Four Weeks Till Forever Read online

  She stripped him and studied his gorgeous body with appreciation. Maybe the famous Pryce profile wasn’t limited to just faces. There was absolutely nothing wrong with his physique. If somebody made a sculpture of his nude body, she could buy it and put that in the office and call it art. It was that perfect, and this perfection was all hers.

  His cock got even harder under her scrutiny. It was long and thick and she couldn’t help but send him a long wicked glance. If he knew what she was fantasizing about…

  “Yes?” he said as though he read her mind.

  Out of the three things that had flashed through her mind, she chose the one that enticed her the most. She ran her nails along his inner thighs, and his ribcage jerked as his breathing grew rougher and more uneven. She looked up at him with big doe eyes, licked her lips, and said, “Watch.”

  * * *

  Mark thought he’d die right there when she pulled the head of his cock into her mouth. Holding eye contact, she hollowed her cheeks and sucked on him. Damn… His muscles tightened as pleasure built. He’d had other women go down on him, but Hilary somehow made him feel like he’d shoot right then and there. The fact that this was Hilary’s mouth on him, and Hilary’s eyes on his, pushed him until he was teetering on the edge.

  But that wouldn’t do. He hadn’t pursued her so he would embarrass himself like some inexperienced high school kid. Instinctively he knew getting this far was just the first step. There were still obstacles to overcome if he wanted Hilary to be with him beyond this moment.

  He pulled out with a soft pop. She looked at him quizzically. Without answering the unspoken question in her gaze, he brought her up and kissed her openly.

  She responded enthusiastically and sucked on his tongue. His balls tightened. Shit. His baser self wanted to go back to what they’d been doing before, but he didn’t. He wanted to hear her scream his name when she came.

  He unbuttoned and tugged at her clothes until she was naked except for the matching lacy bra and panties. They were cut conservatively, making her look like an innocent angel about to be seduced. He kissed her breast, then pulled the nipple into his mouth right through the fabric. Her back arched, and she wrapped her legs around his hips. His cock settled into the folds, and he groaned at how wet she was.

  “Baby, you’re so hot,” he said.

  She laughed, the sound breathless. “You make me hot.”

  He rocked against her, and she moaned, the deep and throaty sound going to his head like the best whiskey money could buy. He pulled her panties off. She looked so wantonly innocent with her legs spread and her modest bra covering her breasts. She was so perfect it hurt.

  But now it was his turn. “Watch.”

  A long slow lick along the folds of her sex yielded a honeyed taste. She was so slick and hot, he thought he could come just from going down on her. Her thighs quivered, and he loved it that he was giving her this pleasure. But he wanted to give her more. The need to prove he could make her happy in bed drove him, and he wasn’t going to stop now that he had the chance.

  He pulled her clit into his mouth and used his tongue on it. A tortured moan tore from her throat, and her hand clenched the sheet. Her breath hitched as if she hadn’t done this in a while…she hadn’t had anything this hot in a long time. Maybe all her previous lovers had sucked in bed. Maybe they’d been impotent.

  He sensed her control slipping, and then she shattered, back bowed and knuckles white. She pressed a fist against her mouth to muffle her scream, but he pushed it away.

  “Let me hear your pleasure, Hilary,” he said. “I want to hear it.”

  She sobbed, tears streaking from the corners of her eyes. He kissed them away, exultant he’d been able to take her to this high of a climax. She shuddered for a while. When it had eased into minor tremors, she whispered, “That was amazing.”

  He grinned. “I’m a pretty amazing guy,” he said shamelessly, absurdly happy with the world. “You’re gorgeous when you come.”

  She flushed. “Now you’re embarrassing me.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Are you kidding me? You let me devour you like that, and now you’re embarrassed?”

  “Oh hush.” She reached downward and took him in her hand. “You’re still really hard.”

  “I wanted to wait until we could do it again. I want to come with you.”

  * * *

  Hilary rubbed her thumb over the tip of his erection, spreading his slickness all over the head. “So do I, Mark.”

  She couldn’t think of anything better than coming apart in his arms with him following her into sweet oblivion. Reaching behind her, she undid the bra clasp and dropped it on the floor. Now they were both fully naked with nothing between them.

  “Do you have a condom?” she asked.

  He made a show of thinking hard. “Hmm… There might possibly be one in…my right front pants pocket.”

  “Prepared, aren’t you?”

  “Hopeful. I’ve wanted to be with you like this for a long time.”

  She smiled and retrieved the protection from his trousers. She sheathed him and murmured, “I want to be in control of this.”

  “Whatever feels right. I want you to be comfortable.”

  She let out a throaty laugh. The last thing she was was comfortable. She was so needy it wasn’t even funny.

  She ran her fingernails along his balls and heard his breath catch. His cock twitched at her every teasing touch. She loved that. She couldn’t believe she had this powerful, gorgeous man at her disposal…to do with as she wished for their mutual satisfaction.

  She straddled him and fed his cock into her, slow inch by slow inch. He felt enormous, the delicious stretching of her inner muscles almost too much to bear. She couldn’t remember the last time she was this wet and eager. But most importantly, she felt safe.

  Mark would never hurt her.

  He groaned when she was fully seated. She linked her hands with his and bit her lower lip. Slowly she started moving. He matched her rhythm, but he didn’t rush her. He hadn’t been kidding when he’d said he wanted her to be comfortable. Slowly she picked up the tempo, as her body craved more of the sweet friction between them. Her fingers tightened, and her toes curled as he placed his feet flat on the bed and pumped into her. It seemed to push him even deeper and harder into her body, and she sighed as her blood sizzled in the beginning of an orgasm.

  “Say my name, baby,” he said, his voice rough. “Say it.”

  She screamed his name and came. He made one final hard push and joined her. His teeth were clenched tight, and the muscles of his neck stood out starkly. His hands tightened, but he made sure he didn’t crush hers. His dark gaze focused on her, and she knew he loved this passionate side of her.

  Breathing hard, she collapsed on him. His heart thundered under her ear, and she closed her eyes to savor the moment. This was beyond lovely and nothing like she’d experienced before. She’d always thought being with him like this would shackle her and strip her of whatever control she needed to be strong. Paradoxically enough, she felt more liberated than ever before in his arms. It was like he’d freed her from her long-held belief about dating acceptable men who didn’t excite her. There was power in being able to respond to her man fully and honestly and wantonly.

  But…

  She was never lucky in love. None of the Rosenberg women were.

  She clung to him, willing this to be an exception. Anything else would ruin her.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Early the next morning, Mark watched Hilary sleep in his bed. She hadn’t been comfortable staying at Jo’s if he was going to stick around, and he had no intention of spending the night alone, not when he finally had Hilary where he wanted her—in bed with him.

  They’d been busy breaking in his hardly touched kitchen, the well-used bar, the living room, the dining room, the bathroom and of course the bedroom. Hilary had been insatiable, and he loved the passionate side of her that fed his own need. She was the most perfect lo
ver a man could ask for. And it was great that she wasn’t self-conscious about her curvy body. He adored her hourglass shape—it was full of sexy feminine curves and dips that begged to be explored.

  Right now he was hard again, and his baser instincts said he should wake her up, but he slipped out of the bed instead. She should get some sleep. He didn’t want her to relapse. It still bugged him she wouldn’t see a doctor. What if she had something more serious than just being overworked?

  So he went out and got various bagels and cream cheese. Not so good at cooking, but great at buying, he thought to himself. And just in case she wanted some variety, he also tossed in a couple of croissants. He didn’t know a single woman who didn’t love croissants, even if they generally avoided “evil” carbs.

  Hilary didn’t care, and that was another thing he loved about her. A woman who enjoyed her food was super hot.

  When he returned, he found her in the kitchen, dressed in his robe, her hair mussed. Sharp desire and need dug into his chest, stealing his breath away, but he pushed them aside for the moment, searching for any signs of fatigue in her. He felt a small pang of guilt…but it was pretty small.

  She smiled at him and yawned. “I made some coffee,” she said. “Hope you don’t mind.”

  “Mi casa es tu casa.” He plopped the paper bag full of baked goodies on the table. “See if there’s anything you like. I’ll get some plates.”

  “I’m sure whatever you have in the bag is great.” She typed something on her phone.

  “You texting Josephine to let her know what an amazing night you had?” he asked from the kitchen.

  “No! I’m sending a note to Amandine. I know the perfect person to be her new assistant.”

  He selected two bone-china plates and some pieces from the heirloom Nathan and Hayes silverware set his mother had given him. He’d never had a chance to use either, but now seemed like a good time. “You do?”

  “Yes. We professional assistants network, you know.” She finished her text and put the phone down.

  He finished setting the table, complete with the fresh coffee she’d made. “You should’ve done that months ago instead of taking on more work. It’s not like Gavin’s too poor to hire someone for his wife.”

  “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.” Hilary sat and picked up a croissant. “Amandine doesn’t like having personal assistants. She seems to think they’re too CIA-like or something, always watching her and stuff.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “Just the way she is. She didn’t grow up with money the way you did.”

  He stopped in the middle of spreading cream cheese on his bagel. He couldn’t identify it, but there was an odd undertone in the way she’d said “the way you did.” “Does it bother you?”

  “What?” she said, buttering her croissant.

  “About my upbringing.”

  “Not really. I just know we grew up very differently.” She frowned at the heavy silver knife in her hand. “Does it bother you that I’m not like your other girlfriends?”

  “Good god, no. I’m glad you’re different. If you were anything like the others, I’d be bored to tears by now.” He’d been watching and speculating about Hilary long before he’d approached her. He wanted to see if the reality would match his imagination. So far, it had surpassed it.

  “The party’s today right?” she asked.

  “Yeah. It’s at the grove.”

  “How many people are coming?”

  “Basically everyone, except maybe for Blaine and his fiancée.” Blaine was Salazar’s illegitimate son.

  “Ceinlys didn’t invite him?”

  “No, he got an invitation. But he might avoid the whole shindig because it’s awkward.” Also he didn’t like Ceinlys. Mark had noticed that, and in some ways he couldn’t blame the guy. He probably thought—incorrectly—that if Ceinlys hadn’t been in the picture Salazar might have married his mother. From what Mark had gathered, Blaine grew up dirt poor. Mark wondered how he would’ve reacted if the situation had been reversed.

  “Okay, well, I need to go to Josephine’s place to pick out something to wear,” she said. “Afterward, I’ll meet you back here.”

  “You don’t have to do that. I already have your clothes here.”

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. I asked Josephine to choose a good outfit for you.”

  She fidgeted. “I don’t want you to make me look like I’m something that I’m not.”

  “Which is what?”

  “Knowing Josephine, she probably bought the most expensive stuff possible, which means it’s going to be something I could never afford on my salary. That’s not how I envisioned this…outing.”

  “Hilary, don’t worry about money. I want you to wear something that’ll be comfortable for you. But some of my distant cousins and aunts are snobbish, and it would be unpleasant to give them something to talk about.” Then there was his mother, who hadn’t said anything directly to him yet about his dating Hilary, although she had to be unhappy about it. She’d made it clear she didn’t approve of his choice.

  “I don’t know.”

  “Just humor me, okay? Besides, think of the time we can save. We can use that for something better than arguing about your outfit.”

  “Which is…?”

  He gave her a wicked grin. “Let me show you.”

  * * *

  Hilary was forced to admit Mark had done well to have Jo select her outfit. It was a comfortable coral orange sundress with spaghetti straps and cute casual shoes that were comfortable without looking too under-dressy. Jo had even included a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses that went well with the outfit. The hat turned out to be a huge bonus; the sky was cloudless and the day scorching. The grove had plenty of shade, but it was always nice to have extra protection to prevent burning. And being a redhead, Hilary was particularly sensitive to the sun.

  Mark took her to the center of the action where his parents were. Salazar and Ceinlys Pryce stood next to each other and greeted every member of the family who arrived. He was handsome—an older version of Mark. He’d shed his usual suit for the picnic and donned pale shorts and a sapphire blue polo shirt that brought out his eyes. Ceinlys hadn’t dressed down quite as much as her husband. In a pristine white dress and a matching hat with netting, she looked like European royalty. Unlike Gavin and his wife at Eliza’s charity event, Salazar and Ceinlys seemed to take great care to avoid any sort of contact with each other. It couldn’t be easy to stand close enough to appear as a couple, but still avoid touching each other, even accidentally.

  The weird thing was, nobody seemed to notice it…but maybe this was just a normal thing at Pryce family gatherings. Salazar patted Mark on the shoulder, and Ceinlys gave him an air kiss.

  “Mom, Dad, you know Hilary,” Mark said.

  Salazar’s face split into a smile. “Welcome. I hope you enjoy the picnic.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  “Call me Salazar,” he said. “Sir makes me sound so old.”

  Ceinlys’s gaze flicked to Mark’s arm around Hilary’s waist then rose back to Hilary’s face. There was something that felt like repugnance in the way Ceinlys looked at her. Hilary stole a quick glance at Mark, but he seemed oblivious from the way he was grinning at his mother.

  Then Ceinlys’s eyes changed, becoming suddenly warm and inviting, and she smiled at Hilary. “Welcome, my dear. How lovely to see you again.”

  “Thank you,” Hilary managed. She was sure she hadn’t imagined the earlier distaste, but she wouldn’t make a big deal about it either. This was Mark’s family, and they were important to him. She didn’t want to ruin the day by being critical.

  “Where’s Shane?” Mark asked.

  “He missed his flight.” Irritation put a little line between his mother’s eyebrows. “I offered to send him the family jet, but he said no. I should’ve done it anyway.”

  The arrival of some cousins cut their conversation short. There were so many
more people than Hilary had expected. She recognized most of the immediate family—except for Dane. She wasn’t sure if he’d come. Dane was a bit of a recluse when it came to his family gatherings from what she’d heard. She’d done some digging to see what kind of boss Kim might end up with if she managed to stay with the Pryce family business, and nothing about Dane indicated he would be easy to work for. Thank god Amandine was serious about hiring somebody. It wasn’t like being an executive administrative assistant, but Kim could still make good money and build a great network. Amandine and Gavin traveled in the very top social circles. Getting introduced to those people couldn’t hurt, and when you knew them, unexpected opportunities just seemed to crop up. Hilary had contacted Amandine that morning to make doubly sure Kim would have the best chance at the job.

  “Smile,” Mark said, squeezing her hand. “You look tense.”

  “I’m not,” Hilary said. “I’m just wondering which one Dane is.”

  “Don’t.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “You don’t want to meet that ogre.”

  She swallowed a startled laugh. “What?”

  “He’s not the most pleasant guy to be around. Sort of a party pooper. I’m not even sure he’s here. He usually doesn’t bother.”

  He introduced her to tons of cousins and other far-flung relatives. She was good with faces and names, but it eventually became overwhelming. Everyone was so nice and sweet, doing their best to make her feel welcome. She couldn’t help but compare his family to hers. If she’d brought Mark to Lila’s home for a Fourth of July barbecue, it would’ve been a disaster with Bebe plastering herself all over him and Lila going on about her “great love affair” with Tim. None of them would know how to be gracious, and even if they tried to make Mark feel comfortable, they’d only end up alienating him.

  Despite their sweet lovemaking earlier that day, Hilary suddenly felt like there was a chasm between her and Mark that nothing could bridge. She couldn’t imagine how all these people would react if they knew the truth about her background. They’d probably gasp…or flee in horror.

  And would Mark stand by her?