He climbed back up her body and looked down into her desire filled eyes. His length throbbed against her heated core. He wanted to drive into her until he was buried, but he waited for her to really look at him.
“Liz, love, tell me I didn’t hurt you.” That was the last thing he ever wanted to do.
She shook her head, her hand coming up to tangle in his hair as she brought his mouth to hers. This time her tongue slid against his.
When she let him go, she whispered, “Make love to me, Robert.”
He reached between them, grasping his length. He rubbed his crown against her heat. She shifted into him until his tip glided into her and she closed over him.
“More,” she whispered, her nails digging into his cheek as she pulled him deeper.
He barely held onto his control as he slid deep inside her. Nothing had ever felt as good as being inside her. For a moment, he couldn’t move as he lay his forehead against hers.
Then she did something, gripping him like a vice and he groaned. “Oh, Liz, I’m close.”
“Then take me. I’m yours,” she whispered as she stared into his eyes.
He meshed his mouth over hers, tasting her as he moved inside her. Her hips met his every thrust. Before he knew it she was calling his name like a prayer as he thrust harder, faster. Then the whole world went supernova as pleasure shot through his entire body. He collapsed on Liz.
Her arms wound around him, her lips sucking his ear as he tried to breathe.
* * * *
Liz woke up screaming. Robert sat in the middle of her bed cradling her as he rocked back and forth. “Shh, Liz. It’s only a nightmare.”
She tried to catch her breath.
Preston came through the door looking panicked. He saw the state of their dress and turned away. “Please, tell me everything is all right. I heard the screams and had to check.”
“Nightmares,” Liz whispered. She was trembling, trying to shake off the memories of Sinclair. “Sorry I woke you.”
“You’re okay?” Preston asked.
“Yeah.” She lay her head against Robert’s chest, taking comfort in the way he held her so tenderly. “Go back to bed.”
“Okay, sorry.” He shut the door behind him.
“You okay, Liz?” Robert whispered.
“Am now.”
“You haven’t had one of those nightmares in a long time.”
“Sorry,” she answered lamely.
“Want to talk about it?”
She was off his lap, pulling on a nightgown then. “No. I don’t. It’s an old nightmare, best left in the past.”
His arms wrapped around her waist. “Tell me how to make the nightmares go away.”
“You can’t,” she whispered. That was the last thing she ever wanted to talk to Robert about. He would never understand. How could he?
“Talk to me, Liz. Let me in,” he pleaded.
She pulled away from him and moved to the window to stare out. “I can’t. Not about that.” She felt tears burning her eyes but she blinked them back.
“I want to take away the pain, the fear. I want to be the one you turn to when you’re afraid.” He was pleading, and it broke her heart. She hadn’t thought about her last night in his uncle’s estate in so long, and now here she was, ready to shatter.
“Robert, please don’t ask me again. I hate saying no, but I can’t. I just can’t.” Her voice broke.
“All right.” His hand squeezed her shoulder. “Should I stay? Or do you want me to leave?”
“You need your sleep. You should go.” She couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t have nightmares. In fact, she was sure they would be back.
He kissed her shoulder, chasing some of the horror of her memories away. “I want to hold you, to keep you safe.”
“I’d like that.” She whispered before crawling into bed. Robert curled up behind her, pulling her into the line of his body.
“I’m here for you whenever you want to talk.” He brought the covers over them and held her close.
She turned over, burying her face against his chest. A part of her wanted to tell him everything, confess her sins, but she was terrified he wouldn’t understand.
He tipped her face up and wiped away the tear that escaped. “Liz, whatever it is, I’m not letting you go.”
Wanting to believe, needing to believe, she kissed him softly before settling in to close her eyes.
Chapter 9
Robert woke early. Liz was curled against him, sleeping peacefully. Today was the day. He wanted to make her his forever.
After placing a kiss on her temple, he slipped out of bed. His clothes were still lying on the floor in a pile. Gritting his teeth, he gathered his things and popped into his room.
He knew the questions were coming as soon as Preston saw him. He didn’t have a clue what to say either. He quickly got dressed. Before he left his room, he took the ring from his dresser and placed it in his pocket.
Preston sat at the counter with a cup of coffee. His brow arched. “You stayed with her all night?”
“I’m not discussing it.”
“I thought you had hurt her when she screamed. Scared the hell out of me,” Preston told him.
Robert shook his head as he dropped into the seat beside him. “She has nightmares. It was the first time in a long time that she woke that frightened.”
“Some nightmare.” Preston looked up at the ceiling and let out a breath. “Whatever happened before your dad brought her in was bad. It took her a long time to get to a point where she actually trusted you, let alone me.”
“I think she trusted you first,” Robert muttered.
Preston shook his head and spun in his seat to face him. “You are both so blind. She trusted you, she didn’t trust her own feelings. You were always the perfect gentleman, and she expected the worst from you.”
“When did you figure all of this out?”
He shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face. “I don’t know. Pretty fast. She could laugh with me because I didn’t make her nervous.”
“I’ve never pushed her. I’ve been nothing but patient, and will always be.” He pushed his hand into his pocket and closed his eyes. He wanted to make her his, but what if it was too fast? What if last night was too soon?
“I know that. I think she knows that. Hell, Tremaine hasn’t punched your teeth in yet, which speaks volumes.” Preston winked. “Good luck with your plan. You’re going to need it.”
Preston stood and strolled out the door.
Conflicted, he set out to make breakfast. It was all he could do to keep from waking her. Regardless of how she answered, he had to make his intentions known. One day she would be his, and he would be hers.
* * * *
The door opened, pulling Liz from sleep. She rolled over to find Robert carrying a tray in. Breakfast smelled divine.
“Mmm, why are you so good to me?” she murmured.
“Because, love, you deserve it.” He sat down beside her, placing the tray over her lap. “Did you sleep well?” He knew she had after she finally went back to sleep.
Her eyes lit up and she nodded. “I did, thanks to you.”
Robert turned to sit beside her. “I hope you don’t mind that I made you breakfast.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder and took his hand. “I don’t. It’s awfully sweet. I just…,” she sighed. “It’s perfect.”
“Eat. I had my breakfast while I was cooking.” Which wasn’t much. He was too nervous.
Her eyes kept sliding over to him as she ate, her left hand playing with the sheet every time she met his gaze. “What?” she finally whispered.
“Sorry, I’ll be right back. Please, finish eating and meet me in the living room.”
Her brows drew together but she nodded.
He was going to make a mess of this, but he had to do it right. Robert squeezed her hand before leaving her to finish. Too nervous to sit, he started straightening things up.
It seemed to take f
orever, but finally she came out in a pencil skirt and fitted top. She looked incredible, if a little uncomfortable. Her hands smoothed down the skirt and a frown marred her face.
“Why can’t I wear pants? They’re so much more comfortable,” she muttered.
Robert grinned. He didn’t care what she wore. He took two steps and stopped in front of her as he dropped to his knee.
Her mouth fell open and her breath caught.
“Elizandra, please be my wife.”
Her head moved back and forth as she backed away. “Robert, why?” She whispered.
He rose to his feet and gently took her face in his hands. “I love you and will until my dying breath.”
“Your family.” She looked devastated. “They’ll never accept me.”
“You’re wrong. My father already gave his blessing.”
“Your mother must not know then.” She pulled out of his grasp and walked away. “Why now? Why so soon? We just became enforcers, why mess that up already?”
“We don’t have to change our plans. I just want the world to know you’re my wife.”
“I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t.”
He reached for her, but she ran out the door. He slumped into the seat, and tried to figure out what to do to fix this mess.
* * * *
Liz ran to Tremaine’s. She hurried up the stairs and pounded on the door. She didn’t care if he was sleeping, she needed to talk to someone who wouldn’t laugh at her for turning down the one thing she wanted more than anything.
“Damn it, Tremaine, open up,” she yelled.
She heard him running through the house, and the door swung open. He stood there in a towel, water dripping down his body and she looked away. “I need to talk. I can wait.”
“Not outside, you can’t. Come in here, I’ll be right back.” He turned and started down the hall. Liz stepped inside and shut the door behind her. Then she moved to his bookshelves.
She wanted more than anything to feel normal and deserving of everything Robert had offered her, but she felt dirty and tainted by her past.
He’d been so gentle and loving, afraid he might hurt her, and she couldn’t even tell him that her virginity had been ripped from her years before.
She slammed her hand on the wall and fought back a wave of tears.
“Liz, what’s wrong?” Tremaine’s voice was quiet but reinforced by steel. “Did Robert hurt you? I’ll strangle that boy with his own intestines.”
She whirled around and shouted. “No, don’t you dare touch him. That’s not what this is about.”
His eyes closed, his shoulders slumping as he took a deep breath. “Then what is it, because you look like someone ripped your heart out.”
She half laughed as she covered her face. “He proposed.”
“And you said no?” he asked, taking a step closer to sweep her hair behind her ear. “Liz, what happened?”
“Swear to me you won’t kill him,” she insisted.
Amusement danced in his eyes. “He made love to you?”
Her mouth fell open and her eyes grew round.
“Honestly, I’m surprised he managed to wait this long, but he’s always been mindful of your needs. He’s good for you, Liz. Don’t you see that?”
“He doesn’t know about Sinclair. He doesn’t know what happened. How could he look at me the same way?” She turned away, and she felt his hands on her shoulders.
“Believe it or not, he won’t blame you. He knows right from wrong, and what Sinclair did was wrong. No real man could ever see what happened to you as your fault, Liz. It doesn’t matter that they were related by blood. It doesn’t change the fact that the boy is in love with you and has been since he laid eyes on you. It would take a damn fool to not see that.”
“I don’t deserve him or his love. I’ll ruin what he shares with his family.”
“No. You are wrong about that. It would force Kathryn to see you in a different light. Wilhelm has already given his blessing, and so have I. We’re not stopping you, we want you two to be happy, and the two of you together would do that.”
“It’s too soon. I’d be forced to settle down, have children,” she snorted, the thought was preposterous. “I’m nineteen, Tremaine.” She turned around and looked into his deep brown eyes. “I can’t be a wife. I can’t be what he needs. I’m not even really a lady.”
“Could have fooled me about being a lady.” His eyes did a quick up and down before he smiled at her. “You’re a beautiful young woman. Any man would be lucky to have you. Besides, he’s the neat freak. Let him do the housework. He also likes to cook. I think it would work out fine.”
Liz shoved him and stomped off. Making light of the situation wasn’t helping her at all. “This isn’t a joke, Tremaine. If I say yes, things change. He’ll expect me to let him protect me. I don’t want that. I want to be me, without restraints, without expectations of what being his wife would mean, especially to his family.”
Her stomach twisted in knots. There were so many reasons that marriage wasn’t going to work.
There was a knock on the door, and Liz almost bolted out the back.
Tremaine caught her arm and spun her around. “Let me guess. Instead of telling Robert all of this, you ran?” His eyes lifted to the ceiling as he shook his head. “You need to tell him this. I have a feeling he’ll give you all the time in the world.”
“You aren’t making this easy,” she muttered before pulling free and walking back to the door. She opened it and crossed her arms over her chest, trying to stay strong against her warring emotions.
“Liz, you don’t have to say yes right now. I get it. It was too soon.” Robert ran his hands down his lapels as he looked down at the ground. “I got ahead of myself. I apologize.”
She grabbed his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.
When she pulled back, he looked to Tremaine. “I swear to you, I’ll bring her back if she wants me to.” Then they were in her room, standing beside the window.
She threw her hands up. “Are you trying to piss Tremaine off?”
“No, but I need you to listen to me.”
“Don’t apologize again,” she whispered.
“Talk to me then. What happened?”
“I’m not ready for everything that comes with marriage. I want what we have, but I’m not ready for the rest.” She gave him a sad smile. “I love you, Robert. I always have, but being your wife changes everything. I need to be me, to prove myself. If I marry you, then that gets swept away. I’m not ready for that.”
He took her face in his hands and brushed a kiss over her lips. “Then I’ll wait. I would have told you that before you ran out of here, but you didn’t give me the chance. You have to understand that I’m not letting you go until you beg me to, and even then I’m not sure I have the power to do that.”
“You aren’t upset?” she whispered.
“No.”
Her brow arched.
“Yes, I was hoping you would say yes, but even if you did, it wouldn’t change anything but your last name. Not to me, not ever. But if it’s too soon, then it’s too soon, and I will wait until you are ready.”
“You’re always so damned perfect, Robert. I don’t deserve you.”
He backed her into the wall, his lips trailing over her ear. “Don’t ever tell me that again, Liz. You deserve the very best, and you will always own my heart and soul. His lips descended on hers, and she melted into him.
* * * *
Tremaine stood at his window, watching Robert and Liz talk up in her room until hands disappeared under clothes. At that point, he needed some air and went for a walk.
He made it down to a diner where Preston sat alone, staring at his plate. Tremaine stepped into the diner and took a seat across from the young mage. “You okay?” He asked.
Preston looked up, his pale blue eyes narrowed. “Can I ask you something?”
Tremaine nodded. He had a feeling about where this was going.
�
��Why is it, after every summer of proving ourselves, and especially Liz’s character, Robert and I were told that we’re to watch over her and keep her from making a mistake, like she’s on an unofficial probation?”
Tremaine glanced out the window. “Maynard has suspicions about where Liz came from. He has no evidence, and he’s wrong. I’ve tried my damnedest to keep this from happening, but I can’t change the inner circle, no matter how much I try.”
“It’s not fair.”
He let out a heavy breath. Even Draecyn was upset with the way things went after her final test. “Did you know that Liz nearly killed Maynard? They matched her with him, and she channeled a storm into her spell. The instructors had to pull out all the stops to shield the prick from being fried.”
“No one but his equally slimy son, no one would have missed Maynard.”
Tremaine snorted. “Look, keep doing missions the way you always have. Eventually, I hope they see.”
“That is horse shit. She’s the only reason we always succeed. I still think you plan it that way.”
He nodded. “She’s always been my first priority. Can you blame me?”
“No. Robert says the same thing. In all honestly, I don’t want to see anything happen to her either. I don’t see why she has to keep proving herself like this.”
“She doesn’t know. It would be best to keep it that way for now.
Preston groaned. “Yeah, don’t worry.”
Tremaine looked out the window.
“So what brings you in?” Preston asked.
He looked back. “Did you know Robert proposed to Liz?”
Preston’s mouth fell open. “Did she actually say yes?”
“No, but they seemed to have come to an agreement.”
Preston slid back in his seat. “I may need to sleep on your couch or something.”
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