Under My Thumb (Serenade Series #1) (14 page)

“He loves our daughter more than we do.” Vivian gave Cash an affectionate look.

Cash finished his bourbon then pushed the empty glass away. I could tell he was eager to leave. If I didn’t see all those pictures of his niece, I would assume he hated his family. But I think he just hated the situation.

“We’re having everyone over for dinner this weekend,” Denver said. “Prudence, we’d love for you to come.”

Cash gave him a look of anger but kept his mouth shut. It was against his nature to be rude.

“I have a gig,” I lied.

“Then we’ll reschedule for a different night,” Denver said. “When are you available?”

Wow. They really wanted me to come around.
Now I was even more interested to know why. “I have a show pretty much every night.” It was getting difficult to reject their offer without sounding rude.

“Then we’ll have brunch instead,” Denver said. “Saturday?”

“Umm…” I looked at Cash for direction.

“We’ll be there,” he said simply.

Denver smiled. “Great.”

Chapter Eighteen

♬

Cash Matthews

That fucking asshole.

I was going to slug my brother in the face next time I saw him when Vivian wasn’t around. He always took my side when it came to my personal life, respecting my privacy and space. But now he was acting like a fucking girl.
Asshole.

I gripped the steering wheel as I moved through traffic. I was in a terrible mood and I felt bad for being such bad company for Prudence. The last thing I wanted to do was make her uncomfortable. I turned right and headed to her apartment.

“I was hoping I could stay at your place…” The musical sound of her voice instantly decreased my anger—however slight. She must have noticed the turn I took.

“Prudence, I love being with you. But right now, I’m just…not myself.”

“I could make you feel better.”

What did she mean by that?

“I won’t ask you about tonight. I won’t even speak. But I don’t want to leave you.”

That sounded tempting.

“And you don’t have to be on your best behavior—this one time.” She gave me a beautiful smirk.

I decided to take her up on that offer. “You’re hard to resist.”

“I just know the right things to say.” Her hand moved to my thigh. She squeezed gently.

She was good at taming me. When we first got in the car, I was furious. Now my anger simmered below the surface. And knowing she wouldn’t question me about anything made it better. This girl was perfect. I’m so glad I went to that concert. This hypnotic angel
brightened my life, making me forget the darkness for a short period of time.

When we returned to my house, I didn’t want to entertain her downstairs with wine and music. I immediately wanted to go to bed and do nothing. She followed me into the bedroom and watched me strip my clothes away. Her eyes held a hungry expression while she watched me.

Fuck. I loved that look.

I lay in bed then took a deep breath. When I looked at her, she approached the bed then slowly pulled down the straps of her dress. They fell off and so did her dress. A black bra and matching thong were underneath.

Damn, she’s fine.

Her flat stomach had the slight formation of the muscle underneath. A small
layer of fat was on her lower tummy, but it was sexy as hell. She had wide hips that made her waist look smaller than it really was. Her fair skin was absent of any marks or tattoos, which was how I preferred my women. She was my ideal woman, perfect in every way. And I couldn’t believe I got to be inside her for the next few months.

She unclasped her bra then dropped it to the floor. Her thong came down a second later. I expected her to get into bed, but
she did something that caught me by surprise. She grabbed my black shirt from the ground and put it over her head. Somehow, inexplicably, she looked more divine than she ever had. The image was every guy’s fantasy. But only my reality.

She came into the bed next to me, her scent in the air. “Turn over.”

Was this something kinky?
I did as she asked.

When I was on my stomach, she straddled my ass, light as a feather, and then pressed her fingertips into the muscles of my back. The pressure was applied in just the right ways, making the muscle burn and relax at the same time. After she rubbed into me, she trailed her fingers down my
spine then through the hair on the back of my neck
.

Fuck, that feels good.

Then she leaned over and kissed the back of my neck then my shoulder. She continued to massage me at the same time, taking me to a new level of pleasure and relaxation.

No one had ever given me a massage before. Ever. And I didn’t even ask her to. Everything she
did was for me alone. She got nothing out of it in return. It was selfless and beautiful. And I loved it.

The anger I held before vanished instantly. I concentrated on the feel of her lips against my neck and shoulder. Then she trailed her lips down my back. Every kiss of those perfect lips brought me to a place I’d never been before.
This arrangement was one of convenience, not love or romance, but I knew in my heart she really cared about me. Truly. And I realized I really cared about her too. If she were sad, I’d make her laugh. If she fell apart, I’d fix her.

It fucking scared the shit out of me.

I lay still and enjoyed her touch, my breathing increasing. Her fingers moved into my hair, and the fabric of her shirt touched my side.
My shirt.
Unable to lie still anymore, I hooked my arm behind me then pulled her down to the bed.

She giggled as I climbed on top of her
. I loved the smile on her face. She grabbed the hem of my shirt to pull it off, but I steadied her.

“Leave it on.” The command in my voice surp
rised even me. I opened the drawer and rolled a condom on. Then I grabbed her hips and elevated them from the bed, inserting myself inside her slowly.

I wanted to make her feel as good as she made me feel. And that’s what I did. I kept on
e hand on the steep curve of her back, pulling her into me repeatedly, while I rested my weight on the other hand. My face was pressed against hers, watching her lips open in pleasure as I moved into her slowly. I hadn’t been this gentle with a woman in a long time. I treated her like a breakable porcelain vase. Every move I made was for her, not me.

Her hand cupped the back of my
neck while she stared into my face. I didn’t kiss her but it was because I wanted to watch her. She tightened around me, and I knew she was coming. I didn’t change my pace, keeping every condition the same. I wanted the pleasure to explode inside her, making her shake.  She whimpered after the moment passed, her body still tender.

I wasn’t done with her.
Her mind was going to get blown a few more times. She deserved it. And I wanted to be the one to give it to her.

Her slightly parted lips looked too delicious to be ignored. I pressed my mouth against hers and kissed her gently. Our tongues danced together lightly, caressing each other. I continued to move inside her as slowly as possible. I wanted to feel the inside of her, to really touch her. And I wasn’t trying to get off. That isn’t what
it was about.

Her hands moved to my back and gripped me. She always touched me there, and I knew it was because she loved that part of my body.
She did it to me everyday. I loved turning her on, making her spiral out of control.

Prudence breathed into my mouth when she was unable to kiss me back. Sometimes my cock touched her in the right way, making her moan loudly. Even through the condom, I knew how wet she was. Fucking soaked. And I loved it.

I broke our kiss because I wanted to stare at her. I moved further over her then brought her legs against my chest. Her legs were closed, making it a tighter fit. I knew she liked it when she moaned again.

I kissed her calves then her feet, cherishing every perfect feature. She deserved to be worshipped. I was a mere peasant to this glorious queen. For the first time, I didn’t feel the need to come. All I cared about was her orgasm. And that
had never happened before.

She suddenly gripped my forearms then said my name. The natural pitch and harmony to her
voice stroked my ego. I loved hearing her say my name, knowing she knew exactly who was rocking her world.

And then the screams came.

“I’ve never come that hard in my life.” Redness touched her face and her cheeks. Her nipples were darker and harder than they ever were before. I knew she was winded and satisfied. I decided to let myself go. With a few more strokes, my threshold had been reached. I pulled her legs down then opened them wide, wanting to move inside her as far as I could. Then I started to come.

“Fuck…”
I filled the inside of the condom while looking into her face. Her beautiful eyes made my orgasm a million times better than it normally was. “Mmm…” I took a moment to compose myself before I pulled out and disposed the condom.

A musical sigh escaped her lips while she snuggled against the pillows.

Job well done.
I scooped my arm around her waist and dragged her to my chest. She was in the mood to sleep, but I was in the mood to cuddle—a rarity.

“I’m sorry about my behavior.”

“What? You were mind-blowing.”

I smirked. “I meant when we ran into my brother. I didn’t mean to be rude to you.”

“You weren’t.”

She made everything too easy. “I don’t want you to think I’m ashamed of you.”

“You made it clear you didn’t want to involve family or friends. It’s fine.” All girls said things were fine when they weren’t. I had no idea why. But I knew Prudence was being sincere.

“You do mean something to me, Prudence. When I said you were just a friend, I felt like that was disrespectful.”

“What else would you say?” Her arm wrapped around my waist and she rested her head on my chest.

“I don’t know
...”

“Don’t worry about it, Cash.” She closed her eyes.

I sighed, suddenly feeling the need to explain myself and my behavior. I respected her too much to not be a little more open with her. “My family is adamant about me having a girlfriend—or someone in my life.”

Her fingers trailed across my skin. “In the car, I said
I wouldn’t talk about it. Do you want me to keep my word?”

“No.”

“Why do they care so much?”

“They just don’t want me to be alone.”

“Cash, can I ask you something?”

I knew she wouldn’t ask anything she wasn’t willing
to answer herself. “Fire away.”

“Do you ever have a girlfriend or…do you just have these type
s of arrangements?”

I
was surprised she didn’t ask me this sooner. “I hate one night stands. The first time you have sex with someone new it’s always awkward. And if you hardly know the person, it’s even more uncomfortable. I like having some form of a relationship with a woman when I have sex with her. The connection makes it more enjoyable. But I don’t like being serious with them because it makes it complicated. So to answer your question, yes, this is the only type of relationship I have.”

She nodded then rested her hand on my stomach. “Can I ask you something else?”

“Yes, baby.”

“How long
has this been going on?”

“For about five years.”

She released the air from her lungs. “You’re so smart.”

I wasn’t expecting that reaction.
At all. “How do you mean?”

“It’s just easier this way. I feel like most people are only monogamous because society has made it the norm. And as a result, so many people cheat, lie, and
the divorce rate is so high. This makes more sense. It’s more natural, the way humans were meant to be.”

I stared at her with new eyes. “You r
eally believe that?”

“I’m sick of getting hurt and trusting people. This way, I don’t have to worry about that. I know you don’t lie to me because you have no reason to.
You can leave whenever you want, no questions asked.”

Well, I would be devastated if she just ended our relationship one morning with no explanation. I expected to finish the next few months with her in my bed. But I understood her point.

“Marriage is just for people who are too scared to be alone or want to raise a family. I’m neither of those things.”

I never heard her talk like this before. Someone seriously fucked her over. She sounded like me five years ago. I desperately wanted to know what happened to her. I’d kill anyone who hurt her. She didn’t deserve any type of pain. But I knew I couldn’t ask. I hoped she
’d tell me on her own.

“I’m sorry your family doesn’t respect your lifestyle.”

“I know their concern comes from a good place.” Despite the fact it annoys me.

“Why don’t you just give them what they want?”

Huh?
“What do you mean?”

“Pretend you have a girlfriend and bring her around once in a while.”

“Like, pay someone to play the part?”

“Or you could ask a friend. Just tell her what you want her to do. You win. They win. Everyone wins.”

It was an interesting idea. “I hate lying.”

She sat up and eyed me. “That’s a rare quality.”

“I admit I’m not the most admirable human being, but I like to be honest—most of the time.”

“Most of the time?” She studied my face.

“When I have to protect myself.”

“What does that mean?”

We just moved into dangerous territory. “Pass.”

“Pass?”

“I don’t want to answer the question.”

“Oh.” She seemed embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to invade your privacy.”

“It’s okay,” I said quickly. “Don’t worry about it.”

She seemed contrite. “The last thing I want to do is make you uncomfortable around me.”