Page 38 of Cruelest Contract (Storm’s Eye Ranch)

I throw my arms around his shoulders. He lifts me with one arm and my knees hook around his hips. I’m vaguely aware that he’s grabbed the bourbon bottle with his free hand before carrying me over to the bed. Whatever he’s planning, I’m into it.

Julian deposits me on the edge of the mattress.

His shirt is gone and he lays the unopened bottle on the bed at my side before kneeling at my feet.

He removes my boots one at a time and he moves slowly, deliberately, watching my face all the while.

My fists tighten in the downy depths of the bed comforter.

I may start begging for him to go faster.

His hands travel higher up my legs, every inch a methodical seduction. I don’t even recoil when his palm glides over my scars. Somehow with him, it feels good and there’s no shame. I’m not tempted to hide.

He keeps going and I watch as his hands disappear under my slip. There’s a whimper in my throat when his thumbs part my thighs. He doesn’t stop until his fingers are inside my panties. I know what he’ll find there. I’m more than ready for him.

A lock of black hair tumbles across his forehead as he watches my reaction.

I’m squirming, angling my body to encourage him to probe deeper but he prefers to tease at the entrance, massaging with his thumbs until I’m biting my lip.

My arm muscles strain as I lean heavily on them and lift my hips from the mattress.

Julian uses this opportunity to grip the waistband of my satin panties and slide them off.

Every moan and every move I make is a plea to keep going.

However, once he’s removed my panties, Julian stands and seizes the bourbon. He unscrews the cap, tosses it away and drinks directly from the bottle. His throat bobs as he gulps that fire down like it’s nothing more than water.

The sight is so sexy and so dominant and I never knew this was what I craved all along.

“My turn,” I whisper and go work on his belt. Unbuckling. Unzipping.

Julian watches me and doesn’t interfere. His pants fall from his hips. The briefs he wears are black and the thick outline of his cock is a thing of beauty. He hisses through his teeth when I kiss his hard belly. I use my tongue to trace a trail down his rigid abs and then pause, looking up.

I know he brought condoms with him. I’m not ready to get pregnant and Julian assured me there would be no pressure.

I haven’t changed my mind. But now that we’re here together all I want is to be as close to him as possible.

“I need to feel you. Can you pull out?”

In answer, he takes another drink from the bottle. He sets it down on the nightstand. Then he cups a hand around the back of my neck to keep me in place when his mouth collides with mine. His tongue parts my lips. A rush of bourbon floods in with his tongue.

It burns my throat when it goes down. I swallow it anyway. I pull his underwear down and the length of his cock slaps into my palm.

Julian takes control of my mouth again and I’m so lost in the overpowering sensation of kissing him that I hardly realize he’s pushing me backwards until my back hits the mattress. My legs open with extreme eagerness and I feel the delicate fabric of my slip tear when he yanks it up over my hips.

There’s a twinge of nerves when I brace for him to enter me with brute force. However, he doesn’t. He’s slow, pulling back to watch my face, mindful of his size and careful not to hurt me.

I haven’t had sex in ages. It was never like this, overwhelming and all consuming.

I’m used to him in a hurry, my body adjusting to take the full length of him inside.

Julian balances himself on his elbows, keeping the bulk of his weight off me.

He moves slow and deep until I moan and arch my back, marveling at how good it feels to have no barrier between us.

A tidal wave is rising and I feel it closing in with every masterful thrust of his hips. I’ve always found it so difficult to let go and stop my mind from wandering in different directions with irrelevant worries.

Julian, on the other hand, demands and receives every scrap of my attention when we touch. There’s nothing on earth worth thinking about other than the way we move together.

This is not just an arrangement. This is the start of something real and permanent.

As I cling to my new husband, everything feels right. My future is with him. A wild thought skates through my mind that I love him and I think right now it’s true. I have no regrets.

The pinnacle is here and I don’t resist when the wave carries me off.

Julian thrusts with deep, rhythmic precision and I cry out when I come.

I whimper his name and I nestle my face into the crook of his neck.

The onslaught is so intense that the rest of my senses are briefly blotted out.

By time I reclaim them, I’m shaking and spent.

Meanwhile, Julian is busy. He’s tearing open a condom with his teeth.

“Watch me, Cecilia,” he commands and I do.

I watch him as he withdraws long enough to slide on the condom. The next invasion is far less gentle but exactly what I need. I’m mesmerized by his face as he rapidly climbs his own peak and finally gives in.

He comes with a deep groan, exhaling my name, and I feel the pulse of his release. Part of me wishes I’d told him to leave the condom off, no matter how reckless. A twinge of sorrow hits me when he pulls away for good. I miss him already.

Julian faces away while disposing of the condom. He crawls to my side and gently plucks a pink silk flower bud from my hair. I’d forgotten they were still there.

But I’ve been quiet for too long and a wrinkle of concern appears between his brows.

“Are you all right?” He strokes my cheek.

His hair is messy and his eyes are worried. He’s the most dangerously perfect man I’ve ever seen and I spring forward on impulse, wrapping my arms around him and holding him tight.

“I’m so glad I married you,” I blurt out and then cringe at the childish way this sounds.

Julian’s low chuckle tickles my ear and he kisses my neck. “Ah, Cecilia,” he sighs and then finds my mouth.

We kiss deeply, with languid passion. It’s not terribly late but the day has been a long one and I’m feeling sleepy. Julian helps me remove my torn slip and bra and he possessively curls my body against his before tucking the blankets around us.

“Rest for a little while if you need to, my beautiful girl.” He kisses my forehead and then switches the light off. “I’ll be right here waiting when you wake up.”

Julian’s promises are always sincere. The feel of his fingers lazily stroking my skin is heaven and I drift away in his arms.

But I don’t sleep for long. And when I wake up, my husband wastes no time before he demands what I’m eager to give him again.