Claim

by Janet Nissenson

  Ian shook his head firmly. “Not on your life. I shouldn’t have told you that much, you horny bastard. Speaking of which, since you rather rudely interrupted us just now, you’ll understand if I excuse myself to, ah, finish what I started. You’ve got the pool to yourself.”

  Colin grinned wickedly. “Suddenly, a swim doesn’t sound very appealing. Maybe I’ll just walk back into the house with you. I can, ah, loiter outside in the hallway for a bit in case you need any pointers.”

  Ian growled in disapproval. “Like hell you will. And I assure you, little brother, that I can figure this out all by myself.”

  “I’m sure you can,” joked Colin. “Especially with your very sexy fiancée for inspiration. But I honestly don’t mind tagging along, Ian. I promise to cover my ears if I hear anything really juicy and - shit!”

  Colin was caught completely off guard - and balance - as his brother gave him a very firm shove into the pool. He surfaced quickly, being nearly as accomplished a swimmer as Ian, spluttering as he shoved a wet hank of hair from his face.

  Ian was smirking in satisfaction. “You looked a little hot there, Colin, figured you’d welcome the opportunity to cool off a bit. See you at breakfast. And don’t you dare say a word to Tessa about anything we’ve just discussed. Otherwise, I’ll have her give everyone a demonstration of her boxing skills, and you can be her sparring partner.”

  Colin’s annoyance at having been rather unceremoniously dumped into the pool quickly disappeared as Ian strode away briskly, and he smiled in satisfaction instead. ‘Never thought I’d see the day when you were this crazy about a woman, old man,’ he thought to himself as he began to swim laps. ‘Though I’m going to have to dream up a new nickname or two for you now. Can’t very well call you old or a prude when you’ve got a sexpot like Tessa waiting in your bed, can I?’

  Tessa was still seething as she turned on the taps in the shower, and then waited for the water to reach an acceptable temperature. To say that she was greatly annoyed by what had just happened out by the pool would be a severe understatement; royally pissed off would be a much more accurate description of her emotions right about now.

  Ian had warned her more than once about his younger brother, but she’d dismissed all of his cautionary words as a bit of overkill. After all, she’d reasoned, Colin was a married man now and a father besides, so surely he would have given up his rakish ways?

  Ian had rolled his eyes at her innocently murmured words. “I wouldn’t be so sure, darling,” he’d cautioned her. “He may be a family man now, but I sincerely doubt his roving eye doesn’t - well, rove every so often. Not that he would actually cheat on Selina, of course, but it’s hard to imagine a natural born flirt like my brother completely mending his ways.”

  And Ian, of course, had been exactly right in his assessment of Colin. Over dinner last night, the first time Tessa had actually been able to spend with Colin and Selina, he’d flirted with her rather outrageously. Tessa had been startled at this overt behavior, but she’d apparently been the only one at the table to express surprise. Selina had merely rolled her eyes at her husband, and once or twice had admonished him for making Tessa uncomfortable. It seemed as though she didn’t take his flirting seriously at all, and was very confident that he wouldn’t dare take it beyond some harmless teasing. Ian, meanwhile, had scowled darkly at his younger brother at frequent intervals, which had only made Colin’s eyes twinkle anew with mischief. Edward and Joanna had rather tactfully changed the subject at frequent intervals.

  But Colin’s - voyeurism, for lack of a better word, out at the pool had crossed a line for Tessa. She cringed to recall how loudly she’d been moaning in response to Ian’s torrid kisses, how closely their bodies had been entwined, and that if Colin hadn’t finally alerted them to his presence, how her entire breast would have been exposed to his lascivious gaze.

  She shuddered in reaction as she stepped beneath the warm spray of the shower, rinsing off the chlorine from the pool. When she and Ian had headed out an hour ago for an early morning swim, it hadn’t been with the intention of also having a passionate interlude in the pool. As usual, though, it was nearly impossible for them to keep their hands off each other for very long, and at the mere touch of Ian’s hand on her waist she’d flung herself into his arms, pulling his head down to meet her eager kiss.

  Tessa groaned, resting her forehead against the blue and green mosaic tiles of the shower, and willed her still-aroused body into some semblance of control. She was rather sheepishly aware that all these months of sharing Ian’s bed had most definitely awakened her sexually, to a point where she physically ached for his touch when they were apart, and where she feared she was starting to become something of a nymphomaniac, considering how frequently she craved making love with him.

  Ian had laughed heartily when she’d haltingly confessed her fears to him, sweeping her around in a circle and kissing her soundly. “Do you hear me complaining, love?” he’d teased her. “I doubt you’d find a heterosexual man alive who’d think that was any sort of a problem, and especially not with someone as beautiful as you. And,” he’d added in a more serious tone, “you are not a nymphomaniac, Tessa. You’re simply a normal, healthy young woman with an equally healthy sex drive. A drive that I’m more than capable of satisfying on a regular basis, love.”

  But any sort of satisfaction she might have hoped to achieve a little while ago had been rudely interrupted by Colin’s intrusion. Tessa scowled darkly as she reached for the scented body wash, and tried in vain to think up a suitable means of revenge on Ian’s brother for depriving her of what would have definitely been a very, very pleasurable orgasm.

  She gasped, startled out of her dark thoughts as the door to the shower slid open, and a smiling - and very naked - Ian stepped inside the rather narrow confines of the shower.

  “Now, where were we before my annoying brother’s very rude interruption?” he whispered in her ear, pulling her wet body against his.

  Her good humor instantly restored, she laughed, nuzzling her nose into the base of his throat. “Hmm, I really can’t recall,” she teased, her arms clasping around his neck. “Guess that means we’re going to have to start all over.”

  Ian grinned down at her. “Well, that’s a damned shame, isn’t it?” he drawled lazily. “But if you insist.”

  He tunneled his hands into her wet hair, holding her head still for his kiss. As usual, Tessa was putty in his hands, surrendering herself completely to his control. He kissed her as though he was starved for the taste of her, and even with the pounding spray of the water she could hear the little moans that rose up from her throat, growing progressively louder as his kisses became more aggressive.

  She gasped as his mouth moved to the side of her neck, his nose nuzzling a particularly sensitive spot behind her ear, while one of his big, capable hands slid down the side of her rib cage to cup a breast.

  “God, that’s good,” she whispered as his long fingers tugged at her nipple.

  Tessa had literally ached for him to touch her breasts when they’d been entwined out in the pool, had been panting in anticipation of this very moment, her nipples already hard and incredibly sensitive. And given the position they’d been in - Tessa sitting on the edge of the pool, her thighs parted just wide enough for Ian to grind his erection against her cleft - it wouldn’t have taken very long at all for her to have climaxed, even through the thin layers of their swimsuits. She’d been both frustrated and furious at Colin for his very untimely interruption, heaping silent curses on his head as she’d stalked back inside the villa.

  But her earlier anger was all forgotten now, as Ian stroked, kissed, caressed her until she was quivering in reaction. And when his hand slid over her stomach, and then lower, his fingers teasing the blonde curls at the apex of her thighs, she gripped his wrist, holding it in place.

  “Please,” she whimpered. “I - I need..”

  “Shh,” soothed Ian, giving her a soft kiss. “I know just what you need,
love. I always do, don’t I?”

  Tessa cried out as his fingers thrust up inside of her tight core, pumping in and out in a steady rhythm, until she was grinding herself almost frantically against his hand. He hooked the tips of his fingers against the front of her pubic bone, pressing down on the spot he knew was ultra sensitive, and then whisking his thumb over her clit. It was all she needed to come long and hard, his lips claiming hers in another devouring kiss as she did so.

  She was still shaking in reaction as Ian backed her up against the tiled wall of the shower stall, lifting her right leg to wrap around his waist.

  “Ohhh.”

  “Christ, that feels so fucking good.”

  Tessa’s moan of rapture mingled with Ian’s harshly muttered curse as he thrust his massively aroused cock deep inside of her pussy, where she was still quivering from the orgasm he’d brought her to mere seconds ago.

  His hands slid to her buttocks, lifting her easily as she wrapped both legs around his hips, her arms clasped about his neck as he began to fuck her with slow, deep strokes. He held her up as though she weighed nothing, and she marveled somewhat dazedly at how strong he was, how powerful, but how he could also be the most tender of lovers. At this particular moment, though, she didn’t want tenderness or finesse. She just wanted him, wanted his wildness and lustiness and his overwhelming hunger for her.

  “More,” she whispered to him, her teeth biting into the flesh of his shoulder.

  Ian emitted a sound that resembled a growl. “Your wish is my command, you little witch,” he rasped.

  He hefted her a few inches higher as his thrusts picked up speed, his hips pistoning with an almost frenzied motion as he drove her to the very edge. His breathing grew harsh, and she almost recoiled in alarm at the ferocious expression on his handsome face. She could tell that he, too, was close, oh, so close, and she whispered the words that she knew would bring him over.

  “I love you, Ian,” she murmured in his ear.

  And that was all it took, those four words. Ian shouted out her name, giving one final, powerful thrust, and brought both of them to a stunning, blinding climax.

  Tessa’s legs slid bonelessly from around his hips until she was standing on her own two feet, though standing was a bit of an exaggeration. She held herself up with one hand braced against the wall, fighting off the urge to melt into a puddle of goo right there on the shower floor. Her legs were quivering as though she’d just run a marathon, and the steam encompassing the shower stall wasn’t strictly from the heat of the water.

  Ian, too, looked more than a little unsteady on his feet, and it took him long seconds to recover enough to give her a wicked smile.

  “Well, then. Good morning to you, too, love,” he teased, bending down to give her a quick kiss.

  Tessa laughed, handing him a bar of soap. “I’d say that makes up for being interrupted out by the pool earlier.”

  Ian scowled. “Don’t remind me. Hopefully Colin has learned his lesson by now.”

  As they finished showering and toweling off, Ian told her about his conversation with his brother, ending with how he’d shoved Colin rather unceremoniously into the pool. Tessa couldn’t help grinning at that part.

  “Serves him right,” she stated firmly.

  “I agree. And a far less violent alternative to what I’d originally planned - blackening one of his eyes,” muttered Ian darkly. His hand cupped her naked breast. “Though if he’d actually seen these beauties naked, I wouldn’t have hesitated to make sure he couldn’t see out of one of his eyes for a week or so.”

  Tessa sighed with pleasure as his thumb whisked over her nipple. “Mmm, that’s so good.” Her head fell back against the wall as Ian bent to lick the same reddened peak. “But, ah, wouldn’t he still have been able to see out of the other eye?”

  Ian grinned evilly. “No. Because Selina would have blackened the other one for him. She may be small in stature, but I understand she’s quite fierce. An uncle of hers owns a martial arts studio in Hong Kong, and Selina studied with him for years.”

  Tessa gave a small shudder. “Maybe that explains it then. She is rather terrifying, isn’t she? I certainly wouldn’t want to confront her in a courtroom.”

  He nodded. “Agreed. She has something of a formidable reputation among the legal circles in Hong Kong, and her Chinese nickname translates to something like the Legal Leopard - because she’s known to be as bloodthirsty as a big cat. That was one of the many things that Colin found intriguing about her. And terrifying or not, she somehow managed to tame a rake like my little brother.” He gave her breast a light squeeze before murmuring in her ear, “But for myself I’d much rather have a soft, cuddly kitten.”

  She frowned. “I’m not sure I like that idea. I don’t want to feel weak and helpless, Ian.”

  Ian shook his head, his hand cupping her cheek. “That’s not what I meant. Kittens might be small and somewhat fragile, but they’re also very playful and like to get into mischief. And they can also be extremely affectionate.”

  Tessa grinned, her good humor instantly restored. “Meow.“

  He returned her grin, though his was far more lascivious. “Actually,” he drawled, “I was looking forward to making you purr instead. But that will have to wait for later, I’m afraid. Breakfast will be served in less than half an hour, so we’d best get a move on.”

  She wrapped an oversized bath towel around her body sarong style, her eyes roving hungrily over Ian’s bare, powerfully sculpted torso. She was still hungry for him, the quick, frantic coupling in the shower nowhere near enough to satisfy the almost constant craving she felt for him. Tessa licked her lips as her gaze dropped to where he’d wrapped his own towel around his waist, wondering if he was already growing hard beneath the fabric.

  “Tsk, tsk,” he scolded teasingly, giving her a playful chuck on the chin. “I know that look all too well, darling. But we’re going to be pressed for time as it is. Besides, between our swim and the shower, I’ve had enough of being wet for this morning. And since the shower is the only place we feel comfortable, ah, indulging ourselves, we’ll have to wait until this evening.”

  She glanced at the antique, four poster bed that dominated the bedroom they shared. “We could be extra quiet,” she pleaded. “I promise I won’t moan once.”

  Ian rolled his eyes. “I’ve heard that one before, Tessa,” he scolded in mock severity. “I’m not sure you’re capable of stifling yourself, darling, even with a scarf tied around your mouth. Not to mention the fact that this bed has a very loud and very annoying creak, as you’ve already noticed. It may be an antique from the eighteenth century, but it’s far from ideal for any sort of, ah, activities.“

  “Yes, well, from what I’ve read, married couples in the eighteenth century rarely ever shared a bed,” Tessa pointed out. “So they probably weren’t overly concerned if it squeaked now and then.”

  He wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his body - which, predictably, was very, very aroused. “Ah, but most husbands in the eighteenth century didn’t have a wife as hot as you are to share their bed,” he whispered naughtily. “I guarantee you if they did they would have spent a great deal more time in it.”

  She sighed in resignation, resting her head on his shoulder. “Are there any beds in this entire place that weren’t built three hundred years ago? What about a sofa? Or a chair. We could make do with a chair, couldn’t we?”

  Ian guffawed. “I don’t think there’s a single piece of furniture in this entire villa that’s sturdy enough for the way you and I, ah, cavort. Apparently couples in the eighteenth century didn’t believe in rowdy sex.”

  Tessa wrinkled her nose. “Well, they didn’t know what they were missing.” She gazed around the room, glancing down at the polished oak floors and the priceless Aubusson carpet that covered them, before looking over towards the bay window. Her eyes were alight with mischief as she pointed in that direction.

  “That window seat looks very sturd
y,” she reasoned. “And when the shutters are closed, no one can see inside. What do you think?”

  He nuzzled the side of her neck again before whispering, “I think it’s a very good thing that the Italians have a tradition of taking a long afternoon siesta. In fact, we might start ours a bit early today to test out your theory about the window seat.”

  And then he laughed out loud when she made a little noise deep in her throat - one that sounded almost exactly like a cat’s purr.

  Chapter Two

  London

  “You didn’t tell me that your brother lived in a - a palace!” hissed Tessa urgently.

  Ian patted her arm reassuringly. “It’s far from a palace, darling. Just a country estate is all. And this place is about half the size of my parents’ residence in Kent. You’ll get to see that, of course, when we visit in December for the holidays.”

  Her mouth gaped open in shock. “Half the size?” she asked in disbelief. “Ian, how could it possibly be any bigger than all of this?”

  “All of this” was Hugh and Victoria’s home in Surrey, roughly a half hour’s drive from London, and easily the largest and grandest residence Tessa had ever seen up close. The main house alone was twice the size of Ian’s home - correction, their home - back in San Francisco. And that didn’t include the guest house, staff quarters, a workshop/shed, greenhouse, and a playhouse for the children. Driving in through the gated entrance of the estate, Tessa had also glimpsed a tennis court, gigantic swimming pool, outdoor kitchen, a croquet lawn, and a large pond with its own waterfall. She couldn’t even begin to imagine how much larger and grander the elder Gregsons’ home in Kent was in comparison. Though the word home was a gross understatement to describe the grandeur of Ian’s brother’s country estate.

  “I told you this dress wasn’t fancy enough for dinner tonight,” she fretted. “I should have worn the gray lace one instead. What I have on is -”

  “Perfect,” interrupted Ian, placing a quick kiss on her lips. “I told you at least three times that this evening’s dinner is very informal. Despite how it might appear, Hugh and Victoria don’t live like royalty. Far from it, in fact, especially considering what hellions my four nephews can be.”