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“Oh, you bet your ass we will.” She looks up at me, smiling brightly but with eyes like daggers. “Count on it.”
Fourteen
Pearl
River and I aren't fully alone again until many hours later, when the limousine finally drops us off at his beach house. I am still miffed at the lack of thought that River put into his marriage proposal. It didn't even occur to him to give me a heads up so that my mom, brother, and my aunts wouldn't find out my big news secondhand.
That lack of foresight on his part is frankly astounding to me.
River slides me a gaze as he opens the door. "Are you brooding over there?"
I give him a look. "You fucked up, River." I kick off my heels and head straight to the couch, which is the only piece of furniture in this empty museum he calls a living room. "I'm going to have to do some serious damage control tomorrow. My whole family is going to be furious with me."
He pulls a face. "I'm sorry, Pearl. I guess I thought that you would be more surprised and pull off the whole fake fiancée thing a lot better if I didn't tell you. It was a mistake." He sinks onto the couch beside me and looks me right in the eye, his gaze unwavering. "I'll make it up to you," he promises. "I'll even explain to your family that it was a spur of the moment decision. I'll tell them you didn't know."
"That won't be a lie, at least." I exhale a huge gust of breath. "I just thought we were spending more time with your family. And Aunt Delta wants to meet you. If I hadn't already agreed to this little deception, I would have to go along with it now. Or face public embarrassment, I guess."
River's eyes flash. He leans closer to me, a smile playing on his lips. "Forgive me?"
I am caught in his sapphire blue gaze. He takes my hand and kisses the back of my hand. Then he places a kiss at the pulse point of my wrist.
My lips part. Between my thighs, my core heats. I swallow and press my legs together.
God, am I really going to forgive him so easily just because I find him so irresistible? I bite my lip, hating myself for it even as I lean into his beckoning posture.
"Promise me that you won't do it again." My voice comes out breathy. "There can't be any secrets between us, River. Or surprises. This is a contract."
He moves closer so that there is no space between the hard line of his body and the softer one of mine. Shifting his weight, he sinks his hand into my hair and tugs back, exposing my neck. "I promise, Pearl. No more secrets," he utters. "And I intend to seal the promise with much more than a kiss."
Even though I am desperate for him to touch me, some unnamed alarm bells go off in the back of my head and I stiffen in his hold. "What do you mean?"
He chuckles and lowers his lips to my throat, placing a single burning kiss to my flesh.
"It means that we are long overdue for my half of this baby bargain to be paid," he whispers. "I've kept myself in check around you because I respect you. But I've wanted you ever since I laid eyes on you, Pearl."
He kisses my neck again and I can't help but release a moan that's been building inside me for weeks now.
"Tell me what you're going to do me, River. I love when you talk dirty to me."
He tugs my head back further and trails kisses down my neck into my cleavage. My adrenaline shoots through the roof and pleasure drips from my breasts to my pussy. He's barely even touched me and I can tell that my panties are ruined already.
"I'm going to strip you naked," River says, his voice ragged. "I’m going to rub your clit, make you come, and then fuck you so hard you won’t be able to see straight.” He pauses, then shakes his head. “God, Pearl, you have no idea how much I want you. Do you know how often I fantasize about you when you’re not around?”
His voice wraps around me, husky and laced with desire. It's all I can do not to visibly shudder. I shake my head.
"River..." His name escapes my lips on a breathy exhale.
I watch as his eyes darken. His pupils dilate with the same hunger that's burning up my insides.
"Every time I see you, it's like I'm drowning in this... this need." He's closer now. I can feel the heat radiating from his body. "It's not just your body, Pearl. It's your spark, your essence. It's all of you."
A tremor runs through me. His words are like fingers trailing down my back, setting every nerve ending alight. The anticipation builds within me, coiling tighter and tighter until I think I might snap from the tension.
"River," I whisper. It's both a warning and an invitation.
"God, Pearl..." His voice is strained, almost a growl. It’s as if he's holding onto his control by his fingernails.
I can feel the muscles of his torso through his crisp shirt. The firmness of his muscular body contrasts with the softness of my curves. It's as if we're two puzzle pieces clicking together. We’re made to fit in this exact embrace.
