Billionaire Auction by Brynn Paulin

Chapter Twelve

Back at their picnic on the gazebo, Moriah looked into his eyes adoringly as he brought the spoon to her mouth, giving her the last bite of their dessert. It was a simple lemon tart of sorts, rich and delicate, and perfect to share. She chewed slowly and savored the sweet and sour before she swallowed, all without breaking their gaze. Her eyes sparkled with unspoken words. She probably didn’t realize she was revealing so much with her regard, but he was old enough to recognize the sentiments that lingered in those beautiful depths.

Kendrick leaned in and licked a little bit of whipped lemon off the corner of her mouth. However, he couldn’t stop there. That little taste turned into a full-blown kiss. Slow, passionate, exploring. His tongue swept in to possess her.

When they separated, panting, their lips hovered only a hairsbreadth apart, both waiting in expectation. Would they fall into each other again?

She inhaled softly as if to mark a memory, to capture his scent maybe, then gently brushed her nose against his before she leaned her forehead to his. While this might have come off as a simple display of affection to others, Kendrick read her body language as declarations of how much she trusted him and how much she welcomed him into her space.

He was humbled by Moriah’s confidence in him. A lesser man might have been intimidated, might have been concerned by the speed in which the relationship was evolving, but not Kendrick. There was no need to overanalyze what they had. Taking risks and coming out on top was a day-to-day norm for him. Why would he doubt his instincts now?

Kendrick noted it would be easy for him to become obsessed with Moriah. He’d always had a dominant personality, and as a natural leader, that made him want to take charge of things, to be in control, and get his way. These character traits made him very successful in life. Moriah’s personality fit with his in the way two matching puzzle pieces snap together into place. She was perfect for him. She seemed almost eager to please him, craved his guidance, and deferred to him in things of importance, while still being able to maintain her strong spirit—that latter was extremely important to him. He didn’t want a puppet, that’s for sure. Best of all, she was brilliant, interesting to converse with, easy to like, and fun to be around. And though she might not realize it yet, he wasn’t letting her go come Monday.

She’d said she was his, she gave herself to him, and he was holding her to everything she’d promised. “Yes, I’ll obey you.” … “I’m yours, Kendrick.” …

Moriah pulled back and smiled at him, drawing him from his musings. “What are you thinking about?”

In the soft, late-afternoon light, her hair blowing in the breeze, her cheeks radiating a satisfied glow from their intimacy, and her lips pink and swollen from his kiss, he almost wished he’d hired a photographer for the day. He could imagine wonderful photos of her on his walls.

“Nothing of concern,” he responded with a wink. “Just noting how beautiful you are.”

She giggled and dropped her gaze, blushing at the compliment, and his heart melted. Fuck. Jof was right. He was already in love with everything Moriah. He wanted to love her, protect her, give her the best of all he had, and cherish her.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

“I told you,” he said. “You’re beautiful.”

“It’s more than that,” she whispered then gazed off into the distance. “Your eyes…they…I don’t know. They devour me.”

Kendrick chuckled. “Wow. That sounds sinister.”

She laughed then, too. “Right?” She rose from the blanket. “You’re so intense, is all.”

“Is that a bad thing?” he asked as he climbed to his feet. He captured her in his arms. “I don’t want to scare you off.”

Moriah shook her head. “No. And you could never scare me off. You own me, remember? I’m yours.”

He smacked her ass for her sassy rebuttal. “Don’t you forget it.”

“Can we take a walk?”

“Well, there’s a hedge labyrinth behind the main house. Would you like to see it?”

“Really” She damn near bounced in excitement. “Yes!”

“The gardens are one of the things I make sure are kept up on property. I sometimes host charity events on the patio when the weather is nice like this.”

“What’s in the middle?”

He laughed. “You’ll have to wait and see!”

Taking his hand in hers, Moriah pulled him toward the back of the property. He couldn’t help but get excited with her. She was so full of life, and in that moment, he realized he’d become a jaded asshole. He rarely enjoyed these things anymore—helicopter rides and such. But with Moriah, it suddenly all seemed new and interesting.

“How fun!” She giggled as she navigated the stone pathway, dragging him along in her haste to get through the immaculately hedged labyrinth. “This is so awesome!” she exclaimed in breathless anticipation.

He chuckled at her childlike wonder and was glad he’d sought the best gardeners and landscapers in the area to maintain the back garden. The hedges were healthy—tall and thick enough to well-hide the surprise in the middle, making for an exciting journey even though the labyrinth didn’t have the navigational challenges of a maze.

When they finally reached the center, Moriah inhaled sharply. Releasing his hand, she took tentative steps toward the old marble fountain. “It’s amazing. The water is so clean and clear.” She circled the water feature to gander at the many statues of Greek deities positioned around the blooming garden.

Kendrick sat on the large stone bench, content to watch his kitten explore and play—and play she did. To his surprise, she kicked off her shoes and actually got into the fountain.

“You should come wade with me,” she called over her shoulder. “The water is wonderful.”

He shook his head. “You enjoy. I like watching.”

“Do you now? You like to watch?” He knew she was about to do something absolutely naughty because her lips curved up in a mischievous smile. “Okay. Watch this then.” She took off her dress and tossed it onto the ground, leaving her standing in the fountain as naked as the marble nymphs dancing around them.

“Moriah!” he snapped and shot to his feet.

“What?” she laughed. “No one is around. And see, now you’re coming over here. Anyway, I’ve never been skinny-dipping, and I’ve always wanted to try it.”

Kendrick rolled his eyes. “That’s a fountain. You don’t swim in fountains. If you want to go skinny-dipping, then someday, I’ll take you somewhere you can do so.” He held out his hand to help her step out, but she didn’t take it.

Moriah crossed her arms and pouted. “I don’t want to get out yet.” Then she kicked her foot and splashed him. She laughed and lunged away from his grasp, escaping his clutches and retreating farther into the fountain.

He rubbed the drops of water from his face with as much dignity as he could, considering the absurd situation. “I obviously didn’t spank you enough earlier.”

“You did,” she assured. She marched around the fountain one last time before hopping out. She sashayed over to him before wrapping her arms around his neck and crushing her bare body against his. “I’m being bad. I’m sorry. Do you forgive me?”

How could he not when she asked so sweetly? “I’m still going to spank you when we get home.” His palms cupped her bare rear.

“I wouldn’t expect anything less.” She pulled her arms down and flounced over to the stone bench. “Let’s just get it over with. I’d rather not wait.”

“Excuse me?”

She bent over, grasped the edge of the seat and swayed her ass at him. “Come on now. Just do it already.”

Little brat. “What happened to Miss ‘I don’t think I could do another round’?”

Moriah shrugged. “That was a couple hours ago. I’m fine now. I can hardly tell you even spanked me.” She looked over her shoulder and lifted her brows. “You must be out of practice. Pity.”

Kendrick moved to where she was, nudged her aside and sat himself on the bench. In rapid succession, snatched her wrist, pulled her over his lap, adjusted her to a safe prone position to receive discipline, and immediately started dishing that discipline out.

It happened so fast all Moriah could do was let out a small squeak in protest, but by then, his palm was already reddening her rear something fierce—much harder than he’d done previously, lest she ever make the mistake of taunting him again with “I can hardly tell you ever spanked me. You must be out of practice.”

When she screamed in objection, he smacked her ass even harder. “Quiet. Be quiet, Moriah. Right now.” She instantly fell silent. Other than for her gasping, she did as he instructed. And while he spanked the little brat, he listed his reasons for doing so, with extra emphasis on her sudden change in attitude.

“It’s called topping from the bottom. Have you ever heard of that?”

“No,” she sobbed.

He quickly pulled her off his lap and positioned her so she straddled his legs with her weight resting on her thighs rather than her burning rear. He tsked and wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs.

“Moriah. It means you’re trying to control the relationship after you’ve assigned that control to someone else. Do you remember what you agreed to on the plane?”

She sniffled. “I agreed to obey you.”

“Exactly.”

“In the bedroom,” she added, lowering her gaze. “We’re not in a bedroom.”

“You’re naked. This counts as bedroom play.”

“Are we going to have sex then?”

Damn. She sounded almost hopeful. She still had a lot to learn, he acknowledged, and he didn’t want to ruin the day. “Would you like that, kitten?”

She lifted an unsure shoulder. “Maybe.”

Kendrick decided his cock needed a spanking for getting fucking hard from her simple maybe. “I’ll tell you what. If you want it, you’re free to proceed. Pull down the zipper and see how much I want you right now.”

Moriah looked down between her legs to the bulge resting between his. Obviously intrigued, she rose and, after unzipping his pants, pulled his rigid cock from the fabric constraints.

“What now?” she asked, licking her lips.

“Well, what do you want to do?” he asked.

Rather than answering, she lowered herself to her knees and wrapped her mouth around him. Kendrick couldn’t have imagined how sexy it would be to have Moriah naked and on her knees, sucking his dick in the center of a garden in the middle of the afternoon.

He groaned as she sucked and licked until he was on the edge of coming. Perhaps sensing how close he was, she got to her feet and, with measured movements, straddled him again. On her tippy-toes, she fisted his shaft and guided the moist head to her pussy.

“That’s it, kitten. Nice and slow. Take your time.”

She carefully impaled herself, slowly lowering herself upon his girth with moans of pain and pleasure. By the time she was fully seated, she was panting and her fingernails dug into his shoulders.

His eyes almost rolled back at the sensation of her silky heat enveloping him. Her walls squeezed him as her own reactions rolled through her, but he didn’t rush her. He let her get used to the new position, the width and length of his dick so deep inside her pussy.

“Now what?” she whispered.

He kissed her neck, grappling with his control, when every instinct told him to take over. “I recommend moving your hips gently.”

Moriah complied, rocking back and forth. It must have felt as good to her as it did to him because she increased her speed. She soon found her rhythm and rode him like a pro, yelping her passion as she sought her climax.

It didn’t take long. She came, her warm, tight pussy gripping his dick like a vise as she fucked him quick and hard. Tingles clawed at the base of his spine, beckoning him to let go. He wanted her to reach her release first. Finally, she threw back her head and screamed her climax, propelling him to spill within her.

When they both came back to themselves, Moriah was content to lay her head on his shoulder and rest. His arms closed around her. He never wanted to let her go. He never would! That knowledge echoed through him, calming him.

They stayed like that for a while, him simply holding her, until the distant womp-womp-womp sound roused him from his stupor.

He needed to get Moriah up and dressed. “Up you go, kitten.”

* * * *

While Kendrick knew Moriah’s ass was sore, as was everything below her waist considering all the sex they’d enjoyed that day, his kitten didn’t show any discomfort—at least, not at the moment. To allow time for his assistant and chef to prepare for the seven o’clock surprise at home, he’d had Frank take them on a helicopter tour of the city. Moriah was entranced.

“It’s so beautiful from up here,” she marveled.

Kendrick nodded, though his sights were on her, not the cityscape. He could watch her forever.

“Will you take me to church in the morning?” she asked, pointing to a large cathedral.

“Of course.”

She beamed. “My dad would never take me. I’d either have to go alone, or not go at all.”

“Well, I’m nothing like your father,” he assured. His phone buzzed. It was his assistant.

Dinner ready. Flowers, as requested. Bath drawn. Fireplace lit.

He texted his thanks and instructed Frank to take them home.