The Devil's Good Intentions (29 page)

He had never loved a woman before and wasn’t sure he was comfortable with the darker emotions that came out of this new experience. He did know that loving Katherine was as easy as breathing. He wondered how she felt about him. He knew that she definitely desired him, he had conditioned her body right from the start to purr for him whether she wanted it to or not. She was always ready for him and he was comforted with the knowledge that she trusted him. But could she ever love him? He had no doubt that she cared for him but he wanted more than that, he wanted her to crave him as he did her. He knew that she was over whelmed by his domineering ways and would continue to be overwhelmed as the years went by. If she thought him protective now then she was in for a shock when they would start attending social gatherings together. Even his brothers would prove to be over protective just as they were with Rachel and Angel.

Katherine stopped at the top of the stairs and placed her hand on her forehead with a great sigh. He could almost hear her thoughts. She was expecting the knowing glances and possibly the disapproving looks.

“
Go on Love, there’s a chess board with our names written on it.” he tried to encourage her.

He put his hand on the small of her back and gave her a gentle nudge. She sighed again and then stepped through the door.

Katherine felt her heart racing and could swear her heart beat was loud enough for Salvador to hear. He had driven her almost mad with need and brought her into that zone where she knew nothing of her surroundings. He did that every time. He would bring her to the point where she could only feel, hear and smell him…even taste him on the tip of her tongue. He would covet all of her senses making nothing else matter but him, until he gave her release. He had done it this time too, but once she came back to earth, she quickly remembered that there was a dinner party upstairs waiting for them who had all witnessed Salvador carrying her off like a pirate.

Her face heated up as she tried to stabilize her breathing and heart rate. The last thing she wanted was to draw even more attention to herself.

By the time they got to the study, she had felt the heat leave her face. When they entered, she saw Peter and Ed in the corner having some kind of heated debate and Angel, Alex and Simon dealing out a game of cards. Alex had a lazy smile on his face and his hair was a little ruffed up and Angel also seemed relaxed with the same lazy smile on her face and just a hint of pink to the hue of her skin. Charles and Rachel were nowhere to be found.

“
You see Love” Salvador whispered into her ear right before nipping at her earlobe.

“
Devil” she murmured back with a smirk on her face.

Angel looked up and smiled, then nodded her head for them to come join them.

“
After” Salvador responded to her invite.

Salvador placed his hand on the back of her neck and led her to the chess table while rubbing his thumb back and forth in a soothing motion. None of the men looked at them with knowing looks; they all appeared to be uninterested in their scandalous behaviour.

She wondered if Alex and Charles threw their wives over their shoulders after they left, carrying them off to god knows where or if they simply strolled out of the room together.

The pieces for the chess set were already in place. Of course Salvador placed her at the white set while he took the black one.

Not too long into the game, Charles and Rachel returned. Charles strolled over to Peter and Ed while Rachel nodded at Angel and strolled over to sit with Salvador and herself.

“
Finally you find a partner worthy of your skills, Salvador” Rachel commented as she studied the board.

“
Indeed.” Salvador replied as he scowled at the board in concentration.

“
During my seclusion there wasn’t much to keep me entertained, so I used to set up my chess board and study the game through trial and error. It kept me occupied for the most part.” She explained, as though living as she did was nothing out of the norm.

Sometimes she would fear what people would think of her and worried they would label her a freak. Most women would have turned tricks in order to survive and she suspected that the ton would speculate on that if they ever learned her history. She did however feel comfortable enough with Rachel to speak about her past without feeling shame. Even Angel had questioned her earlier. Her questioning was not out of criticism or to make her feel uncomfortable, Katherine actually felt as though Angel admired her for her survival skills. She laughed at herself for feeling so nervous about meeting Salvador’s chosen family. They had made her feel comfortable and accepted right off the bat. The brothers were funny, witty and endearing and the women were the pillars of the family. Kat even felt a sense of protectiveness over this family and couldn’t imagine anyone breaking it apart. They had made her feel more accepted than her own family had and she already cherished them. When Ed and Peter were scolding her for climbing trees, she could see the worry and concern in their eyes and the fear for what might have happened. Her Father knew that she climbed trees in her youth, but he never said a word against it because it got her out of his hair. Sometimes she thought about purposely falling out of the tree and injuring herself just to see if he would care.

After their chess game they joined Alex, Simon and Angel at the card table. When they finished their hand - they dealt Rachel, Salvador and herself into the game. The others kept to their corner and continued their heated debate about god knows what.

After several rounds of cards they all joined together and discussed everything from town gossip that could potentially affect them, past adventures and upcoming adventures. They never once treated Katherine as an outsider and always made sure to include her in the conversation. Salvador had taken a seat in an oversized armchair and prompted her to sit with him, but Katherine felt more comfortable stretched out on the floor. They were seated near the fire and she loved the warmth of the flames. She ended up taking off her kid slippers and placing them under the chair before seating herself with her back to Salvador but planted firmly between his legs, resting her head on his knee. Nobody blinked twice about the gesture and Salvador took advantage by taking a fistful of her hair and twining her strands through his fingers as they all spoke.

This to her is what home should feel like. The only thing missing were the children. She closed her eyes and let the conversation in the room overpower her thoughts. The only thing that she felt at the moment was the heat from the fire place and the gentle strokes in her hair. She was content and to be honest she didn’t want this evening to end. This is what she always dreamed of while growing up. She wanted the large family who accepted and loved each other. Her household was a far cry from that. While growing up, each person would go their own way after supper. They very rarely cherished time together as a family and when they did, it was only for show for whoever was observing them. She had envied her best friends family while growing up. Jessica Van Horne had a close family who would play instruments and sing together, doing all the things that a normal family should do. Katherine would visit as much as possible and try to pretend that she was part of their family. The only difference between the Van Horne’s and the brotherhood was that even though they were nice to her, they made it clear that her family was waiting for her at home, whereas the brotherhood made her feel as though she was already home.

She had made a couple of attempts to try and draw her mother and father into the same room and do something as a family, but it failed each time. Her father was either too drunk to care or her mother was too annoyed with her father to want to stay in the same room. They even slept in separate bedrooms as did the Van Horne’s. When Katherine arrived at the Cresta Estate the first night and was informed that she would be sharing the chamber with Salvador, she was shocked but grateful none the less.

Watching Salvador converse with his brothers and their wives made her feel as though she was seeing another side of him, a more domesticated side. The children that she envisioned running around the room were theirs and it was that thought that gave her a pang in her heart. When she was living in seclusion she had accepted that she would die in seclusion as well. The only thing that she regretted was never having children. Of course she wasn’t in a position at that time to have children, but even still she had always wanted them. At this moment she could envision Salvador with a sleeping babe in his arms or bumping the child on his knees. He would make the perfect father. He was responsible, authoritative, attentative, caring, and dutiful. As a husband he took very good care of her, although he was a tad domineering at times. When he released his desire for her he was completely in charge. Sometimes she felt weak because of it, but other times she was grateful because he had more life experience and she didn’t have to think – just do. The thought of another man touching her was not appealing and the thought of being separated from him tore at her heart. She had feared that she would fall in love with him and now she feared even more that it had already happened. She was scared that he would see that as a weapon to use against her to keep her in line. She had also rebuked their marriage so adamantly in the beginning and now only a short time later she found herself embracing it for dear life. Would he laugh and mock her for it? She didn’t think so, but the fear that he would was very real and she couldn’t risk being made the fool.

Alex and Angel stood up and stretched, breaking into her thoughts.

“
Well, it’s been a good evening but we’re off to bed” Alex declared as he wrapped his arm around his wife and pulled her towards the door.

“
Night” each person said as they watched them stumble away.

Charles walked over to the liquor table and poured them each a glass of brandy and served it out to them. They all spoke for a little while longer and when everyone’s drink was empty, the men all stood helping their wives up at the same time.

Katherine was a little confused as they all strode out of the room and made their way to the stairs. Salvador hooked his arm through hers and led them upstairs. When they reached the top, they all mumbled their good nights and then separated into different sections of the wing.

“
Salvador?” She questioned him.

“
It’s late love and morning isn’t too long of a ways away.” He responded to her as he opened a door and pulled her through.

“
We’re sleeping here?” She asked as her eyes roamed the beautiful room they were now standing in.

“
Of course” He grinned while leading her to the bed.

On the bed was her nightgown laid as well as his robe.

“
And you knew?” She asked him again.

“
Of course - each week we have these dinners, we always spend the night and leave after lunch the following day.” He explained.

“
And you didn’t think to tell me this sooner?”

“
No. I packed up everything you would need and made sure you were well taken care of. I knew you were nervous about meeting the brotherhood and didn’t want to add onto that stress.”

“
Do you always need to be the only one in the know?” She asked with annoyance as he helped her unbutton her dress.

“
You’ll get used to it” he replied. She could hear the grin on his face. “Admit it, you love your new family and are only annoyed at me for with-holding information from you, but are secretly thrilled that you’ll get to see them again tomorrow.”

She sighed. Again Salvador had observed correctly.

“
That’s besides the point.” She huffed out as she let the dress fall to the floor around her and reached for the nightgown.

Salvador snatched it out of her hands and tossed it on the chair beside the bed.

“
Since when have I allowed you to sleep in our bed wearing anything but your skin?” He gently growled at her as he ran his hands up and down her naked arms.

“
That’s just the thing, this is not “our bed” Salvador.”

“
Regardless. I will not have material as a barrier between us.”

He reached around her and pulled her naked body against his. His skin was like fire and she felt as though she was being burnt with his desire. He cupped both breasts in his hands and teased her nipples erect. Leaning her head back against his shoulder, she let out a sigh as her body leapt to life under his touch. She felt his hardened shaft against the small of her back and reached around to stroke it. He groaned into her ear and traced a hand down to the core of her body. Tracing her thumb over the crown of his shaft, she smiled in triumph when he flinched. As she stroked her hand down again and then back up to tease his crown, he slipped two fingers into her. Without removing his fingers, he stepped around in front of her making her lose her grip on his shaft. Using his fingers, he pulled her across the room and sat himself on a chair. With his fingers still firmly planted in her, he positioned her in front of him and gently kicked her feet apart.