Rule's Property

by Lynda Chance

  “Yeah,” she said as she kept her eyes on the door.

  “I’ll see you later, then.”

  Nick watched her as she nodded her head and then took the elevator down.

  ****

  Five times that day he walked past her office and five times, she was safely inside. The first time he’d walked by, her office door had been ajar and he’d noticed immediately that she wasn’t wearing her rings. It pissed him off, upset him, but he’d slid the ring from his finger and put it in his pocket, in a move that, he hoped, was a show of respect for her wishes. What they were going through was between the two of them only; he wasn’t going to make this any harder for her than it needed to be.

  She must have seen him walk by, because after that, her door had been firmly closed. At five on the dot, he went by again. Her office door was open but she wasn’t there. Grimacing, he took the elevator up.

  Thank God, he heard her moving around her suite.

  Not wanting to rush her, trying his damn best to be considerate, he ordered in food and went to have a shower before it was delivered.

  An hour later, he knocked on her door. “Hey. You want to come eat with me?”

  A few seconds passed and then her door opened. She was dressed in faded jeans and a university t-shirt, and without meeting his eyes, she went into the kitchen.

  He leaned against the counter as she opened the boxes, and the sight of her bare ring finger almost did him in.

  In silence, she prepared a plate for him and then a smaller version for herself. They ate together, sitting casually on the barstools, and just as quickly as she’d consumed the tiny helping, she left the room, mumbling, “I have a headache. I’m going to soak in the tub. Goodnight.”

  “Goodnight,” he gritted out, frustration and utter helplessness eating him alive.

  ****

  For two solid weeks, their days and evenings followed the same routine. They went to work, went upstairs to the penthouse, ate in silence, and then Courtney would shut herself inside her room.

  Ever since Courtney had begun working in the Rule Tower, she’d spent very few nights at the house with his mother, and only when he’d been out of town. Nick assumed the family thought they were just roommates, sharing the penthouse. He’d had no conversations with anyone in his family about it, and Courtney’s belongings were still scattered between both locations.

  She still wouldn’t open up to Nick and day by long-suffering day, he continued to give her time to come to grips, leaving her almost completely to herself. But every time she left the building, which was rare, he experienced a flare of panic, and had to force himself not to demand she stay; he had to force himself not to follow her, to give her some space.

  Finally admitting the truth; he knew he’d been scared to push her, afraid she’d make a move to end the marriage. He didn’t like the admission; the knowledge pissed him off. It went against every instinct he had within himself not to take action.

  But as the days and nights went by with zero to little interaction between them, he felt his anger and frustration begin to boil to the surface. He knew he couldn’t go on like this much longer; he was fast getting tired of this shit. The time he’d been giving her to realize that they belonged together was about up.

  His mood shifting even lower, he remembered their last real conversation where she’d so prettily told him that she loved the man he’d become, would love him forever while at the same time explaining why they couldn’t be together. Resentment built like a time bomb in his gut.

  So, she liked the man he’d become? That was damn good, because she was about to find out that he always got what he wanted. And in this case, what he wanted was marriage to her forever.

  Yeah, damn, fucking good she liked the man he’d become.

  She was about to get to know that man a little more fully.

  Chapter Eight

  Nick reached his breaking point a day later and there was no way he could allow Courtney to slip away from him again. He opened a bottle of wine, and when he called her from her room to eat supper, he had everything already laid out in the living room, ready for a casual meal at the coffee table.

  He’d chosen a new release movie, an instant download, and as she sat, he asked if she’d seen it. Shaking her head, she glanced around with a look of mild panic before reluctantly sinking onto the sofa where he’d strategically placed her meal next to his.

  He knew the change of location and the bottle of wine were causing that look of fear on her face, but son-of-a-bitch, he was fighting for his life here, for their happiness. Pushing her anxiety from his mind, he refused to change the course he’d set out for the evening.

  As they picked up their plates, he pressed the remote to start the light comedy. He had everything planned out. Nothing could go wrong. Earlier, he’d taken a break from work and slipped upstairs to her suite of rooms and had easily found the box that contained her wedding rings.

  He was past ready to put their problems behind them and begin their life together. He wanted Courtney and he wanted this bullshit to be over. He wanted his family to know they were married, he wanted her to accept him and their marriage, and he wanted exclusive rights to her forever. He wanted her submission and he wanted it tonight. Sex was part of that and he was more than prepared to seduce her to accomplish it.

  Nick knew he wasn’t much of a romantic guy. But he was trying his best here and he prayed like hell that she would like it. She had to or his happiness was doomed.

  After the movie was about half over and their meals were eaten, he picked up the bottle of wine and topped up her glass. Her eyes were on the television, his were on her, and setting his own glass down, he moved toward her until there was no space between them. He wrapped his arm around the back of the sofa, and began twirling a strand of her blonde hair through his fingers.

  She sucked in a quiet breath, the pulse in her neck quivered, and the wine in her glass sloshed just a bit.

  He hissed out a breath in reaction, all the blood rushed to his cock, and he took the glass from her trembling fingers and set it down beside his.

  Her gaze remained glued to the television, but her lids drooped just enough to tell him she wasn’t seeing anything on the screen.

  He pressed a button on the remote to mute the sound, and without waiting, he turned her face toward his with a single finger so he could study her.

  She allowed the movement, but closed her eyes in retaliation.

  He decided to let the small rebellion slide.

  He leaned in and kissed her on the lips, more softly than he’d ever imagined he’d be capable of. A whisper of sound escaped her lips and he pressed more firmly. He took his time, forcing himself to go slowly while every instinct in his body screamed at him to rip her pants down her legs and spread her thighs. He clenched his jaw and went slowly.

  He kissed along her jaw line, along the small shell of her ear, and back to her lips.

  When he felt a small, trembling hand in his hair, he knew he was close to winning.

  Opening her mouth with his tongue, he worshipped her with everything he had inside of him. It was easy to do. When her fingers clenched more tightly and she gasped for air, he dropped his head to her breast and began stroking her nipple with his mouth and tongue.

  She moaned out a hot little sound, and soon her t-shirt became saturated in that one spot. Needing something more, he ran his hand down to the soft vee between her legs. The shorts she wore were terrycloth, and although he steeled his guts to go slow, he couldn’t stand not touching her intimately for one second longer. His fingers snaked inside the hem of her shorts and skated along her skin, pushing her underwear aside.

  When he felt her damp heat, he damn near lost it. She was ready for him, and he slid his finger inside, while manipulating her nipple with his teeth through the thin cotton material of her shirt.

  She began mewling in the back of her throat, and Nick lifted his mouth from her long enough to sink his fingers around the materi
al of her shorts and panties as he pulled them from her body and let them fall to the floor.

  He glanced up and her face looked stricken, even as she breathed heavily in tandem with him.

  Wanting nothing more than to soothe her, he slid his hand under the seat cushion and pulled out the rings he’d hidden there. He quickly slipped his wedding band on his own finger, and watching her eyes go wide, he lifted her left hand and pushed the set down onto her own finger. He closed her fingers and kissed the small fist, looking up at her while he did so.

  She bit her lip and began shaking her head, and not wanting her to have time to gain any traction against him, he put his mouth back to hers as his hand moved back between her thighs.

  She was hot again in seconds, even though it nearly killed him to know he was seducing her against her will.

  He couldn’t help that; he needed this act between them. He needed her in his arms and in his bed again. He’d lose all sanity if he couldn’t attain that, and he needed it quickly. Continuing to seduce her with his mouth and hands, he shed his shirt, jeans and underwear while she was incapable of noticing.

  As he came to his knees on the floor in front of her and dragged her butt to the edge of the couch, his hand went unerringly back to her mound. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a breath, and he realized in that moment that she’d regained her faculties. It almost killed him.

  “Nick, no.”

  “No?” Christ, he was going to die.

  Her face crumpled as she ran her hand down to his and tried to stop him from caressing her clit. “I can’t do this. We can’t make love.”

  “Why not, baby?” he asked, forcing his voice to maintain a degree of normalcy. At the same time, while they stared into each other’s eyes, he grabbed her fingers where they had a death grip on his hand. Enclosing them with his, with a gentle manipulation, he brought them to her clit until she was touching herself, with his own hand holding her fingers captive there.

  She gasped and tried to back off from this new intimacy, but with a strong grip, he held her hand over her mound, while they massaged her together.

  Nick glanced down and the eroticism of the moment was almost more than he could stand.

  She began thrusting her hips up to his hand, tiny, soft little thrusts, but her brain was still fighting her body because she said, “We can’t make love or we won’t be able to get an annulment.”

  The absurdity of the notion hit him and he barked out a harsh rasp of caustic laughter. That’s what had been in that crazy-assed female brain of hers? “There’s no way in fucking hell we’re getting an annulment,” he bit out.

  “Please, Nick,” she begged in entreaty. “I’m so confused right now.”

  Whatever was going on inside her mind wasn’t something Nick completely understood, but he remembered her speech the day he’d manipulated her into going to the courthouse. And right now, even though it might damn well kill him, he knew he had to be the man she needed him to be. He wanted nothing more than to be that person, he wanted her to understand that she couldn’t live without him.

  “Okay, sweetheart,” he soothed, promising her something that went against the need gripping him by the throat. “But I need to at least touch you,” he cajoled. “But just touching, no penetration, I promise, okay?”

  Her eyes flared as she immediately grasped his meaning. No intercourse, but they would play. A few tense seconds ticked by as they stared into each other’s eyes while Nick continued to caress her mound, attempting to seduce her into agreement. “Okay,” she finally whispered.

  “I love to touch you, I want it so much,” he said slowly as he continued to tease her clit with his fingers on top of hers. “You want that too, baby, right?”

  She nodded her head and at the movement, he slid his hand down and found her wet opening, slipping his finger inside. He heard her breath catch, and soon she was moving against him in a way that told him she was completely ready. But goddamn, so was he. He was wild for her; he had to come.

  He glanced up and as gently as possible, removed his touch from her and laid her out on the sofa. She was pliant in his arms and he took the opportunity to slide her shirt over her head.

  He stood and leaned a knee on the couch where she lay on her back and put a single finger on a peaked, luscious nipple. Her body jerked in reaction. She looked completely helpless, and it was turning him on, making him even harder than he already was. “You trust me?” he asked shortly, knowing exactly what he wanted if he couldn’t penetrate her with his cock.

  “Yes,” she breathed out.

  Watching her for one second longer, tugging on her firm little nipple once more, he let go, and turned her body until she was lying on her side, facing out toward the room, facing him. With his knee on the sofa beside her, he put his hand back to her breast for a moment, wanting to keep her as hot as possible, and then he slid his fingers to cup her wet heat.

  She began undulating again within seconds, and dropping down beside her, he lay beside her, only he lay opposite of her, his head between her thighs and his groin so close to her sweet little mouth that he had to bite the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood, just so he could have a modicum of control.

  He felt her suck in a breath, and wasting no time, he put his hands on her, spreading out her sweet, wet lips until her hot little opening was exposed to him. He stroked his tongue down and then up, repeated the movement five or six times until she moaned loudly and grasped his erection in her hand.

  His head almost blew off at the impact.

  She held him tightly, and he slid a finger inside of her, and up, until he was touching her G-spot. He became selfish then, unable to stop himself, and he began to lick and rub her and manipulate her the way that was the most pleasurable for him … but as he continued the movements that were driving him crazy, he realized that the reason he loved it was because it was exactly what she liked the best.

  And it worked, because she grasped his cock just that much tighter with a hold that told him she was just as desperate as he was. He growled low in his throat and let out what he was feeling, “Your mouth, baby. I want your mouth.”

  It didn’t take two seconds. She took him inside her mouth and began sucking. His control snapped, and he pushed against her, stroking in and out of her mouth with his hips, barely aware that she kept her hand around the base of his cock to maintain some control over the situation. His teeth and tongue continued to worship her, taking from her, giving to her. Unable to stop it, with fire shooting down his spine and landing in a fury of uncontrollable need, he felt himself begin to come inside her mouth.

  It was unbelievable, fantastic, but he wanted more. He had to feel her pleasure. He needed her coming with him, for him.

  He moved his mouth and bit her clit, inserting two fingers into her snug channel, and as her moan rent the air, it was impossible for him not to know that she was coming with him.

  ****

  Courtney sat up in a flurry of emotions and pulled herself away from Nick and then the sofa altogether. The position they’d been in … what they’d just done …what she’d just swallowed.

  She grabbed her clothes from the floor and looked at him in disbelief. He was slowly coming to a sitting position as if what they’d done had been nothing out of the ordinary. His nonchalance wasn’t calming to her at all. He was completely nude, his erection was still hard and glistening and he wore a slight, questioning look on his face.

  Her emotions were in turmoil, jumping all over the place. So, they hadn’t had intercourse. He’d given her that. But what they had done … how he’d slid opposite her and taken … Christ, she’d read about it in Cosmo, but hadn’t really thought about ever doing it herself.

  She still couldn’t stay married to him. God, she wanted him though. Why hadn’t she moved out of the penthouse yet? As she stood in indecision, she told herself to stop being stupid, just be happy with him, for God’s sake. But she couldn’t do it. Not yet. Looking down, she saw his rings on her finge
r and her control snapped. She covered her face with her hands and let out a loud, tortured sound of anguished frustration.

  When she took her hands away from her face, he was still watching her, but a mask had come over his features, hiding his thoughts from her. She swallowed, shook her head, and then ripped the rings from her finger. She set them on the table next to her wine glass, and fled to her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

  ****

  The next morning, Courtney was already gone from the penthouse when Nick walked from his suite. Although nothing was out of place that he could see, after last night, he had a bad feeling in his gut. He walked into her rooms, doing a double check, but she was definitely not there.

  He refused to let his anxiety rise or to let his anger build. After he rode the elevator down, he strode directly to her office. She wasn’t there. It was still too early for her secretary to be at work so Nick couldn’t question the woman.

  He turned and made his way to his own office, breathing deeply, his hands fisting at his sides as he tried to contain the turmoil raging through his veins. Standing before the large windows that overlooked the city, Nick barely contained the violent fury and fear that were screaming at him to put his fist through the glass.

  He was only seconds away from losing it when he felt his phone vibrate. Taking a deep breath, he opened the text message.

  Garrett needs me in Texas. I’m about to board a flight now.

  Twin emotions grabbed Nick by the throat. One: he was going to murder his brother. Two: he didn’t know exactly what the second emotion was, but it felt a hell of a lot like relief. Even though he detested it when Courtney travelled, traveling for the Rule Corporation was a hell of a better reason than running from him and what he’d seduced her into the night before.

  He keyed in a reply, even though it was nowhere near what he really wanted to say. Be careful and let me know when you land safely.

  Her answer came swiftly. k.

  Nick stared at the single letter. K? k? That was it? What the fuck? Where was his ‘I love you’? And why the hell couldn’t he key the words in and tell her first?