AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Lara didn’t drag me anywhere. She can’t help what the press writes.’
Jack drew a slow breath, knowing he had to back down. ‘You’re right. It wasn’t her fault.’ He twisted the stem of his wineglass, watching the pale liquid swirl. ‘I know how the press twist and sensationalise things. I overreacted. I’m sorry.’
Elisabeth stared as if seeing him for the first time.
She blinked and those remarkable amber eyes darkened as her pupils dilated. Her lips parted and his breath hitched as arousal hit him like a hammer blow. It was instant and complete, blood surging low in his body, impairing his train of thought. He wanted to lean across the table and kiss her. Haul her onto his lap and set her astride his burgeoning erection.
He wanted...
He was sorry?
Bess wanted to believe it so badly it scared her. His high-handed attitude that night had cut her to the heart. Because it reinforced that she wasn’t a wife to him but an asset to be used as he saw fit.
He’d been furious about the press reports. When they returned from the charity gala he’d stalked off to his study while she dithered, trying to decide whether to pack and leave. Then she’d heard a thud and found Jack sprawled on the floor, delirious. His temperature had spiked alarmingly as the flu hit him hard and fast. By the time he was recuperating she’d made up her mind to go. It had been easier not to linger to rehash what clearly couldn’t be fixed.
Or could it? Had it been a mistake to leave him?
At the time it had seemed her only option. Jack’s attitude had been so unyielding.
Bess shot to her feet, turning towards the sea, arms wrapped around herself. She didn’t know what to think.
‘Elisabeth.’
He was right behind her. She felt his breath on her hair and despite everything her shiver wasn’t one of distaste. She shouldn’t have gone to bed with him last night. It made her less protected against him.
When he spoke again it was in that deep, gravel-over-velvet voice that made her weak. ‘I don’t remember what I said that night because I was already feeling sick. But believe me I regret it.’
Another pause. ‘I do remember the press reports and worrying that it was the excuse the Count needed to convince his board not to do business with an upstart Australian. I knew he favoured someone from his own set.’ Bess heard a sigh. ‘But it was crass of me to ask you to give up your friend.’
Slowly she turned. They were so close she read every nuance of his expression and for once he held nothing back. She saw contrition, regret, and an intensity that ran like fire through her blood. Her heart rolled over in her chest.
Jack’s apology didn’t solve the problem at the root of their marriage. But it was significant. He hadn’t been at his best that night so he hadn’t been thinking clearly. His sincerity now showed him willing to change.
Change enough to make their marriage real? Tocarefor her as she cared for him?
She couldn’t jump to conclusions. But it was a positive sign, and she clung to that.
‘Apology accepted.’ His smile unfurled and she felt her heart lift with it. ‘Thank you.’
He gently brushed her hair off her cheek, igniting a trail of sparks from his touch.
Her heart hammered with excitement and trepidation as he cupped her face in his big hands. Was she making the biggest mistake of her life agreeing to this week together?
Or was there truly a chance to turn their marriage into something real?
CHAPTER FIVE
‘I’MGOINGTOpay you back for this, Jack Reilly!’
Jack lifted his eyes, taking in the sumptuous sight of his naked wife spreadeagled on the bed before him. Despite the tension of extreme arousal, his mouth kicked up in a grin.
She was his, all his.
‘I look forward to it.’
He paused, his gaze lingering on the cloth belt from her silky bathrobe that he’d used to tie her wrists to the headboard. It wasn’t a tight knot and if she’d really wanted she could have freed herself. But she’d been too busy sighing and writhing in ecstasy to realise that.
With pillows propped behind her and her arms up above her head, her body arched high, her breasts standing proud and alluring. But for the moment he’d moved on from there.
