Beyond 10 Nights (29 page)

“Is everything alright, sweetheart?” Rhett pulled back
for a moment to look her in the face before pulling her against him so he could
caress her hair while she rested her cheek on his chest. He couldn’t help but
wonder if she was having second thoughts about coming home with him; he hadn’t
actually asked her what she wanted to do, and knew it was conceited of him to
have assumed that she would want to be with him.

“I’m just thinking how glad I am that you’re okay,” Leah
told him. It was the truth, even if it wasn’t the whole truth. If she allowed
the night to go the way she knew it was heading, and the way she wanted it to
go, she knew he would expect her to give up Alex. As much as she loved the man
holding her, there was a part of her that cared deeply for Alex, and she simply
wasn’t ready to give him up.

What she needed was time to think, to work out what it
was she wanted, and most importantly, which man she wanted most.

Rhett was pleased to hear that that was what was on
her mind, he’d worried that she would demand he take her home, and the thought
of being without her was agonizing. All he wanted was to take her up to his
bedroom and love her until she knew just how much he cared for her. If she
needed space later, they would deal with that when the time came.

“I need you so much right now, baby, the thought of
losing you almost drove me crazy.” He wanted her to understand just how much
she meant to him.

How could she argue with that, she wondered; the
flutter of excitement that being with him always brought increased until she
felt as though there was an entire flight of butterflies in her stomach. “I
need you too, Rhett,” she lifted her head and placed her hand on his strong
jaw, looking up into his eyes, “but…”

She never got to finish what she was trying to say,
his lips returned to hers and she responded once more. Fireworks sparked
between them as their tongues danced and his hand moved down to cup her breast,
his thumb running across the thin material that separated her nipple from his
touch.

He wanted to devour her, to sink so deeply into her
flesh that there remained no doubt about who she belonged to. While one hand
remained on her breast, teasing the nipple through her top, his other tangled
in her long, thick hair, forcing her neck to arch back as he kissed her neck
and nipped lightly at her, enjoying the whimper of need that escaped her lips.

“Please, I want you,” Leah whispered in a voice filled
with desire as he lowered his head to take her nipple between his teeth through
her top; she knew his driver was still there but didn’t care, she felt brazen
right then, and desperate for him, and knew if he didn’t take her inside soon
she would rip her top open to give him better access and beg him to take her up
against the car.

It was the sound of the trunk closing, as his driver
took out his luggage, that brought Rhett to his senses and reminded him of
where they were. Immediately he pulled back from Leah and lifted her into his
arms, carrying her up the steps and into the house through the door that was
being held open for them. He gave Edwin the barest nod of acknowledgment on his
way past, heading for the stairs, which he took as quickly as he could.

Leah clung to him as he ascended the stairs and he
knew it was not going to be the sweet lovemaking he had originally intended, he
was no longer in the mood for that, and he sensed she wasn’t either.

Kicking the bedroom door closed the moment he was
through, Rhett finally set he down. “Undress now,” he commanded as he began
shucking his clothes, ripping the buttons from his shirt in his haste; he
didn’t care though, he was in far too much of a hurry to get inside her to
worry about something so insignificant.

A part of her screamed that she should slow things down,
that she shouldn’t be allowing it to happen, but even as the thought passed
through her mind her hands fumbled with her clothing. Her body was on fire and
she knew the only thing that would extinguish the flames was surrendering to
the passion she felt for him.

He was just as desperate as she was and when she
didn’t get her clothes off quickly enough for him, he ripped them from her as
though he were a man possessed.

She felt no shame as the last of her clothes were torn
from her body and she was left open to his gaze, she just stood there, allowing
his eyes to roam over her body. He did that for just a few moments before
picking her up and tossing her onto the bed as if she weighed no more than a
child. He joined her almost before she hit the sheets, his hands everywhere,
constantly moving, stroking and caressing her body, going from her breasts to
between her legs and back again.

His mouth was just as restless and ruthless, suckling
on her breasts and then moving down her body to devour her core. In no time she
was drenched and begging for him to take her, he didn’t let up though,
alternating between his tongue and his fingers, wanting to make her scream in
release before he gave her what she wanted.

While she was still high from her orgasm he slid his finger
from her drenched sheath and moved it toward her tight rosebud. Slowly he slid
home inside her rear channel as he took her tender nipple between his teeth and
nibbled on it lightly. He loved how she writhed on the bed, pushing her hips up
frantically, demanding even more from him despite already having peaked.

When he was sure she was ready he added a second
finger to the one already inside her, wanting to claim every orifice, to ensure
that she knew she was his.

She was going to come undone again, Leah thought as
her body writhed under his fingers and tongue. Crying out, she begged him to
stop, though it was the last thing she wanted, and she was glad when he ignored
her.

Her second orgasm made her scream so loud she was sure
all of Rhett’s servants must have heard her. Unable to take any more she pulled
away from him, sliding his fingers from her tight chamber.

Rhett didn’t let her get far; he took her by the hips
and pulled her back to him, parting her knees. With one quick stroke he
penetrated her, burying himself to the hilt in her. He paused for a second,
just one, and then he rode her, hard and fast, as though they would never have
a chance like it again.

He enjoyed how her velvet sheath gripped him tight as
he thrust in and out of her rapidly. She belonged to him, and he wanted to
brand her his with each stroke as he built to his own peak.

Leah couldn’t believe it when a third orgasm shook her
body; all she could do was hold on tight to him, her nails digging into his
back, as he left her breathless. Her body ached and her chest heaved, and she
knew he had never loved her so well before.

He was so close to fulfillment that his body demanded
he continue driving into her, even as his mind reminded him he was unprotected.
The mental reminder gave him pause and he quickly pulled himself from her so he
could turn her over. With more gentleness than he had shown her ravaged core,
he slowly inched inside her rear channel, gritting his teeth at the way she
squeezed him tight.

She cried out softly as he pulled her up to her knees
and began to ride her slowly, increasing his pace gradually. He held on to her
hips with one hand, while the other reached around her to tug gently on her
clit piercing. The sensation was a mixture of pleasure and pain as his momentum
built until he was again riding her mercilessly, forcing fresh cries from her
with every thrust.

She couldn’t believe it when her body exploded for a
fourth time, she had thought it amazing to achieve three orgasms in a single
night, four was beyond belief, and as much as her body could cope with. Letting
out a scream that echoed off the walls she collapsed onto the bed, pulling
herself from him painfully.

Just as exhausted, Rhett collapsed next to her and the
pair of lay there for several long minutes, struggling to catch their breath,
both equally stunned by the intensity of their lovemaking.

“Are you okay, sweetheart?” Rhett whispered the
question, when he could finally breathe again. He hadn’t meant to take her so
forcefully, but his desire had overtaken his sense once he was inside her.

Leah nodded wearily against his chest, too tired to do
more than that. Her body ached from his rough treatment of her, yet she already
wanted more; it was insanity to want and need something so desperately, she thought
in exhaustion, yet she couldn’t deny her body’s desires.

When he had his breathing under control Rhett go to
his feet, lifting Leah’s limp form into his arms he carried her into the bathroom,
mentally kicking himself for being so rough with her. Setting her gently on the
floor he started the shower; when the water was warm enough he helped her into
the shower and held her up as he began washing her, hoping to show that he
wasn’t the overwhelming beast he must have seemed such a short time before.

Tears filled her eyes as he washed her. She hated
herself for surrendering to the passion she felt for him, and felt guilty for
not even thinking about Alex after Rhett’s second kiss had inflamed her. The
return of Alex to her thoughts made her sob and once he had finished washing
her she stepped from the shower, leaving him to clean himself.

It wasn’t supposed to go the way it had, she thought
as she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her now trembling body. She had
planned only to talk to him, but seeing him again, after fearing so greatly for
him during the storm, had done things to her she hadn’t been prepared for.

“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked, stepping from
the shower when he saw how upset she was. “Did I hurt you?” He hated seeing her
cry, and felt like a complete ass for being so inconsiderate. He attempted to
pull her into his arms but she backed away. It was then that he knew something
was really wrong. “Talk to me, Leah, I can’t stand not knowing what’s wrong.”
Grabbing a towel he wrapped it around his waist and then forced his arms across
his chest to help him resist the urge to reach out to her again.

“We have to talk,” she whispered unhappily, hating the
tears that ran down her cheeks. She disliked them as much as Rhett did.

“Let’s talk then, sweetheart.” He kept his voice
measured and under control, though it wasn’t easy, her words had him worried,
and desperate to take her in his arms so he could beg forgiveness for hurting
her. He was sure, despite her words, that she was suffering from how roughly he
had used her body.

“Could we get dressed and do it somewhere else,
please?” She couldn’t stand there looking at his gorgeous body and not think of
wanting him again, no matter how wrong it was to think that way.

“Of course,” he said with a small grin, sure she just
wanted some reassurance that he wasn’t going to pounce on her again; right then
that was the last thing of his mind so she was perfectly safe from him. He led
the way into the bedroom, where they dried off and dressed; he was able to
replace her shirt but she was forced to forget about her underwear, which he
had torn from her body.

“Your study?” she asked, wanting to be as far from the
bedroom as possible in the hope that it would keep her mind on what she wanted
to talk about, and off what she wanted to be doing.

Rhett nodded and gestured toward the door. “After you,
sweetheart.” He couldn’t blame her for wanting to move to somewhere less
intimate, she was probably sore as hell, he thought, and needed to put a little
distance between them and a bed. Once again he felt guilty for having lost
control of himself.

Reaching the study they sat on the couch, a gap
between them. Leah bit on her lip as she tried to work out how to tell him what
she needed to say; that she needed time, and space, to get her thoughts in
order and work out what it was she wanted. Just sitting so close to him was
difficult for her; his very presence made her long to leap back into his arms.

“You know I love you, Rhett?” That seemed to be the
easiest way to start the conversation, she thought as she tried not to be
mesmerized by the look in his eyes.

“I love you too, sweetheart, more than I’ve ever loved
another person in my life.” He was determined to be honest with her and the way
her eyes widened at his words brought a smile to his lips, though he was sure
she had already known how he felt about her.

She had been sure of his feelings for her, but hearing
him admit to them so readily floored her. How could she look at the beautiful,
proud man next to her, as he confessed his love for her and demand some space.
She would be taking away the thing that mattered the most to him, it simply
didn’t seem right, and she worried at her lip again with her teeth.

“You’re going to scar those beautiful lips of yours if
you keep doing that, sweetheart, if you keep doing that. What is it you need to
tell me?” Though he knew he shouldn’t have, he couldn’t resist telling her to
stop.

Knowing that what he had said was true, she forced
herself to release her lip and take a deep breath. “I have feelings for Alex,
Rhett,” she said quickly, lowering her eyes as she spoke, not wanting to see
the hurt she was sure she must be causing him by her honesty.

Rhett hadn’t known what to expect of Leah, but if he
had been asked to guess, what she had said would have been last on his list.
Her words aroused his anger and he fought back the rage that grew within him.
Taking deep breaths he did his best to calm himself, knowing that if he spoke
before he got himself under control he would say something that would make
everything worse.