Otherwise Engaged: A Fake Engagement Romance

Bennett eased his car down the narrow gravel lane, carefully navigating a series of curves and small hills, kicking up a cloud of dust in our wake. He slowed to a stop where the road came to an end and shifted the car into park, killing the ignition. We were far enough out of the city that the only light came from the half moon, casting his strong features in shadows.

Curiosity piqued, I surveyed our surroundings through the window but found only tall, mature trees and utter darkness. “Um…where are we?” I asked. “Are you sure we aren’t trespassing?”

“Ian and Laura closed on this land last week.” Bennett unfastened his seatbelt and released it, letting it hit the door panel with a clang. The power seat controls hummed as he moved his seat away from the steering wheel, reclining it slightly. “Couple acres. They’re going to build on it, but right now, it’s vacant. And completely isolated.”

He shrugged out of his suit jacket, tossing it into the backseat, and I watched, mesmerized, as he deftly rolled up his shirt sleeves. In the sliver of pale moonlight, the veins in his exposed forearms did something to my brain—and other parts of my body.

When he turned to face me, the hunger in his expression was evident even in the dark interior. He inclined his head, beckoning me with one hand. “Get over here.”

In the silence of the vehicle cabin, his voice was deep and commanding, the order utterly impossible to resist. A thrill ran through my body, like plunging downhill on a rollercoaster. I’d never had car sex before. I wasn’t one to be reckless—which decisively ruled out all forms of exhibitionism—but in this case, I trusted him.

His eyes stayed fixed on me, jaw tensed, while I hiked up my dress and crawled over the middle console. It was difficult to make the process appear graceful, but the spellbound look on his face told me that he didn’t care. I started to lower myself to straddle him in the driver’s seat, but the bottom of my dress dug into my thighs, restricting my range of movement.

“Now,” Bennett growled. He hooked his fingers beneath the hem of my dress and slid it higher, giving me space to spread my legs wider. Then he grabbed me by the waist and yanked me down against him, eliciting a soft gasp from my lips. Without underwear, my bare center pressed directly against the fabric covering his erection. I swiveled my hips, and a sound of appreciation rumbled in the back of his throat in response.

“Now who’s bossy?” I asked.

“You knew exactly what you were doing.” His palm connected with the curve of my behind. A loud smack punctuated the air, and I let out a yelp, more out of surprise than pain. He rubbed the spot he’d just spanked, squeezing it.

“You started it.”

His hand slid up the back of my neck, gripping the roots of my hair. “Glad I did.” He nipped at my jawline. “That was fucking hot.”

Bennett tilted my face toward his and his lips crushed mine. When our tongues brushed together, my fingertips dug into his shoulders, toes curling with pleasure. He wrapped an arm around my waist and held me against him, devouring me. It was dominant, demanding, and rendered me completely drunk with desire. I’d have failed a Bennett breathalyzer on the spot.

I unfastened the top buttons of his dress shirt, working my way down until the crisp cotton fell open, and he tugged it off, tossing it aside. My hands glided down his bare chest, exploring the stacks of muscle beneath his perfect, taut skin. Liquid heat pooled between my legs, a need for him sparking into a flame. I had never craved someone the way I did with him, and I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to it.

My breath stilled as Bennett slowly trailed his fingers along my back, his touch deliberate and full of sinful promises. When he landed on the zipper of my dress, he paused and smiled against my lips, sending a flutter through my belly. In a flash, I was left in nothing but my lacy black demi-cup bra. A fire ignited behind his eyes as they raked down my body, lingering on my breasts like he was trying to memorize every peak and every valley.

“Let’s get this out of the way, too,” he said. Reaching behind me, he deftly unfastened the band of my bra and removed it in one swift motion. Cool air hit my nipples, and they tightened. He caressed the pebbled buds with his thumbs, letting out a deep, rumbly groan when they hardened even more beneath his touch. Something about his gaze was reverent, like he was cherishing every inch of my skin.

“How are you so perfect?” He lifted his chin to look at me, expression almost pained.

“I’m not.”

“Trust me,” he said. “You are.”

His hands slid under my thighs, gripping, while my skin hummed beneath his touch. He hoisted me up slightly and leaned in, dark hair tumbling over his forehead as he grazed my sensitive nipple with his teeth. An electric shock of pleasure shot through me, hips rocking. A needy whimper escaped my lips, and his hold on my thighs tightened in response to the sound.

Bennett swirled his tongue around my nipple, teasing me with torturous precision. My head rolled back, and my fingers sank into his hair, silently urging him on. Another rush of heat flooded my body, a desperate need for more of him everywhere, all over me.

I was nearly delirious with need when he pulled back, lifting his chin to look up at me. He watched my face as he yanked me down against him, lifting his hips to meet me halfway. His rock-hard erection hit the perfect spot between my legs, and my pelvis tilted, grinding against him instinctively in response. The heavenly friction between our bodies was both a relief and a tease, so close yet so far from what we both craved.

“Thay,” Bennett growled, leaning back against the leather seat. “You’re going to be my undoing.”

I could have said the same about him. Before, I’d always been take-it-or-leave it when it came to sex. Dry spells didn’t bother me—and I’d had lots of them, by choice. But with Bennett, it was completely different. By the time I tugged open his belt buckle, I was so intoxicated with lust that it was like unwrapping a present.

He wasted no time sliding out of his pants, taking off his black boxer briefs at the same time. Then he pulled me closer and positioned us so I was straddling him again, only this time we were both naked. My breasts brushed his bare chest while I rested my hands on his shoulders, hyperaware of every junction where our skin touched. His thick shaft pressed against my lower stomach, but the expression on his face was more tender than lustful.

We lingered, looking at each other in the dark for a couple of heartbeats, neither of us saying anything. Bennett smoothed his palms along the sides of my ribcage and squeezed me. He brought one hand up to cup my face, tracing my lower lip with the pad of his thumb.

His mouth tugged into an affectionate grin. “Hi, beautiful.”

“Hi,” I whispered, running my fingertips along the groomed stubble that shaded his jaw.

Something about the moment felt precious, unlike anything I’d ever experienced. But there was a hint of bitterness beneath the candy-coated shell, a silent understanding that the clock was ticking, and sooner or later, we’d have to face reality. If not ending this, then owning up to things we were both afraid to admit.

For a moment, it looked like he was about to say something, but he didn’t. He wrapped his hand around the back of my neck, bringing my mouth to his for a gentle kiss instead.

“Let me grab a condom,” Bennett murmured. “There are some in my overnight bag.” He leaned back and reached behind him into the backseat, rummaging around blindly for a moment before emerging with a foil wrapper. In one smooth movement, he tore it open, and I leaned back against the steering wheel behind me to give him space while he furrowed his brow, unrolling it over his length.

He glanced back up at me and his large hands splayed possessively against my hips, guiding me as I sank down. I took him in slowly, relishing the sensation of him stretching me. It was intoxicating and addictive, like our bodies were made to be joined together.

“Oh, God,” I whimpered. I started to rock back and forth and my grip on his shoulders tightened, his hold on me following suit. Our pace quickened, turning desperate and heated. An overwhelming wave of pleasure started to build within my core, and my eyelids drifted shut as the sensation started to overtake me.

His fingers dug into my hips, slowing me down. “Look at me.”

I slowed down, reopening my eyes, and when our gazes locked, his expression softened. Something unspoken clicked into place between us. It was the most intimate experience I’d had in my entire life.

“There you are,” he said, flattening his palm against the small of my back.

Our lips came together, and his tongue swept against my bottom lip, easing into my mouth. I sank down, taking him even deeper than before, and we both drew in a shaky breath. When I lifted myself up again, Bennett reached between us and pressed his thumb against my sensitive bundle of nerves, sending a rush of white-hot pleasure through my center.

We found a blissful, lazy pace, savoring each other. He watched me, eyes hooded, stroking my center in perfect rhythm with me riding him. Heat rushed to my face; a telltale sign I was almost at the peak. Bennett grabbed my waist to lift me up and slammed into me from below, hitting a spot that made me see stars. My breath caught, walls clenching around him. Even with me on top, he was now completely in control.

“That’s it, baby.” He flexed his hips, hitting the same, euphoric spot again. “Come for me.”

Everything exploded in a ball of bright, shimmering light, and I moaned against his mouth, nails digging into his bare shoulders. Wave after wave of pleasure flooded my body, overtaking me. A chorus of pleas escaped my lips, crying out his name and begging him not to stop.

“Thay.” Bennett groaned, gripping me tightly as he jerked with one final, brutal thrust. I felt him throb inside me with release while the rest of his body stilled.

After a couple of seconds, he let out a sated sigh and wrapped his arms around me. He brushed my neck with his lips, rubbing small circles along my lower back. Limp with exhaustion, I rested my forehead on his shoulder and breathed in his comforting scent, smoothing my palms down his sculpted upper arms. It was like reading a map I knew by heart; every inch of his body had grown familiar to me, from the shape of his biceps to the way our bodies felt tangled together.

Unspoken words lingered between us, but I wasn’t sure we’d both say the same thing.

We stayed suspended in a bubble of quiet, comfortable intimacy, until our heart rates gradually slowed, breathing returning to normal. But inwardly, I felt nothing like normal—he’d taken a piece of my heart somewhere along the way, and I wasn’t even sure he realized it.