She stares.
“Maddie?”
Her stunned gaze lifts to mine. “I’ve never … I mean … This is …”
“Too gauche with the smaller diamonds along the band? You’re probably right. We need a bigger center diamond.” I run my fingers along the diamonds, then pause when I reach the jewels of different colors.
Her gaze goes to a large canary diamond surrounded by sapphires.
I take it and pull it out. “This one.” Walking around the case, I stand in front of her as she looks up at me, her eyes full of wonder and innocence. When I drop to one knee, they mist over.
“Maddie …” I clear my throat. “What’s your last name, little bird?”
“Kelsey.”
I take her hand in mine. “Maddie Kelsey, will you marry me?” And even though I know this is just for appearances, just to gain access to my family’s holdings, something inside me seems to click into place when she looks down at me like this.
“Yes.” She smiles, a tear on one cheek.
I reach up and wipe it away, then slide the ring onto her finger. “Then from this moment on, you’re mine.”
“And you’re mine.”
I stand and, before I can help myself, I kiss her full on the mouth. That thing that clicked inside me? Now it locks into place. The moment I taste her, the sweetness that she gives–I’m lost. I’m more fucking lost than I was the day I learned my father was gone. But instead of the bitter gut punch of grief, Maddie gives me comfort, warmth, and a simmering desire that roars into an inferno.
I pull her tightly against me, melding her body to mine, and swipe my tongue into her mouth. She grips the lapels of my jacket, a high moan in her throat as I tongue her. She’s hesitant at first, unsure. But when I press my knee between her legs and rub my thigh along her heat, she moans again, lower this time.
She’s too much and not enough. I can’t stop kissing her, needing every angle, every bit of sensation. Grabbing her ass, I lift her onto the glass case. Then I flatten one palm at her back and use the other to run my fingers through hair then pull. She arches, surprise in the way she grips me tighter. But she doesn’t push me away. If anything, she spreads her legs wider, urging me closer to her.
I have the fleeting image of stripping off her panties and plunging inside her right here and now, Tiffany’s be damned. I groan at the thought of it, of the ways I want to filthy up the good girl in my clutches.
Someone clears their throat.
I ignore it and pull her hair harder. Fuck, the way she reacts, the way she runs her tongue along mine. I might be losing it. Maybe the funeral and will brought me to the edge, but this surprise of a woman has pushed me right over.
“Sir, if you don’t mind–”
“I’m busy!” I bellow at the manager.
She jumps in my arms.
I turn back to her, noting her swollen lips and the way she’s panting. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to frighten you.”
Her cheeks are a beautiful pink, almost the same shade as her hair. “I wouldn’t, um, I wouldn’t say I was frightened exactly.” She’s breathless. What I wouldn’t give to drop to my knees and eat her hot cunt right now.
“My apologies.” The manager backs up several paces.
I sigh and force myself to step back. “We’ll take the ring on her finger. Get a wedding band to match it for her set and also one for me.” Taking her waist, I help her off the case.
She blinks, dazed.
“Are you all right?” I realize I probably did too much, came on too strong. But that’s my nature. When I see something I want, I take it. And I’ve never seen anything I wanted as much as this woman right in front of me.
“I’m good. I mean …” She holds her hand up and looks at the ring. “How much do you think this costs? Maybe we should get something a little less–”
“No.” I tilt her chin up. “For you, I’ll never accept ‘less,’ got it?”
She nods. “But this marriage, it’s not … It’s not real, right?”
That’s the question, isn’t it? Because when I kissed her, fuck yes, this all felt real. The heat between her thighs was definitely real, and my cock is still hard enough to break the glass case behind her.
My phone vibrates in my pocket. I’d like to ignore it, but not on a day like today. Things are in motion. Everyone knows by now that if I don’t have a bride soon, my empire will be forfeit. When I check it, I see it’s my brother Claudio.
“I have to take this.” I kiss Maddie’s forehead. I can’t stop myself. Maybe I don’t want to.