Imperfect Match (Elixir Bachelor Billionaires #1)

“Does that mean my favorite girl thinks about it too?” He grins.

His favorite girl.

Oh. My. God.

I’m going to die from all of this swooning.

There’s a ringing of his cellphone, but instead of reaching for it, Charles opens the window latch, and we walk to the patio.

“Ready?” he asks, grinning like a kid on Christmas morning.

“For what?” I’m unable to hold back my own smile.

He points his finger toward the sky, where fireworks go off one after another, resembling shooting stars.

My heart is beating so loud and fast right now I think I might just die of a heart attack.

“Make a wish fast, wife.”

I wish there could be a world where this suffocating man standing beside me could want the same things as I do, and for whom my wishes and dreams, however silly they may be, mean the same to him as they do for me.

When the last firework goes up, I turn around and throw myself in Charles’ arms.

He catches me immediately.

“How the hell did you do that? You are this broody, scowling man for the entire evening, and then you…you arrange fireworks like shooting stars for me. Do you suffer from multiple personality disorder?”

“Can I not be a simple man with a brilliant idea to make his wife smile?” He grins, looking me in the eye.

“You’re anything but simple, Charles Hawthorne.” My hands find their way to his hair.

I get to see Charles’ killer smile for only one more second before his lips slam against mine. There’s a buzzing electricity that sparks from my lips and travels throughout my body, leaving goose bumps in its wake. With me still in his arms, Charles takes a few steps forward until he has my back flat against the wall.

His chest presses against mine. His hard erection pokes at my center through our clothes, and slowly, his hand goes from my waist to the back of my neck. I have no clue how he’s doing it, but Charles’ touch is equally possessive and tender.

My arms lock around his neck like a lifeline. I’m completely lost in him, sensations drowning me in his spell.

We pull apart for oxygen only for a second before Charles’ lips are back on me. This time, his forehead touches mine, and my heart catapults out of my body.

“Are you ready to beg, my dear wife?” His voice is hoarse, a tone I’ve never heard.

A part of me is about to scream yes, but my brain, which thankfully still has some cells working, is telling a different story.

My body has started to react around Charles in a way that is unacceptable. If I want to have any chance at keeping my heart safe from this man, I shouldn’t forget the reality of this marriage.

I slowly shake my head.

Instead of being disappointed, a sly grin takes over Charles’ face. “Then I’ll be waiting for the moment you are.”

It’s been a few days since Charles surprised me with the fireworks. During this time, we’ve touched the flame of passion, but every time he asks, “Ready to beg, my dear wife?” I shake my head.

As much as my body is screaming at me to drop to my knees and pray at his pedestal, I know this would be the craziest thing I’ve ever done.

For the past thirty minutes, I’ve been doing nothing but staring at my computer screen as if it holds the answers to my questions.

How long will I be able to resist if Charles continues to tempt me this way?

I jerk in my seat at the sound of an incoming text.