The waiter laid her napkin in her lap, letting the material drape over her skirts. The tension grew palpable as neither said a word. Each studied the other until the man departed the private booth and Brennan cleared his throat.
Chapter Eight
“Serena, I wanted to thank you for the last few weeks. I cannot begin to tell you how much I have enjoyed having you with me and a part of my life. I find it hard to imagine life without you.”
She released the breath she did not realize she’d been holding. No! He could not do this. It would ruin his life, his business.
Panic surged through her causing her stomach to contract and release in time with the pounding at her temples.
Brennan eased forward in his seat. His hand slipped into his pocket and produced a small elaborately enameled box. The violets painted on the lid were remarkable in their detail and her favorite flower. How did he know? Then the box opened to reveal a stunning pair of sapphires encircled by diamonds. Oh goodness.
“Serena, I don’t give a damn what my sister or anyone else thinks. I will not release you from our contract, and I will not move you out of my house.” His gaze locked with hers, saying far more than his simple statement.
Her heart cracked a little. No one but a fool would think he’d propose after his sister’s visit. And even if he had, she would have had to reject the man she wanted more than any other because it would never work. She would never be accepted by his family or his friends.
Breaking their gazes, she looked at the dazzling display of jewelry. “Oh, Brennan….” She drew in a deep breath and settled her whirling thoughts. “I cannot accept such an expensive gift. It is beautiful, but too much.”
“Why can’t you accept them?” His pleasure dimmed a bit as the sparkle in his eyes faded.
“It is too extravagant. Besides, I think—” She bit her lip and glanced around the small space as she willed her hands to cease shaking. “—your sister is right. I should not be staying in your house. If your clients hear of my presence, they will refuse to do business with you and of course the scandal is shameful for your family.” Refusing to cry, she blinked rapidly.
“My business might suffer a bit, but I am certain I can rebound. Many of my clients will never know nor care. I love you, Serena. If you would marry me, I’d spend my life with you regardless of the consequences. But, for now I will be content with you sharing my bed.” He turned his stubborn gaze on her, chin tilting ever so slightly in defiance.
“Brennan, I cannot allow you to ruin your life like this. Your future. I would happily become your mistress, warm your bed, and give you comfort all my days tucked away in a small house not too far from you. But I should not continue to live with you. I will not steal your future and be labeled a social-climbing whore, for that is what I would be.” Wet tracks of tears trickled down her face.
Brennan reached across the space and offered her his handkerchief. “My sister is damn near intolerable. All my life I have listened to her strictures, honoring her as I would a parent. But no more. In time she will come around and see how happy you make me. Please, grant me a short while, and I promise any uproar will fade into the cacophony of other, juicier scandals.”
Falling in love was a cruel twist of fate considering her origins. Pain lanced through her chest as the truth set in. He had not said he loved her since the night he found her. Could she trust that the continuance of their arrangement wasn’t a ploy to aggravate his sister? Yes, the man she had come to know would never be so callow. She had to believe deep down he cared and spoke the truth. She would be willing to live with that for now.
***
Brennan sat, still clutching the ear bobs, and stared at a thoughtful Serena. They never spoke of love, even in the afterglow of sex. They cuddled and talked of their childhoods or friends. He often told her about his business, but never once did either of them mention love since the night at The Market. Having said it, he would not call the words back, but he wished she would return the sentiment.
He sighed and closed the jewelry box, slipping it back into his pocket. What a complete and utter disaster. He’d made his plea, now he had to wait and see how she would respond.
The tip of her pink tongue slipped out to moisten her lips. “Brennan, I-I’ll stay on a bit longer. But, please know if I feel you are suffering because of my presence, I will not hesitate to end the contract and return to The Market before our time is up.”
He nodded, relief having tied his tongue in knots. The revelry forgotten, he rose silently, and took her arm. He led her from the box, out the servant’s door, and through the warren of back halls. Finding a side door, they bolted into the cool night air and made haste for his carriage. Once alone, he pulled her into his arms and simply held her on his lap as they drove home. The house had become home because she was there, would continue to be there.
The vehicle halted, forcing him to release her. They retired to his room. The signs of strain were evident around her eyes and mouth. It dawned on him that he’d said nothing since before leaving the masquerade. He cleared his throat, causing her to jump and gasp. “I’m sorry I’ve been so quiet. I am very glad you are staying on.” He reached out to drag his knuckles along her jawline.
“As am I.” Her lashes lowered hiding her thoughts from him.
“Look at me, Serena.” The compulsion to let her hide nothing from him caused his hands to tremble with the need to force her chin up so he could stare into her eyes.
Her compliance required no physical action from him as she submitted to his command without question.
“Never hide your feelings or thoughts from me. I always want to know what is going on inside that pretty head of yours. Hiding from each other will do nothing but get us into trouble.”
“Yes, Brennan.” Her gaze remained locked with his.
“Now I am going to strip you bare so I may enjoy all of your charms.” He smiled a bit in an attempt to ease the apprehension lurking in her eyes.
“Please.” Her whole body trembled with anticipation. The unholy fire dancing in his eyes and the steel edge of his words combined to unleash a storm of need unlike anything she had ever experienced. She vibrated with the desire to please him. On the ride home, he’d held her with such tender possessiveness he melted her heart. How could she keep her emotions from him when it seemed she came under constant assault from his love?
At some point between her agreement to stay and arriving in his chamber, she came to understand that he loved her, and she was terrified. The more time they spent together, the more possessive he became, the more commanding of not only her body but her emotions. It seemed he would settle for nothing less than baring her inner landscape for his inspection.
“Turn around.” His deep resonance sliced through her introspection.
She presented her back and he unlaced her gown, making short work of the many layers of undergarments. Standing gloriously naked in front of a warm fire, she waited, caught between her desire to please him and her own need to feel his flesh beneath her fingertips.
“My turn. If you will assist me, this will go much faster.”
“Of course.” She stepped forward, eased his jacket off his shoulders, and loosened his neck cloth. Parting the front panels of his shirt, her fingers glided over his warm skin, seeking out his pebbled nipples.
He trapped her hands, groaning like a wounded animal. “Cease. I said undress me. I did not say to torture me. Behave or I promise you will be punished like the naughty little girl you are. Now, finish the task at hand.”
With a short nod, she tamped down her own wants long enough to strip him of his shirt and stockings. Once she got his breeches down she tackled his small clothes, but could not resist a quick grope of his buttocks as they were exposed.
“Madame, you will pay for that stray caress. I hope it was worth it.” He stroked his stiff rod and flashed a chilling grin promising retribution. His dominant side surged to the fore again, and her body responded to him in spades.
“I assure you, it was well worth it.” Her mind had a different response, desiring to push and challenge. How far would he let this game go? Would he spank her? A shiver of anticipation snaked down her spine.
He quirked an eyebrow up. “I see.” He took her wrist and towed her over to the chair before the fire. There, he sat and proceeded to pull her body across his lap. She was in trouble. Biting her lip to keep from begging his pardon, she recognized she’d provoked this. That she craved this. The first blow landed across her bottom and sparked a small dull flame. The next two, alternating between cheeks, fanned the flames into a full burn. “I think we need to come to an understanding. You belong to me, Serena. I love you, and I will convince you of this before our time is up. I will prove to you love exists and it can be trusted, as I can be trusted.”
He landed two more blows causing her to whimper as she tried not to cry out. Her body shuddered at the delicious heat spreading from her backside to her pussy.
“I will take care of you. I will see to your every need and desire. But sometimes, those needs and desires will be met at a pace set by me. You will accept this, as I am coming to accept this. You are too headstrong by half, but you will learn to allow me to take care of you. Do you understand?” He paused, and while she understood what he wanted her to say, she could not find the words in the jumble knotting her brain. He smacked her twice more.
“Yes! I understand,” burst from her lips before her brain could rein the words in.
“Very good.” He helped her to sit up and then to take a seat on his lap.
Her bottom burned from his attentions, even as she worked on rebuilding her defenses.
“Are you all right, Serena?” He stroked her face before starting on the pins in her hair.
“I think so.” Her response again came from somewhere deep within that her brain appeared to be cut off from.
“I can’t explain my reactions to you. I have never been this way with a woman before, but something about you drives me to it. I cannot explain nor ignore this desire to protect you, to care for you. I will not let anyone stand in my way. Not even you.” He gripped the back of her head and kissed her with a ferocity that stole her breath and puddled her insides. Had she not been sitting in his lap, she surely would have collapsed to the floor.
He broke their kiss leaving her gasping for air and words to express the turmoil of desire raging within. She had never been spanked so she was ill prepared for the desperate need that swamped her. “Brennan, I—”
“No, I want no declarations from you tonight. Too much has happened. In time the opportunity for you to express your true emotions will come. You must be sure of what you are feeling before you can share it with someone else. Now, I feel the very great need to bury myself deep within your heat.” He helped her stand. “Get on the bed and on your back to start.”
Serena scrambled onto the coverlet and lay down as directed. Her submission was the best way she could show him the depth of emotion she was experiencing. He crawled up between her legs and forced them to spread wider. Her pussy throbbed for want of him, any part of him he might grant her. Anticipation sensitized her skin until little jolts of electrical current zipped back and forth. His finger slid between her moist lips and spread her open for his perusal.
“I believe spanking agrees with you. I have yet to caress you anywhere, nonetheless you are sopping wet.” He slid a finger deep into her channel and curved up toward that magical spot.
“Oh! Oh, Brennan.”
He added a second digit and began stroking her inside. “That’s it, love. Take what you need from me.”
Her hips pumped against his hand as her need increased. When his tongue swiped across her clit, she groaned and sank her fingers into his silky hair. “Please,” she begged.
He continued to caress her sensitive nub with his tongue as he pushed her toward climax with unfailing accuracy. Frantic and needing release, the first wave broke over her sending tingles down her arms and legs, but then he switched his hand and tongue. Lapping at her entry and driving in with his tongue to taste her. He massaged her clit in firm relentless strokes that burst through her like the fireworks display at Vauxhall Gardens. With slow, measured licks and suckles, he eased her down until she lay on the bed a boneless mess.
“I can’t be sure which I prefer more. Watching you come for me or tasting you when you do. We will have to explore this further so I can make a decision.” His mischievous smirk desecrated the meager fortifications she had rebuilt. Feeling raw and vulnerable, she raised her arms to him.
“Come into me, Brennan. I wish to feel you buried deep within me.”
He growled at her invitation as he slid between her thighs and drove his cock deep into her pussy. He thrust into her and filled every nook and cranny of her body. If she weren’t such a practical girl, she would swear he had been made for her. Each push into her core stroked across her swollen tissues. She quivered around him as he took her over and over until cognizance slipped beyond her ability and she became one giant hyper-sensitized bundle.
He suckled a nipple as he plunged into her and she exploded. Awareness of the room, the bed, anything except where their bodies linked no longer mattered. His weight anchoring her down kept her from floating away on a tide of bliss. When he did join her, crying out her name in benediction, she realized what it meant to make love to a man. But where did that leave her?
***
A month slipped by before Serena realized it and her unspoken love for Brennan grew until it stretched the boundaries of her heart. She could not remember when she had been as happy, and it had everything to do with the kind, caring, and demanding man who shared her bed every night.
Peeking out the window, she spied the bright sunshine and decided today would be perfect for a picnic lunch with him. She shot out of bed and sent Maggie hurrying around to get everything ready for her to pick up Brennan.
A few hours later, arrangements all made, she headed off to his warehouse to coax him into playing hooky with her for the afternoon. She wore a sprigged muslin dress topped off by a jaunty straw chip hat with the loveliest green ribbons trailing from it. Spirits high, she sailed into the enormous building and strolled about looking for Brennan. She had never been to his warehouse, but she had no doubt he would be happy to see her.
After wandering for a few minutes, she found a door that appeared to lead to a smaller office like space. She opened it and stepped in to find a desk and a second door sitting ajar. Stepping toward it, raised voices caught her attention and she hesitated. Perhaps this had been a bad idea. Closer, she could make out words.
“Mr. Whitling, orders are down. Many of the merchants who cater to the wealthy are canceling long-standing orders. We have to do something to stop this.” The speaker, a broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair, slumped into a chair across the desk from Brennan.
“I understand, Robert. I am working on some new clients, but I will not bow to societal pressures. My private life is none of their business. I provide them quality fabrics at reasonable prices. Who is living under my roof should be no concern of theirs.”
“But, Mr. Whitling, Brennan, having such a woman in your house is costing us business. How much longer can you keep the doors open with the dwindling orders? We’ve already lost three men who refuse to work for you.”
“I love her, Robert. She stays. I will work the rest of the issues out in time. I am very close to landing a new client, and once I do others will follow. I promise I can and will turn this around.”
Serena’s excitement and joy slithered from her person leaving her shoulders slumped. She had to leave Brennan or watch his world crumble around him. He was too stubborn to see letting her go was the right thing to do. One last night to take with her, to store away with all the other memories she had been hording for just such a day.
Turning, she slipped from the anteroom and through the warehouse cloaked in silence and weighed down by her decision. Back in the carr
iage, she let the tears flow as the driver returned her to Brennan’s home one last time. She readied the two new gowns she’d bought and a few other things she had brought with her from The Market. Later, Brennan’s footsteps rang through the house as he arrived home. Pasting on a smile, she greeted him wearing nothing but her wrapper.
A single knock heralded his entrance. He beamed at her from across the room. “Good evening Serena.” He closed the door and swept her into his arms kissing her soundly.
As they parted, her heart raced, pounding in her chest. Pushing down her sadness, she tried desperately to affect a cheerfulness she did not claim. “Hello.”
“Why don’t you get dressed? Dinner will be ready soon and then I want to stroll in the garden.” He stepped away and headed toward the door that joined their rooms.
Stiffening her resolve, she watched him disappear and then rang for Maggie. She needed to dress and the quicker the better.
The sun had set, blanketing the sky in darkness. Stars twinkled overhead as she wrapped her shawl tighter about her shoulders. Brennan draped an arm about her hoping to offer her a bit more warmth. Excitement left him a little breathless as he anticipated proposing to Serena, and her accepting. Deep in his bones lie the knowledge she loved him; he saw it in her eyes every time their gazes met or they made love.
Love Redeemed (The Market Series) Page 7
