Claim

by Janet Nissenson

  Victoria returned the embrace, patting Tessa on the back comfortingly. “Hugh has told me a little,” she said gently. “Enough to know that you’ve had a very difficult life up until now. But that’s all changing, isn’t it? You have Ian now, and all of us, and one day you’ll have children of your own. Who knows,” she added with a little wink, “perhaps we’ll all be neighbors one day soon. This is a wonderful area to raise children in, and properties go up for sale quite often.”

  Tessa regarded her quizzically as they walked inside one of the boys’ bedrooms. “I’m not sure I understand. Ian has never mentioned moving back to England.”

  Victoria gave a little shrug. “Well, it’s never been formally discussed, of course, but there’s something of an unspoken understanding that one day Hugh and Ian will be running the company after their father and uncle fully retire. And Colin would likely take over Hugh’s current position so that all of the brothers would be back home again. But all of that isn’t likely to happen for some time yet, I’m sure. I know Joanna has been nagging Edward to fully retire for a few years now, but he’s terribly stubborn at times. And Richard is nowhere near ready for retirement. But it will definitely happen sometime. Come, let me show you Daniel’s room. It’s probably the tidiest of the four, which isn’t saying much, unfortunately.”

  But it was difficult after that for Tessa to pay much attention to the rest of the house tour, replaying what Victoria had told her in a rather matter-of-fact manner several times over. Ian had never once brought up the subject of possibly returning to England one day, but the idea made perfect sense. It was only natural that he’d want to return to his home country one of these days, would want to be near his family and friends and the place he grew up. And it went without saying that she would follow him anywhere he went, would make a home with him wherever he wanted. It was just - well, intimidating to think of leaving the States and living permanently in Europe, where everything was new and different and unfamiliar. And, well, she loved the life she and Ian had made together in San Francisco, loved the house she was gradually beginning to think of as her own. The thought of leaving all that behind made her feel both uncertain and sad.

  As she and Victoria returned to the dining room to join the others, Tessa firmly resolved not to think about the future right now. And she decided not to mention anything about the matter to Ian. He must have had his reasons for not bringing the subject up before, and would discuss it with her when the time was right.

  They were just finishing up their dessert - a delicious apricot tart - when Hugh glanced at Ian and Tessa uncertainly.

  “I’ve been a little hesitant to bring this up,” he began. “Especially after Mother told me you shot down her idea of throwing the two of you an engagement party. But, well, several of the old group have been pestering the hell out of me to get together while you’re in town. Just for a little dinner at the club is all. I told them I’d ask, but not to get their hopes up. What - what do you say, Ian?”

  Ian scowled. “I’d say they’re a bunch of gossipy old sods who can’t mind their own damned business. When you say several, how many are we talking about exactly?”

  Hugh brightened a bit, his expression hopeful. “No more than seven. Plus their wives, of course. And the three of us. Ten couples in all, most of the old gang - Jerry, Clive, Xander, Heath, Tommy, Roger, and possibly Garrett.”

  Ian’s scowl only deepened at this news. “No. Twenty people isn’t just a little get-together, Hugh, it’s a bloody party. It’s too much for Tessa all at once. She -”

  “She would love to meet your friends,” interrupted Tessa, placing a hand on Ian’s forearm to shush his protests. “Just tell us where and when, Hugh, and we’ll be there.”

  Hugh was grinning broadly, Ian was staring at her in shock, and Tessa was smiling serenely at her declaration.

  “Wonderful news,” beamed Hugh. “I’ll text Ian the exact time. He knows the place. And our friends will be thrilled to meet you, Tessa. You’ll definitely be the center of attention.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of,” muttered Ian darkly.

  “Are you completely certain about this, Tessa? I can very easily call Hugh and tell him we’ve changed our minds. My brother can charm the very devil with that laidback attitude of his, but I won’t allow him to coerce you into something you’re not comfortable with.”

  Tessa shook her head. “He’s not coercing me,” she insisted. “And I want to meet your friends, Ian. Besides,” she added gently, “you can’t keep sheltering me the way you do. I know you’ve got good intentions, but I need to start becoming more assertive, speaking up for myself more, and not be a shrinking violet all my life. I have to stop being afraid.”

  “You don’t -” he began.

  But Tessa placed a finger over his lips. “I do,” she corrected. “And while no one has ever taken care of me the way you do, Ian, has ever made me feel so safe and secure and loved, you need to start letting me be a bit more independent. You can’t keep me under a protective glass for the rest of my life.”

  Ian placed his hands on her hips, drawing her in close, while resting his forehead against her. “I don’t mean to do that,” he assured her. “But it’s difficult for me to forget all of the hardships you’ve endured in your life, how alone you’ve been, and how frightened at times. I won’t let any of those things happen to you ever again, Tessa. You’re the single most important thing in my life, and certainly the most precious.”

  She gave him a sweet, soft kiss on the lips. “I know that,” she replied gently. “As you are to me. But I don’t need to be coddled all the time, Ian. I know I’ve got issues with shyness and speaking up for myself, but I’m trying to work on those. I want - well, to be more confident and self-assured. Just like your mother is. Not to mention Selina and Victoria. Your brothers certainly don’t over-protect their wives, and you shouldn’t have to, either.”

  He scowled a bit, even as his arms tightened around her waist. “My mother and sisters-in-law were brought up very differently from you, darling,” he reminded her. “They all knew the love and security of their families, and each of them was raised in the lap of luxury. None of them were constantly uprooted from their home by an unstable mother, or were forced to look after that same mother while they were still a child. And God knows they never had to worry about where their next meal was coming from, or where they were going to sleep that night. Every time I think about you being homeless or living in poverty, I go a little crazy, Tessa. So, yes, I realize I’m being over-protective at times, but it’s the only way I have of coping with what happened to you.”

  Tessa caressed his stubbled cheek tenderly. “You’re trying to make all of it up to me, aren’t you?” she asked soothingly, sensing his agitation. “You think that by showering me with clothes and jewels and luxury vacations that it will somehow make all of those bad years disappear. Or that by watching over me like a hawk, you’re compensating for the times my mother couldn’t be there to do the same.”

  Ian sighed. “You’re becoming entirely too perceptive for my liking at times, darling,” he admitted. “And I suppose most of what you’re saying is true. Though I think my actions are subconscious, and not always intentional. I just love you so damned much, Tessa. I treasure you every waking minute of my day. And I won’t permit anything or anyone to hurt you ever again. Won’t permit them to even try. So forgive me if I try to control you at times. It certainly isn’t because you aren’t capable of speaking up or taking care of yourself.” He tucked a strand of glossy blonde hair behind her ear. “I’ve told you once that you’re the strongest, most brilliant woman I’ve ever met, and that sentiment has only increased in the months we’ve been together.”

  He kissed her then, a slow, thorough kiss that told her silently just how much he adored her. Tessa was so overcome with emotion, so touched by how profoundly he cared for her, that she deepened the kiss, pressing her body flush against his. She could feel the heavy ridge of his erection rubbin
g against the notch of her thighs, and triumphed in the fact that she could arouse him so completely with just a kiss. Her breasts felt heavy, her nipples tight, and she knew instinctively that she would be wet, her body eager for him and the way he could make her feel - everything.

  “Take me to bed,” she whispered, giving the side of his neck a sensuous little lick. The pulse point there was throbbing madly, and she could hear how unsteady his breathing already was.

  “Jesus, like you have to ask me,” he rasped, bending down to sweep her up into his arms, and then carry her as though she weighed nothing into the bedroom. The private, self-contained suite they were occupying at his parents’ townhome included a sitting room, dressing area, bedroom, and bathroom. And the very modern, very luxurious platform bed he set her down on didn’t emit even the tiniest squeak. Which meant that after more than a week of having to tamper down their usually wild lovemaking so as not to be overheard through the paper-thin walls of the family villa, he was finally free to fuck her with the unrestrained hunger he’d had to keep at bay these last few days.

  His fingers fumbled with the catch of her zipper, and she had to help him so that the dress didn’t tear beneath his impatient hands. He shoved the top half of the dress to her waist, and nearly lost it on the spot at the sight of her big, round breasts almost spilling out of a lacy, mint green push-up bra. The bra was swiftly dispensed with, Tessa squealing in surprise as he tossed it carelessly across the room, and then he fell on her like a starving man. He plumped one breast up until the pale apricot nipple was at mouth level before sucking the entire areola between his lips. His tongue fluttered over the hard little peak over and over, until she was clutching his head to her, pulling on his hair, and he could hear her groans of pleasure begin to steadily increase in volume. He repeated the action on the other breast, before replacing his tongue with his fingertips so that he could stimulate both of her nipples at once.

  “Let me.”

  He acquiesced to her breathless plea, allowing her to somewhat clumsily unbutton his shirt and pull it from his shoulders. And then she took him by surprise, pushing him onto his back, and swiftly straddling his thighs. Tessa leaned over until her breasts brushed tantalizingly against his bare chest, her slim hand caressing his abs and pecs, before sliding up to cup his cheek. Ian was powerless to resist as she captured his lips in a sizzling kiss, her tongue dueling with his as their mouths fused together with desperate hunger. But as he would have tumbled her back onto the mattress again, she resisted, clamping her thighs around his legs.

  “I want to be on top this time,” she murmured huskily. “And to be - in control. Just like you told me would happen one day.”

  Ian stared up at her, mesmerized by the image of blatant carnality she presented at this moment. Her blonde curls fell in wild disarray over her shoulders and back, her full lips reddened from their passionate kisses. Those spectacular breasts were firm and bare and surely the most amazing sight in the entire world. She was still wearing a pair of lacy, semi-sheer mint green panties, along with sheer, lace-topped stockings and the sexy stiletto heels. He wanted her desperately, needed to be inside of her immediately, and right now his painfully aroused body didn’t give a holy damn who was on top when it happened.

  “Do it,” he muttered rawly. “But for God’s sake, be quick about it, love.”

  Tessa was eager to comply, kicking off her shoes and practically tearing her panties off before going to work on his trousers. Ian emitted a sound that resembled a snarl as her fingers brushed over his straining cock, whether intentionally or accidentally, and she hastily finished undressing him.

  But when she positioned the tip of his cock at the entrance to her vagina, guiding him inside of her a mere inch at a time, he lost what little patience he had remaining and grasped her firmly by the hips. Tessa cried out in surprise as he impaled her on his dick, and then wasted no time in fucking her with long, deep strokes.

  “Hey,” she protested in mock outrage. “I was supposed to be the one in charge tonight.”

  He grinned up at her, giving one round buttock a playful smack. “You’ll need to move things along much more quickly then, love. No time for dawdling when you’re the boss, after all.”

  She stuck her tongue out him, her blue eyes twinkling with mischief. “Well, why didn’t you say so?”

  And then proceeded to ride him at a frantic, nearly breakneck pace, bringing them both to a stunning climax in less than two minutes.

  She collapsed onto his chest moments later, his penis still embedded inside of her, their spent bodies a sweaty tangle of limbs as they both struggled to slow their breathing down. And when she finally spoke, Ian’s chest rumbled with laughter at her words.

  “I think,” she whispered roguishly in his ear, “that I really like being in charge.”

  “Jesus, mate. Everyone here is already going to have their tongues hanging out when they get an eyeful of your very delectable fiancée. Did you really have to rub salt in the wound by letting her wear that dress? And those shoes. Goddammit, Ian. You do know that all I’ll be able to think about during dinner is whether or not she’s going to wear those shoes in bed tonight while you’re fucking her brains out.”

  Ian gave his younger brother a playful pat on the head, while scowling fiercely at the same time. “I see that marriage and fatherhood haven’t completely cleaned up your filthy imagination.”

  Colin grinned cheekily. “I’m married, not dead, mate. And a man would definitely have to be the latter not to drool over your woman. She is really spectacular, isn’t she? Where in hell did she find that dress? And I’m a little shocked that you actually let her out of the house in it.”

  Ian took a sip of his scotch. “Why? After all, I’m the one who picked it out.”

  Colin stared at his older brother in disbelief for several seconds before chuckling. “You’ve got a real evil streak in you at times, Ian. Not to mention a rather naughty side that I would have never imagined existed. Goldilocks there has changed you in more ways than I can keep track of. But all of them good ways, Ian.”

  Their party of six - Ian, Tessa, Colin, Selina, Hugh, and Victoria - had arrived at the private club in London’s Mayfair district a few minutes ahead of the rest of their party this evening. It had been Ian’s suggestion to do so, intentionally wanting to arrive before their friends. Despite Tessa’s firm resolve that she was perfectly fine with meeting all of them, Ian wasn’t about to have fourteen pairs of inquisitive, assessing eyes upon her as she walked inside an already occupied room. Much better, he’d decided, for her to meet one couple at a time, and not intimidate her by being introduced to the whole group at once.

  Though the way she looked this evening, it was difficult to imagine her being intimidated by anyone. She was in full out femme fatale mode tonight, an image he had quite deliberately helped to create. Not only was he enough of an egotistical bastard to gleefully anticipate the envious looks on the faces of all his friends this evening when they saw her for the first time, but he wanted Tessa to be practically glowing with confidence when she met everyone. Ian knew that every one of the wives and girlfriends who’d be in attendance tonight would be sophisticated, well dressed, and attractive, and he fully intended for his woman to outshine them all.

  After her brave stand of two nights ago, when she had declared to Hugh that she would love to meet their friends, Tessa had been decidedly less confident earlier today. She’d looked through the clothes she had packed for this trip, most of which had been well suited to the Tuscan countryside but not necessarily a big city like London, and fussed over what to wear. In the months they had been together, she had never once asked him for a single thing, or suggested they go shopping for clothes. The credit cards he’d opened in her name and encouraged her to use freely rarely showed any transactions. And, quite predictably, she had protested when he’d hailed a taxi and taken her to Harvey Nichols, one of the most high end department stores in London, insisting that she didn’t need anything
new to wear.

  But Tessa’s protests had stopped rather abruptly when she’d tried on the deceptively simple black jersey dress. On the hanger, it hadn’t been anything terribly special, no different than the dozens of other little black dresses the store had in stock. But once he had zipped her into it and she’d looked at her reflection in the mirror, a little gasp had escaped her lips.

  The cut and fabric of the Elizabeth and James sheath hugged every curve of Tessa’s body as though it had been painted on. The dress wasn’t tight, low-cut, or short, looked both classy and sophisticated, but it was also overwhelmingly sensual at the same time. Or, more likely, it was the body beneath the sinuous fabric that practically oozed sex appeal.

  Ian had declared that this was exactly the right dress, hadn’t even bothered letting her try anything else on, and Tessa had agreed wholeheartedly. They had finished the rest of their impromptu shopping excursion quickly after that - Giuseppe Zanotti black suede stiletto sandals with a crisscross ankle strap, a black clutch with a gold clasp, and a trio of gold and pearl bangles. The bracelets were her only jewelry this evening save for pearl stud earrings, and of course her engagement ring.

  Next, he’d whisked her over to the grand Gregson Hotel and up to their highly rated beauty salon, where appointments had to be made weeks in advance - at least for those women who weren’t engaged to one of the owners of the hotel group. The manager of the salon had practically tripped over her feet in her haste to assist Mr. Gregson and his beautiful fiancée, assuring him that of course they had time to give Tessa a blowout and mani-pedi. The fact that another client’s appointment likely had to be pushed back a few minutes hadn’t concerned Ian in the least. He already considered Tessa part of the Gregson family, and, as such, fully deserving of all the respect and attention and perks that went with the name.