by Sam Crescent
Her father was getting off scot-free while she had to sacrifice her freedom in order for him to get it.
Her precious freedom was being sacrificed for his greed.
“What did you need all that money for?” Tess demanded from him, no longer caring about his feelings. She deserved to know the answers.
Thinking about her predicament made her scared. She had a right to know where the money had gone.
Tess deserved answers.
“That’s none of your business,” he yelled down the line.
Enough was enough.
“None of my business? I’ve just gone and sorted out all your problems. I’ve sacrificed my freedom so you won’t go to prison, and you’re telling me it’s none of my business?” Tess heard the anger rising inside her voice. She was tired of constantly being made to feel like a spare part. When she was growing up Erik made it abundantly clear she wasn’t the ideal daughter. After everything he’d done she was still trying to gain his approval.
A knock at the door cut off Tess’s rant. She growled in frustration and anger. Tess rarely got chance to voice her opinions to her father. The one time she finally got the courage she was interrupted by the door. She answered the door, fuming at her father’s stubbornness. He was moaning down the phone at her. Tess planned to ignore him until she got rid of whoever it was on the other side of the door.
Not only was she his daughter, but she was the one who would suffer from his actions. Why couldn’t he be grateful? So many thoughts ran ‘round her head as she opened the door.
Then she froze. Her world crashed around her. Duncan James was standing in her doorway.
Shocked, she just stood staring at him with the phone placed at her ear.
“Tess, Tess, are you still there?” Erik said.
She stared at the phone, ending the call without speaking. The last thing she needed was for Duncan to get hold of her father. Erik wouldn’t be forthcoming no matter how many times she asked him what he’d spent the money on.
Tess would have to deal with her father later. She wasn’t going to allow him to get away with what he’d done. There was no way she’d be around next time to sacrifice herself in order to pick up the pieces.
“Problems?”Duncan asked. He leaned against her doorframe. He was so tall and wide he covered the entire door. She stared at the phone then ran a hand through her hair. She wore the coverall she’d put on earlier for baking and cooking. Compared to Duncan, Tess felt small. With him standing in her doorway she was trapped in her apartment.
She placed the phone on the table then turned back to him. Inviting him in would be a mistake. The bulky jacket he wore did little to hide the thick muscles underneath. She crossed her arms trying to protect herself from the nerves that were getting the better of her.
“Nothing I can’t handle,” she said. “Why are you here?”
He lifted up a lady’s handbag. “You left this in my office. I thought I’d do the right thing and see that my fiancée got her purse back. I was also curious to see where you lived. It looks to me that Erik didn’t spend a cent of that money on you.”
She reached to take the bag from him. Duncan moved her purse out of reach. Tess stood her ground, her hands going to her hips. She wouldn’t press her whole body over him to try to get her purse back.
“How old are you? Just give me my purse back.” Tess made another grab for it only to be stopped.
“I’m forty years old. How about you?” he asked.
“Seriously? You’ve asked me to marry you, and only now you’re asking my age?” She folded her arms furious with herself for letting him bait her.
“Yes, I never said I was conventional. How old are you?” He held her bag out of reach.
She moaned in frustration then stared at him.
“I’m twenty-three,” she said.
“Are you going to invite me in, Tess? That’s a usual polite response when a person shows up at your door.”
“You’re not the normal kind of person who shows up at someone’s door,” she said.
“I’m your fiancé.”
She stared into his mocking eyes, taking in the slight lift of his lips showing his amusement.
“Why should I let you in?” she asked. Tess glared at him. She was tired of men trying to control her. Tess folded her arms under her breasts. She hated feeling like this. She’d only known him a few short hours. But her body had other ideas. She felt her nipples getting hard. Her mind was shutting down to common sense. Her body responded to him even though she didn’t like him very much.
Attraction has nothing to do with liking him as a man.
“Tess, we’re to be married. We should get to know each other, and to do that we need to be allowed access into each other’s lives.”
His argument sounded good to her, but she was still reluctant to allow him in her home.
“You know you didn’t give me a choice. I either marry you, or my father goes to prison.”
“And you don’t think he deserves it?”
“I don’t know what to think,” she said to him. All argument left her. She stared at him a few more seconds. He watched her with his dark, intense eyes. Tess didn’t want him in her small apartment. She knew he’d dominate her space. Her apartment was her own, the small piece of heaven she’d carved out for herself.
Seeing no other choice Tess gestured for him to enter her small living space. Tess no longer had the willpower to keep him out. Duncan had stopped by for a reason. Trying to stop him would use all of her reserve energy, which she needed to keep preserved in order to deal with him.
“I thought your secretary was sorting everything out,” she said to his back as she closed the door behind him.
“I changed my mind. Is Tess short for anything?” He moved into her living room. The quaint room had two small, fluffy chairs. She couldn’t afford a sofa. A sofa wouldn’t fit in her small place anyway. Before he walked round her small room she’d never had a problem with her lack of furniture. Now she felt embarrassed.
“No, just Tess.” She moved a stray strand of her wild hair out of her face removing the clip in the process. It had been useless to try to contain her hair.
“Strange.” He continued to walk around the room looking at her books and then at the pictures dotting the surface by her fake fireplace. She had central heating but liked the look of the small fireplace in her sitting room. One day she hoped to have a proper home with a full open fire and a family of her own.
“What? My name is perfectly normal.”
“Not your name. I expected some stuffy, pretentious apartment, but it’s quite nice. A bit small for my tastes, but convenient in size.”
Tess didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or as an insult.
“Thank you, I think.” She was really confused. “Duncan, why are you here? And how did you know where I lived?” Tess wanted to say so much more. She kept it locked inside.
He turned, putting his hands in his jacket pockets which reminded her she hadn’t offered to take his coat. He looked out of place in her small apartment.
“If you came by to see if I was responsible for my dad taking that money then you’re wrong. This is it.” She raised her arms to emphasise her point. “I can’t afford a car or the money to buy this place. I pay rent. Whatever he spent the money on, I don’t know.”
“I didn’t come here to find the money. I’ve sorted everything out with regards to your father.” He stared at her, his gaze unwavering. How did he manage to affect her with simply staring at her?
“Then why did you come here?” she asked.
“I came to bring your purse. I tried looking for more information on you in Erik’s file. He has nothing on you.
“That wouldn’t surprise me. My dad doesn’t like me all that much.” She snorted at the thought of her father even giving a damn.
“And yet, you’re prepared to do everything to keep him out of prison.”
Tears filled her eyes. Over the ye
ars she’d learnt to deal with the disappointment from her father. No person can be perfect. Erik had proven more than once that she couldn’t trust him. Just once she wished there would be another human being out there who’d look beyond her visual flaws and see the woman underneath. Tess knew it was lame, but all she wanted was to be loved. For one person to turn ‘round and care about her. She bit her lip trying to stop the emotion from clawing at her.
“He’s still my father.” She whispered the words even as they burnt inside her throat. How many more excuses was she going to make for a man who’d made it blatantly clear he didn’t care about her?
“I looked in your bag to see where you lived. I wanted your address so I could return it to you.”
“You had no right to look—” She stopped, knowing he had every right. He was helping her in every way imaginable. Looking in her bag was his right. She’d be married to him in two weeks. Soon he’d have more rights than looking in her bag and knowing where she lived.
Chapter Four
Duncan watched his future bride, taking in every detail, every movement, and found everything about her fascinating. Her whole gorgeous body was tense. He knew she was burning inside from suppressing her anger. Never in his life had he looked in a woman’s purse. The temptation provided to him when he spotted the small purse was too hard to resist. The only way he could deal with his invasion of her privacy was to convince himself that he needed to know more about his beautiful future wife. He knew very little about Tess Williams. Her age was a slight concern. He’d dated plenty of young models, just not as young as she.
The attraction he felt towards her had little to do with her age and more to do with her as a person. There was repressed fire inside her. Duncan couldn’t wait to unleash it.
He felt guilty for going inside her purse. There was nothing personal or degrading inside her purse. In fact, her purse was very practical. She had an outdated cell phone, a can of pepper spray, along with her passport and money. There was nothing personal to let him know who Tess Williams the woman was. Nothing personal at all. Nothing to give him the tiniest clue as to who this woman was.
The woman who had entered his office and his thoughts.
Since she left his office a couple of hours ago he’d not been able to get her out of his mind. From her looks to the beautiful way she blushed as he thought about everything about her, Duncan tried to savour every little detail for him to think about over and over again. He put his little obsession down to Tess simply being a desirable woman whom he’d not taken to his bed yet.
“I only checked to see where you lived. There was no other choice, since we had no information on your father’s record, and so the only way of finding out was to check.” He was explaining himself. He never explained himself.
He smiled at her.
“D-do you want a cup of coffee?” She stammered over her words. Her face flushed. Duncan found her adorable.
“Coffee would be lovely.” He watched her leave the room. He went and sat on her sofa while he waited. Duncan glanced around him at the small room. She owned so many books. He couldn’t believe how many she’d managed to cram in such a small area.
She read a lot of books, unless they were just for show. Staring at the well-worn binders he was thinking she’d read them all. For a beautiful woman he found it hard to believe she spent a great deal of time trapped inside a book.
There were a few personal pictures, but they were photographs of the countryside and snow covered fields. There were none of her or her family.
Tess came through a few minutes later carrying two steaming cups of coffee. He saw her concentrating on the liquid inside. He guessed she was trying not to spill the contents. The apartment smelt like chocolate and lemon.
She placed the mugs on the coffee table, and then using her fingers around the rim she handed him his mug. Tess let out a hiss as the heat burned the tips of her fingers. He took the cup from her as quickly as possible. Duncan didn’t like the thought of her hurt and felt all his protective instincts rise to the surface. He’d never felt anything like it. Women meant nothing to him. Tess was screwing with his head.
It’s only because you haven’t fucked her yet. He tried to reassure himself, failing miserably. It took all of his willpower for him to just sit there and not make sure she hadn’t burned herself too badly.
She took the seat across from him, her gaze going everywhere in the room rather than look at him.
He tasted the coffee. The look of revulsion on his face made her chuckle. The coffee tasted bitter and disgusting. He’d never tasted anything so awful.
“What is this stuff?” He held up the cup as if it was a contaminated toxic waste bucket. She laughed more, the sound glorious to hear. Her whole face brightened up with her chuckles.
“This stuff,” she took a healthy gulp, “is a cheap brand of instant coffee.” A bit more sheepishly she said, “It’s the only one I can afford.” Her cheeks burned a bright red. “You develop a taste for it, eventually. I know you’re not used to this stuff. I’d offer you something else, but all I have is tap water.”
He put the cup down on the coffee table. His mouth tasted awful. He’d make sure she’d never have to drink horrid coffee again.
“Do you like French food?” Duncan loved French cuisine. It was something his mother used to love to cook before she decided the kitchen was no place for a lady with money. He wondered what his mother would think of Tess. She wouldn’t approve his choice. Duncan was pleased he wasn’t a mummy’s boy who listened to everything his parent said.
“I don’t know. I’ve never had French food before. I’ve seen it cooked on the television. It always looks expensive.”
He chuckled. Her cheeks went a darker shade of red with her blush. He found her honesty refreshing. So many women wanted to talk designer clothes or the latest gossip that he wasn’t interested in. Tess had something more about her.
“I’m going to take you to dinner tomorrow night. I’ll pick you up around eight tomorrow night.” He stood up ready to leave.
“What? You don’t need to take me to dinner.” Her coffee cup joined his on the table as she stood up. She moved closer to him. He watched as her eyes widened when he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her. Duncan saw her breasts rising and falling as her breaths deepened. She was as affected by his presence as he was by her.
“I know I don’t have to, but I will. My secretary will send over the appropriate dress.” He cupped her cheek, not backing away. Her skin was silky smooth like he imagined. She didn’t pull away. With his other hand he sank it into the wild length of his hair. Her hair was silkier than her skin. He heard her moan as he touched her neck. Duncan tilted her head back for him to see her eyes clearly. He wanted to see every reaction on her pretty face.
Her eyes dilated while her lips slightly parted for him. Duncan saw the vulnerability in her eyes. She’d never felt anything like this, he was sure of it. He wasn’t strong enough to resist the temptation of her lips. He claimed her lips, the plump softness opening beneath him. He grabbed a fistful of her hair, deepening the kiss while pressing his body against hers. She was soft and welcoming. Her hands ran up his chest to circle his neck. Her eyes were closed as he captured her kiss, plunging his tongue deep inside her lips. She tasted of the coffee, but on her tongue it tasted sweet.
Her full breasts felt wonderful against his chest. The curves of her body melted against him. Duncan wanted to rid her body of the clothes and sink inside her. The need to take her hard consumed him. It would be so easy to take her without any thought of seduction. But Tess deserved seduction. She deserved to have the time taken to love her body.
Duncan pulled back, seeing her face flushed. She licked her lips. The action was so innocent and yet so damn sexy. She had no idea of the temptation she presented at every turn. Part of her charm was her lack of knowledge of how sensual she was. He couldn’t wait to have her spread out before him on his bed.
“I’m looking forw
ard to our marriage, Miss Williams,” he said, running a thumb along the seam of her bottom lip. Her tongue peeked out to lick the tip. She clearly had no idea how much he wanted to sink his cock between her lips. There was so much he wanted to show her. Before he was done she’d never be able to spend a moment without thinking about him. He was going to find everything out about her. She was his new obsession.
He couldn’t resist another kiss from her. Her eyes closed as she responded to him instantly. Her tongue met his, dancing together in a searing love affair. Her passion would be his to control.
Duncan pulled away. He’d need to exhibit control to have her panting after him. The desire to lose himself in her warm heat was hard to ignore. But ignore his thick cock he did.
He left her standing, watching him as he made his way to her apartment door. Duncan turned and looked back, seeing her eyes widened and her full lips still slightly parted as if awaiting his lips. She was awaiting more of his attention. “And you better be ready for me, Tess. You’re mine.”
Duncan closed the door. He took a few deep breaths. His legs felt like jelly. No kiss had ever left him so shaken. There was no movement from inside her apartment. He walked out onto the street and looked up at her window. She stood looking down at him.
She held up a hand waving at him. He waved back. It was hard for him to look away. He wanted to go back up there and take the kiss further. Instead, he got in his car, started it up, and pulled away from the curb.
His hands were shaking. His whole body was aflame for her.
He had no idea what was wrong with him.
****
Tess touched her lips. He’d kissed her so passionately. She’d never felt anything like it before. No man or boy had ever kissed her. She didn’t like the thought of the boys pawing at her body. The girls always complained their first time hurt. From all the stories she’d heard about their first time she’d put any sexual encounter off. Duncan was the closest she’d ever gotten to feeling passion. The way he’d touched her, from the gentle way he cupped her cheek to the powerful way he gripped her hair, was a combination of power and gentleness that threatened to take her over.