Chapter 10

Her heart jolted at that and the raw passion on his handsome face. But she was not going to make it easy for him. He had hurt her with his careless words and actions, and she was not ready to forgive him. Not yet.

“I don’t want you.” She lied.

His lips peeled back into a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. “I can prove it to you in just two seconds. Your nipples are hard.”

“A natural reaction. Nothing more.”

“Shall we prove otherwise?” He asked her silkily. He was on top of her, and the feel of her soft flesh against his was driving him crazy.

“I am not into playing any games with you, Marcel. Just get off me. Run back to the adjoining suite, and let me get some sleep.”

His eyes darkened at that. “What do you want? An apology?”

“Do you know how?” She asked sweetly.

“You pissed me off. And then you come flaunting your former lover in front of me.” His face was taut, his eyes flashing. “He was touching you.”

“Now you know how it feels.”

“Was it payback?”

“I am not that petty. Just leave me alone.”

“I cannot do that. I have been trying to avoid you, and it’s not working.” Letting go of her hands, he moved to cup her small breasts, his breath hissing through his lips when her nipples hardened even more.

His eyes lifted to her face to see her reaction as he moved his thumbs slowly over the tight flesh. “You cannot deny this.” His erection was already stretching his heart quickening. “You want me too.”

“I hate you.” She whispered, her body already surging upward. He was crouched over her, the tip of his penis brushing the center of her.

“I hate you too.” He rasped. His eyes held hers hypnotically as he continued to increase the pressure on her nipples. When he pulled at the flesh, she could not stop the gasp, her body jerking in response.

“You are the thorn in my damn side. I could not sleep last night from wanting you.” The admission was torn from his chest, the look on his face one of undiluted passion. “I must have you.” Sliding down, he lowered his head to her breast.

Nikki gave up. As soon as his lips closed over the tight flesh, she was already too far gone. Her body responded to him violently. With a tortured moan, she dug her fingers through his hair, clutching him against her as her body vibrated. His mouth was destroying her senses, sending heat shaking through her body at an alarming rate.

Her fingers wandered restlessly through his hair, her body arching to meet his mouth as he continued to suckle her nipple. When he switched to the other breast, she was mindless with need and was not sure she could take it anymore.

Marcel felt as if he was drowning in passion. The emotions swelling inside him were vying for supremacy, and he could not even identify some of them. As he traveled down to her stomach, he felt as if his body was close to bursting and knew he could not keep this up. But he wanted to make her mindless from wanting him.

He tried to extinguish every other man she had ever been with and have space for only him. The thought that he was jealous of her past relationships never occurred. He just knew he wanted to ensure she remembered only him and what he was making her feel.

“Please!” She gasped, trying to drag him up and over him with the strands of his hair. Ignoring her pleas, he pressed his face into the curls covering her sex as he inhaled her scent. He was dying.

No one had ever pulled so much out of him before, and he was baffled and frightened by the intensity of what was happening between them. Pressing a kiss on the swollen flesh, he rose over him, his body rigid with the strain of trying to control himself. His fingers trembled when he gripped his swollen flesh and guided it into her.

When his eyes met hers, he felt a distinct jolt in his overburdened senses as he stared at the wide eyes and parted lips. When he drove into her, he had to pause, his body shuddering as her incredibly wet warmth pulled him in. Bending his head, he brushed her lips, the movement tender, so much so that tears stung the back of her eyes.

His tongue invaded her mouth, the kiss taking on a savagery that had him driving relentlessly against her slender curves. He swallowed her fevered cries as the powerful climax shook through her body and had her clinging tightly to him.

She was barely finished before another was upon her. Tearing her mouth from his, she sank her teeth into the side of his neck as waves after tumultuous waves took her over. Marcel felt the pain, his body splintering into tiny fragments as his orgasm crashed throughout his body.

He was unaware that he had called out her name, or that his hands were racing up and down her body, or even that he had turned them both so that they were on their sides.Her leg was hiked up almost to his waist as the orgasm continued for what seemed like endless moments.

His hands gripped her hips as he pressed her even closer to him. His body bucked and shuddered as he poured the last of his seed deep into her. Lifting her chin, he took her lips in a slow, erotic kiss that had the tears trickling down her cheeks.

Ending the kiss, he fought to get his breath back as she settled against his chest. Staring in front of him, he took several breaths to get his breathing under control.

He had tried to deny his feelings for her, but there would be no going back after tonight. He still had things to sort out regarding why she had married him, but for now, he knew he did not want to do without her.

“We should get some sleep.” He knew he was supposed to say something more significant, but he could not find the words, and something still made him want to hold back.

“Hmm.” She was pleasantly drowsy and completely sated. What had happened between them was so magical that she would dare him to say otherwise. “Good idea.”Her hand came around his waist, and within minutes, he heard her even breathing, indicating that she was asleep.

It was not so easy for him. For one thing, he was still intimately joined to her and was practically on top of him. Her nipples were branding his chest and making him acutely aware of her.

The bite mark on his flesh had started to ache, reminding him of the ferociousness of their passion just minutes ago. He had wanted to rip her apart, he thought with a shake of his head.

And he wanted to know if that damn guy from her past had been her first. He was not sure he could bear it if he were.

*****

At first, he thought he was drowning, but then a trickle of water appeared on his face. An annoyed frown touched his brows, and his eyes flickered open to see his wife sitting at his hip, water dripping from her fingers.

“What are you doing?”

“You slept through your alarm.” She told him.

“And you figured you would do the normal thing and wake me by trying to drown me.”

“Something like that.” Leaning down, she brushed her lips against his, firing his senses and making him come fully awake. His arms came up, his fingers buried in the thick curls at the nape of her neck as he deepened the kiss. His disappointment was obvious when she pushed away from him, her chest rising rapidly, her lips wet.

“I have an early meeting.”

“With him?” He asked casually, his fingers still tangled in her hair.

“No.” She lifted her tapered brows. “He is just a friend and now a client.”

“You were childhood sweethearts.”

“We were friends,” she stressed. Using her left hand, she brushed back the lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead. He looked so boyishly young and sexy that she felt her heart aching inside her chest. “That’s all we were. There were no strong feelings between us; we were more like brother and sister.”

“I saw how he was looking at you,” he said gruffly, unable to believe he was prolonging this discussion.

“Just friends.” She repeated. Bending her head, she brushed her lips against his lightly. He could have deepened the kiss, but he was feeling too damn emotional right now. They behaved like an average married couple, and he was unsure how to deal with it. Not yet.

“I also have a meeting.” Putting her aside, he climbed off the bed. He was about to walk to the bathroom to shower when she gripped him around the waist and pulled him back to her.

“What are you doing?”

“I love the way your body looks,” Her hands were wandering down his flat stomach and hedging dangerously close to his sex.

“You are running late.” His body was reacting in the usual manner to her touch.

“I have a few more minutes.” Her hands cupped his testicles and squeezed lightly. His breath whooshed out of his body, and he found himself leaning into her.

“Nikki-” His body arched and shuddered when she bent her head to take him into her mouth. “Oh, Christ!” His fingers clutched at her curls as his entire body went into overdrive. “Darling-”

His breath was starting to strangle inside his chest as she pulled him deeper into the wetness of her mouth. Dragging her up, he pushed her back on the bed and entered her swiftly. “Where did you learn to do that?” He whispered thickly, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“I studied giving head in college.” Her arms came around his neck. “I wanted to see what the big deal was.”

“Are you saying this is your first time?” He was moving inside her slowly, wanting to prolong the moment.

“Yes, my suspicious husband.” She took his lips in a slow, drugging kiss that had his head spinning.

*****

“My dear, I am so happy you agreed to see me.” Carolyn Peters said with a wide smile. “I know you are extremely busy, and my small business is certainly not the type you usually take on.”

“I have been reading your proposal, and you have some very good ideas for the place.” Nikki leaned back in the chair and stretched her legs out as she smiled at the woman. She had opted to have the meeting in one of the conference rooms instead of her office to get her husband in at the meeting if he was available.

It had been two days since their stormy lovemaking, and things were tentatively different. She hoped he was in love with her or at least halfway there. They had left early the last couple of nights and headed straight to bed after barely eating the meal the housekeeper left for them.

Just thinking about this morning was making her hot all over.

“It’s not like those airbnbs. Holly’s House offers visitors a home away from home. Whether you want to relax and forget about everything you left behind, we have cabins nestled deep in the wooded area for just that sort of thing.

If you want to make friends and do something wonderful, we have numerous activities for you to participate in. Staff can babysit your children if you take them with you.”

Nikki nodded as she looked over the proposal.

“And you mentioned that some big organization has been pressuring you to sell the place.”

The woman nodded with a scornful sniff. “They want to build some damn apartments on the property and spoil the whole natural beauty of the area.”

“You want us to represent you and stop that corporation from constantly trying to take you over.” Nikki leafed through the document she had compiled. “You own fifty-five percent of the business.” She pointed out.

“Yes. We had to go public to acquire the money to expand.”

“You expanded rapidly over the last three years.”“And you think that was a bad idea.” Carolyn clasped her hands on top of the table. “Mary-Ann, my sister, thought adding stables and horses would be more profitable.”

Nikki lifted her head and looked at her. “And did it work?”

“Somewhat,” Carolyn said with a sigh. “What can you do for me, my dear? I do not want to think that I will lose the place. I feel like David fighting Goliath.”

“You have to remember that David came out victorious. Oh, here is my husband now. He is more of an expert than I am.”

“Oh my.” The woman whispered as she turned to look at Marcel. “Oh my.”

*****

“I think we got everything we need.”

“Good, because I am absolutely exhausted,” Julia admitted with a laugh. They had spent an hour shopping and were now seated at the outdoor cafe, sipping long glasses of strawberry lemonade. “Truthfully, I have been exhausted ever since the engagement.”

“Your wedding day is fast approaching,” Nikki murmured as she sipped her drink. She had taken the rest of the afternoon off to go shopping with her sister-in-law and to get ready for the gallery opening she was attending with her husband.

“Please don’t remind me,” Julia said with a rueful laugh. “Mother is in her element. It won’t be as fabulous as yours, but the guest list is starting to be problematic. And I am not employed.”

“I would not call you idle. Aren’t you and Wendy responsible for more than a dozen charities?”

Julia nodded with a grateful smile. “I often wondered if Dad is disappointed that I am not a lawyer.”

“I am certain he is proud of you,” Nikki assured her.

“As the youngest in a family of lawyers, I wanted to do something different. Mother used to be an assistant district attorney before she started having children. Both Matthew and Marcel have carried on the family tradition and-”

“You decided to be different,” Nikki said gently. “Nothing is wrong with that, honey.”

“And Gerrald is also a lawyer,” she added, rolling her eyes. “Was that why you were drawn to him?” She had seen the quiet and laid-back Gerrald around the firm and at the few dinners she had been to at the manor.

He did not talk much but, from all appearances, seemed to adore his fiancé. Nikki wondered if he was intimidated by the family he was marrying into.

“I met him when I went to the firm for a meeting a year ago and was bowled over first by his looks and then by the fact that he did not seem to care who I am. He is from a middle-class family, and at first, we had to hide the fact that we were seeing each other.” Julia finished her drink and reached for her glass of water.

The subdued sound of the traffic was a pleasant if intrusive setting to the place, but the diners did not seem to mind. “I was afraid of how Daddy and especially Marcel would react.”

“Marcel?”

Julia looked at her with a smile. “Your husband happens to be very intimidating.”

“Is he?” Nikki grinned wryly. “I hardly ever noticed.”

Julia glanced at her. “How are things going between you two?”

“We seem to be getting along.”

“I have seen the way he looks at you.”

“Like he wants to wring my neck?”

Julia laughed. “You baffle him. My brother is incredibly handsome and accustomed to women falling all over themselves to please him. You do the exact opposite. You do not agree with everything he says.”

“Now, that would be completely ridiculous.”

Julia nodded. “Matthew is gentle. He can be steadfast, but he is also easygoing. Grace is strong and independent. She and my brother are perfect for each other. I think it’s the same for you and Marcel. And I hope it will work that way for me and Gerrald.”

“Do you doubt that?”

“No.” She shook her head. “It’s just that marriage takes much work.”

“Everything worth having takes much work. And I never liked easy. I am not used to easy. The more complicated, the better for me to work it out.”Julia stared at her for a minute, admiring her flawless complexion, neat chignon, and purple dress, which clung to her figure. “Can I ask you something?”

“You can ask,” Nikki told her pointedly, wringing a laugh from her sister-in-law.

“You are scary.”

“Exactly what I like to portray to my clients.” She admitted with a grin.

“You and Marcel were married because of an arrangement. Do you think it will ever work out where the two of you end up falling in love?”

Picking up her glass of water, Nikki took a contemplative sip. “I did not marry your brother because of an arrangement,” she told the girl quietly.

“Oh.” Julia blinked at her as comprehension dawned. “Oh.”

“Precisely.”

“Does he know?”

Nikki shrugged. “Your brother thinks I am an opportunist.”

“What are you going to do about that?”

“Make him realize I am not, eventually. We are getting along for now, and I hope it will stay that way. But I am a realist, and we had a rocky start with lots of issues. I have no doubt that things will come between us again. But I am strong, and there is nothing I cannot fight, including mistresses.”

*****

“Zip me up?” She had decided to leave her hair loose. Scooping the fat curls in one hand, she held them up and out of the way as she turned her back to him. Moving up behind her, Marcel let his gaze wander over the bare flesh of her back, which revealed that she was not wearing anything under the figure-hugging coral-pink dress.

They were preparing to attend a gallery opening, which they were already running late for. Marcel had been stuck at the firm, trying to work out a deal for one of their clients, and had called to let her know to start getting ready.

“We don’t have time.” She murmured as he hesitated behind her.

“I know. You are going to catch your death, and I am not certain I like the idea of my wife walking around in public without underwear.”

Nikki felt thrilled at his possessive tone and the fact that he had referred to her as his wife.

“The dress does not allow-”

“Perhaps you should wear something else.” He was pushing the shoulders off until she was completely naked except for the glossy pair of Romano’s heels she had chosen to wear.

“Marcel-”

“It’s going to drive me crazy picturing you under this dress. Every curve, the feel of your thighs, the taste of your nipples-” His hands came around to cup her breasts, his eyes meeting hers in the full-length mirror.

“I could not concentrate on anything going on at that auction. And it is an auction, is it not?” His thumbs were slowly circling her tight flesh.

“Yes. I-” Biting her lip, she leaned back against him, her body heating up.

“Do you know how damned sexy you look wearing just heels? No-” He shook his head when she was about to leave them. “Keep them on.”

“Marcel-” She moaned, letting her head fall back on his shoulder when one hand drifted down her flat stomach to touch the swollen and sensitive flesh.

“Yes?”

“Don’t stop.” She whispered achingly. “Please.”

“I want you from behind. Just with you wearing those shoes,” he told her harshly. Picking her up, he carried her over to the bed. Pulling her to the edge, he quickly unzipped his dark blue dress pants and took out his swollen shaft.

Gritting his teeth, he sank into her slowly, hands wandering over her smooth thighs and down to her ankles. He was completely sheathed, his erection growing as he slowly and carefully drove into her.

“Tell me if I am hurting you.” He rasped.

“No.” Gripping the sheets in tight fists, Nikki gave into the incredible sensation of him buried deep inside her.