The Billionaire's Bargain (10 page)
Read The Billionaire's Bargain Online
Authors: Sam Crescent
“I may not deserve my gorgeous wife,
but she’s my wife so back off,
He wrapped his arm around her waist in an obviously possessive gesture.
to his body. He noticed
his bride. Within seconds
acted like a jealous, dominating husband, but he didn’t care. No one touched
what was his.
“I never want to see you with Tyler
Ward again,” he said. His voice was filled with warning. He pulled her around
to face him, making her body flush with his.
The desire to mark her came over
him.
slammed his lips down on hers, commanding her to accept him.
She submitted to his kiss. He felt
her reluctance in the tenseness of her body.
“Why not?” she asked the moment he
pulled away. Tess moved away from him putting as much distance between them as
possible. Her hands rested on her waist, showing her full hips off to
perfection.
“He treats women appallingly,” he
said while steering her to a quiet alcove away from all the guests.
himself for a change. He placed her against the wall, one of his hands covering
her waist while the other cupped her cheek. He couldn’t keep his hands off
her.
Tess laughed.
“As
opposed to you?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked. His temper rose as she
continued to argue with him. Many women would love to be branded as his.
“First, your reputation as a playboy.
You have a new woman on your arm
every other night. Isn’t that part of the appalling treatment? You use them for
your own pleasure, and when you’re done you toss them aside. When you’re bored
or another beautiful woman takes your fancy you move on. What makes you any
different from
She was glaring at him, her anger directed at him.
exactly how he treated women.
“So it’s ‘
now. You’re on first name terms already?” He pressed her up against the wall,
trapping her against the wall and his body. His cock thickened at the closeness
of her curves. He needed to wipe that snivelling shit from her mind. He was a
much better option than Tyler Ward.
age, but he knew what to do with his cock.
“What other names are there? Yes, he knows I’m Tess.
The
stupid naïve woman who married you.”
“I don’t want you talking to him again,” he said with a growl.
“Why? What makes him different from you?”
“I’m not
His jaw tensed with the effort it took to suppress his rage.
“How is it different? You with all of your other women?” she asked.
“None of those women are my wife.”
He slammed his lips down on hers.
him like she always did. He held her close, grinding his cock against her
rounded stomach.
She gasped. Her arms wrapped around his neck holding him close. He
gripped her waist as the other hand fisted her hair at his waist.
not letting go
until she surrendered to him. Her mouth opened, giving him all the
access he needed.
gripped the hair at the base of his neck yanking on the strands. He growled,
breaking the kiss to go to her neck, where he bit into the delicate curve of
her flesh.
“You’re mine,” he said against her ear before going back to her
lips.
She gave him everything he craved.
His cock pulsed in his pants. He’d need to keep her close so none of their
guests would see his state of arousal. The sooner he got her to a bed the
happier he’d be.
It was dark, passionate, and awakened a craving within him. He’d never
felt this possessive for another woman. Tess was breaking all of his
self-imposed boundaries. When
men
talked to the other women he dated he’d never
felt jealousy or the need to mark his territory. Tess was screwing with his
head.
By the time he pulled away they were both gasping for breath.
against hers, their heavy breathing the only sound between them.
“I’ve been your wife for about eight hours,
the sudden silence.
Her words echoed through his mind. She’d be his wife for a whole lot
longer when he got his way. There was no way he’d let her go.
“Regardless of the time, you’re
still my wife.”
“I’d never break our vows,
of person,” she said. He struggled to hear her as she spoke so softly.
He stared at her bowed head. The
dark curls and the dress made her appear younger than her twenty-three years.
feeling his heart ache. She had no idea how precious she was. He wished she was
older, as then he’d never have had to grow cynical about the opposite sex.
her words. She’d never be unfaithful, but would he? He didn’t know how to voice
his thoughts. When he’d entered into this marriage he’d done so with the
thought of still living his bachelor days. Instead of taking a girlfriend, he’d
take a mistress.
He was starting to doubt his
original plan. The look of innocence on her face distracted him.
****
Tess stared at his chest. Her lips
tingled while her neck felt on fire from his kisses. How did he make her forget
everything about herself? He took her over unlike anyone else.
The dress she wore felt tight from
the arousal he’d created. All the men she’d danced with hadn’t created this
kind of reaction inside her.
She waited for him to voice his
agreement about being faithful. He didn’t say a word. Taking a deep breath she
went to move away from the wall he’d pinned her against.
His finger went under her chin. She lifted her gaze to his.
“I’ll do my best to make you happy,”
he said.
He looked so sincere that she nodded
her head. What else could she do? He held her future in his hands. The longer
she stayed in his company the more her feelings for him were growing.
dance?” he asked.
She stared at his hand then at him.
The confused glances of the guests would stay with her forever when she refused
to give him the first dance. Being with him when they entered the grand hall
would have been a mistake. He had a way of making her feel something
different. There were times she
loathed him, like his reaction to
Then there were times when she was in his arms when she felt a hell of a lot
more than she could put words to.
Tess put her hand in his and
followed him out onto the dance floor. All the other couples scattered as they
went onto the dance floor.
Her eyes widened as she recognised the tune. It was one of her favourite songs.
His hand went to her waist as the other cupped one of her hands against his
chest. With her free hand she wrapped it around his shoulders. They were close
together, the song the only sound she was able to hear.
“How did you know?” she asked,
unable to tear her gaze away from him. She felt captivated by him.
“Out of all of you books aligning
your walls I noticed the case for this song on top of your stereo. It looked
like you listened to it a lot.”
She was touched by his
consideration.
“Thank you. That means a lot to me,”
she said.
“I want you to have everything you
need for this day.” Everyone faded away as she stared into his eyes. For the
first time she saw something more to him. His eyes were not dark and sinister.
She saw gold in his depths.
He held her close, the song drifting
over her as she kept her gaze on him.
“No matter how long this lasts, I
appreciate it.”
They were silent as the dance continued.
Neither looked away.
Tess held onto him until the last
chords of the last line were finished. Silence descended on the hall.
chemistry between them mounted with every passing second. She licked her lips
then pulled away, their hands the last to part as she walked off the dance
floor. Tess kept on moving regardless of the gossip that followed. When she
rounded the corner where there was privacy, she leaned against the wall for
support.
She wrapped her arms around her body
as the tears she kept at bay unleashed. They silently poured down her face. She
was pleased she’d said no to mascara when the stylists had tried to fix up her
face.
Music drifted through the hall. Tess
left her space searching for the ladies’ room. She closed and locked the door
as she made her way to the mirror.
“You’re not going to let him do this
to you,” she said to her reflection.
for him.
The way he held her.
He captured her
attention and held it. She wanted to be with him at all times. Tess knew she
needed to stop any such feelings for him.
“Don’t fall in love for a man who
could never love you back.” She spoke the words, wiped the tears then went out
to join him. Even as she fought her own body, she searched for him. He stood on
the edge of the dance floor.
Tess declined any more dances. She
wanted it to be over. Her heart raced as
She hoped she was strong enough to
hold off her feelings.
Chapter Nine
off his new bride. After their dance when she’d walked off the stage leaving
him alone, she seemed to withdraw into herself. She’d come back from the
ladies’ room and stood on the edge of the dance floor watching the other
couples dance to the music. She remained as still a statue, declining all other
offers. When she’d been in his arms she’d melted against him. He’d felt the
closeness building as they danced. For the first time he hadn’t been concerned
with anything other than the woman in his arms. They were two individual people
and felt like one to him. The moment she’d come back into the room her entire
body language seemed indifferent to his presence. Where he searched for her in
the room at every given moment she appeared not to care about him. His ego felt
battered and bruised. No woman had ever left him feeling like a hindrance. His
temper was close to the surface at her lack of response. He wanted any excuse
to unleash it.
He walked towards her. It was time
for them to leave.
You want to feel that closeness again. No other person, not even your
mother, has ever left you feeling like that.
“What’s the matter?” she asked. He
noted the way she wrapped her arms around herself as if to ward him off.
wanted her to be open to him.
You want to feel love.
He shook off all of his thoughts
concentrating on the now.
“We’re leaving,” he said.
“Isn’t it a bit early to be
leaving?” He caught her arm then began to walk out of the hall.
“I think we’ve caused enough of a
scene for one day.” They walked out of the hall. Mark, his friend, followed
them out. He knew his friend was concerned. Mark had spoken to him after Tess
left him standing in the middle of the dance floor.
filtered out of the hall to watch them leave.