Chapter 7

SEVEN

ARIANNA

Hopping down the stairs, I pull out my phone and text Wyatt.

Me

He says you can come over!

Wyatt

He says…

Frowning, I await more of a response, but nothing comes.

Me

Are you coming? Come over!

Wyatt

No, Ari.

A half sob leaves my mouth. Calling him immediately, he doesn’t answer. I call again after getting his voicemail.

“Arianna, are you safe? Is he causing you issues, or are you just trying to make me the other man?” he grits out across the line.

“I asked him, Wyatt. He said you can come over and he doesn’t care if we’re together. You can stay here instead of your crappy apartment now! He said the only thing is, you’re not allowed to, um, impregnate me. So no front stuff.” I always get my way. It’s no surprise that Ace already gave in, though I do have to wonder if it wasn’t more than just my body that pushed him into agreement.

My ear vibrates with the sound of his deep sigh. “This is not my ideal way to be with you.”

“But you’ll be with me?”

“I-I need time to think, Ari. I’ll let you know.”

“Wyatt!” But it’s too late. He’s hung up. Taking the stairs two at a time, I run into my new closet, pulling out my leather pants and a tank top, not even bothering to tie up my hair. When I head outside, I glance around for the garage. Oh, yes. It’s on the other end. When I start that way, Smeath catches me as he exits the back gate.

“Hello, gorgeous. Where are you off to?”

“I need my bike. I’m taking a ride.”

His gray eyes crinkle as he scratches his forearm. “Have you discussed that with Kline? I’m not sure… Things with security are still heightened. I believe we’re all worried about Strauss doing something more to get to you.”

“Smeath, I just want to take a small ride. If I don’t go, we’ll be in more danger.” I’ll tell my brother that Asa is mean, and he and Wyatt would kill every security guard to get to me.

It feels like I never left Freidenberg manor with these high walls and a pretend sense of freedom. Stepping closer to him, I lower my voice. “My brother won’t leave the manor because of my sister-in-law’s pregnancy. I’m dying to see my family. Please.”

With a slight dip of his shoulders, Smeath seems relieved when Kline emerges from the house behind me. “Mrs. Donovan, heading out?”

“Yes, Kline. I’m going to visit my brother. I just need my motorcycle.” Brushing past them both, Kline falls in step with me.

“You should take security with you, if you go.”

“They’ll only slow me down.”

He tries to grab my attention by snagging my arm, and I pause, my eyes narrowing on his touch. Quickly, he yanks his hand back. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

I place my hands on my hips and give him the look I reserved for Tara Carpenter when she tried to wear the same prom dress as me and said she looked better in it. “Kline, who is the senator of the south?”

“Uh, well, Mr. Donovan, of course⁠—”

“And who is the head of his household?”

Swallowing, he waits a moment before replying, “Mrs. Donovan?”

“That’s right. Not his lawyers or security or staff. He is King and I am his Queen. I’m not asking permission to leave. I’m giving you the grace to know where I am. But his spies can easily inform you of my whereabouts. Now, something you can help with. I feel like Mr. Donovan needs a healthy lunch.” Thinking about his antics of jerking off on me this morning and pushing me in the pool yesterday, I lower my voice and add on, “With lots of prune juice.” With a wink and a spin, I barrel toward the garage before they can physically stop me, leaving the two men glancing at each other sheepishly.

Once I find her, I slide on my bike and start her up with a roar, then slowly edge out onto the driveway. Before I leave, a small movement from above catches my attention. Asa stands leaning over a balcony, his rippled forearms holding up his bare tattooed chest. His eyes sparkle with mischievousness as his lips lift into a small smirk as I ride away. Looking into my side-view mirror, I watch his strapping back ripple as he turns to walk back inside, and my belly does a flip.

Maybe giving him my virginity won’t be such a bad thing.

When I reach the motorcycle shop, I can tell all the guys are annoyed with me just by pulling into the parking lot. The big one rolls his eyes dramatically and lifts his face, so he stares into the sky. The others turn away. Wyatt, fortunately, is near his bench, so I stroll past the crew and head straight to him with a toss of my hair over my shoulder. I don’t care what these assholes think of me.

His broad shoulders slump as he hears me approach, but he keeps his back to me, working on something. “Ari,” he says, like an exasperated warning.

“Don’t call me that. Call me vixen.”

Spinning around, he eyes me with pain in his deep-set green eyes. “Let’s talk in the office.”

Perfect. My sly grin is unstoppable. I know what that means. He’ll make love to me on the desk and all will be fine again. His fingers lace through mine as he pulls me into the back room, the dust kicking up and making my nose itch with a sneeze. Swinging around his large frame, I plop my ass on the edge of the desk and grip his hips, but he stands as far away from me as he can. I loop a finger through his jeans and tug, giving a little whine, but he refuses to budge.

“Asa said you can come over,” I say with a pout of my bottom lip.

Rubbing his face with a palm, he narrows his eyes at me. “Arianna, you’re married now.”

“He said we can have an open relationship. Just that you can’t impregnate me. We haven’t had sex or anything. Not even kissing.”

“That’s not the point.”

With my feet, I dig into the backs of his thighs until he’s forced to take a few steps closer, then he leans forward, his taut arms locked on either side of me. “I thought you loved me,” I say.

He tilts his head slightly, staring at my lips. “I do, vixen. More than anything. I love you. But I need to think about this. Think about sharing you with another man. One I don’t particularly like.”

“I don’t like him, either.” Though my thoughts immediately switch to how he held me last night, comforting me from my nightmare. How sweet he turned out to be. And that tug of commonality I feel is binding us together. Doesn’t mean I like him…

Nodding, he inhales as his lips separate before he brushes them against my own. When I try to deepen the kiss, he backs away. “Let me think about it. I just don’t know if I can see you two together without wanting to kill someone. Does he know you’re here?”

Shrugging a shoulder, I tell him, “He didn’t ask.”

A large breath plunges out of his mouth as his head drops back. “Arianna, if we’re doing this, we need to keep things in the open. Not hidden from him. I don’t respect him, but I do respect his position. If I were your husband, I wouldn’t like it. So…please. Go home to him. And I’ll let you know sometime.”

Tears spring to my eyes as I contemplate him never seeing me again. Is he just putting me off so I’ll leave him alone? Is this it for us?

When we started, it was all hurried passion. All he seemed to want was me. And he was someone so new, not like anyone I’d ever met before. But there’s always been this untouchable wall I couldn’t climb, something my manipulations couldn’t touch. Despite how close we’ve become, sometimes he still feels like a stranger. While my new husband feels like someone I’ve known my whole life.

Every time we’re together, it’s felt like the end before we ever began. And I know that if he would just agree to be with me, it would be amazing, peaceful, fulfilling. Instead of this constant tug of war we’ve started.

Standing, I shove him back to make room, then put my hands on my hips.

“‘Let me know sometime’? Wyatt Steele, I’m worth more than waiting around for you. How about I’ll let you know if I want you to come over or not.” I swish by him, lifting my fingers and wiggling them as I head out the door. “Ta ta.”

Jumping back on the leather saddle of my bike, I plunge the helmet over my head and jet toward the south, skipping my brother’s place. I’m too angry to see the happy couple right now.

Well, I’m more hurt than anything.

And I can’t tell a soul why. Max would literally kill Wyatt if he knew about us, and Livia would only give me a lecture that I don’t want to hear. That he’s not good for me. That this will only cause us problems. That I have a husband now…

Yeah, one who doesn’t give a shit about me and just needs me to bear him an heir. Which is fine. At least then I could have someone to love me. And maybe Asa would come around for the children. If not, he could have his mistresses and I could have someone, too. Isn’t that how things are done in this world?

Just thinking about that makes the ache in my heart turn to stabbing pains. All I wish is that I had what my parents did. Pure love and a deep friendship with respect. But maybe some of us aren’t meant to have that.

As soon as I shut off the engine and put away my helmet, I dash upstairs to my room before anyone can see me lose it. Diving into my bed, the tears fall freely as I sob. Rejected, unwanted, unloved…

In a few minutes, the sound of the doorknob turning causes my breath to halt as I twist around to see who would be coming in. To my shock, Asa pops his beautiful blond head through the door, finding me a sopping mess. Quickly, I wipe my face with the backs of my hands and try to sit up as he enters cautiously and stands near the bottom of the bed, his hands shoved in the pockets of his shorts. Of course, he’s sans shirt, like he’s proud of his ripped body. Which, let’s face it, he really should be.

“Hey,” he says softly, as if testing me out.

Sniffling, I reply, “Hey.”

“No boyfriend?”

I shake my head and look at the purple blanket, tearing my eyes away from his sculpted abs. “I think I just broke it off with him.”

He nods slowly, tilting his head down until he looks up at me through his long lashes. “Why?”

Lifting one shoulder, I sigh. “It’s complicated.”

Asa rounds the bed and plops down next to me, bringing his legs up and resting his folded arms on his knees. “You’re better than him.”

“You don’t even know him.”

“Well, you sacrificed yourself for your brother and sister-in-law…and haven’t blown up any casinos lately. So, yeah. Better.” Leaning into me, he bumps my shoulder with his. He seems convinced that Wyatt would damage the building. Maybe he would, but I’m not sure. Kline said it was Strauss. But it’s not worth arguing over.

Clearing his throat, he stiffens. “I got you something. While you were out.” He fishes in his pocket and pulls out something blue and silky. With a little shake, he presents Mama’s handkerchief that was wrapped around my bouquet.

My breath catches as I see it, and hot tears glaze my eyes. “How did you⁠—”

“Your brother grabbed the flowers, and I visited him today. Put those downstairs for you. But I saw this was wrapped around it and figured that’s what you wanted so badly, right? Was…was this important to you?” His blue eyes penetrate my face as I try to keep from crying. No one has ever done something like this for me. Like a hug around my heart, it beats harder for the man casually sitting next to me, looking at me like he’s waiting for approval.

Nodding, I swallow hard to prevent my voice from cracking. “Yes. It was my mother’s.” His shoulders relax as a little smile forms on his beautiful lips. “But why? Why did you…”

“I, uh, heard you with Kline today. You calling me King. And, um, that you are my Queen. I liked it. Thank you for sticking up for me. So, I had the driver take me over to your brother’s, because I thought maybe you weren’t going there, though that’s what you said.”

Now my cheeks heat from embarrassment. Did he go to check on me and Wyatt? “I’m sorry, I did go to visit⁠—”

With a wave of his hand, he stops me. “I know. I know where you went. It’s fine. Just wanted to make sure you were okay. After last night and, well, this morning.” Staring straight ahead, he tilts his head as a warm silence fills the room.

I know what I want.

“Asa?”

Dropping his head, I think he’ll be upset with me for using his name again, but it’s what I knew him as when we were kids. I can’t change it now. Only, when he brings his eyes up to scan my face, there’s some emotion held there. “It’s what my family called me. To everyone else…I’m Ace, except to my family. And, well, now you.”

I press my lips against the warm skin of his shoulder, lifting my mouth to breathe near his ear as his fingers stretch out, as if seeking some touch. “Asa?”

His Adam’s apple bobs before he whispers, “Yeah?”

“I’m ready.”

His eyes transform into large holes as his forehead crinkles with surprise. “Ready? For what?”

Batting my lashes, I press my mouth onto the firm muscle on the back of his arm and speak. “For you to take my virginity.”

“O-okay. Yeah, sure. I can do that.” He doesn’t move, only stares into my eyes, his bright blue ones moving across my face. In his gaze, it’s electric. Sparks fly from his skin onto mine across space and time.

“Are you going to touch me?”

Barely above a whisper, as if he forgot how to talk, he says, “Yes.” One large hand reaches across his body and threads through my hair, grasping the back of my neck with such tenderness, it almost tickles. His cut body leans into me as he lifts my head to meet him and our lips tease each other’s with a hint of a touch.

Reaching forward, my mouth suctions itself to his, and I’m raptured back to that Heaven where only we exist. Some place where his soul and mine dance with each other in light, melded as one. A choked moan escapes my throat when he tries to deepen our kiss, a hint at what his presence has done to me.

In this moment with him, my husband, I’m giving him a gift. Not just a piece of my hymen. No, I’m letting him be the first to see me. The real me. Someone I’ve had to hide because it would harm my family, someone could kidnap or hurt me, and because of survival. And with his gift today, I trust him more.

The warmth of the place his caressing kisses takes me to surrounds me with the comfort of safety. It’s something I’ve never felt for long, and I want to give myself to him. Give myself over to the man who could be my soulmate. Or maybe it’s just me hanging on to the fairytale. But I don’t care. I’ll pretend it’s true.

Asa eases me back on the bed slowly, cupping an arm beneath my waist so he has control over our movement. Deftly, he removes my top and unlatches my bra at the same time, like he’s done it a thousand times before. Lifting me up, he breaks our kiss to slide the fabric off my body and kneels between my legs. My nipples pebble under his observation as he stares at me, frozen.

Leaning up on my elbows, I feel self-conscious about my body for maybe the first time ever.

“What?” I ask, afraid to hear his answer.

His concentration on my breasts is broken by my question, and he reluctantly moves his eyes up to mine. “Nothing.”

“No, tell me. What is it?”

Making some type of exasperated sound, he shakes his head subtly. “Uh…you’re just… Your body is amazing.” His appreciation helps ease some of my anxiety. As he works my button and zipper, his pecs twitch, and I let my gaze linger down every rung on the ladder of his abdominals, the intricate designs in his tattoos, one almost indistinguishable from the other. There’s a wolf, a Roman numeral two, a Celtic knot, his family crest…

By the time I’m studying some coliseum looking ink around his left flank, he lifts my hips with one arm and tugs down my leather pants. I help him by sliding them the rest of the way off. He unbuttons his shorts and tugs them down, his huge cock bobbing out.

“Oh my god. No way.” Crawling on my elbows, I skirt back from my husband. Wyatt is lengthy and has all these delicate piercings, which was confusing and arousing the first time I saw it, but now that I can see it up close, this dick is much thicker. Pronounced, like it’s proud of itself for its size.

“I’m going to be careful. Fuck, I’ve never been this fucking nervous before.” The back of his hand lifts as he wipes sweat from his forehead. “Please tell me you’re nervous. That will make me feel better.”

My brow furrows. How can he be anxious? Hasn’t he been with a ton of women before? I’m sure some of them were virgins. I point to the thing sticking straight out at me. “You’re nervous? You’re the one going to spear me with that, um, soda can.”

He chuckles slightly. “It’s not that big, come on…” Stroking himself a few times, he gives me this sexy-as-fuck look, half tilting his head and dipping his chin down. “Bigger than your boyfriend, though?”

An exasperated sigh leaves my mouth as I try to prevent myself from smiling. I roll my eyes dramatically. “Are you serious? Does that look work for girls?”

With a smirk, he says, “Yeah. Every time.” God, it’s so working for me. Just watching how he’s handling himself so roughly, so manly. It’s erotic and causing my clit to become heated. “I’m gonna get you ready for me.” Slanting his eyes to my core, he seems reticent again. His fingers easily pull down my thong, exposing my shaved pussy, and he crooks an eyebrow. “No hair?”

“No. Is that— Do you like hair?” Pinching my knees together, I feel very aware of the bare skin between my legs.

“Mm, maybe like a trail. But, fuck, empress. You’re perfect. Hair, no hair. Whatever, just spread your legs.”

Swallowing, I do as he says and relax as he lays himself between my open knees, scooting up until his face is near my center. Wyatt’s eaten me out plenty of times and always leaves me satisfied with the way he indulges in me.

Asa gapes at me like he’s scared to move, heaving hot air onto my labia. When he shifts his gaze to my face, his eyes are wide. “Just, uh, tell me what you like or, um, don’t.”

Some gnawing pit in my stomach makes me ask, “Asa, have you done this before?”

“What? Of course, I have,” he snaps. “Well, hmm…not that often and usually I make the girls do it to each other. ’Cause it’s hot.” Spreading my lips with two fingers, he murmurs, “Just lay back and let me figure this out.”

I prepare myself for the worst as I stare at the ceiling. But he strokes my clit with his tongue and my worry lessens. When he sucks some on it, I push my hips up with a moan. “You like that, then, huh?”

“Yes. Keep doing it.”

He repeats the motions several times, adding a finger inside me, and I hear how very soaked I am as he slides it in and out. With the flicks of his tongue and pressure on my clit, I feel myself building toward an orgasm. Wagging his tongue along my sensitive bundle of tissues, he pauses. “Like this? You like this?”

Flipping my head down to look between my legs, I bite out, “Do you remember when you said you’d have problems ‘nutting’ if I talked too much? Please, use your mouth to work me and shut up.”

“You got it, sugar lips.” When he gets back to work, it doesn’t take very long for his rhythm to pick up and the heat to rise between my legs. Squeezing his head with my thighs, I come undone with a moan while throwing myself back against the pillows. And, yes, part of it may be knowing he hasn’t experienced this with someone else. This was just for me.

As my pussy pulsates with the need to be filled and my body oozes onto the bed, Asa sits up, his cock now red and throbbing. Running a hand over his mouth, he gathers all my wetness and licks it up. “You do, you know.”

“Wh-what?” I ask, barely cognizant of my surroundings.

“Taste like sugar.” With a proud grin, he says, “Told you I knew how to do it.”

Leaning over me, he drags his cock near my entrance, but instead of fear now, I’m ready. I want all of him. Even if there’s pain, I know it will be worth it to have this hole inside me filled. Pressing his lips to my cheek, he leans up and captures my eyes with his bright blues.

“Are you ready, Arianna?”

Nodding, I whisper, “Yes. I’m ready.”

Taking a deep inhale through his nose, he looks down between us and lines up. “O-okay. I am, too.”

He coats his dick by easing the tip through my wetness, and each time it hits my clit, a whimpered wail seeps through my partially closed mouth. Wanton. That’s what I am. So when he stares into my eyes and presses himself into me, I’m taken with him to some place of pure pleasure. The sensation only heightens when he slides himself slowly inside me.

Full, whole, and stretched is what I feel, but there’s no pain at all when he breaks through my barrier.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“Yeah, it didn’t hurt at all!” I say with surprise.

Tapping the end of my nose with his lips, he holds in place for me. “Please say you can feel me. ’Cause I don’t think I can take it if you can’t.”

I drag my fingers through his perfect hair, smiling up at him. “Big, huge, thick… That’s what I feel like you are.”

His head raises as he smiles broadly. “Fuck, you know how to do good dirty talk. Excellent, Mrs. Donovan.” As if he’s surprised by using the name as much as me, his face drops into a seriousness that I’ve only seen here in this room tonight. His hips pull back slightly, then gently push toward me with a lift at the end. Squeezing my eyes shut, I relish the quake of satisfaction that ripples through my body. As he ends his thrust, he whispers, “Mrs. Donovan.”

The words patch up some desperate cavity I didn’t even know my heart had. Soothing comfort surrounds me and when I open my eyes, they meet his, which are half lidded and filled with heat. His gaze won’t leave my face. He drags his cock arduously back out and in again. “Mrs. Donovan…my wife.”

A smile breaks across my face, the words only increasing the tingles deep within my core. “My husband.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” His body stills completely as if he’s a statue. When I open my mouth to ask what’s wrong, he shifts his eyes to the headboard and says, “Shh! Shh!”

“What?” I whisper.

“I’m gonna fucking come already. Fuck! Just wait…” With a heavy sigh, he sits back on his knees and grips the end of his dick tightly. He refuses to look at me. “Shit! You make me wanna come too fast. It’s been too long without good pussy.” Sticking his tongue at the corner of his lips, he waits a moment, then takes a deep breath. When he pauses, I casually dip my fingers to my clit, but his brow furrows as he slaps my hand away, then gets back into position. Gently, he eases back inside me. “Okay. I’m good now.”

Once he settles in, I curl my legs around him, my heels snagging the bottom of his ass to embrace him tighter. Leaning down, he kisses me with such tenderness, tears form in my eyes. When he backs up again, he picks up the speed of his pace and wipes the wetness from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Me, too,” he says as he sticks one of the coated digits between his lips. “I feel it, too, empress.”

That makes me choke up and smile, a little laugh almost escaping my lungs as he plunges deeper. Between breathy pants on my mouth and tiny kisses on my face, he works me into a heated frenzy and, before I realize, I feel like I may climax. Gripping his back, my nails dig in at the same time my hips find his rhythm, meeting him with every entry. We’re in sync, our bodies one, moving together. Like playing. We’re playing together and it’s fun, soothing, and safe.

My husband is making love to me.

Ripping through my spine, the orgasm rocks my entire body, from my shaking thighs to my arched back and my wide-open mouth, gaping with a scream that cuts through the perfumed air in the room. Asa buries his head into my neck and lets out some groaning cry like he’s releasing all the pain he’s ever had into my skin, heating it with the fire of his burnt past.

His arms surround my chest so tight, my lungs can barely expand as he heaves his wet breaths onto my collarbone. The pulses of my pussy and his cock inside me synchronize as we fall together. When he lets go, a cool breeze filters between us as he lifts onto his elbows and investigates my face. After a moment, he takes his time to speak clearly.

“You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”

Then he collapses back into me.