Page 50 of Valentine’s Billionaire Auction

Every rational thought urged me to stop, but all caution slipped away. She was fire and need and everything I suddenly craved viciously. With every touch, every kiss, it was as though I was marking her as mine. The thought made heat curl even tighter in my gut. I was consumed by the desire to claim her.

She tangled her fingers in my hair, pulling me closer, deeper. The sensation of her hands on me stoked the flames inside me. My hands explored her body with a mind of their own, tracing every curve and memorizing the feel of her against me. She was soft in all the right places. I just knew riding between her legs was going to be like climbing the stairway to heaven.

Her hips moved against mine, mimicking the act I was so desperate to complete. My hand slid lower, grazing the edge of her bikini bottom, teasing her. I could feel her heart racing, her body trembling under my touch. This wasn’t just desire—it was a blazing need that consumed us both. I pressed her harder against the pool edge, my hips pinning hers, making it clear that I was locked in.

“Roman,” she whispered, her voice a desperate plea laced with lust and longing. It was all the encouragement I needed. My name, falling from her lips, fueled my desire further.

I responded with a deep, possessive kiss, as if I could somehow capture her soul between our entangled breaths. Her fingers tightened in my hair, nails slightly scraping my scalp in a way that sent a shiver down my spine. She was everywhere, all around me, and I never wanted this to end.

“We need to stop,” she breathed out, her words contradicting the movement of her body against mine.

“Why?” I asked, brushing kisses along her jawline to her ear, delighting in the way she shivered at my touch. “Tell me you don’t want this as much as I do.”

“It’s not about what I want,” she murmured, her breath hitching as I traced a fingertip along her collarbone.

“But it should be,” I countered softly, pressing my forehead against hers. “It should be exactly about what you want. It feels good. This is just the tip of how good it will feel.”

She looked at me and I saw the moment the lust faded, and reality crashed in. She pushed against my chest. “I can’t,” she said. “We can’t.”

The moment Kaira climbed out of the pool and wrapped a towel tightly around herself, I knew I had screwed up. She looked at me, water dripping down her body, her cheeks flushed with a mix of anger and embarrassment.

“We can,” I insisted, using my arms to lift myself out of the water.

She stared at me, eyes wide. Her eyes drifted down my body. I knew she was feeling the same thing I was. I saw her staring at my rock-hard cock, standing proudly and unashamed, straining against my underwear.

“No,” she groaned, conflicted.

Then she bolted inside without a word.

I followed, dripping wet and without a towel, leaving a trail of water across the marble floors. I didn’t care about the mess, although I had to step carefully to keep from slipping and going ass over elbows. The rest of my focus was on Kaira, who was practically sprinting away.

As hypnotizing as she was, bouncing around in her towel, showing off her sweet curves, I didn’t want her afraid of me or uncomfortable around me. She had been meeting me kiss for kiss, as into me as I was into her—until she wasn’t.

“Kaira,” I called after her. “Wait a second. Talk to me.”

She stopped in the middle of the foyer, whirling around to face me, cleavage spilling over the top of the towel. Too bad the look in her eyes was nothing short of lethal.

“I need space, Roman,” she snapped, pulling the towel tighter around herself, hiding her sweet tits. It was like blocking out the sun. “I can’t breathe when I’m around you.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, confused by her sudden shift in tone. Moments ago, she’d melted in my arms. I had been seconds away from plunging into her wet heat, just like I had been dreaming about the last couple nights.

I knew she wanted me. I couldn’t get my head around why she was running away from me like I was the devil incarnate.

“This wasn’t in the contract!” she spat, her voice rising. “None of this was. I’m not your real fiancée. I’m not your real anything! We’re not going to do this. We’re not going to have sex. It’s too weird.”

Her words stung more than they should have. “You’re taking this way too seriously. What’s wrong with having a little fun?” I tried to keep my tone casual, but her reaction only intensified. I kept blundering forward regardless. “We’re under the same roof and we both want what almost happened. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I’m not here for fun, Roman.” She shook her head. “I’m here because you made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. I’m here because I was broke and desperate and had just been fired because of that stupid auction debacle. I’m here because I have no other options—not because I want to be your girl, fake or real. This thing between us isn’t real. I don’t like you.”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. I opened my mouth to argue, but she wasn’t finished.

“You think you can do whatever you want because you’re rich,” she continued, her voice trembling with emotion. “But newsflash: not everyone is at your beck and call. I’m not one of your staff, Roman. I’m not here to make your life easier or more entertaining. I’m here because I didn’t have a choice.”

Her words were sharp, cutting through the ego I usually wore like armor. “That’s not fair,” I said, my voice tight with anger. “I’ve done nothing but treat you well. You think I forced you into this? You signed that contract on your own.”

“Oh, give me a break,” she shot back, throwing her hands up. “I’m not stupid. I know there’s nothing about me a man like you could possibly find attractive. And you know what? I can make my peace with that. But I can’t make peace with being used by a man who thinks he can have anything he wants.”

She turned and marched toward the stairs.