Hadn’t she traded her virtue for money? Maybe she wasn’t equipped to guide and teach a child about right and wrong either. What a pair they were. A sigh escaped and she shut off the water, stepping into an oversized white towel and tucking it around herself. She quickly dried and slipped a tube top over her breasts and wrapped a colorful sarong around her hips that she’d picked up at one of the island boutiques and prepared to fix something to eat when a knock at the door startled her. It was probably Miles, she reasoned. He’d mentioned something about dinner but she’d declined, needing a little rest. Another knock sounded and she sighed. He was persistent, she’d give him that. “Coming,” she called out, pausing to double check that she was sufficiently covered before opening the door. But it wasn’t Miles. Boston — sinfully beautiful, with a body that made her forget her own name —stood on the other side wearing a cold smile and eyes filled with wicked, dark promise and the spit dried in her mouth as she stared. “What are you doing here?” she managed with a squeak and he stepped forward, causing her to stumble back, her heart hammering in her chest. How did he find her? And why did a tiny part of her leap with joy that he had?
“Hello, little bird. Did you miss me?”
“No.”
He closed the door behind him. “You’re lying.”
She lifted her chin. “I ran away for a reason, remember?”
“Yes,” he agreed, his voice hardening as he said, “About that reason…are you still pregnant?”
She should lie and say that she lost the baby but she couldn’t. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth at the mere thought of uttering such a lie. Irritated at herself, she jerked a nod and his shoulders lost some of their tension. He cared! Damn it. She didn’t want him to care. She didn’t want to see the hope flare in his eyes at the prospect that she was carrying his child because there was a part of her that loved seeing that hope — and that was plainly ridiculous. She didn’t want to see Boston as anything but a cold, ruthless prick who had more money than God, and fucked like a beast in heat. It was easier that way.
“Good.”
“Good? That’s it?”
“I’m very pleased.”
Julianna groaned. Could he possibly show a little emotion? Stone cold bastard. And this was the man who was going to be the father to her child? Why the hell did his sperm have to meet up with her egg? “Well, I’m not,” she snapped, moving away from him, needing space. “I want you out of my bungalow. I left for a reason.”
“Yes, because you’re a coward. But I forgive you.”
He forgave her? That was rich. The nerve of him was astounding. “How generous of you. Too bad I don’t forgive you. You got me pregnant and you swore that wasn’t possible. You lied to me.”
He grabbed her arm and hauled her up close. Too close, her mind babbled as her hormones kicked into overdrive. Why did he have to smell like sweet sin and seductive darkness? She longed to wrap her arms around him and close her eyes for just a moment, to lose herself in the pleasure that he could give her. Just for a moment. But that wasn’t possible. Her dignity and her pride wouldn’t allow it. “I didn’t lie,” he said softly as she stared up at him. “What I told you was the truth as I knew it. I wasn’t supposed to be able to father children. All I can say is, we created a miracle,” he said, taking another step forward, forcing her back toward the bedroom. Oh no, not the bedroom. She’d lose all sense of reason if he managed to get her on her back. Or her hands and knees. Or her stomach. Oh hell, that wasn’t helping. “I’ve missed you,” he said, against the shell of her ear, causing a shiver to ricochet down her arm. “I was going crazy without you.” His mouth traveled down the column of her neck and she bit her lip to keep from moaning. Damn, she’d missed this. Julianna gave him the tiniest bit of encouragement by tilting her neck ever so slightly and he capitalized on it immediately, sucking the tender flesh into his hot mouth, catching her when her knees buckled. “Tell me you missed me,” he ordered softly and she shook her head. “Going to make me work for it?” He chuckled as if he approved of the challenge but he warned in a silky tone that robbed her of sanity, “I’m going to make you beg.”
#
Yes! His mind clamored with unadulterated joy as he held Julianna close, inhaling the scent of her skin as if it were sprinkled with the most exotic essential oil guaranteed to fire his blood but he knew he didn’t need any magic elixir when it came to Julianna. Everything about her enflamed him to a dangerous level. Why was she so perfect? Every inch of her was like smooth satin sliding beneath his fingertips, every gasp and moan, music to his ears. He took great care to nibble and suck all the places he knew drove her wild and within minutes, she was writhing like a feline in heat, desperate for his cock to fill that snug sweet spot. She rose on her hands and knees, glancing with an almost shy look back at him, knowing seeing her in that position would make him go insane. And she wasn’t wrong. Holy Mother of Mary, was that the world’s most perfect ass? He framed her hips with a gentle touch before squeezing her plump cheeks between each palm, nipping at the soft, rounded flesh until she groaned and lifted her hips, offering herself to him just as she had before everything had gone south. He couldn’t wait any longer. As it was, it would be a miracle if he lasted longer than a minute because his lust for her was nearly ripping him in two. Within seconds, he had the unyielding length of himself in his hand, guiding the aching member straight into her honeyed heat, desperate to feel her clenching all around him. That glorious moment of that first breach was like heaven opening the pearly gates. Hot, slippery flesh enveloped his cock, squeezing it tightly between well-slicked walls and he died a little. This was his Julianna! God, he’d missed her. Missed her in ways that he couldn’t define and definitely couldn’t identify. All he knew was that he couldn’t let her walk away, not now, not ever. Was it love? He shied away from the idea as if it’d burned him. Stop trying to put a label on everything and just get to fucking, he scolded himself and so that’s what he did. In and out, hard and fast — her cries matched his own as they fucked like animals. Sweat dripped from their bodies, dampening the sheets and scenting the air with the unmistakable musk of two bodies rubbing against one another with the intent of creating le petit mort. See? College French classes hadn’t gone to waste after all. And then he exploded, spurting violently inside her, losing all conscious thought for several blessed heartbeats, and setting him adrift in a sea of pleasure.
He dropped to his back, heart hammering so hard he feared it might leave a bruise, and stared unseeing up at the ceiling. His spent cock dribbled onto his thigh, and Julianna shifted beside him with a long, satisfied sigh that was both arousing and adorable at the same time. If he hadn’t been completely exhausted, he would’ve tried for round two but it just wasn’t going to happen without suffering a heart attack. He turned to his side, gazing at Julianna for a long moment as she slowly came to her senses. In that unguarded moment, he saw a woman so beautiful he thought he might go blind if he stared too hard. Her lips, slightly parted and delightfully swollen from his kisses, drew his gaze and he stiffened against the urge to sweep a tender kiss across her mouth. It wasn’t so simple as enjoying a good tumble and everything went back to the way it was. She’d run from him. With his baby. She had to make amends.
Boston rose from the bed and walked to the kitchen, grabbing two waters from the refrigerator. He had to give her props for picking a nice enough place. Larimar was luxurious enough to pass the snob test but still retained a comforting atmosphere, almost like a home away from home. However, he preferred a little more professional reserve from the hotel staff when he stayed someplace. Lilah was a little too boho for his tastes. He tossed a water to Julianna and swigged his own before speaking, deciding to be magnanimous. “I’ve decided to forgive you for running,” he said, expecting her to be thankful for his decision. “But I want your things packed and ready to go within the hour. I have a suite reserved for us at another establishment. Since I’d planned to take you someplace tropical for our getaw
ay, we can stay on St. John but I’d prefer a place with a little less familiarity among the staff.”
Julianna’s gaze narrowed as she stiffened, looking as if he’d just slapped her in the face with a cold fish, and grabbed a sarong to tuck around herself, her stare starting to snap with growing ire. “You are unbelievable. Do you hear yourself when you speak? Or are you so accustomed to having your foot in your mouth that you’ve completely lost the sense of knowing when to shut up?”
He startled, shocked at her less-than-gracious attitude after he’d been so generous. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, excuse you is right. You can’t come in here, fuck me and then start dictating how I will live my life.”
“That’s exactly what I can do. Have you forgotten? I own you.”
“Yeah? Well, try proving that in court because the last time I checked, owning another human being was illegal. And something tells me that you’re not going to like the press finding out about our little arrangement so I’d stuff that bullshit line right up your keister and stop treating me like a God damn piece of luggage that you can haul around however you please.”
“You knew exactly what you were signing on for when you accepted my terms,” he reminded coldly. What happened to his soft and yielding woman? The woman who twisted and moaned in his arms, crying out his name in abandon? “You’re hormonal,” he decided, tossing his water and settling in the nearest chair. “I can be an understanding man but you’ve pushed me beyond my limits with your antics. It’s time to stop acting like a petulant child and honor your commitments.”
She crossed her arms across her breasts and he had to look away from the pebbled tips that poked out from the soft fabric of her sarong. Would he always suffer this hunger around her? She scrambled his brains in a way that defied logic. “Or what?” she taunted, her eyes still blazing. “Here’s the deal, Boston…things are going to change. I am having your baby but I am not your lap dog and frankly, I don’t know if I want you having anything to do with this baby because I’m not sure you have what it takes to raise a child to be a decent human being.”
What the fuck? He resisted the urge to rub at his chest when something twanged inside him as if she’d just plunged a knife into his breastbone, snagging on his ribcage as it pierced his heart. “Oh? This coming from a woman who was more than willing to spread her legs for a price? Perhaps you’re not the one equipped to raise a child since your moral compass doesn’t exactly point True North,” he retorted, turning the tables on her. But she didn’t take the bait. She stared hard, anger and disgust plainly on her features but there was something else — dare he say, sadness? — in her gaze, too. “Where is this coming from? I don’t understand, Julianna. Everything was fine. We were having a great time and then you freaked out on me. Let’s just go back to the way things were,” he offered by way of an olive branch. Why was she being so difficult? What did she hope to gain? Surely, she knew that she couldn’t win in a war between them. An ugly suspicion entered his thoughts and he voiced them. “Do you want more money? Is that what it will take? What’s your price?”
At that she went rigid and he knew he’d just made a royal mistake. But before he could say another word, her eyes suddenly glittered with tears as she said, “Get out.” She shook her head, disbelief and hurt liberally dosed with majorly pissed off shining in her eyes and Boston knew he should drop to his knees and apologize. This woman was carrying his child. Didn’t she deserve a bit more respect than he was giving her? God, you’re acting like a douche! You’re ruining everything! And yet, his mouth seamed shut as if none of that internal struggle was going on and Julianna was the one being unreasonable.
“I’ll have a car brought around to pick you up.” He shrugged as he rose from the chair, acting as if her refusal meant nothing. “Be ready.”
“Go fuck yourself and when you’re done doing that, go fuck yourself some more,” she said, disgust in her tone and expression. “Just when I think you can’t be a bigger asshole, you prove me wrong. Get out, Boston. And don’t come back.” She raised her hands to ward off his immediate inclination to remind her of their deal and said, “Yeah, I know, you own me, well, newsflash, you’ll never own me. If you’d been a bit smarter you would’ve realized that you could’ve had something far better — my love. Now, you’re nothing to me. I’ll give the money back and I’ll figure something out for Tom. I don’t want to be in debt to you for anything.”
His stomach muscles clenched and his heart stuttered painfully. “You’re carrying my baby,” he reminded her, his gaze straying to her belly.
“Yeah and it’s become abundantly clear that you are in no way, shape or form, father material but I guess we’ll just have to let the courts decide.”
“You’ll lose.”
“That’s the thing, Boston, you have no idea what you’re truly losing so you never truly win. Now, go before I call security.”
Boston knew he should fall on the sword and beg for her forgiveness because he’d fucked up but his pride wouldn’t let him. She’d run away from him. She’d taken his baby. She’d thrown down the gauntlet. How was he supposed to react? He was Boston Kincaid. People did not take things from him and get away with it.