The Reluctant Wife: Chapter 13

‘No, you can’t go out with your friends,’ I say through gritted teeth.

We’re standing in the living room of the suite. It’s my self-designated neutral area and the only part of the suite I allow myself to enter.

Seeing her belongings strewn around the bedroom, not to mention the sight of her unmade bed, makes me want to throw her down on it and cover her body with mine. Her scent is overpowering in the space, and I have this primitive need to jerk off on her to mark her as mine. The result? I don’t trust myself to be alone with her. I’ve made sure not to be alone with her since the day she undressed in front of me.

On the positive side, there have been no notes left in her room. Given I booked out the entire floor and have my team staying in all the rooms, as well as having two of them guard the entrance to our suite around the clock, no one should be able to get to her. I’ve also employed some of the best investigators in the business to track down the person who left the note in her previous room. I will not rest until I neutralize this threat to her. I’m doing my best to keep her safe.

I managed to avoid her all day until she finally cornered me.

“I’m tired of having my meals by myself in the restaurant downstairs. And if I’m forced to have another late-night drink alone in the empty hotel bar, I’ll scream.” She pouts.

Damn! That ‘O’ shape of her pink lips makes me wonder how it’d feel to have it wrapped around my cock. I shove the thought out of my head and focus on the princess.

“You were by yourself because we cleared out the space for your safety,” I say in my most professional tone.

“Whatever.” She tosses her head, then fixes me with a regal look on her face that makes me want to kiss it right off.

My cock hardens further. Down boy. Get your head back in the game. The one at the top of my neck, I mean.

“My point is, I need some time away from this hotel.” Her tone turns pleading. “Besides—” She widens her gaze. “You have an entire battalion guarding me. Surely, I’m safe on an evening out at a restaurant? Nothing can happen to me when you’re around, can it?”

And now, she’s trying to appeal to my pride in a bid to have me loosen the reins on her. I’m not falling for that gimmick.

‘I will not compromise on your safety,’ I growl.

‘Exactly. If you’re there, I’m sure you’ll stop anyone from coming near me. So, I have nothing to fear, right?’ She flutters her long, thick eyelashes at me, and my chest squeezes.

Goddam, this woman’s a witch. There’s no other explanation for why I lose my composure around her.

‘There’s a limit to my effectiveness. If I take you somewhere public, it raises the chances of the person who wrote that note tracking you down. I’m trying to ensure your security.’

‘And I can’t spend all evening cooped up in here⁠—’

‘You have the gym and the pool, and the salon within the hotel⁠—’

‘I need to go somewhere not within this hotel. If it weren’t for the work events, I’d’ve gone crazy by now.’ She throws up her hands. ‘I can’t believe I said that. Do you know how much I hate most of those commitments? But being cooped up here, I actually look forward to being out there and on display.’

I knit my eyebrows. ‘I thought you liked being out and about, meeting people?’

‘Oh, I do. Especially when it means I can read to kids in school or meet children in the hospital and raise funds for them; it’s very fulfilling. But it can also grow tedious, you know? After a while, it gets tiring to put on another dress and go to another society event.’

‘So, why do you do it?’

She rubs at her temple. ‘It’s my responsibility to represent Verenza overseas and create awareness of it as a tourist destination.’ She shrugs. ‘It probably seems like I’m complaining too much. After all, anyone would want to be in my shoes, wearing designer clothes and cavorting around with important people. I’m sure I seem spoiled to you.’ She looks uncertain.

Her insecurity tugs at my heart. I want to reassure her that she has a point. Even those who’re rich and titled have their issues. But I don’t move. If I touch her, I won’t be able to stop myself from holding her close and kissing her. And there’s only one way that can end.

Suddenly, she perks up. ‘Wait, what if my friends come here instead?’

I hate to crush her enthusiasm, but I respond, ‘Sorry, Princess. No one is supposed to know where you are, remember?’

Her shoulders drop, and she sighs. She trudges to the window and peeks out. She cuts a forlorn figure, standing in her yoga pants which cup her shapely arse and outline her gorgeous fleshy thighs. She’s wearing a T-shirt which proclaims: Bow down, peasants!

It had me chuckling when I saw it, but I managed to contain my mirth. Especially because I was distracted by how it stretches across her impressive rack and showcases her nipples. Damn.

She’s not wearing a bra, that much is clear. I almost told her off, then managed to stay silent at the last moment. She’s my principal, after all. And she’s doing it purposely to distract me, too. I’m not going to give her the benefit of realizing that she succeeded, either. If I did, it would only encourage her to find new ways of torturing my composure.

She looks magnificent and way too sexy to be shut in here on her own for the night. Especially since her event for the evening was cancelled at the last moment.

My chest tightens. I feel her frustration like it’s my own. Which…is wrong. I can’t let myself be this tuned into her. But she is my principal, and although my primary responsibility is to keep her safe, I’d also like to see her happy. And when she flattens her palm against the window and presses her forehead against the pane, my mind is made up.

‘You want to get out of here?’

She looks up at me, a dejected look on her face. Then, my words seem to sink in, and she spins around. ‘Do you mean that?’

I arch an eyebrow. ‘Not going to repeat myself, princess. If you want to leave this room and do something different⁠—’

‘I do.’ A big smile breaks out on her face. Her blue eyes sparkle. It’s like the sun’s rays bouncing off droplets of a waterfall and casting a rainbow in the sky. My heart stutters. My stomach ties itself in knots. I can only watch with a mixture of bemusement and arousal, and something resembling resignation when she bounces over to me and throws her arms about my neck. ‘Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.’

I tuck my elbows into my sides and will myself to stay unmoving. I pretend I don’t feel her breasts pushing up against my chest, or her scent playing havoc with my senses, or my cock pushing up against the zipper of my pants, wanting to nestle into the sweet triangle between her thighs.

She must sense my state of arousal though, for she freezes. Her neck muscles tighten. For a second, she stays there, plastered against me from thigh to hip to chest, then she begins to back away.

I should let her go. It’s wrong that I’m so attracted to her when I still haven’t come to terms with the death of my wife. I feel like I’ve compromised myself by kissing her, even after I found out she’s my principal. If I do so again, there’ll be no turning back. And yet, when I take in her trembling lips and her big, blue eyes, every fiber in my being throbs with the need to have my arms around her…just one more time. Surely, it won’t mean anything?

I plant my hands on her hips and hold her there. A shudder grips her. And when I raise her so her feet no longer touch the floor, and position her over the bulge at my crotch, she whimpers. Jesus.

The sound goes straight to my head, and yes, also to my groin. I feel myself harden further. She holds onto my shoulders, then brings her legs around my waist, and locks her ankles behind my back. And when she raises her head to mine, her blue eyes turn turquoise. There’s no mistaking she’s turned on. Not when the pulse at the base of her throat flits like a butterfly caught in a spider’s web. And I’m the spider? I certainly want to ensnare her. I want to tie her up and eat her up. I lower my head to hers, and when my lips almost brush hers, I stop. I draw in her sweet breath, and my pulse rate spikes. Honeysuckle, vanilla and strawberries. ‘Is that your shampoo?’

‘What?’ She blinks.

‘Honeysuckle, vanilla and strawberries; your scent drives me crazy.’

‘It’s the lotion I use on my skin. It’s made specially for me.’

Her words remind me that she’s a princess. And I’m her bodyguard. And we each have our duties to fulfill. If I ignore my instincts, I’m going to pay for it. Like I did with Jane. I shouldn’t have married her. But the overwhelming emotions of being with her while on a mission blinded me. Every day, I regret not thinking through that decision. I can’t get carried away again.

I manage to keep my conflicted emotions off my face. Then, instead of kissing her, I straighten and walk toward her bedroom. I stop at the entrance, lower her to her feet, then step back. ‘Boots, jeans and a jacket.’

‘Now you’re telling me how to dress, hmm?’ She doesn’t seem put off by it. If anything, her pupils dilate.

‘You like it when I do,’ I point out.

She seems about to deny it then nods slowly. ‘I’ve never liked it when anyone else told me what to wear,’ she muses. The expression on her face is surprised. And so adorable. My heart kicks in my chest. My thigh muscles coil. I am in serious trouble. This is not just a physical attraction. It’s something more.

It involves real feelings. The kind I didn’t face with Jane. I didn’t plan for this kind of complication. If I touch her again, not only will I be breaking my professional code of ethics, but I also won’t be able to walk away from her. And I’m not ready for that kind of long-term relationship. Not again. Not after everything that went down with Jane. Not after how she betrayed me. Thankfully, I came to my senses before I kissed Aura again. One touch of her lips again, and I’ll lose my judgement completely. I need to let her down, gently.

‘Good.’ I dip my chin. And before I can stop myself, I’ve kissed her forehead.

Goddamn, I shouldn’t have done that. But the tenderness I feel for her is overwhelming. Combined with the protective instincts she arouses in me, it makes me want to get her out of here to a place where she’ll be safe. Where we’ll be free to explore this potent attraction between us. But we both have responsibilities to fulfill.

So, I step back and nod at her. ‘I’ll see you at the elevator in ten minutes.’