Chapter 14 The Trip #2
And they were fabulous, including mine, which was decorated in mauves and taupes, had a massive fainting couch as the end-of-bed bench, and amazing lighting.
There wasn’t a dressing table like at The Downs.
But I was oh-so not going to quibble.
It was almost time to meet downstairs for a drink and to wait for Battle’s return, whereupon we’d head out to dinner.
I couldn’t wait to see him.
Bartholomew was lazing in the doorway to the bathroom.
He’d been excited about our reunion.
Now he was sleeping it off.
And I was putting the finishing touches on another low chignon, this time I had some sultry curls escaping.
For a trip that required eveningwear, I’d of course brought a cocktail dress in a soft jade satin, streamline slim skirt that fell just above my knees, and a blousy, slouchy top that fell off one shoulder.
Bonus, it worked with the diamonds and champagne heels, the only fancy jewelry and footwear I owned.
But my mind was on Chassie, who absolutely seemed happy at the gardens, but grew silent and reflective in the car and disappeared the minute we got to the house.
Even though she did seem a bit panicky before we left The Downs, she’d settled in since and gave the impression she was fine.
Now I was worried we pushed her too far too fast.
I heard a knock on the bedroom door and called out, “Come in!” thinking it was Prue, or Tempie, but hoping it was Chassie, even if she was just coming to get me, but better if she wanted to hang and chat.
I heard the door open and called, “I’ll be right out,” and headed that way.
I was about to step over Bartie, when he adjusted to come lugubriously to his feet.
Since I had one foot hovering over him, he caught it, catching me off guard, taking me off kilter, and with a truncated cry, I went flying.
This again.
Great.
I landed in a beautiful man’s arms.
I looked up at Battle, and my whole world righted.
“Well, darling, if you’re going to throw yourself at me,” he purred.
I opened my mouth to say I didn’t, but then I found my mouth busy, because he was kissing me.
Proper kissing me!
It didn’t even take me half a second to process it.
I wound my arms around his neck, tipped my head further back to invite him to do whatever he wanted, melted into him and let him explore my lips with his. He took the opportunity, until the tip of his tongue touched the crease, I opened for him, and he slipped inside.
Oh God.
My belly plummeted, I held tighter around his neck since my legs refused to support me, both because he tasted good and he kissed even better.
I had a hand in his hair and a deep need in my core by the time he lifted his head.
I swam out from under the haze of his kiss, opened my eyes, encountered sheer male beauty and whispered, “Hey.”
His mouth and eyes smiled, up close and gorgeous.
“Hey,” he whispered back.
He probably never said that word in his life, not like that, but to me, it sounded amazing.
“That was for throwing yourself into my arms,” he stated.
“I didn’t—”
“This is for agreeing to stay at The Downs,” he went on.
And he dropped his mouth to mine and kissed me again.
Right.
The other one?
Superb.
This one?
Hot and wild and insane.
After a weeklong tease, we were primed.
God, so primed.
He went at me, and I went at him.
Then I was shuffled back, I hit wall, and he went at me harder, so I did the same.
By the time he lifted his head, I was panting, and thankfully (because I didn’t want to be the only one seriously affected by our kiss), he was also breathing heavily.
“Christ, I knew that mouth would unravel me,” he growled.
Ugh!
He was driving me crazy!
“Stop being sexy,” I warned.
He stopped gazing at my mouth to gaze into my eyes. “Is that what you really want?”
“I’m supposed to be having a drink with your sisters right about now.”
“They can wait.”
“And then dinner with them.”
“Maybe they’ll go on without us.”
“They can’t.” I took my hand from his hair (soft and lush, I’m so dead), smoothed it then smoothed the lapel on his very nice, blue suit. “I don’t want you to freak, but I think today was too much for Chassie.”
Slowly, his head turned toward the door.
I know it would cause emotional pain.
Damn.
He really was such a good guy.
He looked down at me. “She seemed fine when I arrived.”
“Really?”
“She’s down in the lounge, having a drink with Prue.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “Maybe I’m being overly sensitive.”
“Why did you think that?”
“She got quiet on the ride back from the gardens. Then disappeared during Prue’s tour. Your house is fab, by the way.”
His lips twitched. “Thank you, by the way.”
“You’re welcome.” I used both hands to fiddle with his lapels, watching my fingers move as I muttered, “Maybe she was just being Chassie. Prue and I can talk a blue streak, and Tempie doesn’t keep her mouth shut if she has something to say. Maybe she was just being quiet.”
He gave me a squeeze, gaining my attention. “We’ll have a mind.”
I nodded.
Then I tipped my head to the side. “Who told you I decided to stay at The Downs?”
“Prue texted me earlier.”
Of course.
Prue.
He pulled back just a smidge and started, “Vivienne, if—”
But I put my fingers to his lips. They even felt good.
“I can be prideful,” I admitted.
He wisely kept those lips closed.
I took my hand from them. “It still makes me a bit uncomfortable, but I’ll get over it.”
“Good,” he murmured.
“And I’m sorry I threw your generosity in your face,” I carried on. “That wasn’t cool.”
“Darling.”
That was all he said, sweet and tender, and as it was so much of both, that was all he had to say.
I grinned at him. “Do I get a kiss for giving in about dinner?”
“Only if you wish me to close that door and not see my sisters until I deposit you back at The Downs tomorrow evening,” he paused, “Or Saturday morning.”
“Tease,” I accused jovially.
He shrugged.
I rolled my eyes.
He touched his lips to mine as I did it, so I stopped halfway through.
When he lifted away, he asked, “Are you ready to go down?”
“Just need to put on my lippie and get my bag.”
With two big hands smoothing along the satin of my dress across my back and down my hips, leaving fire in their wake, he stepped away from me.
Total tease.
I successfully avoided the dog on the way back to the bathroom.
Battle lounged in the doorway watching me slick on lipstick.
“And you call me a tease,” he said while I did it.
I took the tube away, looking at him in the mirror. “What?”
“Darling, your ass in that dress?”
I twisted, like I could see my ass.
“Unless you’re so inclined,” he began, “which thankfully, I just discovered you’re not, I don’t believe you’ll react to it the same way I do even if you could contort yourself to see it.”
This hot man thought I was hot.
God, I loved that.
I grinned at him and went back to my lipstick.
It was highly erotic, doing that with him watching me. Even dropping the tube in my bag and walking to him as I finished.
But it was only sweet when he took my hand and led me to the door, Bartholomew lugging himself along with us, as we went to join his sisters.
Hot and sweet.
That was Battle.
Or at least that was what he was to me.
* * *
It was after dinner.
Battle and I were just inside my bedroom, standing, wound together and going at each other like teenagers (again).
I was hot and bothered, I felt him hard and ready, pressed to my belly, and I could not wait to unveil that present.
His hair had to be a mess considering my fingers had run through it repeatedly.
He had a hand full of my ass, and dayum, it felt good there.
I was on the verge of dragging him to my bed when he cupped my jaw and pulled away.
I swam up from the fog of Battle’s kisses, opening my eyes just as he kissed the tip of my nose in a manner that was cute, but I wasn’t a big fan of it due to what I worried it meant.
“The minute I saw those freckles, I knew I was done,” he whispered.
Okay, I wasn’t going to get a penetrative orgasm from him first.
I was going to get a verbal one.
“Battle—”
“I go to the office early. We have a gym,” he said.
No!
“But I’ve planned to leave early so we can be on our way,” he concluded.
Hang on.
Was he going to leave me in this state?
“Battle—”
He touched his lips to mine, and there, he said, “Sleep well, sweetheart.”
Then he glided his hand from my ass so it became an arm around my waist, he gave me an affectionate squeeze, let me go and walked to my door.
I was right, his hair was a sexy mess.
God!
“Are you insane?” I whispered, half frustrated, half irate.
He turned and smiled a roguish smile at me.
God!
He was killing me.
“Not in the slightest,” he replied, knowing just what he was doing to me. “Have fun tomorrow.”
And then…
The lout!
He was gone.