Rhett was pleased to hear that that was what was on her mind, he’d worried that she would demand he take her home, and the thought of being without her was agonizing. All he wanted was to take her up to his bedroom and love her until she knew just how much he cared for her. If she needed space later, they would deal with that when the time came.
“I need you so much right now, baby, the thought of losing you almost drove me crazy.” He wanted her to understand just how much she meant to him.
How could she argue with that, she wondered; the flutter of excitement that being with him always brought increased until she felt as though there was an entire flight of butterflies in her stomach. “I need you too, Rhett,” she lifted her head and placed her hand on his strong jaw, looking up into his eyes, “but…”
She never got to finish what she was trying to say, his lips returned to hers and she responded once more. Fireworks sparked between them as their tongues danced and his hand moved down to cup her breast, his thumb running across the thin material that separated her nipple from his touch.
He wanted to devour her, to sink so deeply into her flesh that there remained no doubt about who she belonged to. While one hand remained on her breast, teasing the nipple through her top, his other tangled in her long, thick hair, forcing her neck to arch back as he kissed her neck and nipped lightly at her, enjoying the whimper of need that escaped her lips.
“Please, I want you,” Leah whispered in a voice filled with desire as he lowered his head to take her nipple between his teeth through her top; she knew his driver was still there but didn’t care, she felt brazen right then, and desperate for him, and knew if he didn’t take her inside soon she would rip her top open to give him better access and beg him to take her up against the car.
It was the sound of the trunk closing, as his driver took out his luggage, that brought Rhett to his senses and reminded him of where they were. Immediately he pulled back from Leah and lifted her into his arms, carrying her up the steps and into the house through the door that was being held open for them. He gave Edwin the barest nod of acknowledgment on his way past, heading for the stairs, which he took as quickly as he could.
Leah clung to him as he ascended the stairs and he knew it was not going to be the sweet lovemaking he had originally intended, he was no longer in the mood for that, and he sensed she wasn’t either.
Kicking the bedroom door closed the moment he was through, Rhett finally set he down. “Undress now,” he commanded as he began shucking his clothes, ripping the buttons from his shirt in his haste; he didn’t care though, he was in far too much of a hurry to get inside her to worry about something so insignificant.
A part of her screamed that she should slow things down, that she shouldn’t be allowing it to happen, but even as the thought passed through her mind her hands fumbled with her clothing. Her body was on fire and she knew the only thing that would extinguish the flames was surrendering to the passion she felt for him.
He was just as desperate as she was and when she didn’t get her clothes off quickly enough for him, he ripped them from her as though he were a man possessed.
She felt no shame as the last of her clothes were torn from her body and she was left open to his gaze, she just stood there, allowing his eyes to roam over her body. He did that for just a few moments before picking her up and tossing her onto the bed as if she weighed no more than a child. He joined her almost before she hit the sheets, his hands everywhere, constantly moving, stroking and caressing her body, going from her breasts to between her legs and back again.
His mouth was just as restless and ruthless, suckling on her breasts and then moving down her body to devour her core. In no time she was drenched and begging for him to take her, he didn’t let up though, alternating between his tongue and his fingers, wanting to make her scream in release before he gave her what she wanted.
While she was still high from her orgasm he slid his finger from her drenched sheath and moved it toward her tight rosebud. Slowly he slid home inside her rear channel as he took her tender nipple between his teeth and nibbled on it lightly. He loved how she writhed on the bed, pushing her hips up frantically, demanding even more from him despite already having peaked.
When he was sure she was ready he added a second finger to the one already inside her, wanting to claim every orifice, to ensure that she knew she was his.
She was going to come undone again, Leah thought as her body writhed under his fingers and tongue. Crying out, she begged him to stop, though it was the last thing she wanted, and she was glad when he ignored her.
Her second orgasm made her scream so loud she was sure all of Rhett’s servants must have heard her. Unable to take any more she pulled away from him, sliding his fingers from her tight chamber.
Rhett didn’t let her get far; he took her by the hips and pulled her back to him, parting her knees. With one quick stroke he penetrated her, burying himself to the hilt in her. He paused for a second, just one, and then he rode her, hard and fast, as though they would never have a chance like it again.
He enjoyed how her velvet sheath gripped him tight as he thrust in and out of her rapidly. She belonged to him, and he wanted to brand her his with each stroke as he built to his own peak.
Leah couldn’t believe it when a third orgasm shook her body; all she could do was hold on tight to him, her nails digging into his back, as he left her breathless. Her body ached and her chest heaved, and she knew he had never loved her so well before.
He was so close to fulfillment that his body demanded he continue driving into her, even as his mind reminded him he was unprotected. The mental reminder gave him pause and he quickly pulled himself from her so he could turn her over. With more gentleness than he had shown her ravaged core, he slowly inched inside her rear channel, gritting his teeth at the way she squeezed him tight.
She cried out softly as he pulled her up to her knees and began to ride her slowly, increasing his pace gradually. He held on to her hips with one hand, while the other reached around her to tug gently on her clit piercing. The sensation was a mixture of pleasure and pain as his momentum built until he was again riding her mercilessly, forcing fresh cries from her with every thrust.
She couldn’t believe it when her body exploded for a fourth time, she had thought it amazing to achieve three orgasms in a single night, four was beyond belief, and as much as her body could cope with. Letting out a scream that echoed off the walls she collapsed onto the bed, pulling herself from him painfully.
Just as exhausted, Rhett collapsed next to her and the pair of lay there for several long minutes, struggling to catch their breath, both equally stunned by the intensity of their lovemaking.
“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Rhett whispered the question, when he could finally breathe again. He hadn’t meant to take her so forcefully, but his desire had overtaken his sense once he was inside her.
Leah nodded wearily against his chest, too tired to do more than that. Her body ached from his rough treatment of her, yet she already wanted more; it was insanity to want and need something so desperately, she thought in exhaustion, yet she couldn’t deny her body’s desires.
When he had his breathing under control Rhett go to his feet, lifting Leah’s limp form into his arms he carried her into the bathroom, mentally kicking himself for being so rough with her. Setting her gently on the floor he started the shower; when the water was warm enough he helped her into the shower and held her up as he began washing her, hoping to show that he wasn’t the overwhelming beast he must have seemed such a short time before.
Tears filled her eyes as he washed her. She hated herself for surrendering to the passion she felt for him, and felt guilty for not even thinking about Alex after Rhett’s second kiss had inflamed her. The return of Alex to her thoughts made her sob and once he had finished washing her she stepped from the shower, leaving him to clean himself.
It wasn’t supposed to go the way it had, she thought as she grabbed a towe
l and wrapped it around her now trembling body. She had planned only to talk to him, but seeing him again, after fearing so greatly for him during the storm, had done things to her she hadn’t been prepared for.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, stepping from the shower when he saw how upset she was. “Did I hurt you?” He hated seeing her cry, and felt like a complete ass for being so inconsiderate. He attempted to pull her into his arms but she backed away. It was then that he knew something was really wrong. “Talk to me, Leah, I can’t stand not knowing what’s wrong.” Grabbing a towel he wrapped it around his waist and then forced his arms across his chest to help him resist the urge to reach out to her again.
“We have to talk,” she whispered unhappily, hating the tears that ran down her cheeks. She disliked them as much as Rhett did.
“Let’s talk then, sweetheart.” He kept his voice measured and under control, though it wasn’t easy, her words had him worried, and desperate to take her in his arms so he could beg forgiveness for hurting her. He was sure, despite her words, that she was suffering from how roughly he had used her body.
“Could we get dressed and do it somewhere else, please?” She couldn’t stand there looking at his gorgeous body and not think of wanting him again, no matter how wrong it was to think that way.
“Of course,” he said with a small grin, sure she just wanted some reassurance that he wasn’t going to pounce on her again; right then that was the last thing of his mind so she was perfectly safe from him. He led the way into the bedroom, where they dried off and dressed; he was able to replace her shirt but she was forced to forget about her underwear, which he had torn from her body.
“Your study?” she asked, wanting to be as far from the bedroom as possible in the hope that it would keep her mind on what she wanted to talk about, and off what she wanted to be doing.
Rhett nodded and gestured toward the door. “After you, sweetheart.” He couldn’t blame her for wanting to move to somewhere less intimate, she was probably sore as hell, he thought, and needed to put a little distance between them and a bed. Once again he felt guilty for having lost control of himself.
Reaching the study they sat on the couch, a gap between them. Leah bit on her lip as she tried to work out how to tell him what she needed to say; that she needed time, and space, to get her thoughts in order and work out what it was she wanted. Just sitting so close to him was difficult for her; his very presence made her long to leap back into his arms.
“You know I love you, Rhett?” That seemed to be the easiest way to start the conversation, she thought as she tried not to be mesmerized by the look in his eyes.
“I love you too, sweetheart, more than I’ve ever loved another person in my life.” He was determined to be honest with her and the way her eyes widened at his words brought a smile to his lips, though he was sure she had already known how he felt about her.
She had been sure of his feelings for her, but hearing him admit to them so readily floored her. How could she look at the beautiful, proud man next to her, as he confessed his love for her and demand some space. She would be taking away the thing that mattered the most to him, it simply didn’t seem right, and she worried at her lip again with her teeth.
“You’re going to scar those beautiful lips of yours if you keep doing that, sweetheart, if you keep doing that. What is it you need to tell me?” Though he knew he shouldn’t have, he couldn’t resist telling her to stop.
Knowing that what he had said was true, she forced herself to release her lip and take a deep breath. “I have feelings for Alex, Rhett,” she said quickly, lowering her eyes as she spoke, not wanting to see the hurt she was sure she must be causing him by her honesty.
Rhett hadn’t known what to expect of Leah, but if he had been asked to guess, what she had said would have been last on his list. Her words aroused his anger and he fought back the rage that grew within him. Taking deep breaths he did his best to calm himself, knowing that if he spoke before he got himself under control he would say something that would make everything worse.
She was his, his mind screamed, even as he tried to tell himself that he should be thankful she was telling him the truth. Rising to his feet he began pacing the room, searching for control, while he felt as though his entire world was shifting on its axis. Running his hand through his thick hair he knew he had to get her to understand that she was meant to be with him.
“Leah, there are things about Alex I’m sure you don’t know,” he said finally, coming to a stop facing her. “You really don’t want to be a part of how he lives the lifestyle.” He was prepared to use every weapon he could think of to make her forget Alex and stay with him; not least because he was sure it was for the best.
“I know about the Ranch,” she whispered softly, still unable to look at him. She didn’t want to hurt him, she didn’t really want to leave him either, but her feelings for Alex couldn’t be ignored. “I’m not saying I want to end things, I just, well, I don’t think I’m ready to be exclusive.” She hated how that made her sound, even as she said it. Never in her life had she thought it would be possible for her to want two men at the same time.
“So you want to be his pony girl and my slave?” He was amazed that she was even considering that lifestyle, and wanted to break Alex’s jaw for having told her about it, and for making it seem attractive enough that she would consider it. She wasn’t ready to be involved with the lifestyle at the Ranch, hell, if he was being honest; she wasn’t even ready for him.
Tears ran down her cheeks at his words, and she wondered if that was truly what she was asking for. “I don’t know,” she said softly, uncertainly. “All I do know is I can’t bear the thought of leaving either of you.” That was as honest as she could be, and she knew when she said it that it was the truth. “You’re both different, not just in the lifestyle, as men, and I love both of your personalities, and the way you both make me feel.”
He’d done the polyamorous thing before, several times in fact, and he reminded himself that he had enjoyed sharing a woman with another dominant. That was before he had met Leah however, she was not just one of those other submissive's he had used for his pleasure in the past.
He loved the woman before him, and wasn’t sure he could share her, even if it was the only way he could have her. “I’ll be honest, Leah,” he told her. “I’ve had multiple partners before, you know that.” Hell, he had shared her with another man; that had proved to be a bad thing however, and both of them had regretted it. “I just don’t know if I can do that again, not with you.”
Leah blushed furiously at how badly he had misunderstood her. “I’m not saying that I want both of you at the same time,” she told him, though she did find the idea interesting, it having been put into her mind, and she shook her head to clear it of the mental picture.
“Then maybe you should tell me just what it is you are trying to say, because I'm confused.” That was the understatement of the decade, he thought, he had absolutely no idea what she was trying to suggest. Returning to the couch he sat, forcing himself to remain in control of his emotions.
“I’m just saying that I don’t want to have to choose between the two of you, at least not right now, it’s too difficult, I’m just not sure exactly what I want, or which of you I can get it from.” There, she’d said it, she thought, finally lifting her eyes to his, hoping he understood and could give her what she needed.
“So you don’t want to be with us together, but you want to spend time with each of us individually.” He didn’t like the idea at all, she was his, and he wanted her with him, but he wasn’t willing to let her go either. He was silent for a long time after she nodded, considering what she was suggesting, and whether he could live with it. “If that’s the only way I can have you, Leah, then I’ll take what you will allow.”
He’d never conceded to a woman before, and realized it was a mark of how deeply he cared for her that he was willing to do so then. Sharing a sexual fantasy with a pa
rtner was one thing, it was something else entirely to accept the idea that she would be out there, fucking another man. Despite his words he wasn’t entirely certain he could cope with that idea, but he knew he had to at least try, if he didn’t he stood to lose her completely.
“I just want the time to decide what’s right for me.” She really hoped he could understand. He had been her first, and only, boyfriend before Alex, and before she could commit the rest of her life to him, she needed to be sure he was what she truly wanted. With difficulty she did her best to explain it all to him, though she wasn’t sure she did a good enough job.
“I’ll be honest, sweetheart, the thought of you with another man makes my blood boil,” he told her, his fists clenched as he fought the anger that bubbled just beneath the surface of his forced calm. “I don’t like it one bit, but if that’s what you need; then I guess I will have to live with it.” He wasn’t sure how he was going to do as he said, but he knew he couldn’t refuse her.
He had had the time to learn what it was he wanted from life, he reminded himself, the least he could do was provide her with the opportunity to do the same.
It shocked her that he was willing to be so reasonable. “I have to admit, I didn’t think you’d be open to the idea.” She continued to look him in the eye, wanting to read his thoughts as well as listen to what he was saying.
“If I didn’t love you, Leah, I’d tell that you need to make a decision now, but that’s not fair to you.” He was struggling with his anger over the situation, but refused to allow it to show. “I haven’t been a saint, by any stretch of the imagination, and while I would prefer for us to explore this together as a couple, I can understand that you need to experiment.”
“You mean you’d be okay with me having a second lover, as long as we did it together?” She wasn’t sure why it shocked her to hear that, he had forced her to be with another man during their ten nights together.”
“If that’s what you desire, yes.” He shrugged. “I am a pretty open-minded person when it comes to sexuality and sexual experimentation, I’m sure you must have figured that out by now.” He gave a chuckle that held little in the way of amusement.
Beyond 10 Nights (Forbidden Desires Series) Page 21