Chapter 14
Fourteen
Present
With my eyes still shut,I recounted Jordan’s participation in the worst day of my life. The same recurring nightmare had haunted me for years. I promised to move on, but the rage simmering under my skin refused to die out. She could’ve walked out with me that day. I gave her a choice, and she chose him, albeit Henry didn’t leave her with many options.
My life had remained frozen where she left me—the altar where she married someone else after refusing to run away with me. Looking back, perhaps demanding that a woman change her entire outlook five minutes before her wedding was an unreasonable expectation, especially since Henry had leverage on her.
All the same, my emotions spiraled into anger, even as I tried talking myself down. I didn’t snap like Jasper or blow everything off like Caden. I was supposed to be rational and patient, though Jordan constantly made me contradict these traits.
A jarring noise made my head reel back in surprise. I recognized the sound. It was my phone that had dropped on the coffee table at some point.
“Shit,” I mumbled, still intoxicated and half asleep. I cracked open one eye in the dimly lit room, only to find Jordan’s head resting on my shoulder. She fell asleep in my arms after I took her a second time, trying to convey everything I felt for her with each powerful thrust.
The memories of our drunken encounter flooded my mind, bringing a smug smile to my face. We never made it to the stateroom and ended up on the rug under a pile of throw blankets and a pillow borrowed from the sofa. It was a good thing the boat wouldn’t see passengers for another several weeks, and the staff were told not to venture to this common area.
When my phone vibrated again, I lifted my free hand to grab it off the coffee table. Narrowing my eyes at the blurry screen, I attempted to decode the incoming texts.
Henry: I ought to rearrange your face for the shit you pulled.
Henry: You ruined the Maxwell name.
Henry: Is Jordan with you?
Decoding the messages in my inebriated state was next to impossible. I made out the gist of it, though. Henry was shifting the blame as always.
I was sure I’d killed him last night.He was still lying there like a sack of flour by the time we left.
I guess he survived, I thought distractedly, my gaze sweeping over Jordan’s soft, naked body.
Basking in her presence was the least the universe owed me after three miserable years. Although somewhat reluctantly, Jordan gave herself to me. My wildest fantasies had finally come true, and I wouldn’t waste more of tonight on sleep.
I brushed my knuckles over her collarbone. She flinched in her sleep when I touched one of her bruises. I quickly retracted my hand before it fisted in rage. Although I didn’t relish the idea of going to prison, I wished I had killed Henry.
Luckily, identifying superficial from deeper injuries had become a job hazard of mine. There was no major physical damage, though the emotional scars would take a while to heal. When I brought her to the boat, I planned on taking care of her and doing the honorable thing by being a sexless shoulder to cry on. But she triggered me. I had never been with someone so independent and capable, who blew me away with her beauty and limitless compassion with every breath. She didn”t need me—or thought she didn”t—and I had my hands full, proving to her that I was more than worthy of being in her life.
My lack of self-control around Jordan was laughable at best. After last night’s encounter, my obsession had reached new heights. Just as I had presumed, no one else measured up to her.
Primal instincts were taking over my sanity yet again. Perhaps the alcohol was impairing my judgment. In any case, I was experiencing withdrawal from her as if I were a junkie. I was practically shaking with my irrational need for her.
I rolled her onto her back, mindful of her bruises and recent injuries. Placing my hands on either side of her head, I hovered to study her beautiful face. What was it about her that drove me insane?
Unable to help it, I planted soft kisses over her face and hummed in approval when she relaxed under my touch. Knowing it set her off earlier, I nipped at her breasts and sucked on her neck, too. My mouth curved when she uttered my name in her alcohol-induced slumber.
“Xander,” Jordan murmured, pulling at the quilt covering her.
I pressed my forehead against hers, reveling in the sound of my name on her lips. The blankets were tangled around her ankles, and I kicked them out of the way to make room for myself. I cursed when my foot accidentally hit the coffee table.
I was slightly drunk and uncoordinated. She was plastered and could barely open her eyes. This was a bad idea, but the dark need festering inside me was too strong. It wanted to fill her with my seed.
Jordan had once been my best friend; I knew her better than anyone. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d consider a relationship with her husband’s son. As much as I hated that word, it was the truth. Her feelings for me remained unsorted.
What if she left me, and once more, I had to spend several more years without her?
Panic gripped me in a chokehold.
I couldn’t watch her like a hawk at all times of the day, but I also couldn’t let her get away. That was why I needed to get her pregnant as soon as possible. I needed to fill her with my seed. After all, a family was what she wanted more than anything in this world.
“You’ll finally be mine,” I vowed against the mass of sunshine hair in disarray. “Only mine.”
It was my truth. She was mine and no one else’s.
She didn’t belong to Henry or his disgusting associates who openly leered at her. I never wanted another man to ogle her again, though I knew it was impossible. Even the staff on this boat couldn’t keep their eyes off her despite knowing it might cost them their jobs.
It was why I needed to get her pregnant and solidify our bond. We’d both be better off once Jordan realized there could be no other choice than me.
Her eyes fluttered when I pressed a soft kiss to her parted lips. As quickly as she had stirred, she succumbed to the alcohol swimming in her veins.
My next kiss was like a wildfire, and she responded even in sleep. Her fingers desperately clutched my shoulders when I didn’t let up after several moments. Instead, my lips took her mouth captive, tongue exploring achingly slow. This consuming lust did not need breath, though she thrashed beneath me for air and to wriggle free.
I finally gentled the kiss and nibbled on her lips, running my hands over her body possessively.
“I’ve dreamed of this for years,” I admitted. “I never thought you’d give me the opportunity to make it come true.”
She made a sound low in her throat, which sounded a lot like approval.
Each of my breaths was heavy with anticipation, my body aching for more of what we’d experienced earlier. I kissed down her stomach, listening to her breathing increase as I worked my way down to her restless hips.
“Spread your legs wider, baby,” I whispered from the shadows, pressing my hips against hers.
Jordan instinctively opened her legs to feel me against her core. I kissed her there, open-mouthed, until she moaned from the pressure of my tongue on her sensitive clit. Smiling to myself, I hoisted myself higher until we were flush hip to hip. The wetness between her legs brushed against my cock. I barely bit down a groan at the furnace-like heat emanating from her swollen pussy. Her cunt was a sight to behold—red from how hard I took her but also dripping with my cum.
Oh shit.
A jolt of satisfaction glowed in me when cum leaked out of her pussy. I gathered the liquid and stuffed it back inside her, pressing my fingers against her G-spot. It elicited a soft moan from her lips, and my cock throbbed painfully at the sound. The way her tight cunt fell open around my fingers had me salivating for more.
I removed my fingers, and Jordan whimpered in protest. Her closed lids flapped when I lifted her legs and pinned her knees to her chest before plunging inside her in one swift move.
She cried out, but my mouth was already covering hers in another desperate kiss. When I kept pushing forward, even after I had forced every inch of myself inside her, she fought back in her sleep, shoving at my chest and murmuring in unconscious protest. The alcohol made it impossible for her to stay alert enough to struggle, and her body ultimately bowed.
Had I not been so enamored by her, I would’ve caved to the alcohol-induced sleep as well. Instead, I plunged inside her mercilessly. My body was on fire, and I shifted her hips to penetrate deeper.
“Mm,” she moaned, her back arching off the ground, when I tilted her hips for a different angle.
“God, even your pussy agrees that you’re mine,” I whispered, keeping her in place with a tight grip. “You were made for me.”
My greedy gaze lowered to the place we were connected, unable to look away while I took her raw. I felt lightheaded at the slurping noises her tight cunt made each time it swallowed me whole.
Her head moved side to side, not fully lucid but aware enough of our drunken fuck. A better man would have thought twice about using her body while she slept, but I wasn’t a good man where Jordan was concerned. I loved knowing that she could become unknowingly pregnant by me.
My fingers traced along her stomach before trailing down to the apex of her thighs. I couldn’t stop picturing Jordan padding around with a swollen belly. The idea had another bout of possessiveness rushing through me. I wanted to ingrain a part of me inside her in the most primal way a man could.
Unexpectedly, Jordan squeezed me, damn near milking me on the spot.
“Fuck,” I panted, reveling in the wet noises her cunt made every time I pulled back. “Just be a good girl and lie still while I fill you up with my baby,” I spoke against her temple.
Jordan stirred, lifting her head. “W-what?” It took her several moments to grasp we were naked and that I was on top of her.
She tried to jerk away with a cry. I wrapped my arm around her waist, trapping her in place. I pushed deep inside of her, making her squirm until her little moans echoed through the room once more, her walls tightened around me. I continued thrusting until her mouth fell open in the throes of a painful climax.
My vision went white with the intensity of my orgasm as I shot my load inside her.
“That’s my girl,” I rumbled, collapsing on top of her. “My good girl.”
Once more, I lowered my gaze to where we were connected and watched in fascination at some of the wet, messy liquid between us. I’d insist on shoving back any of the cum that had leaked out of her pussy, but my cock was greedy about staying inside her for as long as possible.
I panted while she peeked at me through her heavy eyelids. She lost the battle of willpower after the depleting orgasm and the alcohol in her system, eventually drifting back to sleep.
Meanwhile, I was hard again, but ultimately, I decided she needed a break. Instead, I watched her sleep for hours.
Creamy skin, perfect body, and the brightest face. She was complacent in my arms, though I knew it wouldn’t last long. No one could blame me for not having faith in this relationship. When Jordan had the opportunity, she chose him over me. I couldn’t leave it up to her again. She had too many choices at her disposal.
What if she returned to him or found someone else who wasn’t her ex’s son? I never wanted another douchebag lusting after her, and I never wanted another man looking at the sun again, let alone entertain a future with her.
I was starting to hate every man on earth or at least the ones with eyes.
Who was I kidding? She could charm the blind ones, too. The way she spoke was fucking hypnotic.
Just imagining men staring at Jordan or listening to her melodic voice destroyed my blissful mood. A familiar jealousy gnawed at my skin. I struggled with it for years every time I thought of her with him, but it was worse than before because now I knew what was at stake. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing her now that I knew what it was like to be with her.
Frustration rolled down my shoulders at the recurring question churning in my mind.
How did I stop the world from looking at the most beautiful woman on the planet?