Page 37 of The Marriage Agreement
His nostrils flare. “Holy fuck, you’re beautiful.” I resist the urge to cover myself. “You don’t think my body has changed?” He puts his hand around my waist and draws me forward. “For the better.” He leans down and kisses my neck on each side before making a trail of kisses that end on my left breast, where he nips, licks, and suckles until I’m gripping his head in pleasure. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Ivy,” he says before giving the right breast the same attention he gave the left. His hand wanders to my center and plays with the clit in a sensuous rhythm that mimics the assault of his tongue on my nipple. I can only concentrate on what he’s doing to me.
Everything else is reduced to this moment. To here. To now. He lets go of my nipple and straightens, but he doesn’t relinquish my pussy. His hand dips into my pussy and he thrusts his fingers, watching me come apart with just his hands. At last, he rips my panties off me, leaving me naked while he is fully clothed. I rectify that by removing his shirt while he makes quick work of his jeans. His cock springs out of his boxers as he drops them. It’s angry, thick, and weeping. I take it into my hand, mesmerized by the male beauty on display, and stroke it. His cock lengthens even more.
You’re just another fuck.
I drop his cock like it’s a hot piece of coal. My reaction is so sudden that he opens his eyes and frowns at me. “What is it?”
“I am sorry.” Feeling a little too exposed, I quickly put my arms around myself to cover my breasts. “I don’t think I can do this.”
My movements after this are so quick, my body goes into auto mode. I put my clothes back on, grab my phone from the nightstand, and rush out of the room. My refuge is Lake. He doesn’t wake when I lay down beside him. Damien doesn’tfollow me. It takes a while for sleep to get me, but eventually, it doesuntil I’m woken up by an incessant ringtone. Sunlight peeps behind the curtains as I stretch my body. My alarm. I grab the phone to turn it off, but there are a few messages and missed calls on it. All from Nolan. I open the latest message.
“Your baby daddy has just taken over Hawthorne Inc. Thanks, sis. I hope his dick is worth it.”
Chapter 14
Damien
“He’s being melodramatic.”
“Is he lying?” Ivy says, running a hand through her hair. “Or did you not take over our company after you failed to get into my pants?” She paces around the bedroom looking like a snack. I can’t stop thinking about us almost having sex last night. Why did she run? I was sure she wanted me just as much as I wanted her. Now all I can think of is how much I still want her. She has reignited a desire within me I was sure had gone cold. And instead of seducing her a second time, I have to deal with the boring shit like shares and takeover deals.
“I didn’t take over Hawthorne. All I did is use your shares, plus purchase a few from other people and build a big enough stake to ask for a board seat.”
“And? I feel you’re leaving an important part here.”
I shrug, waiting for her to say all she knows first. One shouldn’t reveal their hand to an enemy.
“And the deal you have been sketching with activist investors to take over the company is not real.”
Ah. So they know that part. “Cat’s out of the bag.”
“Yeah, no shit Sherlock.” She pulls at her and starts pacing. “My brother is going to kill me. Everyone is going to kill me. Fuck.”
She’s freaking out, but she should have seen this coming when she sold those shares to me. She burst through the doorsearly morning; her face red with anger, waving her phone. Nolan sent her a text after he learned about my moves, and she hasn’t calmed down since. But all this work stuff is boring, anyway. What I want to know is, “Why did you sleep in Lake’s room last night?”
“What?” She shakes her head. “Don’t try to change the conversation. You lied to me.”
“Come on Ivy. Isn’t that what our deal was? Your shares in return for a marriage and all that comes with a marriage.”
“There was no and-I-shall-take-over-your-family’s-company clause! If there was one, I would have reconsidered.”
“Oh, come on. If you knew one thing about your precious family company, you’d have known that it wasn’t that hard to convince investors to hop on to my wagon. Your father was old-fashioned and refused to take the company into the twenty-first century, and your brother is the opposite. He’s on a rapid course to remake the company and is destroying it in the process.”
She frowns. “So, you want to help him?” Her voice is full of naïve hope, that I sadly have to crush before her pleading eyes convince me of something I don’t want to do.
“No. I want to sell it and strip it for parts. My partners don’t know yet, but they’ll agree once they see the profit margins.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh, my god. That’s why we’re here. One of the biggest shareholders in Hawthorne is Lynette Barbier. You are courting her. You’re like a fox in the henhouse!”
Well, she’s smart when it comes to some things. Lynette’s fashion house was bought by Hawthorne back when Nolan Senior was in charge. It was the last big purchase he made before kicking the bucket. Part of the deal was that she got shares in Hawthorne, and this made her one of the company’s largest investors outside the family. According to the grapevine, the deal wasn’t as above board as everyone thought and it’s said NolanSenior undercut her and she’s been bitter ever since. Making her one of the least loyal shareholders in the company.
She comes to a stop at the window. The light morning light shines behind her, making her look like a divine creature. “I want an annulment.” I am momentarily blindsided by her beauty to take in the seriousness of her words. Instead of discussing corporate procedure, I would rather be fucking her right now, preferably against that window.
“And what are you going to tell Lake?”
“Parent’s divorce all the time. I’m sure he’ll understand.”
I march over to where she’s standing and stop a few inches away from her. Her scent teases my nostrils and instantly makes me hard. I steel myself. “If you try to take my son away from me again, I will use every legal weapon in my arsenal to make sure you never see him again.” She freezes as she realizes I am serious. I don’t want to scare her, but it’s the truth. I don’t want Lake to spend any more time away from me. “There will be no annulment.”
