Billionaire Auction by Brynn Paulin

Chapter Nineteen

Teacups—check. Small World—check. Princess-bejeweled mouse ears—check. One super-tired little girl—check.

Moriah carried Jade down the hallway to their suite, glad her sister was fairly small for a six-year-old. Over the other shoulder, she had a tote filled with their treasures from the day. Trying not to wake Jade, she wrestled her keycard from her pocket then unlocked her front door. To her surprise, the lights were on as she entered. The surprise gave way to knee-buckling shock as she saw the tall figure waiting for her a few feet away. A small scream escaped as she took a few steps backward. He was already coming toward her when she realized who it was a split-second later.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“Waiting for you, obviously.” He reached for Jade, but Moriah turned slightly to deflect him. “I’m not going to hurt her,” he growled.

She shook her head, stepping around him. She let the tote bag slide to the floor then headed toward Jade’s room. “Correct me if I’m wrong,” she said, “but didn’t you get shot recently. You don’t need to rip something open.”

“She’s not that heavy, and I’ve done nothing but heal for three weeks.”

Moriah scowled at the reminder. “Right. And remind me, what are you doing here?”

“Coming to get my woman.”

“Really? She’s in Florida somewhere?” she scoffed. Without waiting for an answer, she placed Jade on her bed.

“Don’t be a smartass,” he whisper-yelled from the doorway while she took off her sister’s shoes then tucked her into bed. Optimally, she should be putting her into jammies but dealing with Kendrick ranked higher at the moment.

She glared at him, then skirted around him again to leave the room. He closed the door behind them then stalked after her. He was inches away when she turned to face him. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, this time indicating the room.

“When I heard Jade say she wanted to see Mickey, I figured out where you were—well, generally anyway. I narrowed my options down to Florida or California…or maybe a Disney cruise. It didn’t take my people long to find your flight info and where you were staying, once I knew you’d left town.”

Handy. He’d told her he had hackers-but-not-hackers he could rely on. “That doesn’t answer my question. Maybe I should ask why are you here?”

He huffed an annoyed sigh and caught her hand, not letting go when she tried to pull away. And it took all her effort to do even that since all her nerve endings were jumping gleefully at the touch. She couldn’t deny she wanted him. Nothing about her attraction to him had dimmed. But he’d hurt her heart—she couldn’t forget that.

Kendrick sat on the couch where she’d tossed her phone earlier. As he pulled her onto his lap, she noticed it was now carefully placed on the coffee table. Not wanting to be so close to him, she tried to shift away but his steely embrace kept her right where he wanted her, flush against his chest. Mindful that he’d been hurt and not wanting to reinjure him, she didn’t fight as hard to get away as she might have in other circumstances.

“I never got your information,” he said, once she’d settled, albeit stiffly, on his lap. “I was in the hospital for almost the entire three weeks, longer than necessary, I’m sure, because they didn’t want the liability of something going wrong with a high-profile patient.”

“I left my number with the desk.”

“Never got it. Frank never got it, either. I swear…this past week I’ve been talking about getting you fitted with some kind of tracking device—”

“You’re not chipping me like a dog or something.”

“I was thinking of it being in a bracelet or your engagement ring or something.”

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself; don’t you?” At his frustration over not being able to find her, her anger was lessening, but not enough that she was ready to talk about the future he alluded to.

“No. If you haven’t realized I’m never giving you up, then you’re the one behind in the story.”

“Right,” she scoffed. “It took your hackers mere hours to find me in another state, but you couldn’t track me down in the same city?”

“Frank got you put on my list right away, but you never showed. They had me drugged up, and in that state, I thought you didn’t want to see me. Then we couldn’t find you. It’s true that once I was more coherent for longer periods, we had to deal with the fallout from your father’s arrest and the embezzling from Berg Trade. Still, my mind was never far from you, even when I was getting rid of most of the board—I’d been poised to do that anyway, but there was red tape. The number I had for you was wrong—old, I guess. Your message still played, so apparently, the number wasn’t deactivated. I thought you were ignoring me. Today when I got out of the hospital, I went directly to your house and demanded Mario let me speak to you.”

“My father gave me a new phone with a new number last year. I was getting weird calls from overseas…”

He stared at her as they both realized those calls had likely been trafficking contacts. Moriah pressed a hand to her stomach as her dinner roiled. Kendrick held her tighter, and she pressed her face into his neck.

“That’s when I found out you had a different number than the one I’d been given. I was furious, you know? That you’d ignore me like that? I was itching to take you over my knee and remind you who you belong to.”

“I thought you didn’t want me,” she whispered, inhaling his scent now that her anger was dissipating and she realized it was all a big misunderstanding with multiple hurdles to navigate. “I left my number at the hospital and asked that someone call me when it was okay to come see you. No one called.”

“Kitten, I promise you, no one delivered that message.”

She squeezed her arms around his shoulders. “I was so scared for you then so sad that you didn’t want me.”

“I’ll always want you. Moriah, I’m never letting you get away from me. When Mario said you’d left town…I just about lost my mind,” he confessed. “He said you put all the things you wanted in storage and that he didn’t know where you’d gone with Jade.”

That was true. Not wanting to burden the man who was already overburdened in this whole situation, I’d only told him I was taking Jade on vacation and would check in with him to see how things were going.

“Thank God he had your correct number,” Kendrick added.

“I’m glad,” she confessed. “How did you get in here, though?”

“Billionaire magic.”

“Mm-hmm,” she grumbled. “Well, we’re planning to be here for two weeks.”

“I know. I, too, am planning to be here for two weeks.”

“You’re going to work from here?”

He shrugged. “A little. Mostly not.”

She grinned. “Does that mean you’re up to all that is the Magic Kingdom?”

“I’ll even wear the mouse ears.”

“Jade will insist.” She smoothed her hands down his chest, remembering the last time she’d had her hands on him here. She’d been covering the bullet wound in his chest. Her palm made a circle over the general area. “They wouldn’t tell me anything at the hospital. What… I mean…” She closed her eyes. “I know you were shot but—”

His hand covered hers and he guided her fingers. “Bullet went in here. Nicked a rib but mostly went clean into the lung. That was the tricky part of everything. They sent me straight to surgery and I’ve been recovering since. Have another week before the doctor feels I’ll be back to tip-top—well, close to it anyway. Could actually be a couple more weeks, but I’ve always been a quick healer.”

“Thank you for not trying to be all macho and tough about it.”

“That would just make it take longer before I’m back to one-hundred percent for my girl.” He caught her chin and brushed his lips over hers, and Moriah swore the zing went clear to her core. “I love you, Moriah.”

Her breath caught on a jagged inhale. “I…I love you.”

Tears filled her eyes as he leaned his forehead into hers. She was back in his arms, back in the embrace of her forever.

His thumb brushed back and forth where he still held her chin. “You should know…you’re getting a spanking for hanging up on me then turning off your phone.”

That sent another thrill through her. God help her, she’d kind of come to love that. It always turned out well for her. “I don’t know,” she teased. “Do you think you’re up for it? I wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself.”

“Oh, I’m very up for it. I’m plenty well enough to take you in hand, little kitten. Besides…you’re going to be a very good girl and not fight me.” He guided her to her feet then stood. “Now, show me to your room.”

She wasn’t so sure how she felt about his assertion about her behavior, but she threaded her fingers through his anyway, then led him into her portion of the suite. It took her about three seconds to realize he hadn’t needed her to show him the way since his suitcase stood beside hers.

Moriah raised a brow at him, but Kendrick looked wholly unrepentant. “I know where I’m supposed to be,” he said. “More so, I know where you’re supposed to be.”

“Oh? And where’s that?”

“In my arms. Every night. You and Jade are moving in with me after this vacation.”

“I…”

“It’s not a question. It’s happening. I’ve already arranged for your things to be delivered to the penthouse. They’ll be there when we arrive, and Jade’s room will be all set up for her.”

“You’re a little high-handed, you know.”

“What I know is that you’re mine, and I’m taking care of you.” He flipped the lock on the door then closed the space between them. Immediately, he lifted the hem of the Mickey Mouse T-shirt she wore. Dropping it to their feet, he reached for the button of her denim shorts. She kicked off her sandals just before she slid the pants down her legs, leaving her in just her bra and panties.

She shifted her weight, her tongue darting along her bottom lip as she surveyed him, fully clothed in jeans and a Henley, the sleeves pushed up his muscular arms. While she watched, captivated by him and realizing she’d missed him even more than she’d realized, he moved around her and sat on the edge of the bed. Like a flower following the sun, she pivoted to face him. Never breaking their gaze, he slowly nodded once and patted his thigh.

“Are you serious?” she asked.

“Completely.”

She huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Moriah, where are we?” he asked evenly.

“My hotel room.”

He raised an eyebrow. She sighed, seeing exactly where this was going.

“The bedroom of my hotel suite,” she amended.

“And what does that mean?”

She looked away. “You’re being unreasonable.”

“And?” he asked, not missing a beat.

“And you think you’re in charge.”

“I think?”

She didn’t say anything, and he let the silence stretch, neither of them moving, neither of them willing to concede. Moriah knew she would. She’d promised, and damn it, she wanted to. Every part of her was drawn to him and his damn dominating rules. She could also see his point, even though she didn’t want to admit it. In her pique of anger, she’d blocked the opportunity to fix the situation between them—not that she was taking responsibility for the misunderstanding that had led to three weeks of misery.

“It’s not my fault we’ve been apart for three weeks,” she finally said, making sure they were on the same page about that.

“No, it’s not. The only issue at discussion is the phone call and you hanging up on me—and not telling me where you were when I asked.”

She rolled her eyes, still not looking at him while she fiddled with her ear. “Bellowed you mean.”

“Moriah.” There was no missing the warning in his tone.

She glared at him. “I’m not a child.”

“Clearly.” His eyes roamed up and down her body. Leaning forward, he rested his arms on his legs, then winced and adjusted so one arm bore no weight. “I thought we worked this all out before. You’re disobedient; I spank you. It’s the game we play. Our dynamic.”

“That was weeks ago,” she said.

“Your tastes have changed since then? Mine haven’t.”

No, hers hadn’t either. She was just being difficult, and they both knew it.

Sitting up straighter, he held out his hand. His stare brooked no further argument. Silently, Moriah placed her hand in his and let him pull her toward him until she stood between his parted legs. Her arms looped around his shoulders as she looked down at him, though they were nearly eye to eye.

“Is it always going to be a fight?” he asked.

“Probably,” she replied.

He shook his head with a half-smile.

“You like it,” she added.

Kendrick made a noncommittal sound and pulled her closer, so she tumbled against him, and he fell backward onto the bed with her clasped tight to him.

“I shouldn’t be lying on your chest,” she exclaimed, trying to wiggle away.

“You’re fine. Stay still. Just let me hold you for a minute.” He pressed his face into her neck. “God, I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea.”

“If it was anything like I missed you, I have some idea. It sucked being away from you. Thinking you didn’t want me…”

His arms tightened. “Never think that. I will always want you—”

“You can’t know that. Things change.”

“No, not this. This love we have between us? That’s not changing. Can’t you feel it? Deep down? How real it is? I’ve never felt this way about anyone or anything else.”

She had to admit she did. Deep down, she knew she’d never fall out of love with Kendrick. Even if something happened and they ended us apart, she’d always love him.

“Yes,” she admitted, resting her head on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. It was so solid and strong, telling her that he really was well-recovered from being shot, though she didn’t doubt he had a way to go before being one-hundred percent again, regardless of how he might try to convince her otherwise. She started to pull free of his embrace, but he tightened his hold—nothing wrong with his arm muscles!

“Where are you going?” he complained.

“Not far. Let me up.” She sat up and straddled him when he relaxed his hold. “I want to see.”

Kendrick groaned. “No, you don’t. Besides…” He guided her hand to where the bullet had hit him. “There’s a bandage over it still.”

She gently ran her fingers over the spot. A few inches left and it would have hit his heart. She swallowed hard.

He grasped the hand and brought it to his lips. “Baby, I’m okay.”

“But—”

“No buts. No what ifs. We’re both all right.”

“I hate that this happened to you.”

He grimaced. “I’m glad it was me and not you.”

“Better if it was neither.” Her fingers went to the hem of his Henley, intent on her mission.

“Moot point,” he replied. Shifting her to sit beside him, he sat upright and pulled off his shirt. He stood then removed his pants, leaving him in just his black boxer-briefs. The bulge from his need was evident and she licked her lips, hoping she could taste it tonight. “Okay, enough delaying,” he said, sitting then patting his thigh again.

Moriah huffed. “Really.”

“Let’s not start that loop again.”

“Fine.”

She stood then maneuvered herself over his parted legs. Kendrick smoothed his hand along her back. His fingertips trailed along her spine, lifting goose bumps and making her shiver at the sensual caress. Now that she was in position, he seemed to be in no big hurry to do more than touch her and she relaxed. Her anticipation grew with each featherlight drag along her skin until she was literally trembling with her need for him to get to the spanking. Her panties were damp from her need of him—something she wasn’t even sure she’d get—and she wondered if he’d push them down to expose her ass for his palm.

As if knowing her thought, he slipped his hand inside her panties to curve around one ass cheek and squeeze. Moriah couldn’t contain her moan. He inched the lacy garment down her thighs until it was around her knees. She shivered as he dragged his fingertips up along her thigh then traced the lower curve of her ass.

“You’re torturing me,” she complained.

“But does it feel good?”

She groaned, pressing her face into his leg.

“Do you know why you’re in this position?” he asked.

“Because you’re a sadist.”

He chuckled darkly. “Try again, bad girl.”

“It’s not my fault a misunderstanding kept us apart.”

“No, it’s not.”

“I shouldn’t have hung up on you.”

“No, you shouldn’t have.”

“And…I should have listened.”

“Right.”

“And you really like to spank me, so it works into your evil plan. Because really, you’re not one to hit me in anger.”

“I never would.” He kept caressing her, touching her all over—except where she really wanted him—so when the first blow of his hand on her ass came, she was wholly unprepared. Moriah reared up, crying out then moaning.

“Yes,” she whispered as his free arm clamped over her upper back, holding her down. She whimpered at the heat spreading along her rear as the spanks rained down—the heat and the moisture that was quickly dampening her pussy and slicking her upper thighs. God help her, but she loved it when he did this. She might call him a weirdo, but she was right there with him, wanting exactly what he was giving.

“Kendrick,” she gasped out. “Oh…God!” Colors cascaded around her as the last few strikes to her ass plunged her over the edge and into a soaring orgasm. Kendrick was moving her and filling her with her bent over the bed. Her climax expanded, rolling over her in stronger waves as he pummeled into her from behind, fucking her hard and with all the frustration they’d both experienced the past few weeks.

“Fuck, kitten,” he muttered. “Fuck yes. You feel…so good…squeezing me so hard with that pussy. You’re mine, Moriah. Mine.”

“Yes,” she promised.

“You like my cock taking you like this, don’t you? Claiming you. Owning you.”

“More. I want more. Harder,” she begged, even though she wasn’t sure he could go harder without breaking her. She’d missed him so much, needed him so badly, that nothing seemed enough in this moment. It might be a long time before either of them were sated enough to calm.

He leaned over her and kissed her shoulder. Rather than going harder, his pumps slowed, each pull and drove dragging over every part of her sensitive, inner walls, so intimate and caring. His lips moved along her neck up to just behind her ear.

“I love you. You’re my everything,” he murmured. “I’m nothing without you. You make me whole. You give me purpose. Don’t ever leave me.”

“Never,” she vowed. “I love you. I love you.”

“Good because I’m never letting you go.”

She belonged. Not to him, but here in his embrace. He may have paid cash to save her in that auction, but the real payment had been giving her his heart. He owned her, and she owned him just as much, having paid with her heart, too. And knowing that calmed every storm inside her. With him, she was safe in a way she never had been.

Moriah, reached back, cupping his head and holding him to her as he continued making love to her and kissing her neck and shoulders. “I’m never letting you go, either. Ever. This is where our forever begins.”

Kendrick pushed deep one last time, his forehead against the nape of her neck, and stilled, other than involuntary shudders as he lost himself in her.

“Forever,” he promised. “Forever.”