His Secret Baby: A BDSM Revenge Wedding Romance

by Ashlee Price

  He started out early in the morning as the sun was coming up. It was his favorite time of the day. It was still cool enough to be comfortable. Henri was miles away from the ranch before he slowed the horse down enough to take in the streaks of pinks and oranges transforming the sky. There was nowhere else he would rather be than right there where he was, mind wandering to the weekend’s events and his date.

  The thought of Mary made him smile and there was more to seeing her than he realized. It had become more in his mind because she was all he could think about the last couple of days. Henri was sure that it would wear off, like many new and good feelings do. She hadn’t even known it was him the night before on the phone and the very fact had shattered his self-esteem a bit. Henri had been out of the game for some time and even though he should have been focused on the beautiful moment he was in, he couldn’t help but think of the what-ifs instead.

  Taking the long way home, Henri was happy to see all of his brothers together. It had been a long time since that had happened and though the subject of the conversation was always the same. The women they talked about were different now. Everyone had a wife except for Scott and Henri. There was an unseen and unheard pressure to change their ways and do what the other three had done.

  “I still can’t believe you went down to South America and didn’t bring back a woman.”

  Henri shrugged and didn’t say much. Marcel was taunting him and there was no use in making a case for trying to find a woman in those circumstances. Most of them couldn’t speak any English and his sheer size scared the rest. Henri had failed, but not all of it was from lack of trying on his part.

  “It’s not as easy as you think.”

  “Maybe not for you.” Marcel started laughing. He was one of the first to go down the path of wedding bliss and it looked good on him. Henri had never felt jealous of them for many reasons, but it was hard not to when they looked at him like that.

  “We all can’t find our dream girl by accident.” As soon as Henri said it, he wondered if he actually could. Is that how it worked and was he in the midst of it and didn’t even know it?

  “You need to spend more time with women and less time with the cows and I am sure it would happen.” Scott laughed a little at his own joke and Henri just looked at him like he was stupid.

  Henri stood up and went to rinse the cup out to put it in the dishwasher. Every conversation the brothers had through the years, always turned into what it was now and Henri was not in the mood for the flexing contest. Instead of staying around the kitchen and gabbing, he went out front to get started on what the brothers were all together for in the first place. Gemma was going to be getting married in just a couple of days and they had all decided to make her something for her. While Marcel had wanted to build her a house, everyone else balked at the idea. Their sister did not want to live on the ranch. She had made that clear when she moved out a year before.

  Paul and Scott wanted to get the couple a vacation, but in the end, Elna had suggested that they make her a greenhouse at the ranch. “So she can come and go when she wants, but come back more to water the plants.” It was a perfect example of the matriarchs say in the family and way that she tried to change the outcome with a little nudge here and there. So the men were doing as they were told, as they had so many times before.

  It was supposed to be a small project but once Marcel got his hands on it, they were now building a greenhouse that she could live in as well. He liked construction far too much, more than the others, but like their mother’s ‘suggestion’ most were all just along for the ride.

  “Hey, why isn’t Gemma’s fiancée here?” Scott thought that he should help as well.

  “They have wedding stuff to take care of. This is just going to be our thing. Now stop whining Scott. I’ve see how you work and a few hours of honest work isn’t going to hurt you.”

  Scott scowled, but several others chuckled. “You know what they say. The one who complains the most, does the least.”

  “All I wanted to do was get her a damn ticket to an island somewhere, not this. So yeah, I am bitching.” Scott tried not to sound defensive, but he couldn’t help it. The last thing he wanted to do was work out in the hot sun for the next couple of days. Henri agreed with him, but he never made a fuss like Scott did. Marcel was done hearing the whining and wanted to get started with the project.

  ***

  The project as it was called, no longer able to even call it a greenhouse anymore, was coming along fine and it had done the favor of helping Henri to stop thinking so much about Mary. It helped also that they were behind schedule and Marcel wanted it done before the wedding. Gemma had been up to the ranch a couple of times because Elna had stayed in town for the wedding, but the project was far enough away that she didn’t see it.

  As the last day of construction was over, Henri got a call from Gemma to get back to the house. “I will be there in a minute Gemma. What’s up?” It didn’t matter, anything to get a moment of breeze on the back of the horse in the sun, but he did need an excuse when he bowed out of finishing work.

  “You have someone here to see you. Henri, she is adorable.”

  Henri smiled to himself, not needing to be told what he already knew. There was something about the woman that had drawn him in when she had first bumped into him at the airport. It had felt like destiny and the way his heart was beating harder in his chest told him that it was so. “Yeah she is. Tell Mary I will be there in a little while. Few minutes.”

  “Okay, I will. So is she the one that you were going to call?” Gemma knew somehow that she was, but she wanted to hear Henri admit it.

  “Yeah.”

  “I knew it. Well I will get off of here so you can stop doing whatever it is you guys have been doing out there with all of your secrets. It’s not nice to leave me out of it.”

  “Don’t act like you haven’t made someone tell you what we are doing. I know you better than that Gemma.”

  She tried to sound innocent, but it was hard to do. Gemma had a pretty good idea of what was going on, but she didn’t admit to it. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  He just gave her a sound and then moved back to his horse. Hanging up with Gemma, he made his way back to the ranch after telling the guys his excuse. Everyone was hot and him leaving didn’t go over too well. Henri rode hard, loving the wind and he was there before he knew it. The ranch came in view and then the porch. Mary was sitting on the porch waiting for him and Henri could feel the excitement back inside of him. As he got off his horse and slid down to the ground, he saw the change in her eyes.

  Chapter 7

  Mary took in the hard lines of his body and felt her own heart beating a little harder in her chest, the breath coming out in short spurts as she looked at him. His shirt was off and he was glistening with sweat. He was more than enough to keep her eyes bugging out and Mary felt her face get red as he walked towards her.

  His strides were long and it was no time before he was there in front of her. Pulling her in for a hug and a kiss on her cheek, Mary had so many mixed feelings running through her. It was hard to not feel something as he pressed her against him.

  The touch surprised her and it looked like it surprised him for a minute, but Mary wasn’t complaining. “Sorry, I forgot I was all sweaty.”

  “No, it’s fine. Really.” Mary’s voice quavered as she talked, but she couldn’t help it. There was something about him and feeling him up against her was one of the hardest moments in a long time. There was a need there and if how he felt to her was a clue, Henri was feeling the same way.

  “So what do you think of my side of the world?”

  Gemma just smiled at her brother, hoping he wouldn’t put his foot into his mouth. His grin was large and it was nice to see him looking so happy. She went in the house to give them some privacy, but she did update Elna on the couple on the porch.

  “I think it is great.” Mary couldn’t keep her eyes off of his chest and when
she saw him looking at her, she looked away. “I can’t believe you would ever want to leave. It is so beautiful and peaceful here, Henri.”

  He just nodded at her, not really listening except to hear the sound of his name on her lips. She was looking at him strangely, he was staring again. Smiling back at her, he asked if she had any bags to take in.

  “No, I will get a hotel in town or something. I don’t want to be an imposition.”

  “I insist. There is plenty of room here, there always is. You will get your own room and everything. I haven’t heard too many good things about the place in town.”

  Mary was torn, but he was already walking into the house and she didn’t seem to have any real choice. She didn’t want to offend him, but at the same time, Mary was far more worried about trying to breathe around him. Did he know what he was doing to her with no shirt on? It was hard to concentrate, but Mary was given relief by there being more people in the main living room that she walked into. She was introduced to Elna and Gemma.

  They were both sizing her up, she could tell and it made her feel a bit more nervous, but it also took her mind away from Henri.

  “Son, why don’t you go put a shirt on. It’s not that hot in here.”

  Henri shook his head and walked off dutifully. Mary would have thanked his mother, but that didn’t seem the right thing to do. She could breathe again, but the pressure was back on for the rest of them looking at her.

  “Well come sit down honey. We don’t bite. It’s nice to see Henri bring someone back home.”

  Mary sat down, as dutifully as Henri had gone to do as he was told as well. Elna was a woman that she didn’t want to cross. While she was smiling in front of her and she was as nice as can be, in the city she was known for being pretty cut throat. It was said that she had to be that way, a woman running the company alone, but Mary wondered then if she was not pulling the strings all along.

  There was nothing to say to her comment though and Mary liked to hear that she wasn’t one in a long line of women, but Henri didn’t seem the type. He didn’t seem to be the sort of man that would have enough time to be bothered with more than one woman. He was so straight forward and that was one of the things that Mary liked best about him.

  “So where are you from dear?”

  “Houston.”

  “Oh, I live there too on the weekdays. This week I have been off though, getting ready for my daughter to get married.” The older woman looked at her daughter with such love and Mary’s heart constricted a little. It was clear that they were both looking forward to it. Mary had done her research, found out that she only had the one daughter, so it would seem that there was even more anticipation because of that. Belinda had asked her again to find out a few things, ask a few questions about the wedding, but she had declined, not wanting to be involved. She was only a photographer after all.

  “Congratulations Gemma. Your brother didn’t even tell me about it. He had said there was something going on, but not a wedding.” Her mind went to what she had packed. There was nothing in there for a wedding!

  “That is like Henri. Guys hear the very word and start heading for the door.”

  Mary smiled back at Elna, seeing the glint in her eyes. She would marry her off right then and there to Henri if she was able. It was clear from the look in her face. “Yeah, I can see that happening. I have never even talked about it with a guy. I think I was afraid that would head for the hills.”

  “I never really thought about marriage, until one day I did. I would have been happy with or without a marriage.” Gemma was getting everyone drinks and didn’t see the scowl on her mother’s face.

  “Hush your mouth young lady. You old mother wants you married.”

  Mary liked to see the interaction, the two women so animated.

  “Don’t believe anything they tell you. It is probably all a lie.”

  Mary’s attention went back to the son and even with his shirt on, it was hard not to remember the bare chest from before. She didn’t want to forget and was more than thankful to see him coming towards her.

  “Now, Henri, don’t be fibbing on us. You know your mother doesn’t lie.”

  Henri wasn’t paying her much attention. “Yeah, so you say.” He turned his attention to Mary fully and asked her if she wanted to go for a walk.

  “I can do the pictures then if you want.”

  Henri tried to make a face, tell her silently to drop the subject. It was not going to end well and Elna already had her ears perked up. “What pictures?”

  Mary was about to tell her, but he stopped her and talked over with a different answer. “She is a photographer and is working with an author who wanted some pictures. I thought it would be a perfect place for the western theme of the book.”

  Elna nodded her head, but looked at them both a little strangely. There was something going on, more than was said, but she ignored her inner voice telling her to say something. Henri looked so happy and she didn’t want to spoil it with all kinds of questions. There was her concern, their family always a target because of their success. “You two just make sure you are back for dinner.”

  Chapter 8

  “Why didn’t you want me to say anything about the photo? Are you embarrassed to be doing it? You don’t have to, you know. There is no obligation.”

  “I said I would because you asked. I certainly wouldn’t do it for anyone else, but I don’t mind doing it, Mary.”

  They were walking close together down a fence line that led out into the flat land that spanned for miles around them. The sun was hot, but as their eyes met, neither one of them was worried about the heat. Mary looked away after a moment, his blue gaze too intense to hold for long.

  She had him stop by the fencepost and lean against it again. He was a natural in front of the camera and before long she had all the shots she needed and maybe a few for her own collection. Mary thought he looked better with the shirt off and wished she had the courage to say something along those lines, but she couldn’t muster up the courage to do so.

  “So was the thing you wanted me to go to tomorrow your sister’s wedding?”

  Henri pushed back from his final pose and moved back towards her, walking the same direction they had been going in the beginning. The house was far behind them and he kept taking her further out. “Yeah, is that okay?”

  She said it was, but wished she had something to wear. “I am sure whatever you wear will be perfect. I can’t think of anything that I wouldn’t like to see you in.” Mary wasn’t so sure that it was true, but it was sweet and when he touched her hand with his, she found her fingers lacing up with her own. They kept walking, silent for a time. Henri’s thumb brushed the inside of her palm and gave her goose bumps.

  Finally she had to break the silence. Mary liked to talk and when she was nervous, it was a need that was harder than ever to qualm. “So where are we going?”

  “To one of my favorite places. I usually ride down here, but it was just too nice of a day to not walk.”

  Mary had to agree. The sun was hot as always, but the slight breeze was just enough to keep them cool. He wasn’t going to tell her where they were going, but as they kept walking, she saw the landscape getting greener and a small stand of trees. It looked like an oasis in the lighter green and brown color of the short grass. He had her attention in any case and Mary would have followed him anywhere, feeling safe with Henri.

  His favorite place turned out to be a small pond that was surrounded by a few trees and large slabs of rocks. It looked man made, but many years before and with an eye for making it look like nature had a hand in it. Mary could see why it was his favorite place. The sound of the water was relaxing and as she sat next to him with her feet in the water, the coolness of the liquid made her almost immediately start to cool off. Mary knew that a quick dip would feel ever better. She wasn’t dressed for it, but Mary had other ulterior motives.

  She wanted to see that hard body of his again and as she got closer to the e
dge, Henri looked at her questioningly. “Is it a good place to swim? The water feels great.”

  He nodded that it was, but he was more interested in her as she stood up. “Do you want to come for a swim with me?”

  Henri just shook his head. There was no way that he would say no to such an offer. He was ready to jump in as he was, but then stopped to take his shirt off. Mary couldn’t get enough of him and though she tried to hide her attraction, the way he made her feel was hard to hide. He grabbed her hand and pulled her closer to the edge with him. “If I am going in, you have to go in.”

  It was her idea, but Mary was more a gradual swimmer, getting in slowly to get used to the fast moving water. But Henri was having none of that and he pulled her in with him. Her clothes immediately started to weigh her down. Henri had his arms around her waist and after a short shriek and giggle, Mary had cooled off immediately. Her legs wrapped around his, as her arms encircled his neck.

  Naturally his lips went to hers in that moment and she was left sighing against his lips. It was what she had wanted to do since she first saw him with his chest bare and his blue eyes glittering at her. His lips were soft and slight demanding. Every inch of her was wrapped around him as she clung to him. Mary hadn’t expected it to feel so good, for his body to feel so good against hers, but it did.

  Her back felt the rough rock behind her as he leaned in for more contact. Mary whimpered when he pulled away, dragging him back in for another kiss. She wanted more, but knew she had to stop before she wouldn’t be able to and pulled away. Henri looked as disappointed as she felt and the hardness pressed against her told her that it was the case. He needed her just as bad as she needed him and not even the cold water could cool his ardor.

  Moving away from his hard, tempting body, Mary tried to gain her composure, but like everything with him, it was hard. They swam for a few minutes, but there was too much tension and soon they were on their way back. She hadn’t thought things through and was soaked. He offered her his shirt to put over her own and Mary agreed, some of the reason for the simple fact that she didn’t want him to put it back on. The only thing that saved Mary from freezing on the way back was the hot sun beating down on them. But as they got closer to the ranch, the sun was starting to go down. They had been out for some time and the last half a mile, Mary was frozen by the time she got to the ranch.