She trembled, and in her wonderful subtle submission I found the truth behind her inquiry. She was self-conscious about the choice she had made. She thought the beach was romantic, but my slight opposition had almost completely changed her mind. Was she that attached to me?

  “Andres,” she whimpered as her eyelids stammered shut. “Will you…?”

  The request was right there. I knew what she was going to ask. Something happened to us these past few weeks where I started just knowing things about Sadie. Knowing her preferences, knowing her needs, knowing exactly how to handle her body and when to do it.

  I’d been so wrapped up in the gym and the playground that I had completely missed the main thing we both needed—touch.

  Once more, she trembled, inviting me to trace her mouth with my tongue. Tremors like that were too much of a turn on. I had to have her tonight. “It’ll be a favor, a break. We’ll blow off some steam, drink champagne, and fuck to our heart’s content.”

  Her eyelids burst open. “Andres.”

  “What? You’re thinking it too.”

  “Yeah, but—” Slight pressure to her throat stopped her in her tracks.

  I smiled. “But nothing, Sadie. We’re good at this whole pretending thing, and I don’t want to stop being good just because we got distracted. Now, be a good girl and run back to the office to grab my address book.”

  She barely broke away before asking, “Why?”

  “Because I have just the place in mind.”

  She didn’t move until I pushed her toward the exit. Even then, she stumbled hazily between the towering stalks like she had gotten drunk. She rubbed her head, turned around with flushed cheeks, and grinned. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  “Go on.”

  She flashed me her tits. About a month ago when I was just pining after Sadie, I would have never expected such behavior from her. But now I stood with my jaw on the ground and my cock at full mast because she thought it would be fun to tease me in a garden.

  Well, I guessed I started it. That meant this was war.

  “Sadie Turner,” I chided playfully, “you are a naughty minx.”

  “You have no idea.”

  She lowered her shirt, stood proudly on her toes, and then spun around to walk away.

  That was too true a statement, and it was one that I didn’t want to be true. In my years of speed dating, I’d never met a woman that could twist me around her finger and tug me along by just using her tits. Surely something like that was reserved for men with less control over their bodies.

  But it was funny how little it had to do with control at this point. She knew it would arouse me. She knew it would please me at the same time. Once again, we were matched in the moment with actions that appeared random yet were calculated beautifully.

  My best manipulation efforts couldn’t have been better. Sadie wasn’t up to anything. She just wanted to play, and I wanted to be the man who gave her the opportunity to explore that state of mind.

  After all, I owned her whether she realized it or not.

  ***

  Arched ceilings of rose gold hovered the lobby that hosted rich velvet carpets, salmon pink furniture, and rustic fireplaces at every turn. Gold counters separated the carpet from the service area, an attendant greeting us with a sunny disposition and the tip of her bell cap. Dark crimson uniforms with gold accents were the style in Port Sapphire.

  Name and reputation were more important than money here, and that worked out well considering how my name had traveled both east and west with the medley of clients I had serviced. Sadie was still gaping at the ceiling when I checked us in. Our committed attendant rang a bell, drawing another attendant from behind a desk to us. He scooped up our bags.

  “Room 216,” spoke the attendant behind the desk. “Robert will show you upstairs, Mr. and Mrs. England. Enjoy your stay.”

  Sadie threw me an anxious smile. My responding shrug told her to chill. We were pretending to be engaged, and then we were going to pretend to get married, so what was the use in correcting people about names? Even if we were actually going to get married, it didn’t really matter. People would have started addressing us just the same in either case.

  Besides, I loved the way it sounded, Mrs. England. She sounded important and polished. She sounded like she had a life of true purpose, and I knew that was how she wanted to be treated, with purpose. Silently, I pondered how her family treated her growing up to form such a self-conscious adult who dreamed without any direction.

  Well, she wasn’t that self-conscious about what she decided to wear out of town. Pastel pink seemed to be her new choice of color, and she wore it well, this one in the form of a halter top that accentuated her plump breasts. High-waisted jeans strategically torn in various places with white fabric made her look more casual, but the crystal pumps she wore elevated her appearance.

  She looked more like a model than an assistant. She could have fooled me if I had been a nobody—but thankfully, I was a somebody, and I was certainly the somebody who possessed her heart.

  In all its uncertain glory.

  The attendant named Robert took us to the penthouse suite, ensured our comfort, and offered multiple adjustments if we were up to it. After handing him a crisp tip, I shooed him back into the elevator and told him we weren’t to be disturbed under any circumstances.

  Once the bell rang for the elevator and the car whooshed away, I revolved slowly to inhale every bit of our surroundings. Mermaid scales decorated a wall that blended in with a mural of a raging sea. Gold archways resembled the ones downstairs. Rooms with wide doorways revealed lush carpet, delicate silk, pastel furniture of the vintage variety.

  A scream erupted from the bathroom. Ah, she must have discovered the claw-foot tub and goody baskets. The main room hosted a hot tub right across the room for an elevator bed with mirrors on the ceiling.

  I pulled a chilled bottle of champagne from an ice bucket and popped it open. “Now this is romantic.”

  Sadie shuffled into the room like a zombie. Eyes wide, lips parted, cheeks reddened with interest—yes, that was a romantic sight. It made it hard to control myself. I blew a satisfied huff from my nostrils while pouring champagne into two glasses.

  “Close your mouth, darling. Higher end people like us don’t gape,” I joked. I held out a glass. “Let’s get into the hot tub.”

  “But we just got here.”

  I grinned mischievously. “Are you saying no to a hot tub, sweet Sadie?”

  “Like hell I am.”

  She accepted the glass, tipped it back, and downed the liquid before I could even blink. The woman really had me on tolerance. After giving her another serving, she grinned and went to rummage through her suitcase. She only brought the one, and she had packed a bikini at my insistence even though we weren’t going anywhere near the ocean.

  I pitched my voice to her as I called out, “I hope the murals are beachy enough for your tastes.”

  “It’s perfect!”

  Her voice sounded hollow in the grand space. Such a suite should have been a gratifying sight for me, and it was impressive, and it did represent my usual taste, but…

  But…

  It was just for Sadie. I knew she hadn’t experienced a whole lot of luxury in her life. Her parents had met her needs, gave her shelter, spoiled her with attention, yet were probably out of the spending range for something like this. Honeymoons should be over-the-top and intense.

  That was what I wanted for her now. That was what I wanted to keep giving her.

  Tempter yourself, I warned, but promptly ignored it.

  Why temper the beast when I had one of equal strength in the other room? Though I would have never considered a girlfriend or fiancée in such a way in the past, it seemed right for the moment. We were beasts, weren’t we? Our shifter ways were to be embraced. I didn’t have to force myself to be a human anymore.

  The hotel wouldn’t appreciate us dancing about in wolf form, but that wasn’t the point. I spent my time traveling with my wolf under wraps. I was tired of pushing him away and denying his urges. I wanted to ravish Sadie to pieces like a true animal, not like a human.

  And when she returned wearing that delicious bikini, I had a strong feeling she felt very much the same.

  Chapter 15 - Sadie

  Andres would have dropped his glass if he hadn’t set it down in time. I smiled when I noticed the bulge in his pants. Somebody liked me in a bikini. I noted to remember that for the future. I sipped my champagne, set my flute beside his, and reached for the sparkling grape juice.

  “No more champagne?”

  I hummed and opened the grape juice. “Alcohol and heat don’t mix well in my system. I shouldn’t have had those two glasses, but…”

  “When in Rome, right?”

  “Yep, that’s right.”

  He smirked. “I should change.”

  “Are you able to change with that stick in your underwear?”

  Rose tinted his cheeks, and I just couldn’t help the burst of laughter I released knowing that he was bashful with me. and how? The man was well-endowed, sculpted with delicious muscle, and the perfect mixture of hairy in all the right places. He had to be kidding if he was truly embarrassed. There was just no way.

  Honestly, for a guy doing me a favor and giving me a fake honeymoon, he sure didn’t spare any expense. Champagne was one thing, but this penthouse suite was in a big city outside Wolfcreek that stood so high in the clouds it could have been a stairway to heaven. I watched him shift around me and dash into the next room while I poured myself a glass of juice.

  One sip helped me think a little. Two cooled me off.

  I never wanted a mate. I never wanted to get married. But the way he was treating me was making me think things. And those weren’t things I wanted to readily admit to anyone. This place was better than I expected. I found myself staring at everything, even picking at the columns to see if it was made of real gold.

  Nope. No gold here. Just fancy paint. But the stuff was super realistic. It wasn’t like anything my parents would get. We stayed in a few nice places over the years, but they’d never gone this overboard. I should have been a princess with these conditions, or at least the daughter of a political leader.

  I tilted my head back to peer at the ceiling. My reflection stared at me along with a whole lot of cleavage. That probably did the trick for Andres. He was a boob guy. I knew by how he salivated over my chest whenever I wore a top that revealed even the slightest cleavage.

  My heart sank when I raised my glass and noticed my ring finger was empty. Right, how were fake engagements good enough without a decent ring? Andres had told me to pick one ages ago, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. And then after his mother gave me such a sweet gift, I didn’t feel right trying to figure out the ring situation.

  An empty finger didn’t feel right either. But the guilt was hard to wash away. Maybe I should have stuck with the champagne.

  Andres returned wearing swim trunks with bananas on them. I covered my mouth to contain my laugh—and totally failed.

  He sighed while planting his hands on his lips. “Sue me. I like bananas.”

  “That explains your smoothie preference.”

  “Fresh fruit is the key to a good smoothie.”

  I rolled my eyes and pointed to the tub. “You ready to get in?”

  “After you, my lady.”

  “Don’t call me that. It makes you sound like a bro.”

  He cackled his way to the dresser that held our gifts baskets, drinks, and snacks. I headed for the tub, crouching next to it to turn on the bubbles. Heat sprang along the surface and made it look like a pot of boiling water.

  I couldn’t wait to get inside.

  After testing it with my toe, I eased my way in, hissing as I got used to the hot water licking my skin. Peace flooded my system. This was really the life, right? I could get used to this. Maybe being in a mutually beneficial arrangement like this was something we could keep going.

  “You sure you don’t want more champagne?”

  I waved. “No, thanks.”

  Bubbles tickled my sides and cradled my arms, making me feel like I was floating on air. Champagne was a nice idea, but I preferred the sparkling grape juice the staff had left for us. It was nice being here, even nicer to see Andres walking toward me in his swim trunks.

  Crystalline spotlights hovered over me. That was what his eyes looked like right now, glowing against the backdrop of purple light edging his form. Above his head was my reflection staring back at me in evenly cut squares. If I had truly been his bride, this would have been romantic.

  I nipped my lower lip. Why can’t I find a guy like this?

  Andres stepped into the tub next to me and settled into the water. “Penny for your thoughts?”

  I huffed and let my head loll to the right. I didn’t lose sight of him exactly, but at least I wasn’t looking at him anymore. His eyes made me feel exposed in ways I didn’t want to think about.

  “It’d be too expensive,” I joked. “Besides, we’re basically on vacation. Why would you want my thoughts?”

  “Because you’re supposed to be my wife, remember?”

  Water sloshed around me as I sat up. “But it’s fake.”

  Those words seemed to cut a cord between us, snapping it so hard that I felt the backlash of it whipping me right in the mouth. Sheesh, how could I be any more irritating? The guy was giving me a whole honeymoon without the contract of marriage to give me some peace of mind away from my mother and I was reminding him how it was fake.

  I leaned toward him. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

  “You’re right.”

  Solemn silence hit me, causing me to drift under the water a bit. Andres turned and changed his expression so startling quick that I almost thought it was a mere dream for me to remind him of how we were playing pretend.

  He stroked my cheek. “It doesn’t have to be fake tonight, sweet Sadie.”

  Shivers ran along my spine in both directions. “I…I don’t…”

  “It’s on your mind.”

  My eyelids fluttered as his hand drifted to my bare shoulder.

  “You’re just waiting for me to take control.”

  Goddess, he was right, but I couldn’t bring myself to agree. All I could do was stare into those glorious oceans for eyes and hope for a merciful death. He drew closer, sending a warm wave over my chest. Somehow, it made me feel even colder, and I sought to be closer, trying to heat myself up like I had been when I first stepped into the tub.

  His dashing smirk melted away my worries. “That’s it. Just give in, sweet Sadie…”

  That resulting kiss made everything pale in comparison—the gifts, the sparkling juice, the dresses, and the dinner. Nobody else could have swept me away the way he did with the confident dive of his tongue. His hands rushed my body, smoothing over my curves to find the straps of my bikini.

  In seconds, the pieces were floating away from us, bumbling along jagged toward the edge of the tub. He pressed me flush to the wall and propped my thighs over his legs, showing me precisely what I made him feel—and what he felt was hard, thick, and throbbing. My whole spirit flooded with the same heat I felt from the water, and I just kept wanting more.

  This wasn’t real. There wasn’t a moment that could have convinced me otherwise—at least not until now. The way he commanded my every response made it feel like we had been together for ages. And how was that possible when I hardly knew anything about the man?

  Mystery surrounded him. Every time I tried to poke into his past, he denied me, yet he insisted on sharing his body. Intimacy like that should have gone hand-in-hand with a pairing like this, a real pairing. He broke the kiss and tilted my chin, tracing the scar tissue on my neck with the tip of his tongue.

  Goosebumps crawled every inch of me despite the heat. Moans of pleasure roused from my depths, joining his hungry grunts and urgent movements. Cool air swept my form as he scooped me from the water and planted me on the edge of the tub with my legs hooked over his shoulders.

  And then he disappeared between my thighs. He burrowed his mouth eagerly into my slit, pushing from me sounds I weren’t sure were real—and I didn’t care. Because with him at the helm, I didn’t have to be shy. I didn’t have to worry. He would carry me the whole way through the storm without batting an eye. What he did made me feel wild and liberated, and I wanted to keep that going for as long as possible.

  Fake or not, I wanted to be free.

  Long strokes from his tongue sent astonishing jolts through my body. Each time he flattened his tongue to my clit, my vision went north to the mirrors above showing me exactly what we were doing. Just watching him go to town between my legs was enough to double my pleasure, and even more to see just how unabashed I was under his influence.

  Nobody else could have done this. Nobody except Andres.

  Conflicting thoughts rose and fell like warring tides, and I battled them as much as I welcomed the delicious thread of desire forming through my body. I bucked into his mouth to greet every delicate kiss, chasing after a massive wave that I knew would deliver me to a greater shore. Several dedicated laps pushed me into the realm of uncontrollable shaking, and I grabbed the back of his head to keep him from pulling away.

  He never stopped pleasing me, never once. Even when he rose from the water to breathe, he kept his fingers on my slit, using my arousal to trace my swollen clit. Senses tingled all over when he kissed me hard, inspiring me to grip his cock and pump him generously.

  My orgasm felt amazing, but I wanted him again, and then maybe again after that. I might be sore later on, but right now, none of that truly mattered. Andres was the only thing that mattered. Performance be damned, he was all that mattered.

  His deep kisses quelled my shaking, turning me into a whimpering mess while he continued to rub my clit. I tugged him closer and wrapped my legs around his waist while guiding his cock to my slit. Soon, I’d be full; I’d be satiated.

 

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