HisMarriageBargain (9 page)

“Like that guy back there. Timothy? I would never have asked
him his name. Or Eleri and her sister? I’d have passed by them and never said a
word.”

Autumn shrugged. “I am one of those people, so I guess I see
myself in their shoes and I know how I like it when people are polite to me.
I’ve flipped burgers, cleaned rooms and a bunch of other crappy jobs. It’s
always nice when someone asks your name and says thanks.”

“But that’s just it.” He yanked his hands out of his pockets
and spread them. “I probably walk by the same people you do and just say thanks
if they do something for me.”

“And that’s okay.” She touched his arm and he grasped her
hand. “Speaking from the role of former help, even being polite is nice. You’re
a fair tipper, you always tell people thank you and even when you have been
unhappy with the service, you’re reasonable.”

“I am?”

“Yup.”

“You notice those things?”

Autumn smiled and it was as if the sun grew a little
brighter. She was sunshine and joy. “When you’ve spent as long as I have in the
service industry, those things matter in the people around you.”

Sammi laced their fingers together and squeezed. “That’s
just good manners.”

“And who taught you that?” She swung their arms back and
forth as they walked. Even when serious she was playful.

“My father. You pay what people earn, be polite even when
the other party isn’t and always take the high road.” A hundred speeches his
father had delivered on some point or another regarding business or how to
conduct yourself floated to the forefront of his memory. He’d alternated
between hating and loving these talks. Now he’d give anything to have just one
more.

“You always get that smile whenever you talk about your
dad.”

“What?” He glanced at Autumn.

“You must have really loved him.” Autumn peered up at him, her
lower lip captured between her teeth.

“He was a great man.” There was no denying that when he
thought about his father a sense of pride blossomed in his chest.

“Tell me about him?”

Sammi steered them to walk where the waves lapped at their
ankles. There was so much he could tell her about his father, it was hard to
think about where to begin.

“My parents were born in Iran, which is a very unfriendly
country for Jews. They left in the late seventies before the First Gulf War
broke out. They left with almost nothing, just some cash really, and came to
America. There were a lot of reasons for leaving. He worked hard, starting out
washing floors and taking out the trash until he owned one business, turned
that into two and started buying commercial properties.” Sammi could hear his
father. Though a few years had passed since his death, Sammi could still recall
the way his father spoke, the timbre and quality of his voice.

“He sounds like someone I wish I’d met,” Autumn said. “I
mean, I did meet him a few times, but it was always in passing. Mary and Kellie
only have good things to say about him.”

Sammi nodded and breathed deep from the sea air. “You would
have. I think he’d like you, Sunshine.”

Hell, when he looked at it objectively, his father had been
help once too. But he’d worked his ass off to become more. With all of that to
consider, he liked to think that his father really would like Autumn for a
daughter-in-law, even if she wasn’t the ideal Jewish bride.

Autumn tilted her head to the side and smiled at him. He
couldn’t read anything in her expression, so he let the topic drop.

The sand slid between his toes and the waves lapped it away.
It was still comfortably warm, even with the brisk breeze blowing in from the
ocean. St. Maarten was beautiful, the perfect backdrop for this trip. He
couldn’t believe it had been so long since his last visit. But things had
happened. His father had passed away. His mother had had a break with reality.
Sammi had taken on his father’s role. And he’d thought there was time.

“What happens next?” Autumn asked, breaking into his
thoughts.

“I don’t know. I thought we’d do today by ear. Maybe do some
snorkeling or a boat ride tomorrow. What do you think?”

“That’s so not what I meant.” She pulled her hand from his
and slapped his arm. “I mean after this trip, when we go home. What then?”

“Oh.” He reached for her hand and she gave it to him. It
just felt right to walk like this. Sammi glanced out to sea, away from Autumn.
The “what’s next” pried into things he’d never shared with anyone, because he’d
assumed there was time for it to happen naturally.

“I know, it’s a really unlike me question. I’m trying to
think about the future a little now. Be responsible and all that stuff.”
Autumn’s rambling comforted him. He wasn’t the only nervous one.

“I have this house I was having updated and remodeled. I
think it would make a nice home.” He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.

Autumn’s gaze was on him, the corners of her lips drawn up
into a slight smile. “Tell me about it.”

“It’s a ranch style. Lots of open spaces. The exterior is
white with blue shutters. There’s trees outside and the landscapers are putting
in some more plants this weekend.”

The property had come to him by way of a bundled deal. He
wanted several properties a man owned, and because the seller had been
desperate to get out of the money-suck, the residential lot had come with the
rest. The first time Sammi had seen it, it was like a dream come to life. He’d
imagined this house, complete with a swing in the front yard, for his own. That
had been almost three years ago, and renovating it had been a process, building
dreams out of lumber, marble and tile.

“One-story or two?” Autumn asked.

“One.”

And plenty of room to scoot my future wheelchair around.

Sammi shook his head to free himself from the thought. They
had a limited time to enjoy their life together and morbid thoughts about his
deteriorating health weren’t going to help.

“What would you say to moving in with me?” Sammi asked,
flashing her his most charming smile.

“Gee, let me think. Move in with my husband—or not?” She put
her finger to her chin.

“Hey now.” Sammi pulled her closer and glared.

Autumn merely laughed and pushed at his chest. “I have to
think this over.”

Sammi glanced up and down the beach. There was no one
around, just a tent with the resort logo. The closest group of people was
easily fifty yards away. He swept Autumn up into his arms. She giggled and
squirmed, but not too much. He carried her into the tent, which was set up for
a beach massage. Judging by the stripped-down table and pile of towels, the
massage was over.

Sammi placed her on the edge of the table and held her
there.

“Let me see if I can persuade you, Sunshine.” He nuzzled her
neck, which seemed longer, more elegant with her hair pulled up.

Autumn shivered and arched her back. “I don’t know if you’re
persuasive enough.”

“Well the least I can do is try, right?” Sammi pulled his
sunglasses off and tossed them on the table.

Autumn shed her sunglasses as well and their gazes locked.
The shades had kept her eyes hidden from him. There was hunger there, an
insatiable kind he craved.

They reached for each other at the same moment. Her legs
wrapped around his waist as their lips clashed in a needy kiss of open mouths.
She tasted sweet, like the fruity beverage she’d been drinking all morning. He
thrust his tongue into her mouth and she sucked it.

Sammi groaned and rocked forward, rubbing his hardening cock
against her. Autumn rolled her hips and increased the pressure. It felt good.
Better than good. Great.

“Sammi, I’m horny,” Autumn moaned.

He was not about to shirk his husbandly duties.

Inner Lip Tattoo—Tattoos on the lower inner lip. Often a
single word or image that can be seen when the lip is pulled down flush with
the chin.

Autumn kept her eyes partially closed, watching Sammi’s
reaction. He paused, studying her, his features taut. For a moment he didn’t
move, and she worried he would say no. Too much too soon.

She always did jump in the deep end headfirst.

Sammi pulled a condom from the inner pocket on his swim
trunks and slapped it down next to her.

Relief was a sweet song singing in her veins. She reached
for him and he wrapped his arms around her.

His kiss made her stomach flutter, the way he drew her
bottom lip into his mouth and gently sucked it. They’d had sex a few hours ago
but she wanted him again. Now. She needed it.

Sammi pulled at the strings holding her bikini top and it
fell onto her lap. She arched her back and sighed when he ran his fingers over
her nipples. The sensation on her breasts of skin on skin had her pussy
clenching. She put her hands on the table and dropped her chin to watch him
study the intricate swirls on her chest.

The tattoos were an adaptation of a Hindi design done in
full color. They made her feel beautiful, feminine.

Sammi ran his finger along one of the lines in bright
orange, following the design lightly. She bit her lip harder and forced herself
to sit still. His focus, the touch, where they were, it created a sense of want
where she was the center.

He switched to the other breast and though he followed the
same lines as before, his gaze was on her face, studying her. She made herself
look at him, share what she felt with him.

Usually she kept something of herself back from a new
partner. Some people only wanted wild sex or to experience her charms.

Sammi was different. They were committed. Until death did
they part.

His gaze was intense. Consuming. The dark brown of his eyes
seemed more black in the shade of the tent.

He lifted his other hand so that he cupped each breast,
swiping his thumbs back and forth. Suddenly he tweaked the bars through her
nipples. Not hard, just enough to surprise and send a jolt of adrenaline-laced
lust through her system.

“Your breasts are pretty fucking fantastic.” He grinned and
thumbed the barbell piercings again, making her squirm even more.

“Let’s do the fucking part.” Autumn grabbed the condom
packet and ripped it open. She wasn’t shy when it came to using protection.
Birth control and regular doctor’s visits were part of her routine.

She pushed his swim trunks down until his cock bobbed toward
her, hard and ready. Sammi gripped the edge of the table and leaned back. His
eyes drifted closed as she grasped his shaft and pumped him. Earlier she hadn’t
gotten this kind of touch. It had been more about Sammi and pleasing him. Now
she got to touch him, feel him and figure out what he liked. Besides her
breasts.

Autumn rolled the condom on his penis, taking a detour to
roll his balls in the palm of her hand. He jumped a little when she ran her
finger along the crease and back farther. She muffled her chuckle by pressing a
kiss to his shoulder.

Sammi grasped the sides of her bikini bottoms and tugged
them down, off her legs, leaving her naked and sitting on the table.

“You’re making me crazy.” He swept his gaze down her body.

“I think you’ve always been a little crazy,” she replied.

Sammi stepped between her knees, so close but not close
enough. “I’ve never had sex outside before, and now it’s going to be twice. In
one day.”

Autumn laughed, she couldn’t help it. “I’m totally
corrupting you. Besides, it’s a great place for a new experience. Come here. I
want you inside me.”

“Hell yes. That’s what I like to hear.”

Sammi hooked his arms under her knees and pulled her forward
until she almost hung off the side. She grinned and maybe giggled a little. She
was flying high on a tidal wave of lust and desire. He positioned himself at
her entrance and Autumn couldn’t help but stare. He’d felt big earlier, but she
hadn’t realized just how well-hung he was.

“Look at me,” Sammi demanded.

Her pulse fluttered at the growled command.

Oh yes please.

Autumn lifted her chin and locked gazes with him.

She could see the muscles in his body tense and felt the slow
drag of his latex-wrapped flesh sliding against her. Her jaw dropped and she
sucked in a breath as he continued the agonizing, slow assault on her body.
Usually she needed clitoral stimulation in order to orgasm, but she wondered if
she could come just from the feel of his cock in her vagina.

“Almost,” he muttered. Sammi grabbed her left knee and
hooked it over his elbow. This rocked her back on her hands a bit, but the
change to the angle was heavenly.

He withdrew a little and thrust again, matching his slow
entry until he was fully seated inside her. They froze, face to face, panting.
Sweat had broken out along his forehead and his mouth hung open.

Perfect for kissing.

She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him in for a
sloppy kiss. He rocked forward and she moaned as sensation radiated out from
her clit.

Sammi pulled away from her, withdrawing almost all of his
length. She forced her eyes to remain open, locking her gaze with his. There
was something so commanding about the sexual side of Sammi that turned her on
in an unexpected way.

He thrust hard and fast into her, startling a gasp from her
lips.

“Sorry,” he said quickly and froze.

“No. No, it felt good. Again.”

His brow creased in a way that made her think he didn’t
quite believe her, but he said “Okay” anyway.

With her leg still over his arm, he placed one hand on the
table and complied with her request. His withdrawal was slow, steady and
purposeful, the surge back into her rough, fast and touching all the right
places.

“Again,” she gasped.

Sammi didn’t hesitate this time. He nibbled on her shoulder,
neck and ear while continuing the assault on her body, driving into her. The
angle was just right, hitting the spot deep inside her that sent off sparks of
sensation in her core.

“Oh, don’t stop.” She dug her fingers into the back of his
neck as the intangible wave began to build inside her. Her pussy grew even
wetter as desire coiled tighter and tighter.

“Are you going to come?” he whispered into her ear.

“Fuck yes.” At the last moment, her breath hitched into a
keening wail as her orgasm broke, startling her with its sudden roll over her.
It was delicious and sweet and oh so right.

Sammi continued to rock into her, drawing the orgasm out as
long as it would go, holding her and kissing her brow. He seemed to know when
the sensation abated, leaving her limp and worn-out in the best way possible.

“Was it good?” he asked, but without the cockiness she’d
expect from him.

Autumn stretched and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Yes.”

His grin was a slow sunrise. “Good.”

She squeezed his cock with her internal muscles. “You
didn’t.”

“Not yet.” He rocked against her and she hummed at the
ripples of pleasure radiating from her pussy.

“Let’s fix that?”

“It’s got to be fast.”

“Why?” She frowned. Was this a need?

He leaned forward and whispered, “I hear voices.”

Autumn clapped her hand over her mouth and nodded. It
wouldn’t be the first time she was caught having sex, but it did add a certain
element of danger.

“Lean over the table for me?” he asked quietly, a mischievous
tilt to the corners of his mouth that she liked.

Autumn nodded and Sammi pulled out and helped her off the
table. She turned around and leaned over the padded surface. The table was
almost exactly like what she used for tattooing. She gripped the far edge and
glanced over her shoulder.

Sammi palmed her ass with one hand and pushed her farther
forward with the other until she was at the perfect angle.

Fast. This was going to be a quickie, but later she’d get to
drag it out.

He thrust back into her pussy, slick with her orgasm. She
groaned, muting the sound with her forearm, and held on to the table. He thrust
hard, holding on to her hip and the table to keep her from moving in the sand.

The sound of the waves, seagulls and yes, the distant murmur
of voices meshed with the slap of skin, the gasp of a breath and an escaped
moan.

Autumn let go of the table, which was dangerous. With each
thrust Sammi pushed her thighs against the table and inched them across the
tent. She reached between her legs and found the steel circle piercing her
clitoral hood. He thrust a little harder and she had to curl her toes into the
sand and squeeze her eyes shut as little fireworks went off behind her eyelids.

Hot damn.

She resumed her quest, finding her erect clit and massaging
it.

Sammi dug his fingers into her hips hard enough to leave
marks. Chances were he was close.

Autumn flicked the ring back and forth, sending electric-like
jolts up her spine.

Behind her, Sammi’s thrusts became rough, uneven. He groaned
and surged up into her hard once, twice, three times.

She tweaked the hard nubbin the moment she felt his body
tense and freeze behind her. Autumn bit her forearm to keep from screeching as
she followed him over the cliff into orgasm a second time.

After several long moments Sammi withdrew from her body,
smoothing his hands down her back, over her hips and pressing a quick kiss to
her shoulder.

She stretched, feeling luxuriously tired and ready for a
long nap. Her legs had the consistency of rubber and she really needed a shower
now.

“Here.” Sammi handed her the discarded pieces of her bikini,
a conspirator’s smile on his face.

She grinned back and shook the sand out of her swimsuit.
“This is going to chafe like a motherfucker.”

“Let’s go back to the room for a shower.” He wrapped the
condom in a bit of trash and put it in a receptacle that seemed to belong with
the massage setup.

Autumn tilted her head to the side. “We need to go now. I
hear someone coming.”

Sammi snatched his shorts and pulled them on, grimacing, no
doubt because the sand really was everywhere.

They crept out of the tent, hand in hand, only to run into
three people dressed in khaki shorts and white polos. They blinked at the
couple, who dissolved into laughter and darted around them.

* * * * *

Autumn fidgeted with her napkin and tried not to look at the
other restaurant patrons. Over the last two days since getting hitched she
hadn’t worn more than a bikini, but tonight Sammi wanted to treat her to a nice
dinner.

It was a wonderfully sweet sentiment, except a nice dinner
to her was any restaurant that didn’t have a drive-thru, shrink-wrap its
utensils, or was easily identified by a commercial jingle. Not establishments
that had reservations and waiters with little white towels over their arms.

“You okay?” Sammi asked for the fifth time at least.

“Yeah, of course,” she smiled and lied through her teeth.

I am so not dressed for this.

Though most of the men at the restaurant wore either casual
clothing or business attire, the women were glamorous. Expensive jewelry,
perfectly styled hair, clothing that probably cost what she earned in six
months. And here she was with her bargain-bin sundress and jewelry she’d bought
at a street fair. At least her makeup was quality. She had a thing for the
nicer brands, so that was where she chose to spend her cash.

Autumn had always been aware of where her status fell in the
range of Sammi’s friends. But now things were different. Before, he’d invited
her to parties, hanging out on a boat or something at his place. She wasn’t one
of his friends who went to dinners, shopping or out to the super fancy clubs.
That wasn’t her place.

For the first time in years Autumn felt out of her element.

Women glanced at her, seeing only the tattoos and colorful
hair. She was used to that. But on her terms. If she was at the store and
someone turned their nose up at her she could flip them the bird and tell them
to go fuck themselves. Now she was on their turf and the tables were turned.

Sammi reached under the table and took her hand. “Hey,
what’s bugging you?”

“Nothing.” She twisted the wedding ring on her left hand and
squeezed his with her right.

“Autumn, seriously, you’re bugging out.” His forehead
creased and the corners of his mouth were turned down.

“I’m okay.”

“Really? Then why are you bouncing your leg and messing with
the napkin? You keep nudging your water glass across the table. Do you not like
this place?” He really didn’t get it, and while it was cute, the socioeconomic
differences couldn’t be clearer to her.

“No, it’s beautiful,” she insisted.

And it was. The carpet was a deep burgundy, the walls white,
all the windows open with long curtains billowing in the breeze, and the table
and decor screamed class and wealth. It wasn’t the place that bothered her.

The waiter approached their table, his nose in the air.
Apparently even to work here a person had to be entitled. He set their drinks
down and straightened, somehow managing to adjust his suit jacket as he did so.

“Are you ready to order, sir?”

Sammi glanced at her.

Shit.

“Uh, I’m sorry, I haven’t really looked at the menu,” she
admitted.

“Why don’t you bring us out some salads and we can go from
there,” Sammi suggested.

The waiter didn’t even glance in her direction. “Certainly,
sir. I’ll have that right out.”

Autumn peered around, wondering where the bathroom was.
Maybe she could escape?

“Should we leave?” Sammi asked.