What Matters Most: The Billionaire Bargains, Book 2 (13 page)

“That’s my girl.”

He took her hips in his hands, holding her firmly to take his thrusts. He felt his climax building and wanted her with him.

“Reese, sweetheart—”

And then he got to hear the sound of his wife coming. The little pants grew to soft cries that built to a loud gasp and then…his name.

“
Tony.”

His wife.

That thought was enough to send him over the edge right behind her. He drove deep and his entire body seemed to rush into hers, combining them, making them one.

And Tony suddenly understood every love song he’d ever heard.

And if that wasn’t the damnedest thing he’d ever thought, he didn’t know what was.

Chapter Five

Tony slumped onto the bed beside Reese and they scooted up so their lower halves weren’t hanging off the end of the mattress.

He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against him.

She relaxed against him, her hair falling over his shoulder, her breath against his chest, her leg over his, and Tony thought maybe this was possibly better than sex.

Well, as good. Almost as good. Yes, the snuggling after with Reese was almost as good as the sex.

They lay for a while, letting their breathing slow and their bodies cool.

“I’m glad you changed your mind,” he finally said. “I’m already used to that. We need to do a lot more of that.”

“That was great. A lot more of that is fine with me. But what did I change my mind about?”

“Staying married.” Tony yawned and ran his hand up and down her back. “This is going to be great.”

She tensed and he sighed. Yeah, he hadn’t thought it would be quite that easy.

She lifted her head and propped her elbows underneath her. “Did I change my mind?”

“Having sex like that three times a day for the next eighty years isn’t appealing?” he said lightly, feeling anything but light.

She shook her head. “You must have some secret vitamins or something if you think
that’s
possible.”

“So you
didn’t
change your mind?” He rolled his head to look at her directly.

“Tony,” she said softly. “It’s crazy. We got married drunk and crazy. We have chemistry but we barely know each other. Why don’t we…” She trailed off and then brightened. “Why don’t we go home and date for a while? I’d love to get to know you better.”

“And have more sex with me.”

She laughed. “Well, yeah.”

Dating made sense, he knew that. Everything she said was true. But the truth was, he wasn’t so sure he could get her to the point of saying
I do
again. Reese was smart, independent and a do-gooder. She worked with the poor and homeless for God sake. She was clearly—and rightfully—appalled by his lifestyle. And she couldn’t possibly respect him after the things she’d learned about him. Respect was probably important to a woman like Reese when it came to marriage. It was probably important to him too, but he’d never really spent time thinking about it. Getting married hadn’t exactly been a part of his plan.

But now he was. To an amazing woman that, under any other circumstances, he probably wouldn’t have gotten naked, not to mention get her in front of someone who could bind them together legally in the eyes of the state.

He really liked her naked, and there was something about being married to her that filled him with a sense of
damn right
.

Tony was under no illusions about who he was and why he did a lot of the things he did.

He could be a complete screw up.

He had money and connections. He was part of an elite circle. He knew a lot of important people. But he’d made a name for himself by being a risk taker—in business as well as personally. People laughed and shook their heads at the trouble he got into because he was rich and charming. Without either of those things, he would be annoying as hell…and likely in jail.

It had started when he was very young. His older brother had taken over the parenting role in Tony’s life after their parents had left them with their grandparents to travel the world. Their father was a world-renowned archeologist and their mother was madly in love and couldn’t stand not being with her husband for the long periods his job required. Their grandparents had taken them in, but their grandfather’s health had taken a bad turn and their grandmother had been consumed with caring for him.

So Adam had been Tony’s caretaker and disciplinarian. Tony had acted out like any kid in his situation would have, but he’d noticed that his brother seemed to thrive on—or at least
insisted
on—fixing things and solving Tony’s problems. So he’d kept it up.

And now…now he wasn’t so sure there was much more to him than his playboy ways.

Now he had to use his money, influence and charm to get what he wanted because he wasn’t so sure he had anything else.

Which meant he needed to keep Reese married to him because he might not ever get her back to the point where that was even a remote possibility.

And being married to someone like Reese—well, that was something he could be proud of. He’d known she was feisty and funny and beautiful. That had certainly been enough. But now he knew she was actually a good person too. Oh, yeah, this was one of the best moves he’d ever made—drunk or not.

“I’ll date you, Reese,” he finally said.

“Oh,” she responded. “Um…good.”

Why did she sound hesitant? He moved, trying to see into her eyes. She wouldn’t meet his gaze and she was worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

Interesting.

Reese really was easy to read. She wasn’t as enthusiastic about his answer as she wanted to let on.

Had he given up too easily? He grinned. “But I’m not divorcing you,” he said.

It was true, whether she wanted to hear it or not, but he was very curious about her reaction.

Her eyebrows rose, and when she looked up at him, it was not disappointment that shone in her eyes. “You’re not?”

Satisfaction slammed into him. Her brain was telling her this was all crazy, but she wanted it on some level.

“It’ll save time if we stay together,” he said reasonably. “We’ll date, get to know each other, but this way the paperwork is already done for when you decide you can’t live without me.”

He was teasing her, but there was a flicker of something in her eyes.…hesitation? Doubt?

“I guess that’s the easier way to do it,” she said.

“It is.” It was. After all, he had every intention of ending up married to Reese eventually. Why undo it now just to redo it? Plus, there was still that whole she-might-realize-she’s-too-good-for-me thing niggling at the back of his mind.

“And,” he added, rolling toward her and putting his hand possessively on her ass. “A good girl like you probably shouldn’t have the hot, naughty sex we’re going to be having if you’re not married.”

She blushed.

He loved that. She’d been open and wanton with him. She’d said the word cock. Hell, earlier that day—though it felt like a week ago—she’d awakened him with a blowjob. Yet just now, she’d blushed.

She cleared her throat. “I think we need to talk about this married thing then, if you’re going to be so stubborn about it.”

“I am,” he assured her.

“I’m not going to take your money.”

He wanted her to take his money. He had a lot of it, for one thing. And he’d never hesitated about spending it. Not just on his trivial pursuits and pleasure—though he dropped a lot there for sure—but he gave to charity, he gave to start-up businesses, he loaned to friends.

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, making a decision. He pushed himself up to sitting on the edge of the bed.

“Go?”

He looked over his shoulder at her. She looked…disappointed.

Which only added to his surge of satisfaction.

“If you think I’m done touching you for tonight—or ever—you’re crazy,” he told her.

That made her smile. “We’re just changing the…scenery?” she asked.

A renewed surge of desire started to harden his cock again. Did she want him to fuck her in every room in the suite? He’d so deliver on that.

But there was something he needed to do first. He needed to prove to his wife that he always ended up on top—so to speak. She might be a better person than he was, but he always got his way. He could make it so his way was her way…but sometimes actions spoke louder than words.

“Let’s go, Mrs. Steele. Get dressed.”

There was a stain of pink on her cheeks at hearing him call her Mrs. Steele and he didn’t think it was embarrassment. At all. It was desire. And the idea that being his wife turned her on, turned him on.

They needed to get out of the suite now if they ever were going to.

He grabbed his clothes and headed for the second bathroom. He couldn’t possibly stay in the same room and watch her get off the bed naked, bend to retrieve her dress, shimmy back into her panties.

He was trying to be a good guy here, and Lord knew, he didn’t have a lot of experience with it. He needed to keep as many of his faculties with him as he could.

Fifteen minutes later, they were both dressed and freshened up.

“Where are we going?” Reese asked.

“You have to learn to trust me,” he said, ushering her toward the door. Quickly.

She looked amazing even fully dressed, and now that he knew what he knew—how she looked, sounded and felt when she was coming for instance—the desire to ever leave that room was barely a blip in his consciousness.

They headed for the elevator and she said, “I’d like to trust you.”

Her tone was almost thoughtful, as if she really was pondering if trusting him was possible.

He gave a self-deprecating snort. “Maybe we’ll get there,” he said about her trusting him as they stepped into the elevator.

She looked up at him. “Maybe huh?”

“I guess part of that is up to you.” He pressed the button for the first floor of the casino.

“If I
choose
to trust you or not?”

“Right.” He looked at her. “Do you trust easily?”

He got the impression that she did. Optimists, good people, people who believed in the good of others usually did.

“Not really, no.”

“Oh?”

“The more you trust someone, the more chance they have of disappointing you.”

That sounded very cynical for someone like Reese.

But she was right.

“People fuck up all the time,” he agreed.

“Some of us are slow learners,” she said with a little smile.

Something about that made his heart clench. He returned her smile. “The lessons we don’t like are the hardest to remember.”

“Like how to stay out of trouble?” she asked.

That she was teasing him also made his heart clench.

He was definitely staying married to her. “Exactly like how to stay out of trouble.”

The elevator opened and they stepped off and turned toward the casino. The lights and noise never failed to make Tony’s adrenaline surge. He really did like the party scene.

“What are we doing?” Reese asked as he put a hand on her back and steered her into the casino.

“Spending my money.”

“Uh, why?”

He approached the blackjack table. The dealer smiled. “Good evening Mr. Steele.”

“Hi, Marcus.”

“Welcome back.”

“Always a pleasure.” Tony laid his money down.

“First-name basis with the dealer,” Reese commented.

It wasn’t what she said, but all the unspoken words were very clear—that his life was going to take some getting used to, that she wasn’t sure what to think of a guy who knew most of the city of Las Vegas personally, that she wasn’t sure if she should be dismayed or impressed by him remembering the name of one of the dealers.

Tony grinned at her, resting his elbow on the edge of the table and turning away from the action. “I’m a friendly guy.”

“To you, Mr. Steele,” Marcus said.

Tony didn’t even glance at his cards. “Hit me.”

Reese looked at his cards and her eyes widened. “Tony, you’re at nineteen.”

“Twenty-six,” Marcus said laying another card down.

Tony had just lost two hundred dollars.

He put his money down again. Marcus dealt to him and Tony turned over his cards. He had fourteen.

Play went around the table, and when it came back to him, he said, “Hit me.”

Marcus gave him a six.

Reese was interested. Tony could tell by watching her, and he was way more interested in looking at her than the cards.

“Again,” he said.

Marcus did as he was told and Tony lost another two hundred.