Chapter 17
17
One of these days, Ingrid is going to realize that she’s viewing me through the lens of her own sweetness and not reality. And maybe that’s why I feel the need to give her a touch of real romance. That, and it was really good pie.
I’m selfish enough to take her kisses while they’re freely offered. When she pulls back a little, her eyes dazed, I snuggle her against my side and continue with my story.
“Instead of taking her back to his apartment as he’d originally planned, he spends an additional three hours driving them to his getaway cottage well outside the city. It’s small and quaint, something he inherited from his grandmother. He told himself it was an investment — it would be worth so much more if he hung on to it. But the truth was, he liked the place and had fond memories of playing in his grandmother’s garden when he was young. It wasn’t quite a sacrifice to take that time for travel because the young woman was with him and he would be buried inside her soon enough. ”
I pause to check on Ingrid. She’s watching me through half-lidded eyes, a small smile of enjoyment teasing her lips.
“The young woman loves the cottage as he’d expected, but now he’s impatient. He promises her she can explore the next day, or maybe the day after that. He carries her bags into the bedroom only then realizing he didn’t bring anything for himself. He kept the bare essentials on hand, but not much more than that. He lets it go and sweeps the younger woman into an embrace. Gradually deepening his kiss to allow her to pull back if it became overwhelming for her, he was surprised when she began to undress him.”
Ingrid giggles. I glance down at her in inquiry. “He’s not giving her much credit,” she remarks dryly.
I nod in acknowledgment. “He quickly realizes that. And he’s also very distracted by her hands on him. He wants this to be good for her and it won’t be if he can’t focus. He tells her to wait for him on the bed. She’s reluctant, but does as he ordered. Then he undresses for her, again half expecting her to shy away when she sees the evidence of his arousal. But she doesn’t. He’s unable to resist showing off in front of her admiring gaze. He fists himself a few times, causing his cock to swell even further. The young woman’s eyes are wide but interested.”
Ingrid shifts restlessly next to me so I know her own arousal has caught, but we have a way to go before she’s begging like I promised.
“He joins the young woman on the bed and slowly begins undressing her. He kisses each part of her body that’s exposed until she’s moaning with need. She tries to help, but he stills her hands with one of his. It takes longer to strip her with only one hand, but neither of them is complaining. ‘I’m claiming you,’ the man tells her, ‘in every way possible. I’m going to plunder your virgin pussy with my bare cock and fill it so full of my seed you’ll be pregnant within the hour.’ ”
Ingrid snorts. “You need to read more romance books. That kind of caveman routine went out of fashion years ago.”
I glare at her with mild disdain. “Then how come it made you dripping wet?” I counter.
Her mouth opens to argue, but then she thinks better of it. “How could you possibly know that?”
“Because you’re clenching your thighs and your breathing sped up. And of course, that little moan at the end sort of gave you away.”
“Well, you’re wrong.”
“So you don’t mind if I check for myself, then?” I don’t wait for her response. My hand slides up her bare thigh under her nightgown and, as I’d predicted, she’s sopping wet. My fingers slide over her slippery folds with ease.
I raise my glistening index finger to where she can see it before sliding it in my mouth to lick it clean. Her eyes widen. I go back to my story.
“The young woman challenges his claim. ‘What if I don’t want to have children so soon, or at all?’
‘So you want me to stop? And take you home?’ He’s shocked her, he can tell, but slowly she spreads her legs in invitation. He knows, you see, how badly she wants a family of her own, but that she’s convinced herself it’s not for her. That somehow she doesn’t deserve it. So he’s planning to show her by making it happen. He kisses her again and teases her pussy with his fingers, making sure she’s as ready as can be to take him inside her. Then he piles pillows behind her back because he wants her to watch, not just feel his claim.”
Ingrid stills with her fists clenched. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was aching with need. I drop a swift kiss on her lips. “Anytime you want me to stop and make it better, baby, just beg. That’s all you have to do,” I tease her. Instead of glaring, Ingrid looks like she’s considering that option carefully .
“The man holds his cock steady as he guides it between her folds while she watches like a hawk. She’s tight, and he has to force himself to go unbearably slow. When he’s all the way inside her, he savagely tosses the pillows away and lays her down on her back.”
“Justin!” Ingrid moans, her hands now clenching my arm.
I raise an eyebrow, waiting for the magic word. It’s not long coming.
“Please!”
With hardly a thought and an immense amount of satisfaction, I abandon the fictional lovers to find their own way and turn my attentions to my still virginal wife. Stroking her pussy gently, I increase the speed and pressure when she keeps shifting against my hand. Then I plunge three fingers in her without warning, causing her to gasp. She’s so wet they slide right in.
“Oof, Justin!” She lets out a strained laugh. I kiss her, letting my tongue mirror the actions of my fingers. In no time, she’s flying apart in my arms. I keep my fingers in her, moving more gently now until the very last tremor subsides.
“Better, baby?” I ask innocently.
She doesn’t answer, just curls up with a happy sigh, trapping my hand between her legs. Eventually I’ll have to free it, but I’m enjoying her delight in having me inside her body, even this more subtle invasion.
“When do I get your cock, for real, Justin?” she finally asks hesitantly and so softly I barely hear her words.
I already know the answer to this one and it burns my soul. “In New York, Ingrid. When you come home to me.”
We’re both quiet after that. When I know she’s asleep, I withdraw my hand gently and kiss her forehead. My dark soul has little expectation of her coming to claim what’s hers. But as she said, I’ve been known to underestimate her in the past. And my heart can’t help but hold on to a sliver of hope.
Despite having two days to accomplish it and not much else on my agenda, I’m in a constant rush getting ready for my trip. And making sure there’s enough food in the house that Fred won’t need to leave Justin alone. I know he’s planning his own departure for just a few days after mine, but I’m still worried.
And honestly, more than a little muddled by our intimacy the other night. Not the orgasm part, I’m pretty clear on that. But his story, his cuddling me close throughout the night. Does he not trust me? I mean, I guess he has reasons not to, what with my adamant stance on staying in Montana. But surely, after all his years of negotiating, he would recognize that as an opening salvo. Or maybe this is him participating and amounts to his counter offer? Before we both begin compromising? I’m so confused my head hurts.
I resolve to put all of this behind me for the next week, or at least until Rose and I can delve deep into the topic like we used to do in college. Maybe she’ll see something I’m missing…
On Tuesday, Justin insists with one of his warning growls that Fred is to take me to the airport and wait there until I board the plane. This was after he held me close for the entire night without a word. His arm was tight enough under my ribs to have me straining for a deep breath, but I didn’t complain. Something about the way he held me told me he needed the reassurance. And maybe so did I.
He’s well enough now to come down the stairs to see me off. He kisses me on the cheek while Fred takes my bags to the car. “Be careful, okay?” I ask him softly.
Naturally, he frowns down at me as if I’d forgotten how long he’s been alone and functioning without me. “Be good,” he finally orders in response .
Right. Well, at least we seem to have progressed from yelling at each other. That’s something right?
The trip to the small regional airport is fairly quick. I urge Fred to simply drop me at the curb with my bags, pointing to the security guard standing nearby. “See, nothing can happen to me here. I’m more worried about Justin at the house. Really, Fred. It’s okay.”
He snorts in disbelief. “Do you not comprehend that he already has your flight up on a tracker app on his phone and he’ll be pissed off to the point of a coronary if I arrive back before your flight has even departed?” Fred raises both grizzled eyebrows at me in disbelief.
Oh. Yeah, I can see his point. “Fine. But once I board, you’ll leave? You can claim a tailwind or something.”
Fred only rolls his eyes in response and picks up my bags out of the back of the vehicle.
Once I’m safely buckled into my seat on the plane, I take out my book. It’s been so long since I’ve had five minutes to myself I realize I’ve completely forgotten where I left off, so I revisit a few chapters until I know I’m in familiar territory. This little commuter plane has one seat between the window and aisle on one side and two on the other. I scored one of the single seats, so I don’t even have to worry about getting up for a future seatmate. I settle back in my seat, careful to keep my elbows in and reacquaint myself with Kitty and her problems.
Rafe’s frustration warred with his conscience. He was a gentleman, after all, even though Kitty had worked hard to make him forget it. And she’d nearly succeeded. But no more. His lips thinned to a firm line as he dragged her behind him down the path leading to the stables. He didn’t want any members of their minuscule household staff witnessing her humiliation and thus undermining her authority as the lady of the house.
“Rafe! What are you doing? Where are you taking me?” Kitty wailed even as she continued to tug on her arm that he held captive. He was both pleased and annoyed that there didn’t appear to be any fear in her voice. There should be. If she were a proper lady, she ought to be trembling with fright.
He ignored her pleas for an explanation until he had her safely inside the confines of the stable and neatly backed into an empty stall. There was no escape for her unless she managed to flatten him. Given their differences in both height and weight, he deemed that highly unlikely.
“Rafe!” Kitty scowled at him as she rubbed the wrist he’d been clutching.
He scowled right back.
“Why are we in the stables? What are you doing?” Again, more confusion than trepidation. Couldn’t she see the way the world worked? She was smart enough for a woman. How could she be so very ignorant?
“You wanted me to treat you like an illicit woman, the stables seemed appropriate.” Privacy had been his primary motivation, but she didn’t need to know that.
Kitty gulped, uncertainty gathering her delicate eyebrows together. “What do you mean?” Her voice had gone quiet, and she took a few steps back until her spine was flush with the rear of the stall.
Rafe stayed where he was. The idea was for her to learn her own lesson, not for him to force himself on her.
“I want you to kiss me,” he stated baldly.
Kitty’s eyes widened and her rosebud lips parted. “What?!”
Rafe rolled his eyes. “Were my instructions unclear? A real lightskirt wouldn’t last long in the business if she hesitated like you. A man expects his needs to be attended to. And promptly if she expects to get paid appropriately or if he should bother to come back. That is, after all, what a lightskirt is for.”
Kitty swallowed hard once more, but then her eyes narrowed. Rafe couldn’t help but admire her slender form as the sunlight shafted in revealing the shape of her body through the thin dimity muslin of her dress.
“You’re trying to scare me,” she murmured, almost as if to herself. He was. Rafe wasn’t stupid enough to confirm that for her, though.
Her lips twitched at the corners. She walked gracefully and slowly towards him. This was not what he had expected. She stopped just shy of brushing her bosom against the sleeve of his jacket and stared up at him.
“You’re going to have to either bend down or fetch me a step stool,” she remarked dryly.
Rafe glared. He hadn’t thought she would actually attempt to go through with it. He glanced around and over the partition into the next stall. There were a few hay bales there.
He grunted and led her out the door and into the next stall. Without a word, he placed both hands on her waist and lifted her onto the bale. Now she stood a few inches taller than he and it seemed to delight her. He was reluctant to remove his hands in case she should lose her footing.
Her own hands came up to frame his face. Her fingers were warm and silken as they caressed his cheeks. “Are you sure about this, Rafe? Are you absolutely positive this is what you want?”
He gave her a jerky nod in response, although his eyes may have revealed his uncertainty. What he wanted was for her to fall neatly into the role of his duchess, proper and predictable at all times. It would be easier on both of them that way.
Kitty stared at him. Long enough for him to wonder if she was about to retract all her earlier statements. But then her lips parted ever so slightly and she inclined her head down.
When her lips met his, her obvious inexperience both soothed and inflamed him. Her earlier words of authority on the roles of women with men had been exactly that. Mere words. She hadn’t been with other men. She hadn’t even been kissing any. She was all his.
Just as he was about to deepen their kiss, show her how to truly use those perfect lips to effect, she pulled back .
“There. Satisfied?”
My stomach lurches in delight. But then I realize the plane is in the process of taking off and the front wheel just left the tarmac. I giggle to myself and relish the sensation with my eyes closed before diving back in.
It took all of Kitty’s mettle not to reveal how pressing her lips to Rafe’s had rattled her. She was trembling when he finally lifted her from the bale and set her on her feet. She had to lock her knees not to go tumbling to the floor. All while under his watchful glare. And he didn’t say a word, merely watching her from the entrance of the stables as she made her way back to the house. She pressed her fingers to her still tingling lips. Did he feel the same sparks? Surely not. He had no doubt kissed hundreds of women. Maybe even thousands.
Kitty ignored the angry ball of hurt and jealousy that roiled in her stomach. She had met his challenge head on and if his silent glares were anything to go by, she had won. She should be satisfied with that instead of wanting to turn around and run back for more.
The spot between her shoulder blades heated with awareness. He was still watching her. Her spine stiffened, and she held her head high. The next move was his. But would it be her undoing?
She headed into the kitchen to see about a soothing cup of tea. Her nerves were all a jumble and it wouldn’t do for Rafe to spot that when he finally rejoined her in the house. Would he come to her tonight? To order her to lie there like a log or to kiss him again? Or would he ignore her entirely?
Kitty wasn’t even entirely sure what she wanted to happen. Why didn’t Rafe simply pack his bags and head back to his main estate and leave her here? He’d said he wasn’t even planning on getting an heir for another five years.
You’re testing his authority. The little voice in her head cooed. And he needs to set you in your place. Her temper flared at the realization, and she gulped her tea in a most unladylike manner .
She had no idea when Rafe returned to the house, but it was obviously in plenty of time to wash and dress for dinner. When he joined her in the quaintly formal dining room, he acted like nothing had happened between them. He politely inquired about her day and her opinions on the weather. Even going so far as to casually remark, “I shouldn’t be surprised if we see a storm blow in later this week.”
Mostly she gaped at him in between responding to his direct questions with monosyllabic answers. What was he about? Did he think she’d turned tail and run earlier out of fright? She opened her mouth to ask and then shut it again abruptly. No, she wasn’t about to offer up information. Let him go running down the wrong path in his mind. She’d show him!
And just as soon as it was even mildly acceptable and wouldn’t offend Mrs. Cutchins, the cook and housekeeper, she excused herself. Rather than withdrawing to the empty lady’s drawing room, she scurried up the stairs to her own bedchamber so she could pace and mutter to herself in peace.
Later, as she scrunched her shoulders and contorted her arms in an effort to undo the buttons down her back, she muttered some very unladylike words. If Rafe was so concerned with propriety and her being a proper duchess, where was her lady’s maid? Who ever heard of a duchess that didn’t have one? She snorted once she was able to lift the dress up and over her head before reaching back for the lacings to her stays. At least with no lady’s maid, there was no witness to her scandalous plan to sleep in the big bed stark naked. That was the only passive response she could think of to any of the duke’s possible plans. If he chose to ignore her, then he would be none the wiser. If he came to reassert his authority, he would have to deal with her naked form, which had appeared to distress him rather considerably last night.
Kitty refused to admit her own disappointment when she woke alone to sunlight streaming in the windows, accompanied by the sounds of birds chirping. Uncertainty cramped her belly as she made a rushed job of washing her face and dressing for the day. What was Rafe going to do next?
The pilot interrupts my reverie with Kitty to inform us that we’re approaching the Denver airport for landing. With a sigh of regret, I store the book in my bag and settle back to enjoy the descent. Denver may be a big city by Montana standards, but it still looks little and quaint compared to Los Angeles or Manhattan. I wonder what Justin would say if the next time he saw me I was wearing cowboy boots? Eh, he’d think I was deliberately trying to provoke him, so maybe not.
I do check the terminal giftshops though for anything baby Aurora might desperately need. In an emotional sense, anyway. I already sent a raft load of what I consider to be essential infant reading, so this is just anything extra that strikes my fancy. It’s my duty as an honorary aunt to start spoiling her immediately.