The Magnate's Tempestuous Marriage

by Miranda Lee

  * * *

  It was a snug fit all right, Sarah conceded once Scott slid the shower screen shut behind them. There was nowhere to escape the streams of water beating down over her head, plastering her hair to her skull and back. There was hardly room to lift her arms to scoop the wet locks back from her face.

  ‘Oh!’ she gasped when he turned her round and she felt his erection pressing against her bottom.

  ‘Hand me that soap there,’ he ordered roughly.

  Her hand trembled as she picked the cake of soap up off the inbuilt soap dish, not sure what he intended to do, not sure now if she was capable of stopping him. Sarah might be a relative innocent when it came to sexual experience but she wasn’t ignorant.

  She gasped again when he began rubbing the now wet soap over her nipples. Lord, but it felt fantastic! Her heart started galloping and she had the devil of a time stopping herself from moaning with pleasure. In the end she did.

  ‘You like that?’ he rasped in her ear.

  ‘Mmm...’ was all she could manage in reply.

  ‘Sorry, sweetheart, but it’s time to move on.’

  When he slid the soap down over her stomach, Sarah sucked in sharply, fearful that if he rubbed that soap over her more intimate parts she would come straight away. But amazingly she didn’t, Scott skilfully avoiding her clitoris and concentrating on the less sensitive areas. But she still became terribly tense, every muscle she owned tightening in anticipation.

  ‘Dear God,’ she choked out at one stage.

  ‘Prayer won’t help you tonight, sweetheart,’ Scott warned her, then abruptly turned her round. ‘Now do the same to me,’ he ordered as he handed her the soap then leant back against the tiled wall, giving her enough room to follow his command.

  Sarah didn’t dare disobey him this time. Hell, she didn’t want to disobey.

  She echoed everything he’d done to her, rubbing the soap over his chest, concentrating on his nipples. Though smaller than hers, they were fiercely erect and just as sensitive, by the sounds he started making: low, raw groans that she found deliciously arousing, making her want to hear more. And more.

  Her hand dropped away from his chest, drifting down over his rock-hard abs to the tip of his erection. When she brushed the cake of slippery soap over it, he swore, then grabbed her hand, stopping her from going further.

  ‘No?’ she enquired mischievously, her eyes as excited as his.

  ‘No,’ he growled, switching off the taps and slamming back the shower screen so hard that it rattled.

  ‘But I wanted to,’ she protested even as he reached for the towels.

  ‘I wanted you to do it too,’ he told her, shoving one towel into her hands whilst he kept the other. ‘But I have other plans for you right now.’

  Sarah trembled, her head spinning with desire.

  His smile was so sexy. ‘Shall we go?’

  The downstairs living room was nicely warm when they returned, Scott wasting no time pulling her down onto the rug with him.

  For a big man Scott was a quick mover. Before Sarah could blink he slid down her body and put his mouth where the cake of soap had recently been. She cried out when his lips took a rather ruthless possession of her swollen clitoris, sucking the electrified tip till it was impossible for her to stop herself from coming. This time her cries carried a degree of exasperation. She hadn’t wanted to come; hadn’t wanted the edge to be taken off her desires.

  But strangely, that didn’t happen. Yes, for a few moments she experienced a wave of post-orgasmic languor, but Scott put a stop to that when he slid back up her body and started kissing her nipples. That woke her up again. Big time. After tormenting her breasts for a while, he returned to her gasping mouth, inserting his tongue and cupping her cheeks at the same time. It was a long, slow, wet kiss; an intimate and very loving kiss, which Sarah found both incredibly arousing and strangely emotional.

  This wasn’t just lust, she realised as she clasped Scott close and wallowed in the moment. This was love—honest to goodness, lasting-for-ever love. How could she have ever thought otherwise?

  When he finally stopped kissing her, she looked up into his flushed face. ‘I do love you, you know,’ she said, her stomach going all squishy inside.

  ‘I sure hope so,’ he returned, then smiled a wry smile.

  ‘Aren’t you going to tell me you love me too?’

  ‘Haven’t I already told you that enough already? How many times does a man have to prove himself to you? I love you too.’

  Quite a lot, Sarah conceded whilst hugging her happiness, the knowledge that this was love driving her and not just lust bringing a playfulness to their lovemaking that was both fun and exciting.

  She could already tell that he liked what she was doing. A lot. Frankly, she’d never seen him so large or so hard.

  A choking sound escaped his throat when she bent her head, first to the tip, then to the rest of him, only taking him a few inches before withdrawing then doing it all over again. Gradually, she sucked him in deeper and deeper, but he seemed determined not to surrender, his iron control frustrating her. In the end, Sarah only just managed to take him back into her mouth before he came, shuddering into her as he cried out like a wounded animal, his hands tangling in her hair at the same time.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  FIFTEEN MINUTES LATER Scott was in pleasurable agony. Perhaps because Sarah had insisted she be on top. The sight of her riding him in a state of such naked abandon did things to him that were almost criminal. Hell, he was going to come if she didn’t stop.

  His groan carried both agony and ecstasy. ‘Hell, Sarah.’

  ‘Sorry. Did I hurt you?’

  ‘You’re killing me. Look, just keep still and talk to me for a short while.’

  ‘You don’t like to talk, especially during sex.’

  ‘I do right now.’

  Sarah sighed an exasperated-sounding sigh. ‘But I was having such fun. I’ve only just learnt how to do this properly and you want me to stop.’

  ‘You’ll have lots more opportunity for more practice when you come home with me.’

  ‘If I come home with you, don’t you mean?’ she said archly.

  Lord, but she would try the patience of a saint! Maybe he shouldn’t bother with her pleasure. Just give in to his own. But damn it all, he didn’t have much going for him at the moment except the persuasion of great sex. The trouble was she looked so utterly gorgeous without any clothes on.

  Scott loved looking at her. Sarah’s body was perfect in every department in Scott’s opinion, from her slender shoulders to her tiny waist to the gentle swell of her hips and bottom. And then there were her soft silky thighs and that delicious area in between, which currently had him imprisoned within its hot wet depths.

  God. Better not think about that! Otherwise his asking Sarah to stop and talk would not work at all. He was already perilously close to coming.

  ‘Stop wriggling and start talking,’ he commanded roughly.

  ‘Truly,’ she tut-tutted, lifting her arms to wind her rather dishevelled hair up into a topknot, the action lifting her pretty breasts with their fiercely erect nipples. Her stretching up also lifted her bottom slightly, Scott only just managing not to groan.

  ‘So what do you want me to talk about?’ she asked.

  ‘How about telling me how you came to be best friends with Cory?’

  ‘Cory?’ she repeated, looking perplexed.

  Scott wasn’t at all jealous of her close friendship with Cory. He thought it quite sweet. But he was curious.

  ‘But I’ve already told you about Cory. We met at uni and we...well...we had the same interests. Liked the same books and movies.’

  Scott could see that she was slightly uncomfortable explaining how their friendship began. ‘I get the impression you were more than just friends at one stage,’ he said with a burst of intuition.

  A guilty colour entered her cheeks.

  ‘Out with it, Sarah,’ Scott insisted. ‘Honesty,
remember?’

  ‘Okay—okay. The truth is I sort of fancied him to begin with. I mean, he was a hunk and by then I think my hormones were willing to bypass my history. So when he asked me out I said yes. Then, when he asked me back to his flat—he wasn’t living here yet—I went.’

  ‘Didn’t you know he was gay?’

  ‘Not in the slightest. He acted like he found me as attractive as I found him.’

  ‘So what happened when you got back to his flat?’

  ‘Nothing much. We kissed a few times.’

  ‘You liked kissing him?’

  ‘I thought I did. I hadn’t experienced your kisses then, don’t forget. I now know that Cory’s kisses were like mineral water to your champagne.’

  Scott tried not to preen at her compliment. But his male ego was pleased all the same.

  ‘What happened after that?’ he asked.

  ‘We moved into his bedroom and started taking off our clothes.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘He broke down and said he was sorry but he couldn’t go through with it. He confessed that he was gay but was afraid his parents would hate him and that his life would be ruined. He told me that he’d thought if any girl in the world could make him straight, it would be me. But it hadn’t turned out that way. He said he didn’t like kissing me and he knew that he wasn’t capable of having sex with me.’

  ‘Right. Awkward. What did you do then?’

  ‘I felt like crying but Cory was doing enough for both of us. So I cuddled him and told him he was being silly and that I would go with him to tell his parents the truth the very next day.’

  ‘And did you?’

  ‘Yes, of course. I don’t make idle promises. Anyway, they were fine with it. Said they’d already suspected. The upshot was I stayed the day with his family—Cory had two younger sisters—and we all just clicked. We’ve been good friends ever since.’

  ‘I see,’ Scott said. ‘So what happened to your hormones after that?’ he went on, his curiosity fully whetted by then. ‘They sound like they were definitely on the move at last. Not dead and buried any longer.’

  ‘True. But I still wasn’t prepared to just jump into bed with anyone. He had to be someone who was physically attractive and whom I could trust with my body. I did look around, believe me, but no one did it for me. Till you came along...’

  Scott’s heart turned over. Something else stirred as well. Not that his erection had ever really gone to sleep. It had just been distracted for a while. ‘I still can’t imagine why you found me so attractive. A big, ugly brute like me.’

  Sarah’s smile was a very Mona Lisa smile. ‘You’re not at all ugly and you know it. But if you want me to be brutally honest, no pun intended, then I don’t know why, either. You were nothing like the fantasy first lover I’d pictured in my head. You were too big and too old and way too intimidating. All I know is that I wanted you from the first moment I set eyes on you.’

  ‘Well, you have me,’ he returned thickly. Till death do us part, Scott hoped. ‘No more talk now. I have myself under sufficient control to continue, so go ahead and have your wicked way with me...if you so desire.’

  ‘I do so desire, my Lord and master,’ she said with a sexy smile, and began riding him again.

  Scott clenched his teeth hard in his jaw, determined to outlast her this time.

  * * *

  It was still dark when he woke, his back aching a little from falling asleep on such a hard floor. The rug wasn’t thick enough to cushion a man of his size and weight, especially with Sarah sprawled on top of him. The days of his sleeping rough in the outback had long gone. He was used to creature comforts now; used to sleeping in big soft beds in air-conditioned rooms. Sarah too, he imagined. She might have felt wretched during her growing up years but she obviously hadn’t wanted for much—materially speaking. Her admitting to having such a substantial amount of money of her own had come as a surprise, but a pleasant one. Clearly, his own financial successes hadn’t influenced her feelings for him. She’d said she loved him at first sight and he believed her. A week ago he hadn’t been at all sure.

  Tonight had certainly shown him how much he loved her. The way he’d felt when she was making love to him had been almost beyond love. Life without her would be impossible. But he felt a little more confident that all would be well. Eventually. Though he suspected Sarah wasn’t about to relent about her two weeks’ break. Still, he could bear that, now that he had hope.

  In the meantime he had to get them both into a proper bed. Not the one downstairs. That was Cory’s. Sarah would have been sleeping this past week in the guest room upstairs. Somehow he managed to carry her up the narrow and rather steep staircase without waking her, though she did stir slightly, nuzzling into his neck and muttering something in her dreams. The state of the guest bedroom startled him. First, the bed was covered with clothes. On top of that, the room was on the chilly side. Finally, he succeeded in getting her into the bed, after which he quickly piled the clothes onto a corner chair before diving in after her. She immediately snuggled into him, her body deliciously warm. Scott might have woken her if he hadn’t been knackered himself. They’d outdone themselves tonight, making love several times before exhaustion had taken over.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  SARAH WAS BROUGHT back slowly to consciousness by Scott shaking her and saying her name.

  ‘Sarah, wake up,’ he growled when she kept her eyes dreamily shut, loving the warmth of the thick quilt that enveloped her. ‘I need to talk to you, damn you.’

  His swearing at her did the trick, her eyes snapping open to see Scott standing beside the bed, glaring down at her. He was naked, except for a towel slung low round his hips, his dripping body and wet hair indicating that he’d just climbed out of a shower. He was also holding the pregnancy testing kit she’d carelessly left on the bathroom vanity.

  Oh, dear God...

  Sarah swallowed. ‘Yes?’ she squeaked.

  ‘What’s this?’ he growled, waggling the box at her.

  Sarah’s stomach swirled with nausea at the thought he might jump to all the wrong conclusions. Again.

  ‘It’s a pregnancy testing kit,’ she said, trying her best to sound perfectly innocent and not worried sick.

  ‘No kidding,’ came his droll reply. ‘I can read, you know. Since we both know it hardly belongs to Cory, then I can only presume you bought it. What I want to know is why? Did you forget to take the pill one night, is that it?’ he added, scowling.

  ‘Well, yes and no,’ she replied, sitting up slowly whilst holding the bedclothes up over her bare breasts. ‘I mean, I didn’t just forget one night. I actually haven’t taken the pill for some time now.’

  His frown darkened. ‘And why was that?’ he demanded to know.

  Sarah knew there was nothing for it but the truth.

  ‘Complacency, security, recklessness. I don’t know why. It wasn’t until last Saturday that I realised how mistaken I was. But by then taking my pill was the last thing on my mind. I didn’t even remember it till you mentioned it last Monday. If you recall, I nearly fainted on the spot. You’ve no idea how shocked I was at being so stupid. On top of that, I wasn’t exactly thrilled at the idea of conceiving a baby through acts of jealousy and revenge. Or even from that lust-crazed quickie we’d just had a few minutes earlier. Though that was preferable, I suppose,’ she added bitterly. ‘After that, there didn’t seem be any point to going back on the pill till my period arrived.’

  ‘Which it obviously hasn’t,’ Scott said as he shook the box in his hands.

  ‘No,’ she agreed wretchedly.

  ‘So, are you pregnant?’ he asked her. ‘Have you taken this test?’

  ‘No. It’s too early to tell. I just bought that test on an impulse. The doctor said that I should wait at least another week to be sure.’

  ‘I presume this is the same doctor who prescribed you the antibiotics for your phantom sinus infection,’ he said rather caustically.

 
Guilt had Sarah colouring hotly. ‘I had to say something to explain why I couldn’t drink at dinner. I knew you knew how much I loved champagne.’

  ‘No kidding. How inventive of you. By then you should have told me the truth, Sarah,’ he bit out, his eyes like shiny steel. ‘I can almost understand why you didn’t tell me straight away after you realised you might have fallen pregnant. You were still mad at me. But I cannot forgive you for keeping it a secret last night. All that talk of honesty and trust over dinner was just so much crap, wasn’t it? I’m beginning to think that you were right when you said there was nothing left between us but lust. At least on your part.’

  Sarah winced at the coldness in his voice. ‘Try to understand my point of view,’ she pleaded. ‘I didn’t tell you about my possibly being pregnant because I didn’t want you using it as a weapon to get me to come back before I was ready.’

  Sarah knew, the moment the words were out of her mouth, that they were a mistake.

  His eyes narrowed even further, his top lip curling up with disgust. ‘And wouldn’t that have been just criminal!’ he threw at her, his voice savage with sarcasm. ‘What a terrible thing to do, to ask your wife to come back because she might be having your baby. Totally deplorable! Well, you don’t have to worry about that any more, sweetheart. Because I don’t think I want you back. Maybe if it turns out you really are pregnant I’ll think about it. But just right now I can’t even stand to look at you. I’m out of here!’ And so saying he threw the testing kit on the bed before storming out of the room.

  Stunned by how quickly everything had rocketed out of control, Sarah stayed where she was, listening to Scott stomping down the stairs, her heart racing, her head spinning with panic-driven thoughts.

  I can’t let him leave the way I did last Saturday morning. I have to make him see that I do really love him and that I was wrong to lie to him. And that I’m sorry. So terribly, terribly sorry. I should have told him about forgetting the pill and the possibility of a baby straight away.