Night of Pleasure (26 page)

Her head rolled back as the heat of his mouth and tongue overtook her ability to think. “And what would that be?” she whispered back.

“I don’t want to talk about my cousins while I’m doing this.” He turned her and grabbing her face, kissed her hard, his tongue finding its way into her mouth with a swiftness that almost made her choke.

She stiffened against that dominating mouth, everything between them feeling strangely different. Because there was no way out. If anything went wrong, if anything fell apart between them, she was trapped in this forever.

He broke away and in between heavy breaths said, “The next time I kiss you, heiress, I want you to make me feel like it’s welcome. Kiss me back and put your arms around me, will you? Don’t make me feel like I’m forcing myself on you.”

She swallowed. “I’m sorry. I’m still getting used to—”

He turned her away and unpinned and unlaced the material of her gown, his fingers pulling and stretching the satin away from her body.

Her chest rose and fell in unsteady breaths knowing that they would be naked again.

The fabric of her gown and its petticoats fell away and onto the ground. He turned her back toward himself and dug his fingers into her hair, moving them through to loosen all of the pins without having to pluck them. Most rattled out against the force, tinkering to the floor around them as the weight of her hair fell onto her shoulders.

His rugged features stilled, his skin visibly flushed. “Much better.” He lingered, the heat of those smoldering brown eyes luring her into giving them both pleasure.

Entertaining a conversation was clearly not what he had in mind. No surprise.

Derek grazed his lips against hers, feeling everything tip like it always did when he touched and kissed her. He pulled away again and held her gaze, needing to know the one thing that had haunted him all morning, afternoon and night. He stepped back, a slow breath easing out of his lungs. “I wanted to ask you something.”

She paused as if surprised that he stepped away. She brightened. “Of course. Ask me anything.”

If it was over, she would tell him it was. If there was one thing he knew about her was that she was almost too honest. Which he needed right now. “Did you end your association with Nasser? Does he know he is to never contact you or call on you again?”

Her fingers played with the satin of her exposed corset before she stripped the mask perched atop her head and tossed it, sending it fluttering to the floor. “Please don’t ask me to end my association with him. In truth, he is the only friend I have.”

Derek felt the blood drain from his head. He had already spent all of the days leading up to his own wedding thinking about her naked in another man’s arms. And it ripped at his heart and his gut. She kept calling him a friend but Derek knew full well men and women only associated for one reason: the end result. “I can’t— Why are you doing this to me? Why do you need to see him?”

She released a breath. “Nasser is my friend. He is also your friend. He—”

He grabbed her face hard and forced her to look up at him. “He almost took you away from me. How can he be my friend?” He held her gaze, willing her to feel the intensity of what he felt and repeat what he had said to her at the altar. “I love you, Clementine. You do know that, yes?”

Her features softened as she searched his face. “Yes.”

“The night we shared brought you back to me. I know it did.” He used his thumbs to brush the silken skin around her pretty eyes. Eyes he was so thankful to see again. “We have to protect what we have. Do you understand? You can’t let another man come between us.” He released her and stepped back. “Where is he staying? I need to go resolve this and talk to him. Tonight, if need be.”

Her brows came together. “Derek, you have no need to be jealous.”

He tried to keep his voice calm. “I want to talk to him.”

“It’s obvious you don’t mean to talk. You clearly mean to swing at him.”

He set his shoulders. “Do you blame me? Given you almost left me for him?”

“You don’t understand the situation.
At all
.”

His chest rose and fell more heavily than he could control. “Damn right I don’t. You still haven’t told me about whatever arrangement you had with him. What the hell am I to think? What the hell am I to—”

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me.” Her lips thinned. “I didn’t have to tell you about Nasser at all. But I did. I was honest with you about my association with him from the very first breath.”

He edged in, his body pulsing. “Shall I extend my unending gratitude knowing you’re capable of being honest about the fact that while you were engaged to me, you were
involved
with him?”

She stared up at him. “Nasser is like a brother to me.
A brother
. It isn’t romantic in nature. It never was. Nor will it ever be. So cease thinking the worst.
Cease
.”

Derek found himself momentarily speechless. Stunned. He honestly didn’t know what to make of this. He wanted to trust her, if only to keep his mind from falling apart, but his gut told him no woman would try to run off with another man in the name of wanting to be his sister.

After pushing out a few uneven breaths, he admitted, “I don’t believe you.”

Her eyes flashed. “And how is that my fault?”

He tried to shove aside his distrust, his anger and his jealousy in an attempt to understand. He tried. “What are you not telling me? Clementine, I can’t understand you or this situation if you don’t tell me. What happened between you and Nasser? Was it love? Was it more? Did you spend a night with him after you spent a night with me?
Tell me
.”

“I didn’t spend a night with him.”

“Then why do you feel the need to continue your association with him?”

“Because he and I are friends.”

“Friends. I see. So what was the original agreement you and he had? I want you to tell me about it. Right now.”

Her voice wavered. “I can’t tell you.”

Ice spread across his chest. “Can’t? Or won’t?”

“Please.” Her lips trembled. “Don’t do this.”

This Nasser did something to her. He could see the panic and fear in her eyes. “I’m going to kill him,” he rasped. “I’m going to kill him, because it’s obvious he—”

“
Stop it
,” she choked out. “I’m devoted to you, Derek. I married you, didn’t I? But I am also devoted to Nasser. He is the only real friend I have ever had in my life. The only real friend I—”

“Stop talking about him as if you and he share something more than we do. Because you can’t be devoted to him
and
me. You can’t—”

“Leave.” She pointed a finger to the door, her body trembling. “You obviously don’t know what is and isn’t capable between men and women, and I don’t like how you’re making me feel. I don’t like how you’re assuming the worst while treating me like an object you can’t even share a conversation with. Because this isn’t what I want in a relationship, Derek. This isn’t what I—” She clapped her hands over her ears and squeezed her eyes shut.

It was like watching a child who needed a reprieve from a thunderstorm.

He swallowed, knowing he was upsetting her. He softened his voice. “Clementine.” He reached out for her, trying to gently drag her toward himself. “Come here. Let me—”

“
Don’t
.” She scrambled back and away, searching his face. “I didn’t ask you to touch me or coddle me, Derek. I asked you to leave. Because you’re clearly not interested in talking to me as if I were a person.”

He had to stay calm. He had to believe he meant more to her than this Nasser did. “It’s obvious you aren’t ready to talk about what you and he share. And I’m fine with that. I’ll just…” He held out a hand, willing himself to trust her. “It’s late. Come to bed.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not— You haven’t earned it.”

He dropped his hand. “Haven’t— You’re my wife.”

“I see. And that makes you think you can bed me anytime you want?”

“Jesus, why am I suddenly the villain in this?” He let out a breath, trying to calm himself. “I am genuinely worried about you and this entire situation. It doesn’t sit right with me. And until you explain it to me, you cannot expect me to let it go.” He undid his cravat and stripped his coat, whipping it onto the bed. He unbuttoned his waistcoat, shrugging it from his shoulders and tossed it onto the bed, as well, yanking out his linen shirt from his trousers.

She eyed him. “What are you doing?”

“Getting ready for bed. What else? Hopefully, if we stare up at the ceiling long enough, you’ll be able to tell me what the hell is going on. I have a right to know about the agreement you and this-this…
Nasser
had made. Don’t you think?”

Her eyes became pools of appeal. “You cannot and will not
insist on knowing something I cannot tell you. Nasser is heir to an entire country on the verge of another war. I vowed to protect him in the same way he vowed to protect me. Do you understand?”

He lowered his chin. “How can I understand? You haven’t told me anything.”

She snapped a finger toward the door. “
Leave
.”

“
No
.” He yanked off his boots, sending each thumping to the hardwood floor. “And because I’m such a good
friend
, I’ll keep my shirt and trousers on even though it’s my wedding night. How is that?” Without sparing her a glance, he rounded the bed, whipped back the linen and climbed in, flopping himself back onto the pillow. He hit the pillow beside him. “Now get in. I expect your arms to be around me. Right now.”

She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t you dare rile me, Derek. Don’t you dare.”

“Or what?” He stubbornly held her gaze. “You’re mine to protect and to love.
Mine
. Not Nasser’s.
Mine
. And don’t you ever bloody forget it. Now get into this bed before I put you in it.”

“
Stop trying to control me and get the fuck out
!” she boomed in a thundering voice that exploded from the depths of everything that had ever been contained within her prim façade.

Derek was too astounded to do anything more than breathe. Aside from the fact he
never
thought her capable of raising her voice at all, he most certainly didn’t think she even knew words like ‘fuck’ given she didn’t even know what ‘fuck’ meant until a few days ago.

It was the first time that cool façade had ever given him so much…
intensity
.

If only she could apply it to him and his bed, they’d actually get somewhere. Staring her down, he hit the pillow again. Only harder. “If you ‘fuck’ me,” he drawled, mimicking her earlier choice of words, “maybe I’ll get the fuck out.”

She hitched up her skirts to her knees, climbed onto the bed, picked up a pillow, and thwacked him with it. Hard. Hard. Hard. Hard.

He rumbled out a laugh and snapped a hand up against the pillow bouncing against his head. “Clementine— What— It’s a pillow. If you plan on hurting me, I suggest you use a vase or something.”

She thwacked him again and glared. “You think it’s funny that you’re riling me?! You think it’s funny that you’re—”

He rumbled out another laugh as the pillow kept bouncing off his head. “If your father could see this, he’d probably give me another three million.”

She gasped, whipped aside the pillow, sending it across the room and fell back, a choked breath escaping her. She cradled her hands against her chest as if it hurt and let out a deep, aching sob that penetrated Derek’s chest.

Jesus
. Taking hold of her shoulders, he gently pushed her down onto her side of the bed and used his body to pin her in place against the mattress, both their breaths coming at each other hard.

He stared down at her as her unraveled black hair lay in waves across her shoulders and the pillow. He smoothed her face, brushing away tears. “Darling. Don’t…what— I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to— Please don’t cry.”

Her chest rose and fell heavily beneath him, her face, throat, and cleavage flushed. She swiped away her tears with trembling hands.