet. What’ll it be, lover boy?
I tap back a quick response, hoping to cut off this line of inquiry.
Me: We’re taking it slow, remember? I don’t want her to get scared away by how insane the rest of you are. I’m keeping her to myself as long as I can.
She’s just as fast with her insistent reply.
Harlowe: Time’s up, and you’ve overused that sorry excuse. We’ll see her at the Fourth of July and you should bring her to the wrap party for my show next week. It’s at this awesome spot my production company found and everyone will be there, even Paige, who just had a baby, so no excuses.
I sigh, wanting to chuck my phone overboard. I don’t hate the idea of having Ainsley around my family. In fact, I really want to show them what an incredible woman I’ve found and impress them with how intelligent, capable, and funny she is. I’m more worried about her reaction to them. Will she freak out seeing how over-the-top in love both of my brothers are with their wives and how insanely protective they are of their families? Will that push her away from me, wanting to avoid that possible fate for herself when she realizes that maybe this isn’t as fake for me as it may have started out? Because it’s becoming more real for me by the day, and I want to make her mine more than ever. That is, if she’ll let me. I’m already fully hers. That was made obvious to me with my knee-jerk reaction, wanting to protect her, and my murderous thoughts toward Archer for his treatment.
“Where are we going?” Ainsley asks, pulling me out of my churning thoughts.
I turn, catching my breath as I take her in. She’s in cutoff jean shorts and a cropped white tank top, looking like a summer dream, the briny ocean breeze ruffling her golden hair that shines in the sun.
I hand her an iced coffee and wrap an arm around her waist, leaning back against the railing. She leans into my chest and takes a sip of the light drink I made for her. She makes a happy sound and I know I made it how she likes.
“We’re headed out to one of the barrier islands. I thought you might be interested in helping with a project of mine tonight. I have a foundation that contributes to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources sea turtle recovery efforts. During nesting season, we can help with their efforts to track Loggerhead turtle nesting sites.” She twists in my arms and looks up at me, her hazel eyes crinkling in mirth.
“You keep surprising me. I thought you were just a friendless, boring, workaholic businessman with too much money. Now I know you’re a sex-crazed tech nerd who likes sea turtles and spankings.”
I tip my head back and laugh. “Wow, you think highly of me, don’t you?”
She tips her head back and forth. “I’ll admit, you may be growing on me. Like a fungus.”
“So complimentary in the mornings, aren’t you, Muffin?”
“Well, you did bring me coffee.”
She laughs as I spin her around so she’s facing me. “And I helped you have an orgasm on my leg. That has to count for something.”
She smacks my chest with her free hand. “Oh my God, you really don’t stop, do you? You can’t take credit for what happens in my dreams.”
I drop my hands to her ass and roll her against my thigh much like I did this morning. “I can take credit for moving your hips in a better rhythm and letting you grind on the most unfulfilling parts of me. You pick spots I never would have chosen for your pleasure, but if that’s what you want, I won’t stop you.” I tilt my head toward her and raise my eyebrows suggestively. “Though I’ll remind you that I have a very nice cock, magic fingers, and a filthy mouth all happy to be taken off the bench.”
Ainsley’s mouth opens, eyes blinking as she processes my rapid-fire statements. “You what? Good grief, Payton.” She laughs and shakes her head. She steps between my legs, leaning into my body. I clasp my hands above her ass. “I may be amenable to taking your favorite playthings off the bench,” she says, looking down at where my hips are pressed into her stomach before bringing her eyes up to mine and giving me a cheeky smile that I really fucking like the looks of.
“Oh, really? I knew I’d convince you.” I roll my hips against her and she laughs before giving me a stern look that isn't nearly as powerful as most of her surly expressions.
“For research purposes. To ensure we sell this arrangement in public, and maybe because I’m curious about what else you can do,” she says with a roll of her eyes as a flush creeps into her cheeks.
I nod in understanding. “You want to keep playing with me, but you still don’t think this can be serious.” I don't even touch the topic of real or fake with her now. She’s barely on board with this much.
“Should it be serious? I barely know you and you immediately asked me to fake date you to throw your sister-in-law off her mission to set you up. You’ve been hell-bent on making me uncomfortable with your Daddy vibes and slut talk even though I have no idea how in the hell you figured that shit out when I had no clue it was something I’d want.”
I cup her cheeks and push my fingers into her hair, tipping her chin up so she meets my eyes. “If I have Daddy vibes, you have your own vibes I was drawn to and wanted you to be aware of. When you responded the way you did, even that first time, I knew you were absolutely perfect for me, and if you wanted, I’d give you everything you need to fulfill those repressed desires.”
I smooth my thumb across her cheek and down to her pretty pink lips that are parted as she listens to me speak. I trace the Cupid’s bow of her top lip before I drag the pad of my thumb down to her bottom lip gently. I keep my eyes trained on her lips where my thumb rests as my tone changes to one of patient dominance.
“Do you want me, Princess?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she says sweetly, eyes on me as her lips part, sucking my thumb into her mouth that can be so vicious when it wants to be, yet just passively told me I can take care of her and be in control, at least in the bedroom. A shudder rolls through me at her acceptance and first serious use of the honorific.
She’s going to be mine.