Page 32 of The Sound of Secrets

Channing wrapped her arms around my neck, and her fingers drifted through my hair. It was messy frommy hands nearly pulling it out when I raced from the prison in the city to the cottage in the cove. Not that she needed me. She handled her father fine without me.

“A sparkly wand and tutu don’t really fit your image. You’re more suited to be Captain Hook.” She used her finger to stroke the back of my hand. They weren’t as rough as if they’d been eaten by a crocodile, but close.

I used my thumb to caress her cheek and asked, “We aren’t enemies anymore, are we?” I couldn’t be Captain Hook if we were on the same side. I was definitely more like the little fairy out of her mind in love with the oblivious boy.

Her fingers brushed against my open collar. They found the warm skin within and grazed my throat. She leaned forward until our lips touched. Our eyes locked and emotions flowed through the gaze like a raging river.

“Not enemies.” She agreed as she unbuttoned my shirt and kissed her way across my chest and collarbone.

“Not enemies, but not friends either.” We’d never managed to navigate a friendship. We’re just too different.

Channing’s hands stilled where they were working my belt buckle loose from my pants. Her eyes were bright as she lowered my zipper and snuck her hand under the elastic waistband of my underwear.

“Lovers. We’re lovers.” Her voice was soft and wistful. It was as apt a description as any.

I grunted when her thumb circled the head of my cock and teased the narrow slit. My body reacted accordingly. I leaned my head back and looked up at the sky. It was easy to forget we were in the middle of a majormetropolis in this special spot she’d created. If her name wasn’t still trending, I might’ve let her keep going. As things were, when she started to drop to her knees in front of me, I pulled her up, and walked her backward to the bedroom.

“I’m doing my best to get your name out of everyone’s mouth. If we get caught having sex outside, that’ll never happen.”

We tumbled into the bedroom in a tangle of entwined limbs and heated kisses. We left a trail of clothes from outside to the bed. She was breathless when she got on her knees in front of me. Her head tilted back as she swallowed my dick down as far as she could take it. Her eyes were hypnotic. When Channing looked at me like I hung the moon, I wanted to gather the entire universe and give it to her. She never asked me for enough when I was willing to gift-wrapeverythingfor her.

The fingernails on one of her hands dug into my ass, making the muscles flex. My abs tightened when her other hand snuck between my parted legs and teased my tightly drawn and hypersensitive sac. A shiver darted down my spine. I bit my tongue to stop myself from shoving my full length down her throat. My hips thrust forward aggressively, and I wrapped a hand around the back of her head to pull her closer. I felt her exhale through her nose and heard her make a sexy, strangled sound.

With one hand sliding up and down the back of my thigh and the other playing with my aching balls, my tenuous hold on my control snapped. I growled her name in warning and sensed that she relaxed a touch. Itwas enough that I pressed my cock deeper into the damp heat of her mouth. My vision blurred as my hips picked up speed and rocked against her. The sounds coming out of both of us were sinful. They rang in my ears on repeat.

Channing was breathing hard but her hold on me was unyielding. I felt the flick of her tongue along the underneath side of my dick and my eyes nearly rolled back in my head. The place between my legs throbbed heavily in her palm.

I tried to tell her I was going to come, but the words got lost as my grip on sanity loosened and filled her mouth with my release. Her eyes were full of mirth as she was forced to swallow.

I pulled her to her feet and stepped her back until her knees hit the edge of the bed. It was my turn to fall in front of her. Before I did, I told her in a voice laced with satisfaction, “We’re also husband and wife.”

It seemed imperative that I make sure she didn’t forget it. I didn’t mind being her lover for the time being. However, I desperately wanted her to acknowledge I was her husband, as well.

Channing

I got up earlier than normal and made a run to a nearby bakery to grab a box of doughnuts. Win had a wicked sweet tooth, and I wanted a simple way to unruffle Winnie’s feathers. I made a couple calls to reschedule the meetings I’d missed the day before. I was fortunate Alistair was an understanding boss. He had every right to fire me for being unprofessional. It was no wonder I’d never managed to have a corporate career before now. I wasn’t sure I was cut out for the high level of responsibility and accountability that came with making a better-than-decent paycheck. Working multiple jobs to make ends meet was tiring, but the only person who felt let down if my performance wasn’t up to par was myself.

When I got back to the brownstone, Win was on his way out the door. He muttered something about his half-brother acting like a child around his handpicked mentor. He was always frustrated with Alistair, so whatever was going down at the company had to be a fire he couldn’t put out over the phone, but the way his silveryeyes lit up when he bit into the doughnut made me slightly jealous. The way to this man’s heart was really through his stomach and high calorie treats. He left in a rush with a quick kiss goodbye and a gourmet pastry in hand.

Winnie walked into the kitchen fifteen minutes later. She had dark circles under her eyes and was yawning wide enough I could see her molars. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail and the buttons of her school uniform were done up crooked. She looked like she’d slept in her clothes and tossed and turned all night. If her attitude toward me wasn’t still frosty, I would’ve straightened her up. Not that I cared if she was rumpled. I just knew the kids at her school were ruthless and would tear apart any flaw they found.

“I got doughnuts. If you want something else for breakfast, let me know. There’s time before you have to leave to make something.” I tilted my head to the side and studied her face. “Did you not sleep well last night?”

Winnie opened the box in front of me and took out a chocolate glazed doughnut. “I was doom scrolling.” She took a big bite and gave me a hard-to-read look. “Your name stopped trending around five this morning. Some famous singer and her equally famous actor boyfriend got engaged. Their news took over all the trending topics.”

“That’s good.”

Winnie held the doughnut in one hand and tapped the fingers of the other on the counter between us. “Doesn’t it bother you? Having strangers dissect your life and make up stories about you? It seems like it should be a pretty big deal.”

I crossed my arms and leaned over on the counter. This felt like a conversation we shouldn’t have before I had coffee. But if she was willing to talk, I didn’t want to let the opportunity slip by.

“It doesn’t feel great. It feels even worse knowing that someone who should have my best interest in mind is the one behind it. However, as long as I know the truth, and the people who love me know what’s real and what’s not, it’s just noise. You’re going to have to get used to ignoring people who are loud for no reason. As you get older, strangers are going to have things to say about you that are way off base just because of your name.”

She took another bite and lifted an eyebrow. “Your dad is the one who sold your story? Why would he do that?”

“Because he needs money and thinks if he makes life hard for me, Uncle Win will pay him to go away.”

She shook her head, sending her ponytail bouncing. “What did I do to end up with such awful grandparents? Most kids are spoiled rotten and only have to worry about getting smothered in affection from their grandmas and grandpas. Mine are out there trying to ruin lives.”

---