Hopelessly Devoted to You

by Jill Steeples

  He threw off his jacket, before quickly removing his shoes and socks. Ruby undid the belt to his trousers, her hand hovering to cup his bulging erection, a smile of satisfaction on her face as she heard his groan of pleasure. She pulled down his zip and tugged off his trousers, throwing them away to one side. Next she attacked the buttons on his shirt, her fingers fumbling in her haste to get them undone. With his buttons opened, she could see the strong, hard lines of his torso, a swathe of dark hair covering his chest and leading an enticing trail down to the waistband of his boxers. With their eyes locked together in mutual longing, she pulled off his boxers, discarding them on the floor, her whole being ablaze with desire.

  They faced each other, holding each other’s hands at arm’s length, their eyes greedily lapping each other up. Finn pulled her down onto the bed, rolling her over on top of him so she straddled his body. He unleashed her breasts from her bra, burying his face into her cleavage, his hands caressing her soft curves, his touch making her whole being tremble with anticipation.

  He rolled her over onto her back, pinning her arms above her head while his other hand squeezed a nipple between his fingers.

  ‘Come on, Finn. Please,’ she begged, her breathing heavy. ‘I can’t wait any more.’ Her hands grabbed his firm buttocks towards her as her legs fell open involuntarily, her body yearning for him inside her. She gasped as he entered her, her body arching in response to his hardness, her hips moving in response to each intense and powerful thrust, his desire the biggest turn-on for Ruby.

  ‘Come on, babe.’ His tongue ran a path around her ear, stirring a longing deep inside her. A smile toyed with her lips. She hadn’t got over the weirdness factor. She opened her eyes fleetingly just to make sure it was Finn there and not actually Hugh Jackman. That voice was a distraction at the best of times. In these circumstances it was positively mind-blowing. She wasn’t in the least part disappointed discovering it was actually Finn there, teasing her senseless.

  She’d needed every inch of her self-control to stave off her climax from the very first moment he’d eased his way inside her. The sensations were tantalising, pushing her to the brink immediately. She’d been so close, wanting to lose complete and utter control to Finn, but wanting to hold off on that magical moment for as long as possible, wanting to wait for him, to share in that delicious heady final climax together.

  Hearing his deep husky voice in her ear, persuasive, seductive and hot, she couldn’t hold back any longer, her body giving into sweet, sensuous spasms of delight that wracked her entire body, causing Finn to reach the same intensive height, their bodies collapsing together in one final surge of pleasure.

  They lay together in exhausted contentment for a few moments before Finn shifted on the bed. Supporting himself on his elbow, he tenderly brushed the hair away from Ruby’s face, his eyes full of love and warm affection. Ruby closed her eyes, her head falling back on the pillow, revelling in the moment, but still not daring to look any further forward than the party tonight.

  ‘Now we really are going to be late.’ She ran a hand through her hair, knowing it was completely wild now, her skin was glowing with exertion and her scent had lost the sweet vanilla aroma of earlier, replaced by something dirtier, earthier, altogether more wonderful. Eau-de-dirty-sex. She felt sure there would be a market for it if she could only bottle it. Her coolly elegant and sophisticated look had been replaced by wanton and slutty. She wondered if it didn’t suit her. Most surprising of all, she didn’t seem to mind.

  ‘We don’t have to be. Let’s not go. Why don’t I go down to the Chinese, grab ourselves a takeaway and then we can come back to bed? Watch a couple of episodes on the latest box set. What do you reckon?’

  She reckoned it sounded wonderful, she couldn’t think of a better way to spend the evening, but she knew there could be no chance of it.

  ‘Don’t be silly. Everyone will be expecting to see you. You’re guest of honour, Finn. They’ll be disappointed if you don’t turn up. I’ll go and put my clothes on. I promise, you’ll love it once you get there.’

  ‘Shame,’ sighed Finn, watching her as she moved out of bed. ‘And I don’t think you can know me at all, Ruby, because really I’m going to hate every single moment of it.’

  ‘Get a move on,’ she chastised, smiling.

  As she wandered back into the living room she wondered if there was any truth to Finn’s words. Did she really know him at all? She thought she did, but she couldn’t deny that he’d changed so much over the last few weeks. Not only superficially, in the way that he looked and the way that he spoke, which quite frankly still messed with her head every time he opened his mouth, but in his personality too.

  At one time Finn would have seen an event like tonight as a great opportunity to network. He would have been looking forward to it for days, made sure to get there early so he could greet everyone; he would have been keyed up to give the best performance of Finn that he was able to deliver. And he would have delivered. Everyone would have walked away from the evening in no doubt whatsoever that Finn was the star player as well as being a really great bloke.

  Now he honestly looked as though he couldn’t be bothered one way or the other.

  Ruby quickly pulled on her clothes, pinned up her hair, wiped away the splodges of mascara beneath her eyes and applied another, neater covering. She didn’t need any bronzer—her cheeks were still flushed from her impromptu encounter with Finn—just a lick of lip gloss completed her look.

  ‘Ah ha,’ said Finn, who had also found his clothes and was just adjusting his tie when she walked back into the living room. He looked obscenely handsome. It wasn’t fair. No wonder her head was messed up. ‘I think this was where I walked in, wasn’t it? If it’s possible, you look even more gorgeous than you did earlier.’

  ‘Stop with the flattery, Finn. You are a very bad influence, do you know that?’

  ‘But that’s bad in a good way, right?’

  She smiled. Really bad. She felt a huge swell of emotion for the man in front of her. Feelings she couldn’t quite understand. Still, she knew not to trust her emotions. They were up, down, all over the place. And that was only to be expected in the circumstances. They’d been through so much together these last few weeks; everything seemed altered. Finn was certainly altered. It was like having a brand-new boyfriend and starting out all over again. It wouldn’t last, she knew that. They were in the post-accident honeymoon period. Once Finn returned to work they’d be right back to where they were before that fateful night…

  Her gaze ran up and down the length of his body, her stomach fluttering. All the gorgeous, rampant sex he’d been offering was fuddling her brain. Sometimes she wondered if it was only about the sex for him. Maybe once he was back at work in the environment he knew and loved they would drift naturally apart. She realised with a pang that she’d miss him if they did. She would miss the sex obviously, but much more than that she’d miss Finn the man.

  Chapter Sixteen

  By the time they arrived at the ballroom of Featherwick Hall, the party was already well under way. The room was abuzz with lively chatter and laughter and the arrival of Finn and Ruby only added to the excitement in the baronial hall. Everyone clapped and cheered as Finn walked through the main doors. He grabbed hold of Ruby’s hand, smiling graciously, accepting the warm welcome offered to him.

  They both took a glass of champagne from a tray proffered by a passing waiter and Ruby raised an intrigued eyebrow at Finn. He hadn’t touched a drop since the accident.

  ‘I think I might need this,’ he said, through the side of his mouth.

  Owen Richardson made a beeline for them from across the room.

  ‘Finn, my good man!’ He shook his hand firmly, before turning to Ruby, kissing her on the cheek. ‘I think I speak for everybody at Richardsons when I say how marvellous it is to see you here tonight and looking so well too. How are you feeling?’

  ‘Good, really well, thanks. In fact, much better than I have done i
n months,’ he said, with a knowing smile, looking across at Ruby.

  ‘That’s great to hear, Finn. Very good news indeed. Well, you know we’ve all missed you enormously at work, but I mean it when I say that you’re to take as much time as you need for your recovery. That was one hell of an accident you suffered. There’s absolutely no need to come back to work until you’re fully ready.’

  ‘Thanks, Owen. That’s very much appreciated.’

  ‘Although if you wanted to come back on Monday that would personally suit me very well too!’ He slapped Finn on the back, laughing. ‘Only kidding!’ he quickly added, although Ruby suspected it was probably nearer to the truth than his first statement. ‘Anyway, that’s not what we’re here for. Tonight it’s all about celebrating the firm’s success over the last year and rewarding our excellent team of staff. What do you reckon to this amazing place, then?’ he asked, looking up at the vaulted ceiling with the oak beams and imposing chandeliers.

  ‘It is amazing,’ said Ruby.

  ‘Isn’t it? You must see the gardens too. They’re absolutely stunning. You can go out onto the balcony if you want to. There’s lots of people out there and it’s not too cold out there either. I’ve just been out there myself.’ Ruby got the message and wandered towards the French windows. ‘Finn, can I have a quick word?’ she heard Owen say, steering Finn in the opposite direction.

  ‘It’s okay,’ Ruby said, smiling. ‘I’ll catch up with you in a moment. I’ve just spotted Caroline. I’ll go and have a word with her.’

  ***

  As well as Finn’s trusted secretary, Caroline, who had worked for the firm for over ten years, Ruby knew a lot of the team at Richardsons so she was happy to mingle, chatting away to everyone who mostly wanted to know about Finn and how he was doing. Her glass of champagne was topped up as regularly as she was sipping from it and she felt nicely mellow, the images of what had happened only an hour ago fresh in Ruby’s mind fixing a permanent smile on her face.

  ‘Gosh, you both look so well,’ said Caroline, who gave Ruby a surreptitious squeeze around the waist. ‘You look as though you’ve just come back from a fortnight in the sun.’

  Ruby laughed.

  ‘It feels like it too. I’ve been making sure Finn gets lots of fresh air and of course we’ve got a dog now. That gives us the perfect excuse to get outdoors. I know the accident was a terrible thing, but in a way I think the break from work has done him good. He’s had a real chance to unwind.’

  ‘Well, Finn is the hardest-working lawyer in the firm. He was always the first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave at night. I used to worry about him at times wondering if he might burn himself out. When you think about it, he’s achieved so much in such a short space of time. I’ll tell you something, the place isn’t the same without him about the office. We’ve all missed him. I’m hoping it won’t be much longer before he’s back at work.’

  ‘Yeah, shouldn’t be too long now,’ said Ruby neutrally, wondering what it would mean for their relationship. She suspected they would fall into their old pattern of seeing each other only at weekends. They’d definitely lose the intimacy they’d found over these last few weeks. ‘Who’s that?’ she asked, distracted by a girl across the other side of the room who was currently holding Finn in thrall.

  ‘Oh, that’s Amber.’ Caroline actually rolled her eyes. ‘She’s the office temp. Long-term temp. She’s very good at her job, but not exactly likeable. Very ambitious too. I think she’s hoping to stay around long enough to snag a permanent job here. Either that or snag a partner to marry instead.’

  They both turned to stare at the petite blonde woman who was wearing a gold sparkly body-con dress and strappy teetering stilettos. Even with the addition of several inches of heel she still needed to gaze a long way up at Finn, adoringly as it so happened, and for some reason with the need to stroke the lapel of his suit too.

  Ruby threw back her glass of champagne, a cold sense of unease creeping along her backbone. She knew they were on the cusp of everything changing in their lives and she didn’t like it one bit. For the past few weeks it had just been her and Finn in their self-imposed bubble and now, back amongst the people he worked with, seeing Finn in his role as a respected and revered lawyer, she could sense their little bubble might not be far away from bursting.

  ‘Hmm, looks as though she might have set her sights on my fiancé,’ said Ruby, putting a whole lot of ownership into that one word. Funny really, she’d never thought about Finn in that way before. She helped herself to a blini topped with cream cheese and salmon, ruminating.

  ‘Don’t know about you,’ said Caroline, ‘but I could do with some fresh air. Let’s go outside for a while.’

  Ruby was pleased to get out from the now claustrophobic confines of the hall. Why was she feeling so rattled? Her mood had been high when they’d arrived, but now she was wondering why they hadn’t stayed at home after all. She didn’t want to be amongst all these people making banal chit-chat; she wanted to be at home watching that box set with Finn.

  ‘Not long to your wedding now,’ said Caroline as she led her through the throng of people. ‘I bet you’re getting so excited.’

  ‘Mmm. To be honest, we’ve had so much going on with Finn and hospital visits, we’ve not had a lot of time to think about it, but yes,’ she said, clocking Caroline’s inquisitive expression, ‘it is pretty exciting.’

  More like terrifying and daunting and increasingly pressing. Time had run away from her. She couldn’t honestly consider calling their wedding off at such short notice now, could she? Did she even want to? For so long she’d been focused on how she might tell Finn the wedding was off that she hadn’t even considered if it was what she still really wanted to do. Especially now after everything that had happened. She felt a welcome breeze of summer air lift the hair from around her face and she closed her eyes momentarily, listening to its soothing insistent urges. Either she married Finn and spent the rest of her life with him or else they split up and then there was the very real possibility that she might lose him for ever, never seeing or hearing from him again.

  ‘Oh, God!’ She said the words aloud, unable to stop herself.

  ‘Are you all right?’

  ‘Yes, fine, it’s just…’

  She turned around hoping to catch a glimpse of him, but he was nowhere to be seen. Anxiety surged around her veins. She didn’t need this now. Not tonight when they should be enjoying Finn’s special moment, but all she could think about was getting home, being alone with him again. Glancing at her watch, she realised they probably had another couple of hours before they could make their excuses and leave. They needed to stay for the announcement of the partnership. And then, she decided, they would go and when they got home they would talk. She didn’t know why they hadn’t done it sooner.

  Finn was well on his way to recovery now. They were perfectly capable of having a frank conversation about their relationship and where they wanted it to go. Who knew, maybe Finn felt differently too now after his accident? How they were living now didn’t reflect on their normal lives. It was intensive and heady, the energy between them electric, but that was all bound to change when Finn returned to work and they fell back into their normal routines. Maybe Finn would realise he too was ready to move on.

  ‘Back in a moment,’ she told Caroline, desperate now for a moment to herself. ‘I’m just popping to the loo.’

  Her gaze scanned the crowd for a glimpse of Finn. Where was he? She could do with seeing his big wide smile amongst the blur of faces or feeling his hand in hers squeezing her fingers tight, or hearing that ridiculously sexy voice whisper in her ear.

  Maybe she’d had too much drink. It had been going down far too easily and she felt light-headed and needy and claustrophobic all at the same time. That sense of her life running away from her, that same feeling she’d battled with for months now, was niggling at her again, causing her heart to flutter high up in her chest and her hands to grow clammy. For the
first time though the urgency running through her veins was telling her that she might be on the brink of making the biggest mistake of her life.

  Oh, God! What had she been thinking? Her heart raced even faster now, so fast that she thought it might leap out of her chest and make a run for it. She wiped her clammy hands down the side of her beautiful dress not caring, just not caring in the slightest any more about her dress, about the other people, about all the champagne she’d been drinking or about all those stupid things she’d been worrying about for what now seemed like for ever. All she wanted now was to find Finn and tell him. Tell him her amazing, jaw-dropping, breathtaking news before it was too late.

  ‘Finn!’

  She pushed people aside in her hurry to find him. She stood on tiptoe trying to see over the crowds.

  ‘Have you seen Finn?’ she asked anyone who would listen.

  She ran back into the hall checking out all the main rooms, loitering around the toilets and even running to the top of the sweeping staircase to see if he was upstairs.

  She ran back downstairs again and then she spotted him, at the front of the hall, he must have slipped out for some fresh air too, and her heart soared and she knew then everything would be all right. He had his back to her and the sight of his brown hair curling up on his collar, the broad set of his shoulders tapering down to his slim waist and his long, firm legs filled her with a swell of happiness.

  ‘Finn?’ She called out his name.

  He was still talking with Amber and he turned around slowly to look at her, his face registering mild annoyance, as though she might be interrupting something much more important. In that moment, it was like seeing him for the first time, seeing him as others must view him, feeling an aching distance from the man she’d spent the last few weeks with.

  Her heart fluttered away like a beautiful butterfly. She had no chance of catching it.