In Pursuit Of His Wife

“Remember that night in the carriage?” he said, proving he was bent on ignoring her concerns.

“Yes, I remember.” How could she forget? On their honeymoon, he had arranged for a horse-drawn tour of Bath, which had led to taboo touching beneath the blanket, all leading up to a night she would never forget. The night she had lost her virginity and in some ways, her heart.

He slid one palm down her throat and traveled beneath the bodice where he cupped her breast through the lace bra. “I recall you were trembling, as you are now.”

She hadn’t noticed that at all. Her attention remained drawn to his fingertip circling her nipple now bound in a tight knot. “I was somewhat nervous.”

“You were hot,” he whispered. “I imagine you’re hot now.”

Before Nasira could prepare, Sebastian parted her legs with his free hand while sliding his other underneath the bra. “Pull your dress up to your waist.”

The request was both startling and highly erotic. “Why?”

“So you might see what I’m doing to you.”

As badly as she wanted his attention, she did not wish to make another grave mistake by giving in too soon. “This behavior will solve nothing, Sebastian.”

He continued to fondle her breast without missing a beat. “I disagree. It will solve our need for each other. It will serve to remind us how we’ve always needed each other.”

So caught up in his seduction, she clung to the last thread of sanity, relying on bitter memories to maintain her composure. “You haven’t been concerned about my needs for months.”

He kissed her cheek. “I know, and I’m bent on making up for my neglect. Can we for once stop thinking and allow ourselves only pleasure for a while?”

“But—”

He brought her head around and kissed her soundly. “Let me make love to you, Sira. Please.”

She should issue a protest, she should be more resistant, yet she had become too caught up in the anticipation of how she knew he could—and would—make her feel. Too sexually charged over witnessing a side of him she had never seen before this evening—the jealous side, willing to defend her honor.

After she complied, he whispered, “Take off your panties.”

This time she didn’t hesitate to follow his directive, and after she lifted her hips and slid the lace down to her thighs, she no longer questioned the wisdom in allowing this to happen. After all, he was not a stranger. He was her husband, and she had been without intimacy for much too long.

While Nasira watched, Sebastian moved to the apex of her thighs and began to stroke her. A flood of heat and dampness caused her breath to catch in her chest. He knew how much pressure to apply. How to tease her into oblivion. The moments seemed so surreal—both of them in the back of a truck out in the wide open spaces of Texas, a warm breeze blowing across her face, her husband’s hand between her legs bringing her closer and closer to the threshold of orgasm. She wanted badly to keep it at bay, to keep her eyes open, but all to no avail. When Sebastian slid a finger inside her, whispered a few words some might find crude, the climax crashed into her, bringing with it a series of strong spasms.

Nasira was barely aware that Sebastian had taken his hand away, but very aware when he moved beside her. When she heard the rasp of a zipper, she opened her eyes to see that he had shoved his slacks down his hips, revealing what the spontaneous foreplay had physically done to him.

“I need you, sweetheart,” he whispered. “Come here.”

She needed him as well. Much more than she should. “You want us to lie down in the back of this truck? I question the comfort in that.” She also questioned her own sanity.

He grinned. “Who said anything about lying down? I am relinquishing control to you and hoping for a memorable ride.”

Awareness over what he had intimated sent Nasira’s pulse on a sprint. Every word he uttered seemed to be a jolt to her libido. Every suggestion added fuel to the building fire. Realizing the fit of the dress might not allow for enough room, she hopped to her feet to face her husband. She boldly unzipped the dress, pulled it over her head, tossed it and the bra into the bed of the truck and then pushed the panties down where they fell to the ground. She was totally, unabashedly naked and remarkably ready to finish this interlude immediately.

With that in mind, she climbed back into the truck on her knees to straddle Sebastian’s thighs. Yet he thwarted that immediate plan when he said, “Wait.”

She didn’t want to delay another moment. “Why?”

“Birth control,” he grated out.

Of course that would be his primary focus, and it should be hers as well. She lowered from her knees and sat on the gate, hugging her arms to her breasts. “I have not resumed taking the pills. I had no reason to do that.”

She saw dismay in his expression before he stood and pulled up his slacks. “And you should have informed me immediately.”

She suddenly felt very exposed, both physically and emotionally. She also sensed a hint of accusation in his tone. “If you are intimating I planned this so you could impregnate me, I was not the one who drove here for the purposes of seduction.”

He released a rough sigh. “You’re right, and my apologies for doubting your motives. However, if you consider our past, you certainly shouldn’t blame me for my concerns.”

Furious, Nasira came to her feet and grabbed her discarded clothing. “Obviously allowing this interlude under the circumstances has been a colossal mistake.”

She glimpsed anger in his expression before she pulled the dress over her head, heard it in his voice when he said, “The sounds you made alone indicated you certainly enjoyed it.”

“Evidently I am not immune to your charms,” she said. “But mark my words, this will not happen again until we come to terms with our issues. And we have several, including your lack of trust in me and your resistance to having another child.”

He slid out of the truck to tuck in his shirt. “We have a month to work out our differences and reach a compromise.”

If they could work anything out. Nasira was not certain they could. “Presently I need to return to the house and you need to return to wherever you are staying for the duration.”

He streaked a palm over his nape. “Actually, I haven’t a place to stay at this point in time. It appears there are no rooms in the inns due to some rodeo event in the area.”

Of all the irresponsible, ridiculous excuses. “You did not make arrangements before you decided to travel here?”

“It was a spontaneous plan.”

An illogical plan in her opinion. “I can’t very well have you in my room under my brother’s roof. He is well aware we’re having problems, and I prefer we not sleep in the same bed until we’ve had more time to work on our issues.”

“I will take whatever room they have available if you don’t wish me in your bed.”

“There isn’t another room, Sebastian. The house is still undergoing renovations and I have the only accommodations left.”

“Then I suppose I shall sleep in the truck until other arrangements can be made.”

Oh, for heaven’s sake. “All right. You may stay in my room as long as you have no expectations and you leave before first light. I truly do not wish to explain your presence to Rafiq or to have him assume we’ve been...you know.”

“I’m certain Rafe has engaged in...you know, since his intended is living with him.”

“She is also pregnant,” she added, curious to see how he might react.

“Really?” he said with little enthusiasm. “I didn’t know the old boy had it in him.”

“He does, and he is very protective of Violet, as well as me. On the other hand, he is not particularly fond of you at the moment. He assumes you have done something to wound me.”

“And clearly you have allowed him to have those assumptions.”

“Like it or not, Sebastian, your behavior for the past few months has been very hurtful to me.”

He sighed. “And that is why I’m here now, to atone for my transgressions. Regardless, I promise to remain on my side of the bed until you are ready for me to fully atone.”