Tying the knot... or not?

~3~

Theo was finishing up a job in his workshop before lunch the following day when Emily strolled in, looking for all the world like a demure, rich debutante in a strait-laced, knee-length skirt, smart high-heeled shoes and a soft pink blouse which was buttoned up nearly to her neck. She'd tamed her wild curls into a sleek-looking knot on top of her head and her make-up was subtle and sparing.
She'd tied her personality down tight.
He felt oddly disconcerted by it.
Frustratingly, he'd not stopped thinking about her since he'd left her in his kitchen the day before, forcing himself to walk away from the bone-rattling sexual tension between them before he did something stupid like acting on it.
'You're early,' he said, glancing at his watch to confirm it was only eleven thirty.
She shrugged. 'I didn't want to be late and get off on the wrong foot with your mother.' She picked up a pair of his goggles from the workbench next to her. 'I guessed you might be in here, playing with your tools,' she said, holding the goggles up to her eyes and making a ridiculous-looking face at him.
He rolled his eyes and walked over to grab them from her, dumping them back onto the workbench.
He liked it that she was comfortable enough with her looks to know she could get away with making herself look stupid and not lose any of her appeal, but he didn't want to encourage her in case she did it in front of his mother. She liked ladies to be just that - ladies - and she wouldn't see the funny side of any larking about.
The goggles had left a smudge of dirt on Emily's nose, where they'd pressed against her skin, and without thinking he swiped his thumb gently over it, wiping it away.
She stared up at him with those striking eyes of hers and for a second, he couldn't move. It was as if she'd caught him in a tractor beam.
'Where's your mother?' she asked, her voice low and seductive.
They were standing so close he felt her breath on his skin.
A tug of longing pulled hard, deep inside him. 'In the house.'
She smelt amazing - like a spring garden in full bloom.
'We should probably get into character now, then, so we're comfortable walking in there together,' she said, and without warning she leaned up and forward on her toes, aiming her mouth to connect with his.
This time he reacted quickly, moving his head away from hers and putting a hand on her shoulder to keep her at a distance.
'What are you doing, Emily?'
'I'm greeting you in the manner of a devoted lover.'
'I don't kiss women I don't care about.' He refrained from adding any more.
Her brow pinched in jokey frustration. 'You and your crazy rules.'
He couldn't stop a snort of mirth from escaping. 'You're very forward.'
She gave a nonchalant shrug. 'I like sex and I'm not afraid to ask for what I want.'
'That much I already know.'
She let out a low sigh and took a step backwards, breaking the connection of his hand on her shoulder. 'I don't get it. I'm single, you're single - what's the problem?'
'I told you: this is a business relationship. I'm not looking for it to develop into anything more.'
'You know, usually the only time men act as if they don't like me is when they want me but think they're not allowed to have me.'
He folded his arms in front of his chest. 'You really believe I think I'm not allowed to have you?'
'Perhaps. There has to be some deep-seated angst simmering away under that tough outer shell of yours.'
'Maybe I don't find you attractive.'
She narrowed her eyes and gave him a discerning smile. 'Maybe.'
'Why do you want to sleep with me so badly?'
'Because you won't let me.' Her grin was wide and authentic. 'I'm just messing with you, Theo,' she said, slapping him gently on the arm.
He huffed out a laugh and tried to ignore the way his cock had hardened in response to her teasing. No way was he letting her get into his head, and he definitely wasn't interested in allowing her to flatter her way into his bed. He'd been burned like that before.
'Although I haven't had sex for months,' she continued, giving him that coy look she'd tried on him when they'd first met. 'I've been too busy at work to have any kind of fun outside it.'
The heat in his body seemed to increase tenfold. He pushed away the feeling. 'Speaking of life outside, I checked you out online. You have quite a presence in the gutter press.'
She shrugged and glanced away. 'I used to. I haven't done anything outrageous recently, so they've grown a little bored with me.'
'Cleaning up your image?'
Her gaze met his again, square in the eyes. 'I just haven't found anyone interesting enough to play with.'
The underlying suggestion of until now hung heavily in the air between them.
He shrugged it off.
'It might be a sticking point for my mother if she checks up on you and sees the sort of exposure you've had in the past.'
'Surely the fact you've tamed the wild child in me will be a plus point? It's one of those fantasies, isn't it? A strong alpha male showing a fallen woman that she's worth more than she thinks she is? Usually by being spectacular in bed,' she said pointedly, waggling an eyebrow at him.
He snorted and shook his head. 'What kind of books have you been reading?'
'Actually, I don't read as much as I used to. I never seem to have the time, what with my job being so all-consuming. But I have a vivid imagination.'
His heart rate spiked as he entertained the sort of things she might be imagining right at that moment. Turning away from her, he grabbed his keys from a hook on the wall, painfully aware that he needed to get out of there before this little sparring match moved on a step - in the wrong direction.
'Then why don't you wait here and use it while I have a quick shower next door?'
Her brow pinched into a confused frown. 'You're going to your neighbour's house for a shower?'
'I meant the building next to this one. It's a small guest house in the grounds.'
'Like a granny annex?'
'If you like.'
'I bet it's bigger than my house in London.'
'Probably.'
It was her turn to roll her eyes this time.
'I won't be long. Then we can go into the house together as if you've just arrived and I bumped into you on the way back over.'
'Good plan, Stan.'
He walked out of the door, shaking his head.
In the guest house, he took a quick shower and shaved off the stubble his mother had been so vociferously horrified about since she'd arrived. He hated the thought of having to toady to her, but he didn't exactly have a choice. He'd do just about anything if it meant she'd go back to Spain and leave him alone.
He wondered how his mother would to react to Emily. At this point it could go either way.
Hopefully, if she did like her, she'd fall for her quickly, because the thought of having to control himself around Emily for very much longer made him edgy.
He understood what kind of a person she was; he'd got her measure the first time they'd met. She was the type who, at parties, when someone arrived wearing a hat, took only a short time to charm it off their head and end up wearing it herself. The kind of woman who knew how to utilise a prop. The kind of woman who got what she wanted, one way or another. It was a real skill, he would happily acknowledge that, but the 'look at me' attitude made him uncomfortable. Perhaps because he was now the type of man you would always find in the kitchen at parties, avoiding the determined advances of women desperate to get into his good graces and reap all the benefits an earl had at his disposal.
His natural inclination was to circle the edge of the action, watching and commenting from the sidelines, choosing his moment to shine. Emily was clearly the type who threw herself into the fray and rode the lulls and peaks like the accomplished social surfer that she was. She was also the type of person everyone hoped would turn up, because she made fun things happen.
With or without a hat.
He could imagine she was a queen at bringing the buzz, and that when you were in her favour you felt like the luckiest and most fascinating man alive, but when she grew bored, being relegated to the shade of her presence would feel very cold indeed. He could do without getting involved with someone like that again.
He was already cold enough.
When he got back to the workshop a few minutes later he found her sitting on a stool at the back of the room, reading something on her smartphone.
She glanced up when he walked over to her and did a double-take.
'Whoa!'
He raised both eyebrows in question, wondering what the exclamation was for. She was staring intently at him again. It had freaked him out a little last time, but he was growing used to it - and her - now.
'You shaved,' she said, sounding surprised.
'I have been known to behave like a human being sometimes.'
'It suits you. Your face. It's a good face.'
He gave her a baffled smile. 'I'm pleased to hear it.' Despite his reluctance to let her get to him, he found her overt appreciation of him uplifting.
'I mean, stubble looks great on you, but you have a strong, manly jaw, so you look good without it too. Very good, in fact.'
He shifted uncomfortably, not sure what to do with the compliment. 'Okay, well, if you've finished assessing my face, perhaps we should get on with this thing.'
She flashed him a grin. 'I'm finished.'
'Are you ready to meet my mother?'
She jumped off the stool and straightened her skirt. 'As I'll ever be.'
'Okay, then, let's do it.'
As they strode together towards the house Emily couldn't help but take another sneaky look at Theo out of the corner of her eye. He looked so different without his stubble - younger and brighter somehow, as if the devil had left him.
Not that it made him any less attractive.
Once he'd inserted his key into the lock and pushed the heavy door open, she slid her hand into his and held on tightly so he couldn't shake her off.
'We're a devoted couple, completely in love, remember?' she muttered when he scowled at her in annoyance.
He had to be the least tactile person she'd ever met - something she felt compelled to work on with him. No wonder his mother thought he'd never settle down with a woman if he treated them all as coldly as he did her.
They both looked up as a figure appeared at the top of the stairs and began to make her way down towards them.
'What do I call your mum?' Emily hissed at him. They'd forgotten to discuss it, she realised, and she didn't want to get a simple detail like that wrong right at the beginning. It could sow a seed of discontent, which would be hard to uproot.
'Start with Lady Berkeley and let her correct you if she wants to. But don't hold your breath that she will,' he murmured back, his breath tickling her ear and making her stomach swoop with nerves just before his mother reached the bottom of the stairs and made her stately way towards them, a look of cool interest on her face.
Emily smiled warmly. 'Lady Berkeley, it's wonderful to meet you at last. Theo's told me so much about you.' She held out her hand to the woman, who looked at it with slightly affronted disdain before offering her own.
'Has he?' she stated dispassionately, barely giving Emily's hand a touch before dropping it.
'All good things, I assure you.'
'I doubt that.'
Ouch. The woman was as cold as ice.
Emily felt Theo shift beside her and forced her mouth into a wider smile. 'I'm Emily,' she said, to cover the tense silence that now hung between them all.
'Yes, I know. Theo told me all about you.'
'All good?' She gave the woman a hopeful look.
The dowager countess's mouth moved up a millimetre at each corner.
Oh, goody, another tough nut to crack. Not that she'd expected anything different from Theo's mother - he'd given her enough warning about her.
'What he didn't tell me was how you've managed to get him to forgo his determined bachelor ways,' Lady Berkeley said finally, pronouncing the word as if it horrified her.
'I charmed you - didn't I, darling?' Emily cooed, turning to Theo and giving his hand a squeeze, appreciating the comforting strength of his solid presence next to her in the face of his mother's unfriendliness.
'I'm not sure "charmed" is the word I'd use,' he replied, squeezing her hand back a little harder than was absolutely necessary, making her blood pulse through her body in the most disconcerting way.
'Says the man who refers to getting married as "future nuptials and the furthering of the family line",' Emily countered, flashing him a grin and digging her nails into the back of his hand in response to his jibe.
He made his mouth smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.
'So, the two of you have talked about getting married?' the dowager asked, surprise clear in her voice.
'We're both open to the idea - aren't we, darling?' Emily said, feeling Theo stiffen beside her.
'Yes,' he said, shooting her a warning glare that thankfully his mother didn't pick up on.
'Well, at least you've got him to talk about the possibility of marriage. No other woman ever has,' Lady Berkeley said curtly. 'Shall we go through to the drawing room for pre-lunch drinks? The staff finally seem to be doing their jobs properly now I've had a word with them.'
Without waiting for a reply his mother swept out of the hallway and into the drawing room, leaving them to follow in her wake.
'Why on earth did you let her think an engagement was imminent?' Theo whispered, pulling Emily to a stop before the doorway and dropping her hand.
'I didn't feel I had much choice. She needed more convincing. The most important thing is to get her to take me seriously first - then, once I've got her on side, I'll use the full force of my charm on her.'
Theo threw up his hands in frustration. 'Heaven help us all if it comes to a showdown between you and my mother.'
'What? You don't think I could take her?' Emily pretended to square up to him.
'Oh, I'm sure you'd put up a good fight, but my mother's a tiger.'
'Then I shall have to sharpen my claws,' she said with a smile. 'Look, just let me lead the conversation and keep out of it as much as possible. Don't rise to anything she says. Can you do that?'
'Yes,' he said through gritted teeth.
She nodded and turned her back on him, walking off through the doorway that the dowager Countess had disappeared through, trying not to let his delicious citrusy scent distract her from the task at hand.
Lady Berkeley had already rung for the housekeeper to come and serve them drinks and had made herself comfortable on one of the sofas when they joined her.
Following her lead, Emily asked for a gin and tonic. Theo declined a drink, leaning back on the sofa opposite his mother with his arm resting along the back. His body language was dominant, but detached. Emily perched next to him and pinched her knees together primly, smoothing down her skirt and making sure she wasn't showing too much leg. She was so acutely aware of Theo, right there next to her, that she worried for a second that it might affect her concentration.
Buck up, Em.
When she glanced up Lady Berkeley was giving her another coolly assessing look.
'You know, you seem very familiar,' the woman said, narrowing her eyes.
'That's because I'm on TV. I'm the host of Treasure Trail⁠-'
The countess flapped a dismissive hand in the air. 'No, that's not it. I don't watch trash on television. I have better things to do with my time.'
Emily couldn't help but turn to Theo and murmur, 'You really are your mother's son.'
He scowled back at her.
'What did you say your surname was?' The countess asked.
A slow trickle of discomfort ran down Emily's spine. There was something in the woman's face that made her nervous - as if she was running through a database in her mind of all the undesirables she'd logged there. 'I didn't.'
Theo's mother sighed, as if she was fed up with dealing with a recalcitrant child. 'Are you hiding your roots from me deliberately?'
Emily bristled. 'No, of course not.'
Although, actually, she kind of was.
'My surname is Applegate.'
His mother stared at her for a few beats, her eyes still narrowed. 'It doesn't ring a bell, but your mannerisms are so familiar. I just can't place you. I've got a sneaking suspicion it might have been someone from my school days. Where did your mother go to school?'
Hot fear gripped her. 'She went to a school in France. Beauville or something like that, I think.' She plucked the name wildly out of the air. 'But I was educated at a boarding school here in England. There are some wonderful schools here, aren't there?' she said, determined to take control of the conversation.
The countess gave a curt nod of agreement.
'Sadly, my mother passed away a few years ago,' Emily added, hoping to appeal to the woman's nurturing side and divert the conversation away from the specifics of her family's background.
'Hmm...' Lady Berkeley was still looking at her as if trying to figure something out.
There was a chance that she had known her mother, and if she worked out why - taking into consideration how judgemental the woman appeared to be - they could be in trouble.
Thankfully, Theo's housekeeper came back in then, to announce that lunch was ready, and they all got up and trooped through to the grand dining room.
The long table in the centre of the room was only set for three people, and Theo first pulled out a chair for his mother at the head of it so she could sit down, then one for Emily.
'Thank you, darling,' Emily said, giving him a wink and leaning forward to give him a friendly peck on the lips, like any loving girlfriend would - which he avoided by turning his face at the last second so she got his cheek instead.
She got another lungful of his fresh citrusy scent as she pressed her mouth against his freshly shaved skin and her whole body flared with lust. Through her haze of need she felt him put both hands on her upper arms and guide her down into her chair, then he walked round to his own seat opposite her.
His determination not to let her kiss him only made her want to do it more. She was going to make sure she got a kiss from him by the end of today or she'd explode with frustration.
The countess rose again with a frustrated sigh, muttering something about not having the correct cutlery, and strode over to the wall to ring the bell for the housekeeper, giving Emily the opportunity to lean across the table and mutter, 'Your mother is going to think something's not right if you won't kiss me back.'
He fixed her with a hard stare. 'I'm not kissing you, Emily, so stop trying to get me to.'
'I'm telling you, she's going to get suspicious. You need to get past your boorish pride and into the role of loving boyfriend if we're going to pull this off.'
The countess returned a moment later, and Theo stood until she'd settled herself back into her chair with a loud sigh of dissatisfaction.
Theo set about pouring water for them all, and the poor harangued housekeeper appeared a minute later and replaced the cutlery with the set the countess wanted, then hurried off to fetch the first course.
Emily noticed with surprise that Theo made sure to thank his housekeeper thoroughly after she'd served them, and even managed to swap a sympathetic eye-roll with her without his mother seeing.
Something tightened in her chest as she watched the exchange and she realised it was because she wanted him to act that way with her too. Ever since they'd walked into the house it had felt as if he'd put up a wall of ice between them.
Slipping off one of her shoes, Emily stretched out her leg under the table and slid her foot up his shin to his knee. He glanced up at her, his pupils large and dark with warning. She let her foot rest on his knee for a moment, feeling him reverberate with tension, and gave him a wide smile, daring him to do something about it.
He moved back in his chair, just out of touching distance of her foot, and raised a faintly mocking eyebrow at her.
The rekindled connection made her grin with satisfaction.
But as much fun as it was, torturing Theo, she was acutely aware that she needed to keep her eye on the prize here. Her main priority was to win Theo's mother over so she could gain permission to hold Lula's wedding reception in the house, so as soon as everyone had started eating, she launched her charm offensive.
'You must be so proud to have raised such an honourable man as Theo, Lady Berkeley. I think it's wonderful that the livelihood he's chosen makes such a difference to other people's lives.'
The countess arched a perfectly plucked eyebrow. 'My son has made some interesting choices. I'm sure if it had been left up to him, he would have given all our family's money away by now. He doesn't seem to be able to recognise a sob story for what it is, or turn down a damsel in distress.' She gave Emily a pointed look.
Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Theo stiffen, as if he was steeling himself not to retaliate.
'Some people would count those as admirable qualities,' Emily replied, straightening her leg again and rubbing her foot against his calf in sympathy, only to feel a sting of hurt when he shifted away from her touch. Not that she should be taking it so personally. It wasn't surprising he was on edge. His mother was something else, having digs at him like this in front of his girlfriend.
'Hmm, as long as you know when and where to draw the line,' his mother stated coldly, seemingly oblivious to the game of defensive footsie under the table.
Despite his rejection of her support, Emily still had the strongest urge to stick up for him. 'Theo tells me he used to make some wonderful inventions for your older son. I'm sorry, by the way, for your loss.'
It was the first time she'd seen a flicker of genuine emotion on the woman's face.
The countess dropped her gaze to the table. 'Yes, Hugo died young. That's why it's so important for Theo to start thinking seriously about having children. He's the only male heir left in the Berkeley family.'
'I can understand why you'd be so upset at the thought of the family line ending. And for this place to be sold to someone outside the Berkeley lineage.' She swept her hand to encompass the whole room. 'It's a beautiful house. In fact...' She took a deep breath. 'My best friend is getting married soon and she's looking for a place to hold her wedding reception. This house would make a wonderful wedding venue.'
The countess gave Emily her characteristic narrow-eyed look. 'Theo knows how I feel about hiring this house out for events.' She spat the word out as if she found it distasteful.
A pulse beat hard in Emily's temple as she fought the urge to give the woman a good old-fashioned telling-off and instead concentrated her energy on formulating her next tactical move. 'Yes, of course. I totally understand that. But surely you wouldn't mind us holding a reception here for a good friend of ours? It would be a very strict guest list, of course - only a few very special, very select people.'
Lady Berkeley gave her a hard stare, before finally saying, 'I'll think about it.'
Emily clapped her hands together, attempting to imply utter delight. 'That would be wonderful of you.' So, it was going to have to be a softly, softly approach, then. Her heart sank. She'd hoped to be able to win the woman over faster than this, but clearly that wasn't going to happen.
An overwhelming sense of frustration threatened to drag her down, but she beat it back. So what if it was going to take a bit more effort to clinch the deal? She was game for it.
Time to redouble her efforts.
As they continued through the meal Emily finally found some common ground with Theo's mother by chatting about going to the Cheltenham races each year, and they were able to discuss horses that they'd backed and even hats they'd worn. By the end of lunch, she almost had the woman eating out of her hand. At least, if not actually that, she'd come an awfully long way since that frosty greeting at the door.
She gauged that it probably wouldn't be a good move to push the wedding venue issue again today though, in case she sounded too desperate. This whole situation called for some very delicate handling.
'Well, I really ought to get back to London,' she announced finally, placing her linen napkin on the table beside her empty dessert bowl.
'You must come back and have supper with us on Thursday,' the countess said, not bothering to clear it with Theo, who had opened his mouth at the suggestion, then closed it again as if he'd remembered he was meant to be sitting this one out.
Clearly, he'd been having real trouble keeping his opinions to himself and his control under wraps, judging by the tension on his face.
'That would be lovely, my lady,' Emily said, producing what she felt must be a spectacularly sycophantic smile.
'Oh, call me Francesca,' Theo's mother invited, her voice much warmer after their lunchtime natter.
Emily had to restrain herself from punching the air in triumph.
Francesca walked with Emily and Theo to the hallway, still talking about a horse she'd owned a few years ago.
'It was lovely to meet you, Francesca,' Emily said once they'd reached the front door.
'Likewise.' Francesca gave a regal nod. 'I'll let Theo see you out. I'm going for a rest,' she said to him, sweeping off towards the stairs without a backward glance.
Theo couldn't quite believe what he'd seen unfold before his very eyes.
Emily had somehow managed to charm his mother, and even though she hadn't yet been successful in getting her to agree to allow her friend to hold her wedding at the house he didn't think it would take too much more pushing before she did.
She was incredible.
She was also the most frustrating woman he'd ever met in his life. All her teasing, on top of his mother's vicious jibes, had left his head and body buzzing with adrenaline.
His jaw was actually aching from biting his tongue so hard.
Bored with all the horse talk at dinner, he'd found himself trying not to let his wilful imagination run away with the notion of how good it would feel to strip Emily of those prim clothes and give her what she seemed so keen on getting from him. The repeated contact of her wandering foot had kept him constantly aroused and on edge, until he'd felt as if he was buzzing with the strain of holding himself together. All he'd wanted to do was grab hold of her and drag her out of the room.
And then what?
That he didn't want to think about.
'I'll walk you to your car,' he said as they watched his mother mount the stairs on her way up for her afternoon nap.
'Okay.'
She looked a little disappointed at being sent away, but he'd reached his limit of being around her.
At least of controlling himself around her.
They walked out of the door and down the driveway to where she'd parked her cherry-red Fiat 500. He guessed she'd come in her car this time, because she couldn't get her leg over her motorbike in that tight skirt.
Down boy.
'So,' Emily said finally, shooting him a grin once they were far enough away from the house not to be overheard. 'How did I do?'
'Fine. I think she likes you.'
She gave a startled laugh. 'You think?'
He shrugged nonchalantly, not willing to concede how amazing Emily had been. It would only make her more cocky, and he didn't think he could deal with any more of her lip right now. Not when he was feeling so damn edgy already.
'No thanks to you, I might add,' she said, narrowing her eyes. 'She never would have guessed you even find me attractive if we hadn't told her.'
Frowning, Theo looked straight ahead, determined not to let Emily get to him. 'I'm not a demonstrative person. She would have been suspicious if I'd been all over you.'
'Hmm...'
She picked up his hand and ran a fingertip across his palm, causing prickles of pure pleasure to bump along his nerve-endings. 'It wouldn't kill you to touch me once in a while, though.' She looked up at him through her lashes. 'Did I mention that I like a man who's good with his hands?'
'You don't give up, do you?'
She grinned. 'What can I say? I'm a very tactile person. I need to be touched. It energises me.'
'Yeah, you're a real live wire.'
'Don't I get a reward for winning your mother over so convincingly?'
His pulse picked up at the teasing suggestion in her voice. 'You think you deserve a reward after torturing me all afternoon like that?'
She gave him a wide, lazy grin. 'Call it a punishment if you want. Whatever floats your boat.'
Her eyes held a challenge he was struggling to refuse.
He shouldn't do it.
He mustn't let her get to him.
She kept looking at him with that taunting expression of hers, as if she knew exactly what he wanted to do to her but didn't believe he had the balls to go through with it.
Adrenaline surged through his veins, making his heart race and his breathing quicken.
He lost it.
Grabbing her hand, he led her into a small copse of trees next to where her car was parked and swung her round so that her back was pressed against the trunk of a large oak tree. Pinning her wrists against the rough bark, he held her there, staring into those wide, mesmerising eyes of hers.
For a moment he froze, wondering what the hell he was doing, but then she whispered, "Do it," moving forward, as if to try and kiss him, and his animal instincts took over again.
He was the one in charge here.
He pulled back, spinning her round so she now faced the tree, then stood behind her and made her press her hands flat against the trunk.
'Don't move,' he instructed into her ear, and felt her shiver with anticipation as he slid his hands down the length of her arms.
Reaching forward, he found the front of her blouse and pulled it roughly open, tearing the delicate material away from the buttons that held it together. Her bra was made from a smooth silky material and had an underwire in it. He pulled it roughly up and over her breasts, exposing them to his roaming hands.
Emily dragged in a ragged breath as he swept his palms over her nipples, feeling them harden under his touch, before cupping her breasts and lifting the heavy weight of them up and against her body.
She groaned low and deep in her throat, causing his already aroused body to spring fully into action.
He wasn't going to give in to it, though. It wasn't worth the trouble that came with it. He knew that from experience.
Releasing his hold on her breasts, he slid his hands down over her firm stomach, then skimmed her hips and moved his hands lower over her thighs, to find the hem of her skirt, yanking it up so it gathered around her waist.
'Yes... yesss,' she hissed through her teeth, her pleasure at being handled like this clear in her voice.
He tapped her ankles with his foot, commanding her to widen her stance, which she did without a murmur of protest.
He was reluctant to give her what she wanted right away, feeling a devilish need to give her a taste of her own medicine, so he only allowed his fingers to sweep across her buttocks, then her thighs at first, skimming them tantalisingly close to the place she really wanted him to touch.
She writhed in frustration as he stroked her, diverting his touch the second before he reached his ultimate goal. He smiled to himself as she began to scratch her nails into the bark of the tree.
'How about I tease you like this for a while, Emily? Like you've been teasing me all afternoon? How would you like that?'
'Theo, please⁠-'
The desperate begging tone of her voice finally broke him, and he slipped his hand into her knickers and slid his fingers over the damp heat between her legs, opening her up to his touch and pushing two fingers inside her, her silky arousal allowing him easy entry.
Emily gasped and let out a low, grateful moan, resting her forehead on the tree, rocking back into the motion of his hand.
Moving round her body a little, he slid his other hand down her stomach and into her underwear, bringing his thumb into play, gently circling, then skating over her clitoris, keeping up the steady slide and press with the fingers of his other hand still inside her.
She was trembling now, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
He experienced a heady surge of power - something he'd been sadly lacking this afternoon up until this moment.
He felt in control with her at his mercy like this.
She must have already been really keyed up, because barely a moment later she climaxed, letting out a low, guttural groan, her whole body shaking with the force of it.
Sliding his hands away from her, he moved behind her again and leant forward, pressing the hard wall of his chest into her back - making sure to keep the bottom half of himself safely away from her body - feeling her torso rise and fall against his as she struggled to catch her breath.
'Are you satisfied now?' he murmured into her ear. 'You got your orgasm. Now will you stop bugging me?'
'Are you kidding?' she groaned, 'You think you can make me come like that and I won't want more? That was masterful.'
His gentle snort made one of the curls that had come loose blow forward across her cheek. 'Thanks for the compliment, but that's all you get.'
Damn the shake in his voice.
'Surely you can't be completely immune to the sexual tension between us?' she muttered. 'You really would have to be as hard as stone not to feel it.'
Without warning, she pushed her bottom backwards and pressed it against the now almost painful length of his erection.
'Speaking of hard⁠-'
Before she could twist round and make eye contact with him, he stepped swiftly backwards and turned away from her, his shoulders bunched with tension and his fists clenched at his sides.
He needed to get out of there.
'See you on Thursday, Emily,' he forced past a weird tightness in his throat, before striding away.
Damn it, that woman was going to be the death of him.