by C. C. Gibbs
‘I’m paying her well. She seems agreeable.’
‘Agreeable? I didn’t think she understood the word.’
‘It costs a little more, but she understands. We’re still not certain exactly what we’re doing.’ Dominic glanced at Kate. ‘But if we decide on a public occasion, you’ll be sure to get an invitation.’
‘I’m dithering,’ Kate interjected. ‘Dominic doesn’t like me dithering.’
‘I’ll get used to it,’ he said, smiling at Kate.
‘Like I’m trying to get used to a control freak,’ she playfully retorted.
Dominic’s lashes lowered faintly. ‘You see the adjustments we’re making.’
Amanda bit back her startled response.
Justin choked on his port.
And a short time later, as the front door closed on their dinner guests, Amanda looked at her husband, dumb-founded. ‘Did you ever think you’d see the day when Dominic Knight made adjustments?’
‘Not unless he was adjusting some babe’s handcuffs or leg restraints,’ Justin drawled.
‘Exactly.’ Amanda had been apprised of Dominic’s excesses from her husband who’d known Dominic prior to their marriage. ‘Do you think he’ll actually marry her?’
‘It looks like it. Remember, Dominic’s been stalking Katherine for at least four months. That’s not only unusual but unprecedented for him. His arrangements with women have always been in hours not months.’
‘Except for his wife.’
Justin snorted softly. ‘You saw them together. He treated Julia like a friend. A best friend, but still a friend. Unlike tonight. Dominic touched Katherine every chance he had. And he and Julia never talked about having children. He really wants this child. And if the size of the ring he gave Katherine is any indication of his feelings, he’s definitely serious.’
‘That’s true. I’ve never seen a diamond that large.’
‘Most people haven’t. One like that rarely comes on the market.’
‘He can afford it, of course.’
Justin quirked a brow. ‘But he’s never chosen to buy one before.’
Amanda smiled. ‘So what should I wear to the wedding?’
‘Is that my cue to say – you should buy something new?’
‘That must be one of the reasons I love you. You can read my mind.’
Justin grinned. ‘Can you read mine?’
Amanda laughed. ‘I can always read yours. It never changes.’
‘So?’
‘So no one will hear us in the study downstairs.’
‘That’s what I was thinking,’ he said, taking her hand, pulling her close and kissing her. ‘Now all you have to do is tell me what you want,’ he whispered against her mouth.
CHAPTER 9
They were home by nine, Kate was sleeping by ten and Dominic had the rest of the evening to himself. Pulling on pyjama bottoms, he brought a chair up to the bed, picked up his laptop, and worked on until midnight.
If it was possible to paint a picture of content, he thought, this was the living image and he was living proof. His beautiful wife-to-be, who was carrying his child, was close enough to touch and their recent lovemaking had warmed his senses. Add in time for business in the quiet of the night … fuck – he had it all.
Also, Katherine no longer seemed entirely averse to joining Knight Enterprises. He half smiled. At least, her refusals were less vehement: that was encouraging.
Whether it was the late hour, Katherine’s presence or whether he’d drifted into some quixotic land of starry-eyed imagination, he visualized Katherine as his partner in marriage and at Knight Enterprises. A pleasant conceit which would pretty much fast track his last thirty-two fucked up years into the realm of transcendent perfection or the equivalent in terms of a religious experience for less warped souls. Assuredly a miracle by any standard.
As if some dark spirit from his past suddenly realized it was about to lose its job, a voice out of nowhere grunted, ‘Uh-uh, dude, that happiness shit is reserved for other people … not you.’ And all his familiar demons reappeared: warning him against chasing rainbows, about trusting people, reminding him of the countless betrayals in his life, ripping off all the scabs.
His jaw clenched at the memory of all those lonely anchorless years. Fuck off,’ he muttered under his breath, shaking away the oppressive feelings, struggling to resist the desolation and punishing cynicism that had once been his life’s burden. ‘Fuck the hell off.’
Kate’s eyes fluttered open. ‘What time is it?’ Her cheeks were flushed, her voice liquid with sleep.
‘Sorry, baby. I didn’t mean to wake you.’ He could feel the tension in his body melt away, his fight reflex chill. The warmth in Katherine’s eyes was a balm against the ruin of his past. ‘It’s a little after midnight,’ he added. ‘Go back to sleep.’
‘Ummm … come to bed.’ Her fingers slid over the top of the quilt and fluttered in silent appeal. ‘I need you to hold me …’
‘You should sleep,’ he murmured, polite and virtuous.
‘Don’t want to,’ she mumbled with that little bunny twitch of her nose that always made him smile. ‘I need you …’
So much for virtue. ‘Give me a minute.’ He shut his laptop and leaned over to set it on the carpet.
‘Hurry.’ He looked up at the dulcet whisper.
She’d tossed back the covers and rolled on her side, so the curve of her hip was silhouetted against the bed curtains, her large, ripe breasts were softly mounded one on top of the other, her swollen nipples pink and huge and imminently suckable.
‘Jesus, baby … I’m never going to get enough of that,’ he whispered, moving out of his chair in a surge of honed muscle, his fingers on the tie of his pyjama pants. A second later, he stepped over them and moved towards the bed.
He kissed and sucked her lush nipples, watched her gently dissolve through two dreamy orgasms, half asleep, deliciously aroused and when she murmured sweetly, ‘Thank you, Dominic, I’m going back to sleep,’ he spread her thighs and inhaled her lush moan as he pushed his dick into her smooth, sleek body. She was immaculately soft and beautifully receptive and all his, he thought with naked pleasure. All his demons were laid waste. By wistful desire and hot passion, by mutual appetites beguiled and quenched. By an abundance of happiness.
It turned out to be a lazy weekend. They mostly stayed in bed. The food they ordered was left outside in the hallway; once they moved into the room next door when the staff came to change the sheets and clean the bathroom. Until finally, late on Saturday, they went downstairs for a special dinner Quinn had prepared for Kate.
Uneasy about Kate’s lack of appetite, in the wee hours of Saturday morning Dominic had emailed Nana for some of Kate’s favourite recipes. Quinn had done yeoman’s duty preparing everything since Nana’s reply arrived at four that afternoon.
Dominic and Kate, barefoot and semi-dressed in pyjamas, walked into the large, candle-lit dining room.
‘Everything’s so beautiful,’ Kate breathed as someone shut the doors behind them. ‘So many flowers.’ The scent of roses perfumed the air, Torchieres with cascading white roses framed the double entrance doors as well as the buffet on the far wall where the food was waiting under silver domed dishes. Four large candelabra marched down the twenty-foot-long mahogany table in the centre of the room, bowls of white roses were strategically ranked between the candelabra and two place settings were visible on one end of the polished mahogany surface. She smiled up at Dominic. ‘You must keep the floral economy going.’
‘I do now,’ he said with a flicker of a smile. ‘These are for you. I usually eat in the library.’
‘How do you ever get used to this’, she half lifted her hand, ‘splendour?’
The Chinoiserie wallpaper was a faded azure in the diffused light, the lush apricot-coloured moiré draperies covering the soaring windows and puddled on the parquet floor shimmered softly in the candle glow, the large furniture scaled to the dimensions of the enormous, high-ceil
inged room diminished in size by the flickering shadows.
‘It’s only splendid with you here,’ he gently said, seeing the room with fresh eyes. Or perhaps for the first time. His London agent had purchased the house after Dominic had seen it online. He was rarely here; he generally slept at his office or club when he was in London.
Taking Kate’s hand, Dominic moved from the doorway. ‘Come, see what Quinn put together for us.’
The buffet table must have been built for giants. Kate had to stand on tiptoe to survey the domed silver platters and bowls as Dominic lifted the covers one by one. A tureen of tomato soup was surrounded by dainty grilled cheese sandwiches; perfectly cooked barbecue ribs with Nana’s sauce glistening; crunchy mac and cheese the way Kate liked it, three-bean salad and a towering carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting.
Recognizing the familiar menu, Kate turned to Dominic ‘You talked to Nana again?’ Alarm vibrated in her voice.
‘Don’t panic. I emailed her.’ He drew her to the table. ‘And I didn’t mention anything but recipes. I told her you were missing her food, that’s all.’ He pulled out a large wing-backed chair for Kate at the head of the table. ‘Sit, baby. I’ll serve us. See that footstool? Need it closer?’ Leaning over, he drew it under her dangling feet.
‘I’ll tell her about the baby soon.’ Kate ran her toes over the soft blue velvet on the footstool. ‘Just not yet,’ she said with a faint grimace.
‘Whenever or never, I don’t care. Just so long as you’re within touching distance of me all the time,’ he said with a smile. ‘I have my priorities.’
She leaned back and smiled. ‘I like it just us too.’
‘Good. That saves me the hassle of locking you up somewhere,’ he said over his shoulder as he walked back to the buffet.
‘Funny.’
‘I’m not joking, Katherine.’
‘You better be.’
He turned around, a muscle jumped at the back of his jaw. ‘You know what you mean to me, right?’
His voice was so soft it barely carried the few feet to the table. ‘Still, Dominic, you can’t even think about locking me up.’
It took him a moment to answer. Then he smiled his super charming smile that had always gotten him whatever he wanted from a woman. ‘I know, baby. You’re right. I was out of line.’ That didn’t mean he wouldn’t do it. Another quick smile, boyish and sweet. ‘Are you as hungry as me? Or is it just because Nana’s food smells so good?’
Dominic did the serving honours. Kate preferred not having staff around and he preferred not being disturbed. After carrying over several plates so they each had a full array of food, he sat in a chair to Kate’s right. Everything was delicious, like farm cooking he thought, although he’d never been on a farm. But the food was wholesome, salt-of-the-earth and he watched with pleasure as Katherine ate with an appetite he hadn’t seen since his return.
Although after thirty straight minutes of eating, after numerous servings of ribs and cake, he cautioned, ‘Maybe you should take a rest. Let your food settle.’
‘I adore you for doing this,’ Kate said, licking the barbecue sauce off her fingers as Dominic pushed a finger bowl her way. ‘Don’t you like carrot cake?’
‘I had three pieces, baby.’
‘There’s still lots left.’
He smiled. ‘Maybe later.’
‘I think I can eat one more of those cute little grilled cheese sandwiches your chef cut into bunnies.’
Dominic raised one brow and handed her a small sandwich. ‘Nana said you liked bunny shapes.’
‘But these are like Dürer’s rabbit – almost real looking with those little olive eyes and macaroni whiskers. How does he make them furry looking?’
‘Beats me.’
She took a bite. ‘We don’t have anything this fancy at home. Nana just uses a cookie cutter,’ she said, chewing, then swallowing. ‘You can tell they’re bunnies, but just barely.’ The second and last bite disappeared in her mouth and she shut her eyes in bliss as she chewed. ‘Oh Lord, that cheese is fabulous,’ she said a moment later. ‘Although all the butter the sandwiches are fried in helps too.’ She wiped her fingers on a napkin Dominic handed her. ‘You spoil me absolutely rotten, but thank you.’ She blew him a kiss. ‘It feels really good to eat.’
He caught her kiss and grinned. ‘I like to see you eat. I’m guessing the baby does too. We’ll keep Nana in the loop when it comes to recipes so you have food you enjoy.’
‘If your chef doesn’t mind making such pedestrian fare.’
‘He doesn’t mind.’
‘You’re just saying that. He’s probably tearing his hair out.’
‘Quinn hasn’t had hair for years. It’s not a problem. So if you want peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, or a bowl of cereal, you’ve got it, OK? By the way, Nana sent her bread recipe so its bacon sandwiches for breakfast tomorrow.’
‘Oh my God! I love you wildly and totally! With mayonnaise?’
He laughed. She looked like a child with her red curls finger-combed-messy, her eyes alight, her wide, flashing smile radiating happiness. ‘Yes, baby, with mayonnaise. Nana sent the recipe for that too.’
‘You are so sweet, Dominic. I don’t know how to thank you for thinking of bacon sandwiches.’
‘If you’ve finished eating, you could thank me by opening your pyjama top,’ he said softly, a lazy smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
Sitting back in the large cushioned chair, she swiftly unbuttoned the pearl buttons on the blue gingham top, pulled it open wide and grinned. ‘Ta-da!’
‘Very nice.’ His voice was velvet soft, his gaze predatory. ‘I might have to suck on your tits.’
‘Here?’ She touched her nipples with the tips of her index fingers.
‘There and then we’ll move on …’
Drawing her legs up as Dominic’s deep voice triggered a lush, heated response deep inside, she rested her head against the luxurious azure-and-white striped silk of the chair back. ‘Did you tell them to put this chair here? For me. For this?’
Dominic smiled faintly. ‘I manage a global empire, Katherine,’ he said, lounging beside her in a mahogany armchair, perfectly at home in this luxurious room wearing a grey T-shirt and flannel pyjama pants. ‘I can manage one woman.’
‘Maybe,’ she purred, her eyes half lidded, the shimmering green aglow with desire.
‘No maybe about it, Katherine. Take off your top.’
‘And if I don’t?’ Half teasing, a playful lift of one brow.
‘Then I will.’ Pushing his chair back, he stood up, moved the candelabrum down to the far end of the table, pushed the flower bowls in the same direction and cleared a large space on the table.
She sat up. ‘What are you doing?’
‘I’m going to eat you for dessert.’
‘Not here!’
‘Here, Katherine. That’s why I’m making room.’
‘People might come in,’ she restively said, making a choppy little gesture towards the door.
‘They won’t,’ he said, not looking up, smoothing out the tapestry table runner, pulling it closer.
‘They could. Dominic! Stop!’
He glanced at her, softly inhaled, then standing upright, he turned and walked across the large room to the double doors facing the hall. He locked them, crossed the room and did the same to the two doors used by the staff. Returning to the table, he held her gaze, one brow raised. ‘Better?’
‘Not really. Now they know we’re fucking.’
He thought of all the times he’d been in private sex clubs, where everyone fucked everyone. Tamping down his small impatience at such unnecessary modesty, he said, mildly, ‘Make up your mind, baby. Locked or open. The fucking part is a given.’
‘I could say no.’
‘But you won’t.’
‘I might.’
He laughed. ‘That would be a first.’
‘Don’t be smug.’
‘It’s not about me being smug, b
aby. It’s about you needing to fuck. Look.’ He glanced downward. ‘I’m guessing you’re going to be wanting this.’
She sucked in a breath as his erection swelled before her eyes, wondered if she could resist that gorgeous, huge dick pressing against the soft fabric of his pyjama pants. Wished her body wasn’t turning liquid with the longing so her decision could be made with more confidence.
‘Come here, baby. Get your little ass up on the table.’ His voice dropped to a whisper. ‘Or do you want me to come and get you?’
A small pause while she struggled with submission, with wanting him more, wanting him too much – as always. She slid from the chair.
With a smile he moved towards her, bent to kiss her cheek and leaning down, picked up the blue velvet footstool. Taking her hand, he led her to the cleared space on the table without speaking, dropped her hand, set the footstool on the tapestry runner and ran his hand over the smooth velvet as though vetting its softness.
Dominic was curiously quiet, intent, looked slightly forbidding in the candlelight, the shadows highlighting his stark features and dark brows, the inky black of his hair – his size amplified in the small pool of light. ‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ She tried to suppress the disquiet in her voice. ‘I mean we—’
‘I’m sure.’ He glanced back at her. ‘Take off your pyjamas. Please,’ he added, a fraction of a second later. Old habits. ‘Or would you like help?’
His voice was softly appeasing, the momentary curtness removed. ‘I would,’ Kate said, lifting her chin so he’d know she’d heard him the first time.
He noticed the little stubborn set of her chin, had long ago learned all the conciliatory gestures women liked. He smiled. ‘My pleasure, baby.’ Turning to face her fully, he slid her opened top down her arms. Setting it on the table, he smoothly kneeled at her feet, eased her pyjama pants over her hips, watched them drop to the floor and brushed his warm palms up the sides of her legs and hips as he rose from his knees. ‘You’re absolutely perfect,’ he murmured. ‘Thank you for indulging me.’
He’d taken her waist in his hands, his fingertips resting at the small of her back and she felt both captive and captivated by the splendid man towering over her. ‘It’s my pleasure too,’ she said in a covetous little whisper. ‘You have very large hands.’
