by Kiru Taye
“Just angry?” he asked, his head cocked to an angle, and studied her as if expecting something.
“Yes.”
“So you must care a great deal about me for you to sit up all night praying for my safe return.”
“How did you know I was praying?”
“The servants told me.”
Christy blanched as she remembered her frantic prayers and bargains. She hadn’t realized she’d be overheard. In truth, with her emotions overridden by anxiety, she hadn’t cared.
“So I prayed.” She shrugged dismissively. “The important thing is that you’re home safe and well. I’m sure you’d like to freshen up and get some food inside you.”
Joshua gave a frustrated growl. “You can’t keep running, Christy.”
“I’m not trying to run. I just think we need to move on and think about what we’re doing for Christmas.”
“Sure.” He nodded. “It’s Christmas. It doesn’t feel very festive at the moment. The house is bare of decorations.”
“I don’t mind.” She choked back the tears and lump in her throat. Christmas in this house had always been very special with family, friends, decorations, presents, and parties. “It doesn’t have to be decorated for it to be Christmas. I just wanted you back, and now I’ve got that.”
He reached across and touched her face, his hand cool on her warm cheek. “I think the cold night air must have done something to your brain.”
He was right. The recognition that she was about to lose Joshua had made her see the light.
Christy tried to smile but could only lift her lips weakly. An avalanche of rowdy emotions cascaded through her body. “I understood what I was about to lose. You were right. I’ve been self-centered and resentful of—”
Joshua cut off her words with a long, hard kiss. He held her tight. She sank into him, her body pliant—at home.
“Don’t say such things. You’re just frustrated because of your dad’s actions. I don’t blame you. I understand,” he said after he broke off the kiss.
“But it’s true. I resented you.” It shamed her to admit it but saying it out loud was better than allowing it to fester and eat her up inside. She wasn’t proud of the person she was becoming. Last night had been a wake-up call.
“Why?” He furrowed his brow in a frown.
“You are everything my father has always wanted in a son.” She turned toward the window to hide the tears that threatened to spill. “Sometimes, I think he wishes you were his child, not me.”
“Your father can never replace you.” With gentle hands, he caressed her shoulders before urging her to face him. “He loves you, even if some of his deeds are misguided.”
“But you went along with him.”
“It hasn’t been easy for me juggling to keep you and your parents appeased.”
He brushed back the lock of hair that had come loose, away from her face.
“I know how much you hate your parents controlling your life,” Joshua continued. “But you have to know they are like surrogate parents to me. They’ve done so much for me. You and they are all the family I have left. I don’t like seeing them upset anymore than I like seeing you upset.”
A lump swelled in her throat making her speechless. She shook her head and tried to wipe the dizzy spell surrounding her. She had really been self-centered. She’d never stopped to consider how Joshua coped being caught in the middle of the battles between her and her father.
“I never realized.”
He smiled. “It doesn’t matter now. I’m going to freshen up and then we can have breakfast.”
She nodded. He gave her one last glance before leaving her room.
Christy showered and dressed for breakfast, her emotions like the rocking waves of the Atlantic Ocean caught in a storm. From her bedroom window, she looked out at the tranquil azure ocean. She drew in a deep breath, hoping to pull the same serenity into her soul.
A fresh start. Joshua had said he wanted a new beginning for them. Could they do it? Could they get over their misunderstandings and move on?
But how?
Their marriage couldn’t be based on what her parents wanted. It had to be about both of them and the feelings they shared.
She didn’t like that he was trying to please her father. However, she understood his dilemma.
When Christy left her room to go downstairs, not knowing what would happen with Joshua, her hands shook with anxiety. She was dressed in a halter-neck blue silk dress with a fitted bodice and flared skirt. She’d loosened her hair from the braid into curly locks, pinning them back with a hair clip. On her feet, she wore a pair of black leather wooden wedge sandals. She rarely wore jewelry, but today, she put on a pair of diamond earrings Joshua had given her for their first wedding anniversary.
The state of the dining room, decorated in festive colors, a red table cloth, dark green placemats, and red linen napkins, surprised her. It looked similar to the way her mother decorated the room when she was in residence. More tears stung her eyes.
“You look stunning,” Joshua said.
He stood by the window that overlooked the bay. The appreciative sweep of his gaze over her body left her awash with sensation.
“Thank you,” she replied, frozen to the spot as she watched him stride toward her with an enchanting smile.
He was clean-shaven and now clothed in dark trousers and a white shirt. Her breath caught in her throat at how captivating he looked. He was altogether imposing and masculine—the man she’d married.
How could she live the rest of her life without him? Still, how could she live the rest of her life with him, if he didn’t love her? Confused, her mind pulled in different directions.
Joshua stopped before her and slid warm hands down her shoulders to her bare back. Excitement pulsing through her veins awakened her skin. His cologne, spicy and all male, cocooned her. His presence, his heat, intoxicated her.
Then he lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers, slowly, excruciatingly.
This was the man she’d met eight years ago. Tender. Considerate. Loving.
At this moment, she needed more. She wanted her husband. No holds barred. She’d rather forget their troubles and the food laid out on the table. Instead, she wanted to feed on the man. Let his body nourish and delight her. Later, she would worry about the uncertainty of their future.
He seemed to have a different plan and led her to the table, where he pulled a chair out. She sat down. Joshua moved to the other side, sitting beside her.
The servants came in and poured their coffee.
“Thank you. We won’t need you guys for the rest of the morning.” He waved them off. They departed with nods and shut the door.
Tension built in Christy, her anticipation fizzing like soap bubbles in a bath ready to overflow. She barely ate from the toast, omelets, and fresh fruits on the table.
She should be disgusted with herself for the thrill that simmered in her blood. She should raise her guard and keep Joshua away. On the contrary, her emotions were muddled, the effect of being in this house. Did she really want the memory of her last Christmas in Godson Villa to be tainted by fighting with Joshua?
As if he sensed her agitation, Joshua covered her hand with his. His warmth and strength suffused her body. With the other, he picked a strawberry and lifted it to her lips.
“Open for me, sweetheart,” he said in a deep, rasping tone.
Its vibrations hit her low, an ache building. Instinct told her he meant more. Still, she opened her mouth. She was baring more than just her physical being to Joshua. She was also letting her guard down emotionally, unlocking the gates to her heart for him to peer in. Her vulnerability made her tremble.
As soon as the fresh, sweet fruit landed on her tongue, he kissed her. He glided his tongue across hers in a savage sweep that had her body quivering. They fed from each other as if they’d been starved of one another.
He lifted his head. “Christy, I can’t wait any longer. I�
��m going to make love to you.”
A welcome statement of gloriously sensual intent that had her screaming a silent, orgasmic, yes. While she was still uncertain about the future of their relationship, she needed to reconnect with her husband. Albeit temporarily.
He could take away this restlessness barraging through her mind and body, and give her completion if only for one last time. She would hold on to the memory for a long time—one last blissful Christmas together.
The intensity of his fiery stare had her insides melting into a mushy pool. All she could do was nod. She wanted him. She wanted him to strip off her clothes. She wanted his lips and hands where her clothes had been. She wanted him inside and all over her, loving her.
Without hesitation, he swept the contents of the perfectly laid out table aside, crockery and placemats clattering in protest.
Astounded, she gasped. “Here?”
“Here and now. No more fighting. No more running,” he replied as he lifted her from her chair and placed her on the edge of the table. “I need you.”
His simple, raw, expressive confession floored her, her emotions rising. How could she deny him something so basic, so fulfilling?
Timidly, she moved her hands against the cotton of his shirt, feeling the rigid planes of his chest until she reached his shoulders, the short springy hairs on his chest visible where his button was undone. Wrapping her hands around his shoulders, she brought her body closer to his, pressed her breasts against his chest.
She met his sparkling gaze blazing with desire, reflecting the emotions that raged within her.
Parting her legs, he stepped between them until all of him—hard, hot flesh—pressed against her pliant, slick body. He returned to kissing her cheek and neck, making her more aware of the sensory extravaganza he unleashed within her body.
Swimming in the tide of rushing stimuli, she barely noticed Joshua untying the strap of her halter-neck until the dress fell apart, baring her breasts to his view. He stepped back, his hot gaze scanning her body and leaving a fiery path in its wake.
Joshua’s heart caught in his throat, clenching tight.
“I’ve missed you,” he said, the hoarseness of his voice conveying the depth of his emotion.
He’d missed everything about her, especially the smooth suppleness of her curves. Christy was the most beautiful woman he knew. He loved seeing her, feeling her, tasting her, being inside of her. He’d pulled back to control the urge to take her hard and fast on the table. He wanted to savor her. Yet, he’d barely reined in his desire. They hadn’t been intimate in so long. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep himself in check.
“I want to see the rest of you. Take your dress off.”
A glaze of desire clouded Christy’s brown eyes. She bit her lower lip in an anxious manner. “Joshua, someone might come in.”
“I’ve given the staff the rest of the morning off. It’s just you and me in this big ol’ house. Nobody will disturb us.”
“Oh. I thought you’d simply dismissed them from waiting on us at breakfast. Why did you send them away?” A frown creased her otherwise flawless skin.
“Because I wanted some alone time with my wife, and I know how noisy you can get.”
He smiled when she fluttered her lashes coyly and her skin tone darkened as she blushed. He had his wife exactly where he wanted her. Alone with him. He’d given the gateman an extra Christmas bonus to ensure they had no visitors until later today.
“I intend to make you scream a few times, sweetheart. But first, I need to see you. All of you.”
The lopsided smile he gave her was so masculine, so predatory. Heart racing, Christy stood and pushed her dress down until it formed a pool of blue silk at her feet. She hadn’t been with Joshua for three months and this seemed like their first time. The same feelings rushed through her body. Excitement. Ecstasy. Love.
That first night she’d found out she was in love with Joshua. That same clarity hit her now.
She loved Joshua. Her emotions had never gone away, only been buried under the dark cloud of her resentment for him.
At that moment, her awareness heightened, leaving her shy and awkward—exposed—standing in nothing but her black lace thong that barely covered anything, and her wedge sandals. Joshua watched her like a tiger about to have her for breakfast.
Sensually, he trailed the pad of his fingers down from her collar bone, past the valley of her breasts down to her belly button. Her skin tingled.
“Beautiful.”
His almost quiet whisper, tender, full of emotion, caressed her skin like a feather in the morning breeze.
Joshua made her feel beautiful. He looked at her, touched her, like she was the only woman for him.
But was she? Three months was a long time for a man as highly sexed as Joshua to be without a woman. Knowing that she still loved him made it all the more important that she was certain about him. She had to trust him if they were to have any future together.
“Joshua, can I ask you something? I—I’m sorry if it spoils the mood.”
He lifted his gaze from where he traced his hand along the string outline of her panties. “What is it?”
“Has there been anyone else since we were separated?”
Chapter Nine
At first, Joshua dropped his hands away from Christy’s body, frost icing the blood in his veins. Why was she asking this? Was this another ruse to keep him away? To prolong their conflict? If that was her plan, she was in for a surprise.
“Are you sure you want the truth, Christy?” He watched her as anger warred with desire.
She frowned, crinkling the corners of her eyes.
“I know I shouldn’t care what you’ve done, especially since we’ve been separated.” She lifted her shoulders as she sighed in resignation. “I just feel that if we’re going to have a fresh start, we need to be honest with each other about everything.”
“You want honesty?” he asked but didn’t wait for a reply. If she wanted the truth, he was happy to give it to her. “How’s this for starters? From the first day you moved out, I’ve craved you so much that the only way I could sleep in our bed without you was to work myself to exhaustion.”
He took a step and reached her, his body close enough to feel her warmth but not touching hers. Fully clothed, he watched as she stood naked. Anyone else should have been intimidated, perhaps reached for their clothes. Ballsy Christy made no move to retreat. Instead, she stared at him with steady brown eyes.
When she nipped her lower lip, he knew she was anxious.
“Each night, I dreamt about kissing you, tasting you, feeling your slick tightness around me.”
Christy fluttered her lashes shut as she emitted a soft moan. Her skin darkened. His words aroused her. He could bet on it. Eight years together, he’d learned how to push her buttons. Even if he couldn’t control her actions outside the bedroom, here his mastery was never in question. He leaned over her and fanned her neck with his breath.
“Did you dream about me, touching you, rocking your world?” he asked in a gruff whisper.
She whimpered, her body shaking like a leaf, but didn’t reply. She hadn’t lost her stubborn streak. He couldn’t relent.
“Say it, sweetheart. We’re being honest, remember?”
As she sucked in a breath, her breasts rose.
“Yes. I dreamt about you,” she said in a breathless voice. “Please, Joshua. Touch me.”
Relief and satisfaction settled deep in his bones. Despite everything, he still needed to know that she wanted him on the same level. He grinned at her. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Splaying his hands across her hips and bottom, he lifted her upon the table.
“Lean back,” he commanded.
She stretched on the wooden surface, balancing on her elbows, her lush caramel-toned body curved up for his viewing delight—smooth skin, generous breasts, flat stomach, wide hips, and long legs. He raked her body with his gaze, just as he brushed his f
ingers against her skin from her neck to the vee of her thighs.
Bending over her, he swiped his tongue across her nipple. Her body twitched as she arched for more. Happy to give her more, he lightly nipped the soft flesh of her breast. Christy let out a long, low moan.
He loved her passion, the way she always responded to his attention. Glad that he was the one doing this to her, he continued his demanding caress. He shifted his body so he could palm the junction of her thighs barely concealed by a scrap of lace. She was hot, so hot, her thong damp with her liquid essence.
Just watching Christy spread out before him gave him such a high that no other woman had been able to replicate. And when he entered her, he would soar, dragged to heights of pleasure he’d never experienced elsewhere.
Angry after she’d moved out of their home, he’d gone out seeking the pleasurable company of other women. Abuja had plenty of those—women who sought the company of men like him, whose only demand was a night of pleasure, no strings attached.
Yet, as he’d stood in the bar filled with beautiful, willing women, the only one he could think about was Christy.
He had to make sure they spent the rest of their lives together. He wanted so much with her—children, their own family. Starting now.
Pulling her thong down, he dropped it next to her dress. He sealed their mouths together again; caressing her tongue with his while he returned his fingers to the nub at her centre.
Inside her hot channel, he stroked her with his finger. She was slick, ready for him. He inserted another, expanding her as she clamped around his digits. Christy arched her body, her hips flowing with the rhythm of his strokes.
Her moans increased with each thrust, the early tremors in her inner walls around his fingers identifying her impending orgasm. A few more strokes and she tore her lips away and screamed his name, her body trembling like wobbly jelly.
He held her tight until her body’s tremors subsided. Kissing her gently, he stayed in her embrace a little longer. He always enjoyed holding her as much as he enjoyed giving her pleasure.
Stepping back, he watched her look at him with an adoring smile. Then he knew; she was right. So much had happened between them. They both needed to regain each other’s trust. He had to tell Christy the truth before they went any further. Once he was inside her, things would change. For good, he hoped.