by Dawn Brower
“I have been very, very bad. Perhaps you should spank me for my impudence.”
“You’d like that, I think.”
Noah pushed her legs open wide. Her knees were bent forward over her stomach. When his tongue touched the sensitive nub between her thighs, she nearly jumped from the intense pleasure. He kept licking over and over until she thought she couldn’t bear it any more. Soon she’d explode around his sinful tongue. Then he stopped—leaving her unfulfilled.
“You were about to find your release. We can’t have that yet.”
Rubina cursed in Italian.
Noah laughed.
“You can’t explode until I am buried deep inside of you, dear. It’s the only way. Should we continue with your punishment?”
Sweat trickled down her forehead. He was killing her—it was glorious.
“Do your worst.” She laughed. “I look forward to it.”
“No, I don’t think so.” He joined her on the bed. The heat of his skin touched hers—the only indication she had that he was as naked as she was. “It’s time we found bliss with each other.”
Noah pushed her legs forward again. Slowly he pushed himself inside her tight channel. It stretched and burned, but it was the most wonderful thing she’d had happen to her in a long time. He stopped when he filled her completely.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he demanded.
Rubina didn’t need to be told twice. This was the only concession he’d given to her. He stroked in and out of her. Rubina moaned with each new thrust. Just when she thought she’d explode, he’d stop and suck one of her nipples into his warm mouth.
“Noah, please,” she begged.
It seemed like forever. This constant battle of wills. He’d bring her close only to deny her the pleasure she sought. It was driving her mad.
“How much do you want me?”
“I want it all, Noah. Give it to me now.”
“No, tell me you want only what I can give you.”
“Caro, only you can bring me such pleasure. I need you. Make me explode in your arms.”
Rubina would say anything he wanted to make him continue.
“All you had to do was ask.”
Noah pumped inside of her in rapid strokes. The need built up inside of her again. She tensed, waiting for him to stop again. He didn’t, and she saw stars burst apart behind her eyes. Rubina screamed as it hit her. Noah stopped as he found his own release and groaned in pleasure. It had never been so intense before…
“Grazie…”
Noah rolled off of her. He untied her hands and removed her blindfold. Rubina was so weak she couldn’t move a muscle. That had been the best…well…ever.
“You can return to your own room now.”
He turned and walked into his dressing room, leaving her stunned.
What had just happened?
CHAPTER NINE
Noah dipped his pen in the ink pot and wrote a few words into his account book. The words blurred in front of him. He tossed the pen down on his desk with frustration.
He couldn’t stop thinking about Rubina.
Over the past month, they’d met in her bed chamber. He’d make love to her—leaving her weak and satisfied. As soon as they were done, he’d jump out of her bed as fast as he could. If he stayed, he would start begging her for things he knew she wouldn’t give him.
He wanted her to stay—to love him like she used to.
This whole idea to have a child with her was slowly killing him. To have a small part of her wasn’t nearly enough. If she didn’t conceive soon, he’d be at her feet pleading with her. She already owned his heart. All he had left was his pride. Noah refused to give in completely to her. Surely she’d know if she were pregnant by now…
He’d ask her when he saw her again.
“For someone who prayed every day, for years, his wife would come back to him, you sure don’t look like a happy man.”
Noah looked up as Liam strolled into his study. For the first time in week he smiled.
“Where have you been?”
“At home.” Liam’s eyebrow rose. “You could have stopped by any time.”
Noah sighed. “I’ve been busy.”
Liam picked up a document and read it over. “Doesn’t look too important. What’s going on?”
“Rubina doesn’t want to stay with me.”
“I see.” Liam sat down in front of Noah’s desk. “Why?”
This was the hard part. The real reason he’d been avoiding visiting his best friend. How do you explain that the woman you married fell out of love with you? To make matters worse, she’d disappeared and let him believe she was dead for years. Only to return when she wanted to sever ties to be with someone else—a new man she claimed to love.
Even if she screamed his name each night as he made love to her. Noah had doubts she could possibly love the other man all that much. She crumbled at a mere touch from him. A woman in love with another man wouldn’t be so ready to go to bed with someone else. Something wasn’t adding up, but Noah had yet to figure out Rubina’s game.
“She claims to love another.”
“So why come back at all?”
Noah shrugged. “Hell if I know. She hasn’t left the house the past month. I was going to hire someone to follow her, but she’s stayed inside the entire time. It’s baffling me.”
“That doesn’t sound like Rubina at all.” Liam frowned. “Perhaps Gemma and Lily can get her to go out.”
“Gemma and Lily?”
“Yes. Lily and Rand arrived a couple of days ago for a visit. Little William is a cute little tyke. Which reminds me…” Liam’s lips twitched upward. “I’m going to be a father. Gemma just informed me she’s pregnant.”
Rubina might be pregnant… Part of him dreaded finding out. Then he’d have no reason to visit her bed again. It was the only thing she gave to him willingly. He both coveted and despaired the moment she’d inform him he’d be a father. If only he could look forward to it as Liam did.
“Congratulations.” Noah smiled. “Now that’s a reason to celebrate. I will get the brandy.”
“No.” Liam waved his hand. “I came by for a reason.”
“Oh?”
“Gemma is having a dinner party. She’s excited to have Lily around for a visit.”
Noah didn’t know if he wanted to drag Rubina over to Liam’s for dinner. It might prove too much to have to pretend they were happy. Plus, he never did arrange to take her to a dressmaker. He’d have to rectify that as soon as possible. How was he to entice her to stay when he was being an abysmal husband?
“I see,” he said. “When is this occasion to take place?”
“A few days’ time.” Liam smirked. “She’d have it tonight if she could make it happen. As it is, she’ll be driving me mad for the next few days making all the arrangements.”
“Who all is going to be in attendance?”
“My parents, you and Rubina, and of course Lily and Rand,” Liam explained. “It shouldn’t be too bad. I know how little you like to socialize.”
No. Dinner with Liam’s family would be wonderful. They had always been a second family to him. He’d yet to meet Lily’s husband, and he looked forward to it. She apparently was rather happy living in South Carolina and running the plantation. These visits were few and far between. Her son, William, would only be around a year old. Noah was a little surprised she’d decided to travel with him still being so young.
“Why did Lily decide to visit?”
“My parents haven’t been able to visit. They meant to after Gemma and I returned, but the business has been busy, and Father hasn’t found time to travel. Lily, being the headstrong woman we all know her to be, took matters into her own hands. She says her son needs to know both his grandfathers and made the trip over. Rand has his hands full with her.”
Noah remembered how happy he had been when he brought Ruby home. He’d been so happy. No doubt Lily’s husband was equally so. “I’m sure he doesn’t
mind.”
“No, he loves her. The poor bastard.” Liam grinned. “I love her, but I kind of have to. She’s my sister and all.”
Noah wished he had a family as close as Liam. Some of the best memories he had were spending the holidays with him. The marriage of the Viscount and Viscountess of Torrington was wonderful to see. It was the kind he’d hoped to have some day—one he thought he’d found with Rubina.
How wrong he’d been.
So wrong it hurt to think about. There wasn’t anything he could do to change it. The energy it took to hold all the tears inside was excruciating. It was a battle he’d been fighting his whole life. The only difference between his childhood and now was he’d made this choice. His parents hadn’t decided to leave. They’d been taken away from him.
Rubina chose to leave.
“He’s lucky to have your sister.”
“Damn right he is. He knows it too,” Liam said. “All in all, he’s a good man. Lily chose well. It’s a good thing she has him. Running that plantation is hard work. From everything they’ve told me, it’s an uphill battle. There is a lot of tension still after the War Between the States ended. I wouldn’t want to deal with it.”
“Right.” Noah tried to focus on what Liam was saying, but it was getting hard to follow him. Something about Lily’s home… “Is Gemma sending formal invitations?”
He had a lot on his mind. After Liam left he would arrange for the dressmaker to visit Rubina. She needed new gowns and one done fast. He didn’t want her to feel out of place at the dinner party in one of her old dresses. She hadn’t asked again, and he’d forgotten. It wasn’t an excuse, but it’s what happened.
“If I know my wife—and I do—she will. This is a heads up so you can prepare yourself. I know she’s been wanting to come by and formally meet Rubina. Now that Lily is here, don’t be surprised if she drops by one day.”
Great, just what he needed to look forward to. Gemma had tact—Lilliana lacked it. She would blurt out what everyone else dared not. Noah had found it charming in the past. Now though, he dreaded it. He didn’t want his life dissected. Was it too much to hope Lillian had mellowed since she married?
“How is your sister these days?” Noah asked. “I mean really. You said she’s happy to be married and living with the heathens…”
“Yes?”
“Is she still the same spirited woman we always knew?”
“Did you miss the whole headstrong part of why she’s here?”
“Right…” So he missed some important information while he’d been lost in thought. “I mean, is she as…blunt as she’s always been?”
“I see. You want to know if she’d going to interrogate you or Rubina?”
Noah nodded. “I want to be prepared for anything. We all know how your sister can be.”
“Well, then I’d prepare for her to storm the front lines, so to speak.” Liam frowned. “She mentioned something about becoming reacquainted with Rubina. It didn’t sound…good.”
That was what Noah feared. Lily wouldn’t let them get by with any deflection. When she asked a question she demanded an answer. Noah and Rubina had been getting along by not asking the hard questions. Perhaps it was time they were asked and answered. This impasse had been nice, but it was always doomed to crumble.
Noah sighed. “Duly noted.” He scrubbed his hands over his face. What a mess.
“How are you doing really?”
“I’m not…” Noah didn’t know how to answer it. “No matter what I say I’m not over her. I want to be. But for me…time didn’t erase my feeling. I don’t know if I can convince her to stay.”
“Do you want her to?”
Yes. He did. But not if she wasn’t happy. The past month opened his eyes in a lot of ways. She went willingly to his bed, and he loved her in every way possible. He couldn’t hold back while he held her in his arms. If showing her how he felt wasn’t enough, nothing would be.
“It doesn’t matter what I want.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” Liam crossed his arms across his chest. “If you want her to stay, fight for her. Don’t give in just because she says she loves another.”
“It’s not that easy.”
Liam didn’t understand. You couldn’t fight for someone who didn’t want to be fought for. Rubina made her choice. Noah would let her go. If she wasn’t already pregnant, he’d let her go sooner than he had planned. He wouldn’t hold her to a promise he’d demanded in anger.
“Nothing ever worth fighting for is,” Liam stated. “If you love her, then tell her. Show her that this is the place she belongs. She should never have left. Make her want to be with you so much she lives and breathes it.”
Was it possible? No, Noah wouldn’t give in to false hope. It had already bit him in the arse hard. He shook his head. “Maybe you’re right, but…”
Liam held up his hand. “No buts. Fight for her.”
Noah let his mind roam to what it would be like if Rubina stayed. If she learned to love him again—to have children with her. Their lives so intertwined he couldn’t see where she began and he ended. It was something he’d always wanted. He only dared to dream he could have it when he’d met her on his grand tour. When he first saw her… He knew she was the one for him. She’d been so beautiful in the moonlight. Their courtship had been fast, and he’d married her before he left. It wasn’t until they got back to England that they’d started to fight. The realty of their life together hadn’t been all sunshine and roses. Then, one day, she’d had enough and ran away.
He couldn’t blame her. She’d been miserable.
“I don’t know how to even begin to fight for her.”
“You know Rubina better than anyone. Start there and woo her again. Show her that your love for her is enduring. You asked her for forever, and it’s time she paid up.”
Noah laughed. “You’re right.”
“You bet I am.” Liam grinned. “I’m always right.”
“Really?” Noah raised an eyebrow. “I’ll have to ask Gemma about that when I see her again.”
“Please don’t.” Liam shuddered. “I rather like sleeping with my wife each night. And with that, I really need to go home.” Liam stood up. “Before I forget, I saw some strange man lingering across the street staring at your townhouse. Didn’t like the looks of him. You might want to check him out.”
“I will look into it.” Noah frowned. Why would some ruffian be interested in his home? Were they thinking of robbing him? He would look into it later and order the house on full alert. “Thanks for coming by. I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk to someone until you strolled through my door.”
“Anytime.” Liam waved as he left the room.
Noah sat back in his chair and steepled his fingers together. He had a lot of plans to make. His wife wouldn’t know what hit her. Woo her? Oh, he intended to…
A siege of epic proportions was about to be enacted upon his wife—he couldn’t wait to see her reaction.
For the first time in a month, Noah smiled. This was going to be fun.
CHAPTER TEN
Rubina lay on top of her bed. The room spun as soon as she’d lifted her head. Whatever caused the vertigo to hit her, she wished it would go away. Becoming incapacitated was not conducive to her plans. She needed to know what was going on with the search for Paolo. Damian had not come by, and she was nervous. It couldn’t be a good sign. What if something nefarious had happened to him? She swallowed back her fear. Her brother knew how to take care of himself. She couldn’t worry about him.
“Pardon me, Your Grace…”
Rubina turned her head, slowly. She winced with the effort. Damned nuisance this was.
“Yes, Abby?”
“There are two ladies here to see you. Should I tell them you’re not available?”
Who could possibly be coming to see her? She had no friends—sad but true. No one came to visit her. It was usually busybodies or someone Noah knew. Although, this could be a way for Dami
an to reach her—he probably didn’t want to get questioned further by her husband.
“No. I will come down. I can’t lay about in bed all day.”
She could—but she wouldn’t. There was far too much at stake.
“Yes, Your Grace.” Abby turned to go.
“Wait,” Rubina called to her. “Please have some refreshments brought into the sitting room, and tell our guests I will be with them shortly.”
She took a deep breath and rolled off the bed. First, she’d have to make herself presentable. Rubina sat at her vanity and gasped. She looked like death warmed over… She must be coming down with something. Perhaps she shouldn’t visit with anyone—no it might be important. Whatever malady had overcome her, she’d take the risk. This social call could very well be a life or death situation.
Rubina pinched her cheeks in an effort to bring color to her porcelain skin. She sighed when it didn’t seem to do much good. Hopefully her guests weren’t so rude as to comment upon it. Hard to say—depending on who it was. If it was some busybody—God help them. Rubina didn’t have the patience for them.
She quickly discarded her dressing robe and put on her burgundy gown. It was a good thing she’d gotten used to so little clothing choices over her years locked away or she’d have been highly irritated with Noah’s refusal to visit the dressmaker. Suggesting it had been an excuse for why she’d been so distracted. What she’d actually been doing was scanning the streets for any unsavory individuals. Paolo’s men could be lurking anywhere…
Time to go face the music…
Rubina descended the stairs and entered the sitting room. She held back her reaction to the visitors awaiting her.
“Oh, good. We were thinking you were intentionally avoiding us.” Lilliana strolled across the room and pulled her into a hug. “I don’t want you to think that we’re cross with you. I’m glad to see you alive—even if you do look rather pale. Are you feeling all right?”
“Lily.” Gemma gasped. “No need to be rude.”
Lilliana shrugged. “It’s the truth, so why not speak it?”
“I’m fine really,” Rubina reassured them. The last thing she needed was for them to start asking questions. It would lead to places she didn’t want to go. “I was resting.”