Page 77 of The Wrong Groom

“Even though I know this marriage won’t be forever,” she whispers, her voice trembling just the faintest bit, “I’m glad it was you. My first time. I’m really glad.”

Her words hit me harder than I expect. I smile, but something twists in my gut, sharp and unrelenting. Because as much as I want to tell myself that this arrangement has a clean expiration date, hearing her say it out loud makes something deep in my chest clench painfully.

“So am I,” I murmur, my thumb brushing lightly against her cheek. I reach up and tuck a loose strand of her hair behind her ear, my touch lingering longer than necessary. “I’m glad it’s you too.”

Chapter 26

Alexis

Warmth presses along my back, easing me awake. The scratch of Gabriel’s stubble at my neck reaches me first, somewhere in the haze between sleep and waking, and then the heat of his lips follows. My eyes drift open as he kisses a slow path from the base of my neck up behind my ear, and I shiver when he catches the lobe between his teeth.

“Good morning.” His voice is low and rough with sleep. Desire curls in my belly, pulling me the rest of the way awake. “Were you dreaming about me the way I was dreaming about you?”

My body answers before I can, heat blooming through me and spreading out across my skin. Honestly, I’m still worn out from yesterday, from what we did at the restaurant in the middle of the afternoon, and I couldn’t tell him a single dream even if I’d had one—but with his lips on me again and his hard cock pressing into my ass, I don’t need to dream.

I have the real thing.

And it’s so much better than anything my mind could have come up with.

We’re both naked—even though nothing happened between us last night, the feel of falling asleep skin to skin was incredible—and he drags one hand up my side, his fingers exploring lightly until they find my breast. He rolls my nipple under his thumb until it goes tight, grinding his cock against my ass in a slow rhythm.

“This is all I could think about,” he whispers as he presses a kiss to my shoulder.

My eyelids flutter at the words, because I still can’t quite believe them. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, not after the way he fucked me yesterday, but it’s barely sunk in that he doesn’t just find me attractive. He wants me. Intensely.

Gabriel kisses my neck again, dragging his lips along the skin. “This is embarrassing to admit, but I feel like a fucking addict. I was hard all night.”

“You should’ve woken me up,” I murmur, pressing back against the insistent hardness of his cock. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was still asleep, because it almost feels too good to be real.

He huffs a quiet laugh against my ear. “Wasn’t sure you’d want me to. You’re still new to this, sunshine, and I take our agreement for me to teach you seriously. I don’t want to wear you out.”

“I want you to.” The words come out before I can second-guess them, and my face heats at my own boldness.

He makes a low sound, and his hand slides back down my body. He lets it drift between my thighs, his fingers sliding through the folds of my pussy like he’s in no rush at all. My breath catches as my back arches on its own, my whole body lighting up as my pulse quickens.

I’m still a little sore from yesterday, but when he eases a finger inside me, a ravenous ache spreads through me, overriding everything else.

“You’re already soaked.” His mouth grazes my neck. “You sure you weren’t dreaming about me?” He works his finger in and out slowly, opening me up in a way that makes it clear he’s very conscious that my body is still learning. I appreciate the gentleness, but it also leaves me craving more in a way that I can’t quite tamp down. I roll my hips against his hand, pressing his finger deeper, and he chuckles again. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Gabriel,” I whisper, my voice breathless.

“Yeah, sunshine?”

“I am sore, but…” I swallow. Despite reading the steamiest of sex scenes with a straight face, I’m not quite at the point where I can say dirty things out loud without blushing a little. Still, the way Gabriel touches me and looks at me, the way he seems to like it when I ask for what I need, gives me the confidence to keep going. To be a little demanding. “But I need you to fuck me. I need to remind myself that yesterday was truly real. That it was really that good.”

He blows out a harsh breath as his cock throbs against my ass, the heel of his hand pressing against my clit. “It really was that good. It was the kind of sex that will stick with me until the day I die. But I’m more than happy to remind you.”

He teases my pussy a while longer, fucking me lightly with two fingers while he grinds against my clit. It feels incredible, and I know what he’s doing—making sure I’m so worked up that my body will take him easily despite the soreness from yesterday. I appreciate it, but it’s also driving me crazy, because I’m already desperate for him.

“Please,” I whimper, gripping his thick forearm as I ride his hand with increasing shamelessness. “I’m ready, Gabriel. More than ready. I—I need you.”

“Fucking hell,” he grates out.

He slides his finger free and brings his hand to his cock, then notches the head against my entrance from behind. I hold my breath, waiting for that incredible stretch, and the air leaves my lungs in a rush of surprise when he hooks my leg back over his, opening me up at a new angle.

“There we go. Just like that.” He lines himself up and starts to press in slowly, one hand slipping down between my breasts to find my clit.

God, I’m so fucking glad we decided not to use condoms. I know there’s a countdown ticking over our time together, and I would hate to think we wasted any of it with anything between us. I might not have anything else to compare it to, but the feel of Gabriel’s thick cock sliding into me bare, his velvety skin stretching me open, is the most indescribable sensation I’ve ever experienced.