A Smart Choice: Arranged Marriage Romance Read online

  "The Foundation doesn't need me," my voice is all thick and I think I sound like a moron. Clearing my throat I blink a few times before I dare looking back up at her, "The old bastard's gonna retire someday no matter what, I know the guys on my team at the office, they'll head the place back in the right direction with or without me."

  She's looking at me kinda strange and it's probably not appropriate at all that my dick's getting hard but fuck if I can sit here thinking about the possibility of my baby growing inside her right now, right under where my hand is resting while I hold my breath and wait for her response without getting turned on.

  "But the whole reason you let them go through with this arranged marriage thing was so that your uncle would let you take over."

  Her little hand reaches down and sits on top of mine. Her skin is so fucking soft.

  "None of that matters anyway," I remind her, "if I already fucked it up so bad you won't marry me?"

  I look up, the question as plain in my eyes and voice as I can make it, cause she's talking like the deal might not be off. Like she wants me to take over the Foundation and go through with my plans for it and she knows that's not gonna happen if this falls through.

  Her hand moves over the top of mine, "You're worried that I might be pregnant."

  The sadness-- fuck, the fear-- in her voice cuts me to the bone. I don't have words that are enough to tell her how wrong she is about that so I show her. I show her the best way I possibly can think of.

  Chapter 21

  Stephany

  Devon's talking nonsense at me, saying he's staying in California and not taking over the Foundation and I just don't understand why he would do that. He's been putting up with his Uncle for years now, he went along with an arranged marriage that he didn't want just so he get control of the company, why would he give it up just for me?

  I see the look on his face when he looks down at my stomach, the way he puts his hand there, and I know he's thinking about our weekend. All the times we've had sex in the last 24 hours and he hasn't pulled out once.

  If any other guy had ever said half the stuff Devon said during sex, it would take me right out of the moment. We're talking instant bucket of ice water.

  Telling me he wanted to get me pregnant just made me come even harder.

  Now I have to face the fact that there's a good chance I will get pregnant from this weekend. I did a lot of calculations-- I'm cutting it really close.

  I'm not worried about Devon not being there for his kid, or not paying his share, and I'm not gonna pretend I'm not ready to be a mom. It's just... I wanted a husband, not just a baby daddy, and now I see the look on his face as he touches my stomach and it dawns on me.

  He's had awhile to think it over too. He didn't even want a wife, now he could be stuck with a baby. It's all such a mess.

  It wasn't supposed to go like this at all! That was the whole point of an arranged marriage.

  Is that why he's staying? Why he thinks he has to be with me? For a baby that might not even exist? I can't let him do that. I can't keep him from pursuing his goals. He has a good heart and the Foundation needs him-- the people who need the Foundation need him.

  Maybe there's a chance for us. I want Devon, but I want him to want me. I don't want to be something that he just settles for or gets stuck with.

  It's complicated and I don't know what to do. Then I think of Jaime telling me to give him a chance and I start to think it might be worth trying.

  I don't want him to give up on the Foundation but I know he still needs a wife to make that happen.

  I lay my hand down over his. His hands are so much bigger than mine and his skin is rough. Turns out, he does a lot of volunteer work with the Foundation, building houses and clearing property and stuff like that. I like the way his calloused hands feel masculine.

  His eyes look so sad and it hurts so much to think that he regrets any of our time together since yesterday. It's especially painful to think he might be rethinking anything he said about having babies together.

  When I mention it out loud though, I don't get the response I expected. I get kissed.

  Hard and deep, Devon's mouth is on mine before I have time to finish my words. His tongue pushes past my lips, between my teeth and claims my mouth in a way that erases all my doubts.

  He has my wrist in his hand, pinned to the bed beside my head. I don't know when or how it happened but I'm no longer sitting up against the headboard of my bed, I'm on my back with Devon's whole body over mine.

  His weight presses me into the soft mattress, his chest heavy against my breasts, his pelvis lined up with mine so that I can feel how hard he is.

  I moan into his mouth unintentionally and it's like stoking a fire inside him.

  His mouth renews its assault on mine and I'm helpless to do more than return his kiss while his free hand pushes between us so that he can reach under my tunic and squeeze one breast in his hand.

  My back arches, pushing into his touch. I try to break our kiss, desperate for air as his fingers pinch my hard nipple and roll it with a firm pressure that makes me gasp but he doesn't let my mouth leave his for long.

  It's like he needs to tell me something and this kiss is his only language.

  I think I understand.

  My hips roll, pushing my mound up against the bulge behind his zipper till it settles into my cleft. Devon moves, pressing so there's no question how hard he is. His body language tells me that it's for me, it's because of me.

  He grinds against me, and the tease drives me insane. That pressure on my clit and the unyielding mass of his cock as his hips move with mine-- I need him so much right now.

  I moan when he reluctantly breaks the long kiss to hungrily taste every inch of my flesh. He releases my wrist so that he can pull my top off over my head and then his shirt joins it somewhere across the room.

  With my hands free, I work feverishly to undo his jeans. I need to feel my hands wrapped around him, I want to taste him and take his cock deep in my throat till I gag on his length.

  Devon isn't giving in to my demanding hands. His body slides down mine so that his mouth can devour my breasts. Taking turns with each one, his hands wrapped around them both while he alternates between nipples. Licking, blowing, sucking and tugging gently between his teeth till they're so hard they feel like they could rip through my skin.

  I buck my hips up against his chest, my body instinctively demanding his cock. A garbled sound comes out of my throat and my fingers dig into his shoulders as he slide farther down my torso.

  His hand pushes at my leggings and then peels them off in one quick motion that leaves me naked and needy as his body pushes between my thighs.

  So frustrated as I feel the coarse denim of his jeans rub against my wet pussy. Another noise comes out of me. I'm panting so hard I can't make words.

  Devon laughs, it's short and his voice is thick, "patience, Babydoll," his teeth catch my lower lip between them briefly and then his mouth is working it's way back down, stopping to lay kisses over my stomach.

  "I meant it, Stephany," he whispers coarsely as his hand smooths over the little swell of my stomach that no amount of crunches seem to get rid of, "I meant every word."

  His lips press against my abdomen, "I want my baby inside you." I feel the side of his cheek, his stubble rough on my belly, his hands wide and flat on my sides, "I hope you are pregnant already, I know it sounds barbaric but I mean it. I want us to be bound together by something bigger than either of us."

  I know he means it. I can feel the slight tremble of his hands where they're holding me and I can hear the emotion in his voice even though he's trying so hard to control it.

  He really means it, he wants to marry me, he wants to make babies with me. He'll give up everything he's been working toward to start over with me. For me. If I let him.

  "Devon," I whisper as I spear my fingers through his hair, "I need you, please?" It's a plea, and as much as I mean that I need him to fill
me with his cock right now, I mean that I need him in every way.

  Chapter 22

  Devon

  "Babydoll," my lips are so close to her swollen little clit just my breath as I speak is enough to make her pant for me, "you're so wet for me."

  I can't help but be pleased with the feel of her juices on my fingers as I slide them through her sopping folds. I flick my tongue over her sensitive bud and smile as her entire body shudders violently in a spasm that I could turn into a full fledged orgasm with ease.

  "Please, Devon," Stephany rocks her hips with a low moan, making it easier for me to slide a finger into her tight tunnel. "Oh God please."

  I fucking love making her beg.

  She's so fucking wet that I don't even have to work to get another finger past her entrance and when the extra pressure causes her hips to rise off the bed I take advantage of the opportunity to lock my mouth over her clit.

  Stephany tastes so fucking delicious, I want more. I work a third finger inside her and as soon as I do I feel the walls of her cunt clamp down tight on my fingers. It's all I can do to keep my mouth locked down on her as I fuck her with my hand while I try to ride through her climax.

  When her body is wrung out and lands limply on the bed I let my fingers slip out of her and move my mouth so that I can lick up every last drop of her cum. I clean her with my tongue, taking my time and waiting till she's moaning and asking for my cock again.

  The anticipation almost kills me, my dick is so hard it hurts but this isn't about him. This is about Stephany, about showing her that I can make her feel good. That I'll always make her feel good. I'll put aside everything in my life to make sure she's happy and taken care of, in and out of the bedroom.

  Even if I'm lousy when it comes to words, I can show her. Right now, I'm showing her with my hands and my mouth, but later, I'll show her in other ways too. Ways that aren't just about sex because I know that matters too.

  "Devon," I love the breathless way my name rolls out of her mouth, "give me your cock, please."

  Goddamn that makes the fucker jump. I groan against her pussy, I don't want to take my mouth off her sweet flavor just when she's getting wet again. She tastes so fucking good.

  "I mean it, Devon, I need you to fuck me."

  Holy shit! Hearing Stephany get bossy in bed sends a shot of pure adrenaline rushing through my veins. I drag my tongue through her folds one more time and push my jeans off before climbing between her soft thighs.

  I have to push them wide to make room for me to settle my hips between them and I realize this will be the first time we've done it in plain vanilla missionary.

  Looking down in Stephany's lust filled eyes as I position the head of my cock at her entrance, I wonder how we skipped this position. She's right there, eye to eye with me. I can see her watching me with those bright hazel eyes and as if it's even possible, I feel my cock harden even more.

  Her tits are rosy from the orgasm I wrung out of her and those luscious lips are swollen and red from kissing her hard.

  "I need you to fuck your baby into me."

  A little smile tugs at her lips as she says it, her voice all soft and cute like she feels silly saying it.

  I know it's crazy but I really mean it. I had no idea I'd ever meet a girl that made me crazy to plant my seed inside her. But I'm looking at her.

  I'm looking right in her eyes just inches away as I slip my cock through her gate and feel her tight walls clenching around me already.

  "Babydoll," I try to warn her between my clenched teeth, "if you keep doing that I'm not going to last. It's too fucking good."

  Stephany's mouth is hanging open. She's breathing hard but she's keeping her eyes on mine the whole time.

  "Tell me," she says in a ragged voice, "Tell me again what you want to do to me."

  I fucking lose it right then. Hearing Stephany ask me what I want to do to her is the end of me. I grab her hips and pull her roughly so that her body is fucking me as hard as I'm fucking her. Her nails are digging into my arms as I pound into her.

  "I'm making you mine, Stephany," I tell her in a voice that sounds too feral to be my own, "I'm going to fill you up with my cum until my baby is inside you. Is that what you want to hear?"

  "Yes, Devon! Oh God, yes!"

  Her head tilts back on the pillow and her mouth opens in a silent O. I feel her pussy grab my shaft and milk it at the same time my balls pull up tight and I feel my seed shooting out of me, deep into Stephany's womb.

  Chapter 23

  18 Months Later

  Stephany

  I can't believe how long it took us to get pregnant given how hard we tried. Thank God Uncle Randy decided he didn't want to wait till the baby came.

  Devon's decision to stay in California almost soured the whole deal, even though we got married just like everyone wanted.

  It took a lot of work to convince Randal to sign over the stock to Devon, but once he did, it made Devon the controlling partner.

  We couldn't touch Randy's retirement, but the rest of the Foundation got a major overhaul. All new salary structures from the top down. The lowest paid employees make a decent wage now and the highest paid officers are paid competitively, not extravagantly.

  Moving the headquarters to California would have been more expensive than either of us thought was worth taking from the budget. So the Foundation remains headquartered back east while Devon telecommutes.

  At least my new in-laws turned out not to be anywhere near as obnoxious as my first impression led me to expect. Which is not to say I want them to move out here just to be closer when the baby gets here.

  I like Devon's parents well enough when they're 2000 miles away, I'm not sure that's likely to be the case if they're close enough to babysit.

  "Ready Babydoll?" Devon's breath tickles my ear and his deep voice tickles places much lower down as he comes up behind me and kisses my neck before catching me by the waist and spinning me around to face him.

  Dropping down on his knee he runs his hands over my belly and asks "are you ready, baby?" before kissing me there too.

  Everyone promises that the nausea is supposed to stop any day now and by this time next month I'm supposed to be so horny I'll tie Devon to the bed. Not that he'd mind.

  Devon grabs our bags as I adjust my Seabands-- they really do help with the nausea. At least the puking didn't last more than the first few weeks. I know a lot of women who have been pretty jealous of that. I haven't told them that I never stopped being horny for Devon. If my second trimester makes that worse, we're going to need someone to bring us food.

  Just starting my 4th month, plenty of time to travel still. Which is a good thing for Kyle.

  "Did you get everything?" I ask my husband as I follow him out to the car.

  "Everything but you two," Devon grins as he opens the passenger door for me.

  The brooding man I met on our first date is gone-- well, he's still pretty brash about taking what's his and I'm not complaining about that. I don't think I've seen him unhappy since I agreed to marry him, and since I got pregnant he won't stop smiling.

  Everything he does is for me and the baby.

  "Are we still picking up Jaime?" I ask.

  That was the plan, last I heard. I don't want to fly while I'm still getting motion sick so easily so we're driving to Santa Fe for the last round of interviews.

  We could have finished them up online, but we all agreed that we wanted to meet Ashton in person before we fly him out here to put him and Kyle through "first date hell" as Jaime likes to call it.

  "Yup, picking Jaims up at your old place and then hopping on the freeway. Shouldn't take more than 2 days unless you're not feeling up for the long hours in the car."

  Jaime and her new boyfriend bought my house from me after Devon and I moved into something with a few more bedrooms. He needs a dedicated office and we wanted at least 2 more rooms to fill with kids.

  Once everyone gets settled in, Devon points us toward New Mexi
co.

  "Did anyone actually tell Kyle where we're going?" Jaime asks after we're on our way.

  Devon and I both laugh.

  "What's so funny?" Jaime leans forward between the front seats.

  "Devon sent Kyle to Honduras," I tell her.

  "What? Why?"

  "So he'll get out of my hair and stop telling me how to tell if a guy is hot," Devon tells her.

  Jaime falls back in her seat laughing, "Really? So you sent him to Honduras?"

  I turn and grin at her, "He has no cell connection and no internet."

  "No wonder I haven't been hearing from him so much, I thought he was just ignoring me."

  Kyle went to work for the Foundation when Devon found out he was fluent in 3 languages. He's been a huge asset with our foreign jobs. Even though he loves to drive Devon crazy, Kyle makes an excellent foreign ambassador.

  Which is why we chipped in to help him pay for his own match from Raven Swann.

  Devon squeezes my knee from the driver's seat.

  I'm so glad I gave him one more chance. It turned out to be the smartest choice I've ever made.

  Author Notes

  Yeah, I'm totally doing that thing where I give you access to exclusive material if you sign up for my mailing list!

  Devon and Stephany's extended epilogue is on the way (just like their baby!)

  Don't worry, I try to be regular with my newsletters without coming off as a desperate loner that needs friends in the middle of the night-- so I won't spam you all the time.

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  There are more great stories to be told from the files of Raven's match making portfolio, and plenty of other so keep in touch so you don't miss a new release.

  Anything in particular you like to read? Don't be shy, let me know! I may still be a new writer, but I love hearing from readers!