As they approached the dance floor, trepidation made Gabrielle's heart race. She'd seen Felix waltzing with Arabella and had immediately known that her friend had probably kept him from cutting in. At least, she hoped so. If Felix hadn’t cared who she was dancing with and had asked Arabella of his own accord, that would be rather lowering. She knew she was poking a tiger with a stick, trying to make her husband jealous, but if he was jealous wouldn't that mean something? If nothing else, she would like to inspire some of the same emotions in him that she experienced when she'd seen him talking with Cordelia and the Marquess.
Of course he would have to care for that to happen...
Which was why she felt rather gratified when Felix cut into her dance with Mr. Pressen after a mere minute. Gratified, but wary, because the storm clouds in Felix's expression made it clear that if Mr. Pressen didn't desert the field post haste, Felix would be more than happy to plant him another facer. Not that Mr. Pressen resisted - he very quickly handed Gabrielle over and made himself scarce.
Looking up at the fury dancing in her husband's eyes, which were so dark right now that they looked black, Gabrielle's trepidation returned full force and her bottom started to tingle as if in anticipation of the spanking that she could already sense was coming her way.
"What were you thinking, dancing with that man?" Felix asked, whirling her away from the little court of rakes and blades that she and Arabella had gathered around her.
"I was thinking that I wanted to dance and he asked," she retorted before remembering that she was supposed to acting like a lady. Cool. Calm. Collected. To her surprise, though, she saw a little flash of something that looked almost like pleasure in her husband's eyes at her sassy response, but she had to be imagining that.
"And Carter? And Montague? What happened to Braden and the others?" The dangerous gleam was back in Felix's eye, his hold on her tightening, and Gabrielle couldn't help the shiver of pleasure that went down her spine.
Her lips pressed together. She knew she wasn’t very good at lying straight out, she was much better at sliding around the truth, but right now she was finding it hard to think. She was torn between pleasure that Felix seemed jealous and wariness over his scowling mood, as well as the humming need that was beginning between her legs and the phantom throbbing in her bottom as it anticipated a spanking.
Rather than snapping back at him and asking him what about Cordelia, she just turned her face away. Composed. Cool. Calm. Collected.
“Lord Braden’s dance had ended and I accepted the next invitation I received.”
The cool, calm, and collected pose she’d adopted abandoned her when she was suddenly being dragged off of the dance floor, Felix’s firm grip around her upper arm. She couldn’t see his expression because he was walking too quickly, leaving her stumbling behind him.
“Felix!” she hissed, trying to keep up. “Felix, you’re causing a scene!”
She tried to say the words quietly enough that only he would be able to hear them, but everyone was looking at them now, so she didn’t know if it worked or not. Completely ignoring her, he pulled her out into the front hall where he gave the butler his name and requested their carriage. The fingers on her arm were unrelenting and now that she could finally look up and see his face, her bravado deserted her, leaving her quailing.
Her husband looked like a man who had finally reached the end of his rope, and Gabrielle had no idea what was going to happen now.
******
Felix had reached the end of his rope. In fact, he’d reached the end, tossed it away, and burned the damned thing.
He was sick of his wife treating him like a stranger unless she was naked and in his bed. Sick of vainly looking for the spark of her personality in this reserved marble version of her. Sick of not understanding what she was doing or why. And he was definitely sick of watching her dance with men he didn’t want within ten feet of her, much less holding her! Granted, it wasn’t as if he’d had to do very much of that last, but apparently even a little was enough to send him over the edge.
Beside him, he could feel Gabrielle shifting her weight back and forth nervously, and felt a tiny flicker of satisfaction that he’d managed to chip away at her walls just a little. His grip around her arm was as much as he’d allow himself to touch her, otherwise he didn’t know if he’d be able to keep from flipping her over his lap and spanking the living daylights out of her - or just lifting her skirts and marking her as his in the most primal manner available to him.
None of which he wanted to do when he could practically feel the stares of the other guests at his and Gabrielle’s backs.
Fortunately, it only took a few moments for Felix’s carriage to be brought round – after all, no one else was trying to leave the ball this early – and he was able to hustle Gabrielle into it very quickly. Climbing in afterwards, he sat across from her, staring at her in the moonlight.
There was a pink flush high in her cheeks and her fists were little balls in her lap, her chin lifted proudly as if she didn’t care that she’d just been dragged out of a ballroom. Didn’t care that they’d just given the ton something to talk about, only days after their return to London. Didn’t care that her husband was glowering at her from mere inches away.
The ride home was silent. Because once this conversation started, Felix intended to see it through to the very end. No interruptions. Which was why he renewed his grip on her arm as soon as they descended from the carriage, waving off the coachman, and pulling her into the house.
“Felix – “
“Not yet,” he growled, throwing open the front door before Taylor could reach it and dragging Gabrielle up the stairs to their bedroom. Yes, dragging, because she was starting to actively try and escape from him. She wasn’t struggling, just trying to pull away. Trying to twist her arm out of his grip.
“Felix, please, let go of my arm.”
“We’re going to our room. We’re going to have a discussion. And we are not leaving our room until I’m satisfied.”
With exasperation in her voice, she stopped fighting him and allowed him to drag her the last few feet into the room. “Satisfied with what?”
“Your answers.”
Felix slammed the door shut behind him.
Chapter 18
Crossing his arms over his chest, Felix glared at his wife, blocking the doorway with his muscled frame. A little pale, but still defiant, Gabrielle lifted her chin and gave him the haughty, distant look that he hated so much.
“What-“
“Take off your clothes.”
She blinked, her hands going immediately to her bosom, as if to cover it, despite the fact that she was still wearing her dress. “What?!”
Felix started towards her. “Take off your clothes. I’ll assist.”
“But… but why?” She tried to clutch the fabric to her as he spun her around and started swiftly undoing her buttons, accidentally ripping a few in his haste.
“It will make things easier.” Because he wanted her to feel vulnerable. Naked. It would also effectively keep her trapped in the room with him. And make it a hell of a lot easier to spank her once he started asking questions.
Gabrielle seemed almost shell shocked as he stripped her out of the dress, his cock swelling as her body was bared to him. It didn't matter that he was frustrated, that the spanking he was planning had nothing to do with sex - his cock responded.
Her skin was like cream satin under his fingers as he pushed the fabric off of her body, cream satin he was going to turn rosy - in certain areas.
"Wait!" she said, her fingers curling around her chemise. Not that it afforded her any real coverage, but she clutched it to her chest anyway. "You can't... you can't do whatever this is because I danced with a few men!"
"That's not why I'm doing this," he said with a growl, taking her by the arm again and pulling her over to the bed. He let her hold the chemise against her breasts. It wasn't on her anymore anyway; if she wanted to cuddle it, he wasn't
going to wrest it from her. "I want to know what's gotten into you. Not just the dancing with those... those scoundrels, but the way you've been with me."
"What about the way I've been with you?" Her chin went up, eyes flashing. Apparently he'd sparked a nerve.
Well, too bad, she'd sparked one of his too. More than one. "You haven't been you."
Gabrielle shrieked as he pulled her over his knee, letting go of her chemise as her hands flung out to give her support. The flimsy fabric fell to the floor beside Felix's foot, followed swiftly by Gabrielle's hands as he positioned her with her gorgeous ass high in the air. "You've been distant. You haven't talked to me. You accused me of making decisions that effected your life without discussing it with you, but it seems that now you've done the same - you've started acting like a stranger and I don't know why! Not only that, but I want an explanation as to why Arabella seems to think that my dancing with Cordelia is somehow more objectionable than your choice in dance partners!"
He'd been holding Gabrielle in place as she squirmed and wriggled on his lap - although she hadn't truly been trying to escape - but at his last words she froze and Felix knew that he'd hit upon the crux of the matter. Although frustrated, he was grateful to Arabella for pointing him in the correct direction. On his own, he would have never even thought to put his dance with Cordelia together with Gabrielle's increasingly confusing behavior.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"You're a terrible liar. And you also know I don't tolerate lying."
SMACK! SMACK!
Felix rested his hand on her rump. The two swats to the center of each cheek had been sharp and firm, but they weren't enough to truly punish Gabrielle. Just enough to warn her of what was coming if she didn't start opening up.
"Why have you been so distant since we've returned to London? You haven't been acting like yourself at all."
"I've been trying to be a lady!"
That reply actually had the ring of truth to it. As a reward, Felix rubbed the pink splotches on her bottom gently. He wasn't totally oblivious to her growing arousal when he did so, which only made the reward better.
"I can understand that in public, although I hope you know it's not necessary. You are a lady and there's no scandal from our wedding, so there's nothing to make up for. Why do you continue to act like that in private, when it's just you and me?"
Silence.
SMACK! SMACK!
"You can't spank me until I answer you!"
"Watch me," Felix muttered.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
He let his hand fall where it would, not taking particular care to aim, which meant some parts of her bottom were chastised more thoroughly than others. The uncertainty of where his hand would land and the growing pain had her wriggling again. Felix hoisted her up further to keep her bottom completely open to him. He wasn't holding back or giving her any warm-up swats; with every impact of his hand against her soft flesh he left a dark pink print which quickly started to turn red if he happened to smack an already inflicted area.
SMACK! SMACK! SMACK! SMACK!
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I won't do it anymore!"
That had actually taken less time than anticipated, although it wasn't quite what he'd wanted.
"I appreciate that Gabrielle, but what's more important to me is knowing why you've been doing it."
Silence.
Felix sighed. "Let's try something more specific. Are you upset that I danced with Cordelia?"
With her body across his thighs, it was impossible for him to miss the way she stiffened at the question. Felix rubbed the pink cheeks of her buttocks, holding her firmly in place with his other hand as he gave her a moment.
"Yes."
She said it so quietly that he almost missed it, and that one, sad little word made him feel like a heel even though he didn't know why she would have such a reaction.
"Why are you upset that I danced with Cordelia?"
Silence.
"Gabrielle, I will spank you until I get some real answers from you."
To his shock, his submissive, slightly aroused wife suddenly disappeared and was replaced by a virago. Gabrielle wrenched herself from his lap with a hard movement that was too quick for him to be prepared for and it sent her sprawling onto the floor, her breasts heaving, her legs splayed. It was an incredibly ungraceful movement, and he lunged, trying to catch her, but was far too late. She squeaked as her bottom landed on the hard carpet, her face almost as pink as her buttocks were, with tear streaks already on her cheeks. Her eyes were wild and furious.
"Fine then! Spank me! You can spank me as much as you want, as hard as you want! It's not going to change anything! I'm never going to want to watch you dancing with the woman you actually love, and I don't care if you punish me for how I choose to deal with it."
On his knees, one hand reaching out for her, Felix froze.
"The- the woman I actually love?"
As quickly as she'd appeared, the virago vanished, leaving him with a weepy-looking Gabrielle who quickly huddled in on herself, hiding her body from him behind a wall of limbs. Her eyes averted, she curled up in a ball, retreating from him even as he reached for her.
The notion was so foreign to him that it actually took him a few moments to understand exactly what Gabrielle thought.
She thought that he was in love with Cordelia. Her stepmother. Good grief... Felix closed his eyes and swallowed, rubbing his forehead. Where on earth had she gotten that notion?
Sitting back on his heels, Felix opened his eyes to find his wife still curled in a protective ball, her gaze flicking to him and then away again. Seeing her in such a protective stance... hell, had he thought she'd broken his heart before? He couldn't bear it.
Fortunately, he didn't have to.
Standing up, Felix stepped forward and abruptly swept her up into his arms.
"Stop it!" Her tiny fist hit his chest bone and made him grunt, although he just tightened his grip on her. "Put me down!"
"No."
Her arm stilled, half way on its way to his chest again. "What?"
"No, I will not put you down, you're going to stay right here, in my arms, and we're going to talk about this."
As he sat on the bed, Gabrielle ducked her head, and he got the impression that she was trying to hide behind her hair. Unfortunately for her, all of her hair was on top of her head, and so he could see the profile of her miserable expression.
"What is there to talk about?" she asked dully.
"Well, to begin with, why on earth do you think I'm in love with Cordelia? I mean, yes I love her, the way I would a sister if I had one, and Cordelia's annoying enough as it is so I'm glad I haven't had her plaguing me all my life, but that is the only kind of love I feel for her."
"It is?" The soft, almost hopeful tone Gabrielle used had Felix's heart swelling, feeling some hope as well. This sounded more like the Gabrielle he knew. The Gabrielle that he had fallen in love with. "But everyone was saying... everyone saw how much attention you paid her after she and Philip married. Everyone said you were acting like a man in love."
"Well, princess, she is my best friend's wife. I wanted to befriend her immediately, for that reason alone, and then I found that I enjoyed her company. It was easy to be friends with her. If I was in love with her or even just attracted to her, believe me, that friendship would not have been nearly as easy. Besides, I had another reason for wanting to spend time around her." He gave Gabrielle his best roguish grin, but she wasn't looking at him.
"What?"
Felix made an exasperated sound. "You, princess."
To his surprise, she scowled, pushing away from him so that she could see his expression - but at least she was finally looking at him again. "That's not true."
"Yes it is. More than half of my conversations with Cordelia have revolved around you. I've been drawn to you from the very beginning, and you know I'm telling the truth because unlike my friendship with Cordelia, our relationsh
ip has never been easy."
"You were just watching over me because Philip asked you to. I was nothing more than a duty to you. One that you eventually ended up having to marry, because… to save me, for them. Because they wanted you to." The bitterness in her voice actually made him feel happy - because it was quite clear that Gabrielle didn't want to be a duty to him. She didn't want him to have married her out of duty. And she was jealous of his relationship to Cordelia. To him, that all added up to one glorious conclusion - Gabrielle cared for him. Maybe even loved him. And she was just as irrational and unreasonable about it as he was, which explained her hot and cold behavior.
Hell, perhaps he deserved it, because he knew his behavior towards her had been fairly similar when they'd first met. Hot and cold and completely inexplicable at times. He had not done a very good job of courting her and perhaps he was paying for that now.
Which meant it was the time for the truth, and hopefully hers would match his and they could move past this. He was terrible at courting, as he'd discovered, and he wasn't much better at being a husband, but he could learn and he was going to prove it. Now. Because one thing he did know very well was when a woman was coming to the end of her patience with him. In the past, that was usually when he would end an affair or give his mistress her conge. On occasion, he'd taken that moment to turn things around, to make the relationship last longer if that's what he'd desired at the time, and that was what he had to do here. Because he wanted his Gabrielle back and he knew he would desire her forever.
"Yes, Philip asked me to help watch over you, but I would have even if he hadn't," he said, brushing the hair back from her face, hoping that she could feel the tenderness in his touch. The almost confused expression she wore gave him hope that she hadn't completely given up on him. She wasn't totally closed off from him. "I'm also certainly not the only one who was willing to marry you to save your reputation. Thomas would have stepped up in a heartbeat if he'd felt that he needed to, and I'm not sure Walter wouldn't have done the same. Manchester was already on the verge of offering himself as a groom, but there was no way I was going to let anyone else have you. I'm just glad I didn't have to fight any of them for it, because I would have."
Gabrielle's Discipline (Bridal Discipline Book 3) Page 26