Stranded With The Billionaire by Brynn Paulin

Chapter Eight

~ Silas ~

At first, I’d thought I was hallucinating. But when our gazes had locked, I’d known this was very much real. I couldn’t get to her fast enough. Holding her in my arms beneath the falls…complete bliss and pure hell. But we had to talk before anything happened.

“You’re mine,” I repeated. I couldn’t say it enough, and I sounded like a damn caveman, but I didn’t fucking care.

“Yes.” She swiveled, so she straddled my lap, and her arms went around my neck.

“And when we get off the island, you’ll tell that fiancé to fuck off.”

She laughed and dropped her face to my shoulder.

“What?” I asked.

She took a deep breath and huffed it out. “I pretty much already did before I left to take the job. I told you…my parents are always controlling my life. The engagement was something they set up. The wedding’s supposed to be a couple weeks from now. For the second time in my life, I stood up to them and told them no way. The first time was when I picked the major I wanted in college and not what they wanted me to do. Anyway, I guess I basically ran away from home, as ridiculous as that sounds since I’m twenty-two. And I hate him. I really hate him. He attacked me and tried to rape me my freshman year of college. I would never marry an asshole like him.”

The idea of that—hell, all of it—enraged me. He wouldn’t get near her again…and her awful parents… As soon as we got off this island, I’d take care of them, too. Lily might fight me, but she didn’t need them in her life. I doubted she’d have a hard time agreeing to that. She probably wouldn’t even miss them.

But why lie to me? “Then why did you…”

“Lie to you?”

“Yes.”

She sighed. “When you were just Silas the boat pilot, I was more attracted to you than I’ve ever been to anyone.”

“Or ever will be,” I growled.

Lily grinned. “Okay, caveman. Anyway, I could easily see something happening between us, but then you were Silas my boss. That was different. I said the only thing I could think of to put distance between us. I can’t have a relationship with you and work for you.”

“Why not?”

“Um, because you’d be my boss and it would put me in a compromised position?” She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Why not?” I repeated.

“’Cause I’m not going to work for you.”

“Yes, you are.”

“I can’t and be your lover—”

“You can and you will. That’s been the plan all along. I want you, Lily. I’ve wanted you from the first time I saw you back on the university’s campus.”

She narrowed her eyes and drew back from me. I tightened my arms to keep her in place.

“You mentioned that before. What are you talking about?”

“I was in town for some financial meetings and decided to visit my brother on campus between commitments. We were walking through the commons when I saw you. Thank God, he knew who you were.”

“But…” Lily stared at me aghast, and the look hit me like a hard kick to the stomach. “Is there really a job? Did you make that up?”

“As convenient as it sounds, yes, there really is. Everything you’ve been told about it is true. The person you’re replacing fell in love, eloped and left us in a huge bind. I’m not saying I wouldn’t have created a position for you, but I didn’t need to. The thing is, I knew from the second I saw you that I wanted you, that you were intended to be mine. I would have moved heaven and earth to make it work. I suspected you wouldn’t be happy without fulfilling work to keep you busy. As someone whose business has been his life for years, I understand that. So nutshell: I planned for you to be mine and for you to work at the school. Never one or the other.”

“That’s all… That’s a lot to take in, Silas.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Just once in my life, I’d like to make my own decisions and not be manipulated into the position someone else wants me in.”

Fuck! This went south fast. I hadn’t expected that reaction. Well, maybe, I had a little. It’s why I’d kept it a secret for so long. If I could have gotten away with never telling her, I would have.

I scrambled. “Lily, you can be whoever you want to be. We can go wherever you want to go. You can choose. I can work from anywhere; it doesn’t have to be on the plantation. Just…the only thing I want—what I’m pleading for, if you want the truth—is that you’ll be mine. And I’ll be yours. I swear it.”

She opened her eyes and raised a brow at me. “The bossy caveman is going to let me do what I want?”

“Truth?”

“Truth.”

“I’ll always be bossy, and I’ll always try to get my way. But I’ll always listen to you when it comes to us, what you want and our family.”

“Our family?” she echoed.

I nodded. “I’d like kids. You want kids, right?”

“This is really fast.”

“Maybe a little. But we’ve been practically attached at the hips the past ten days, and we’ve had more experience and togetherness than most couples heading to the altar.”

Her gaze dropped as she sucked in her bottom lip and thought. I felt her relax in my hold. That was a good sign, right?

“Promise?” she finally said.

“I’ll promise you anything—except letting you go,” I quickly added.

She smiled. “I mean about listening to me. I know you’ll always be bossy, and I can deal with that, but I need to know what I say matters.”

I leaned my forehead to hers. “Every word you say matters. Every single breath. Every beat of your heart.”

Maybe that was mushy, but she had to know I was all in with her.

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

Her lips brushed mine. “I’ll be with you,” she whispered. “And I’ll teach at the plantation.”

“Thank God.” My arms tightened around her, and I turned, putting her under me. Her knees came up to either side of my hips, and my cock nestled into her cradle of her thighs, rubbing against her tiny little panties.

She moaned, rocking against me. “You feel so good.”

“I’m going to make it feel so much better. You have no fucking idea how close to hell it was holding you in my arms every night and having your little ass rubbing against me. Heaven and hell…” That seemed to define all our moments so far.

“I wasn’t sure if you wanted me.”

“Oh, I’ve wanted you.” My hands fisted in her long, honey blonde hair, completely free of its braid now. I angled her for my lips, kissing her deeply as I ground against her pussy, showing her just how much I’d wanted her. Her little cries drove me on as she moved with me. Her fingers dug into my shoulders, her moans filling my mouth, and I knew I’d make her come like this. Hell, I was so close I might follow her into that pleasure and come all over her belly.

A few more slides and Lily screamed into me, stiffening and arching up. I gritted my teeth and pressed my face into her shoulder, willing myself not to explode all over her. I wanted all my come inside her, marking her as mine.

She sighed in pleasure as she came down, and I lifted up to pull off her panties.

“So good,” she murmured, threading her hands in my hair as I kissed my way down her torso. “I always thought I’d be married first.”

I froze and looked up at her. I knew she was a virgin, but did she want the vows first?

“I wasn’t exactly saving myself,” she said when she realized her words had stopped me. “I’d just gotten to the point where I thought my first time would be with my husband…if I ever got married.”

“I think it should be,” I replied, startling myself.

She blinked at me. “You… We’re… Not going to?”

I kissed her navel, regretting my words before I even said them. Well, part of them anyway. Part of them I could never regret. Lily was mine, and it was the right step.

“No. Not yet. Lily…” I knelt and pulled her to kneel with me then sit back on her heels. Moving close, I straddled her bent legs and cupped her face. “Lily, will you marry me? Be mine?”

“Silas… You don’t have to—”

“Trust me, I want it more than you can imagine.”

Her tongue darted across her bottom lip. “You really want to?”

“I really, really want to.”

“Yes. Silas, yes, I really want that, too.”

And suddenly, I could breathe again. I hadn’t realized how tight my chest had become. “Tomorrow.”

“Um…” She made a face, her eyebrows drawn together. “We’re kind of stranded on this island. Unless you know something I don’t know…”

“Meet me on the shore at sunset. We’ll make our vows to each other, we’ll be married in our hearts, united by our souls. And to me that’s more binding than a piece of paper or words said before an official.”

Tears filled her eyes, but the tenderness there, the beautiful happiness, showed her overwhelming emotions. “Yes, I’ll marry you tomorrow night.”

“And I’ll be your husband; you’ll be my wife. Forever.”

* * * *

~ Lily ~

Silas had avoided me all day. After his proposal yesterday, we’d washed together, but he’d kept it from getting too intimate. We’d dressed, then it had been business as usual. Sort of. I mean, Silas had kissed me every chance he’d gotten, and bedtime had involved a lot more cuddling than in the past. Cuddling and kissing and touching… But he’d stopped me before we’d gone too far. And I was okay with that. I knew he was handing me the bit of fairytale romance that he could, making things as perfect as possible while stranded on this tropical island. First, we’d make our vows to each other before the universe. Then we’d become one.

Last night, I couldn’t help my smile as I fell asleep. This morning, he’d been gone before I’d woken. Honestly, I hadn’t seen a sign of him all day. By lunch, I’d gotten the message. He was doing the whole “don’t see the bride before the wedding thing.” I giggled when I realized it, and I stopped looking for him.

Butterflies took off in my stomach as the sun settled low in the sky. What would happen? Would he be there? Of course, he’d be there. This was his idea. But what if he’d changed his mind? He wouldn’t, would he? I knew he wouldn’t. But how would this change things in our relationship? It would change everything. We’d be together, completely together.

I pressed a hand to my belly and headed into the cabin. Earlier today, I’d gone to the waterfall to wash. I wanted to be perfect for him, and I’d taken extra time to lotion my skin and paint my nails a delicate shell-pink. My hair was twisted into a complicated braid coronet with wispy pieces framing my face. Now, I pulled on a pretty white sundress that I’d left rolled up in my bag after I’d dried it that first day. It wasn’t fancy, but it seemed appropriate. The bodice hugged my torso while the skirt flared out from my waist and fell to just below mid-thigh. Wide, crocheted-cotton lace edged the bottom and brushed my knees. Simple, but pretty.

I tied the top behind my neck and looked around the cabin. It was tidy as usual, but I hadn’t done anything special with it to celebrate our wedding night. With limited supplies, there wasn’t really much I could do.

I took a deep breath. Okay. This was it.

Barefoot, I took the path to the beach. As I broke the tree line, I saw Silas, waiting there, his body in profile to me, highlighted by the fiery sun painting the falling twilight. A small fire burned off to the left, but my eyes were only for him.

He wore white pants, cuffed to above the ankle, and a loose unbuttoned cotton shirt that fluttered in the light breeze off the water. Usually, he just wore shorts and T-shirts, but I’d known he had other clothes rescued off the boat. Right now, to me, he just looked perfect.

The waves swirled around his feet as I walked closer. I stopped in front of him and faced him, also standing ankle-deep in the water.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hi.”

He lifted his hand. I blinked at the woven wreath of greenery, touched that he’d done it. I lifted my fingers to it was he placed it on my head. Then he handed me a small bundle of leaves and flowers, tied with a twine. “For the bride.”

“Thank you.”

“You look so beautiful. I wish I could take your picture.”

“Maybe, after we get rescued, we can recreate it.” Even as I said it, I knew nothing could mirror this perfect moment.

He nodded then let out a gust of air and took my hand. Was he as nervous as I was? Seemed like it, but he gave me a smile and lifted his brows once as if to reassure me before he grew serious again.

“Lily,” he said. “Tonight, I don’t have a ring for you, but I do have my heart, and I’m giving it to you without any reservations. Our only witnesses are the birds, the fish, the waves, but I don’t need witnesses or officials to ensure I keep my promises to you. I promise to be yours, and only yours, to take care of you always, to listen to you, respect you, to love you always—”

He loved me? My heart melted, and I blinked hard as tears welled in my eyes.

“—Forever. Until death.”

I swallowed, knowing it was my turn to speak and not sure I could get out words. He squeezed my hand and gave me a tender smile.

“Silas,” I started, his words playing in my head along with those I’d thought about throughout the day. “I don’t need a ring. I have you. And you have my heart without any reservations. When I ran to the other side of the world, I didn’t know I was running to you. I’m so glad you were here waiting for me.” I blinked, but a tear still rolled down my cheek. Silas gently swiped it away with his thumb. I drew another shaky breath. “I promise to be yours and only yours. To belong only to you and never look away. I will support you and let you protect me. But I’ll always stand strong at your side and fight any battles we face, together, with you. I will listen to you, respect you and love you. Forever. To death.”

I smiled up at him, feeling so connected to this man, truly united with him before God and the universe.

“Kiss your bride,” I whispered.

Silas didn’t say a word. Both his hands cupped the back of my head as I tilted my face up toward him. He kissed me so softly, so tenderly while I went up on tiptoes and wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“You’re mine,” he murmured.

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

“I love you, Silas.”

He kissed my lips again then kissed my nose. “C’mon,” he said, taking my hand once more. “I made us something to eat.”

“You did?” I said lamely. This man just…overwhelmed me.

“Yes. Need to feed my bride and complete the contract.”

“I thought that was later, um, in bed.”

He leaned in and playfully rubbed his nose against my cheek. “That’s a different thing.” He led me to one of the blankets he’d apparently snagged earlier and lain out beside the flames. Holding my hand, he guided me down then went to crouch beside the small fire.

Now, I saw some pans and dishes. He handed me one of the bottles of water we kept refilling then scooped out some of what he’d prepared.

“Crab, mashed breadfruit and cooked banana,” he said, giving me my plate then sitting down with his. He handed me a fork.

“Bananas?” I didn’t know there were bananas.

He chuckled, apparently reading my thoughts. “I took a walk to the market on the other side of the island and brought back some—some coconuts, too.”

“Market?”

“There are some trees. I don’t know why there aren’t any over here. The bananas didn’t look ripe enough before but I thought maybe if I cooked them.”

I took a bite and hummed at the flavor. Our food variety had been pretty limited the past couple weeks. This was a nice change. “Mmm…good,” I said.

He grinned, obviously pleased with having a win in the sustenance department. Taking a couple bites of his own food, he nodded his own approval.

“So…how does this seal the deal?” I asked.

“Well, you know in some cultures the union is considered complete once the bride eats food the groom has given her.”

“I guess I have heard that about some primitive tribes.”

“And our wedding falls along those lines. Less western convention and more spiritual, more primitive.”

“True.”

Silas set aside his plate. Then he went back to the fire and headed to the far side, and I saw he had another small pan over there. How had I not noticed the absence of our limited cookware? Nerves, perhaps.

When he returned, he had two white slices. “Coconut,” he explained. “We don’t have cake, but…”

He shrugged rather than finish, and I wondered if he felt silly. I thought it was thoughtful and as far from silly as possible. His actions touched me. This man…I really did love him. Rather than say anything, I took one of the pieces and held it toward his mouth. He did the same, and we shared our “cake.”

Silas immediately leaned in and kissed me. My empty plate fell to the side as he leaned me back, crawling over me as our mouths met and devoured. I parted my knees to cradle him close and buried my hands in his hair. The sand under the blanket was soft beneath us, nestling our bodies with just enough give.