Nalini Singh - Craving Beauty.htm

by Craving Beauty (lit)

  Hira hurt for the boy he'd been. His pride was so much a part of who he was that the stain on his honor would've hurt him terribly. "It pains me that your mother didn't hurt for you. I find it a thing I cannot understand."

  "Yeah. Well, she was as mean as he was—most of the scars on my lower back are courtesy of her. When I was too young to get away, she used to beat me until she took the skin off my back."

  "No mother would do such a thing!" Hira rose up on her knees, her gaze on his face. "No, husband. Please...no?"

  Marc was stunned at the anguish in her eyes. "It no longer matters—it's in the past," he found himself saying.

  Her hands rose to cradle his face. "But, outside and inside you have scars from it."

  "I guess." He shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

  She frowned but to his pleased surprise, leaned for­ward and gave him a soft kiss. "I'll worry if I wish. Tell me why you don't like beautiful women."

  "Why did I think you'd be accommodating?" He kissed her to forestall comment. "My story isn't very original. I was a poor boy but a smart, athletic one. I also worked sev­eral jobs. One of them was as gardener and car washer to the Barnsworthy family. They were, and still are, one of the richest and oldest families in the area. I fell for Lydia Barnsworthy and asked her on a date. Confidence has never been my problem." It was a joking comment, an at­tempt to hide the emotions evoked by the memories.

  "A date?"

  "A high school dance," he elaborated. "Lydia said yes, but when the day came, she stood me up and went with someone else. And she made sure everyone knew what she'd done."

  "What did she look like, your Lydia?"

  "Slender ice blonde." To the teenage boy, she'd been everything that was gracious, but now he saw the cruelty beneath the beauty. These days it was Lydia who chased him, much to his amusement and total disinterest.

  "I've seen a picture of her in one of your American fashion magazines," Hira startled him by stating. "She's quite beautiful...if one likes cold women."

  He hid his grin at the catty comment. "That certainly doesn't apply to you. You're the hottest woman I know."

  It had taken him too long to realize that beneath the armor of self-protective ice, she had so much spirit it burned hot enough to keep him warm for life.

  "So you wished to show the Barnsworthy family and others that you could aspire to a woman of beauty." Her husky tones pulled him back to his story.

  "Put like that, it sounds adolescent," he grumbled. "But it's part of the truth. The second part is, I saw you and wanted you. Without reason or thought. I just knew that you were mine. So I took you."

  His wife stared at him, as though she didn't know quite what to make of that. Then she narrowed her eyes. "But you haven't shown me off to these people. Am I not good enough?"

  "I've found that I don't want to show you off. You're for my eyes only." His tone was hard.

  Her eyes widened. "Husband, you sound very... possessive."

  "Yes." He was, he realized, very possessive where his wife was concerned. So possessive that he didn't want to share her with anyone, certainly not with the bitchy crowd that frequented those glamorous parties.

  Unfortunately, as if he'd conjured it put of thin air merely by thinking of it, it became impossible to avoid going to one of those very same parties. With their travel plans to Zulheil being rescheduled, they were going to be in town on the date when an illustrious member of the business community was being given an honorary dinner.

  "We have to attend " Marc told Hira the night before the dinner, pulling off his shirt. He'd arrived home only an hour ago after an intense day at the office. To his de­light, his wife had waited up to have dinner with him. Such a little thing, but it meant so much, coming from the fiercely independent woman Hira was blooming into. "I respect Artie and it'll hurt him if we don't go when he knows we're still in the city."

  "That's fine, husband." Hira closed her textbook and put it on the bedside table. "I don't mind attending these functions. It's one of my duties as your wife."

  He gave her an exasperated look, trying not to be se­duced by the sight of her in that lacy black slip she'd shimmied into. "Do you do everything because they're duties?" He wondered if she'd worn the sexy garment to tempt him, and his heartbeat accelerated. A woman who purposefully dressed to pleasure her husband had to have some feeling for him. Some need.

  She thought about it. "No. I lie with you because I wish to. We are together too many times for it to be duty."

  Then she gave him a slow, sultry smile. "I wouldn't dress this way for you if it was only duty." A teasing light in her tawny eyes, she shrugged a slender strap off one honey-skinned shoulder. "Oops."

  He felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. "Hell, I guess I think of these things as duty appearances, too. At least you'll make it bearable." Keeping his eyes on her, he peeled off the rest of his clothing.

  She held out her arms. "Come to bed, husband mine."

  He walked over, determined to say what he had to be­fore the light of welcome in her eyes reduced him to in­coherent passion. "I want to warn you—the crowd at these parties will stab you in the back if they have the slightest indication that you're vulnerable."

  "Me? Vulnerable?" She gave an exaggerated sniff. "I am ice, husband."

  "I'd forgotten." He stopped by the bed, waiting for her to shift so he could climb in beside her, and begin doing things to her that would leave her drenched in sweat. Pleasing his wife turned him on like nobody's business.

  "You're so hot."

  Instead of accommodating him, she moved until she was facing his erection. "Hot, hmm?"

  His whole body shuddered as she dipped her head and took him to his own private vision of heaven. "Yup, damn hot." Those were the last words he said for a long, long time, because his desert beauty was in the mood to pleasure her husband.

  Slowly.

  Ten

  The party was as he'd expected. Except for a few men and women he respected, the glittering ballroom was full of debutantes who did lunch and slept with other women's husbands, and those same husbands. None of them dared to approach Marc because he wasn't known to be kind to their species, but he noted the way they looked at his wife.

  "Stay close," he warned her.

  She gave him an amused look. "I can negotiate these waters. I'm used to being talked about."

  He nodded. "Don't let them hurt you or I'll have to get mean."

  "Yes, sir." Laughter lit her eyes.

  Despite her words she did stay close to him for most of the night. Toward the end of the evening she whis­pered,

  "I'm going to powder my nose."

  He nodded and watched her walk off. Lord, but she was stunning. The other men had been noticing all night.

  But, scared off by her ice-queen expression, none of them had had the temerity to approach her. He had to hide a grin. His wife was anything but ice but she could do ice extremely well.

  At that, an earlier thought intruded. Underneath her glittering beauty, Hira had been just a little stiff ever since they'd arrived, though on the drive over, she'd been her usual warm self. It was hardly noticeable, but he knew her well enough, had seen her without her shields too many times to be. fooled. The second they were alone, he'd find out what was bothering his wife. And then he'd dedicate himself to soothing her. Smil­ing, he turned his attention back to the party.

  He got caught up in a conversation with the guest of honor for the next ten minutes, and when he looked around for Hira, he couldn't see her. Intuition had him heading out to the hallway, off which the ladies' pow­der room was located. His eyes narrowed when he saw Lydia walk out of the white-painted door, a smirk on her face.

  Her blue eyes lit up when she saw him. "Darling!" She went to kiss him on the cheek. Behind her back, he saw me door reopen and a familiar figure walk through.

  Without any hesitancy, he pushed Lydia aside. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He hated being ma­nipulated. Even worse, he hated
being used as an instru­ment to hurt his wife.

  Lydia wobbled in her high heels. "But, Marc, our relationship..."

  He'd been trying to be gentlemanly, but when he saw

  Hira's eyes darken in pain, he stopped pulling his punches. "Last time I saw you, you were showing me your breasts and asking if I'd like a taste. I believe I re­fused and told you to get your tail back to that old man you married. Isn't. That. Right." He made it a command.

  Lydia's face went white. "You bastard."

  "I may be, but I'm an honest one. Why the hell would you interest me when I've married a woman who out­shines you by megawatts?" Walking over, he hauled Hira to him. She came without hesitation. "By the way, if I ever again catch you taunting Hira, I'll ensure that the tape of you propositioning me finds its way into your husband's hands."

  "You're lying." Lydia sounded shaky.

  "Do you really think I'd trust you an inch?" He turned and looked down at his wife's still face. She'd been hurt by Lydia. Without further words he headed for the exit.

  Marc flicked on the light in their bedroom and turned to Hira. She hadn't said a word on the drive home and he hadn't pushed, though his simmering temper had de­manded to know everything. Hauling her inside, he locked the door, shutting her in with him.

  "Now, you'll tell me every lie that bitch spouted." He crowded her until she was pressed against the wall. Her purse dropped to the floor as he wrapped one hand gent­ly around her nape.

  "How do you know they were lies?" Her pulse pounded against his hand, but her tone was defiant, her eyes beginning to burn with inner fire.

  "Because Lydia wouldn't know honesty if it bit her."

  He crowded her some more until her soft breasts pressed against the jacket of his tux.

  "Stop giving me orders," she hissed. "And back off."

  "No." His woman had been hurt and he wanted an explanation as to why she'd let that happen.

  She blinked at the uncompromising denial. "You are not behaving as American men are supposed to."

  "How am I behaving?"

  "Like one of the desert chieftains. They're known to be primitive."

  "Is that so, cher? Then you'd better start talking. Us primitive types aren't known for our patience." His eyes drifted to the lushness of her lips. Before his civilized side could talk him out of it, he leaned down and kissed her the way he'd been wanting to all night. Pure heat and pure, possession.

  Her soft lips parted for him, inviting him into her mouth. He took the invitation and claimed her sweetness. His free hand went to her breast but he didn't like the feel of her sparkly dress against his skin. Without releasing her lips, he pushed the strap down and slipped his hand under the dress to close around one heavy globe.

  Hira jerked, but her arms came around his neck in per­mission that he hadn't asked for. Rubbing his thumb across her nipple, he broke the kiss only long enough to allow her a breath and then he ravished her again, massaging her breast with a hand that knew exactly what she liked.

  "What did she say?" he asked, raising his head.

  Her lips were wet, her eyes sleepy looking but her mind sharp. "You're trying to seduce me to get your way."

  "Yes." He plucked at her nipple before cupping her breast again. "I'm a bastard of a negotiator."

  "No, you're merely determined." Her lips curved in an indulgent smile. "Lydia said much, but it all came down to the fact that you were sorry to have married me and were madly in love with her, that you had begged her to come to your bed despite the fact that she was married."

  Raw rage whipped through him. Leaving her breast, he pushed both hands through her lush fall of hair. "And you believed her?" He was furious with her for think­ing so little of him.

  Her eyes narrowed. "I told her that you'd never lower yourself to trash such as she was."

  He wasn't fully mollified. "Then why the hell did she look so happy?"

  "I believe she thought to drive a wedge between us by planting seeds of doubt in my mind."

  "Did she succeed?"

  "You are a man with much pride. You'd never beg the favors of a woman who had rejected you."

  "You know me." He pressed impossibly closer. Only her height in heels allowed her to meet his gaze. "But you believed some of it. You looked like hell."

  "No. I was hurt at being reminded that though you say many things which make me think you value me as more than just a pretty face, I'm still a trophy wife to you, like Lydia is to her husband. Most of the couples there tonight were successful men with beautiful young women they treat as ornaments. I fitted right in."

  His control snapped. "Trophy wife?" he asked very softly. He'd been torn up at the sight of her in pain and she considered herself a trophy wife? He was sick of try­ing to get through to her. Maybe it was time to use non-verbal communication of the kind they were best at. Putting his hands on her waist, he lifted her. "Legs around my waist."

  She obeyed. "What are you doing, husband?"

  Good. She sounded wary. But beneath the wariness was trust that soothed the raw edges of his temper.

  "Teaching you that whatever else you might be, you're no trophy. Trophies get put up on a shelf and admired. I want you in my hands, to touch and please and own in a far different way." He reached under her dress and made short work of her fragile panties.

  She gasped. "This is..." Her words were lost as his fingers probed her, testing her for readiness. Within a few strokes, he was rewarded with damp heat. The scent of her desire rose in the air.

  "Yes, cher" he said. "That's it." ,

  She hit his shoulder with a closed fist. "Do not talk to me as you would to a horse"

  Some of his masculine possessivehess retreated under that sharp-voiced command. Only some. "But, baby, you respond so beautifully to a little coaxing." He slid a finger deep into her, gentle with her in spite of the desire running rampant through his body.

  She cried out and clutched his shoulders. When her eyes opened, they were full of some feminine mystery he couldn't hope to understand. Clenching around his finger, she pulled his head to hers. He went, his free hand breaking a strap on her dress to give him easy ac­cess to her breasts. As one hand closed around her flesh, her teeth scraped his lips.

  "Biting, Hira?" He grinned. "Tut, tut." Another fin­ger deep within her.

  Her eyes flashed, even as tiny feminine muscles rip­pled around him. "I will make you pay for this, Marc."

  He started kissing her neck, wondering if she knew just how rawly sexy she looked with her dress tumbling off to half expose one breast and completely free the other, her hair falling wild and free onto her shoulders and her long, silky legs wrapped around his waist. Sud­denly it was too much. She was hot and more than ready.

  Removing his hand, he went to work on the fasten­ing of his pants. Holding her gaze, he guided himself to her and then thrust. She gasped and blinked, and it was all he could do to stop with that first deep thrust sunk in the velvet heat of her body.

  "Move!" she ordered, breathless.

  Since he had no objection to the idea, he moved. Again and again and again until he couldn't think and there was such erotic pleasure, it felt as if his whole body was going up in flames.