The Tie That Binds: A Marriage of Convenience Novel

The wind blows through my hair as I glance at the horizon. I can barely see other boats around us. Daniel beckons me closer and pulls me in. He lets me take the wheel and stands behind me, caging me in. I lean back against his chest and he drops his chin to the top of my head.

“I love this,” I murmur. Daniel leans in and presses a kiss to my cheek. “I may need to buy one of these for myself.”

He laughs and shakes his head. “Why would you? We’ve already got one. We’ve got a bigger one too. We should take mum and Nic out on the big one next time.”

My heart skips a beat at his words. Does he even realise what he’s saying? I guess right now it feels like we never even divorced. It hurts to think he’ll be doing all of those things with someone else someday.

Daniel kills the engine and leads me to the lounge deck. I laugh when he grabs a bottle of champagne and two glasses. He tilts his head towards the fridge and instructs me to grab a bowl of strawberries. Is there anything he hasn’t thought of? It’s no surprise I fell hook line and sinker for this guy.

I join him on the lounge bed and take a glass from him. Daniel’s eyes roam over my body, lingering on the bits that are covered by my bikini. I glance at his swim shorts to find that he’s already aroused. I blush and raise my glass to his.

“To us,” he says, as he always does.

“To us,” I murmur, my heart aching. This toast is one I’ve come to associate with our marriage. It seems ironic now.

Daniel grabs a strawberry and holds it over my lips. I take a bite, and a drop of juice runs down my chin. Daniel chuckles and leans in, licking it clean before brushing his tongue over my lips. I open up for him eagerly and clench my thighs as he kisses me. I’m disappointed when he pulls away instead of turning it into more.

Daniel takes another sip of his champagne and grabs another strawberry. This time he puts half of it in his mouth and I lean in to take the other half, startling him. I bite down on it and run my tongue over his lips before pulling back. I chew slowly and smile at him. “Delicious,” I whisper. Daniel chuckles nervously and runs a hand through his hair.

I can’t even remember the last time I was this turned on. My entire body is tense and I’m just waiting for him to make a move, but it looks like he won’t. I’m not sure why, because his swim shorts resemble a tent and he isn’t exactly trying to hide it.

He closes his eyes to soak up the sun and I take that moment to move closer to him. I straddle him so that he’s pressing up against me delightfully and grab the bowl of strawberries. I grab one and hold it up to him. He’s staring at me with heated eyes and opens his lips. I feed him half before popping the other half in my own mouth.

Daniel’s hands move from my hips to my waist and back again. I doubt he even realises he’s doing it. Eventually his hands settle on my ass and he grabs on tightly. He’s throbbing underneath me and grinds his hips up. I tangle my hands into his hair and pull his lips against mine.

I don’t know what we’re doing here together. We’re divorced and we should be going our separate ways, but all I want is to be here with him. I don’t want this moment to end. If this afternoon is all I can have, then I’ll take it. Daniel moans and kisses me desperately, his hands roaming over my body. He unties my bikini top from the back and is about to push it out of the way when his smart watch starts buzzing. He glances at it and freezes, retying my bikini top with a serious look on his face.

“There’s a bit of trouble, baby. Looks like there are paparazzi near. Our security team just notified me of a potential media team trailing us. They’re handling it now, but we’d better keep our clothes on until we get the all clear.

I look away, dismayed, and move to get off him. Daniel grins and pulls me back. “I said we should keep our clothes on, my love. I didn’t say you should move.”

He hugs me tightly and cups my head, angling me so his lips are on mine again. He takes his time kissing me, driving me wild. I’m soaking wet and ready for him. I breathe a sigh of relief when his watch buzzes again and he smiles.

“All clear,” he whispers. His hands move to my neck and he undoes my bikini top with a tug, exposing my breasts. I glance around us cautiously. It looks like we’re alone on the water, but who knows if a boat might come by soon. Daniel leans in and takes my nipple into his mouth, dismissing all my thoughts.

“Am I lucky?” I whisper.

Daniel grazes my nipple with his teeth and looks up at me. “I think the lucky one is me, baby.”

My hands slip into his swim shorts and he moans when I grab him tightly. He tugs on the strings that keep my bikini bottoms together and I lift my hips so he can remove them. I sigh in delight when I feel him against me. I grab his hardness and align it with me, sinking down slowly. Daniel moans and drops his forehead to mine. “Fucking hell, baby. Didn’t even give me a warning there. I was planning on playing with you first.”

I shake my head and move my hips up and down frantically. “No. Can’t wait. I need you now.”

Daniel looks pained as I ride him, and he bites down on his lip hard. “Can’t hold it like this, Lyss. You gotta go easy on me, baby.”

He buries his hand in my hair and tugs on it while wrapping his other hand around my waist. I lean in and kiss him, slowing down the pace slightly. I watch him with satisfaction. Not bad sex, my ass. He’s barely holding on and we’ve only got started. I move my hips around in circles and Daniel tightens his grip on me. “Fuck, Alyssa. My love, when you move like that…”

I come down on him harder and within seconds Daniel’s body tenses. He jerks his hips up into me as his eyes shutter closed. He looks embarrassed and annoyed that he couldn’t last longer, but I’m oddly pleased with myself. I stay where I am, the two of us connected, and pull his head towards me. I kiss him gently and he smiles against my lips.

He turns us over so I’m lying in his arms and he strokes my arm gently. I stare up at the cloudless sky and grin. He kisses my hair over and over again, making me feel intensely loved.

“Hey, since I helped you practise the whole sex thing, don’t you owe me another date?”

I turn towards him so we’re facing each other, our bodies pressed tight. “A date, huh? Is that what this is?”

Daniel chuckles and presses a quick kiss to my lips. “Of course it is. A boat trip, champagne, strawberries and mind blowing sex… for me at least. How is it not a date?”

I giggle and kiss him, my lips lingering on his. “I guess so. But then again, we divorced a couple of months ago. Does it even make sense for us to date? And what about that girl you’re in love with… You’re sleeping with me when you divorced me to be with her. How does that make any sense at all?”

Daniel groans and puts his arm over his face. “Fucking hell, baby. You have one hell of a memory, don’t you? I only brought up this girl you keep reminding me of twice. Twice, babe. Once when I told you I couldn’t get her off my mind when we’d just gotten married, and then again when I signed the divorce papers. Why is it you speak about her more than I do? I wish I’d never told you anything at all. Seriously, are you going to keep reminding me of this when we’re grey and old?”

I glare at him and look away. “Grey and old?” I snap. “If you wanted to grow old with me, you never should’ve divorced me in the first place. Why the hell do you want to date me now when you dumped me a few months ago?”

Daniel rolls on top of me and pins me down. He grabs my wrists and pushes them above my head, locking me in. “You’re right. We’re divorced now. We can date whoever the hell we want. There’s no stipulation that says we can’t date each other. If that’s what we want, then why can’t we?”

I squirm underneath him and he lowers his body on top of mine, locking me in further with his weight. My nipples graze against his pecs and I hate that I’m immediately turned on again. This asshole.

“Forget about that girl, Alyssa. There’s no one but you. You’re all I can see. You’ll always be my one and only.”

He’s looking at me so intensely that I can’t help but look away. “If that were the case, you never would’ve divorced me, Daniel. Let me guess, you pursued her and she rejected you? So now you’ve come running back to me. I don’t want to be second best, Daniel. I want to be with someone who puts me first. Someone who will always put me first.”

He sighs and drops his forehead to mine. “Alyssa, baby. What am I going to do with you? I wonder if you’ll forgive me when you finally figure it out…”

He kisses my forehead and then pulls away to look at me. “It’s just a date, Lyss. It won’t hurt to have some fun together, right?”

He lowers his lips to mine and kisses me thoroughly. I’m so tempted to say yes, but I know I need to be strong now. I pull away from him and shake my head.

“No,” I whisper. “All we’ll have is today. When the day ends, we’re through.”