Wicked Game: a Billionaire Stepbrother Romance (20 page)

He was giving up all that for me.

“I believe you,” I murmured.

A grin split across his face.
 

“Fuck, Cleo, we can be together again!”

Before I could react, he had swept me into his arms for a tight embrace.
 
He spun me around happily, burying his face into my neck.
 
I clung to him, not so much because of the spinning as the fact that I needed to be close to him.
 
The letter was fake.
 
The marriage to Audrey was fake.
 
He loved me, and he protected me.

Damien had come back to me.

We were together again.

And, God, it felt good.

He stopped mid-spin, placing me back on my wobbly feet.
 
His hands clasped my shoulders, straightening me up so I could catch my breath.
 
I felt light and bubbly, and my cheeks ached from the smile that was forcing them up.
 
I bit down on my lip and closed my eyes, trying to catch my bearings.
 

I felt Damien’s finger trace along my jaw.

His lips pressed against my forehead.

“I love you, Cleo,” he said, stroking my hair lovingly.
 
“Always have, always will.
 
Whether you like it or not, you’re not getting rid of me.
 
At least when it comes to how I feel about you.”

“You’re like a leech.”

“A romantic one,” he said, kissing me again.
 

I opened my eyes to meet his gaze.

He
was
telling the truth, I realized.
 
And I believed him.

It didn’t stop me from grabbing his chin, pulling his face close to mine, and seething.
 
“Damien Blackwood, I swear to God, if you’re lying to me, I will murder you.
 
It will be slow, painful, and bloody.
 
No one will ever find the body.
 
Do you understand me?”

“You’re so cute when you’re evil,” he said, kissing my lips.
 

I fought off the blush that was rising in my cheeks and the smile that was growing across my mouth.
 
It didn’t work.
 
He could see how happy I was.
 
With a grin, he pulled me in his arms again, covering my face and hair with kisses.

“Wait, wait, wait.
 
What about the business?” I asked, pushing him away for a moment.
 
“Do they even know where you are?
 
Does anybody?”

I glanced toward the window again, nervously searching for paparazzi.
 
I didn’t know what kind of stories they’d come up with if they found us hiding out in a shitty motel in the middle of nowhere, but I was sure I wouldn’t like any of them.
 
Especially not now, with Audrey showing up and my running away from our engagement ball.

“It doesn’t matter now,” he said, shaking his head.
 
“I’m not getting married, so I’m losing Dad’s business.
 
Shit, maybe that’s for the better.
 
Being Dad’s son has been nothing but hell for me.
 
I’m tired of it.”

“You can’t just give it all up like that, Damien.”

He kissed my forehead.
 
“I don’t care anymore,” he whispered into my hair.
 
“I just want you, Cleo.
 
Rich or poor, married or not.
 
I want you.
 
I’ve always wanted you.
 
And I needed you to know the truth, whether you want me back or not.”

With a small nod to himself, Damien pulled way from me.
 
I gazed into his eyes one more time, checking to see once and for all if he was telling the truth.
 
I couldn’t find a single inch of dishonesty in his face.
 
All I could see was his bright grin and those gorgeous eyes looking down at me like I was the sun.

He was telling the truth.

He loved me.

I sighed.

“I believe you,” I said.
 
“Now let’s get married.”

“A private island, huh?” I asked as we stepped off the plane.
 

Surrounding us, fields of green and tropical plants clung to every surface.
 
Just a short walk away, the clear blue ocean lapped at a beach of fine white sand.
 
The smell of sea salt and flowers clung to the air, and the gentle sun kissed my shoulders.
 
Damien’s private jet had traveled over an hour of pure ocean to get here.
 
It looked like paradise.

Damien grinned and wrapped an arm around my waist.
 

“Another perk of being a billionaire.”

“Remind me to be glad I married you.

“Hey, you’re a billionaire now too.
 
We both are.
 
Thanks to you.”

It was true.

The moment I realized Damien was telling the truth was the moment I realized I didn’t have a choice.
 
I had always wanted him.
 
I had always needed him.
 
And the discovery that he had been protecting me and my family for years had changed me.
 
I could no longer look at him as Damien, the ridiculous teenage stepbrother I had had years ago.
 
Now, he was Damien, the man I was in love with.

I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We were married as soon as possible, with Ellison seeing over everything.
 
As soon as we were married, Audrey gave up her quest to get Damien back.
 
The money was ours now, equally owned by Damien and me.
 
And, like that, she was gone.
 
I never heard from her again.
 

I guess Damien was right—it wasn’t about him, it was about the money.

I probably should have known that.

Damien took my hand and led me down the sandy path of the beach.
 
The billowing white skirts of my sundress floated around my legs, and little crabs and fish darted around my feet as I tiptoed through the water.
 
Enormous, fluffy white clouds floated overhead on a clear blue sky that reflected the water.

My hand felt so good in his.
 
I never wanted to let go.

I had known Damien was going to go all out on our honeymoon, but I had no idea he would go so far as “our own private island.”

It still all felt like a dream.

He led me through a small clearing in the greenery to reveal a massive wooden home in front of us.
 
We stepped on the black stepping stones to reach it, his hand never releasing mine.
 
He caught my waist with the other hand, lifting me over the tricky spots.

Still always taking care of me.

Damien unlocked the island mansion and drew me inside.
 

We ignored the living room and luxurious kitchen, heading straight for the bedroom.
 
We hadn’t had any privacy in so long.
 
I was desperate for him, and I knew he wanted me even worse.
 
His arms tightened around me as he led me to our honeymoon bed.

“You look gorgeous,” he whispered into my ear.
 
He picked me up and sat me down on the bed.
 
The sheets were clean white cotton, and billowing veils of white netting hung from the canopy like huge clouds.
 

His hands ran down my shoulders as he pressed his lips to mine.
 
I traced my fingers along his collarbone and up to his jaw, enjoying the feel of his stubble prickling against me.
 
I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled me down on top of me on the bed.
  
He smiled against my mouth.

His hands dropped to my waist, pulling up my skirts.
 
His warm palm ran up my leg, pausing at the thigh.

“Did you… uh, try that gift I gave you?”

I rolled my eyes.
 
My first wedding present from Damien had been a black lace thong.
 
I guess I’d give him some credit—the man knew what he liked.

“Check and see.”

He grinned wider, and his hand continued up my leg.
 
His thumb hooked under the thin delicate material of the thong, and he kissed me.

“Mmm, nice,” he said, his voice deep and husky.
 
I could feel his heart speeding up in his chest, which was pressed tight against me.
 
“I think I won’t tear these ones.”

“Good boy,” I said, rolling my eyes.
 
“It’s almost like you’re learning to act human.”

“Anything for you, wifey.”

His fingers reached further into the panties, and I gasped as they stroked against my clit.
 
With his help, I pulled the sundress off of me.
 
His fingers never left the spot between my legs, gently massaging it while I squirmed underneath his touch.
 
He knew exactly how to touch me.
 
My five year dry spell was completely worth it if this had been what I was waiting for.

He smiled at my desperate panting.
 

“Hell, Cleo.
 
I haven’t even really touched you yet.”

“Shut up and do it then.”

He chuckled deeply.
 
“I love it when you’re bossy.”

His thumb stroked across my clit, sending a jolt through my body.
 
I let my eyes sink shut as I took in the sensation of Damien’s fingers teasing me.
 
His thumb rolled circles into my clit, drawing out the pleasure long and slow until I couldn’t stand it.
 
We had had it hard and fast once.
 
This time, he was going to torture me with pleasure.

His lips trailed kisses down my neck as his thumb toyed with me.
 
A second finger slipped into me after a few minutes, giving me temporary relief from my desperate need to have him inside me.
 
He bent it again, stroking up inside me at the perfect spot.

A shudder of pleasure coursed through my body.
 

Damien grinned.

“I bet we can do better than that.”

A second finger slipped in to join the first.
 
I gasped as they teased that one delicious spot, his thumb still rolling firmer and firmer against my clit.

Electric sparks were already beginning to build inside of me.
 
Damien could feel it building as I twitched and spasmed around his fingers.
 
He slipped to his knees at the foot of the bed before me, spreading my legs in front of his face.

He leaned forward, kissing along my inner thigh as his fingers stroked me.
 
Closer and closer, he trailed kisses, until his mouth was finally on my clit.

“Damien!” I shouted as he sucked.

His fingers teased me from the inside as his tongue lapped against my clit, both of them bringing me closer and closer to the edge.
 
The tension built in my body as Damien sucked, licked, and touched me into submission.
 
His mouth moved to my clit, and he sucked hard on it as his fingers brushed across the sweet spot again.

My orgasm crashed over me.
 
My fingers clung to his hair and pulled his face into me, and his tongue drew out the shudders of pleasure longer and longer.
 
By the time my breath began to slow again, Damien was panting and just as desperate for release as I had been.
 

He crawled up the bed, positioning himself over me to suck on a breast as I came down from my orgasm.
 
Breathless, I glanced down at him.

“God, you’re good,” I panted.

He grinned up at me.
 
“I’m not even finished with you yet.”

He pulled my legs apart, readying himself to slip his cock inside me.
 
I shook my head and pulled my legs away from him.
 
He raised an eyebrow, and I pushed him off of me.