Without Saying a Word

by Amanda Ward

  Sitting back in bed, Laura stretched and snuggled back into the covers. Their wedding night had been a romantic dream. Rhean had been tender, loving, gentle but above all, passionate. She still could not believe that her husband had been a virgin. Rhean had known how to arouse her and how to bring her to climax. No words had been exchanged during their loving. Their bodies had done all the speaking for them. She was slightly sore between her thighs and muscles that Laura hadn’t used for a long time ached slightly. It was a good ache, Laura thought and smiled. She drifted back to sleep feeling relaxed, happy and content.

  A short time later, Rhean, Rhean, crept back into their bedroom. Holding two full mugs, he placed them on the bedside table and gently lifting the covers, climbed back into the warm bed.

  “Laura,” he whispered. “Tea’s here, darling.” Laura smiled.

  “You fraud, I thought you were asleep,” Rhean admonished her. Kissing Laura deeply, their tongues intertwined in a dance as old as time. She stretched against him, feeling his need for her against her thigh.

  “Well, you know what they say,” Laura interjected between kisses. Rhean shook his head. “You can’t keep a good man down.” She kissed him deeply.

  Spending most of Sunday in bed was a decadence that Laura was not used to. It seemed that Rhean was as ardent in his lovemaking, as in his pursuit of her. He served her lunch in bed, and they ate it nude, licking off drips of mayonnaise from the sandwiches that had fallen onto their bodies. She spent most of the day being thoroughly loved, and boy, could that man of hers make love. Laura smiled to herself as she prepared their evening meal of chicken korma and rice, wearing only Rhean’s T-shirt. It wasn’t a particularly traditional Sunday dinner, but an informal one—especially when eaten on the floor or in bed. Laura giggled at the images that flooded her mind. She glanced through into the living room where Rhean was on his laptop, catching up on emails and informing the school of their marriage. Laura concentrated on stirring the curry, making sure it did not burn. She wasn’t aware of Rhean coming up behind her until his strong arms came around her waist. He nuzzled her neck, sending tingles of excitement down her breasts, making them swell beneath the softness of his shirt.

  “Mm-mm, something smells wonderful,” Rhean said softly, kissing and nibbling her neck. He wore a pair of gray jogging pants that lovingly cupped every inch of him. Rhean was every woman’s fantasy, and for a second, Laura was tempted to forget dinner.

  “That will be the curry,” she told him, leaning back and allowing him greater access. She managed to lower the heat before turning around.

  Rhean shook his head.

  “Nope, it’s Laura, my Laura,” he replied and kissed her deeply. Laura basked in his attention, and tried desperately to keep to the task at hand.

  “Oh Rhean, dinner will be ruined,” she told him holding up the wooden spoon for him to take a taste.

  Rhean shrugged.

  “Don’t worry darling, I’d much rather eat you,” he replied sexily, making Laura blush. Taking a deep breath, she moved away from her ardent husband.

  “Listen mister, out of the kitchen now!” she told him in a stern voice, pointing the wooden spoon toward the living room. “If you want to be helpful you can get me a drink.”

  Rhean attempted a hangdog expression which was completely wasted on his wife. He blew her a kiss and went to the fridge. Taking out a bottle of champagne, he opened it with a loud ʻpopʼ and poured them each a glass, then handed it to her.

  “To us,” he said and drank deeply.

  “To us,” Laura agreed and did the same, loving the way the chilled liquid slid down her throat.

  “Laura, are you happy?” Rhean asked. He pulled himself up on a worktop and watched her work. Laura turned to face him.

  “What on earth made you ask that?” she asked.

  “You seem quiet and just rather subdued, is all,” he told her. There was concern and unless Laura was mistaken, a touch of insecurity, in the way he sounded. She stood between his legs, sipping the champagne.

  “Darling, you are the teacher. Isn’t it obvious why I’m quiet?” she asked him reaching up and kissing his lips. Rhean shook his head. Laura smiled.

  “You wore me out,” Laura told him in mock severity.

  He made an ʻOʼ, and jumped down from the worktop. Taking her into the circle of his arms, Rhean nuzzled her throat.

  “So, last night was okay?” he inquired. Laura sighed and leaned her head against his chest. She was sorely tempted to grab a frying pan and bash him over the head with it.

  “Oh for Pete’s sake, Rhean, last night was amazing. It was wonderful, fantastic...okay? I’m having trouble walking. Does that make you feel better?” Laura rattled off in frustration. A smug look crept across his handsome face. Laura saw it and grabbed her wooden spoon.

  “Get out before I use this on your gorgeous backside.” she threatened, losing her patience. He grinned.

  “Promises, promises,” Rhean teased her and wiggled his bottom as he left the kitchen. Laura rolled her eyes to the ceiling.

  “Men,” she groaned aloud.

  Serving up their meal on a large wooden tray, Laura took it into the living room. Rhean was reclining nude on the floor next to a roaring fire. Tubs curled up behind him on the couch purring loudly. Rhean’s eyes were shut and he was the picture of contentment. He looked so edible, Laura was tempted to put down the tray and eat him, but again, her body had other ideas and her stomach grumbled loudly.

  “Now there’s a dream come true—a gorgeous woman serving me food.” He grinned and reached over to kiss Laura soundly on the mouth.

  “Here.” Rhean handed Laura a thin envelope. “For you.” Laura wrinkled her brow, and sat back on her slipper-covered heels.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  He rolled his eyes.”If you don’t open it you won’t find out, will you?” Rhean took a forkful of the curry. “Mmm this is good.” Tapping the envelope he told Laura, “Open it.”

  Filled with curiosity, Laura opened the envelope. Inside, she found two plane tickets to Malta for the following morning.

  “What on earth?” Laura was bewildered.

  Rhean sat up straight against the couch. “This, my darling is our honeymoon. Two weeks in Malta at our villa.”

  “We have a villa in Malta?”

  Rhean nodded. “Yup, since my grandparents left it to me. I’ve arranged everything,” he told her gleefully, rubbing his hands together. His ring gleamed in the firelight.

  Laura interrupted him. “No really. What a surprise,” she said sarcastically.

  “Hey, what was that for?” Rhean sounded surprised at the tone of her voice.

  “You arranged our wedding, where we are going to live, and now our honeymoon. When do I get to do anything?” Laura asked indignantly.

  He took a deep breath. “You get to relax, and enjoy being a newlywed. Oh, and get to be spoiled rotten by me,” Rhean insisted. “Your parents are going to stay here with the kids and you and I are going to go to the villa and spend the next two weeks relaxing,” he told her mildly.

  “Rhean,” Laura said, backing down. She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m sorry. The honeymoon sounds wonderful. I guess I feel a bit guilty leaving the kids for two weeks while I go away with you.”

  “Well don’t,” Rhean told her. “You need this break. Hell, we need time on our own together to be a couple.”

  Laura nodded complacently. Then their activities of the past twenty-four hours suddenly caught up with her.

  “Oh my God!” she exclaimed.

  “What?” Rhean asked

  “We didn’t use anything,” Laura told him.

  Rhean shook his head. “Sorry darling, I’m none the wiser. What on earth are you talking about?”

  “Contraception. I didn’t get a chance to see the doctor about it.” Feeling panicky and worried, Laura went to stand up, but Rhean took hold of her arm and pulled her against his nude body.

  “Laura, I know we di
dn’t. It’s not a problem as far as I’m concerned, or is it?” Rhean asked her.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure if you wanted a baby right away.” Then a thought hit her. “Mind you, saying that, it could be a moot point as at my age, I may not be able to have another baby.”

  “Laura-mine, I married you because I love you, not because I’m desperate for an heir. Let’s face it, I have three children now anyway. If we have a baby together, then it will be the icing on the cake for me.” He kissed Laura thoroughly. Grinning with warmth at the dazed expression on her face, Rhean tried again.

  “What is it you said? Babies come when they are meant to. So let’s leave it up to nature.” Rhean smiled. “No more worrying now. Eat up, the curry is getting cold,” he said in mock severity.

  Laura nodded again. A touch of a smile lifted her lips.

  “Leave it to nature,” she agreed. She settled down against her husband and together they ate the meal she’d so lovingly prepared.

  Chapter Fifteen

  The following afternoon, Rhean and Laura arrived at the villa. Set on the coast in the village of Pembroke, it was one story. The sunlight that bathed the white stone, gave the villa a welcoming glow.

  Laura fell in love with the villa and the island at first sight. As she got out of the car Rhean rented the heat bathed her face. It felt so different from the frigid cold that England they had left far behind.

  “Now Lady Leighton, this time we are doing it the old-fashioned way,” Rhean said coming up behind her. He swung her up in his strong arms and carried her over the threshold of the villa before Laura could speak. She shrieked loudly as he strode purposefully through the building and out into the garden, then put her down on a sun lounger next to the large kidney-shaped pool.

  “Stay,” he told her. “I’ll be back in a bit with drinks.” Rhean held up a hand as Laura went to move. “You are here to relax, so…..” his voice trailed off as he turned and walked back through the villa.

  Letting out a deep breath, Laura took in her surroundings. Around her were many brightly-colored flowers and fragrant herbs in pots. There were tall trees with long, deep green leaves giving a semblance of shade. Beside her were four other wooden sun loungers with deep blue cushions with a parasol. There were small tables beside each one for drinks, books or perhaps sunscreen. On the other side of the large kidney-shaped pool was a small house. A wooden dining set and large barbeque nestled in its own area. Glimmering in the afternoon sunshine, the deep blue water in the pool just begged to swam in or…Laura looked around. She twitched her mouth and accidentally toed her shoes off. It was too much of a temptation. Padding barefoot over to the side of the pool, she knelt down and swirled her fingers around. The water felt warm against her fingertips. Sitting down on the warm tiles Laura swung her legs around, pulling up her skirt and allowing the water to envelop her feet, loving the way it swirled and caressed them. With her head back, her hair cascading down her back, and her face towards the sun, she felt relaxed and happy.

  “I thought told you to stay still,” a deep voice admonished her, bringing Laura back to earth. She leaned back to look at her husband who held two tall glasses of a pink liquid. He’d changed from jeans and sweatshirt into cream linen shorts. Barefoot and bare-chested, Laura fought the urge to drool over him. Instead, she put her hand up over her eyes and winked cheekily, drawing a laugh from him. Rhean squatted down and offered her the drink. It was crisp, tart and cool on the tongue. Laura loved it straightaway and it quenched her thirst.

  “Mmm. I could get used to this.” A smile spread across her face.”This villa is amazing Rhean. How come you never told me about it?”

  Rhean sat down next to her with his feet in the pool.

  “It never came up as I recall,” he replied. “I usually come here the first two or three weeks of the school holidays. But this year, I didn’t,” Rhean told her, as he drank deeply and swished his feet around in the water.

  “How come?” she asked as she finished her drink.”I would have thought you couldn’t wait to get over here. You have a beautiful home.”

  “We have a beautiful home,” Rhean corrected her. “And I didn’t come here during the school holidays because...” his cheeks colored, “because I didn’t want to leave you,” he stated bluntly. Taking her empty glass, Rhean stood up.”Do you want another one, or do you want a tour?” He held out his hand and Laura grasped it firmly.

  “I’d love the tour,” she told him, smiling.

  Rhean led Laura through the large patio doors into the living area. Decorated in cream and off-white colors, the room was cool yet warming at the same time. Long sofas with scatter cushions dominated the large room. There were paintings of local scenes hung on the walls, and a state of the art entertainment system took up one corner. Her sandals clicked on the tiles, as she followed Rhean through into the kitchen, where Laura was even more impressed with the high tech appliances. They were in a rustic setting, and a small wooden dining table, along with four chairs, stood under a brick archway.

  “Wow,” Laura said, “this is fabulous.”

  Rhean smiled. “It’s always been like this,” he told her giving her a hug. “All I did was update all the appliances and put in air conditioning when I inherited it.”

  Rhean opened the fridge. There was enough food inside to feed an army.

  “I think Marietta may have gone over the top with the restocking,” he chuckled, and made them another drink. He poured a small amount of prickly pear liqueur into tall glasses, topping them with champagne and ice. Rhean finished their drinks off with a straw and a slice of prickly pear that he’d found in the fridge.

  “So, that’s the lounge and the kitchen,” Laura said sipping the effervescent liquid. “What’s next?” Putting an arm around his wife and squeezing her waist tight, Rhean led her back through the living room and into a wide corridor lined with doors.

  “Down here, are four bedrooms all with en suite bathrooms and that room at the end is a bathroom. In the opposite direction, they came to a pair of double doors. “Now this, my darling, is the master bedroom.”

  He opened the doors and Laura’s mouth widened. She had read about such rooms in magazines but never experienced them.

  Their bedroom was luxurious, elegant and comfortable. The walls were a cream color. Again, paintings in bright colors hung on the walls. The room was dominated by a huge four-poster bed with ivory voile curtains. There were light terracotta tiles on the floor, and glass doors led to a small private area with an outside Jacuzzi that bubbled away.

  Walking on the cool tiles, Laura smiled at Rhean and looked around, picking up silver framed photographs of her new family. There were large built-in wardrobes and a vanity table in the same color wood as their bed. A beautiful ornate mirror took pride of place on it.

  “Have a look through there,” Rhean told her and pointed to a door to the left of the bed.

  Laura padded past the bed, smiling at the quilt in rainbow colors.

  “Rather colorful for this room,” she said. When she touched it, the material felt like silk under her fingers.

  “Gran made it when she was here,” Rhean told her. “Each of us has a quilt. I chose to have mine on the bed as a reminder.”

  Laura smiled. “It’s beautiful,” she told him. “In here you say?” Rhean nodded.

  Laura walked through the door into the bathroom. The room was huge. Sparkling tiles were on the floor, and a massive step-in bath took over one side. Facing the door were double sinks with a large mirror over them. On the other corner of the bathroom there was a large glass stall with a state of the art shower. Big enough for four people, Laura thought, and swallowed audibly. The room was luxurious with warm fluffy towels, spotlights and fern plants. Under the sink were large cabinets filled with every kind of toiletry. Smiling at them and smelling some of the more indulgent bath foams, Laura felt like she was in a top class hotel, rather than a man’s home.

  She came out of the bathroom just as Rhean was putting
their case onto the bed.

  “Wow,” she said.

  Rhean smiled at her. “Impressed are you?” he asked.

  Laura opened her finger and thumb, a tiny bit. “Just a tad.” They both laughed. “What are you doing Rhean?”

  “Unpacking,” he replied. “Want to help?”

  Laura took out her underwear.

  Showing her to the wardrobes, Rhean opened a door. Inside were drawers and an empty rail for longer items.

  “Here you go. These are yours now,” Rhean informed her, then returned to his suitcase for another handful of clothes.

  A short time later, they had both unpacked, and Laura changed into a swimsuit and sarong. She sat on the edge of the pool sipping yet another drink that Rhean had made. She was enthralled by the sounds of the birds singing in the trees loving the way the sun warmed her. Rhean was holed up in his study, making phone calls to the housekeeper and the school. Her stomach growled, and she felt far too lazy get something to eat. Although they were married, she still felt a bit nervous about helping herself. However, after feeling another grumble, Laura stood up and padded into the kitchen.

  As she went inside, she saw Rhean coming out of the study.

  “All sorted?” she asked.

  “Yup. Are you okay?”

  “Hungry. I was going to make something to eat,” Laura said. Rhean took her hand in his and together they went into the kitchen.

  “How about I fire up the barbeque and you fix a salad?” Rhean stuck his head in the fridge and pulled out some marinated kebabs. “Aha! How wonderful is Marietta?” Rhean exclaimed. Laura stood back, feeling rather awkward.

  “What’s wrong?” Concern was evident in his voice.

  “Well, this is your home,” Laura told him. “I just feel a bit weird.”