It hurt him. Hurt him more than any of those other times when she’d come and he hadn’t. He wanted to see her quiver, see her bite on her lip. See her come.
But he pulled his hand away.
She stilled. Her eyes widened. “What are you doing?” She gasped when he remained motionless. “Why have you stopped?”
Oh yeah, her hotness had gotten used to exploding.
“Are you ready to beg?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then you’re not ready to come.”
“What?”
“The next time you come, I’m going to be inside you.”
“What?”
“Not my tongue. Not my fingers,” he said, so Min with her ultra-strict sex-definition would completely understand. “My cock is going to be rammed so hard inside you, you won’t be able to breathe. That’s when you’re next going to come.”
Her hands were trembling as she pushed her hair back from her beautiful face. “You’re k-k-kidding.”
He shook his head. “Withholding orgasm.” He angled his head and studied her flushed face. “Who knew it could have such devastating effects?”
Actually he knew. All too well.
“Withholding orgasm?”
“I don’t know why you’re so tetchy, I haven’t had an orgasm in months.”
For a moment she looked up at him with wide eyes, filled with reproach.
He almost caved. But then she pushed away from him and she stood. “It’s okay, I can get a vibrator to do it for me.”
His body tingled, he did love her spirit. Always she came back fighting. “You’d cheat? Sex toys aren’t in the rules, remember?” He lazily got to his feet and grinned at her. “Your rules.”
She groaned. “Fine.”
It wasn’t fine. He was hanging on by a thread. He needed a distraction, badly.
“You hungry?” he asked. “I’ll go down and grab us something so we’re not starving at the party. Can’t be uncouth and wolf all the appetizers.”
Min chuckled. The guy was so impulsive, so dynamic. So frustrating. She was starving yes, in both senses. And the hottest—most annoying—guy walking the planet was offering to satisfy her in both. All she had to do was ask.
“Thanks,” she nodded. “Something to eat would be great.”
He’d not been gone more than five minutes when the phone in the room rang. Min stared at it, startled for a second. The thing kept ringing.
“Min?”
Oh lord, it was Logan’s mom.
Fear, nerves triggered. Her throat tightened. So annoying when she’d managed so well for so long. “Mm hmmm?”
“Can you come down to the hall for a moment? We have a surprise for you.”
“Of... course,” she whispered.
Min replaced the phone. A surprise? Her skin chilled, somehow she didn’t think it was going to be a good surprise.
She took the stairs. At least her hair and face were looking good. Shame she could hardly speak.
Elaine was waiting at the bottom of the stairs. Her smile was so lacking in warmth, it made Min wince. She was relieved that Rex wasn’t there too. Elaine turned and walked with Min into the great hall.
“I’ve kept it a surprise, but I knew you wouldn’t want to have a celebration without her.” Elaine’s smile widened.
Without who?
She looked into the hall in time to see someone walking towards her. Min stopped in her tracks. OMG, her mother was here?
“Araminta, darling.” Her mom swept forward, her arms wide. “It’s so wonderful to see you.”
“I had no idea she hadn’t met Logan,” Elaine said as Min stood stiffly in her mom’s embrace. “Seems you two have been very secretive.”
Min smiled weakly and pulled away.
“We’ve put Isabella in one of our guest suites. Her luggage has already been sent there. I’ll leave you two to catch-up alone for a while.”
Oh she was so polite, wasn’t she?
Min barely kept her smile in place as Elaine walked away. Then she looked at her mother.
“What are you d-d-doing here?”
Her mother’s expression tightened. “I was invited.”
Min nodded. But she didn’t have to actually take the invitation up.
“You’re engaged,” Isabella said. “How would it look if none of your family was here to help you celebrate?”
It would look just fine.
“Let me see the ring.”
Cringing inside, Min held out her hand.
There was a momentary silence as her mother’s eyes widened and her nostrils thinned. “You’ve done very well, Araminta. Very well.” Isabella looked around the lavishly furnished room. “I don’t know how you’ve managed it. Don’t do anything to spoil it.”
“Thanks Mom, n-n-nice to see you too.”
Her mom shot her a look. “I just want what’s best for you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
And having a succession of step-fathers and step-siblings was going to help with that? Being compared to new, better, kids who came into the family for however long the next marriage lasted? Being corrected all the damn time.
And then seeing her mother’s heartbreak when it fell apart? Seeing her mother put up with jerk behavior? She didn’t want that for her mom. She didn’t want that for herself.
“M-m-marrying a wealthy m-m-man isn’t necessarily the best thing.”
“It is. And you’re doing it.”
Had she finally secured her mother’s approval? How totally ironic. And sad.
“What are you wearing tonight?” her mom asked, glaring down at Min’s jeans. “You’ve got a designer dress, right? Not some cheap thing off the rack?”
Of course she had a cheap thing off the rack.
“Min?”
At the deep voice coming from right behind her, Min turned. What was it with him sneaking up on her when she was in the middle of embarrassing conversations?
Logan had a charming smile on his face that made Min nervous. She recognized the wicked element in it. The unpredictable element.
Please don’t say anything outrageous.
For a second he held eye contact with her. Then he broke it, turning to her mom and just about bowing.
“I don’t believe we’ve met,” he said.
Oh so charming.
“I know. You’re Logan. I’m Araminta’s mother, Isabella.”
Logan was stunned, but Min’s eyes said it all. Beseeching. She wanted him to play nice. He didn’t feel like it. Because Min looked terrified. And that woman had been harassing her about a dress?
He felt that prickle of guilt dig deeper. He’d asked about her dress too, but not like that. He hadn’t meant to belittle her in any way or make her feel insecure. But that’s what that woman had just done.
Min had turned into a quiet, wraith-ish version of herself. He pressed down on the impulse to pull her mother up.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Isabella,” he lied. “It’s wonderful that you could make it.”
“Thank you. I’ve been so looking forward to meeting you. This has all come as something of a surprise.”
“I’m sure. But we’ll have plenty of time to get properly acquainted.” He could manage polite-future-son-in-law. For about five seconds. “But it’s time to get ready for the evening. May we escort you to your room?”
“Thank you. I’d like to freshen up and then there’s someone you need to meet, Araminta.”
Logan glanced at Min and saw her shoulders slump slightly.
“Of course,” he said, filling the silence. “We’ll look forward to it.”
As soon as Logan shut the bedroom door behind him, Min turned to him.
“How come she’s here?” she asked. “Did she phone up and invite herself?”
She sounded like she thought that was exactly what had happened.
“My freak family invited her.” Logan leaned on the door behind him. He wasn’t sure he was going to be able to stand this. “I’m so sorry.?
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