by Maggie Cox
He didn’t keep her waiting long. The air was stirred by the arresting, clean scent of his masculine cologne and the heat from his body as he positioned himself above her and immediately started to rain a series of provocative little kisses all over her face. Finally, leaving his tantalising imprint on her mouth, he bent his head to apply the same provocative attention to her body.
As he suckled her breasts, taking the nipples deep into his mouth and grazing them with his teeth, she whimpered with pleasure. Her desire for him was growing stronger by the second. In fact it was quickly turning into a desperate need that had a mind of its own, and she knew it wouldn’t ebb until it was fulfilled...
‘I want to make sure that you’re properly ready for me, sweetheart.’
Lifting his head, Seth momentarily studied her. His blue eyes blazed with a new kind of intensity now and it made Imogen shiver.
‘If you’re not, then it’s going to hurt.’
‘I trust you, Seth,’ she replied softly.
‘That’s good, baby.’ He smiled.
His kisses moved further down her body. Each one seared her flesh as though it were a sensuous flame, setting her alight. Of its own volition her body started to tremble. She felt his hands urge her thighs apart, and suddenly her whole world imploded as Seth touched his lips to her most intimate place. She had never known a heat like it.
As he started to kiss her the sensual pleasure inside her built and built, and Imogen writhed and moaned, her hands possessively gripping his hair. When her climax came, it came fast and strong. It was like an urgent, unstoppable tidal wave that drowned her in the most deliciously compulsive heat known to man. So incredible was the sensation, she knew she would never forget it. Tears of emotion welled in her eyes and wouldn’t be contained.
Lifting his head to gaze concernedly down at her, Seth asked, ‘Are you okay?’
Her voice catching, she said, ‘I’m not crying because I’m upset.’ Reaching up to touch his face tenderly, she stared at him in wonder. ‘I’m crying because what you did was so good. I never knew that intimacy could be like this.’
‘Then, are you ready to take things further? Because I’m in serious trouble if you’re not.’
‘Yes, I am. I promise you I want this as much as you do, Seth.’
‘Then, stop talking and kiss me.’
Even though it sounded like a command, Imogen had no intention of resisting. She already knew that her husband’s kisses were powerfully addictive and, more than that, she wanted to return some of the pleasure he had given her.
It was a sheer delight to run her hands over his magnificent body and learn which areas were particularly sensitive. In response, he murmured his encouragement, letting her know how every touch and kiss she gave him heightened his enjoyment even more.
The moment came when his passionate admonitions stopped and once again he pressed her slim thighs apart. This time the action had a sense of urgency about it, and she bit down on her lip as he began to insert his erect satin shaft inside her. At first she tensed. And at the very moment his sex delved more deeply and she felt the sting of her hymen being torn she cried out. But he hungrily claimed her lips and the brief discomfort left her.
Very soon they were moving as one. With no more barriers between them their lovemaking intensified, and Imogen gave herself completely to Seth. The second time she peaked the sensations were so powerful they felt as though they rocked her world forever. Her heart was full to bursting with joy. Her body had never felt more alive or more sated.
But her pleasure was so much more than just physical. It reached deep inside her bones and made her blood sing. It told her without a doubt that Seth was the love she’d always hoped for but feared she would never find. What she had felt for her ex was a schoolgirl crush in comparison.
‘That was wonderful...’ she breathed against his ear, planting a loving kiss at the side of his neck.
Looking up at him, she saw his extraordinary blue eyes boring into hers. Her hands gripped his shoulders and held on tight as he finally came undone with a deep, unforgettable groan.
‘I...’ He started to say something but stopped to get his breath back and laid his head on her chest instead.
She didn’t prompt him to finish what he’d been going to say. She was simply content just to hold him in her arms, to run her fingers through the silken strands of his hair and revel in the incredible event that had just happened.
But just as she thought he might be feeling the same Seth carefully extricated himself and lay down beside her. With his voice pitched intimately low he breathed, ‘Thank you. Thank you for the incredible gift you’ve just given me.’
The heartfelt declaration momentarily took Imogen aback. ‘I’m glad it was important to you, Seth...and I’m glad I waited all these years for the right man to give it to.’
Tracing her lips with the pad of his forefinger, he studied her with a new intensity. ‘Am I the right man, baby?’
As he spoke he carefully examined her luxuriant chestnut hair where it was spread out behind her on the pillow, twining a curl round his finger. The expression on his handsome face was serious.
‘What do you think?’ Imogen wanted to smile, but somehow she found it was beyond her right then. She still feared his rejection if she confessed the real reason she’d surrendered her virginity to him—because she loved him. Seth had already warned her that he didn’t believe in making emotional attachments.
‘Hmm... I think we make a very good match. Don’t you? But I have to ask... Do you have any regrets about not giving your virginity to your ex-fiancé?’
‘Are you serious?’
‘Perhaps deep down you’re sad that it wasn’t him who was your first lover?’
Imogen was shocked. ‘That’s ridiculous. I told you—I don’t regret for a moment that things didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped. Why would I? It was beyond cruel of him to humiliate me like that. And now I know that he also did me a favour when he didn’t turn up that day.’
‘So it’s true that you really didn’t love him after all?’
‘Yes, it’s true.’ She sighed. ‘I didn’t. Like I told you before, I was only kidding myself about that. When he stood me up at the church I finally realised it was just the idea of being in love that I was mesmerised by, and consequently I got my comeuppance.’
‘And now... Can you be content with not achieving the dream of real love that you wanted, Imogen? Is the pragmatic arrangement we’ve talked about going to be enough for you?’
As he uttered the words Seth knew without doubt that he no longer wanted such a soulless partnership for himself. He abhorred the very idea. Imogen had invaded his blood with her beauty, her innocence and her wonderful, kind nature, and he would be a fool to pretend that he wanted a marriage of convenience any longer.
Realising the depth of his feelings, he could no longer deny what he really wanted from her...
The question he’d asked Imogen made her heart sink. It was suddenly brought home to her that Seth was still pledged to the memory of Louisa...even after all these years. What if that never changed? Could she be content with just being his companion? Sharing his bed, but not ever having his love?
Another more startling thought went through her mind just then. What if they had children? They’d been swept along with the wedding, and the practicalities of using protection had seemingly gone out of their heads...
Right at that moment she didn’t have the courage to ask him about it. It was bad enough to know that he didn’t love her.
Her expression grave, she said, ‘You’re a good man, Seth. I know that. And you’ve been very frank with me about what you want from the start. So we’ll just leave things as they are for now, shall we?’
Unable to disguise her sadness, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got out, dr
agging a sheet with her. Winding it round her, she turned away.
Alarmed, and hardly able to believe what he was witnessing, Seth sat up. ‘Where do you think you’re going?’
‘I’d like to take a shower...on my own.’
‘Do you really have to do that right now? Why don’t you wait and I’ll—?’
But she had gone before he’d even realised that she was serious, and she shut the bathroom door with a resounding bang that echoed warningly round the room. He was in no doubt that she was mad at him.
Galvanised into sudden action, Seth dragged the other sheet off the bed and wrapped it round his lean, hard middle. Then he planted himself firmly outside the bathroom and banged hard on the door.
‘Imogen! For God’s sake, what’s going on with you? Do I have to remind you that it’s our wedding night?’
The tense moments that passed as he anxiously waited for her response felt like an eternity. Then, in a voice that was barely discernible, she said softly, ‘I just need some space for a few minutes. Is that a problem?’
He emitted a frustrated breath and agitatedly pushed his fingers through his hair. ‘Why do you need some space? If there’s something bothering you, can’t you just come out and talk to me about it?’
‘It’s probably best if I don’t.’
‘What the hell does that mean?’
The door suddenly opened. Studying him with those big brown eyes of hers, Imogen protectively crossed her arms over the sheet that she’d wound round herself. The gesture made her appear disarmingly fragile. If Seth didn’t get to the bottom of this soon he swore he’d go crazy.
‘It means that I don’t think I can pretend anymore.’
‘Pretend about what?’
‘About how I feel about things.’
‘Then, why don’t you tell me? Please, Imogen. It’s very important to me to know how you feel.’
His natural concern coming to the fore, he reached out his hand to touch her bare shoulder. Once again he was reminded of how exquisitely soft her skin was. Beneath his fingers, she shivered a little.
‘I know that your feelings lie with another woman, in another place and time,’ she breathed, ‘but I want you to know that I love you now, Seth...and I can’t live a lie and pretend that I don’t—no matter what inducements you put in front of me.’
Seth stared at her. His head was spinning. He was incredulous. Imogen apparently believed that he still loved Louisa and would never love anyone else. It took him aback, because he’d known for quite some time that his feelings had changed dramatically.
He hadn’t told her because he could hardly believe it himself. But a few minutes ago, when they’d been making love, he’d almost declared what he felt out loud. Somehow his beautiful, compassionate new wife had found a way into his wounded heart and started to help heal it. His plans for a ‘convenient’ arrangement had made a serious U-turn.
‘First of all, I don’t still love Louisa. She belongs firmly in the past. I know that for sure. In truth, I started to realise it quite a while ago—even before we met, Imogen, and I fell for you hook, line and sinker. It’s you that I love. You and only you,’ he announced, surveying her tenderly.
She was utterly stunned. ‘I can hardly believe it. Are you serious? You said in your note to her that you would only ever love her. How come you suddenly seem to have changed your mind?’
‘Like I said, I started to realise my feelings were changing quite a while ago. But I stupidly told myself that I’d be betraying her if I didn’t hold on to them. At the time I wrote what I did I honestly believed I would never love anyone else like I loved her. And as the years went by and I didn’t develop any new relationships I believed it must be true.’ Seth frowned. ‘I convinced myself that love must be a one-time-only deal.’
With her heart in her mouth, Imogen made herself wait for him to continue.
‘But you proved me wrong. Imogen. My feelings probably started to change when you showed up at the manor that day, looking like some tender sprite that had emerged out of the woods. You’d walked all the way from town to try to find out who the writer of that note in your book was. How many other people would have done that? Straight away you intrigued me. You showed me that you cared about what had happened to two perfect strangers—that the idea that they’d reunited gave you hope. Although I didn’t realise it, the more time I spent with you, and the more I was acquainted with your loving kindness, the more I fell head over heels in love with you.’
‘Oh, Seth...do you really mean it? You really do love me?’
He stared back into her incandescent brown eyes and gathered her tenderly into his arms. ‘Yes, I do. I’ll spend the rest of our lives together proving it to you, so that you need never doubt it. I don’t know what I’ve done to find somebody like you, but I’ll never take it for granted. Now, let’s go back to bed, shall we?’
Just a few moments later they lay against the pillows together and Seth pulled up the counterpane around them.
Feeling happier than she’d ever felt before, Imogen sighed. ‘You know I said that I knew I’d given my virginity to the right man? I was telling you the truth, Seth. I started to fall in love with you not long after I met you.’
They had both removed their sheets, so that they were naked again, and she was stroking her hand up and down his chest as she spoke. Her fingers kept dipping every now and then to the dark column of hair beneath his navel. Already his blood was heading eagerly south...
‘In fact I love you so much that I was prepared to go along with your marriage of convenience just so that I could be with you.’
‘And yet again put someone else’s happiness before your own?’
Appearing genuinely surprised, she stopped stroking him. ‘I wouldn’t have been unhappy, Seth. I might not have had your love, but I would have known that you respected me, and if all we’d ever had was a close friendship I would have gladly settled for that rather than be without you.’
For a moment he was lost for words. The phrase my cup runneth over sprang helpfully to mind, because that was exactly how he felt. It almost didn’t seem fair that he’d been given so much. This beautiful, incredible woman had just become his wife, and of all the things he had achieved in life this was undoubtedly the best...
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THEY SPENT THE whole of the next morning in bed. Seth had never allowed himself to be so lazy. Most of his life he had worked hard, risen early and gone to bed late. Even when he’d started to earn good money he hadn’t rested on his laurels. He’d worked even harder to increase his bank balance and to make a name for himself in the elite world his customers inhabited.
Determined to stay on top of his game, he had also adopted an unstinting routine to help maintain his health and fitness. In New York he either started his day with an early-morning run or by working out at the gym. But lying there next to Imogen, with the sun pouring in at the window, highlighting her silky bare skin as she lay on her front, he honestly couldn’t think of a single thing he’d like to be doing more—except perhaps making love to her again...
As if intuiting that he was watching her, she lifted her head and glanced up at him. With her chestnut curls tumbling sexily over a bare shoulder she had a sleepy-eyed slumberous look that was so alluring. Seth found himself instantly turned on again, despite the fact that they’d made love for most of the night.
‘Hey. Are you intending on sleeping the entire day away, Mrs Broden?’
Her cheeks were suffused with indignation, arousing him even more.
‘Of course I’m not. I’m going to get up in a minute and see about breakfast. I’m hungry...ravenous, in fact.’
‘So am I...’ Lowering his tone meaningfully, he lay down again.
With a sigh, Imogen turned onto her side to study him. ‘Shall we get dressed and go downs
tairs to the dining room?’ she asked, her voice not quite steady.
‘Not yet. Food isn’t our top priority.’
The lascivious glance he gave her made her emit a husky little groan even before he touched his lips to hers. ‘Isn’t it?’ she breathed.
They both knew she was fighting a losing battle.
‘There are a few other needs that I want to see to first,’ he insisted. ‘Do you know how addicted I’m becoming to your body?’
‘Mmm-hmm...I think my aches and pains bear that out. Perhaps we were a little too energetic last night? I didn’t know I’d be getting in so much practice straight away.’
‘You can’t beat practice...’ Bending his head towards hers, Seth stole a deliberately provocative kiss—the kind of kiss that made his blood turn molten even before he’d finished it. ‘And you know what they say about practice...’ He slid his hand over her exposed bare breast, loving the way her nipple immediately stood to attention and her dark eyes turned misty.
‘What do they say?’ she breathed softly.
He smiled, knowing it didn’t really matter about the answer. This seemingly inconsequential little conversation was definitely only heading one way...
‘That it makes even the best things perfect.’
‘I don’t care about perfection. I want— I just want...’
‘What do you want, baby?’
‘You... I just want you.’
To his surprise and delight she manoeuvred herself on top of him and her sultry inner thighs clamped against his sides.
‘You’ve got me,’ he said throatily, ‘for as long and as often as you want.’
* * *
They were enjoying dinner in the restaurant that evening when Imogen remarked, ‘By the way, what made you hire a photographer for the wedding? It took me by surprise. I know that you don’t exactly court publicity.’
‘It seems that I’m changing a lot of my old ways since I met you, sweetheart.’ Raising his wine glass to his lips, Seth gave her a tender smile. ‘And I hope for the better. I thought it might be nice for you to have some pictures to show to your family and friends. To prove to them that you didn’t let what previously happened break you—that you stayed strong and fell in love with a man who adores you.’
