Bound By Her Ring

by Nicole Flockton

  There were two separate vanities with cupboards and drawers to hold all manner of toiletries and linen. Two showers large enough to hold two people in each and a bath so deep it was almost a small pool.

  She turned the dual tap and got the temperature to her liking and started to fill the tub. Walking over to one of the vanities she opened the doors and found an array of her favourite brand of bath products. Somehow, in this, her mind knew how to find the master suite and in the vast bathroom, which vanity was hers.

  She selected a fragrant bubble bath and poured a generous amount in. As the bubbles started to froth and grow she quickly dispensed of her clothes, letting them fall in the middle of the floor in a haphazard pile. She’d deal with them later.

  Flicking off the tap, she wound her hair up before stepping into the tub and sinking into the warm, bubble filled water.

  She laid her head back against the tub, enjoying the feel of the water as it caressed and soothed her tense muscles. She shifted her head, to get more comfortable and wished she’d thought of getting a pillow. At that moment she felt her head being lifted and something tucked in behind her before her head was laid back again. This time instead of the hard tub there was feather softness cupping her head.

  Her eyes flicked open and she found herself gazing into the dark depths of Lukas’s eyes.

  “How did you know I wanted a pillow?”

  He smiled a smile he’d never used with her before and her heart melted like chocolate in the hot sun. She let instinct take over and pulled his head down to her lips. She paused before the final contact.

  “Thank you.”

  With a lift of her head their lips joined. The kiss was pure romance, their lips caressing each other, communicating their needs and desires and wants.

  She moaned as Lukas pulled away, she didn’t want the kiss to end.

  “I don’t really want to end up fully clothed in the bath.”

  Jasmine flicked bubbles at him and giggled when they landed in his hair. “Well then you’d better get undressed and join me.”

  “I thought you wanted some alone time?”

  “So did I, now I’m not so sure I want to be alone…here in this big bath.” She waved a hand to encompass the enormous bath.

  “Are you sure you want me to join you?”

  “Yes.”

  His answer was to pull his shirt over his head. In a matter of seconds his clothes joined hers and her breath caught at the sight of his aroused body. She reacted the same way each time she saw him and she didn’t think it would ever stop.

  He slipped into the water and slowly slid towards her. In a blur of water and bubbles Jasmine found herself resting against his warm chest. His arms enfolded around her, keeping her close to him. She let her eyes drift shut and savoured the sensation of being held.

  She didn’t know how long they lay like that, each lost in their own thoughts and dreams. Eventually Lukas started to move his hands up and down her side, across her stomach, the tips of his fingers tickling the underside of her breasts, his arousal growing against her back.

  When he next passed beneath her breasts she shifted down slightly so that he brushed her nipples, darts of pleasure arrowed down to the moist heat between her legs. She ached for him to touch her there but he was massaging her breasts, eliciting groans of pleasure from the depths of her throat.

  She was transported back to her very first flashback in the hotel. They’d been sharing a bath then. Lukas knew she needed a pillow. Obviously, they’d shared baths in the past.

  She turned in his arms so that she was facing him. “This is a popular past time for us isn’t it?”

  Lukas’s answer was to bring her flush against his arousal. “Why do you think I requested the bath be replaced to a bigger size? At least I can stretch out fully and not be hunched up like a concertina door.”

  She laughed at the image of him in a bath with his knees touching his nose. She reached down and ran her hands along his hard, muscular thighs and then back up to his arousal, taking him in her palm and squeezing gently.

  “Well, I for one am extremely glad you made the request.”

  He gave a small moan of desire and laid his head back on the pillow he had provided for her, it was all she needed to see and hear to give her the courage to be bolder with her touches.

  With each stroke and caress she gave, the desire built up in her as much as it did with Lukas. She couldn’t tell whether it was the water or her desire, but her skin was heating up with every passing second. She went to quicken her motions but her hand was captured by Lukas’s large one.

  “Another time, this time I want to explore you in our bed.”

  He gathered her close and pushed himself up. She revelled in the feel of their wet bodies sliding against each other. A shiver coursed through her at the delicious friction they were creating.

  Lukas scooped her up and out of the tub, lowering her gently to the floor. He reached for one of the fluffy grey towels and proceeded to dry her with swift movements. She went to do the same to him but he shook his head. “If you touch me again, it will be over before it has even begun.”

  Jasmine revelled in the knowledge she had the power to render him almost completely out of control.

  She gave a short yelp of surprise as he once again lifted her in his arms. He walked the short distance from the bathroom to the bed and laid her gently on the soft mattress.

  The room was bathed in a warm glow from candles scattered about the room. Lukas had clearly been busy before he joined her in the bath. Through the window she could see the impressive view of the city but her mind immediately forgot the view when Lukas lay beside her and started his onslaught.

  His hands slid down her body and worked their magic. She arched into his every touch, pushing her breasts together to encourage him to take the peaks in his mouth. She moaned when his lips closed around her sensitive nipples. While his mouth nipped and teased and sucked, his fingers were weaving their own spell between her legs. He stroked her as if she was a precious piece of porcelain, caressing and probing her until her whole body throbbed with longing and within moments her orgasm crashed over her.

  He swallowed her cries with his mouth in a thorough kiss and moved over her. With a quick thrust of his hips he entered her, torturing her when he stayed still. Her inner muscles, still vibrating from her earlier orgasm, clenched around him. She wanted so much more.

  She wrenched her mouth away from his and pleaded. “Now Lukas, take me now.”

  “My pleasure,” he replied as he moved his hips forward then back. As he increased his rhythm, she fell over the edge again and he joined her, shouting out her name as he spilled his seed into her.

  She hugged him tight as he collapsed on her, his rapid heartbeat matching her own. After a few moments he rolled so she was on top of him. She nestled in and closed her eyes, falling into a dreamless sleep.

  Sometime later they woke up and wandered into the kitchen and made sandwiches before once again retreating to the bedroom to lose themselves in each other.

  Jasmine woke the next morning engulfed by a warm male body. She smiled to herself as she recalled the previous evening. She and Lukas had reached a new level in their relationship. They were moving forward and were going to build a new life together in this wonderful house.

  She maneuvered herself away from Lukas’s hold and he muttered something but didn’t waken. In repose his face had relaxed and he looked younger, more vulnerable. He would hate to be called that, but with his dark lashes resting gently against his cheek, she imagined this was how his mother had seen him as a child.

  She shrugged into her robe and padded out, pausing briefly to look at the picture on the wall again. She had to ask Lukas why he chose that particular photo to be placed there.

  She wanted to explore the house more and in the quiet of the early morning she felt at peace to do so. Last night, while Lukas had been fixing their sandwiches, she had roamed around downstairs. A study had been designe
d for both of them and had been fitted out with the latest in technology so, if they wanted to, they could both work from home.

  Now, as she wandered along the upstairs hallway away from their suite, she found there were four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. They had been decorated in light spring colours and each room had a stunning view of the river and city.

  She left the last bedroom and started back towards the master suite, just as she was approaching the French doors, she noticed a door to the left. She hadn’t noticed it last night.

  Jasmine opened the door. The room was smaller than the others and was unfurnished. There was another door directly opposite the one she had entered through. She initially thought it was for a closet, but when she opened it, she saw it connected the small room to her and Lukas’s suite.

  Jasmine left the connecting door open and swivelled, casting her eye around the room. The sun was peeping through the window and she imagined it would make a wonderful nursery. It was strange that it was empty when the whole house was furnished.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  She turned at the sound of the huskily spoken words. Lukas was leaning against the door frame looking all rumpled and warm and sexy.

  “Just imagining things,” she mused.

  “What things?”

  How did she answer that? Every time she’d mentioned children it had led to Lukas freezing up and putting tension in their relationship. After last night, she didn’t want to do that, she wanted to cling onto the magic they had created for a little longer.

  “This room is the only bedroom without a view of the city and river, but it has a tranquillity all of its own with its view of the garden.” She moved towards him and pressed a kiss into his cheek. “I know you have a study downstairs but were you planning on using this as a study too?”

  “No, I was going to leave this room for you to decide what you’d like to do with it.” He looped an arm around her waist and steered her through the walk in closet, back into their suite.

  “Why? Why would I need my own separate room?” As far as she could remember she didn’t have any hobbies, unless of course she’d taken up scrapbooking during those lost months.

  They’d made their way downstairs and into the kitchen before Lukas replied.

  “I don’t know. As a place to get away from it all and from me,” replied Lukas as he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of juice.

  Jasmine was sure he meant his comment to be light-hearted, but there was something about the way he said it that didn’t sit right.

  She took a sip of the juice he’d placed in front of her before asking. “Why would I need a place of my own? There are plenty of other rooms around here I could go to if I wanted time alone.”

  His reply was non-committal and when she went to delve deeper, his cell phone rang and as he walked out of the kitchen she knew that their conversation was at an end.

  She finished off the juice and rinsed her glass. She opted for some fruit instead of toast and took her bowl out to the enclosed back patio.

  The sun had just broken the tops of the trees and she closed her eyes to savour the feeling of its rays on her back. She didn’t know how long she sat there before Lukas’s voice intruded on her peacefulness.

  “I’m going to be leaving shortly. Do you want a lift or will you make your own way?”

  She stood and walked towards him, her eyes roving over his dark, superbly cut suit and the way it moulded to his body. She stopped before him and placed her hand on the fine silk of his shirt.

  “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be ready, but I’ll have to be dropped off at my apartment instead of the office. I need to change.”

  “There’s no need, all your clothes are here. Didn’t you see them in the closet?”

  In truth she hadn’t paid any attention to her surroundings in the main room. Lukas had filled all her senses. “No, I guess my mind was on other things.”

  She made to move past him to go upstairs but he caught her against him, laying his lips softly on hers. “Take your time, there’s no need to rush.”

  He gave her a light tap on the bottom as she walked back into the house.

  Jasmine was true to her word and was ready in fifteen minutes. She’d put on a pale blue dress she hadn’t recalled buying. The fabric was the softest silk and clung in all the right places and the colour reminded her of the ocean they’d swum in, in Broome. She felt beautiful and sexy and free.

  She left her hair down and it swung in a golden curtain down her back. She’d never gone into the office in anything other than a business suit, but she loved how she felt and looked.

  “Bella, amore mio, bella.”

  She whirled at the sound of Lukas’s voice and her heart leapt to her throat at the look in his eyes. “Lukas, l…ahh thanks.”

  She didn’t know how she did it but she managed to swallow down her confession of love. She desperately wanted to believe he loved her too. Lukas made love to her with such exquisite care and tenderness, but he still hadn’t told her he cared.

  Neither have you, a little voice in her head taunted her back.

  He slipped an arm around her waist. “Ready to go?”

  “Sure am.” Jasmine glanced down at her watch, shocked to see that it was only just after nine, she felt for sure it was far later than that. “I’m sure my assistant will be wondering where I am, I’m usually in by eight.”

  Instead of heading for the front door, Lukas led her to the garage through the kitchen.

  “What happened to the driver?” she asked as he held the door of a late model Mercedes open for her.

  “I like to drive myself, normally, but on some occasions a driver comes in handy.”

  She was about to mention needing to get her car when she noticed, as Lukas opened his door, her car was nestled next to his.

  “How did you arrange to get my car and clothes over here, without me even knowing and realising?”

  “It was just a matter of organisation while we were away. Now let’s get going before we get any later.”

  Impatience seemed to have crept into his demeanour and she was surprised at the way his moods swung from one extreme to the other. She sat in silence for a few minutes until they were safely onto the freeway. The traffic was not too heavy as they’d missed peak hour. Finally the lack of conversation and his constant drumming of his fingers on the steering wheel got too much for her.

  “Who pressed your cranky button?”

  “Pardon?” Clearly she had surprised him with her question.

  “You heard me. One minute you’re all sweetness and light and the next minute you’re cranky.”

  “Sorry, I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

  “And I don’t? Really, Lukas, your mood swings are worse than a woman’s.”

  He laughed as he reached over and took her hand. “I’ll be sure to keep them under control.”

  The rest of the trip passed in general chat about their various plans for the day. It wasn’t long before they pulled up alongside her building. Anderson’s corporate offices were located in a heritage listed building and she adored the ambience the yellowed stone brought.

  “I’ll make my own way home. I’ll stop by the supermarket and pick up something for dinner.”

  “There’s no need, we can eat out if you like.”

  She stepped out of the car and looked back in. “No, I want to cook, just call before you leave so I can have a rough idea of when you’ll be home.”

  “How domestic we sound. Ciao cara.”

  Jasmine closed the door laughing, pleased she’d somehow managed to get his mood back on an even keel. She watched the car as it got swallowed up in the traffic.

  She made her way into the building and up to her office. There was a mountain of work to deal with but, for the first time since she could remember, work held little appeal.

  She dealt with the most pressing items but after a couple of hours she gave up all pretence of working. Jasmine
switched off her computer and collected her handbag, swinging it over her shoulder.

  “I’m finished for the day. If anyone desperately needs me they can contact me on my cell phone.”

  She breezed out the door, and hummed to herself as she waited for the elevator. Jasmine smiled broadly at the doorman, feeling her life couldn’t get any better. She signalled for a cab, and luck was on her side, one all but screeched to a halt beside her. She gave the driver her new home address, loving the sound of the words on her lips.

  Once on the way home, she rummaged through her handbag and found her notebook. Jasmine quickly scribbled the necessary ingredients needed to make Lukas’s favourite dish—gnocchi with a smoked salmon sauce. She recalled the last time she’d made it for him, just before they’d left on their secret trip away.

  Welcoming the flashback, she let the memory wash over her. The way he had interrupted her as she’d made the dish, and how they ended up eating in bed late in the evening. It was lucky the dish hadn’t been ruined, but if it had been neither one of them would’ve minded.

  Her hand reached into her bag to ring Lukas to let him know she’d had another flashback, but her hand stilled. He didn’t need to know every time. Seeing as she’d had this one without him told her it was only a matter of time before her memory fully returned.

  And then what? What would that mean for their future? Would she finally understand why she’d chosen to forget their relationship?

  Too many questions. She’d deal with the consequences of her memory returning when the time came.

  “That’ll be fifteen fifty, love.”

  The gravelly voice of the cab driver brought her back to her surroundings. Handing over the money and tip she exited the car and reached for her keys.

  The shiny new copper key felt warm beneath her touch, as she slid it in and turned. Opening the door she savoured the sensation of finally coming home. The house felt so right to walk into, so natural. She’d never felt this sense of peace when walking into her own apartment.