The Marriage Sacrifice Page 5

  “You date your leftovers?”

  “Yep. I’ve had stomachache once in my lifetime, never again.”

  “Wouldn’t it just be easier to learn how to cook?”

  “Nah, not for me. I’ll stick with, you know, ordering in.”

  “I’m going to convince you,” she said.

  “Convince me of what?”

  “To cook for yourself. I believe everyone should be able to cook and have a right to cook themselves. I’ll teach you.”

  He laughed. “You’ll teach me?”

  “Yep. I was taught.”

  “By who?”

  “One of my nannies. She made everything from breakfast, through to lunch and dinner. I also make a damn good chocolate chip cookie.” She winked at him. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to do this in no time.”

  “Yeah, I don’t see that happening.”

  “Stop being such a drag. Come on. This is going to be a lot of fun.”

  “Your idea of fun and mine are two different things.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Spoilsport.”

  Sage gasped as he moved up behind her. She’d already started to unpack the bags of goodies they’d purchased together. She was going with a stir-fry. They were quick, easy, and a lot of fun. She’d been experimenting with them for ages.

  Her mind went completely blank as he pressed his rock-hard cock against her ass.

  “I’ve got something to ask you, Sage.” His lips nuzzled her neck, and she closed her eyes at the temptation he was presenting her.

  From their kiss that afternoon, she’d been thinking about nothing but. She’d wanted him to push all of his stuff off his desk, and to take her right then and there.

  She didn’t need for it to be prim or proper. She wanted the display of manliness.

  When the kiss had come to an end, she’d wanted to beg him for more, but she’d not taken. She’d let him lead.

  “What do you want to ask?”

  One of his hands was on her hip, and the other had moved some of her hair off her face.

  He was wasting time. She would start putting her hair up because it was becoming way too much of a distraction for the both of them.

  Biting her lip, she opened her eyes, staring straight ahead.

  “Are you a virgin?”

  “No.”

  “You’re not?”

  She put the eggs down on the counter and spun so she could face him. “No. I didn’t wait around for you, Dom. You were out partying and we had a deal we wouldn’t be marrying each other, so I didn’t think I was breaking any code.”

  “You weren’t.” The fingers on her hair moved down, and he cupped her breast. “And now?”

  “Now?” The tips of his fingers stroked across her nipple. It had been a long time since she’d been with a man.

  She did only have one boyfriend before her engagement with Dom. It didn’t exactly last, and since then, she’d been losing herself in her projects and her work.

  Until now.

  She was super-aware of his touch, the fingers on her tit and the hand on her waist. It wasn’t enough, and yet, it felt like something amazing.

  “Is there anyone in your life now?”

  “No. I wouldn’t be engaged to you if there was.”

  “Your parents would have made them disappear. They want this union between us,” he said.

  “In case you didn’t notice, I don’t take orders from my parents. I do what I want.”

  “And to hell with the consequences?”

  “No. I think about everything.”

  “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” he asked.

  “I’ve got an idea.”

  He slammed his lips down on hers.

  This was different. Dom didn’t hold back. He pressed her against the counter. One of his hands moving to the back of her head while the other gripped her ass.

  She grasped his shoulders, needing the closeness, desperate for it. When he slid his tongue across her lips, she opened up, giving him access.

  It had been so long, and now she felt a hunger unlike anything she’d ever experienced. She didn’t want him to stop.

  He broke from the kiss, and this time, he began to gather her dress. She still wore the same dress from that morning.

  She hated trying on clothes, constantly unbuttoning and buttoning up in between. So she always wore something she could lift over her head.

  In one quick move, Dom had the dress up and off in a few seconds.

  She pushed his suit jacket off and it fell to the floor.

  So busy attacking his clothes, she didn’t know how they ended up in the bedroom and naked.

  Yet, seconds later, that was exactly where they were.

  Naked, she straddled his waist, and he held her, keeping her in place, kissing her.

  His cock pressed against her pussy, hard, bumping against her clit, and she cried out as he pulled on her hair, lifting her up.

  He sat up, spinning them around so she was now beneath him. His lips trailed down her body, sucking on each of her nipples before finding a path between her spread thighs.

  She moved to her elbows, spreading her legs wide and watching as he started to lick her pussy. His tongue slid down, circling her entrance before moving up to her clit. She closed her eyes, collapsing back onto the bed, giving her body over to him so he could have his wicked way with her.

  She didn’t want him to stop. The pleasure was intense, and much to her shame, she came within a matter of seconds, crying his name.

  Her cheeks were red with embarrassment, she had no doubt.

  Dom didn’t say anything. He took possession of her mouth, urging her back on the bed, and his cock slid between her thighs. He bumped against her clit, and she gasped. The touch was almost too much after just finding her orgasm.

  He didn’t torture her for long.

  Putting his cock at her entrance, he slid inside, and she gripped his arms, taken aback by how full she felt on his cock. He was thick and long, stretching her pussy to take more of him.

  “Fuck, you’re so wet.” He kissed her before pulling out, only to slam back inside again.

  She cried out, watching him when he wasn’t kissing her.

  His cock was slick with her own arousal, and she lifted her pelvis up, fucking him just as he took her.

  It felt incredible, dirty, and everything she wanted but didn’t realize she was craving.

  He took her lips again as he pounded inside her, each slide stretching her further to accommodate his dick.

  She couldn’t believe they were doing this. They were having sex, and it was incredible. It shouldn’t feel this good, and yet, it was the best thing.

  When Dom came, she felt every single kick and pulse as he filled her with his cum.

  Afterward, he collapsed against her, kissing her lips.

  She closed her eyes and wondered what the hell she had done. This wasn’t proving they weren’t compatible as a married couple. This was the complete opposite and not what she had hoped.

  Her body was alive, and there was no denying she wanted him again.

  She was screwed in every single sense of the word.

  ****

  Having sex with Sage had been incredible, but it wasn’t what Dom had planned when he brought her back to his place.

  Running his hand down her arm, he smiled at her, seeing the blush stain her cheeks.

  “You’ve gone all embarrassed on me.”

  “I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that in my life,” she said. She pressed her hands against her face, and he didn’t want her hiding from him.

  “Don’t be like that.”

  “We’ve never had sex before,” she said.

  “Sage, this was going to happen eventually.”

  “No, it wasn’t. You’re the party animal, and I’m the boring one.”

  “You think you’re boring?”

  “I know I’m boring. You’ve met me,” she said. “What was all this about?”


  “I wanted us to have some food.”

  “That’s it? That’s all you planned?”

  He nodded. “Watch a movie maybe. Not even a porno.”

  “This is bad.”

  “Why is it bad?”

  “Because we’re getting married.”

  He laughed again. “Seriously, what is so bad about that?”

  She sat up, sliding across to the edge of the bed. “I was hoping I could prove my parents that if we were so incompatible, they wouldn’t go through with our wedding.”

  “That hasn’t been the case though,” he said.

  “Think about it, Dom.”

  “I have thought about it.”

  “You’ve got a new woman on your arm every single night.”

  “I had a new woman, Sage. Had. The key word, past tense. I don’t have a new woman. I have you.” He stroked a finger down her arm, needing to touch her.

  “This is … insane.”

  “Why don’t we take it one day at a time? One night at a time.” He didn’t have a long time to make this work with Sage. He needed to bombard her with feelings. She was attracted to him, so that was a plus for him, but attraction only went so far, and he wasn’t new to this game. His stomach rumbled. “I still need to eat, and how are you going to teach me if you don’t show me?”

  “You really don’t care about this?”

  “I care. I want to do it again, Sage. More than once and twice, but I also want to spend time with you. You think you can do that with me?”

  She looked at him. Her lips pressed together. “Yes.”

  “Really? You don’t have to sound so excited about it. I know I’m a great catch and all.”

  She gave his shoulder a little shove. “Stop it. I know you’re a great guy. I get it. I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be a bitch here. I guess I’m nervous. You make me nervous.”

  “I don’t want to make you anything but comfortable in my company.” He held her hand, kissing her fingers. “That’s all I want.”

  “It’s me, I swear. I’m just crazy.”

  “There is not a single thing crazy about you, believe me.” He got up and walked toward his drawer at the far side of the room. He opened it up, pulling out a long shirt. “You can’t cook without some kind of protection.” He didn’t want her to think about them not using protection of any kind.

  This hadn’t been his intention at all. Her father wanted him to get her pregnant, but this wasn’t the way he wanted to go.

  “Awesome.” She took the shirt from him, pulling it over her head. “How do I look?”

  “Like you’re ready to cook.”

  “Is everything okay?” she asked.

  “Yeah, of course. I’m fine.” He pulled her in close and took her lips again. “What can I say, seeing you in my clothes gets me all hot.”

  “Next time you can wear mine.”

  “Totally.” His stomach growled again.

  “That’s my cue to go and feed you.” This time, she kissed his lips. “I’ll let you get cleaned up.”

  He watched her go. She really did look good in his shirt, but he felt guilty.

  This grave he was digging with her was his own. If she found out the truth, she was going to hate him.

  He couldn’t come clean to her about how desperate he was for this marriage. His company needed it. She wouldn’t understand, and now there was a chance she’d be pregnant. The wedding was so close that he couldn’t allow for anything to fuck it up.

  Walking into his en-suite bathroom, he gripped the sink. Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth and tried to stop the guilt from eating away at him. This wasn’t supposed to be difficult or hard.

  Taking a deep breath, he stood up tall and opened his eyes.

  What he was doing was more than acceptable. Marrying a woman for the family’s money, and also getting her pregnant was a good thing. They were going to be married for a long time.

  He turned on the cold tap, splashing water on his face. Getting her to fall in love with him, that was going to be the icing on the cake. Nothing bad or horrible about it—because he did actually want that.

  “I can fucking do this,” he said to his reflection.

  He’d never been the kind of guy to step away from a challenge, and he wasn’t about to start now.

  Grabbing a pair of sweats, he pulled them on as he made his way into the kitchen.

  Sage was already putting away the groceries. She’d purchased a wok as well as he told her she’d need something to cook with.

  “I think I need to just stock your kitchen with all the relevant needs,” she said. “There’s no way I can teach you to cook with just a wok. You’ll get bored.”

  “Whatever you think is best.”

  “Why are you being so nice to me all of a sudden?” she asked.

  “I’ve always been nice to you.”

  “We’ve not really been anything to each other if you think about it. We’ve kind of always been around each other because of our families.”

  He sat down on a chair, watching her. She had a chopping board and a knife. He’d picked them up with the wok. “Our families are determined for this to go ahead, and to be honest, I’m not afraid of it.”

  “Thanks, you’re not afraid of getting married.”

  “All joking aside and the wisecracks, do you really think it’s going to be that hard to be with each other? Look at how we are now. The sex is amazing. We’ve not killed each other.”

  “This is on a short scale.”

  “I don’t see us having an issue being together. I really don’t.”

  “I have an issue with there being someone else,” she said. She put a hand on her hip and the other was on the countertop.

  “Someone else?”

  “Don’t play dumb. I saw all the headlines. You’re a partier. You had a new woman on your arm every night. You want me to believe that is all in the past?”

  “Yes.”

  “I don’t want to share.”

  “You’re considering this?”

  “Look, I don’t really have much of a choice in the matter. My parents have made this all public, and well, they kind of have a hold on me. No, I don’t want to get into it. Don’t ask. If we do this, if we marry, I’m not giving up my charities or the work I do.”

  “You mean your writing.”

  “Yes. I won’t have anyone else. There will be no other man. I’ll come to you for all those needs. I guess, I ask the same of you.”

  He stared at her, a little shocked. “Wait a minute, you’re willing to no longer fight our wedding? You agree to be my wife, without question, so long as I don’t meddle in your life and you won’t have any other man to fuck.”

  “You know, I don’t like how blunt you can be.”

  “I know that you love it. I felt how much you love it.”

  “Moving on, there can’t be any other woman for you either.”

  “Done.”

  “Like that?”

  “Yes.”

  “What am I missing here, Dom?” she asked.

  He got up off his seat and walked around the counter, pulling her into his arms. She didn’t fight him, again, another little victory. “You’re not missing anything.”

  “A year ago, you were on a yacht partying with a bunch of adult film stars, and now you’re saying you’re willing to be monogamous, and a good husband.”

  “Wait, monogamous means I get more than one wife, doesn’t it?”

  “Dom!”

  “I know what it means. It means that I promise to love, honor, and cherish you. How about that?”

  “I think love is a little extreme.”

  “You don’t believe in love.”

  “I do. Of course I do, but … we don’t love each other. You don’t love me.”

  She stared into his eyes.

  Dom didn’t know what he felt.

  That was the only honest truth he could handle right about now. He didn’t know what this was between them.

&n
bsp; He knew he was desperate like he always seemed to be when it came to the company. He couldn’t catch a break, yet that was exactly what Sage was offering him right now.

  Chapter Six

  “Now add one egg at a time.” Sage watched as Dom dumped two eggs into the bowl with the butter and sugar. “No, no, no.” She laughed.

  “Crap, I screwed it up.”

  “You haven’t screwed it up. You’ve just got to beat it like crazy to make sure it’s all combined.” They were at her apartment, and she partly wished she’d agreed to teach him to cook at his place. Every single day for the past three days he’d spent with her. She knew their wedding had moved up to next Friday. Her mother had surprised her with that little detail last night.

  She figured it was why Dom had taken a sudden interest in her.

  They hadn’t slept together again since the first night. Not that she didn’t want to. Whenever it got late, Dom always found some excuse to leave, which was fine. She didn’t mind for the most part. There was no point forcing him to stay where he didn’t want to be.

  “Oh, shit.”

  Sage covered her mouth so he wouldn’t see her laughing. Dom’s idea of beating was pretty good, but it had also meant everything had gotten all over the place.

  “This is not as easy as it sounds,” he said.

  “It’s not too bad. Honest.”

  “Seriously?”

  He had gooey egg, butter, and sugar all over him. He’d also flung it across her kitchen and onto her floor.

  “Is this any good?”

  “We can make something out of it,” she said, grabbing the bowl from him before he smashed it.

  Taking over, she beat without getting it all over the place. “Do you know how to clean up?” she asked.

  “I can work my way around a brush.”

  “You need a cloth. Get some paper towels first and wipe it all up. The trash bin is there.” She watched him get to work.

  She had no choice but to press her lips together so she didn’t burst out laughing.

  “You look so out of place cleaning like that.”

  “I made the mess.”

  “That you did, but still, it’s odd.”

  “Is it the suit?”

  “A little. You came here straight from work?”

  “Yeah.”