Chapter 174

The press behind Charles’ kiss pushed me towards the door between the apartments, but I’d already made David and Theo feel awkward enough, so I ducked out from under Charles’ arms.

“Not here,” I said.

He let out a little growl and chased after me, catching me, and the two of us tumbled to the couch. He fumbled with the buckle on his belt, and the moment he had his zipper down, his erection sprang free. He kept his lips pressed to mine, his kisses heated and slightly frantic, manic energy driving him.

I wrapped my hand around his erection and gripped it, whispering words between our joint lips. “Condom.”

Charles let out a groan and backed away from me. “You really know how to kill a mood.”

I scowled at him. “Don’t be like that,” I said. “Things have been stressful in our lives. And I have, for one reason or another, not been on top of insisting you wear one. But that doesn’t change my fears.”

“Maybe it should,” he pointed out. “After all, you’re now being commended by the palace itself. That’s pretty much an endorsement from the king. I think you’re about as safe as you’re going to get, especially if you continue to have a writing career where you bust apart bad guys and their enterprises.”

“Safety was only one factor. Remember, I wanted a chance to get my career off the ground. We haven’t even announced our engagement yet. And the last thing I want to do is have my marriage to a prominent alpha with a giant belly under my wedding dress.”

He let out a sigh. “Okay. But there’s a condition.”

“What?” I asked.

“That as soon as the attention is off of you for busting Anothony Bellweather, we announce our engagement. I’d do it now, but I’m afraid that the good news would get lost in everything going on around your breaking stories. And when we announce, I want people’s attention to be on you for the beautiful bride-to-be you will be.”

I smiled at him. “Done,” I agreed.

He stood, pulled me off the sofa, and adjusted his pants so that they would stay above his hips, leading me into the bedroom. I followed along; my heart truly light for the first time in a very long time.

Charles flopped down on the bed, kicking his pants off and letting them fall to the floor. I went around to the nightstand and pulled the box of condoms out of the top drawer, setting them on the edge of the nightstand stand, below the lamp.

“We can do our foreplay without a condom,” I said.

He let out another growl, a twinkle in his eye. “You’re just out to torture me today, aren’t you?”

I wrinkled my nose in his direction. “We can do it your way,” I said. “And I’m sure you’ll get me to cum. You don’t often fail at that.” I crawled across the bed on all fours, my eyes gleaming at him. “But if you take a little time and play with me first, you could leave me screaming. Which one do you want?”

Charles growled and rolled, grabbing me and yanking me toward him. He jerked the front of my shirt open hard enough that the buttons popped and flew off, scattering across the covers. He buried his face between my breasts, nipping at the lace of my bra.

“I want you to scream,” he growled. “I want you so loud that not just David and Theo notice, but all of the rest of the neighbors, as well.”

Charles proceeded to mangle my clothing. He tore them from my body, tossing them to the floor as if the outfit was disposable. Then he applied himself to all my most sensitive spots, using his tongue, his fingers, and his kisses to draw out moans from my body until I was shaking and gripping him, desire rippling just below the surface of my skin, begging to be set free.

He backed off and gave me a wicked grin, slowly taking his own clothing off, tormenting me. But then again, I’d asked for it.

“The condom,” I gasped, pointing towards the nightstand.

He just shook his head, his grin growing ever more wicked. “I’m not done with you yet.”

This time, he pushed my knees apart, teasing the edges of my entrance with the soft, rounded tip of his erection, smoothing his sensitive skin across mine. His breaths stayed deep and controlled as he teased us both.

He would slide the tip just inside, making me gasp and struggle to refrain from pulling him all the way in. My brain fumbled as I tried to hold to the will of insisting he wore a condom. He was very close to me giving up just one more time in favor of instant gratification.

The rounded tip smoothed across my lower lips and caught on the very rim, and I gasped, reaching around and cupping his buttocks with my palms, fully intent on shoving him inside.

The door burst open, and to my mortification, Gwen swept into the room. The sight of her son naked and poised over his girlfriend didn’t seem to bother her at all, as she made no mention of the compromising situation. Instead, she marched past us and snatched the box of condoms from the night table. At the same time, she tossed the corner of the covers over the two of us.

“I’m glad I found you like this,” she said. Gwen blushed. “Well, not precisely like this like this, but together and happy anyway. I think you obviously know why I’m here.”

She gave me a look with shining eyes. “Elena, I can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done for my late husband, Charles’ father. I’ll never be able to repay you. And Charles, I don’t care what you have to do or sacrifice. There is no other woman that I would want to see you have for a wife. You need to find a way to make a marriage between the two of you happen.”

Her eyes sparkled at me. “I would be honored to have you for a daughter-in-law.”

She strode toward the door, shaking the box of condoms in the air beside her. “You won’t be needing these,” she declared. And she left the room, shutting the door behind her.

Charles shot me the most pathetic look I’d ever seen from him. “Please don’t tell me that killed the mood. Not to mention the fact that she ran off with the condoms.” He ran his finger between my legs and over my lady bits as he said this. “I’m still in the mood.”

A shudder of desire rippled through me. “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I need to finish, too.”

With that, he thrust himself inside, clamping a hard kiss on my lips. “I’ll pull out,” he promised.

We’d gotten ourselves so excited before Gwen had come in that within just a few minutes of Charles entering me, the two of us were gasping out our climaxes into one another’s shoulders, clinging to each other with all of the emotion that had built between us. Though, knowing his mother was in the other room, I bit back the screams I’d promised him. I needed to salvage a little dignity.

The knowledge that his mother was in the other room had Charles up and off the bed and into the shower in no time. I hurried after him, cleaning myself up but not actually joining for a full shower. We could do that some other time.

If he felt self-conscious about having his mother catch him, I was so embarrassed that I wasn’t entirely sure how I was going to face her again. But at least I knew we had her unconditional blessing on our marriage.

Charles and I could talk about the fact that she absconded with our condoms later. Now that my life and work situation were better in hand, I was convinced that I needed to marry Charles regardless of what I had to do to be the perfect alpha wife.

I would find a way because whatever torture I might find in fitting Gwen’s expectations, it would be far more torturous to live without Charles.

We were just finishing putting our clothes on when a commotion in the main room attracted our attention. We rushed the rest of the way into our outfits.

“Charles, Elena, I need you out here,” Theo called through the door. His voice sounded tight, angry, and barely under control.

Charles and I exchanged one worried glance before hurrying out to the living room. The scene that met my eyes stunned me. Anthony Bellwether stood in our living room, hands in the air. Theo pointed a gun straight at his chest. On the other side of the living room, David physically restrained Gwen from going after Anthony.

“What’s the meaning of all of this?” Charles thundered.

With placating gestures at Theo, Anthony carefully lowered himself to his knees. His face was an unsettling shade of white, and fear wrapped itself around all of his features.

“I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “I’m so sorry for all the trouble that I’ve caused, for everything that I’ve done.” He looked at Charles, Gwen, and Theo, each in turn. “I know no amount of apologizing will make up for the fact that I’ve ruined your lives or the lives of your loved ones. But I think I might have something to offer you to help make up for it.”