by Aubrey Rose
Kira turned away from the window and found Blake standing across at the other end of the room, his eyes on her. How long had he been watching her? She felt so self-conscious now that she was almost four months pregnant with a bulge that was hard to miss. The gleam in his eye whenever Blake looked at her gave her butterflies and sometimes she forgot the simple act of drawing breath.
She’d been glad for the simple wedding ceremony. Luckily the press didn’t know the exact date so it was a private affair. Seeing Mr. Carter’s proud face as he’d walked her down the aisle to join Blake easily made up for all the turmoil and doubts she felt. She’d always been a loner and hadn’t had any real friends so her guests were mostly co-workers, nice people she’d always gotten along with and who were genuinely happy for her.
It had been Blake’s idea that they spend their honeymoon in England. He’d said he wanted her to see parts of his home, to learn more about him. Kira had never traveled out of the U.S. before. In fact, she’d never flown either and the experience had been exciting, more so than she’d imagined even with the clouds of worry hanging over her still.
She worried if she’d done the right thing; and especially about if she could keep her escalating emotions in check where Blake was concerned. The nicer he was to her; the more attentive, caring and loving, it ate at her insides and made her terrified she’d be defenseless if he ever chose to make his strike.
Kira had grumbled about the need for a honeymoon in the first place. “I told you, Blake; this isn’t going to be some-”
“Fairy tale ending; yes, I remember,” Blake had said dryly. But his eyes were burning coals as he’d added, “You keep saying you’re doing this only because of the baby. Well then, we’re going to do it right. There’ll be the honeymoon and you can bet we’re going to be married in more than name only. We’ll work at this marriage, Kira. With both of us knowing it’s all for the baby.”
She’d stared up at him with seething anger, sure he was laughing at her. But in her heart she knew he was right. But how far was she willing to play along with his plans? He’d once complained about his dad having control issues but she could see Blake was not so far different himself. She knew he would make her bend to his will and a part of her shivered at the idea of how it would feel to finally let him.
So she’d come with him to London, and loved every moment of it. It was strange and new to her but it was also amazing and beautiful. She’d never known how much she’d been missing until Blake took her sightseeing and they visited all those wonderful spots. Despite herself, it felt great spending time with him because he was so intelligent, witty and attentive to her every interest. He also knew how to have fun and make her laugh when she least expected it. He was pulling out all the stops to win her over and the thought warmed her even as she berated herself for being so susceptible.
Kira remembered their first night there. Once they’d arrived in the elegant and romantic hotel with its beautifully historic building, she’d been breathless. It was ancient, but had been restored with great taste, with modern touches that added convenience and aesthetic.
From what she’d read about the place it was an old Grand Victorian mansion dating back as far as the late 1800’s. The antiques were fascinating masterpieces and it was like spending the night in a museum. Each room in the suite had charm and character. She found the service was impeccable too and Kira had her first taste of ‘high tea’ which was very formal and delicious. Everything was seen to down to the smallest details and only that morning she’d eaten the best eggs Benedict she’d ever tasted.
It was all old-fashioned service from a bygone era; quite discreet and helpful without being fawning. It was perfect for a honeymoon and Kira couldn’t help wishing this was for real and not something he’d practically had to force her into. This wasn’t about love or romance, she told herself. Having a honeymoon and staying at such a romantic hotel only seemed to dig in that fact even more.
After a week Kira felt like she never wanted them to leave. That night, they had dinner in the fabulous dining room which had a touch of grandeur and lots of character. Kira had enjoyed each course; everything had been sublime, as usual and when they both returned to their room, she’d been glowing from the good food and enjoyable evening.
But now her delighted haze faded as she turned from the window and saw Blake watching her. The physical distance between them didn’t matter; as always when she felt his desire it made everything compress around them. Kira already felt the walls closing in, making her sway on her feet slightly.
She wouldn’t let him get to her; not tonight. Before the honeymoon trip she’d made him promise not to try anything. He’d assured her that he knew she needed more time but that he fully intended that they’d be man and wife in every sense of the word. Kira secretly commended him for his self-control so far but she was also frightened of what would happen if his control ever snapped. Seeing the darkening gleam in his eyes, Kira suddenly decided to escape to the bathroom and blurted out that she needed a warm bath before bed.
She didn’t wait for his response but went quickly to the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a sigh of relief.
Chapter Fifteen
When Kira scurried from the room like the devil was after her, Blake couldn’t help but swear. He should’ve known better than to stand there gaping at her like some horny schoolboy.
Not that anyone could blame him. Kira looked more and more delectable by the day. Tonight she’d worn a gorgeous jersey dress in flattering grey that had gently accentuated her swelling stomach. A pregnant Kira could send a red-blooded man’s libido straight out the stratosphere and as usual, she hadn’t a clue the effect she had, especially on him.
He could hear her in the bathroom now. It was an old building; the walls were pretty thin and besides, when it came to Kira his senses were all the more accentuated. He’d become attuned to everything about her; her voice; the scent of her skin and the way she ate and laughed. He loved everything about his beautiful, sexy wife and it ached that they still had that huge wall between them.
Blake heard the sound of splashing water and tried not to think about her naked body in the tub. He pushed his hair back from his forehead, sighing raggedly. It was torture. Being this close to her all the time and having to stay in control. He thought he could handle it; being in the same tight space day and night, always with the knowledge that Kira was just within reach and yet, still beyond his grasp.
Now there she was, a few feet away, naked, soap suds clinging to her beautiful skin and the water scented and steamy. Blake tried to tell himself that he had enough self-control to put it all out of his mind – but evidently, he didn’t. Not really.
Every little sound she made seemed to shoot straight to his cock. She was obviously luxuriating in the heated water and the bath oils, and Blake only needed to close his eyes to see the image of her heavy, firm breasts half-deep in the water. Their taut, dark nipples made stiff by the temperature, and droplets falling from her like they were worshipping her body the way his lips and hands wanted to do. Damn! It drove him steadily insane.
He would give anything on earth to join her but knew that was impossible. He had to respect her wishes about sex and he also had to prove to her that he had the control to keep that out of the picture until he felt she was ready.
Feeling like an idiot for eavesdropping on his bathing wife like he was a pervert, Blake shook his head and started to change out of his clothes. He would have to settle for a very cold shower tonight; he’d been having plenty of them since their ‘romantic’ honeymoon began.
It took a while for him to notice that she seemed to be taking far too long in there. And he couldn’t hear her making any more sounds. Puzzled, Blake went to the bathroom door to knock and ask if she was okay, when he heard her hesitantly call his name.
“Kira,” he called back, frowning with worry. “Is there something wrong?”
“I...uh...no,” she said in a small voice he had to strain t
o catch. “But I just realized we’ve run out of towels in here. Could you please um...”
“Stay put and I’ll get you one,” he said, hiding the amusement from his tone. He found some extra ones folded in the closet, picked out the largest one and then went back to the bathroom door, this time not bothering to knock before he entered.
When Blake walked in, Kira sunk deeper into the water of the large bathtub. Blake smiled. The steamy room was filled with a heavenly scent of roses. Kira’s freshly washed skin looked creamy in the gentle lights, and the sight of her rounded shoulders and the tops of her breasts above the level of the water was breathtaking. She looked indescribably lovely, her curls pinned in a messy bun high on her head and her eyes big and brown as they stared at him with a shy gaze. Blake realized he was bare-chested, having shrugged out of his shirt before she called for him.
He liked the way she was looking at his bared torso but didn’t let it give him any ideas. He couldn’t stand it if she turned cold on him again.
***
“Fresh towel my lady,” Blake announced with a smile, holding it up in his hand.
Kira could hardly meet his gaze, unbearably self-conscious about having him in the bathroom with her. “Thanks,” she murmured. “Just um...leave it on the hook. I’ll get it when you’re gone.”
His teasing smile vanished at her words. “Don’t be silly,” he said brusquely, walking up to the bathtub and holding out the towel in his wide open arms like a curtain. “I think you’ve spent more than enough time in there. You’re going to shrivel up. Stand up and I’ll wrap this around you.”
“No,” Kira said, alarmed. Her arms crossed over her large breasts knowing that he could easily see her body underneath the water from where he stood. So she drew up her knees as well in a protective measure.
“No,” she repeated more firmly, shaking her head. “Please drop the towel and leave.”
Blake’s eyes rolled to the ceiling. “Sometimes, Kira, you act like a child. It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before.” He dropped to his haunches, bringing their faces to the same level as his eyes now bored into hers. Kira sank even lower into the water. “What exactly are you afraid of? Considering we’re both lovers and married, you shouldn’t mind me seeing you naked. It’s perfectly natural and legal.”
“You’re despicable,” she ground out.
His eyes narrowed, smile disappearing once again. “You’re going to come out of there right now; unless you want me to help you out myself?”
Glaring at him hatefully, Kira muttered feelingly, “Damn you, Blake.” But he merely smiled. She knew he realized she had no choice but to give in. And the water was starting to cool uncomfortably.
He straightened, holding up the towel patiently.
Taking a deep breath, Kira rose from the water, resisting the urge to place her arms across her nudity. Even though she knew he was looking at her unabashedly. He wrapped the towel securely around her streaming body and waited until she’d stepped out onto the bathmat before surprising her by swinging her easily off her feet and into his arms, carrying her back into the bedroom.
“Really, Blake?” she muttered, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck and fighting the pounding in her chest at how easily he’d lifted her, as if she weighed little more than a bag of feathers.
In the bedroom, he placed her gently down to stand on the thick rug and Kira instantly curled her toes into the thickness underfoot. The room was deliciously warm by now, a beautiful June night in London. What wasn’t great though was Blake doing the unexpected and whipping the towel off her slightly damp body. Kira gasped.
She felt too paralyzed with shock to move. What on earth...?
“Why would you wish to deny me the pleasure of seeing your gorgeous body, Kira?” he asked softly, head cocked to one side. He held her gaze with almost hypnotic intensity. “You’re my wife. And you’re unbelievably beautiful.”
Kira didn’t know what to say. She felt outraged, and...well, a bit gooey in places as she let his words wash over her. She’d wondered about what he’d think of her body and its changes. Her breasts had swelled in the past few weeks and of course there was her growing stomach. She’d sworn to herself he’d never get a glimpse of her without her clothes on but she couldn’t have foreseen this scenario.
All this time holding him back had been more torture for her than he’d ever guess. He couldn’t know how much he’d already beaten past her defenses. He’d been the only man she’d ever truly desired and that hadn’t changed. Not for a second. Spending time around him had her twisted up more and more in the web of her own making. She’d stretched her endurance so thin that now it might well take just a flick to have her cracking to pieces. Now that they were married...how long, Kira wondered vaguely, would she be able to keep resisting him?
“Now,” Blake said finally, sinking to his knees and, using the towel he now held in his hands, started to rub first her feet dry, then her calves. He worked up her sides and her arms and skimmed over her breasts. Kira was as still as a statue, hardly breathing. What should she do? She seemed incapable of motion or even thought.
Done with his ministrations, he tossed the towel aside and, still kneeling, his hands fell heavily on her hips.
Kira could then only watch in fascination as his thick lashes lowered to conceal his deep grey eyes while he brought his head close and pressed lips, firm yet gentle, to her navel. The warm, moist kiss sent a sharp pang of desire straight through her.
She had to clutch her fingers to his broad shoulders for support as her knees suddenly felt too wobbly to support her. “Blake, what are you doing?” she squeaked. Of course she knew what he was doing; raining kisses all over her pregnant belly now, each one more scorching than the last, his grip on her waist keeping her from drawing back even if she wanted to.
“What I’ve been dying to do ever since I knew you were going to have my baby. Our baby,” he told her between kisses.
Kira flinched, the pleasure almost painful as his breath fanned the sensitive skin of her pregnant mound. It was the most erotic sensation ever, especially when Blake rested his cheek gently against her tummy. “Blake...,” she began shakily.
“I know; you want me to stop. You want to push me away again. When will you learn to trust me, Kira?” He looked up then, his sad gaze holding her fast.
“Why is it so hard to believe I love you?” he asked gruffly, rising to his feet. “What is it about us that’s all wrong in your head? I know my touch pleases you. I feel your every shiver. And I can never forget how you felt with your tight, sweet pussy wrapped around my cock. Maybe it’s time I truly remind you of the magic we created that night. I think you’re more than ready to face the demons of our burning passion, dear wife.”
He cupped her face, and Kira had no doubt he could feel the quiver in every one of her muscles at the blistering heat of his gaze. “I’m going to make love to you, my sweet wife. Tonight. And you’re not going to try to stop me,” he articulated, each word a promise – a dangerous reassurance. Kira felt a whole new kind of wetness begin to fizzle within her trembling thighs.
She was still trembling when he backed away, hands dropping from her as he casually stripped right there, revealing every incredibly tight and toned sinewy muscle to the immobilized Kira whose mouth felt ready to unhinge. She stared at Blake in bare skin; no trace of fat but every inch of him ripped and smooth and sculpted. Her eyes feathered down and she couldn’t hold back a gasp. How could she have forgotten how magnificently formed his cock was? He seemed carved from marble from head to toe and it was all she could do not to dissolve in a puddle just looking at him.
This man...this gorgeous male specimen...loved her, desired her, and was going to take her. Kira blinked a few times and watched his lips curve in a smirk at her expression, right before he turned and walked off to the bathroom, leaving Kira with an indelible view of his broad upper back and shoulders which were super defined; his trim sides tapering into his lean hips and
perfect ass.
Breathe, Kira, she reminded herself dazedly.
The door shut after him and Kira heard the shower running. She was aware her face was steaming up and her body was tightened up like a screw. Blake had virtually stolen her breath and she’d loved every inch of him. Had been magnetized by his masculine confidence and how he knew he looked good – good enough to eat.
Kira made it to the bed on shaky legs and crawled underneath the covers. She’d always believed that when the time came, making love with Blake would be an ordeal. She’d been so sure he could never again bring her to feel that first mindless desire that had her surrendering to him for hot sex on the library couch. She’d believed that sexy, passionate Kira would never resurface again.
But now he’d laid it on the line and suddenly her hormones were blasting through the roof. And Blake had barely even touched her yet.
Her mind flew over the things that had happened in the past many months and how much she’d changed – and yet she still clung to many of the things that held her back from her true emotional potential.
Why was she so scared of being hurt, of not being worth it? Blake had shown her time and again that he wanted to make things work. Getting pregnant certainly hadn’t been on the top of her priorities at her age and Kira could choose to blame Blake all she wanted for the situation she was in, but as time wore on she wondered if it wasn’t time to forget the blame. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been a willing partner. No; Kira realized that the problems were mostly all on her side, if not all on her side.
Blake had been right to ask her why it was so hard to believe she was truly loved. Even with Terrence, she’d never ever given him a piece of her heart. She’d never let him through her smokescreen. She’d been a confident, grown woman who didn’t really believe in love though in her heart, she’d longed for the taste and feel of it. And here was Blake, offering her the world – his world, his heart, on a platter. What he said was all true and now it was time for Kira to face her fears...