Foolish Expectations (15 page)

“W-why are you telling me this?”

His tone became more serious. “Because I want you to know what you’re getting yourself into. I’m not stupid, Bailey,” he said, anger lacing his words. “I can feel the gears grinding in your head, trying to figure out a way to keep me at a safe distance. I won’t let you do it. Not when I know we’re meant to be. I didn’t go through all of this for nothing.”

“Nash, I…” She tried to turn around to face him, but his hands on her waist tightened their grip, stilling her motion.

“If you give yourself to me now, I get all of you. There’s no going back. I mean it.”

He released her, walked past the bed, and plopped down in the upholstered chair to remove his boots. She winced as he chucked the first one on the floor. He hadn’t meant to get angry, but he had no doubt what he said was true. She was planning on holding back and not allowing herself to become attached. He saw the fear of it in her eyes and the way she tensed under his hands.

But what he was offering her wasn’t a sexual arrangement. He expected an emotional connection to his wife as much as a physical one, but that was just a symbol of what he was truly asking of her. In actuality, he wanted the one thing she probably would refuse to give him.

Trust.

He imagined just the thought of putting her faith in another man left her mouth dry and her head spinning with insecurities. Could she conquer her fears and let go of the doubts she had about this marriage? Would that be enough for them to make it work? Or would he only be setting himself up for heartbreak when she ran out on him?

Again.

Nash leaned back in the chair, watching her intensely. He made it clear he was waiting for a response. He wanted to exude confidence and warmth, but knew the determination he planted on his face would force her to make a decision. Because he wasn’t making a move until he received an answer to his unasked question:
Will you allow me to earn your trust?

There was a vulnerability in her eyes he’d never seen before. She was scared to death and examining her options. Not that he’d left her many. It was their wedding night, and he needed to know if she was willing to give this marriage a shot. A real one.

Years of being in a courtroom had taught him persuasion, but he wanted her to make this decision on her own. She needed to decide for herself if she was willing to take a chance on him, on them. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t offer her a helping hand.

He held out his palm. “Well?”

Bailey hesitated, but then accepted it. When he pulled her into his lap, she gave him a half-hearted smile. “Don’t hurt me,” she whispered.

Her words wounded him, cutting him deep. He knew what it cost her to say it out loud and hated how weak her voice sounded. “I wasn’t planning on it,” Nash said, gliding his fingers behind her neck.

He wanted to comfort her, assure her that he was the kind of man who deserved her trust, but telling her that wasn’t going to be enough. He needed to earn her trust. And that was exactly what he planned to do.

Nash pulled her closer and slowly brushed his mouth across hers, stopping for only a second to nibble lightly on her full lips. When she opened to allow him further access, Nash took the kiss to a deeper level and flexed his tongue against hers. Bailey melted into him, combing her fingers lightly through the hair at the back of his neck as he ran his in a straight line down her back, loosening the ties of her satin dress.

Impatiently, he pulled the dress down to her waist as she slid her arms out, leaving a pretty white bra covering her pert breasts. Nash nipped gently at one of the stiff peaks poking through the lacy fabric. Bailey shivered, and he raised an eyebrow.

“Sensitive,” Bailey explained, blushing a little as she reached back and removed her bra and let it fall down to the floor. “Because of the pregnancy, I guess.”

Nash raised one brow, then dropped his gaze to the rosy nubs before him. He thumbed over the other one with a light touch and she quivered once again. “Hmm. Interesting,” he said, then lowered his mouth to see if his tongue could cause the same reaction.

She squirmed in his lap until she couldn’t take it anymore. But he was glad they stopped when they did. The way she wiggled wildly over his erection—even through the layers of clothing—had his dick aching to get at her. But he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

He lifted her off him and stood, grasping the material around her waist. Then he shoved it down past her hips, exposing her white satin panties and allowing the dress to puddle around her feet. She stepped out of it, kicked off her heels, and started to remove her panties when Nash stopped her.

“Leave them on,” he commanded, motioning to the upholstered chair. “And sit down.”

She did as he asked, but wrinkled her brow. She didn’t seem to understand what he was doing. Not until he lowered himself in front of her and spread her legs wider. He peppered soft kisses over her thighs, then allowed his tongue to lightly trail upward until he reached the silky barrier.

He pressed his tongue firmly against the sleek undergarment, directly over her clit, and lapped at her repeatedly. As the smooth panties raked against her core, she moaned louder and louder. Nash grinned inwardly as he continued to pleasure her. He prided himself on being innovative in the bedroom, almost as much as he did in the courtroom.

Her heated flesh pulsated beneath the wet fabric and her thighs trembled. But the moment she began to buck, Nash gripped her hips tightly and slid two fingers under her satin panties, working them inside her. She fisted his hair as her inner muscles clamped down on his fingers and her body strained against his mouth.

When her energy stores depleted and the quivers subsided, Nash eased his fingers out of her and backed away, not allowing himself to touch her again so soon. Surely she would be sensitive all over.

Besides, he didn’t trust himself to let her fully recover before he bent her over the chair and took her in an animalistic fashion. And that wasn’t what he wanted for her on her wedding night.

He was eager to get inside her, but he wanted to make love to her, not go for instant gratification. He was already on the edge and knew he wouldn’t last more than a minute after watching all the erotic faces she’d pulled as she came on his tongue.

No woman had ever made him feel so weak, so out of control of his own body, but he needed to show her that she was in competent, capable hands.

If only I can get my fucking hands to quit shaking.

Chapter Seventeen

Bailey was afraid to open her eyes, for fear that she wouldn’t like the expression on his face.
Did he leave?
“Nash…?”

“I’m here, sweetheart.”

She let out a small sigh. “Is something wrong?”

“I just…need a minute.” His voice sounded strained.

Bailey wasn’t sure what to make of that. One minute, he had her seeing prisms of color from the powerful orgasm he gave her, and the next, her mind was wiped clean, worrying that he had a change of heart.
Why else would he pull away?

She opened her eyes and gazed at him. He was kneeling before her, head down, and breathing almost as heavily as her. “If you want to stop, I’ll understand.”

His head shot up, and his heated eyes met hers dead-on. But there wasn’t regret or rejection in them. Only hot desire, blazing through like a melting pot about to boil over. She remembered that look from their first time together.

“I don’t,” he assured her, rising quickly.

Bailey stiffened as Nash slid his hands under her, gently lifted her into his arms, and turned to lay her on the bed. Then he walked over to the dresser and blew out the candles one by one, leaving behind the faint scent of vanilla-infused smoke. Moonlight filtered through the open curtains as Nash removed his jeans and reached into the nightstand drawer, pulling out a condom.

“You don’t have to,” she said softly. “It’s not like I’m going to get pregnant or something.”

He paused, then dropped it back into the drawer before climbing on the bed and crawling up between her legs. He leaned forward on his forearms, holding himself above her while not allowing his weight to press into her. “Are you sure?”

In answer, she pulled his mouth to hers.

Nash kissed her deeply, while shifting himself into position at her entrance. The moment he nudged against her, she knew he had a hardcore super erection, one she instantly wanted inside her.
Guess he really hadn’t wanted to stop, after all.

He claimed her slowly, sinking into her inch by inch until he was seated deeply inside her. He stilled himself briefly, his eyes closed and his jaw held taut. “You okay?” he asked, while holding himself completely still.

Maybe I should ask him the same thing.
“Yes,” she whispered. There was a slight discomfort on her end, but she knew it would be over the moment he started moving.

And she was right.

Nash started slow with small thrusts, easing in and out of her in varying rhythms and alternating his motions. But even as he picked up speed, he still wasn’t doing so with the pizzazz he possessed the last time they were together.
Was he afraid of hurting her? Or the baby?
She thought she remembered reading somewhere about men who had an irrational fear of hurting their unborn child in the womb during sex.

She tried to match his thrusts and encouraged him to become more assertive, but he seemed motivated to continue at his current pace. Like he was messing with her, letting her slowly go mad beneath him, yet purposely dedicated himself to keeping her from flying off the orgasmic cliff.

The closer she got to the edge, the more he backed off. As if he didn’t care that she was way past critical and well overdue for another orgasm. And how the hell was he still going so long? She felt like they’d been screwing for damn near an eternity.
Just great. I married the fucking Energizer Bunny.

As urgency set in once again, she became more persistent, clawing at his back, feeling his dense muscles under her nails. She panted steadily, becoming more frazzled by the minute, a feeling she struggled to communicate. “Nash,” she pleaded. “I…I need to…”

She caught the sexy curve of his lips. “No, this is what you need,” he said, lowering his mouth to her ear as his voice softened. “You need your husband to make love to you.”

Ah, so that’s what he was doing: making love to his wife. All the extra attention he paid to the room’s details and consideration for her enjoyment was some sort of courting ritual. He was patiently worshipping her body to show her that this wasn’t just a fling. Not that she was complaining, but at least now it all made sense.

“If you liked what I did to you earlier, you’re going to love this.” Then he covered her mouth with his and slid one hand between them, touching her in just the right spot.

Remembering the sensations he’d already given her and feeling the new sensations he created within her, Bailey sighed against his lips.
Oh, God, his mouth…and fingers.

He pulled back again, his eyes flitting across her face. “I’m going to watch you come while I’m inside you. Ready?”

She blinked, fully alert, not knowing what the hell he was talking about. Ready? No, she wasn’t ready. She was…earlier. But he kept pulling her back from the brink.
I can’t possibly have an orgasm on command. Can I?

A smile played on his lips as he tilted his body more into hers, allowing himself deeper access. He obviously did so with a purpose. If it wasn’t her imagination, he seemed to be seeking…something. As if he was a pirate, searching her depths for lost treasure. He wore an unnerving stare and focused all his attention on maintaining the position until he found what he so diligently sought after.

Gradually, a slow flame sparked inside her, spreading warmth across her abdomen as it grew. Her vocalizations must’ve clued him in that he’d struck gold because his grin widened, and although he continued at the same enhanced angle, his thrusts strengthened, growing alarmingly fast in speed.

Her hand slid across the smooth sheets, clutching them in an effort to hang on to something tangible. Nash had ignited a fire inside her that made his every stroke more intricate, more vibrant. Then it became an incinerator until finally the ball of flames combusted, causing her toes to curl as she released a guttural moan. Hell, if she could’ve remembered his name, she would’ve screamed it.

Holy shit. It does exist.

Nash had hit a magic button somewhere inside her with precision and accuracy, and had just gifted her the ultimate orgasm. And her inner spasms had triggered his own grunting release.

When the erotic vibrations finally faded and the crippling sensations had evaporated, all that was left was a lingering heat between them. He held himself over her, staying entirely too still for her comfort, and panting heavily. His eyes stared down at her. Dreamy eyes that looked like ice crystals in the moonlight.

Damn it, Nash. I can’t fall for you. I just can’t.

So she looked away.

After a moment of silence, he sighed and collapsed on the bed beside her, draping a light arm over her waist. “Rest while you can. In a few minutes, we’re going to do it all over again.”

Her head snapped back to him. “We’re what?”

“You heard me. And we’re going to keep on doing it until you stop pulling away from me.”

Holy hell. He’s worse than the Energizer Bunny!

Chapter Eighteen

Nash hadn’t meant to overwhelm her. But he damn sure wasn’t going to apologize for making love to his wife all night long. It was their wedding night, after all. And well, frankly, she could’ve said no.
Thank God she didn’t.

A slow smile curved his lips. Nope, she hadn’t refused him at all.

In fact, she’d been more than willing to participate in the rest of the night’s events. By the time the sun rose above the horizon, Nash lay tangled in the sheets, completely relaxed, with Bailey curled into his chest and sleeping like a baby.