Chapter 21

Blake stared at the woman on his doorstep for a moment. It took a moment for him to realize the beauty in his doorway was his fiancée. His eyes swept over her trendy haircut, the tiny dress clinging to her sensual curves, the baby-doll heels that gave her perfect legs enough leverage for his imagination to run wild.

He blinked and looked again. “You’re looking so incredibly beautiful,” he said. He’d been thinking about her before the doorbell interrupted his thoughts. He’d been considering coming clean with her and revealing why he had proposed to her so suddenly. He wanted to tell her how he truly felt about her and how grateful he was for having her in Sophia’s life.

His heart raced each time he thought about his deception. He owed her the truth. Her entire life had been turned upside down the minute she’d said yes to his marriage proposal. He’d seen how hard she’d fought to hold back her tears when she’d read the insulting piece about her dressing in the newspaper. She’d had to make huge adjustments to her life for him.

“May I come in?” Liya’s sweet voice tugged him back to the present.

He moved aside, still dumbstruck, and followed her to the living room. He couldn’t believe that he’d been rendered speechless. He tried to think of something to say and failed.

“Where’s Sophia?” she asked.

“Mrs. David put her to bed. She had a long day. I took her to the park today.”

“That’s nice,” she said, “I hope you took plenty of photos to show me.”

“Yeah, I did. I’ll show you the pics right after I fix you something to eat.”

“Thank you. I should change into something more comfortable,” she said, “it’s going to take me a while to get used to wearing these shoes.”

He was aware of Liya moving forward and bumping into his rock-solid chest. It was all the invitation Blake needed. His arms snaked around Liya’s waist, pulling her closer so he could inhale her sweet scent. Damn, she smelled as good as she looked. There was something magical in Liya’s transformation — something that made Blake forget his engagement was a farce and lose himself in the moment. He felt like a boy kissing his crush — blood soared through his veins, his pulse throbbed hard, and his stomach coiled in anticipation at what lay ahead. Blake tasted Liya’s berry-flavored lips while his hands explored Liya’s decadently packaged body. He groaned in pleasure when her nipples hardened beneath his touch. He pulled Liya closer, afraid she’d change her mind and pull away. His tongue entwined with hers in a brief dance that threatened to topple his desire over a delicate edge. He paused for a second to take in Liya’s flushed face, the aphrodisiac-like smile playing on her lips and the seductive tilt of her hips. He hadn’t counted on this addictive, sexual attraction as a distraction from his master plan. Why did his body have to complicate things? He was vaguely of his brain warning him of the consequences of giving in to his lust — his need to satisfy the hunger Liya had lit inside him overpowered his sensible side. His mental battle lasted a few seconds.

When Blake returned to the moment, his hands were massaging Liya’s pert buttocks. He raised her dress to get a better feel. He wasn’t going to last much longer in the living room. Then there was the problem of his daughter or housekeeper walking in on them. For once he wanted Liya all to himself. Nobody could hold his need against him — she was his fiancée. Blake carried Liya to his bedroom. Her eyes were half-closed. He took in the satisfied smile dancing on her mouth and anticipated the glazed look in her eyes after he’d made love to her. Once inside his master suite, Blake ripped off his shirt before joining Liya on his bed. Her complexion was a stark contrast to his dark, masculine bedding. Blake removed her dress and took in her underwear-clad body. Until now, being with a woman had only involved hard, emotionless sex. Somehow, since he’d proposed to his daughter’s sexy babysitter, something had changed. His body still craved sex but his heart and soul wanted a part of the action, as well. His erection throbbed painfully in his denims.

Blake sighed. He couldn’t prolong his hunger much longer. Liya’s sudden transformation from girl next door to bombshell fiancée had sent his desire toppling over the edge. Delaying it would mean he’d come in his pants — a nightmare he wished he’d never live through. He removed the scraps of lace covering Liya’s body and tore off his denims and briefs. His erection sprung free. Blake tried his best to control himself. Liya wanted him as much as he wanted her — it was evident in the way she’d given in so easily to his seduction. He wanted nothing more than to consummate his engagement — maybe he didn’t have to fake his engagement much longer because he’d fallen hard for her. he’d tell her how he felt about her later. Right now, he needed to make love to her and show her how much she meant to him.

Blake kissed every inch of his fiancée’s naked body, biting her nipples gently until she gasped in pure pleasure. He was amazed at how much her little squeals of enjoyment fanned his own passionate flames. Liya was the only one that mattered right now. Everything in his world revolved around her in this moment. Nothing else existed. Blake’s universe spun out of control when he finally lost himself inside her warmth.