The Unknown Billionaire (Captured by Love Book 6) (12 page)

Jarryd sighed, walking back to her. “It was supposed to be a surprise for tomorrow.”

She gazed at him in dismay.

“What’s that look for?” he asked with a frown.

“You already bought me a Christmas present—the navy-blue dress I’m wearing tonight.”

“So? I wanted to get you something else.”

“Jarryd...” Damn, she hadn’t got him anything else because she was afraid he might spend more on her if she did. Turned out he had, anyway.

“You promised,” Jarryd said accusingly.

“What?”

“You promised you’ll accept whatever I give you
wholeheartedly
.”

“And did you keep your end of the bargain?”

“Yes, I did,” Jarryd said quietly. “Marilyn, I appreciate you being concerned about my financial well-being, but please stop questioning everything I give you. This can’t keep going on. It’s going to ruin our pleasure when giving each other gifts.”

Guilt swamped her. “Okay. I’m sorry. I just didn’t want you overextending yourself for me.”

“All I’m asking you is to not question my decision on the things I want to give you.”

She curved her arms around his neck. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Please forgive me?”

Jarryd pulled her closer, a grin on his face. “Only if you kiss me.”

She gave him a quick peck on the lips. “Now can I have my present?”

“It’s not Christmas yet.”

“But what if I want to wear it tonight?”

“How do you know it’s something wearable?”

“It’s in a Tiffany box,” she said pointedly.

Jarryd rolled his eyes, chuckling. “You’ll have to wait till tomorrow. And I’m sure you’ve already planned your accessories for tonight.”

She had, but she’d rather wear whatever Jarryd had bought for her, even if it wasn’t a perfect match for her dress. She wanted him to know she was proud of whatever he’d given her. She batted her eyelashes at him. “Pretty please?”

“As if that would work,” Jarryd muttered, but took the box out of his back pocket and handed it to her. “Merry Christmas, honey.”

She took it from him, seeing the apprehension that suddenly lined his face. Was he worried she wouldn’t like it?

She untied the bow and carefully lifted the lid. Her mouth dropped open. A platinum heart lock pendant with round brilliant diamonds glittered inside the box. Now she knew why he looked nervous. This necklace would be more than double the price of her navy-blue dress. Easily.

Jarryd cupped her face. “My heart, it’s yours,” he whispered.

She smiled, her eyes moistening. “I accept.
Wholeheartedly
. Thank you.”

Jarryd took a deep breath, his face clearing.

“This is perfect for my dress.” She lifted the chain out of the box to better admire it.

“Marilyn,” Jarryd said softly.

She glanced up at him. “Yes?”

“I love you.”

Her heart skipped. And so did she, launching herself at Jarryd. “I love you too.”

Laughter rumbled out of Jarryd’s throat as they kissed passionately, their lips confirming the declaration they’d just made.

She was in love. And the man she was crazy about loved her back. It had finally happened for her. Wow.

“I also have another present for you,” she murmured against his lips.

“You do?”

“Uh-huh. It’s not something I bought, but it’s something of mine that I want you to have. I was just thinking about it when you arrived and it’s a perfect complement for what you gave me.” She took her arms from around his neck to reinspect her new necklace, touching the keyhole design on the heart pendant.

“Are you gonna give it to me now?”

With a smile, she went to her dresser and grabbed her spare set of house keys from the bottom drawer. Then she walked back to Jarryd and placed them in his hand.

The awe on Jarryd’s face told her it was the perfect gift. He took her back in his arms and squeezed her tight. “Thank you. I better get my apartment keys duplicated for you too.”

“Okay,” she said with a grin.

Jarryd took the Tiffany & Co. box from her and placed it on her nightstand together with the keys she’d given him. Then he ran his hands along her sides and up her chest to cup her breasts. “Now I want to start my two-hour feast.”

Her nipples instantly pebbled at the touch of his fingers, and moisture started to pool at the apex between her legs.

“Did you miss me?” Jarryd asked as he lifted her top over her head.

“Yes.”

“These do look like they missed me.” He rolled her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

A little moan was her answer.

Jarryd continued to undress her, his mouth following his hands wherever they roamed her body. Soon she was naked before him, shivering from anticipation when Jarryd took a few seconds to do nothing but simply stare.

Marilyn was tingling all over, every nerve ending in her body focused only on the man standing before her, the love bursting in her chest magnifying the desire zinging in her veins.

How could Jarryd arouse feelings in her that no one else had ever managed to stir?

Jarryd teased her nipples with his tongue, then continued kissing his way down her body. Kneeling in front of her, he parted her pussy lips, revealing to him her swollen nub eager for his attention.

Jarryd didn’t disappoint. He poked out his tongue and licked her slowly with its tip, then closed his lips on her clit, sucking gently.

She cried, her legs trembling. She braced herself against his shoulders arching her hips against him wantonly.

“You want more, huh?” Jarryd mumbled, kneading her butt while he continued to lave her nub. “I love it when you want more.”

“Yes, more,” she said shamelessly. “I always want more with you.”

With a groan, Jarryd got to his feet and held her against him in a tight embrace, his mouth seeking hers. Then before she knew it, he had her lying in bed, her ass at the edge and her legs dangling to the floor. He parted her thighs and knelt in between.

“I love that you’re soaking for me,” Jarryd rasped before burying his tongue in her slit.

“Jarryd!”

“Tell me, baby. I wanna hear it.”

She grabbed a fistful of his hair. “More, please.”

With a delighted growl, Jarryd licked his way up to her clit, pushing two fingers into her wet heat. Tirelessly, he pleasured her with his mouth and fingers, while all she could do was absorb all he was giving her, her release building up and up.

“Can’t wait to be inside this delicious pussy,” Jarryd murmured as he continued to lick, suck and stroke.

“Then do it now,” she gasped. “Make me come with your cock.”

“Ah, you’re such a temptress.” Jarryd stood up abruptly and hastily took off his clothes.

But she wanted to return the favour first. Scrambling to a sitting position, she pulled Jarryd close so that his erection was right in front of her face. She tasted the dew that formed at the tip before running her tongue on its velvety length. Then, while tugging him at the base, she put him in her mouth.

Jarryd groaned.

“By the way... I have...
another
present... for you,” Marilyn said in between sucks.

“All I want is you, babe,” Jarryd said breathlessly, running a gentle hand on her bobbing head.

She looked up at him. “This present is connected to that.”

“What is it?”

She twirled her tongue on the head of his erection as she cupped his balls. “I’m on the pill. You can ditch the condom.”

Jarryd’s mouth dropped open. Then he was hauling her back on the bed and eagerly settling himself between her legs. “I want inside here right now,” he grunted, inserting his hardness into her welcoming channel.

Her giggle turned into moans as Jarryd pushed himself to the hilt, moving in and out of her. Slowly. Steadily. Purposefully.

Their eyes locked, watching the play of desire and pleasure in each other’s faces as they climbed the crest together.

“I love you,” she whispered, grabbing his behind to urge him to move faster as her hips undulated to meet his in perfect synchrony.

Jarryd pressed his mouth to hers, kissing her fervently as he drove in deeper, harder. “Say it again,” he ordered, adjusting his thrusts so he was hitting her clit with every move.

She gasped, her whole body tensing. “I love you,” she cried as her body clamped hard around his cock over and over.

“Ahh, I love you,” Jarryd said through gritted teeth, driving into her with abandon, his face contorted with pleasure. Then he stilled for a beat before he yelled in ecstasy, erupting inside her, filling her with his come.

*****

M
arilyn stared at herself in the full-length mirror in her bedroom as Jarryd stood behind her, clasping her new necklace around her neck.

There were both fully dressed—she in her strapless navy-blue dress and grey sash, and Jarryd in his fabulous light grey suit and navy-blue tie.

“There,” Jarryd said, kissing her bare shoulder when he finished, then standing beside her in front of the mirror. “We do look like a cute couple, don’t we?”

“We sure do,” she said, putting an arm around his waist. “I can’t wait to introduce you to our family friends tonight.”

Jarryd beamed at her. “Speaking of tonight, will I be the only one attending your folks’ party for the first time?”

“No. There’ll be around a dozen or so who are not regular invitees. They’re acquaintances of my parents who currently have business dealings with Grant Ace. For some of them, it would be their first time attending. And unless they become really strong business partners, they might not get invited again in the future, simply because my parents try to limit the head count to one hundred.”

“Apart from some of our friends, would I know any of the guests?”

She pursed her lips in thought. “I don’t think so.”

“Patrick O’Neill hasn’t changed his mind about not coming, has he?” Jarryd said in a teasing voice. “I’m surprised he didn’t move mountains so he could come, especially since he seems to be such a big fan of you Grants, having asked all of you to join him on his show.”

Marilyn laughed. “Apparently, he couldn’t get out of his family commitments in Brisbane. Mum said he was really keen on going. If he weren’t out of town, he most definitely would be there tonight.”

“There’s next year for him, I suppose.”

“That’s not guaranteed. Depends on his relationship with Grant Ace next year. He’s not a close business associate.”

“Well, I’ll keep it in mind to show your parents how good I am to you so I make it on the invite list again next year,” Jarryd quipped.

She laughed, thrilled that he was already assuming they’d still be together in a year’s time. She hoped so too. She twined her fingers with his. “Let’s go?”

Jarryd nodded and they walked to her garage. It was Jarryd’s idea to use her Mercedes-Benz, jokingly saying that his four-year-old Toyota Camry would stand out like a sore thumb amongst the luxury vehicles that would be parking outside the Grants’ house tonight. She’d told him it didn’t matter, but Jarryd had been adamant, saying that their “matching” outfits deserved to be transported in her car rather than his.

She wasn’t happy that Jarryd thought he had to keep up appearances for her sake, but she let the matter rest. There’d be another time and place where she could assure him that there was not a single thing he needed to change about himself to fit into her life.

Her parents’ street was still empty of cars parked on the street when they got there. It was perfect, because she wanted Jarryd to feel settled and relaxed before the other guests arrived. Fortunately, their close friends would be attending tonight. She was bursting to tell all of them about her and Jarryd. The girls had promised they’d drag their men to the party early so they could have a good chat before they’d have to mingle with the others and talk shop.

Gosh, she felt like a giddy woman excited at falling in love for the first time. Well, she guessed she had fallen in
true
love for the first time. She certainly hadn’t felt this strongly for anyone else before.

But more than anything, one fact was making her happy like nothing else had ever had.

Jarryd loved her. They were in love
with each other
and she was glad he’d be by her side as her date tonight.

It was only the second time she’d taken a date to her parents’ Christmas Eve party—the first time being with that betraying bastard whose name she didn’t even want to remember.

And Jarryd was bound to deter a guy who’d been hassling her for dates. She hadn’t told Jarryd about him, hoping he wouldn’t be attending tonight. But she’d seen his name on the guest list her mum had shown her, and he was coming with his mother.

Marilyn was surprised that her parents had invited Elliot Greeves and his mother Olivia to the party for the first time.

Well, her dad did believe in making friends with the competition. He’d always thought that if things ever go sour, there was less chance of people wanting to vent their anger in the public arena if friendships were established in the first place.

He had a point. Grant Ace had been in some fierce battle with other companies for one reason or another, but the disputes had remained in the boardrooms. Her parents—her dad, in particular—were great at separating the individual entity from the corporate entity. That was a big reason why Grant Ace had managed to avoid the unwanted spotlight for the most part.

Her father’s philosophy must have rubbed off on Elliot. The persistent man—who she’d met for the first time at a charity event a few months ago—hadn’t backed off asking her out even when Grant Ace had made a bid for Well of Brilliance against Greeves Minerals. Unfortunately, Elliot hadn’t taken the hint from her constant refusal.

Well, Elliot would know tonight that she was well and truly taken. She might even introduce Jarryd to him the moment he turned up at the party.

J
arryd felt excited as he and Marilyn walked up the path to the Grants’ house. The front garden looked festive, with blinking fairy lights draped around trees and potted plants. Big colourful lightbulbs lined the eaves of the Federation mansion.