The Billionaire’s Bride by L. Steele

21

Ava

The glow of a cigarette lights up the darkness, then a puff of smoke haloes his features.

"Edward?" I frown. "How many cigarettes do you smoke in a day?"

"A pack, maybe more?" He raises a shoulder and I gasp.

"A pack? Seriously, Ed?" I admonish, "These things will kill you."

"But what a sweet death it will be, hmm?" He takes another drag and the fragrant scent of burning tobacco fills the space. "Apparently, when I decided to fall from grace, I took the express." He smirks.

I toss my hair over my shoulder. "Honestly, I never know what to expect from you anymore."

"You and me both." His smile vanishes as he surveys the tip of his cigarette, "I am getting very good at surprising myself as well."

I walk over to him, take the cigarette from him and put it between my lips. I inhale, and instantly, my lungs burn. I cough, tears stream down my cheeks, and he laughs.

Smirking, he snatches the cigarette back and takes a healthy puff… Yeah, okay, so not that healthy. He takes another drag, this time blowing out a smoke circle.

"Why Father—I mean, Mr. Chase, I do believe you are showing off."

His eyebrows knit. "Maybe." His voice grows remote. Shit, what did I do now to piss him off?

"Sorry about the slip of the tongue… I guess, on some level, I still think of you as Father."

"Is it so difficult for you to perceive me as a normal man?" He scowls.

"Yes." I shake my head, "No. I don’t know. Perhaps there was always an element of the forbidden about you earlier that attracted me, you know."

"You mean you are no longer attracted to me now?" His frown deepens.

"I didn’t say that."

"Are you worried that I am going to lose my temper with you?" he asks softly, "Because I almost killed a man?"

I shake my head truthfully. "It’s not that, either. I know I sounded surprised earlier, but that’s only because it came out of the blue, to find out what you’d done."

"Then, what is it?" He reaches for the ashtray on the chair next to him and stubs out his cigarette. "Why is it that since I returned, you’ve held yourself at a distance from me?"

"Distance?" I fold my arms across my chest. "I don’t think my behavior with you kept much distance between us."

"You mean my making you come?"

A blush sears my cheeks. Thank God, it’s already dark. Hopefully, he didn’t spot how fiery my cheeks are right now.

He prowls toward me, his massive shoulders outlined against the inkiness of the night. Heat spools off of his body, slams into my chest. I gulp; my throat dries. He pauses in front of me, the boots on his feet brushing against my bare feet.

"You’re not wearing any shoes?" he murmurs.

"I, ah, I was on my way to get my clothes from the dryer."

His amber eyes glow, "So no underclothes either?"

Heat flushes my skin and my stomach flip-flops.

"Answer me, Eve, do you have any underclothes on?" His voice lowers to a hush and I shiver.

"No," I whisper, "I am naked under this bathrobe."

His nostrils flare, "Did you say that purposely to turn me on?"

"Wh-what?" I stutter. "Of course, not. You’re the one who started out on this entire train of thought."

"But you’re the one who brought it to the surface."

"What, because I said I was naked under—?"

"Shh." He places one thick finger on my lips, "Don’t say anything else. Not unless you want me to take this conversation to its logical destination."

His voice is thick with lust. Desire pulses between us. The strength of his dominance pins me down, pushes down on my shoulders. My throat closes. I can’t breathe, can’t think, can’t do anything except stare up into his hard features. His jaw tics and a vein throbs at his temple. "Yes or no, Eve?"

His tone is hard, yet wary. As if he can’t predict my response to him anymore. And it’s true, in a way, I am not sure myself how to react to him. To what this man gave up for me. How he changed his life completely, to such an extent that I don’t know him anymore… And that’s a side benefit of this trip, right?

A chance to understand both of them. To find out what makes them tick. To share of myself with them, in the hopes of finding whom I am more compatible with.

"What is it to be, Eve?" he demands. "Yes or no?" The tendons of his throat move as he swallows. Perhaps it’s that slight giveaway, the clue that he’s not as sure of himself as he portrays himself to be, which propels me to jerk my chin.

His gaze narrows, "Say it aloud, Eve."

"Yes." I clear my throat, "Ye—"

He places his hands on my hips, lifts me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist, the bathrobe parting to reveal what I’ve tried to keep hidden. He fits his lips over mine and licks the seam. I part my lips and he sweeps his tongue inside. He swipes his tongue across my teeth, closes his mouth over mine and drinks from me. I sense us move, then feel the wall against my back. He thrusts forward, fitting his swollen length that tents his jeans against my melting core. It’s so good, so hot, a groan tumbles from my lips. He swallows it, slides his hand down the open neck of my robe. He pinches my nipple and the spot between my legs instantly grows wet… Okay, wetter. He presses kisses down my jawline, to the base of my throat. He nibbles on the pulse there and I can’t stop the moan that wells up.

"These little noises you make, Eve..." he growls, "I’ve missed them. Fuck, I’ve missed you, baby. So much."

I wrap my arms about his neck, pressing his head down further. He kisses his way down to the valley between my tits, then nips at the curve of my breast. I feel it all the way down to my core. He cups my breast, squeezes, turns his head, and bites on my swollen nipple. Goosebumps flare on my skin. I squeeze my thighs around him, pushing myself into the bulge at his groin.

A growl rumbles from him, "I need to be inside you, Eve."

Yes.

"Say it aloud."

"Yes," I murmur, "Yes, yes—"

He slips his hand between us, thrusts two thick fingers inside my melting channel. Oh, my god! I pant, rolling my head back against the wall. He adds a third finger and I moan. He works his digits in and out of me, in and out, and my entire body shudders. "Edward, oh, my god, Ed."

He kisses his way up my throat, nips on my chin, then closes his mouth over mine again. All the time he’s working my pussy, sawing in and out of me, wet, squelching noises filling the space. Heat flushes my skin as I realize that’s me… It’s my sopping pussy that’s causing that filthy sound. And that only turns me on even more. I pant into his mouth, share his breath, as he thrusts his fingers inside of me. He pulls out, only to cram his fingers back in me with such force that my body bucks. The climax crashes over me. I curve my spine, throw my head back and scream… At least, I think I must have, but he absorbs every last sound.

He pulls his fingers out of me. I hear the clink of his belt buckle, the rasp of the zipper being lowered, then he lines himself up with my entrance. He thrusts forward, burying himself inside of me, and I gasp. Too much, too full; there’s so much of him. "Edward," I moan, “Ed, pleas—"

"Shh." He stays there, stretching me, throbbing inside of me, allowing me to adjust to his girth. As if that were possible.

"Why do you feel bigger than before?" I whisper. "What have you been doing with yourself?"

"If you mean, did I masturbate while I was away, the answer is no."

"Wait…" I blink. "What? You didn’t?"

He shakes his head. "How could I? When all I wanted was to feel your cunt—" he tilts his hips and pushes into me, "gripping my dick." He pulls out, then propels forward, burying himself to the hilt again. I moan. "When all I wanted to hear was the sound of your voice crying out for release." He slides his fingers behind to cup my butt, then drags the tip of his finger against my backhole, "When all I wanted to feel was you writhing against me."

Heat flushes my skin; my belly flip flops. He eases his digit inside my puckered hole. A moan slips from my lips. His dick thickens inside of me and I gasp. I clamp down on his cock and a groan rumbles up his throat.

"You’re killing me, Eve."

He begins to fuck me in earnest. In-out-in, he nails me against the wall, and I am helpless, and turned on, and melting inside. I dig my fingers into his broad shoulders, feel the flex of his muscles as he rams into me again and again. His big body shudders, the planes of his back ripple, and hell, if that doesn’t turn me on even more. I clench my thighs about his waist. He places his palm behind my head to cushion it, then tilts his hips and lunges forward. He hits a spot deep inside of me, one I didn’t even know existed. The climax sweeps out from my core, shudders up my spine. "Ed, I’m—"

"Come with me," he rasps. "Come with me, Eve."

His entire body seems to tremble, then a groan rips from him. His dick pulses inside me and he buries his head in my neck as he shoots warm jets of cum inside me. My climax crashes over me and sparks flutter behind my eyes. I stay there, surrounded by him, engulfed in his masculinity, as the aftershocks grip me. He raises his head, kisses my mouth, my closed eyes, "You, okay?" he murmurs as he holds me close.

I nod, try to open my eyes, but it’s like they are weighted down.

"Ed," I force my eyes open, "the studio. Why is there a studio in this space?"

"It’s the reason I bought the place."

"I… I don’t understand."

"When I was away from you, I knew when I came back, I’d do my best to make things up to you. Sinner helped me reach out to a few real estate agents about the kind of place I wanted to buy. This one just happened to be on the market, and when I read the details, I knew it was perfect.

"Because of the studio?"

"Because I knew you’d love to have a space of your own to work out and dance in." He swallows. "Because I want you to have a space where you can let go…in your own home."

"Oh." I swallow. "You remembered?"

"I remember everything, Eve. How you wrinkle your nose when you’re unsure about something. How you move your hips when you dance. How you screw up your eyes when you smile."

"I don’t screw up my eyes," I yawn and my eyes water.

He chuckles, "I think I wore you out."

"I’m just recovering from what happened yesterday."

His jaw hardens. "I’ll never let anything happen to you, Eve. You have to believe that."

I glance into his amber eyes, and somehow, I believe him. This man... He’d take a bullet for me… Correction, he already took a bullet for me.

"I know." I rub my cheek against his chest. "I believe you, Ed."

He winds his arms around me and the familiar scent of cut grass envelops me. My muscles relax and my eyelids flutter down.

I feel a soft brush against the top of my head, "Sleep, darling, I’ve got you."