Marrying for King's Millions / The Spanish Aristocrat's Woman: Marrying for King's Millions
“Hmm,” he mused, stopping alongside her. “Ashamed of being married to a bigamist. Why would that bother me? I wonder…”
Her eyes narrowed on him and her jaw went tight. “That wasn’t my fault.”
“So you keep saying.” He glanced around and caught the eye of several people watching him and Julie with open curiosity. Perfect.
He lowered his voice even further. “I’d appreciate it if you’d just keep a low profile until things are cleared up.”
“Ah. Low profile? Like the stretch limo?”
He blew out a breath and looked at her. Her grass-green eyes were practically snapping with nerves and anger. Her mouth was tight, and her chin was lifted in defiance. Her breath rushed in and out of her lungs and her breasts strained against the deep vee neckline of her dark green dress.
She looked ready for battle and so damned edible, his body went hard as a rock almost instantly.
A sex-free year with a woman who managed to turn him on even when he was furious.
Damn it.
“Look,” he said, forcing a smile so no one in the lobby would guess that he and his new bride were ready to shout at each other. “We don’t need to announce our presence, all right? Let’s do what we’re here to do and move on.”
“I’m just saying, I won’t be ignored.”
“Fine. Point taken.”
“Good.” Now she smiled, curving that luscious mouth up at the corners. Only he was close enough to see that there was no answering warmth in her eyes.
Muttering vicious curses under his breath about marrying women he couldn’t sleep with and couldn’t kill, Travis hooked her arm through his and continued on to the reservations desk. A young woman with dark brown hair piled atop her head smiled at him.
“Señor King.” She practically purred his name and beside him, Travis felt Julie stiffen.
“Welcome back to the Castello,” the clerk continued, dismissing Julie with hardly more than a glance. “We have the room ready for you and your…companion. As you requested.”
“Thanks, Olympia.” He was polite, but completely uninterested in whatever other games she might be playing. Travis wasn’t an idiot. He knew women were drawn to money and power and he’d been flirted with by the best. He’d also learned long ago that the best way to handle the situation was to simply ignore it.
The woman’s coy smile and big brown eyes might have worked on any other man, but Travis was immune.
“Do you know everyone here?” Julie whispered as she leaned in close to his ear.
He smiled as if she’d said something tempting, then leaned back and murmured, “She’s wearing a name tag.”
“Oh.”
“Will you be needing reservations at the restaurant this evening?” The woman still avoided looking at Julie, instead giving Travis alone the benefit of her wide-eyed stare.
“No, thanks,” he said, tapping his fingertips as he waited to sign for the room.
“And your…companion,” she asked quietly. “Will she be staying with you for your entire visit?”
“What?”
“Yes,” Julie said for him, leaning one arm on the reservations desk as she glared at the girl now watching her warily. “I will be here for his entire visit, since I’m not his ‘companion,’ but his wife.”
“I see,” the girl muttered, hurrying now with the details of check-in.
Travis bit the inside of his cheek and enjoyed the show as Julie set the little flirt down flat. There was something damned attractive about watching her sail into battle. And he couldn’t help admiring the fact that she wasn’t afraid to stand up for herself.
“And no,” Julie said firmly. “We won’t be needing your assistance with a reservation, thank you so much.”
“Of course, señora,” the girl whispered, ducking her head to avoid the icicles shooting out of Julie’s green eyes.
Her point made, Julie’s voice softened. “Now, if you don’t mind, we’re on our honeymoon and we’d like to get to our room.” Then she leaned into Travis and ran her fingers over the front of his shirt for good measure.
And just like that, every last drop of amusement drained out of his body to be replaced with a heat that was powerful enough to make his eyes glaze over. Even though he knew she was putting on a performance, Travis hissed in a breath as his body tightened even further. Damn, if she kept this up, he was going to have a hard time walking to the elevator.
He looked down into her green eyes, and noted that she was completely aware of what she was doing to him. She ran the tip of her tongue over her bottom lip and everything in him fisted. What the hell game was she playing?
Sliding a glance at the clerk again, Julie smiled and said on a sigh, “I’m sure you understand that we’re anxious to be…alone.”
“Yes, yes of course.” The last of the girl’s flirtatious attitude disappeared and she hurried through the rest of the paperwork.
Julie was still plastering herself to his side and Travis told himself that two could play this game. Once he’d signed in and received his key, he wrapped his arms around her, dragged her in tight and kissed her hard and fast.
That kiss sizzled through his bloodstream, tightened his erection to the bursting point and left Julie speechless. Objective attained.
“Thanks,” he said, nodding at the clerk before leading Julie toward the elevator.
Julie’s mouth was still burning an hour later.
As if she could still feel Travis’s lips pressed to hers.
Fine, she hadn’t liked the way that woman at the desk had been leering at Travis as if Julie weren’t standing right beside him. Although, maybe she shouldn’t have laid it on so thick after shutting the girl down. Teasing Travis was something like waving a raw steak in front of a hungry lion. Not surprising then that he’d kissed her in response. What was surprising was the quicksilver flash of heat and need that had rushed through her the moment his mouth claimed hers.
Had he felt it, too?
Or had he just been pretending?
Of course he was, she chided herself silently. He was playing his part and doing a darn fine job of it, too. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but once she was finished unpacking her clothes, she was free again to think about things she really shouldn’t be even considering.
But could she help it if her body was on fire?
Oh, boy. She might be in some serious trouble.
Leaving the smaller of the two bedrooms in the luxurious suite, she walked into the living room and paused on the threshold just to admire the view. The room was wide and long, decorated with sheer elegance. Four low-slung white couches formed a circle around a fireplace set in the middle of the room in a stone ring. A huge flatscreen television hung on one wall. On the far side of the room, was a massive wet bar and accompanying wine cooler, and beautiful paintings adorned the rest of the soft yellow walls.
Brightly colored rugs were scattered across the glossy, honey-colored wood floor, and terrace doors leading to a balcony almost as big as her bedroom stood wide open. A cool breeze blew in from the nearby ocean and carried both the scent of the sea and the fragrance of the tropical flowers that surrounded this amazing hotel.
Standing on the terrace, Travis waited, his back to her and their room. Looking him up and down, she fought the swirl of attraction she felt. It wasn’t easy. He’d discarded his suit jacket and tie and now wore only his slacks and a crisp white shirt. His dark hair ruffled in the breeze as he poured two glasses of champagne from the bottle chilling in what was probably a sterling silver ice bucket.
Steeling herself, Julie lifted her chin and started forward, the sound of her heels on the floor the only sound in the room. She stepped out onto the terrace and instantly felt the cool wind surround her. Goose bumps lifted on her arms, but she paid no attention. Instead, she focused on the lights below and the darkening sky above.
“Unpacked?” Travis asked.
“Yes,” she said, accepting the champagne flute he handed her and taking a sip. The margaritas she’d had on the plane were still with her and she really should eat something before she had anything else to drink. But she glanced down at the munchies he’d ordered from room service and knew she couldn’t swallow anything else at the moment. “It’s a beautiful place.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“I guess you come here often,” she said.
He shrugged. “It’s a family hotel. Everyone comes here often.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, with another sip of the bubbly wine. “And I’m guessing you usually have a ‘companion’ with you?”
“Jealous?” he asked, turning his head to look at her. One dark eyebrow was arched and the wind in his hair gave him a softer, more vulnerable look.
Travis King?
Vulnerable?
“No, I’m not jealous,” she said. “That would be silly, wouldn’t it? It’s not like we’re actually—”
“Married?” His smile disappeared in a blink. “No, guess we’re not. Which is why we’re here. And on that subject, I’ll talk to my cousin Rico tomorrow. Get the bead on who we should go to about arranging this divorce.”
“Great.” She walked toward the iron railing and laid one hand on the cool surface. Taking another drink of the champagne, Julie was aware that the bubbles were going directly to her head, but maybe that was a good thing.
“You’re a good actress, I give you that,” Travis pointed out.
“Hmm?”
“The performance you put on for the clerk downstairs almost had me convinced you were a happy newlywed.”
“Yeah, well,” she said, wondering why her glass was empty just before Travis reached out and refilled it. “She ticked me off.”
“I guessed that much.”
“And you enjoyed it,” she said, taking another sip, allowing the bubbles to slide down her throat and buzz through her blood.
“I did,” he said, draining his own glass of champagne in one long swallow. He refilled his glass and took another sip before speaking again. “Had to wonder, though.”
“What?” God, it felt good to be out here, feeling the wind on her skin and the champagne in her blood. Looking at Travis, she felt a warmth, too. A sort of heat that was settling down low inside her. Danger, Julie. Oh, be quiet, she ordered that annoying internal voice.
“Well, that acting skill of yours,” he said, coming around the tiny table to stand beside her.
Julie drained her champagne and licked her lips as her body began to hum. She wasn’t drunk, but she was feeling pretty good. “What about it?”
“If you’re that good at acting, maybe you’ve been playing me all along.”
She blew out a breath in frustration. If he was going to continue to believe that she was in cahoots with Jean Claude then this year was going to be misery.
“I told you Travis, I wouldn’t do that.” She set her glass down onto the table.
“I’d like to believe you, Julie,” he was saying, reaching out with a finger to play with one of the straps of her dress. “But—”
“But?” How could he really believe that about her and still want her? More, how could she be burning up with lust for him, knowing that he thought her capable of blackmail?
Apparently, though, her mind and her body were riding two different tracks. Her skin felt as if it was on fire where he was touching her. Nerves rattled through Julie’s body and she knew she was in big trouble. But she didn’t care.
“I’m thinking I need some convincing,” he said, his dark eyes flashing with a need that her body was clamoring to answer.
“I don’t know what more I can say.”
“No more talking,” he said and set his glass down on the table beside hers.
“Then what…”
He slid one of her dress straps down her shoulder and smoothed his thumb over her skin. Her gaze locked with his, Julie’s breath caught and her blood began to pump thick and hot and urgent.
“I paid a hundred thousand dollars to marry you today,” Travis said, dipping his head to kiss her bare shoulder.
Julie sucked in a gulp of air.
“Now,” he said, straightening up as his finger slid along the line of her bodice, dipping down to caress the valley between her breasts. “How about you show me what I paid for?”
Five
Julie just stared at him for what felt like forever. Shock had her feeling a little stunned, but as she looked at him, she sensed that he was waiting for her response. To see if she’d take this or stand up and call him on it.
He didn’t have to wait long.
His gaze was dark and hot and spearing into hers, daring her to look away. She didn’t. Instead, she pulled in a deep breath, kept her gaze locked with his and said too sweetly, “Since you actually paid the hundred thousand dollars to Jean Claude…why don’t I call him for you and he can show you whatever you like?”
Amusement flickered in Travis’s eyes and one corner of his mouth lifted. “Good one. But I’m not interested in your Frenchman.”
Frustration bubbled up inside her, frothier than the champagne she’d just drunk way too much of. “For heaven’s sake, he’s not my French—” She stopped because the amusement in his eyes was even brighter now. Frustration gave way to confusion. “You’re laughing?”
“Not laughing, smiling.”
“About?”
“About how we ended up here together, despite your Frenchman—”
She opened her mouth to protest, but he cut her off quickly. “And how we’ve both had too much to drink,” he continued. “And how you smell so good it’s driving me nuts.”
Her nipples peaked.
For pity’s sake, he didn’t even have to try and her body jumped and cheered.
“Plus—” he added, dipping his index finger into the valley between her breasts again “—you look beautiful. This dress…is amazing. It tempts me to peel it off you and discover all your secrets.”
She trembled. He was too close. Too warm. His breath was too soft on her face and the fire in his eyes was like an incendiary, quickening a similar blaze inside her.
When he wasn’t trying to seduce her, he was nearly irresistible. When he was trying, he was downright illegal. His finger stroked the tops of her breasts and Julie’s already fuzzy brain started clouding up completely.
“Um, Travis?” Her mouth was dry and her breath was coming in tight, short gasps that were really contributing to the whole light-headed thing.
“Yeah?” He kissed her shoulder again.
Oh, he had a great mouth.
“Um…” She was really trying to think, but it was suddenly so hard. Her nerve endings were lit up like a marquee in Las Vegas and her core was damp and hot and oh, so achingly ready that her brain probably figured it wouldn’t be required anymore that night, so it had shut down.
Still, Julie tried to think. She couldn’t quite remember what it was that had seemed so important a moment ago. His lips and tongue moved on her bare shoulder, the edges of his teeth scraping against her skin, sending shockwaves pulsing throughout her system. Like the aftershocks of an earthquake, everything seemed just a little off-kilter.
But at last, a solitary wispy thought flashed across her mind and Julie grabbed for it. “Right. Right, Travis…”
“Mmm…” He kissed the side of her neck and Julie tipped her head to one side to make sure he covered every square inch of available skin.
“We, uh, we agreed,” she said, struggling for air while trying desperately to hold onto that one tiny thought. “Agreed to a no-sex policy for this marriage. Remember?”
“Nope,” he whispered, kissing the base of her neck until Julie’s toes curled. “Don’t remember a thing.”
Was that his tongue on her neck now? Licking, tasting. Oh, my. “It was uh…in the uh…” What was that thing called again? “Contract! That’s it. It was in the contract.”
His fingertips smoothed over the tops of her breasts and her nipples popped even harder, each of them eagerly awaiting his attentions.
“We can always renegotiate a contract,” he said, sliding his free hand up her bare back to the nape of her neck. His fingers rubbed and stroked, and slid into her hair. “If we want to….”
She groaned and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him all around her. His body was pressed close and his erection straining against her hip was unmistakable. One hand on her breasts, the other stroking her neck, her back, he was overwhelming her with sensation. Short-circuiting her mind with deliciously seductive maneuvers that left her breathless.
“Oh, boy.” She took a breath, forcing it into lungs straining for air, and when she blew it out again, she opened her eyes and looked at him. He lifted his head, his dark brown eyes locked on hers with a burning intensity she’d never seen before and she felt the heat as those flames reached for her, engulfed her. “Do we want to?” she asked. “Renegotiate, I mean?”
“Oh,” he said, sliding his hand from the base of her neck all the way down her spine to the curve of her bottom. Rubbing, stroking, he leaned in and kissed her, then smoothed the tip of his tongue across her bottom lip before easing back to meet her gaze again. “I really think we do.”
“Okay then,” she whispered, moving against him, letting him feel that she was as electrified as he. That she wanted him as much as he wanted her. “Let’s… negotiate.”
“Right.” He kissed her, slid the straps of her dress down and freed her breasts to his hungry gaze. Cold sea air touched her skin and Julie shivered, but it had nothing to do with the temperature. Every cell in her body was eagerly awaiting what came next.
When he cupped her breasts in his palms and bent to take her nipple into his mouth, he murmured, “Here’s my first offer….”
Julie hissed in air through gritted teeth, and held on to Travis’s shoulders as if without that stability she might just slide off the face of the earth. But she would die happy if he only kept his mouth right where it was.
As soon as that thought arrived though, he stopped, lifted his head and said, “Inside. Let’s take this inside.”
“What? What?”
He glanced around as if just remembering where they were. “You never know just how sneaky photographers can get and I’d rather not see us on the front page, if you know what I mean.”
Her eyes went wide as she covered her bare breasts with her arms and scuttled back into the hotel suite. Back against the wall, she waited while Travis closed the French doors and then swept the sheers shut with a yank on the cord.
“Oh, my God,” she whispered, gaze locked on him. “Do you really think someone was out there…watching us? Taking pictures?”
He shrugged, but his eyes were cold and dark, belying his easy dismissal of the notion. “You never know.”
“That’s just—” She blew out a breath and tried to struggle back into her dress as if covering her breasts now could somehow erase their earlier exposure.
“Pointless to worry about,” Travis told her gently. “My fault, I should have been more careful.” He stroked his hand along her shoulder, stopping her from dragging the dress straps back up. “But you tasted so good. You smell so wonderful. Look so…”
Julie’s body fired up again as if there hadn’t been an interruption. She leaned back into the wall as Travis bent his head, taking first one nipple, then the other into his mouth. Sliding his tongue across the sensitive tip, suckling, nibbling. He tormented her with tenderness. Conquered her defenses with gentle deliberation. And when she was gasping for air and wobbling in place, he stood up, took her mouth with his and sent her flying again.
His tongue tangled with hers and everything within her went hot and wild. Her core became a molten ache, desperate to have him inside. Her hips twisted against his, and his erection pressed tight and hard to her body, letting her know that he was as hungry, as frenzied as she.
How was this possible, she wondered frantically. How could she feel so much for a man she’d known her whole life? How was there this much passion in someone she’d considered a friend? How could she slip so totally into complete abandon at his touch?
Then she stopped thinking. Stopped wondering. Instead, she surrendered to the magic rising up between them.
He wrapped a hand around the base of her neck and tipped her head to one side. He nibbled his way down the length of her throat, and then slid back up, leaving a trail of damp heat behind him as he kissed and licked her skin. She was struggling for air, but not really concerned. Who needed to breathe when there was all of this to feel?
But she wanted more. Needed more. Needed to feel his skin beneath her hands. Needed to touch as she was touched. Feel as she was felt.
Sliding her hands up his chest, she tore at the buttons on his dress shirt until she’d freed them all, sending several of them pinging to the floor. Then she was touching his hard, muscled skin, feeling the soft curl of dark brown hair beneath her fingers and dragging her nails across his flat nipples.
He growled in her ear and took her mouth harder, deeper. Their breaths mingled, their tongues played out a dance their bodies hungered for.
“I want you. Now.” His voice was harsh, strained as if it were all he could do to squeeze out those few words. Then Travis reached down, lifted the skirt of her dress and ripped her tiny lace panties from her body.
Julie inhaled sharply and then groaned as he cupped her aching core. Sliding first one, then two fingers into her depths, he pushed her so high, so fast, her head spun. As his fingers delved inside her, his tongue continued to twist with hers in a frantic dance of need and passion.
Her body coiled tight as he rubbed one sensitive spot over and over and Julie’s legs trembled violently as she tried desperately to keep her balance while giving herself over to the incredible sensations shooting through her. Again and again, he stroked her, pushing her as if he couldn’t wait to feel her climax.
But she fought the feeling, wanting to draw this out as long as she could. Incredible, the way he made her feel. Overwhelming, the way she wanted him, needed him. She’d never known anything even remotely like this before and she wanted more of it. Her hands dropped to his waist and her fingers fumbled with his belt, then the snap and zipper of his slacks.
He broke their kiss as she wrapped her hand around him. His eyes briefly slid shut and he ground out one word. Her name. “Julie…”
“I want you to feel what I feel,” she whispered, opening her eyes and looking into his. Raw passion and desire shone out at her and she knew he must be seeing the same things reflected back at him. She was on fire for him, her body burning inside and out. As if a fever were raging through her system.
She stroked him, her fingertips sliding up and down his length, stroking the sensitive tip of him, marveling at the soft strength of him. Travis went completely still for one long, shattering minute when their ragged breaths were the only sound in the room other than the quiet hiss and snap of the fire.
Then he looked down at her, shifted his hands to her waist and said, “Lift your legs.”
She didn’t ask why. Didn’t think. Just went with what she was feeling, needing. Lifting her legs, she wrapped them around his hips and he leaned into her, bracing her back against the wall, cupping his hands on her bottom.
And in the next moment, he was sliding inside her, pushing himself into her body.
“Oh, Travis…” Julie sighed, twisted her hips, writhed on him as she took every amazing inch of him. An invasion of the most amazing kind, she thought, relishing the feel of his body filling hers.
He groaned tightly and began to move, slowly at first, then with a soul-splintering speed that had his hips pistoning against hers. Their bodies met and separated over and over as tension coiled and need escalated.
She felt it building, knew her release was so close she could almost touch it. The tingling sensations soared and a delicious ache rose inside until it was nearly unbearable. His strength surrounded her, his body filled her and he didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop. She moved with him, her body welcoming his, holding him tightly, creating a fabulous friction that accelerated the desire clawing at them both.