Page 48 of When Hearts Surrender

She melts under my embrace as I pillage her mouth, a mad pulse hammering inside my ear, a burgeoning fire gathering in my loins. She gasps as she feels my hard cock digging into her stomach and a desperate desire awakens and I slide my tongue inside her mouth.

Her fingers dig into my neck, the pain only adding to the erotic kiss, which is much more sexual and intense than anything I’ve ever experienced in my life.

Someone coughs in the background, but I barely notice. I taste, sample, and feast on her lips, needing her sweetness to survive. A shrill whistle and a few catcalls finally pierce the veil of lust and emotions.

Panting heavily, I haul her away from me, my hands dropping from her luscious body like I’ve been burned. My lungs heave in deep, rapid breaths, my muscles quaking with the need to haul her back to me and finish what we’ve started.

Her chest rises and falls quickly, her pale skin pink and mouth swollen, ravished by our kiss. She stares at me in shock.

And finally…finally, a thought enters my mind.

Fuck. She’s so doomed.

Chapter 18

I’ve married a stranger.

The thought reverberates in my head as I stare at myhusband, chatting with Charles, whom I’ve met a few times in the past, and his friends near the fully stocked bar during our dinner reception in the Hyacinth ballroom at The Orchid. True to form, he has declined a public speech and has told the wedding planner he’s only staying for one hour.

Of that one hour, forty minutes have elapsed, and he hasn’t spent a single one with me other than to eat a quick dinner in silence.

My heart twists as I stare at his handsome silhouette—dark hair carefully swept up, jaw clean shaven, his black silk tux fitted over his tall frame like a glove. He’s playing with a large ring on his finger. I saw it earlier at the church and marveled at the craftsmanship. It must be a family heirloom.

He looks composed, every inch the frigid billionaire the press calls him, not the man who almost had a panic attack in the church. My heart squeezes at the memory—the fear in his eyes, the helplessness. I’m extremely glad I could help him out of it.

I sigh, missing the charming man from the race. In fact, if I weren’t at the race myself, I’d question whether or not I had ever seen that side of him.

But then, there was that kiss, when the priest said he may kiss the bride.

The searing kiss that reminded me of that night at the race. The electricity sizzling through me when he ravaged my mouth, when he felt like the soulful man at the pier.

I miss Silas.

Snap out of it, Belle. This has never been anything more than an arranged marriage or a marriage of convenience. Get what you need from it and get out.

Squaring my shoulders, I tear my gaze away from him and scan the beautifully decorated ballroom befitting a royal wedding. Towering centerpieces of roses, crystal lamps and chandeliers light up the space in a soft glow.

Millie is waltzing with Ryland on the dance floor, the two lovebirds acting much more like bride and groom than me and Maxwell. Grace and Steven are taking a picture in front of the feature wall covered with wisteria and millions of fairy lights.

It looks like a wedding among the literal stars.

“Congratulations, Belle,” a quiet voice murmurs.

I turn toward Cole, who is dressed in a gray suit, his blond hair appearing gold in the dim lighting.

“Thank you. I’m glad you could come today.”

“You look beautiful.” His voice catches and pain flashes in his eyes.

I force out a smile and there must be something in my expression because he steps closer, far closer than any friend would in normal circumstances.

Leaning in, he whispers, his voice ardent in my ear, “I told myself I wasn’t going to say anything, but then I saw you today and I’ve never seen you look so miserable before.”

Blinking, I look away from his inquisitive stare, and he takes it as a sign to continue. “I’ve never told you this, but I’ve seen this look on the face of someone I cared about before.”

My eyes snap back to his. He’s never told me much about his family or love life before. “W-What happened to her?”

“Her husband killed her.”

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