Kiss You Every Time

The sleek black car pulled to a halt in front of the imposing wrought-iron gates of Ashford Manor. The heavy, agonizing silence that had swallowed the latter half of the drive still hung thickly in the confined air of the vehicle.

Before Celia could even lift her hand to unfasten her seat belt, the man beside her suddenly leaned over the center console. His broad shoulders completely blocked her view of the passenger window. His slender, impeccably manicured fingers brushed against her waist, pressing the dark release button of the buckle. It sprang free with a soft, echoing snap.

He didn't pull back. Instead, his handsome, incredibly compelling face hovered dangerously close to hers. They were mere inches apart. For a brief second, breathing in his sharp, masculine scent, Celia’s usually calm and detached composure swayed. There was an undeniable, magnetic pull to his striking features. This was a man designed to effortlessly attract any woman he wanted.

Yet, the moment she remembered his sheer audacity from the night before—and his relentless, boundary-pushing behavior just minutes ago—her glassy eyes rapidly cooled. He was nothing more than a rich, nasty, spoiled kid shamelessly coveting his cousin’s wife. He was a brat throwing a tantrum simply because he wanted a toy he couldn't have.

Determined to shut him down entirely, Celia lifted her hand and firmly adjusted her thick, hideous glasses, using them as a physical shield. Her face was completely devoid of emotion as she stared straight past him.

"I'm getting off," she stated, her voice deadpan.

She reached blindly for the door handle, wanting nothing more than to escape this suffocating proximity. But before her fingers could even graze the metal lever, Julian’s large, warm hand shot out and clamped forcefully around her arm. He yanked her back. His strong, muscular frame shifted, practically trapping her against the leather seat in a forced, inescapable embrace.

Julian leaned in closer, his dark, predatory eyes locking fiercely onto hers through the thick lenses. "I drove you all the way home," he murmured, his voice dropping to a low, highly dangerous timber. "Don't I at least deserve a 'thank you'?"

Celia gritted her teeth. She desperately wanted him to just back off and leave her alone. If any of the Ashford family servants saw them tangled together in the front seat, the rumors would ruin her. She was engaged to the supposedly crippled Julian Ashford, not this bizarre, boundary-ignoring cousin named Nolan. She absolutely needed to maintain basic human decency and uphold her husband's dignity, even if her marriage to the Ashford heir was a complete sham forced upon her. She refused to be dragged into a dirty scandal by a reckless playboy.

Lowering her head to avoid his penetrating stare, she flinched slightly away from his chest and whispered a quiet, rigid, "Thank you."

She hoped her flat compliance would satisfy his inflated ego. She prayed he would just unlock the door and let her go.

Julian did not move. He stared fixedly at her tightly pursed pink lips. A sudden, intense wave of desire darkened his eyes. Even with the ugly, spotty makeup completely ruining her complexion, the soft curve of her mouth was ridiculously inviting. It pulled him in like a magnet.

"It seems your appreciation is entirely insincere," Julian stated softly, his gaze dropping heavily to her mouth. "I guess I am going to have to take that 'thanks' for myself."

He felt absolutely no need to suppress his dark urges. After all, she was legally his legitimate wife. Why the hell should he hide his desire to touch what already belonged to him?

Before Celia could even process the warning in his words, Julian leaned in and forcefully captured her lips.

The sudden, brutal contact sent a jolt of sheer, unadulterated shock straight through Celia’s body. Her eyes went wide behind her thick glasses. His mouth was hot, demanding, and utterly ruthless as it pressed fiercely against hers. Panic and pure fury exploded in her chest. She struggled violently, bringing her hands up to shove hard against the solid, unyielding muscle of his chest to break the suffocating embrace.

But Julian easily overpowered her. He caught both of her wrists in one massive hand, clasping them tight against her stomach to prevent her from striking him again. He thoroughly dominated her mouth, highly satisfied by her visceral, thrashing reaction.

When he finally pulled back, he only retreated an inch. His chest heaved slightly against hers. Before a furious Celia could suck in a lungful of air to scream, Julian reached up and quickly snatched the thick glasses right off her face.

Without the hideous, magnifying lenses obstructing his view, her remarkably clear, bright, and beautiful eyes were completely exposed. They were glaring at him, shining with absolute fury. Stripped of her disguise, her true features were incredibly pleasing to look at.

Julian's gaze unscrupulously swept over her exposed face. He looked exactly like a ferocious beast aggressively marking its newly claimed prey.

"Don't wear these glasses anymore," he commanded in a low, highly dangerous tone, tossing the frames onto the dashboard. He leaned in again, his breath ghosting over her lips. "If you do, I promise you, I will kiss you exactly like this every single time I see you."

Celia’s face burned a furious crimson. Her heart hammered wildly against her ribs. He was a presumptuous monster. How dare he treat her this way right outside her family’s home? Didn't he feel any guilt toward his own cousin? She opened her swollen lips, ready to fiercely curse him out.

"What the hell are—"

"Celia?!"

A shocked, high-pitched female voice completely shattered the heavy sexual tension inside the vehicle.

Celia froze. Her blood turned to absolute ice. She slowly turned her head toward the half-open passenger window.

Helena stood right outside the car. Her eyes were bulging out of her head in a volatile mix of total surprise and self-righteous maternal outrage. She stared wildly at the highly compromising position of the two people inside the vehicle.

"What exactly are you doing here?!" Helena demanded, her voice shrill and trembling with sudden anger.

Pure, unadulterated panic immediately gripped Celia’s chest. Her throat went completely dry. Of all the people to catch them, it had to be her mother. Being caught red-handed, freshly kissed and pinned down by a strange man outside her family home on the very first day of her marriage, was an absolutely impossible situation to defend. It was a complete disaster.

Helena didn't wait for an explanation. She quickly snapped her head left and right, her paranoid gaze vigilantly scanning the quiet street and the manor gates to ensure there were no passing servants or neighbors witnessing this scandalous display. Once she was certain the coast was clear, she turned her stern, furious glare back onto her daughter.

"Come out. Right now," Helena commanded.

Knowing she had absolutely no choice and that fighting would only cause a louder scene, Celia yanked her wrists completely free from Julian's suddenly loosened grip. She shoved the heavy car door open and stepped out onto the pavement.

She kept her head down, but her face remained totally impassive. Still, there was no hiding the physical evidence. Her cheeks were flushed a deep, incriminating red, and her lips were visibly swollen and bruised from the forceful, aggressive activity that had just occurred inside.

Helena took one look at her daughter’s thoroughly kissed face and wasted no time. She immediately grabbed Celia’s upper arm with a bruising grip and began violently dragging her toward the front doors of the villa.

Inside the car, Julian remained entirely undeterred and completely unashamed. He watched them go with a dark, amused gleam in his eye. Leaning his head casually out of the open window, he lifted his hand and shamelessly rubbed his own wet lips with his fingers.

"My dearest sister-in-law!" Julian called out loudly, his mocking voice carrying effortlessly across the manicured lawn, purposefully exacerbating the catastrophic situation. "Come back soon. I will wait right here in the car for you."