Page 15 of The Billionaire's Wife

“July what?”

“The 20th,” I say off the top of my head.

“How sweet,” Julia chimes in. “So you’re about six months in.”

“In fact,” Marcus says, glancing down at his phone. “It’s exactly six months! It’s January 20th today.” He laughs in surprise, as do the rest of us—although somewhat halfheartedly. “Lauren!” he calls to a server near the end of the deck. “Bring us all some champagne, please.” He turns back to us. “This calls for a toast.”

I laugh, trying to wave it off. “No, please.”

“Oh, why not?” Marcus presses. “We’re in the Caribbean, on vacation, and you two just happen to be exactly six months into your marriage. Why not celebrate?”

I suppose he’s got a point. Why not? Although I’m not exactly loving the extra attention. And I can tell Ella isn’t either. But she’s got a grin painted on her face anyway.

A few moments later, Lauren comes with a tray of champagne flutes, passing them out to each of us. “To Alec and Ella,” Marcus declares, raising his glass. We all follow suit. “To a long and happy marriage.”

We clink glasses and all take a sip. Ella giggles somewhat nervously under all the attention before taking her sip.

“You two are the sweetest,” Julia comments from beside us. “Kiss, why don’t you?”

Ella’s eyes go just a tad bit wider at this, and a bolt of electricity shoots through me—from anticipation or dread, though, I’m unsure.

“Oh, we don’t have to—” I start.

“Oh, yes!” Marcus chimes in. He holds his flute up high again. “Kiss!” He gestures with his hands.

Feeling my face redden, I turn to Ella. She looks just as uncomfortable as I feel, but when I raise my eyebrow in a silent question, she shrugs a shoulder, seemingly understanding just as well as I do that Marcus and Julia won’t take no for an answer. Simply kissing is going to be our fastest way out of this.

“Kiss, kiss, kiss,” Marcus chants jovially, and Julia chimes in. Then I hear a third voice and glance over in annoyance to see that Aiden has joined in. He only laughs harder when he notices my irritation. Asshole.

I turn back to Ella, chuckling at the absurdity of this. I reach for her, gently cupping my hand at the back of her neck. Her hair is soft between my fingers—softer than I thought it would be. Nerves dance in her eyes, and I wish I hadn’t put her in this situation, but here we are. Closing my eyes, I slowly lean toward her. My lips brush against hers, tentatively at first, as though I might crush her if I were to kiss her too hard. Her lips are impossibly soft, a sensation I’m unsure if I’ve ever felt before. Sure, I’ve obviously kissed before, but it’s never quite felt like this.

She kisses me back slowly, her lips moving against mine in a hypnotic page. I feel my cock pulse in my pants, and I’m suddenly overcome with an urge to wrap her up in my arms, to devour her, to make her mine right here and now, but before I can act on it, I abruptly pull back.

Ella opens her eyes, staring up at me with wide eyes.

“Now that’s the kiss of a newly wedded couple,” Julia says with a chuckle.

Ella pulls away from me, giggling slightly and brushing her hair behind her ear. Snapping out of it, I simply grin good naturedly at everyone, quickly bringing my champagne flute to my mouth and drinking. I down it in just a few seconds, hoping nobody notices.

The conversation quickly picks back up, with Asher and Olivia discussing alternative anniversary trip destinations. I glance sideways at Ella, but she refuses to meet my gaze. Out of embarrassment or irritation, I’m not sure. We did agree that kissing was only on the table in an absolutely necessary moment. But I can’t quite think of a moment more necessary than that.

Either way, I have a slightly more pressing issue at hand. Something that’s been creeping into the back of my mind—much faster than expected—and making a nice, little home. Ella, the dogwalker I never paid a second glance to, has somehow turned into something absolutely irresistible. And now that I’ve kissed her …

I’m fucked.

Chapter 11

Ella

The light to our cabin flicks on as I push open the door and step inside, Alec just a few paces behind me. The view out our balcony is pitch black as the sun set a few hours ago. The lamps on the walls cast a warm light throughout the room.

Alec sits down on the couch with a sigh, reaching down to unlace his shoes. I sit on the bed, suddenly aware of a hint of awkwardness in the air. I glance sideways at Alec, but he isn’t looking at me. I can’t tell if he’s avoiding eye contact on purpose, or if his shoes are just being particularly difficult to untie right now.

We haven’t been alone together all day. Not since this morning, and not since we kissed in the presence of everyone on board just a few hours ago.

My face warms just thinking about it. I kissed Alec King. And not only kissed him, but kissed him. I’d panicked internally when I’d seen where the conversation was going, knowing that we’d be peer pressured into kissing. I’d been fine with it, assuming it would be a simple peck. But the sensation of his lips against mine had somehow driven every other thought from my brain, and all I’d wanted was for that kiss to continue—for how long, I can’t say. And apparently Alec had felt the same, because I remember the way his fingers had wrapped themselves up in my hair against the back of my neck, how he’d deepened the kiss, how he’d ever so slightly pulled me toward him.

“Ella,” Alec’s voice pulls me from my thoughts with a start.

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