The Proposition (Hush Hush Duet #2.5)

Chapter 4

Four

Y ou know what they say.

The higher the hair, the closer to God.

The humidity in Belize is something I’m not used to. Since I got off the private plane a few days ago, my hair has been a massive frizz ball. I’m not even attempting to style with anything other than a messy ponytail. James says all the flyaways are cute, that I look young and innocent, but I think he’s just being nice. I’m coated in a damp sheen of sweat. When James said clothing is optional, I see why now. Every type of fabric sticks to me. It’s pointless to wear anything other than a bathing suit and a flowy coverup. But I’m not going to complain. I wanted out of the cold, and I got it.

“Sweetheart, I’m not sure ziplining is for me,” James says wearily, eyeing the steep drop. The trees below us shift and sway with the breeze. We’re two hundred feet in the air, and the people look like ants crawling below us. “I’m a big guy. Can it hold me?” He looks up at the instructor. “What’s the weight limit on one of these things?”

“Babe, you’re going to be fine. Didn’t you see the line of people who went before you? Everyone lived.” He’s not impressed and doesn’t say anything. I nudge him with my elbow. “Just remember that at the end of the ride, there’s a hot spring waiting for us.” We’re visiting all the springs so James can say that he’s fucked me in different bodies of water. Two days here, and we’ve visited seven springs. Granted, they’re all within walking distance and the same body of water, but still.

“A waterfall too if you take a small walk through the rainforest,” the instructor adds.

“Oh, we’re definitely doing that,” I say.

“What if it snaps and I plummet to my death?” James asks, referring to the steel cable.

I chuckle. He’s so dramatic. But I guess most attorneys are.

“We have a mesh netting you can’t see beneath the trees. You won’t die,” the instructor responds dryly.

James nods then gives the ropes a tug and says, “I’m ready.” He looks over his shoulder to me. “Give me a kiss.”

I smack one right on his mouth and pull away with a pop. “I love you. You got this.” I give him two thumbs-up then take a step back as he gets into position.

James white-knuckles the rope with both hands. He bends his knees, lightly bouncing, like he’s preparing to jump. His safety belt is snug around his hips and circles each thigh. The tension makes his butt look bigger, rounder. My bottom lip rolls between my teeth as my gaze travels. James is in great shape for a man pushing sixty. I can’t help myself and rear back to smack his ass.

“Aubrey.”

James stills. It’s all he says. It’s basically a demand to stop, and I’ll never do that.

I chuckle. “You got this, big daddy.”

James shakes his head. I can’t see his face, but I can tell he’s grinning.

He exhales a loud breath and then begins to count down. His chest lifts, and in the next blink, he’s springing from the ground and gliding on the rope wire at breakneck speed. A huge grin spreads across my face. His knees are pulled back so all I can see are his feet sticking out and his salt and pepper hair blowing in the wind. He dips through the foliage and disappears. I giggle to myself, proud that he’s doing something that scares him. James isn’t the type to back down, but his fear of heights is real. I wasn’t going to push him if he didn’t want to do it, but I’m glad he did.

The instructor motions me forward. I step into the harness, and he secures it. He gives it a few good tugs then looks at his watch. Dipping his head, he gives me the go. I grip the same places James did then jump off, feeling my heart drop. I hold my breath as happiness whips through me. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. I dip beneath the branches of the trees and feel the energy around me. All of a sudden, the floral scent of exotic flowers fills my senses. I’m surrounded by black orchids as I swing into the grotto. The aqua water shimmers in the shadows along the cave wall. My toes slip into the spring before I’m quickly splashing to a stop. The instructor unbuckles the harness, and James is swimming toward me. I reach for him and notice how the color of his tattoos gleams from the tunnel of light above us.

“Was it as bad as you thought?” I ask.

He shakes his head, and I light up inside. It’s all James says before pressing his lips to mine. He was nervous, but he didn’t let that stop him. My legs automatically wrap around his waist. He twirls me around as we slip underwater, our kiss still intact. He’s been doing this since we got to the island, kissing me underwater any chance he gets. It’s adorable.

A few minutes later, after we leave the grotto, we’re walking through the rainforest, me in my bikini and James in boardshorts. We’re holding hands, and neither one of us are speaking. This is just one thing I love about being with James. We don’t have to talk when we’re together. The quiet is peaceful, comfortable. The only sound is rushing water in the distance and rainbow toucans perched on branches chirping at each other. White flowers surround us. Guava and mango trees are ripe for the picking. The wildlife is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. There are monkeys literally hanging around in the trees. We’re told jaguars are known to hang high on the branches too, but I haven’t seen one. Massive, color-changing iguanas run in front of us. The giant-looking lizards attack, so we pretend to not notice them.

“If you don’t want to go through with tomorrow, we don’t have to,” James says quietly.

He’s talking about Reece, whose plane is due to arrive early tomorrow morning. We haven’t discussed the proposal since the night he asked.

I look at James. “Are you having a change of heart?”

His brows furrow. “No? Maybe? I’ve really enjoyed our time here. I’m not sure I want to share you. I’m wondering if it was a mistake.”

“You know, I was surprised you even suggested it. I remember when you told me about the conversation you had with Reece at our wedding about sharing me and that it would never happen again. What made you change your mind? I’m not against it, but for a split second, I thought you were bored with me and wanted to spice things up.”

James stops walking. He turns toward me and looks down. “That’s what I was afraid of,” he tells me. “I almost didn’t ask because I didn’t want to give you a reason to question our relationship or my love.”

He places his hands on my hips and steps closer. His pensive gaze hits me right in the chest. I lift my arms and drape them over his shoulders. There’s a storm forming in his blue eyes. Shame is written all over his handsome face, and that’s the last thing I want for James. I want to ease his mind, not cause him distress.

“I’m never bored with you, Aubrey,” he says. “You’re more than enough for me. I’m the luckiest guy in the world. Sometimes the happiness terrifies me. I never want it to end. Every day is an adventure with you, even if all we do is go to work and come home. I love waking up next to you. You’re the best part of my day.”

“I’m glad you asked me. I appreciate it more than you know.”

“You do? But I made you second-guess us.”

Shaking my head, I say, “I know how you feel about me. You don’t miss a chance to show me or tell me. When the topic is bringing another person into our marriage, even if for one fun night, questions are bound to arise. That comes with the territory. I knew who you were before we married. Just like you knew about me.”

“If having Reece here is going to change our dynamic, I don’t want him coming.”

My heart softens, knowing where his feelings lie. “I want Reece to join us.”

His brows shoot up, and the storm fades in his eyes. “I didn’t think it was possible to love you any more than I already do.”

“Which is why I’m okay with becoming Valentina for the night.”

James growls in the back of his throat as his mouth captures mine. He doesn’t hold back and kisses me deeply, his tongue pushing past the seam of my lips. His cock swells against my thigh, and my body heats up. I shift so his straining erection is nudged up against my pussy. I circle my hips and let out a little moan when he rubs past my clit. His hands slide down to cup my ass cheeks, his fingers kneading me aggressively. James gives me a good squeeze and pushes his erection against my center. He does it again, and I moan into his mouth. His nails dig into my skin. I love when he does that. Wetness seeps from my pussy, and my nipples harden against his bare chest. I know he feels it because the tiny bikini I’m wearing is thin and has no padding. I hook one leg around his hip and grind against him, only to break the kiss to look up.

“I knew I felt eyes on me.”

James follows my gaze and sees a monkey looking down on us. I giggle. Better than seeing a jaguar.

“I need you,” he says, dropping his forehead to my shoulder. He peppers little sensual kisses on my neck, moving over my jaw and toward my mouth.

“What if someone sees us?” I ask, threading my fingers through his hair.

“Let them.”

I blink at my husband, liking this adventurous side of him.

“Take me,” I whisper. “I’m yours, always. Only ever yours.”

James looks at me, his fingers finding the string tied at my hip. His eyes are as blue as the water surrounding us. The need in his gaze doesn’t go unnoticed and draws me closer to him. James unties one side of my bathing suit as I tug his boardshorts down his thighs, my eyes never leaving his. My bottoms slip away. His hips rear back, and his erection springs free, pointing straight at me. James hoists me up and presses my back against the wall of an old Ceiba tree for leverage. I wrap my arms around his shoulders. Thank goodness the wood is smooth like bamboo and not covered with prickly bark. Palming his thick length, James coats his tip with my wetness and circles my clit.

“Always ready for me,” he says, his voice low and husky.

My hips angle toward his, silently asking for more. “Don’t tease me.”

James drags his cock down the center of my pussy and thrusts in without a second thought. My back bows from being filled. A groan vibrates in my throat from the initial force it takes for him to get through, the bite of pain from being stretched.

“ Yes,” I whisper.

He shifts his feet and hold me under my thighs with both hands. His mouth finds mine, and I whimper. James matches my hunger and uses the base of his cock to circle against my clit, knowing how much I love that. It’s a craving he understands. His fingers dig into my skin. His chest presses into mine, and my thighs squeeze his waist. James slowly withdraws so I experience every inch of his delicious cock. He breaks the kiss and glances down. I follow his gaze, panting. We watch his swollen length disappear inside me.

I don’t know how it’s possible, but sex with him gets better and better each time.

“I’m addicted to you,” I say.

He peers into my eyes. “You know I love you more than life itself, right, Aubrey? All I ever want is to see you happy. This thing with Reece means nothing. If doing it makes you feel any less loved, I’ll cancel it. You’re my world. Everything I do is for you.”

“I’ve never questioned your love before, and I’m not going to start now,” I say, my voice breathless. “But I do have one request.”

He nips at my lips. “Name your price, sweetheart.”

I chuckle, thinking back to when he first said those words to me. He remembers too or else he wouldn’t have said that.

“I want you both to fuck me at the same time.”

James thrusts in and holds it there. The veins in his neck jut out. I’ve never been taken by two men at once, and the thought arouses me.

“Fuck,” he groans, his fingertips digging into my hips. He’s going to leave bruises with how hard he’s gripping me. I guess he likes the idea too. “You mean…” He trails off.

I nod, answering his question. “I want you in the back and Reece in the front.”

“Fuck, yes.”

Our mouths collide in a heated kiss once more. My imagination begins to run wild with the fantasy I never thought would happen.

James and I have had anal sex a few times. He’s a well-endowed man, and the initial breach feels like fire ripping through me. It’s not something I typically like, and it takes a lot of foreplay to get me there. Once we do get there, the orgasm hits ten times harder for the both of us. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever felt.

“James,” I say in warning.

“I know, baby. I know. Touch yourself.”

I do as he says and rub my aching clit. James bites my bottom lip. My pussy throbs, and wetness coats my inner thighs. I slide my triangle top to the side to expose my breast, offering him my rosy nipple.

“Reece isn’t allowed to come inside your beautiful pussy. Only ever me.”

Before I can even nod, James suctions his mouth around my breast. He tugs almost to the point of pain then flicks his tongue over the bud, his beard grazing my heated skin. He’s not gentle. I hold the back of his head to my chest. Threading my fingers through his hair, I fist the strands as my toes curl, meeting him thrust for thrust. James flattens his tongue and laps my nipple with speed. The beginning of an orgasm forms at the base of my spine. Heart pounding, my breathing deepens.

“Baby, I can’t hold it any longer.”

“I don’t want you to hold back. Come on my cock,” James says.

The orgasm takes over, and I’m coming in a rush of ecstasy. Chills dance down my arms, despite the humidity. My pussy pulses around his cock. He pistons his hips over and over until every bit of my pleasure is wrung from me. No longer can I hold myself up. My legs dangle at his sides like wet noodles.

“What about coming in my mouth? Do you want me to swallow his cum?”

Saying it out loud makes my tender clit throb. My heart races in anticipation. James grumbles in the back of his throat, and it vibrates against my chest.

“Yes,” he hisses.

“Do you want Valentina to swallow both of your cum…at the same time.”

“Fuck,” he grits between his teeth. “Fuck,” he says again. “Yes.”

James slams into me so hard the slap echoes around us. I draw in a breath of air. His cock jerks inside me, and then there’s the tell-tale moan that he’s orgasming. He unloads, and the sounds coming out of him cause a lazy smile to spread across my face. Making my man feel good pleases me. James doesn’t stop until he’s released every ounce of his orgasm. Warmth seeps from my pussy, and I hear a dollop fall to the ground.

I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be the ride of a lifetime.