The Tycoon's Misunderstood Bride (11 page)

He thought that her climax had to be the most incredible experience he’d ever had and strove to go longer, make to just a bit better for her.  But in the end, he drove into her, finding his own release and couldn’t hold back any longer as her orgasm throbbed around him, bringing him along with her. 

A long time later, when his breathing was finally back to a somewhat normal pace, Jason pulled her close, not sure why she was stiff again.  He’d have t
o
talk to her about that, he thought a moment before he fell asleep with his arm holding her against him.  The last thought he had before he succumbed to sleep was that he’d always thought he didn’t like women touching him after sex but his arm tightened, bringing her closer against him as he drifted off. 

Emma waited patiently, praying that Jason would fall asleep.  She need to get out of here, to run home and shower, change into new clothes and pretend that this had never happened. 

Why had she liked this so much?  She barely knew Jason and this was ridiculous to have enjoyed an intimate activity with a man with which she’d had three conversations.  As soon as she felt him nod off, she slipped out of the bed and pulled her clothes on as quickly as possible.  She’d call Tim and give him the address here.  They were right in the heart of London so it wouldn’t be hard for him to reach her quickly.  She could even walk down to the end of the driveway to make it easier.  Or maybe that was just her way of escaping? 

Regardless, she pulled on her clothes, ignoring the sticky feeling from her first venture into sex, then walked back down to the main living area.  She was lucky to find Jason’s housekeeper and asked to make a phone call. 

Thankfully, Tim was able to pick her up only ten minutes after she called and she slipped into the back seat of the vehicle and curled up around herself.  “Just take me home, please, Tim.”  She couldn’t even look him in the eyes, so ashamed of her behavior this afternoon. 

At home, she showered thoroughly, but even the soap was against her since it felt so sensuous against her skin. 
She tossed it back into the soap dish and used a loofah to scrub her skin, wishing she could get the memory of Jason’s touch out of her mind as easily. 

She was sitting in the living room, just staring out the window when Nancy brought her a cup of tea.  “Is everything okay, Emma?” she asked softly. 

Emma blinked back her tears and nodded.  “Yes.  I think it’s okay.  Thank you very much for the tea.  It will help a great deal,” she lied and took the offered cup and saucer, pouring herself a cup even though she just wanted to ignore the world. 

She sipped the tea and it actually did make her feel slightly better.  At least it rejuvenated her a bit and helped her mind to start working. 

Okay, so she enjoyed having sex with her husband.  There were worse things, right?  And it wasn’t like she was going to go out and have sex with all the other men around.  Jason really was extraordinary with his height and those dark eyes that revealed nothing but sent shivers all over her system. 

Just because of one episode, that didn’t mean she was fulfilling her father’s expectations of her morals.  She was decent, she told herself.  Unemployed, living in a huge mausoleum and bored out of her head, but she wasn’t amoral. 

With a sigh, she set the now-empty cup onto the coffee table carefully, then sat back and looked out the window just as the first rain drops started to fall.  She didn’t hear the door open or close, nor did the heavy footsteps register in her mind as she continued to think through all the men she’d met lately, testing them out in her mind to see if she was remotely interested in having sex with any of them.  Her father had told her so many times that she’d sleep with anyone she came into contact with if it weren’t for his heavy hand and guidance.  And even then, he knew she was a slut and wanted to screw every man she saw. 

But really, Jason was the only man she’d come into contact with that she could think of as lover material.  She
accepted that she was attracted to him, but that didn’t mean she was going to go overboard and sleep with him.  This afternoon’s activities were for one purpose and that was to get her mother’s diary.  She needed to conceive of a son before she could gain access so she was working towards a goal.  A goal her father established.  If he didn’t think she was worthy, then he shouldn’t have set up the marriage and conception conditions of the will. 

“W
here the hell did you go?” Jason demanded as soon as he walked into the living room where he found her huddled underneath a soft blanket, looking like someone had just run over her dog.  He was angry
but
instantly regretted the harsh tone. 

“What are you doing here?” she asked, her eyes wide with fear because, as soon as she’d seen him, she wanted him all over again.  How could she be this wanton? 

“I’m here because we had sex this afternoon, and when I woke up, you were no longer there.  I want to know why you left,” he said in what he thought was a very controlled and deliberate tone of voice.  But even still, she shrank back against the cushions of the sofa and he ran a hand over his face in frustration. 
He wasn’t sure how to handle her. 

She was so timid, he thought.  And he’d judged her correctly
from the first
, but hadn’t listened to his instincts.  He’d preferred to take the word of a man he knew to be a bastard and he’d probably ruined Emma’s first experience at sex because of it.  Damn!  That man was a heartless son of a bitch! 

“Emma, are you okay?” he asked, bending down near the sofa and trying to take her hand in his.  But as soon as he touched her, she cringed away, her eyes pushing away from him to look anywhere but at him. 

“I’m fine.  Really.”

“Why did you leave me?” he asked as gently as possible, trying to hide the anger he was feeling.  Why he cared was also a mystery to him.  He never allowed women into his house, preferring to meet in their homes so that he could leave once they were finished.  He had never slept with a woman before and he was more than a little irritated when he found one woman he….well, he liked having her curled up next to him.  His first thought when he’d opened his eyes earlier was to pull her back into his arms and repeat the whole, more than enjoyable process all over again.  But she hadn’t been there.  Nor had she been anywhere in the house.  It wasn’t until he’d spoken with his housekeeper and interrogated her that he found out that Emma had called her driver and been picked up an hour earlier. 

“What’s wrong then?” he asked, his thumb reaching up and wiping a tear from her cheek.  “Did I hurt you?”

She shook her head, then shrugged.  “Well, no, not…yes, but only initially,” she mumbled out with embarrassment. 

“Can you tell me what you’re thinking?” he asked gently.

Emma wanted so badly to just curl up in his lap and sob out her sorrow, to explain to him that she wasn’t a whore, that she had enjoyed their time together way too much but that it didn’t mean she was a bad person inside. 

But looking at Jason, she didn’t think he was the kind of man who would want a woman sobbing all over his shirt.  He was tough and hard and didn’t take anything from anyone in the business world.  He was ruthless and cutthroat, according to her father.  So crying to him would make her appear weak and inept. 

So instead of asking him to reassure her, that she wasn’t promiscuous by enjoying the attentions of her husband, even though she barely knew him, she sniffed and blinked back the tears that were still threatening.  Pasting a smile on her face, she shook her head and shrugged slightly.  “There’s nothing to talk about.  I appreciate your…help this afternoon,” she said for lack of a better word.  “I’ll let you know if we were successful in our endeavors.”

Jason couldn’t believe his ears.  Was she really dismissing him after their afternoon together?  Had she faked what had happened?  Everything inside him told him to stay and talk to her, find out why she was so stiff and formal, demand that the warm, wonderful and beautiful woman who had let herself go, who had fallen apart in his arms be returned.  But she seemed so fragile right at the moment.  He decided to give her a bit of space, to walk away and let her come to terms with their afternoon.

“We’ll talk this weekend, okay?” he asked.

Emma nodded.  At that point, she would have agreed to walk over hot coals if it meant that she was out of danger of throwing herself back into his arms again.  “Thank you.  Nancy will show you out,” she said with a wobbly voice. 

“I can see my way out, Emma.  But we’ll be in touch.”

Emma watched with misery as Jason walked away.  She bit her lower lip to keep herself from calling him back.  When the front door closed behind him, she broke down, releasing all the pent up tears she’d been holding back since he’d walked into the room. 

Several hours later, Nancy stood in the doorway.  “How about some dinner?” she suggested hopefully.  “Just something light?”

Emma smiled slightly but shook her head.  “
Th
ank you, but I’m really not hungry right now.”

Nancy hesitated, thinking to argue but after a hesitation, she nodded and walked away. 

Emma pushed herself to get ready for bed, refusing to look at herself in the mirror.  She tied her red hair back into a braid, hating the color today, well, and most days.  Her father said that the color of her hair was an indication of her rebellious spirit and her
bad core.  Emma didn’t understand that, but couldn’t count the number of times she wished she had the money to dye her hair, just so he couldn’t rail about how ugly it was or how it represented how bad she was.  According to her father, God only gave Satan spawns red hair so they could go out into the world and seduce the men and create horrible children. 

Sliding into bed that night, she prayed hard, asking God to forgive her for today.  She didn’t understand why she’d acted in that manner but she would try very hard not to do it again.  And if she did, she wouldn’t enjoy it, she promised. 

As she pulled her pillow closer, she thought she heard a soft, gentle laugh.  And in her mind, she pictured God shaking his head and pulling the sheet up higher over her shoulder.  She was being silly and fanciful, but the thought of God looking down on her, despite all her errors today, was a comforting thought. 

“Emma, there’s a gentleman on the phone for you,” Nancy said as Emma searched through the newspaper.  She’d been circling various help wanted advertisements, but she wasn’t coming up with many options. 

“Thank you, Nancy,” she said and took the cordless phone from Nancy.  “Hello?”
 

“Emma, why don’t you have a cell phone?” Jason demanded by way of a greeting.  “I shouldn’t need to call you at the house when I need to reach you.”

Emma wasn’t sure what to say.  Honesty, she though with a sigh.  “My father didn’t think it was necessary.”

“And now that your father is gone?”  He waited for a moment and then shook his head.  “Emma, go get yourself a cell phone.  It’s safer when you’re out doing whatever it is you do during the day, and it will allow me to reach you more easily.”

Emma bit her lip, glad that he couldn’t see her face.  Closing her eyes, she shook her head in shame.  “Jason, I don’t have the money for a cell phone.  Besides, I don’t really go out and do anything besides walk to the library and back.”

“You don’t spend your days shopping for more of those hideous jumpers?” he asked and Emma had to laugh at the teasing tone in his voice. 

“No.  I’m pretty well stocked up on those hideous jumpers,” she replied, laughing slightly at his apt description. 

“I’ll have someone send over a phone.  And a credit card.  This time, Emma, don’t turn down my money.”

She was thoroughly sick of following someone else’s orders, but the thought of having her very own cell phone was a very nice surprise.  Not that she had anyone to call. 

“Anyway, that wasn’t why I called you.  I wanted to ask a favor.”

“Of course,” she said, sitting up taller in her chair.  It was exciting to think that Jason, who never seemed to need anyone, was actually asking her for a favor! 
“How can I help?”