This Man Confessed
Page 16
My unreasonable, challenging, neurotic control freak.
My ex-playboy.
And now my husband.
I need to touch him.
I approach quietly, my eyes getting more and more delighted the closer I get, my skin starting to prickle with the usual sparks that simmer between our bodies. ‘I know when you’re near, beautiful girl.’ He doesn’t look around. ‘You’ll never get away with that.’
I move around in front of him and climb onto his lap, planting my cheek on his chest.
His arms engulf me and his face plummets into my hair. ‘Trying to sneak up on me?’
‘It never works.’
‘It never will. How are you feeling this morning?’
I smile into his chest. ‘Fine.’
‘Fine.’ He replies, pulling me in closer. ‘Don’t go to work tomorrow.’
I sag in his lap slightly, even though I knew what was coming. I agreed to marry him so soon if he accepted that there will be no honeymoon, and if he agreed to chill out on the overprotectiveness and unreasonableness. My instincts told me he’d fail on all counts. I pull myself up and face him. ‘I need to work.’
He shakes his head. ‘You don’t need to work at all. We need to be together.’
‘We are together.’
‘You know what I mean.’ he grumbles.
I’m going to get nowhere with this, so I remove myself from his lap and head for the bath.
‘What are you doing?’ he asks my back.
I don’t need to turn around for visual confirmation of the scowl I know covers his face. ‘Having a bath.’ I climb in and settle back, but almost instantly move forward to give him space.
He climbs in and settles behind me, pulling me back to rest on his chest and homing straight in on my ear, giving a little growl and a nibble. ‘I’ve told you before, don’t fight me off.’
‘Then stop making unreasonable demands.’ I retort harshly.
He bites down harder on my lobe. ‘And I’ve also told you that before. There is nothing unreasonable about wanting to keep you safe.’
‘You mean keep me to yourself.’ I close my eyes and let my head relax against him, my palms sliding onto his strong, wet thighs.
‘No,’ His fingers lace through mine. ‘To keep you safe.’
‘You use that as an excuse for your unreasonable behaviour.’
‘No. You make me crazy.’
‘You make yourself crazy. I’m going to work tomorrow and you are going to let me, and you’re not going to make a fuss of it. You promised.’
I feel his mouth at my ear again, and I use every modicum of strength to restrain my moan. ‘But you promised to obey me. I think marriage vows over-ride any promises that were made before.’ He pushes himself up against my bum. ‘Does someone need some sense fucked into them?’
I jerk, sending water swishing around us. I’d love some sense fucked into me, but I still won’t relent. ‘You also promised to stop fucking sense into me because it was agreed that all of the sense only makes sense to you.’ I’m beginning to wish we’d never made that agreement. Sense fucking equals hard fucking.
‘Love, honour and obey.’ he whispers, and my face naturally turns into that low, husky voice, my lips finding his. ‘That makes sense, doesn’t it?’
‘No,’ I breathe. ‘Hardly anything you demand makes sense.’
‘We make sense.’ He swamps me with his mouth. ‘Tell me we make sense.’
‘We make sense.’
‘Good girl. Sit up so I can bathe you.’ He drops my lips, leaving me feeling deserted, and pushes me forward in front of him. ‘We’ll have breakfast with your family, then I’m taking you home. Deal?’
‘Deal.’ I agree. I can’t wait to go home but I absolutely can wait to go downstairs and face Kate and Dan. Stupid, stupid Kate. I’m not even going to try and work out what the hell she’s thinking, and I suspect she doesn’t even know herself. Will she even remember? She was pretty pissed. And Sam. I inwardly groan. How am I going to face Sam knowing this?
‘What are you thinking about?’ Jesse asks, pulling me back to the here and now.
‘Kate.’ I answer immediately. ‘I’m thinking about Kate and Sam.’
‘I’ve told you A…’
‘Don’t tell me it’s none of my business, Jesse.’ I cut him off completely. ‘She’s my best friend. I feel like I’m watching a car crash in slow motion. I need to stop it.’
‘No, you need to mind your own business, Ava.’ he scorns me harshly. ‘You’re done.’ He places the sponge on the edge of the bath and rises behind me, stepping out and grabbing a towel. ‘Wash your hair.’ He rubs himself down and wraps the towel around his waist. ‘Maybe you could show as much concern for a little detail in our relationship that needs addressing.’ He drills holes into me with an expectant look, and I immediately forget all issues relating to Sam and Kate, but I don’t embrace his new-found talent for talking. Instead, I slide down the bath and immerse myself in the bubbly water. I’m still not ready, and I notice that his new talking ability is only used on subjects of his choice.
I’m not looking at him, but I know he’s just rolled his eyes. He can roll his eyes all he likes. I’m dealing with this in my own way. And that way is to wedge my head as far underground as I can get it.
* * *
We walk into restaurant of The Manor hand in hand and are immediately greeted by loud clapping and cheering. The first things I notice, apart from the noise, is Kate’s obvious hangover, and across the room, Dan’s glacial glare, pointed right at Jesse.
My husband either notices neither or ignores them both, because he scoops me right up and strides through the tables, places me neatly on a chair opposite my mum and dad, then takes one up next to me.
‘Darling!’ My mum’s excited shriek hammers at my ears. ‘What a wonderful day it was, despite a certain difficult man.’ She glares across the table at Jesse.
‘Good morning, Elizabeth.’ Jesse beams at my mum, and she rolls her eyes, but I can tell she’s restraining a fond smile. ‘How are you, Joseph?’
My dad nods while carving through a sausage. ‘Very well. Did you two enjoy your day?’
‘We did, thank you. Are you being looked after?’ Jesse casts his eyes around the restaurant, obviously checking that the staff is seeing to the remaining guests.
‘Too well.’ Dad laughs. ‘We’ll be hitting the road after breakfast, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your hospitality. It really was a special day.’
I smile at my dad and his graciousness, his manners never failing him. I’m glad they enjoyed themselves. ‘Is Dan going back with you?’ I ask, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh no, has he not told you?’ mum asks.
Jesse butters some toast and takes my hand, placing the bread in my grasp and nodding at it, his silent instruction to eat. ‘Told me what.’ I ask before wrapping my lips around the edge.
‘He’s staying in London for a while.’ Mum starts cutting the fat off my dad’s bacon, and I cough.
My ex-playboy.
And now my husband.
I need to touch him.
I approach quietly, my eyes getting more and more delighted the closer I get, my skin starting to prickle with the usual sparks that simmer between our bodies. ‘I know when you’re near, beautiful girl.’ He doesn’t look around. ‘You’ll never get away with that.’
I move around in front of him and climb onto his lap, planting my cheek on his chest.
His arms engulf me and his face plummets into my hair. ‘Trying to sneak up on me?’
‘It never works.’
‘It never will. How are you feeling this morning?’
I smile into his chest. ‘Fine.’
‘Fine.’ He replies, pulling me in closer. ‘Don’t go to work tomorrow.’
I sag in his lap slightly, even though I knew what was coming. I agreed to marry him so soon if he accepted that there will be no honeymoon, and if he agreed to chill out on the overprotectiveness and unreasonableness. My instincts told me he’d fail on all counts. I pull myself up and face him. ‘I need to work.’
He shakes his head. ‘You don’t need to work at all. We need to be together.’
‘We are together.’
‘You know what I mean.’ he grumbles.
I’m going to get nowhere with this, so I remove myself from his lap and head for the bath.
‘What are you doing?’ he asks my back.
I don’t need to turn around for visual confirmation of the scowl I know covers his face. ‘Having a bath.’ I climb in and settle back, but almost instantly move forward to give him space.
He climbs in and settles behind me, pulling me back to rest on his chest and homing straight in on my ear, giving a little growl and a nibble. ‘I’ve told you before, don’t fight me off.’
‘Then stop making unreasonable demands.’ I retort harshly.
He bites down harder on my lobe. ‘And I’ve also told you that before. There is nothing unreasonable about wanting to keep you safe.’
‘You mean keep me to yourself.’ I close my eyes and let my head relax against him, my palms sliding onto his strong, wet thighs.
‘No,’ His fingers lace through mine. ‘To keep you safe.’
‘You use that as an excuse for your unreasonable behaviour.’
‘No. You make me crazy.’
‘You make yourself crazy. I’m going to work tomorrow and you are going to let me, and you’re not going to make a fuss of it. You promised.’
I feel his mouth at my ear again, and I use every modicum of strength to restrain my moan. ‘But you promised to obey me. I think marriage vows over-ride any promises that were made before.’ He pushes himself up against my bum. ‘Does someone need some sense fucked into them?’
I jerk, sending water swishing around us. I’d love some sense fucked into me, but I still won’t relent. ‘You also promised to stop fucking sense into me because it was agreed that all of the sense only makes sense to you.’ I’m beginning to wish we’d never made that agreement. Sense fucking equals hard fucking.
‘Love, honour and obey.’ he whispers, and my face naturally turns into that low, husky voice, my lips finding his. ‘That makes sense, doesn’t it?’
‘No,’ I breathe. ‘Hardly anything you demand makes sense.’
‘We make sense.’ He swamps me with his mouth. ‘Tell me we make sense.’
‘We make sense.’
‘Good girl. Sit up so I can bathe you.’ He drops my lips, leaving me feeling deserted, and pushes me forward in front of him. ‘We’ll have breakfast with your family, then I’m taking you home. Deal?’
‘Deal.’ I agree. I can’t wait to go home but I absolutely can wait to go downstairs and face Kate and Dan. Stupid, stupid Kate. I’m not even going to try and work out what the hell she’s thinking, and I suspect she doesn’t even know herself. Will she even remember? She was pretty pissed. And Sam. I inwardly groan. How am I going to face Sam knowing this?
‘What are you thinking about?’ Jesse asks, pulling me back to the here and now.
‘Kate.’ I answer immediately. ‘I’m thinking about Kate and Sam.’
‘I’ve told you A…’
‘Don’t tell me it’s none of my business, Jesse.’ I cut him off completely. ‘She’s my best friend. I feel like I’m watching a car crash in slow motion. I need to stop it.’
‘No, you need to mind your own business, Ava.’ he scorns me harshly. ‘You’re done.’ He places the sponge on the edge of the bath and rises behind me, stepping out and grabbing a towel. ‘Wash your hair.’ He rubs himself down and wraps the towel around his waist. ‘Maybe you could show as much concern for a little detail in our relationship that needs addressing.’ He drills holes into me with an expectant look, and I immediately forget all issues relating to Sam and Kate, but I don’t embrace his new-found talent for talking. Instead, I slide down the bath and immerse myself in the bubbly water. I’m still not ready, and I notice that his new talking ability is only used on subjects of his choice.
I’m not looking at him, but I know he’s just rolled his eyes. He can roll his eyes all he likes. I’m dealing with this in my own way. And that way is to wedge my head as far underground as I can get it.
* * *
We walk into restaurant of The Manor hand in hand and are immediately greeted by loud clapping and cheering. The first things I notice, apart from the noise, is Kate’s obvious hangover, and across the room, Dan’s glacial glare, pointed right at Jesse.
My husband either notices neither or ignores them both, because he scoops me right up and strides through the tables, places me neatly on a chair opposite my mum and dad, then takes one up next to me.
‘Darling!’ My mum’s excited shriek hammers at my ears. ‘What a wonderful day it was, despite a certain difficult man.’ She glares across the table at Jesse.
‘Good morning, Elizabeth.’ Jesse beams at my mum, and she rolls her eyes, but I can tell she’s restraining a fond smile. ‘How are you, Joseph?’
My dad nods while carving through a sausage. ‘Very well. Did you two enjoy your day?’
‘We did, thank you. Are you being looked after?’ Jesse casts his eyes around the restaurant, obviously checking that the staff is seeing to the remaining guests.
‘Too well.’ Dad laughs. ‘We’ll be hitting the road after breakfast, so I’ll take this opportunity to thank you for your hospitality. It really was a special day.’
I smile at my dad and his graciousness, his manners never failing him. I’m glad they enjoyed themselves. ‘Is Dan going back with you?’ I ask, trying to sound casual.
‘Oh no, has he not told you?’ mum asks.
Jesse butters some toast and takes my hand, placing the bread in my grasp and nodding at it, his silent instruction to eat. ‘Told me what.’ I ask before wrapping my lips around the edge.
‘He’s staying in London for a while.’ Mum starts cutting the fat off my dad’s bacon, and I cough.
