Page 30

Aire.

I 've never been to a polo match before. I didn't know how the game was played, so I watched multiple YouTube videos to understand it. But all that work seemed pointless, because it turned out few people cared for the match or even came to watch the match. The event was mostly about mingling with other rich people. The match was just an excuse to network. No wonder Nolan hadn't been enthusiastic enough to come. If the gala was a naked display of sycophants slobbering all over him, this was worse. Everywhere we went, people wanted to speak to him. To ask him to be part of their next venture. To thank him for donating to their charity. And also to ask him if he has time to hear about their other new charity venture. And those were just the business people. Then there were the women who were so used to Nolan being the most eligible bachelor in New York society that they did not care that he was married now. Their advances towards him were embarrassing. It would have made me jealous, if he didn't reject them so cleanly.

"Is this how it's always like?" I asked him when one woman tried to get Nolan's personal number, only for him to give her his assistant's. She blushed when she realized what he had done, glanced at me as if noticing me for the first time, and then slithered away.

"The foxes are out in full force today, if that's what you want to know."

"No wonder you hate this shit," I said. We strolled to the seats and sat down in an empty row to watch the match. There were a few other people scattered in a few seats, but most people were milling about beyond the grounds.

"It's not my scene. And it seems like it's not yours as well."

"I didn't hang around in the polo enthusiast set." I hoped he took it to mean that I liked other rich people's sports or hated sports in general and not because I've never been to a thing like this before. His keen eye was starting to freak me out. The longer we stayed together, the more he was getting to know, not just the fake Aelin version I was trotting out, but the real me. I found maintaining the pretense of being my cousin constantly tough. It was so exhausting that I ended up being myself instead.

"Nor do you hang around the nightclub set? Or at least you do, but you don't like it."

My stomach tumbled. "What makes you say that?"

"You didn't look comfortable a few months ago at Hunter's club. It should have been your scene and yet you seemed a little lost. Like a fish out of water."

I whipped my head to face him, surprised by his insight. "I wasn't in the mood, that's all. Clubbing is my forte, don't you know? Just ask the tabloids."

"But you were in the mood for something else." His eyes darkened, and a thrill ran down my spine as I remembered that night. We had edged each other and continued that edging to Milan until it imploded. Nolan and I had slept with each other every night and had not stopped since. Even after his mother left, I didn't move back into the other bedroom. We hadn't spoken about it. It was as though speaking about the arrangement would solidify it. Make it into something that it's not. Turning it into something serious. Because what we had was just sex. Nothing more.

"I'm in the mood for the game," I said and turned to the men galloping around the field on horses.

Nolan scoffed. "Liar. Do you even understand what's going on?"

"Yes. It's soccer but on horseback."

He folded his arms. "There's more to the sport than that."

"Yeah?"

"Of course." Nolan launched into an explanation of the game. The rules of how it's played. His eyes shone as he spoke. His body leaning towards me, and my heart loving the undivided attention he was giving me.

"You love the sport."

Nolan leaned back. "Nah. Just a mild interest."

"Liar. You should see your face. You're practically glowing from telling me all about Adolfo Cambiaso's matches."

He crossed his legs and assumed a casual pose that did not fool me for a second. "One can't help but admire such an amazing career."

"Uh, huh?"

"Fine." He raised his hands in surrender. "I like the sport. Sue me."

I chuckled. "I'm just surprised you were acting like you didn't want to even be here."

"I like Polo. I don't like this." He waved his hand at the crowd of people beyond the field.

"The sycophants do ruin it, I have to admit. "

He chuckled. "You saw."

"Everyone was begging for a chance to suck your dick. I thought I might have to get in line. How do you deal with it?"

"It comes with the territory. It's not me they like, it's my money. My position. If any one of my siblings were in my place, they would be treating them the same way."

The crowd erupted in cheers, turning our attention to the match. One team had scored. Nolan's favorite team. We stood up and clapped along with everyone else. Nolan's face changed, however, from excited to apprehensive in a few seconds, as his gaze zoned in on someone behind me.

"What?"

"Oh no," he grabbed my hand and started guiding me away from where we were sitting.

"What is it?" I asked, as I turned my head to see what made him act so jumpy.

"Don't look," he said and faced forward, practically dragging me away from the match. "Another sycophant. This one is worse than the rest."

"Nolan Hawthorne!" I heard a man shout. Nolan quickened his footsteps. "Hawthorne!" Nolan marched as though he could not hear him. He pulled me forward and snaked his hand around my waist.

I glanced back to see a short man wearing an over the top white and blue suit that looked more appropriate for the derby than a polo match. "Who is he?"

"Don't look!" He rushed us through the throng of people until we were beyond the grounds and closer to a small grove. There was an abandoned kiosk next to it and Nolan and I dashed behind it and took our breaths there. We were alone now. There was a pond beyond the thicket of trees, and nothing else.

"He's a family friend," Nolan answered, catching his breath. I leaned against the wall of the kiosk, my hands flat against the wood, while Nolan stood opposite me, leaning against a tree trunk."Why are you so afraid of him?"

"I'm not afraid exactly, but he can be annoying. He wants me to invest in his business."

"Ah, so a run-of-the-mill sycophant. What kind of business?"

"Fashion. Men's apparel. His designs are awful and look like they were made by monkeys."

"Surely it can't be that bad."

"Did you see his suit?"

We both laughed.

"It can't be his design."

Nolan nodded his head as though to say it was. I chuckled again. Nolan smiled."I love seeing you like this."

"Like what?"

"Yourself."

My heart fluttered."I'm myself all the time."

"No, you're not. Sometimes," he pushed himself off the trunk and strolled to stand a few inches away from me. "You act like someone else. You put up a front so that people don't see the real you, but every once in a while, you come out. Especially in certain situations."

My breath was hard to catch. "What kind of situations are those?"

His hand went to my cheek, and I leaned into it out of instinct. "Situations like this." He caressed my cheek and slid his hand down to my chin, where he tilted it so I was looking directly at him. He drew me to him and kissed me. His tongue danced on my lips, slow and searching. My body felt weak and my hands went around his waist so I would not crumble down to the ground. Nolan groaned and became more insistent as he stepped forward and plastered my back against the kiosk. My hands were all over his back as he kissed me with naked desire. I loved the way he made me feel. Made me forget everything and just enjoy him.

A burst of electricity rushed through my entire body and a moan escaped my lips as I held onto his muscles for dear life. I drew his head down and returned his kiss with as much enthusiasm as he was kissing me with. I wanted him to feel what I was feeling and when he thrust himself against me, his hand leaning against the kiosk while the other dragged me up against his body, I knew I had got him.

"This," he said when we both came up for air. "This is the woman I want to see. The real you." He brushed his finger against my lips. Without thinking, my tongue darted out and tasted him. He released a harsh breath and spun us around so he was behind me against the wall of the kiosk with me against his chest while I looked out into the thicket. He trailed kisses down against my neck, then up again to my chin and then claimed my mouth again, his hand around my waist imprisoning me against his chest. I gave up myself to his sweet assault, my neck bending to give him access. His groan of approval only made me heady with excitement. Nolan's hands caressed my body, running up and down my dress, gripping my thighs, my breasts, and back down again to the inside of my dress and right to my center.

"Nolan..."

Distant noises from the grounds got carried by the wind and pierced through the passion induced haze. I realized where we were and what we were about to do.

"Do you want me to stop?" he whispered against my neck. His hands were now digging into my panties, shifting them aside and thrumming my clit. Did I want him to? I cried, not sure if what I wanted was for him to stop or to continue. He flicked my clit with one hand and delved into my bra with the other. He played with both my clit and my nipple until I was a whimpering, writhing mess.

"Nolan..."

"Answer me darling." A kiss on the space between the shoulder and the neck. I bent my head again, and he rewarded me by sinking his teeth in. Sucking my skin like he was a vampire.

"Yes. I mean No. Please don't stop."

"Good."

He turned us around once more and I was back again with my back against the wall whilst he unzipped his pants. He took out his cock, stroked it twice, lifted my leg to wrap it around his waist, flicked my underwear to the side and entered me with one smooth thrust.

A light wrinkle on his forehead appeared as his eyes closed in ecstasy. "Oh, fuck." He claimed my lips and let go as his thrusts pushed me up and down against the wall. "You feel so good," he whispered against my neck. I was gripping his shoulders for dear life and enjoying every beat, every movement of his skin against mine, his zipper scrapping my skin as he thrust inside me when he suddenly pulled out.

"What?"

He tried to let go, but I held him fast against me with my leg. "I don't have any protection," he said.

"Don't worry. I'm on birth control. And I am safe." It was true. Nolan was the first man I had slept with in years and before I got married, grandfather had sent me to a doctor for a checkup. And I had gotten on birth control when we got more sexually active. Granted, it might have been a little too soon, but I wanted him inside me so badly.

A flash of worry passed on his face, then he seemed to reach a resolve. He kissed me. "I'll pull out," he said as he brushed his cock against my pussy and then thrust inside me again. We both moaned. He felt even better now. His thrusts became more frenzied by the moment as I met each with the same speed, bouncing on his cock so hard I was afraid the back of my dress would rip from the friction.

"Nolan."

"Don't worry, babe, I'll make you come." His hands gripped my buttocks as he increased his pace. One hand slid around to my pussy and he pinched it, then rubbed it. And just like that, I came so hard I had to muffle my cry into his neck. He came soon after, groaning into my neck. It was so satisfying to hear him lose control like that, and it made me blissful, but as my hand lightly caressed his nape, I realized something in shock .

"You didn't pull out."

Nolan withdrew out of me, and I put my leg down. I felt a sudden loss and warm cum running down my thighs. "Fuck." He chuckled and kissed me with shaky lips. You were so good I didn't want to stop. He took a Kleenex out of his pocket and used it to clean our mess between my legs.

We righted our clothes and removed any stray leaves out of our hair. My dress was a little wrinkled, but it didn't look too bad. I patted down Nolan's ruffled hair while he fixed mine. He had a mischievous smile on his face.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I can smell you on me."When I gasped, he added. "I want every man who smells you to know that you belong to me." He took my hand, and we got back to the crowd. The match was over when we got back. Ivy and Damien saw us, and Ivy waved us over. Damien and Nolan began talking business, leaving Ivy and me together. Now that I had earned some goodwill by saving her son, Ivy was no longer as standoffish as she once was.

"Where did you two disappear to?"

"We took a walk down that grove over there," I said, pointing to the spot.

"That's odd. I was sure I saw you at the match."

"We were there a few minutes and then Nolan ran when a family friend of yours began accosting him. "

She frowned. "You weren't alone?"

I shook my head. Ivy looked perplexed, then seemed to dismiss it altogether. “Anyway, I’m hosting a baby shower in a few weeks and you two should come. I’ll send the deets later, but I wanted to know if you’ll make it.”

Without meaning to, my gaze went to her stomach. There was a small bump that I hadn’t noticed at all before now.

“You’re pregnant?”

Ivy nodded, her hand subconsciously going to her stomach. “Fourteen weeks now. They say the second pregnancy is bigger than the first, but that doesn’t seem to apply to me, apparently.”

“Oh, Ivy. Congratulations!”

She darted her eyes around. “Not too loud. A few people know. So? Are you coming?”

I nodded enthusiastically. She beamed.

“Great!” She circled her arm around mine. “I heard the party Gemma has planned on the yacht is going to be epic. I'm curious to see how she has redecorated. Wanna go check it out?”

"Why not?"

We were on our way when a high school friend stopped Ivy and their conversation devolved into reminiscing about the old times. The high school friend told her there were other women who would like to meet her. "I'm sorry. I have to leave you alone. "

"It's fine." I waved her off. "I'll go check out the boat."

I watched as she wandered off to a group of women who all screamed and cheered when they saw her. I was about to make a step towards the yacht when I heard a voice that sent a chill down my spine.

"Hi cousin."