He gripped her ass, pushing her further onto the bed before reaching up and pinning her arms above her head. Her hands meshed with his as he levered above her. His chest dripped sweat that mingled with her own, as he drove into her with such passion and power that the world was tearing apart at the seams.
“Jack,” she whimpered, looking up into his face. He looked down, into the most beautiful green eyes, eyes that reflected more than just lust. There was something else there that he craved more than release. She repeated his name, her pupils going wide right before she squeezed them shut and began to shudder.
Her orgasm was too much for him to take. He exploded, every muscle in his body tightening and releasing in an unending spiral that sent him to the stars. His world went white and the only sound he could hear was his own heart and the gasps of Emma beneath him.
Color returned first, the green of her eyes guiding him back into himself. Never had he experienced an orgasm as intense as this. He smiled, tracing the curve of her cheek with his hand. It was her. She was the one who caused him to feel so much more than just the physical side of their love-making.
He lowered his head to hers, kissing her open mouth. He reveled in her taste, taking his time to explore her mouth with his tongue. He didn't want to leave the warm embrace of her body. She wrapped her limbs around him, holding him in place as he kissed her.
Slowly, she released her grip on him as the kiss naturally ended. He had explored her mouth but knew the next time he went to kiss her, he would find it just as exhilarating. Deep down, he knew he would never grow tired of kissing her.
“I think I could get used to this whole being married thing,” she murmured as he slid to her side. He looked over at her profile as she smiled at the ceiling. She was so beautiful, but it wasn't just her body that drove him wild. It was her. She made his heart thump. She made him happy.
He kissed her temple, closing his eyes and savoring the moment. This was all pretend and he knew it. Soon, they would leave and go back to their standard positions in society. He wished that he didn't have to go through the next year without her, but it wouldn't be fair of him to force her into a marriage with his company.
This marriage on the beach wasn't real, but the job he had at his company was. DS Oil and Gas needed him more than Emma did. He couldn't ask her to play second fiddle to his job just because he had found her second. She deserved to be first in every part of his life, and as much as it killed him, he knew he couldn't give that to her.
She cuddled into the depression of his shoulder, snuggling into him as if he had been custom built for her and her alone. He wished he had the guts to tell her who he was, to tell her what he felt right now, but he couldn't. It would only hurt her.
And the only thing he truly couldn't do was hurt her.
Chapter 9
“When does your flight leave again?” Emma asked as she put the few things in her suitcase. She smiled, but her voice was bittersweet.
Jack sighed, shifting his weight on the bed. He didn't want to leave and every time he told her he wished he could move it back. For the millionth time, he wished he could just stay on the island drinking in Emma's saltwater kisses. “It technically leaves whenever I am ready, but, I have to be back in New York by the close of business, so I need to leave in about fifteen minutes.”
He was already packed and the jet fueled. All he had to do was say goodbye. And tell her who he really was.
“I wish you didn’t have to go until evening,” she said quietly, more to herself than to Jack.
“Me too, but planes can only fly so fast,” Jack answered. He shifted his weight again. He thought about leaving and not telling her who he was, but that would just be cruel. His face popped up on more magazines and tabloids than he really preferred and he didn't want her to find out that way.
But he still didn't want to tell her. He didn't want her to look at him the way everyone else did: like a meal ticket or their own personal ATM. He had been dreading this moment for days now. It was the one blight on an otherwise perfect vacation with her.
“Anxious to be off?” she asked, nodding at his tapping toes. He couldn’t seem to sit still. He looked down at his feet and saw his toes tapping against his sandals. He hadn't even realized he had been doing that.
“It’s a good thing I wear covered toe shoes at work,” he murmured glaring at the offending foot. The toes stopped tapping. “I need to tell you something.”
Emma played with the zipper on her suitcase, refusing to look at him. She chewed on her lip and the only thing he could think of doing was kissing her and possibly doing a little chewing of his own.
She looked up at him, straightening her spine and raising her chin. “The secretary you came with... she’s actually your wife, right?”
He laughed. “No, not by a long-shot.” His face darkened, and he stood up and took her hands in his. She had been watching him all morning, her green eyes taking in his every movement. She was able to read his emotions like a book, yet he knew this was going to be a surprise. “I haven’t been completely honest with you about what I do. I’m the new CEO of DS Oil and Gas.”
She snorted in disbelief. “I knew you had money, Jack, but a billionaire? Be serious.”
He held her in his eyes, wishing she could stay ignorant of his status forever. But he knew she couldn't. He had to do this. “I am serious. My father is the founder and owner of DS Oil and Gas. This is my last vacation before going back to take over the company. When my father steps down, I’ll be in charge of the company.”
She frowned, her brow going dark as she pulled her hands away from his. “DS Oil and Gas? What are you talking about Jack?”
He smiled sadly. “I love that you don’t know that. Here,” he said pulling out his phone and pulling up a video. He placed it in her hands and watched her face as it played.
It was one he had grown up with, played at every social function or company party he ever went to. He remembered smiling with his father for the end frame of the two of them by an oil well. It had been a good day, that day. His father had scheduled in the entire day for filming, but it ended up only taking about an hour. His father had declared it a day for the two of them. They had gone and sat in a local hamburger shop and talked for hours.
“The video is a little old, but it’s the one everyone knows. DS stands for Daniel Saunders, my father,” Jack said, taking the phone from her hands. Her mouth hung open in a pale face. Jack gently reached over and pushed her chin up. While she could read his thoughts like a book, she was a mystery to him. A delightful, heartwarming mystery.