Page 40

EMMA

I 've heard of people's fortunes changing overnight, but I never imagined something like that would ever happen to me.

I stare at my phone in disbelief.

My heart thumps loudly in my ribcage, making blood rush to my ears.

It honestly feels like I'm living in a dream. Everything feels too joyful and luminous to be real life.

I put my phone away and look at myself in the mirror.

There's evidence of last night all over my skin.

Love bites and bruised lips and messy hair.

We woke up when the sun was high in the sky.

He kissed me until I was drunk on him, and then he took me to the shower, where he made slow love to me like we had all the time in the world.

I'm back in my own bedroom now, feeling a little dazed.

I never considered myself a sexual person, but there's an ache inside me that's making me more and more restless.

He's good at taking care of me, but I can't stop thinking about his body on top of mine.

I liked it when he showed me his animal side. I liked the way he moved on top of me, his powerful body taking what it needed from my smaller one. I liked that feral look in his eyes as he palmed my breasts in his hands.

His possessive nature is something he doesn't even try to hide. It's supposed to make alarm bells ring in my head, but all I hear are symphonies.

I'm still thinking about him as I get dressed for the day.

I wear an off-shoulder sweater dress with nothing else inside. Before leaving my room, I swipe red gloss over my lips.

As I knock on his door, I glance down the corridor.There's nobody else in sight. The kids have classes until noon, so they've been occupied all morning.

The heavy door swings open.

Klaus stands in front of me in a tailored navy-blue three-piece suit. His polished leather oxfords gleam under the muted lights of his bedroom. He looks so handsome that it steals the breath from my lungs.

"Why do you insist on torturing me?" he grumbles, his dark gaze sweeping down my curves before walking toward his closet.

"You look nice too," I say, stepping inside his room.

I rest my back against the closed door, feeling a little breathless as I watch him open his watch cabinet. He selects a Patek Philippe with a brown dial. The sight of him getting dressed does something to me.

"I know what you did," I say, taking a deep breath.

He raises an eyebrow.

"You donated money to the hospital where my grandmother is admitted," I say. "They sent me an email that they would erase all the medical debt and provide free medical treatment for the rest of her stay."

My heart is thumping hard against my chest.

I know that the money he sent to the hospital was probably only a fraction of his fortune, but it means everything to me.

"Why did you do it?" I ask him.

"What do you mean?" he replies.

"You didn't have to do something like that for me," I say. "You didn't have to pay off my debts."

"I wanted to," he says. "I already told you that I would take care of you."

Something blossoms in my chest. It's soft and fragrant and way too vulnerable, so I ignore it.

"My bank also reached out to me," I say slowly. "Seven million dollars, Klaus?"

"For the bakery," he says. "You told me that it was your dream."

I'm shocked that he even remembers this. I only mentioned it to him once.

"I don't need seven million to open a bakery," I say. "It's too much money. I can't accept it."

He stalks toward me. There's danger swimming in his eyes. I see fractured visions of everything we did last night. I hear the echoes of all the filthy things he whispered in my ear.

He stops when he's inches away from me. He cups my cheek and tips my head up to meet his gaze.

"You're my girl now," he says. "Get used to having nice things."

I can't handle it.

After all this time of him treating me like I was a nuisance in his life, I wasn't expecting to see this side of him. I didn't expect the intensity of his feelings.

"There's not a single thing I wouldn't do to make you and the kids happy," he says.

I can barely breathe now.

"Klaus, I—" I can't bring myself to finish the sentence.

My emotions are raging like a wildfire. I don't want us to burn out.

I know that his intentions are pure, but I don't want him to think that I want him just because he's wealthy.

"I'm used to doing everything on my own," I tell him. "This is weird for me."

"This is new for me too," he replies. "I've never been in this position before.

I never...cared this much about another person.

You don't know all the ways you have bewitched me, Emma.

For the first time in ages, I woke up excited for the day.

It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I haven't felt this way since before the war. And it's all because of you."

I want to tell him that I feel the same way about him, but I'm all choked up.

I used to pray to God for something like this. I used to wish upon every star that a day would come when I would feel safe in the world again. And my wish came true in the form of this man standing before me.

When I'm around him, all the anxiety I usually carry around just melts away.

His hand slips into my hair now, tugging on it possessively.

"Tell me what you're thinking," he says.

"I was afraid you would be different in the daylight," I say. "I'm glad you're still the same man you were last night."

"I told you my deepest, darkest secrets," he says. "That means that you're my best friend now."

Something starts glowing in the center of my chest.

"I guess you're my best friend, too," I reply.

"Don't tell Alaric. He'll die of jealousy," Klaus says.

He crowds me against the door, pressing his body against mine. With every breath I take, my nipples drag against his chest. His hard length swells against my belly, turning my insides into molten lava for him.

"Cherry-red lip gloss," he says. "You knew exactly what you were doing, didn't you?"

His hand encloses around my waist and drags it up my ribs until he's palming my tits. His thumb brushes against my nipple, bringing my body to life.

"And these tits," he says, tugging on my nipple. "You wanted me to notice them, didn't you? You wanted to drive me insane."

The way he switches from sweet to wicked is giving me whiplash.

"I don't know what you mean," I say.

"Don't you, though?" he says, yanking my dress up until the material is bunched around my thighs. He pushes his hands between my thighs and squeezes my naked flesh. "No panties and wet as a dream. Just like I thought. You've been a bad girl, Emma."

"I have?" I whisper.

Some instinct makes me arch my back and push my breasts toward his face.

My entire body feels like a plucked string of a guitar. I'm vibrating from head to toe. I'm hungry for the music only he can whisper against my ear.

"If you're going to act like a cheap slut, I'm going to treat you like one," he says, abruptly stepping away from me.

There's ownership in his eyes. I never thought it would feel so good to belong to a man like this.

"Get on your knees now, princess," he says. "I'm going to teach you how to take care of a man."

When I stare at him with wide eyes, he grabs my hair and pushes me down until I fall to my knees. I stare up at him with parted lips.

My body trembles with need.

The sight of this powerful billionaire towering over me while unbuckling his belt makes warmth rush to my core. It's uncomfortably hot between my thighs.

He jerks his big cock out of its confines and fists it.

"Those juicy red lips were made to take a man's cock," he says. "I should be thanking my lucky stars that you're here willingly. Because it was only a matter of time before I creeped into your bedroom while you were asleep just to see what these pouty lips would feel like sucking on my cock."

He pushes his thumb into my mouth.

Some instinct kicks into place. I suck on his thumb, licking it like it's made of sweet candy.

"Fuck, princess," he says. "I had a feeling you would be a natural. This is going to be your full-time job now. You're going to be sucking me off underneath boardroom tables. You're going to be bouncing on my cock while I attend international calls. You're going to be my sweet girl, aren't you?"

I can't speak, but I blink up at him, telling him I'll be anything he wants me to be.

"I can't take it anymore," he says, replacing his thumb with the head of his cock. He nudges it against my mouth, forcing me to open wider for him. He tastes like salt water and musk. It's an addicting combination.

I moan as he pushes himself inside my mouth.

"I should feel guilty about the things I'm doing to you, but you were asking for it," he says.

"Shaking those ripe tits in my face and walking around with that wet pussy.

You wanted to corrupt my thoughts with that cherry lip gloss, didn't you?

You wanted to make sure I wouldn't be able to resist you. "

He fucks me with shallow thrusts of his hips. The way he dominates me should be degrading, but I can't get enough of it.

"Such a sweet, young thing," he says. "You can barely fit my cock in your mouth, but you still do your best for me, don't you? I might just have to reward you."

He yanks down the top of my dress, making my tits pop free. His gaze turns lustful as he watches my breasts bounce with the force of his thrusts.

He becomes more feral now, going deeper and deeper with every thrust. He's still only halfway inside.

The rapture on his face makes me want to give him more pleasure. I want to make him feel like a god. I swallow, taking him deeper inside my mouth, letting him choke me as I look up at him.

"Fuck, you're going to be the death of me, princess," he says, thrusting twice before pulling out to let me breathe. "You shouldn't be this good at sucking cock."

He pushes his shoe between my parted thighs.

"Go ahead, my little slut," he says. "Rub your little clit on my shoe. I know you're horny for it."

I ride his shoe as he pushes his cock back inside my mouth. He grabs my hair and makes me take more of him. I feel him starting to come undone at the seams. He thrusts even harder, pushing my limits, but never more than I can take.

"My perfect little princess," he says. "Swirl your tongue around my tip now. Suck it like it's a lollipop that's made just for you. Wrap those candy lips around me and suck off the cock you made so hard."

His slow thrusts and deep groans have me spiraling. I buck my hips against his shoe, squeezing my eyes shut as fireworks explode inside me.

I'm sensitive everywhere, but I can't deny it—I want more.

He lifts me up to my feet and turns me around. My ass is plumped against his hard cock. He dips the tip of his cock against my entrance.

"Being manhandled makes you wet, huh?" he asks, rubbing his cock against my swollen folds. "Do you like being with a man who knows exactly what he wants and knows how to take it?"

His arm bands around my breasts as he enters me with a rough thrust.

"This pussy was made to be fucked by me," he says. "It was made to take every drop of my come."

I become liquid in his arms.

He wraps another arm around my belly and lifts me off my feet. I become an object that exists just for his pleasure. Just for his cock.

"I'm addicted to you, Emma," he says, inhaling the scent of my neck. "I'm addicted to every curl of your hair. I'm addicted to every sigh that leaves your lips. I'm addicted to every thought you hold in that pretty head."

He turns into a savage, using his strength to make me bounce on top of his cock. I'm completely impaled on him, and he's deeper inside me than he's ever been. His heavy balls smack against my ass with every violent thrust.

"Are you going to take my come like a good girl now, Emma?" he asks.

"Yes," I say. "Yes, yes, yes."

He presses his mouth against my ear. "Not that you have a choice. This little pussy belongs to me now. I get to spread these pretty thighs apart and have my way with you whenever I wish to."

He's so deep inside me now. He's hitting a spot inside me that makes me see double.

His teeth sink into my shoulder. "Let me breed you now, pretty girl."

A sane woman would be terrified of hearing a man say these things to her.

But I haven't been sane for a while now.

His filthy words only make me want him more. It only cements what I've always known—he's the man I've been waiting for. He's the one person I was destined for.

His fingers dig into my skin as he empties himself deep inside me.

My toes curl when I feel his hot seed filling me up. All of me explodes right alongside him. He makes me see colors I've never even seen before. He changes the very chemistry inside me as my veins fill with liquid gold.

All of me is rewriting itself, changing by the second.

When I open my eyes, the world is glittering. He turns me around and rubs his thumb against my bottom lip.

"My perfect princess," he says. "I'll buy you diamonds in the evening."

"Diamonds?" I breathe.

"When I fuck you tonight, you'll be wearing nothing but diamonds from head to toe," he says, kissing each corner of my lips. "You'll be glistening like the star you are."

My heart swells with affection for this man.

I get tipsy on his kiss.

The blood rushing through my ears drowns out the little voice of reason in my head—the one that says that this feels too good to be true.