Mistaken by Fate (11 page)

“I
am
watching the movie.”

“Oh, yeah?” He felt around her bodice until he found the zipper and dragged it down. There was no one else in the theater but Mark, and he couldn’t see a damn thing from up in the projection room. That said, there was something forbidden about pushing down her dress to free her breasts in the middle of a movie in a public place—something he knew she’d love.

“What are you—”

“Don’t worry about what I’m doing, baby. Get back to your multitasking.” He reached over and fished an ice cube out of the champagne bucket, then pressed it against her nipple. Her gasp was music to his ears. He pressed an open mouthed kiss to the back of her neck as he circled first one nipple and then the other with the cube, until it melted down to nothing and her nipples were hard points. He shifted, setting her up on the arm of the seat so he could kiss his way down and soothe the cold skin with his tongue.

Her fingers dug into his hair, and he felt more than heard her low moan. He kept going, sucking and nipping first one breast and then the other, until her hips rolled and her grip was damn near painful. Then, and only then, did he straighten and take her mouth in a single heart-stopping kiss. “Do you want me to fuck you right here, right now?”

“Yes, oh God, yes, Sir.”

Thank Christ.

His lips barely brushed her ear. “Beg.”

She went still for a single breath, and then she moved, sliding back into his lap and kissing his jaw, his neck, the upper slice of his chest that his button-up shirt revealed, each kiss punctuated by words he felt like he’d been waiting his entire life to hear. “Please, Sir. Please fuck me. I’ll do anything you want.” She kissed the corner of his mouth. “I need your cock inside me.
Please
.”

He’d already planned on doing just that, but hearing her words only solidified the realization he’d been circling around ever since he tore off the blindfold and realized it had been Ridley coming on his fingers and not some look-alike. She was the woman for him—no other would do.

How the hell was he going to avoid fucking this up?

Garrett pulled her dress the rest of the way off, leaving her in her heels and nothing else. He grabbed a condom from his jacket pocket and rolled it on, keeping himself clothed except for his cock, all the while drinking in the sight of the screen lights playing across her body. “Come here.” He guided her to straddle him, but brought her legs up to drape over the seat arm on either side, leaving him in complete control. He took her chin in a punishing grip and kissed her, marking her as his even as he slid his cock into her.

“Someday baby, I’m going to bring you to a movie in a packed theater.” He grabbed her ass, using his hold to lift her almost all the way off him and then slide her back down. “And I’m going to finger that tight little pussy of yours until you’re fighting not to scream.” Another stroke. “Are you fighting not to scream now?”

She bit her lip. “Yes…Sir.”

“You like the idea of that, don’t you?” He kept going, moving her up and down, loving the way her breasts bounced with each thrust. “I bet you’re imagining people here right now, watching me fuck you, looking at your body and wishing they could touch you like I am right now.” He brought her down hard. “They can’t. No one can. You’re mine, baby.” He moved her faster, watching her face. “And I’m damn well going to keep you. Touch yourself.”

She didn’t hesitate to reach between her legs and stroke her clit. Fuck, she was magnificent. He wanted this to go on forever.

Garrett hooked an arm around her waist and moved, standing with her still impaled on his cock and switching positions, going to his knees in front of the seat. From this spot, he could fuck her to his heart’s delight. He shoved into her. “Keep going. Just how you like it.”

“I’m close.”

“I know.” He leaned down, bringing them chest-to-chest, and met her wide eyes. “My name, baby. Say my name when you come.”

She darted up and kissed him, one hand still between them, the other now gripping his hair. He kept fucking her, driving them both crazy, until she tore her mouth away from his. “Oh God.
Garrett
.”

He drew her orgasm out as long as he could, but the feeling of her pussy clenching around his cock was too much to resist. He grabbed her hips and drove into her, chasing his own orgasm, and finally coming with a curse. He rested his forehead against her chest, breathing hard.

Ridley gave a husky laugh. “Best. Date. Ever.”

Chapter Eleven

Ridley spent the next two days in a strange combination of happiness and uncertainty. Happiness because every moment she wasn’t working, she was with Garrett. He’d show up to haul her out to lunch, and then be waiting for her at the end of the day with flowers or chocolates or some small trinket. They talked and laughed and made love like the end of the world was coming, and nothing negative was allowed between them.

Which was the problem.

He was so busy trying to do everything right, but they still hadn’t talked about the future—or the past.

Even if she pretended that she’d totally and completely moved beyond the way he’d hurt her in high school, what happened after Fashion Week? What kind of life could they make together with the giant, bitch of an elephant in the room?

She couldn’t imagine asking him to quit his job. He loved it, for one. For two, he was out there, doing good in the world in a way that he was uniquely qualified to do. It would be unforgivably selfish if she demanded he come back here and—what? Go back to school? Become a washed-up security guard?

No, she couldn’t ask him to quit. It didn’t matter that the thought of being left watching him walk away time and time again was enough to have old fears surfacing. She was self-aware enough to know that that was her baggage. It wouldn’t be easy getting past it, but she
could do it with some time and work.

She’d just feel a whole hell of a lot better about it if he’d just
talk
to her. She knew enough about long-distance relationships—at least in theory—to know that the only way they worked is if they had a strong foundation of trust.

Which was exactly what she and Garrett were missing.

She loved spending time with him and she loved…caring about him, but the whole honeymoon environment made this feel temporary. And it was starting to freak her out. She needed to talk about the past, to clear the air, before they could finally move forward. It didn’t matter that she already knew the
why
of what he’d done, or that his apologizing wouldn’t magically erase all the heartache that had followed.

But it would be a start.

A fresh start.

Her phone chimed with an incoming text. She couldn’t help the silly grin that spread across her face when she saw it was from Garrett, worries about the future or no.

Extra special surprise for you tonight.

The man and his surprises. She sent back a quick reply.

Lucky me.

You will be.

She hesitated, then typed out in a rush.

Can we talk tonight? REALLY talk?

A minute passed, and then another. She stared at her screen, willing it to light up with a message from him. The week was winding down far too quickly, the hours slipping away and hurling them toward the moment when he’d get on a plane and leave. They
had
to clear the air before then.

I’ll pick you up at six.

That wasn’t an answer. She sighed and set her phone aside. There was no help for it. They’d talk tonight if she had to tie him up to do it. The thought brought a bittersweet smile to her face. He’d hate being on the receiving end of the bondage nearly as much as he’d hate her forcing this issue.

The rest of the day was spent taking care of non-creating details, which was a relief because she was distracted enough that she didn’t want to be cutting and sewing something that could make or break her career. By the end of it, though, she had the transport of her clothing line nailed down, as well as model fittings set up for next week. She was as on top of it as she could possibly be.

A quick glance at the clock told her that she had to get moving if she wasn’t going to be late. It was tempting—too tempting—to take her time to see if he’d punish her. Her body perked up at the thought. She’d found that while she might not love Garrett’s punishments, he invariably followed them up with something amazing. She could suffer through more than a little to get the kind of orgasms that man liked teasing out of her.

But tonight she needed to talk to him more than she needed his hands on her body, and if they started the date with a punishment, she’d invariably get distracted and they’d be another day closer to him leaving without any answers between them.

She rushed through a shower, put on the bare minimum of makeup since she had a feeling it’d end up smeared off her face, and paused in front of her closet. Serious date or not, she was just vain enough that she still wanted to knock his socks off. She dug through her options, finally coming up with one that she’d bought when she was feeling inspired and never worn. It was more of a summer dress than a winter one, all airy layers and damn near transparent, but she’d loved how it made her legs look longer than they were and the slit up the front that showed a whole lot of thigh when she walked. It dipped between her breasts to the zipper that held it all together and ran down the middle of her stomach to the tops of her thighs. One sharp pull would be all it would take to have it off her and on the floor. She suspected Garrett would approve.

Her buzzer rang right at six, and she grabbed her purse. “I’m on my way down.”

She walked through the doors into the biting winter wind and stopped short. Holy crap, he looked amazing in a suit with his hair slicked back. Her heart gave a painful thud that didn’t bode well, and she practically ran into his arms when he opened them.
Please, please don’t shut me out again.
She clung to him, breathing in his scent and telling herself that she was letting her fears get to her. “Hey, you.”

“Is everything okay?”

Yes. No. She wasn’t sure. It would totally depend on how tonight went. In a perfect world, they’d sit down, hash out their issues, and then have outstanding sex to celebrate starting the future off on the right foot. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that things were about to go horrifically wrong. “What’s the plan?”

His concern disappeared, replaced by a grin that was downright wolfish. “Dinner.”

…

Garrett watched Ridley as the cab pulled up in front of Serve, watching the truth dawn across her face. She shot him a look that wasn’t entirely pleased. “Dinner, huh?”

“Yeah.” He traced a finger down the dip of her dress, unable to help himself. “I’m
famished
.”

She inhaled sharply. “God forbid I stand in your way.”

“You’re talking like you have a choice, baby. You don’t.” He loved the way she relaxed at that reminder instead of tensing up further. She trusted him a whole hell of a lot. They might be on borrowed time right now, but he was damn well going to make the best of it. He hadn’t missed the interest on her face the other night when he described the public dinner scenes that Serve sometimes hosted, so he’d put in a request to Nolan to make it reality.

He knew she wanted to talk—and he had a feeling he knew
exactly
the topic of conversation—but he wasn’t willing to let go of the fantasy. Not yet. Reality would intrude sooner than he’d like no matter what. What was one more night of pleasure before they had to face it?

They took the elevator up to the third floor, and he wasn’t sure if the look on her face was fear or anticipation. It seemed like a combination of both. That was fine—a little fear added spice—as long as it didn’t overwhelm her desire. It would be up to him to ensure she didn’t cross that line.

The doors opened to the public playroom, and he took her hand and led her into the room, stopping in front of the table he’d requested earlier. If it had been a weekend, there was no way he would have been allowed to bring it out, but tonight wasn’t nearly crowded enough to limit the space. The table was pristine with a white tablecloth, and he caught her looking at the hook centered above it. Little shivers racked her body and she jumped when he put his hands on her shoulders. “Baby, look at me.”

She turned in his arms, her breath coming fast. He studied her face. She was still on the right side of desire. “Tell me your safe word.”

“Frankenstein.” It was barely above a whisper.

This would push her boundaries hard tonight, but he had seen the borderline disbelief every time he told her he’d be back for her fashion show. He didn’t have the words to reassure her, not when he was still so off-center himself, but he could use this to physically put her at peace. At least for a little while. “Do you want to use it?”

“I…” She took a deep breath and seemed to steady. “No, Sir.”

His heart swelled an alarming degree. She
did
trust him. She might not want to or like it, but she did. He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m not going to do anything tonight that you don’t want. Do you understand?”

She closed her eyes. “I understand.”

“Remember—you have your safe word.” He kissed her forehead. “Ready?”

She nodded, her eyes still closed. “I’m ready.”

“Good.” He stepped back and spun her around, bending her over the table. “Because those promises I made to you? They’re about to be fulfilled.” He undid the zipper at her front and shoved the dress to the floor, leaving her naked. After kicking it away, he stepped up behind her, pressing the front of his body against the back of hers. He bracketed her throat and pulled her up. “Next time we play here, you’ll be wearing my collar.”

She froze. “Garrett—”

He turned her face to kiss him, stopping her words, taking her mouth like he’d take her body shortly. He didn’t touch her with his hands except for her throat, his tongue unrelenting until she writhed against him, her hips seeking something he wasn’t ready to give her.

Not until she was out of her mind with desperation.

He broke away, breathing hard…and looked right into the eyes of his twin. From the way Ridley went still, she’d seen Will, too. His brother looked from one of them to the other, his eyebrow inching up, his gaze raking over Ridley’s body before he turned back to the Domme he’d been talking to.

She turned in his arms. “I don’t want to do this. Not like this.”

No, she wanted to
talk
. “One more night, baby. Just give me one more night.”

Her smile wasn’t anywhere near happy. “And what happens then? You’re not going to want to talk any more tomorrow than you do right now.”

Damn it, she was right. But that didn’t stop him from kissing her, silently demanding she obey him and stop questioning. When she moaned in the back of her throat and went soft against him, he pulled away a little bit. “I’m going to put you up on that table where everyone can see you, and then I’m going to make you come so hard that you scream yourself hoarse.”

She shook her head, obviously trying to clear it. “Garrett—”

“Not tonight.” But it was becoming increasingly clear that Ridley didn’t trust him—not like he needed her to—because she shook her head again. He cupped her face in his hands, trying to calm the first fluttering of panic in his chest. “I need this tonight.”

“You’ve had this over and over again. Tonight isn’t going to magically fix things. I can’t do this, not until something actually changes between us.” She stepped back, hitting the table with her ass and a look passed over her face when he reached for her again. He already knew what she was going to say half a second before the word crossed her lips.

“Frankenstein.”