His words left her dumbfounded, just as he had expected. He grabbed her hand, taking advantage of her momentary confusion. They looked like a couple in love as they strolled towards the beach, hand in hand. “Everyone is staring at us, Christian. Can you leave my hand?” She tried to extricate her hand from his hold but he gripped it further, refusing to let go. “No. Let them stare. They might be jealous of you!” Skylar turned to see the amused glint in his eyes. “Why would they be jealous of me?” “Maybe because you’re the only one who’s getting to marry me!” Skylar scoffed at his enormous ego! As if she was marrying him willingly! Wasn’t he the one who was forcing her to marry him? “You’re the one who’s lucky that I agreed to marry you. If it wasn’t for our parents’ last wish, I would never have gone ahead with this.”“Then we should be indebted to our parents, right?” he chuckled as she wrenched her hand free of his hold and walked on. “On the contrary, I’m shocked by their deci
Christian trudged towards his room late in the night. He felt annoyed with Sebastian for choosing tonight for their meeting. It was already 12:40 in the night and he was sure Skylar would be fast asleep. Still, the prospect of sleeping next to her excited him and he quietly stepped inside their room. He glanced at the bed, but to his surprise, Skylar was nowhere to be seen. Was she in the washroom? Had she been waiting for him? He checked the washroom but strangely; it was empty too. Where did Skylar go? Did she move out of his room? He checked the closet and found her belongings missing. So she had moved out! Well! She might have forgotten that the hotel belonged to him. Quickly freshening up, he called the reception desk, and within minutes, he received the keys to her room. Using them, he unlocked her room right next door with a victorious smile on his face. “Where will you escape, Skylar? I’ll seek you out every time!” he whispered, his eyes twinkling with relief at the sight o
Christian tipped her head back to allow his tongue to dominate the wild and punishing kiss. He swirled his tongue against hers, devouring every recess hungrily. It wasn’t just any passionate kiss. It was branding. He wanted to punish her for fighting him since the time they met. He wanted her to know who she belonged to. The savage kiss took her by surprise, leaving her dizzy and disturbed. All the fight left her body, and she swayed as if intoxicated by the deep, thrusting pulls of his tongue. Circling his bare shoulders to keep herself from falling, she couldn’t help but dig her fingers into their enormous strength. A gasp escaped her when he punishingly bit her lower lip, soothing the sting with his warm tongue. Instead of feeling annoyed by the punishing kiss, a shock of pleasure coursed through her traitorous body, leaving her craving for more. It was her first kiss, and it robbed her of her senses. Should she be happy with her reaction to his advances?Christian’s breath caugh
Skylar dashed into the washroom to avoid Christian. Hopefully, he would leave by the time she freshened up. She was wrong! Even after ten minutes, she could hear him in the room. What did he want? Why couldn’t he just leave her alone? There was a knock on the washroom door, startling her. Gingerly, she opened the door to find him just outside. “What is it, Christian? Stop bothering me. I refuse to give you what you want from me.” Despite her clarifications, he stood with a smile on his lips. “And what do you think I want from you?” he prodded her. It made her color profusely. Would she have to spell it out for him? “You want another kiss? You want to have me here right now, but you know what? I will never give you what you want. There won’t be any physical intimacy in our contract marriage,” she rambled on while Christian watched her with amusement. “We’ll see about that later. Right now, I just want to pee. Can I please use the washroom if you’re done hiding from me?” Skylar gap
“In your dreams! You might have gotten away with a surprise engagement but not a surprise wedding!” She carried her food back to the table but this time she didn’t sit with Christian. The empty seat beside Lillian attracted her and she occupied it immediately. Christian sat down diagonally opposite her but his eyes were more on her than on his food. “Hello, dear! Has Christian told you about me? I’m his favorite aunt Theresa from Connecticut. I’m so happy to see him settle down. When he was young, he hated the idea of marriage. I couldn’t imagine he would settle down with a girl of his parents' choice.”“People change as they grow, Aunt Theresa. I’m sure Christian has too. He was never averse to the concept of marriage. He just wanted to marry the person he liked!” said Lillian. Skylar gaped at her as the interesting piece of news seeped into her brain. So did Christian like someone?“Had he chosen someone at such a young age?” chuckled Aunt Theresa with disbelief. “Age is just a nu
Skylar gasped with shock, not having expected it so soon. Christian plunged his tongue deep inside her mouth just as he had warned her about. The sexual tension hovering around them seemed to intensify within the four walls of the room. He could feel his arousal tighten with suppressed need straining to satisfy itself. His movements were aggressive as he molded her against the hard length of him. An overwhelming possessiveness took over him and he kissed her with abandon, demanding a response from her. Finally, her arms circled around his shoulders and another gasp escaped her. It was a gasp of pleasure this time! Yet she didn’t kiss him back! Christian tipped her head back to relish her sweet mouth to the fullest. “Kiss me or I won’t stop!” he hissed, breaking the kiss momentarily. Couldn’t she realize how much he was burning for her? Instead of tempting her to give in to him, he was falling prey to the temptation. “No, let me go, Christian!” she gritted out, feeling totally disor
Christian waited patiently, watching her gracefully walk towards him. The dress Mrs. Allenwood got for her fitted her perfectly. After all, he was the one who gave her the measurements! His gaze ran down the entire length of her with satisfaction. When it settled on her face, he held her unwavering gaze. He could sense her annoyance as she approached him. Why the hell was she mad at him now on their special day? He strode forward to greet her and ask her the reason for her annoyance. With all eyes watching their every move, it wouldn’t be easy to talk to her much. He smiled and stopped in front of her. “Emerald suits you best, don’t you think so?” he whispered with a glint in his eyes. “Yes, and black suits you. It portrays your heart and mind well. Don’t you think so?” He chuckled and offered her an arm for her to hold. “My heart’s made of pure gold, babe! And my mind is all white and open. You’ll realize it soon.” “Yeah, yeah. I’m the polluted one!” Yet she placed her hand in t
“Fine. Take your time. You have six months to decide on the date of our wedding. If you fail, I shall marry you on a date of my choice.” Skylar gaped at him, considering his condition. Six months were too less and would fly by soon. No, she needed more time. “Make it a year, please.” Christian gazed back at her for a minute and then nodded much to her relief. “Alright. A year it is then but you will stay with me in LA.” Skylar opened her mouth to argue but her gaze fell upon her granny sitting and watching them from her table. She didn’t miss the disappointed look on her granny’s face. Maybe she realized they were arguing on the dance floor instead of dancing like the other couples. “Hmm, okay.” Christian released the breath he was holding unconsciously. Her agreement meant everything to him. Now, whether they married or not, at least he could be near her all the time. He could see her to his heart’s content. If they lived with one another, maybe with time they would open up more