The Love Triangle (BWWM Romance) (30 page)

Dahlia took her time when she got out of the car. It was the kind of place that she walked with her pepper spray in her hand, the finger on the trigger just in case. She didn’t quite understand why he lived there. She knew how much he was worth. But then she saw the interior as she got off the elevator at the top. He was considered eccentric by many and she understood that she would have thought the same thing if she hadn’t gotten to see the space above.

It was like the man, mysterious but inviting. He answered the door and the first thing he did was give her a kiss on the cheek. When she didn’t move away, Charles moved to her lips and opened her up for his tongue’s perusal. She moaned against him, her senses not ready for his onslaught. There was something hard pressing against her as he held her close. When it jerked underneath her, she gasped and pulled away.

“Good evening, Charles.”

He chuckled and moved back to the kitchen. “You're acting cool, but we both know you're wet again.”

She said nothing, neither agreeing nor denying his accusation. As she walked, she knew the truth, but refused to talk about it. There was something about Charles that drove her crazy and even she was starting to think that eloping could be the best cause of action. The paperwork didn’t say that she had to be married in a church, just legally married.

Shaking her head, she followed him into the bright room light by several tracks of light. “You seem to be overly concerned about my panties, Charles.”

“What else is a husband supposed to be concerned with?”

Dahlia shrugged, the mystifying smile back to take up permanent residence on her face. She just couldn’t stop it when he came back with such damn good answers. “Well, I will have you know that I don’t cook. Not even a sandwich, so you can be concerned with that.”

He chuckled and lifted the lid off of a simmering sauce. “I can handle that. There's wine, will you pour us some?”

Dahlia walked to where he suggested and she found a couple of wine glasses already out with the breathing bottle. It was dark red and it tasted better with the feeling of giddiness that went over her body. Why can’t they just elope? It was seemly of course, but no less than her being pregnant before the marriage was official. She tipped her glass again, watching the large man move around in the kitchen like he was used to it. There were many things that he did so well, she wondered what other talents she had to discover. She shivered as his hands on her flashed in her mind.

“So are you ready?”

“What? No. I thought we had talked about waiting until we got married.”

His look of humor made her pay attention. “I meant with dinner, but I really like where your mind is going.” Charles winked and moved a few dishes into the center of an intimate dining room table.

She took a seat where he indicated and had to admit to herself that it smelled wonderful. Dahlia was not sure what it was and she didn’t ask. “So I have a question for you.”

“Of course.”

“Why are you doing this? I mean, I know why I am, but what's being dangled over your head?”

“More obligation on my side, I’m afraid. I made a few bad deals for the company and this is my way of bringing it back. Your name alone associated with the company will bring it back up in no time.”

“I see. So, do you have any skeletons that I should know about? That will come up in the worst ways?”

He chuckled. “You have trust issues. You know that right?”

“Probably so, but I just don’t want to get burned. My brother is going to try to trash the marriage, our child, it will be a mess and I just want to know how much ammunition he is going to have.”

“There really isn’t anything left. They have bribed everyone they can and it all came out at one time or another.”

She nodded as if she understood. Dahlia had her own share of issues with the media and spinning stories, but there was really nothing that she could do about it. “Well than, fair warning, James is pissed that he was looked over in the will. He will get at me any way that he can and my new husband will be a prime target.”

“You don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of people like him.”

Dahlia did not doubt his words in any way, shape or form. She felt safe with him, in a time that she didn’t know that was such a good quality to be had. Dahlia wasn’t worried like Alfred was. It wouldn’t be the first time she had been threatened, nor the first time she would have to stand up to her older brother. The fact that Charles seemed completely not afflicted spoke volumes and it made her feel more at ease with what she was going to say next.

“So with all the craziness in mind with him and just other things, I was wondering if you would like to get married sooner, in a more…intimate affair.”

He had sat down across from her and his eyes immediately went to hers. It was like he was trying to make sure she was being real about it. His hopes were already sky high and all he wanted was to marry her and make her his. Charles already knew that it was going to be sweet.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Like really soon and eloping.”

His eyebrow went up and the smile got bigger. “How soon?”

“Tonight, tomorrow…soon.”

“Mmmm, you must be wet again.”

She shifted in her seat and tried not to show what she felt inside. There was too much need threatening to bubble up. “So what do you say?”

“I told you back then that I will marry you the instant you want.”

“Tomorrow then. I will have my assistant set something up. Do you have a preference to where?”

He shook his head. “I would love the first time I make love to you to be right here.”

Another shiver and she bit her lip. Damn, why did he always know the right thing to say or was it just her bias that made it all sound so tempting?

“Okay good. Here it is, though the ceremony may be somewhere else.”

Charles got up from his chair and went to her. “Baby, I don’t care where, as long as it's soon.” He moved to her and kissed her till she couldn’t think anymore. “I feel like it's Christmas time. Can I open a present early?”

She laughed and pushed him away. “I just took a month off your wait time, so don’t push it. Besides, this really smells good.”

Chapter 6

There wasn’t much to plan for Charles. He was just left to sit and wait for the call that would change his life. At the moment, it seemed the changes were akin to miracles and any day spent with Dahlia seemed like a blessing. There was much that the two of them had to talk about, but words were useless with so much desire involved. They couldn’t get past it and even on the eve of their wedding, she had left earlier to contain herself.

Charles thought that she was like a caged tigress. There was such wildness in her eyes that he naturally had the desire to tame. His heart pounded every time he was around her and though he didn’t believe it was love, there was something more there. It was a suffocating feeling that he had learned to think of as love, but then he just reasoned with himself that it was lust on steroids. Whatever it was, he was finally going to get what he didn’t even know he was desperately in need of.

The phone rang and he checked the number. He didn’t recognize it and sent it through to his voicemail. There was no reason for him to answer any call that wasn’t Dahlia. His father was so thrilled that he was hooking her, that he was given a week off. It was downright unheard of and he hadn’t had that much time to enjoy himself in years. It was a shame really, because he knew that they would not be going out of the room much. If Charles could keep her in bed, that would be okay with him.

He checked his phone again, just to make sure it had not been turned to silent and he missed a call. Charles chuckled to himself in the empty kitchen. He had it bad.

Charles packed a few things to throw in the trunk, but he had no real plans for the day. Dahlia seemed to like to take care of things and he had no problem leaving all of the details to her. After all, they say weddings are meant for the woman, and the man just show up. As long as there were rings, vows and then consummation, nothing else really mattered.

His phone rang again and his heart soared when he heard her voice. “Hey, love. How is everything going?”

Dahlia was not expecting him to address her like that and she certainly was not prepared for how much she liked the words coming out of his mouth. “Hey, Charles. Are you ready to get married?”

“Yes. Where?”

“Meet me at that little airstrip at the end of Monroe. Ever used it?”

He nodded, knowing exactly what she was talking about. It was maintained by one of his family’s friends and it didn’t surprise him that the Williams' used it as well. There really were significant similarities in the two families. “Of course.”

“So suit up and meet me over there. Okay?”

“I’ll be right there, love.”

“Okay. See you soon.”

She hung up before she could say anything else. It was just all too agreeable and the small warning signs going off in the back of her mind were snuffed out by her need. She was about to get hitched to someone she met a few days before and instead of being scared shitless as she should have been, Dahlia was excited. Her body practically vibrated in the seat as the driver brought her to the airstrip. They were to fly out to Vegas and have a quick church wedding. It was a cliché, but it all seemed to be so fitting. It also took care of the legal part, so that they could get to the physical part.

Dahlia did not wear a traditional wedding dress, but it was white. It was sleeveless and short, but still held some of the same traditions. The color of the fabric made her caramel skin glow, bringing out the brown tones from her eyes. It was perfect the first time she saw it and now that it was on her, she couldn’t think of anything else that would have been as good. Dahlia just hoped that Charles liked it enough to rip it off of her later that evening.

He had requested they go back to his place for the honeymoon, or at least part of it. She wondered if they could make it that long for the flight back. Even with a private jet, there was still the matter of actual distance to travel. The way she felt when she was around him made her think that they wouldn’t make it out of the parking lot before they couldn’t get enough of each other.

The car stopped and she waited for Charles before she got out and got on the plane. The trunk opened behind her and a few bags were transferred from the car to the plane. She wasn’t taking much, but just in case he changed his mind, she wanted whatever she needed to be available.

Her hands nervously clutched the flimsy material in between her fingers and she worried that maybe he wouldn’t show up. When she heard the crunching of his car tires on the gravel, she let out the breath she had been holding. He was there finally and everything was going to be okay.

She got out of the vehicle and walked up to him. He carried nothing with him and looked ever so dashing in his suit. Dahlia had never seen him so dressed up and it certainly made a difference when he actually cared about his appearance. Charles had always been devastatingly handsome to her, but in that moment, she felt like she was going to swoon when his eyes met hers.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

He took her arm and they got into the aircraft. He sat so close to her on the way that she was practically vibrating in her seat with need. Charles smelled so good, his scent intoxicating and driving her crazy. Dahlia could feel the hard knot press against her as he held her close for a kiss. Several more came and she was dripping wet. Grabbing his hand that was snaking underneath her dress, she sighed. “Soon, my dear.”

Charles nodded, but went back to exploring her mouth and touching her large breasts. They were heavy in his hands and he rolled the tips through his fingers. Dahlia leaned back against him, opening her body up to his perusal. He knew the boundaries and she knew that he was going to push it as much as he possibly could. It was only when his fingers tried to assault her core that she stopped him again. She would never make it through a ceremony if he was touching her. The plane ride was starting to feel a whole lot longer than was the reality. She finally came from his teeth and lips on her neck, as well as the hands that played with her from behind. He knew that he had her and she was practically gagging with need.

“Do you want something to drink, my love?”

She nodded her head. Her throat was so dry that she couldn’t talk and she thanked him when he brought back a glass of champagne. He sat back down, so close to her. Dahlia waited for his hands to touch her once more, but he didn’t. She found her body tense from the wait and she finally took a deep breath.