Betrothed To A Beast, I Wed My Coach

Chapter 1

My name is Julie Harrington, and my family owns several multinational trading companies.

I was supposed to marry Holden Hale the following month, so my father paid an outrageous amount of money to hire Kyle, a retired professional golfer, to teach me how to play.

I had no interest in golf, but after my mother nagged me long enough, I reluctantly changed into the outfit she'd laid out for me.

The fitted top hugged my upper body, while the short skirt showed off every inch of my legs.

The outfit clung to every curve and made me look even more provocative than usual.

Still angry about being forced into the lesson, I pulled the zipper down to the middle of my chest the moment I reached the course, deliberately putting my cleavage on display.

I strode across the club grounds with deliberately exaggerated steps, letting my breasts bounce beneath the tight fabric and drawing the attention of nearly every man nearby.

My mother had spent my entire life stamping out any behavior she considered improper and insisting that every decision I made had to protect the Harrington name.

Whenever my parents weren't watching, I made a point of behaving far more recklessly than they ever would have tolerated.

But when I finally met my instructor, his gaze dropped straight to my chest and stayed there.

I might have enjoyed pretending I was wild, but beneath the act, I was far more sheltered than I wanted anyone to know.

Heat flooded my face, and I quickly zipped the top all the way back up to my collar.

After watching me take a few swings, Kyle announced that my balance was completely off.

When the group lesson ended, he asked me to stay behind for extra instruction.

My lack of enthusiasm clearly irritated him. He stepped in behind me until his body nearly touched mine, then closed both hands around my upper arms.

His fingers moved slowly over my bare skin, and the intimacy of the contact made me increasingly uneasy.

"Kyle, don't you think you're crossing a line?"

He lowered his head until his cheek nearly brushed my shoulder, his warm breath feathering over the side of my neck.

"I'm trying to teach you. Stop letting your mind wander."

With him that close, concentrating on my swing was impossible.

After several more failed attempts, I still hadn't grasped the technique, and my patience began to fray.

"I'm done for today. Let go of me."

The instant the words left my mouth, his arm slid around my waist and hauled me back against his chest.

I spun around just as he leaned in, and our lips nearly brushed.

He let out a low laugh. "Looks like you crossed the line too."

I snapped my head around again and stared at the grass beneath my feet.

Kyle released me. "You're not quitting. I'll show you how to engage the rest of your body."

His hands settled on my waist and guided me forward until I was bent at the angle he wanted.

Then he pressed his right palm firmly against my ass again and again, showing me where the power in the swing was supposed to come from.

He could call it part of the lesson all he wanted, but each firm press of his hand sent a strange, tingling heat through me.

No man had ever touched me like that, and the sensation left me almost dizzy.

"Feel how your legs and hips are supposed to work together?" he asked softly.

I nodded, though I was no longer sure what I was agreeing to.

His hand drifted from my hip toward the space between my thighs.

The rough skin of his palm slid slowly up and down the back of my leg.

The tingling climbed from my thigh into my lower belly, where heat pooled and spread.

Images I'd never allowed myself to entertain flashed through my mind.

As his hand kept moving, Kyle said, "Keep your knees loose. After you swing, lift your right heel and let your hips rotate through."

The moment he finished, his fingers traced the inside of my thigh and slipped beneath my skirt.

When they brushed my panties, he pulled away as though it had been an accident.

That fleeting touch set off a throbbing pulse between my legs, and I realized with mortifying clarity that my panties were getting wet.

Nerves and shame twisted together inside me while Kyle calmly continued explaining my stance as if nothing had happened.

I couldn't take in a word. My breathing had quickened, and a strange, restless excitement had taken hold of me.

This was the first time I'd ever been this physically close to a man. Of course I was embarrassed.

What scared me more was that I didn't want him to stop. A secret, reckless part of me was beginning to savor every second.

Kyle was gentle, handsome, and effortlessly charming, and I'd felt the first spark of attraction the moment I saw him.

Even so, I knew what would happen if I crossed that line. The scandal would hurt the Harrington family, and Kyle would lose his job because of me.

Then I thought of Holden, the bloated, unattractive man I was being forced to marry, whose reputation alone was enough to turn my stomach.

The rebellious anger I'd carried all my life flared back to life.

Why should I sacrifice my future for the Harrington family and spend the rest of my life with a man who disgusted me?

My father was the one who had put this gorgeous instructor in front of me. Maybe he deserved whatever consequences followed.

Lost in those thoughts, I botched another swing.

Kyle stepped in behind me again. His right hand returned to the spot beneath my ass, while his other arm crossed my waist to guide my grip.

He drew my inner thigh tight against him, and the hard shape pressing against my ass gradually became unmistakable.

His breathing grew rougher as he guided me through swing after swing, his erection rubbing against me every time my hips moved.

The sheer recklessness of it stole my breath. My knees weakened, my body sagged against his, and a muffled moan escaped before I could stop it.

"Mm... Kyle..."

When he felt me melt against him, he drove his hips forward with deliberate pressure. "Still can't figure it out, baby?" He murmured, dark amusement threading through his voice. "Then I'll have to give you a punishment you won't forget!"