by Alice Raine
So he was happy to eat with me, just not sleep a full night with me? God, I was so confused. I glanced absently at the clock, seeing that it was already half past eleven, but then dropped my eyes to the bed, unable to shake off the niggle of frustration in my belly.
‘Haven’t you heard of knocking?’ I muttered, still feeling slightly off kilter and defensive after my earlier thoughts about needing to protect my heart from this dangerously alluring man.
Oliver stilled, his eyebrows rising in surprise at my tone, but then his challenging smirk returned. ‘Why? Would you have turned me away if I had knocked?’
Damn. That wasn’t what I’d meant at all. Blinking, I shrugged, and pulled the towel tighter around my body. ‘No … but I could have been naked.’
Oliver placed the tray on the table. He turned and stared at me, and began stalking towards me. He didn’t walk, or stride like a normal man might. Oh no, his steps were predatory. He was coming to get me, like I was his chosen prey for the day, I was sure of it.
My heart rate accelerated, and my skin heated as I absorbed just how intently focused on me he was Confidence oozed from his every pore. He really was so good at the hot, brooding man thing.
‘I didn’t hear any complaints when I saw you naked last night,’ he murmured, reaching my side and folding his arms across his chest. ‘Or the night before.’
I felt well and truly flustered by his intensity as I struggled for what to say. ‘N … no … but that was d-d-different.’
He leaned close to me, and I got a waft of his delicious scent. His normal clean scent was mixed with the citrus of the hotel shower gel today, and smelled so good that it seemed to make my brain foggy.
‘D-d-different?’ he asked, deliberately stuttering to tease me about my fumbled sentence. Then, before I’d even realised what he was doing, he’d gripped the edge of the towel and ripped it clean from my body. He scooped me up and threw me unceremoniously onto the bed so I was spread-eagled, naked, and shocked in the centre of the gigantic mattress.
I tried to sit up, but Oliver pounced on me like a tiger taking down his prey, sprawling his big, hot body over mine as he smoothly pinned my hands above my head in one large palm and leaned down to lick and kiss a hot trail across my breasts with his tongue. ‘I don’t see how this is any different to our last two nights together,’ he murmured around one nipple, his words vibrating across my skin and hardening it into a needy peak. ‘You’re still naked, still just as rebellious, still just as gorgeous …’ He bit down gently on the tight bud, causing me to arch my back and let out a breathy moan as my earlier mood was erased, just like that. I was so easy where this man was concerned. ‘And still just as responsive,’ he finished smugly, leaning up to place a brief kiss on my lips.
‘And I’m still just as tempted, and still just as hard,’ he admitted with a lazy grin as he thrust his arousal against my thigh, ‘but that will have to wait for later, because you need to eat.’ With that, Oliver gracefully rose from the bed, taking one of my hands and pulling me up with him.
He let go of my hand, went to the wardrobe and pulled out one of the robes that the hotel provided, and helped me into the soft cotton gown.
Frowning, I pouted, not an expression I adopted very frequently, but after getting a brief taste of his supreme sexing I had been left wanting more. Much more. Including his company in between my sheets when I first woke up.
‘Why don’t you let me sleep in your bed?’ I blurted, taking myself by surprise as the words escaped my mouth. ‘Is that one of your rules, too?’
Oliver was halfway through lifting one of the silver lids on the breakfast tray, but paused at my words, allowing the scent of bacon to waft into the room. Tilting his head, he observed me for several seconds, and I held my breath for each and every one of them. I could practically hear the cogs in his mind working, as if he were trying to deduce where my sudden statement had come from, but was drawing a blank.
He placed the lid back on the breakfast, and turned to give me his full attention. ‘Is that why you were tetchy just now?’
I stayed silent, simply maintaining his gaze, and watching him as he sighed and stepped closer to me again.
He cupped my cheek and soothed his thumb over the warm skin. ‘I haven’t shared a bed with a woman for an entire night for a very, very long time,’ he confessed with a shrug, ‘because quite frankly, I haven’t wanted to prolong things in that way.’
Prolong things? So I was fine for him to mess about with sexually for a few hours, but I wasn’t worth his time for a whole night? I suddenly felt like a complete slut, and the air rushed from my lungs in a hurt gasp. I don’t think he couldn’t have wounded me more if he’d actually punched me in the stomach.
Appalled at both myself, and him, I tried to step away, thinking that perhaps I’d grab a taxi to the airport and pay for a flight home, but Oliver stopped me by sliding his hand to the back of my neck and gripping hard, refusing to let me get away.
‘Let go of me,’ I demanded, my voice nowhere near as loud and defiant as I would have liked as I twisted uselessly in his grasp. Instead of letting go, Oliver gripped tighter, his fingers fisting his fingers in the hair at my nape as his body moved even closer to mine.
‘In a second, but you didn’t let me finish. Listen to the rest of what I have to say.’ Oliver’s words were a demand, but he softened his hold on me, releasing my hair but keeping me captured by looping his arms around my shoulders, trapping me within his personal space.
‘What I was going to say, was that with other women I haven’t wanted to prolong things, but with you, and this is a very important “but”, cariño … but with you, that is not the reason why you and I haven’t spent the full night together. Can I explain, or do you still want me to let you go?’
He let his words hang in the air for a few seconds, and when I obediently stayed still and quiet, he nodded and placed a single kiss on my forehead. ‘I wanted you in my bed all night more than you can imagine, more than even I could understand,’ he admitted quietly, ‘but I was attempting to be a gentleman.’ He gently brushed back some hair from my face and smiled softly.
‘Submission is an overwhelming thing, and it’s new for you. I was trying to give you space to come to terms with it all. I thought I could achieve that by moving you back to your room so when you woke you could process everything that had gone on between us.’
Oh. That hadn’t even crossed my mind.
‘Now that I know you want company through the night, I shall happily oblige next time.’ His hands continued to soothe me, touching across my cheeks and for some reason I felt the need to apologise for jumping to conclusions.
‘Sorry, Oliver. That was very thoughtful of you. Thank you.’
He grinned and gave a wiggle of his eyebrows. ‘I do try. I might enjoy the sight of you on your knees for me, but I’m not a complete monster.’ His eyes flashed with something dark and devious, and in response my core clenched. I had enjoyed being on my knees for him far more than I had expected, too.
Suddenly I became aware that the robe wasn’t tied yet, and was hanging open, revealing a sliver of my naked body. Oliver also seemed to realise this, because he stopped his gentle, reassuring touches and slid his hands down to my waist, inside the fabric, and gave a more purposeful caress.
‘Are you OK, now?’ he enquired, his voice low and silky.
‘Yes.’ I nodded, just as my tummy grumbled loudly.
‘And hungry, apparently,’ he commented with a smile, dropping his hands from my body with a reluctant chuckle, and tying the robe for me. ‘Come, the food will be getting cold.’
‘We could always eat later?’ I suggested, taking his hand and giving a hopeful squeeze.
Oliver grinned, apparently pleased by my response, but then he shook his head, his expression turning thoughtful. ‘As much as I’d like to give in to that look in your eye, I won’t, because I have somewhere I’d like to take you today.’
This was news, because
our plans for the day had been to relax by the pool then venture out for some tapas. ‘I thought today was a pool day?’
‘It was, but there’s been a change of plan,’ he informed me as he led me to the table, and helped me into my seat, before taking the chair opposite me.
‘Cool. Where are we going?’
After draping a napkin across his lap, Oliver raised his head and gave me a long, hard stare. The look was certainly intriguing, because it seemed to be a mix of excitement and nerves. ‘It’s a surprise, but I think you’ll like it.’ Saying no more, he pulled the lid off the tray revealing a Spanish omelette, bacon, orange juice, and a pot of coffee. ‘I hope you will, anyway,’ he added, his tone low and thoughtful again.
This was a new side to Oliver that I was seeing. Nervousness was not a trait I had witnessed in him before, but he definitely seemed to be a little edgy, and deep in thought about something, so now my curiosity was well and truly piqued.
Where on earth was he planning on taking me?
Chapter Twenty-eight
Robyn
After a thirty-minute drive from the busy centre of Barcelona, we had descended into lush green countryside, and hadn’t seen a soul, apart from the occasional farmer working in the sun-drenched fields.
A smattering of pale umber houses on the top of the next hill were the first buildings I’d seen for over ten minutes, and turned out to be our destination. After navigating the narrow streets of the small village, past a bar and cobbled marketplace, Oliver pulled into the driveway of a larger house on the far edge of the town.
Following Oliver’s lead, I climbed from the hire car and turned to look at the house before me. It was large and typically Spanish in style. Built from rough bricks which had been painted white, it had a terracotta tiled roof, and pale blue shutters lined every window; all of which were thrown open to let in the blissfully warm afternoon.
It was certainly a beautiful property, but why were we here? Confused, I turned to Oliver and saw him gazing at the house with an affectionate smile on his face. ‘Where are we?’
Taking my hand, he led me to the huge wooden front door and knocked sharply with his knuckles. ‘You’ll see shortly.’
The door opened, then, seconds later, Oliver was being dragged from my grasp, and pulled into a hug by an older lady who was speaking Spanish at him so quickly that the only word I recognised was his name; which was once again pronounced “Olive-ee-air”. His reply was equally as rapid. My language skills were rusty, but I made out one word: mamá.
My God, was this his mother? He’d taken me to his house? His family?
Just as my shock was sinking in, Oliver and the woman separated, and both turned to me. Taking my hand again, Oliver pulled me closer, saying something to the woman, then smiling down at me, but still looking just a little bit nervous. ‘Robyn, this is my mamá, Sofia.’
Sofia didn’t wait for any further introductions. She simply pulled me into a huge hug and proceeded to kiss me in greeting, first on my left cheek then my right, all the while gushing away in rapid-fire Spanish which I couldn’t understand.
‘English, Mamá, Robyn doesn’t speak too much Spanish.’
Leaning back, she grinned at me, her blue eyes twinkling in her tanned face as she lifted her hands and gave my shoulders an affectionate rub. ‘Of course, I’m sorry. It is a good excuse for me to practice my English, no? Welcome, beautiful Robyn, it is a pleasure to meet you. Come on in! Come meet Richard, Oliver’s father, he’s around here somewhere.’ Her expression was so open and welcoming that I instantly relaxed and found myself returning her smile.
‘I’ll get us some drinks.’ She threw her arms towards the door and bustled inside, calling out something in Spanish, presumably to someone else within the house.
So, his secret plan for the day was for me to meet his folks. Well, this was certainly a turn-up for the books.
‘I hope you don’t mind me bringing you here?’ Oliver looked uncertain, as if perhaps he’d taken a step too far, and to be honest, I was a little confused by his actions; Oliver and I were supposedly just sharing a temporary sexual relationship – that was what he had wanted, what he’d said he was capable of – so I wasn’t entirely sure why he would want to introduce me to his family. But he certainly seemed keen for me to do just that, so I smiled back at him and nodded, intent on following Sasha’s words of advice and just enjoying myself. ‘Not at all.’
‘You’ll like my father, he’s a tease like me, and some of my sisters are home, too, so my mother is cooking a traditional Spanish buffet for our visit. I think you’ll enjoy it.’
And enjoy it I did. Over the next several hours, I was introduced to Oliver’s father – who was English, and the reason Sofia was so fluent in the language – three of Oliver’s five sisters, Isabella, Mary, and Rowena, all of whom were lovely, if somewhat feisty, and such a huge group of nieces and nephews that I could barely believe they all belonged to just the three sisters. Apparently, his other two sisters were away at university, but also came home on frequent visits. After initially feeling nervous thanks to the crowd that had met me in the garden, I was made to feel so incredibly welcome by all of them.
Red wine flowed freely, and Sofia had indeed prepared a feast of delicious delicacies which we all tucked into with gusto. Paella, mussels in garlic and white wine, a rabbit casserole, a whole baked cod infused with Spanish spices … The list was almost endless, and it was all delicious.
Before the meal Oliver spent some time entertaining his nieces and nephews – which he did effortlessly and with obvious pleasure – but apart from that he barely let go of me all night. If he didn’t have his arm wrapped firmly around my shoulders, then he was gripping my hand, or rubbing my thigh, and on several occasions, I spotted his family watching us, and our close physical contact, with open curiosity. With all the attention he was lavishing upon me, I was pretty curious, too. The evening had been lovely, but talk about confusing!
Oliver was supposed to be my temporary Dom, yet here I was, sharing dinner with practically his whole family. I couldn’t quite get my head around what that might mean. If indeed it meant anything at all.
A warm breath fluttered on my neck as Oliver shifted himself even closer to me, and placed a kiss on my shoulder, obviously not caring if his family noticed his open affection. This all felt very relationship-like, and if I wasn’t careful my heart might just get a bit carried away with it all. ‘Have you enjoyed yourself, Robyn?’
Instinctively I moved my body into his, my free hand resting on his thigh, and my head leaning against his as if it were the most natural thing in the world. I smiled goofily, and nodded.
Goofily? Oh dear. I think I had already got carried away with it all. ‘I’ve had the best night, Oliver. Thank you.’
‘Good, I’m glad.’ Leaning back slightly, he gazed at me with a soft smile on his face, then gently dragged a few stray wisps of hair from my face and tucked them behind my ear, a sweet gesture that did nothing to calm the swirl of emotions in my chest. ‘It’s getting late, but I’ve drunk too much to drive. Are you OK with staying here? My mother has the spare bed made up for us.’
Did he mean that? Bed, as in one? Not separate rooms like we had so far? Blinking in surprise, I nodded, my smile widening. I’d been dreaming about what it might be like to wake up beside Oliver, and now it looked like I might get my chance to find out.
‘The spare room is in there,’ he informed me, pointing to a building across the courtyard, which was separate from the main house. ‘Nice and private,’ he added, winking at me, a gesture that made my stomach quiver with some unnamed emotion as we stood and began to bid goodnight to everyone.
Once Sofia had pulled me into a tight hug, she leaned back then frowned. ‘You’ve come with no bags, let me get you some toiletries.’ I was about to tell her not to worry, but she hurried into the house before I could stop her. Returning with some towels, she also handed me a small basket that contained two toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap
and shampoo.
‘Thank you so much, Sofia, and thank you for your hospitality tonight, I’ve had a wonderful evening.’
Sofia beamed at me and gave my arm an affectionate rub. As her eyes briefly flicked between Oliver and me, her smile softened. ‘You are welcome here anytime. We have loved having Oliver and his dulce pequeño petirrojo home with us tonight.’
‘Mamá,’ Oliver chided, his voice holding a note of warning as he gave his mum a rueful look and rolled his eyes.
As we walked towards the guest room I looked up at him curiously. ‘What did your mum just call me? She said something in Spanish, but I didn’t understand it.’
We had arrived at our door. He pushed it open then paused, turning to look down at me with a slight blush rising on his cheeks. ‘She called you a sweet little robin. Like the bird.’
My eyebrows rose in surprise, partly at the phrase, and partly at the affectionate expression that crossed his features as he said it. ‘If she’s giving you a nickname it means she really likes you.’ Cupping my cheek, he smiled softly. ‘Mi dulce pequeño petirrojo.’ My Spanish was good enough that I knew he’d just added the word “my” on the front of the nickname. My sweet little Robin. His. Wow. Hearing it in his low, gravelly tone made it sound even better than it had the first time, and it sent a shudder of desire straight to my core.
‘You go on in and get ready, t. The pipes out here aren’t from the mains, so I just want to grab us some bottles of water.’
‘OK.’ Oliver returned to the main house and I placed down the towels and basket before briefly exploring the room. It was lovely. Simple, yet cosy. As I wondered what the evening would hold, I replayed his words in my mind and brought myself up short. Get yourself ready. Had he meant my ready position? Everything tonight so far had been a million miles away from our previous nights as Dom and sub, but perhaps it had all been for show somehow? Was he expecting me to submit now?
