Page 252 of The Morally Grey Billionaires Boxset

Solene

I gape at him. An expression I, apparently, seem to wear a lot around this… this… complicated, frustrating, sexy as hell, alphahole. "B-but… It’s distracting."

"You’ll get used to it."

I pout. "It’s… weird. And unnatural. And what is it with your obsession with anal anyway?"

"What’s not to like about it? It’s your tightest hole. It’s forbidden. Besides, you’re still a virgin there."

"Technically, that little thingy you stuck in me is there before you."

"Technically, that little thingy, as you say so eloquently, is only a quarter of the way in."

I gulp. A bead of sweat slides down my temple. "You’re trying to scare me, aren’t you?"

His smirk widens. "Am I succeeding?"

"Of course not." Not that I’d ever admit if I were, which I’m not. Okay, I might be a little. But I’ve read enough about the act in my spicy books to know it might be a little painful, but ultimately, the orgasm I get from it is going to be much more intense.

"Good." He closes the distance between us until that gorgeous scent of his wraps around me, along with the heat of his body which, together, is doing funny things to my insides. He cups my cheek. "You’re incredible, Solene, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you agreeing to star in my movie. "

I take in the genuine emotion in his eyes, the softness around his lips as he holds my gaze. Despite everything, why does it feel so right to finally be on the same side as him? "Why are things between us always so complicated?" I place my hand on his.

"If things had been too simple, we might not have appreciated how right it feels to finally do this together."

His thoughts echo mine, and again, I shouldn’t be surprised. Underneath all that push-pull, we’ve always been on the same wavelength. Largely.

"So, what’s next?"

"Now, we head out there and tell your manager that we are together. Then, we let ourselves be spotted around town, all casual-like."

"So, we let the speculation build?"

He nods. "Meanwhile, we get through the shooting. Closer to when the movie is done, then we do a more formal video of the two of us together."

"Which will help with the launch of the movie."

"You okay with that?"

"I’m not surprised you have it all planned out, but somehow, I wish things were a lot more spontaneous between us."

He flashes me a grin. "I got you covered there."

I blink. Whoa, that full-wattage smile of his is so rare. It transforms his face and hits you straight in the solar plexus. My heart does a funny jump in my chest. Also, there’s something a little mean about that smile that I don’t quite trust. "What are you cooking up?"

"More like what do I have vibrating up?"

"What do you—" There’s a buzzing between my butt cheeks. I jump. Then squeeze down on the thing that’s going a thousand miles a second in the most intimate of my spaces.

The oscillations streak out. There must be a direct connection to my clit, which throbs and swells.

My pussy lips clench which, in turn, pushes me to bear down on the damn thingy, which restarts the cycle all over again.

"Oh, my god, this is—"

"Spontaneous enough for you, baby?" He looks closely at me, trying to discern just how much it’s affecting me.

"Not quite what I had in mind." Another whimper boils up. I bite down on the inside of my cheek to stop it from escaping. "How long do I have to wear this?"

"Until I allow you to remove it."

"Which is when?"

"When I let you."

"But you’re going back on set—"

He shakes his head. "I’m not."

I still. "So, it’s you and me under one roof again?"

"It’ll reinforce the story we’re together."

"Convenient for you, huh?" I scoff.

His gaze grows intense. "Convenient for both of us that you never moved out. I wonder why that is, Rabbit? Why is it that, despite making enough money to afford a space of your own, you stayed?"

I hunch my shoulders. "It seemed more sensible to save the money I’d earned—which by the way, wasn’t enough to buy a home.”

“You could have moved into an apartment?”

I roll my eyes. “With even less to deter the paps from getting to me?”

“You retained your security team, they’d have kept the journalists at bay,” he points out.

I stare at him. “Fine, okay, if I really wanted to, I could have moved out, but I didn’t have the time.

I was constantly touring. I was never home long enough to—" I jump because that damn thing between my legs buzzes again. My pussy instantly moistens, and my clit swells until I’m sure the wetness is seeping through my panties and onto the seat of my pants.

"Stop that."

"Don’t lie to me, Solene. Why did you never move out?"

"I told you, I was too preoccupied with other stuff, I—" I clench my teeth to stop the shudder of sensations that burst up my spine. "Stop it.”

"Not until you tell me the truth." He holds up a little gizmo in his right hand. So that’s responsible for the waves of heat that swell under my skin.

He lowers his thumb to touch the button on the gadget, and I throw up my hand.

"Okay, fine, you win. It’s because I didn’t want to.

It was something that made me feel connected to you.

And despite the fact you were acting like an arse"—I don’t react to his raised eyebrows—"I couldn’t bring myself to leave.

It’s the first home I’ve known in LA, and I couldn’t see myself anywhere else. "

"And?"

"And what?"

"Complete what you were going to say?"

I shuffle my weight from foot to foot. "And nothing. That’s all."

His thumb touches the button, and I shake my head. "No, no. Not that, please."

"Then tell me, Solene. Tell me why you stayed, even after you thought I was with someone else."

I flinch but can’t look away from those piercing blue eyes of his. "I couldn’t leave because, deep inside, I didn’t believe what you told me, okay? I thought—"

"You thought?"

"That we’d get back together, you stronzo. You fetente, you—" He reaches over and pulls me to him. I allow him to wrap his arms about me and hold me so close I can bury my nose into his shirt and fill my lungs with him.

"I really am sorry for putting you through that. I wasn’t thinking straight."

"You broke my heart," I sniffle.

"I promise, I won’t do that again."

"I’m not sure if I believe you."

He leans back and notches his knuckles under my chin, so I have to tilt my gaze up to his. "Then it’s up to me to disprove that, isn’t it?"

"This is going to be so good." Giorgina claps her hands together. "Of course, when you break up again, that will give rise to another round of publicity, and—"

"We’re not breaking up," Declan interjects.

"We’re not doing this again," I say at the same time.

Declan stares at me; I don’t look away. Something passes between us.

So basically, we’ve both agreed our relationship is fake, but we’re not breaking up.

By the intensity in Declan’s eyes, I know he knows.

And considering I can never hide my thoughts from him, he knows I know.

So—what does this mean? Honestly, I’m not sure.

Giorgina looks between us. "Okay. So now that you are back together, we can make it official on social media, and—"

"No." Declan raises his hand this time. "I’ve outlined how it’s going to be this time, and I’m not changing my mind.

She blows out a breath. "This is big news. It’s best you drive the narrative by putting out a statement."

"No, keep them guessing. We’re going to let them see only what we’re willing to share."

"That’s one heck of an engagement ring." She jerks her chin toward my left hand. The weight of the band on my left finger balances out that of the bracelet with the charms on my right hand. I’m wearing the marks of his ownership on me and in me. What does that say about me?

"Thanks," I murmur.

"You going to do a post with that?" she encourages me. "It’s one hell of a newsworthy update to your fans."

I look at Declan who shrugs. "That’s up to Solene."

I blink. I thought he was going to dictate every aspect of my life off stage. Guess there are some things he’s happy to leave up to me.

"What do you say, Solene?" Harry pushes down his hair. He’s seated on a chaise. Giorgina’s in a chair, with Rick not far from her.

He’s Declan’s security detail but he might as well be Giorgina’s shadow, the way his gaze keeps moving back to her.

Finn is positioned near the door, his body language alert, as always.

After Declan and I returned from our little tryst, Finn drove us back, with Harry following. I can tell the sight of him pisses Declan off, but Finn’s been a good addition to my team. Besides, Declan knows Finn isn’t interested in me that way. So, he really has nothing to be glowering about.

"Solene?" Harry prompts.

"Eh, what?" I yawn suddenly. "Sorry, it’s been a long day." And the emotional ups and downs have tired me out faster than I imagined.

"Why don’t we let my fiancée decide after a good night’s sleep, huh? It’s been a tiring day, and she needs her rest now."

Harry nods, then jumps to his feet. Clearly, he can’t wait to get away. Not that I blame him. Between Declan’s grumpy countenance and the unsaid emotions between Giorgina and Rick, it’s a pressure cooker environment in here.

He bobs his head at me. "I’ll message you the dates of your upcoming shows. The venues are nowhere as big as those on your tour, but it’s a chance to keep performing."

I rise to my feet. Declan stiffens, but I ignore him.

I walk toward Harry, knowing Declan hasn’t taken his gaze off of me, but whatever.

I can’t allow his glowering presence, and the fact that he is now my Dom, change how I interact with others.

"You did well, Harry. And actually, I prefer smaller venues. It’s more intimate.

A chance to strike up a personal relationship with the people in the audience, you know? "

Harry flushes, then nods with enthusiasm. "You’re a good kid, Solene, and for what it’s worth, I’m happy you and Declan are together. That man’s name carries clout, but together, the two of you are catnip for the press, for your fans and I’m sure, for movie-goers, too."

I blow out a breath. "I sure hope so, Harry."

He nods again at everyone, then turns and walks out.

Giorgina, too, rises to her feet. "That’s my cue." She scowls at Declan. "Don’t go off and do things I wouldn’t do."

"Have I ever?" Declan smirks.

She rolls her eyes, then turns and walks past Rick, who angles his body in her direction. He takes a step forward before stopping himself.

Declan blows out a breath. "Oh, for fuck’s sake, man. Why don’t you leave with her?"

Rick draws himself up to his full height. "You don’t know what you’re talking about."

"Oh yeah?" Declan leans back and throws his arm over the back of the settee. "So why do you look like something crawled up your arse?"

I shoot him a dirty look. Did he say that on purpose?

He flashes me another of those killer grins, which has me clamping down on said thing that’s between my ass cheeks.

His grin widens like he knows exactly what’s happening down there.

I glower at him. He pats the seat next to him. "Sit down and relax, little Rabbit."

I flush a little at his using my nickname in front of the two men, then walk over and sink down onto the chaise… On the side farthest away from him. He arches an eyebrow at me, his only reaction to my having disobeyed him. Ooh, does that mean he’s going to punish me later? I hope so.

He turns to face the two men. "With Solene and me combining forces, it makes sense to have the both of you coordinate our security detail. Rick can continue to be on my team, and Finn on Solene's, and since you two know each other, you two can work out the rest of the formalities."

Finn jerks his chin in my direction.

Once more, Declan’s muscles seize up, then he seems to get a hold of himself.

"I’ll do a survey of the perimeter before I leave for the night." Finn turns and trots off.

I turn to Declan, but before I can speak his phone buzzes. He pulls it out, and his forehead furrows. "It’s Cade," he tells Rick before putting it on speaker.

"Is Rick with you?" Cade’s face appears on the phone

"I’m here." Rick walks over to stand behind Declan.

"You have news of Knight?"

Cade’s features are serious. "They think they’ve got a lead on him."

"They?" Rick asks.

"The combined forces of JJ, Michael and Sinclair. They set up a task force focused on tracking down his whereabouts, and they think they’ve come up with a lead."

"Where is he?"

"It’s confidential. I can’t reveal that over the phone, but they’re waiting to confirm the veracity of the lead."

"So, he’s alive?" Declan lowers his chin to his chest. Worry is reflected in his eyes. His jaw tics in that familiar fashion that tells me he’s stressed.

"They think so.” Cade rubs the back of his neck. “The need to get to him sooner than not, else the impact on his psyche of being a prisoner of the enemy for so long is going to be catastrophic.”

"Fuck!" Both Declan and Rick swear aloud.

"They’re putting together an extraction team as we speak."

"I want to be in on it," Rick intervenes.

"It’s not your specialty. The team will consist of highly-trained people who’ve delivered on challenging missions in the past."

Rick straightens. "I need to do something."

"You two be ready for when Knight is back. He’ll need all our support."

"I’ll do anything for him, you know that," Declan growls. "But Cade’s right. We need to leave this to the experts to increase the chances of his getting out alive. Also, I need you here, Rick."

Rick hesitates.

"I know this is not exactly the kind of gig you anticipated when you were discharged from the military, but I'm counting on you to keep us both safe."

Rick rolls his shoulders. "You’re blowing smoke up my arse, Pretty Boy."

Declan winces at the nickname, but before he can reply, I pipe up, "He’s not. We do need you. Wait until news of the two of us gets out; it’s going to be mayhem."