Tying the knot... or not?

~4~

After Theo had marched away, Emily tidied herself up and walked back to her car on shaky legs, slumping into the driver's seat in a daze, her whole body still tingling from the incredible orgasm Theo had gifted her.
Never in a million years would she have anticipated that happening. After his constant cool rejection of her advances, she'd reconciled herself to the fact that she was going to have to put a lot more work into softening him up if she was going to get any kind of reaction out of him.
How wrong she'd been.
It proved to her that he was capable of letting himself go, that there was a deeply sexual man hiding under that reserved veneer, and that he'd been deliberately holding himself back for some reason.
But why? That was the million-dollar question.
He still hadn't kissed her, which made her think he was unwilling to get emotionally involved with her. Using his masterful hands on her clearly didn't count, though.
Luckily for her.
Her body gave a throb of pleasure as she remembered the mind-blowing excitement of the build-up to it, followed swiftly by the intense, out-of-this-world completion she hadn't known was possible.
He'd done something to her - had unearthed something that no other man had even been able to touch.
And she wanted more.
Desperately.
But not today. Today she was going to go home and bask in the memory of it - and the relief of not completely losing her touch with men.
Although Theo's determination not to let her touch him back still bit a little deeper than she liked.
But at least she could congratulate herself on the triumph of making some headway with his mother. She was pretty sure that by the end of dinner on Thursday she'd have the countess's blessing for Lula's wedding reception to be held here wrapped up tight.
The realisation that this little dance with Theo might be over as soon as that brought her up short. Apart from the regret of perhaps not having enough time to break through his shell, it also suddenly occurred to her that if she was going to utilise the advantage of a relationship with an earl - so the producers of Treasure Trail could be made aware of it in time - she needed to act fast.
A whisper in the ear of a friend who worked for one of the gossip magazines should do the trick. She could suggest that a photographer follow her to the house on Thursday, then make sure he had an opportunity to take a good photo of her and Theo acting like lovers.
She was going to have to pull out all the stops for that elusive kiss.
Thursday finally rolled around and Theo woke up feeling relieved that the distracting anticipation of seeing Emily again would be over soon.
He knew he shouldn't have touched her the way he had. It had reminded him too keenly of how he'd used to lose himself in women just like her during those dark days after Hugo had died and he'd lost his way forward, but it had been impossible to stop himself. She seemed to have twisted herself into his control and pulled out the cork.
He'd spent the days between their last meeting and today determinedly trying not to think about her, but the memory of her giving herself so absolutely to him, coming apart so easily under his hands, kept a disturbing erotic tension humming deep inside him.
For those few minutes he'd owned her. He could probably have done anything he'd liked and she would have let him. The memory of having that power over her made him feel a rush of hunger to exercise it again, but oddly it also produced an aching sort of sadness deep in his belly.
It had been a long time since someone had affected him like that. It hadn't worked out well before and he had a disturbing suspicion that it wouldn't this time either. If he allowed it to go that far.
Which he wouldn't.
He'd promised himself never to allow his feelings about a woman to control him again - even if it was only something as base as lust. He knew from experience that it could quickly morph into something much more dangerous.
And danger was something he could do with avoiding right now.
The doorbell rang at seven o'clock on the dot and he gave himself a moment of grace standing behind the door before opening it to her.
This time she'd chosen to wear a figure-hugging dress in a dark green colour that brought out the gold in her eyes. She had on another pair of high heels, and her hair was loose and tamed into a sleek style around her face.
His stomach sank to his knees as he breathed in the familiar sweetly fragrant smell of her, just as the memory of her losing it under his hands came back to hit him full force in the chest.
It was a double whammy he could have done without.
'Hi,' he managed to growl past the sudden tension in his throat.
She was staring at him too, her pupils dilated as if caught in her own saucy reverie.
'Theo. Good to see you again.'
She took a step forward and, putting a hand onto his arm, drew him outside to stand on the stone step with her.
'I wanted to have a quick word before I go in and say hello to your mother,' she said, looking up at him with wide, innocent-looking eyes.
His stomach swooped as he wondered what she was going to say. Was this going to be about what had happened in the wood? Stupidly, he'd hoped they could pretend it hadn't happened and go on as they had before.
Before he'd taken things a step further than he should have.
But, of course, Emily wasn't the type to ignore something. She was too upfront.
'What is it?' he asked with a frown, in an attempt to discourage the inevitable confrontation.
Clearly, she wasn't going to be put off that easily, though, because she slid both hands up over his shoulders in a kind of loose but determined hug.
'I wanted to say thank you for Sunday. I had fun.'
There was a mischievous glint in her eye now.
'Surely after being so... er... close like that, I at least qualify for a quick hello kiss now?'
Dropping his gaze to her mouth, he stared at her full lips, which seemed to be coated in some kind of glossy lipstick, and had to steel himself not to pull her against him and kiss her hard.
'Not with that gunk all over your mouth.'
He watched in stupefied awe as she stuck out her tongue and slowly ran it first over her top lip, then her bottom one, taking off the shine but leaving a glistening dampness in its wake.
'Better?' she asked in a low, husky voice that spoke straight to the enormous erection in his trousers.
He cleared his throat and tried to think of something bland and unsexy to kill his maddening reaction. 'I thought I made it clear that Sunday was a one-off. Nothing like that is going to happen again. This is strictly a business arrangement, Emily.'
Her eyebrows rose in defiance. 'You sounded almost regretful there for a moment,' she said, giving him a languid smile. Keeping their gazes locked, she leaned slowly forward to kiss him gently on the cheek, close to his mouth but not quite touching it.
He let it happen, telling himself it would be rude to push her away.
Pulling back, she glanced around her, as if checking for something.
'What's wrong?'
She looked back at him and smiled. 'Nothing. Nothing at all.'
Emily was pretty sure she'd given the photographer hidden in the bushes a good enough opportunity for a shot of the two of them looking all loved up.
She certainly hoped so, because it had almost killed her to act so unconcerned when Theo had rejected her again. She'd brazened it out with a smile, but her insides had sunk low with disappointment at his continued aloofness. It was as if the incident against the tree hadn't happened.
She spent a rather tense dinner catching Theo alternately giving her frowns or intense stares, which didn't exactly make for a relaxing atmosphere.
In retaliation she touched him as much as she could get away with - on his hand when he passed her the salt, on his thigh when his napkin slid off and she retrieved it for him. She even managed to sweep back a lock of hair which had fallen over his forehead while he was engaged in an involved conversation with his mother about the repair of the heating system in the house.
She thought he was going to stab her with his fork after she performed that one.
Finally, they retired to the drawing room and Theo poured them all drinks before taking the seat on the sofa next to her, his back ramrod-straight and his leg propped on his knee at an angle, so she couldn't sit close to him.
After some beating around the bush, Emily finally managed to turn her conversation with Francesca round to Lula holding her wedding reception at the house again, but was frustrated when the countess still wouldn't give her a firm commitment.
It was like getting blood out of an icicle.
An hour and one very involved and rather enjoyable conversation about the merits of imprinting young foals later, Emily yawned widely, unable to quell the reflex. She'd not slept well since Sunday and it was catching up with her.
'You look tired, Emily,' Francesca said, raising an eyebrow as if reprimanding her for not looking after herself properly.
Emily hadn't been coddled by a mothering figure in a very long time, and the attentiveness made her feel inexplicably sad.
'I've had a busy few days, Francesca,' she said, beating back the sudden hot, itchy feeling in her eyes.
Francesca frowned. 'Well, you mustn't drive back to London tonight. Stay here and go in the morning. It would be dangerous for you to get into a car in that state.'
She felt Theo tense and shift in the seat next to her and heard him let out a quiet huff of annoyance. Apparently, he thought it would be more dangerous for her to stay here.
A fiery rage overtook her, heating her cheeks. She was fed up with him being so unfriendly. Surely it was no skin off his nose if she stayed the night?
'That would be very kind of you, Francesca,' she said, picking up Theo's hand in her hot one and squeezing it hard. 'I could do with being looked after tonight.'
Theo's hand remained rigid in hers.
'That's a good idea,' he said finally, his voice terse and clipped.
'Good, that's settled, then,' Francesca said, rising from her sofa.
Theo stood too. 'Perhaps we should all retire to bed now, as it's so late?'
She knew what he was doing. He was going to bed too so he wasn't left alone with her.
Standing up, she brushed down her dress with hands that were now shaking with indignation. She met his eyes and nodded sharply, flashing him a look of nonchalant defiance. 'Okay. Let's go to bed.'
They walked up the stairs together, with Francesca in the lead and Theo following closely behind. When they reached the top Francesca paused in front of Theo's bedroom door.
'Well, goodnight. I'll see you bright and early for breakfast,' she said, giving them both a cool smile.
She paused, seemingly waiting for something.
There was a tense silence as they all looked at each other.
'Goodnight, Mother,' Theo said finally, opening the door to his room.
Francesca still didn't move.
Theo gave her another second to go to her own room, and when she didn't, he made a small huffing noise and disappeared through his doorway.
Emily gave Francesca a tight smile and a small clumsy wave before following Theo in and closing the door behind her.
She found him standing by the bed with his arms folded tightly against his chest.
'What?' she said, flinging her hands wide. 'What did you expect me to do? Drive all the way back to London in a dangerously tired state? Or are you angry with me for not insisting on being taken to a guest bedroom? Don't you think that would have looked weird, considering we're supposed to be so in love? She was waiting for me to come in here like it was a test or something. I had to.'
He relaxed his arms and sighed, sweeping a hand over his brow, then through his hair.
When he looked back at her his eyes were tired. 'Fair point.'
'Honestly, Theo, what do you think I am? Some desperate groupie who just can't function without your attention?' She decided not to let herself dwell on the undertone of that question. 'Because I have my own life, you know. I have lots of friends in London and I could find myself some company any night of the week if I wanted to.'
'I know that, Emily, and it's not what I was implying.'
'Really? 'Cos it sure felt like it.'
They glared at each other, neither of them seemingly willing to give in.
Theo broke first. 'Look, I apologise. I've not been sleeping well and it's affected my judgement.'
She raised an eyebrow. 'You've not been sleeping well either?'
'No.'
'Why not?'
He didn't answer at first, just looked at her with those intensely moody green eyes of his. 'I don't know,' he said finally.
Her stomach sank. She'd been desperate for him to say something else, and she didn't like the way that made her feel.
The hot pressure was back behind her eyes again. She really must be tired if she was letting him get to her like this.
'Look, I'll wait on that armchair in the corner for ten minutes, then I'll sneak off to one of the guest bedrooms,' she said.
'Don't be ridiculous. My mother might catch you. Just get into bed, Emily,' he ordered, his voice low and gruff.
She stared at him in defiance for a moment, before accepting that he was right and it wasn't worth the risk. 'Okay. Fine. Do you have a T-shirt I can borrow? I don't want to sleep in my dress.'
'Yes.'
He disappeared into his dressing room and came back with a soft-looking black cotton T-shirt.
'I'll use the bathroom first so you can change in privacy,' he said, not waiting for her response before striding out of the room.
She sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed, her legs feeling strangely wobbly. How the heck was she going to be able to sleep? Her heart was already thumping like a jackhammer and it was only going to get worse when she was enveloped in the heat and scent of his bed, with him lying right there next to her.
Undressing fully for comfort, she pulled on the T-shirt he'd given her, realising too late that it smelt of the washing powder he used on his clothes. It was pure Essence of Theo.
He came back a minute later, knocking gently on the bathroom door to warn her, before striding back in in a pair of sleep shorts, his chest bare.
Trying not to let herself gawp at the sight of his broad, toned torso, she excused herself and went and got washed in the en suite too, using the new toothbrush he'd put out for her.
Staring at herself in the mirror, she willed herself to keep it together. It would be okay, sleeping in the same bed with him, even if she was shaking all over from the effort of keeping from either slapping him or jumping on him.
She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of seeing just how much he was messing with her head with his hot and cold behaviour.
Returning to the bedroom, she found him already in bed, the duvet just covering his lower torso as he read one of the paperbacks she'd spied in his drawer the first time she'd been in this room.
She got into bed next to him and fluffed up the pillows to her satisfaction before settling back into them.
'Comfortable?' he said, with a glint of humour in his eyes.
The sudden switch from gruffness to jokey camaraderie made her even more nervous. It was easier to deal with his presence right there next to her when she was annoyed with him.
'Yes, thank you,' she replied casually, smoothing the duvet down around her and staring up at the ceiling, desperately trying to ignore the low throb of arousal that just wouldn't die whenever he was in her vicinity.
He leant over to his bedside table, dropping the book onto it before flicking off the lamp and plunging the room into darkness.
It took a minute or so for her eyes to adjust, and she glanced across at him to find he was staring up at the ceiling too. She shifted a little, to get a bit more comfortable, and felt him do the same beside her.
After a few more minutes of restless wriggling, she forced herself to lie still and willed her tense muscles to relax. Theo's breathing sounded measured and shallow, as if he was drifting off to sleep, and she cursed him for not being even slightly affected by her being there. What was it with this guy? He seemed to have an iron-clad will with a Kevlar coating.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to blank her mind of him. But memories of the incident against the tree insistently crept back into her thoughts and she squirmed as heat rushed between her legs, intensifying the deep, pounding ache of need already there.
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she turned over to face the middle of the bed and found Theo only inches away, his eyes open, looking at her with intense concentration, as if he was trying to rein something in. They stared at each other through the gloom and she realised that his breathing wasn't steady and relaxed at all. It was short and ragged. Just like hers.
That perpetual frown was on his face again, and instinctively she reached out a hand to touch him there, to see if she could somehow rub it away.
He moved quickly, grabbing her wrist, then rolling over her, pinning her arm against the bed by her head. Then, when she stubbornly tried to touch him with her other hand, he grabbed it and pinned that one too, until she was trapped under him.
His body was heavy and hard against hers, and she could feel his chest rising and falling rapidly in time with her own. He was staring into her eyes again, his mouth only centimetres away from hers. His scent was all around her, clean and fresh and intoxicating.
She begged him with her eyes to close the gap and finally kiss her; to relieve the throbbing, yawning ache that had plagued her since he'd last touched her.
Something flickered in his eyes, as if he was having an internal fight with himself, and she cheered the devil in him on, willing him to win and let go, to ravish her lips with his - and then her body. Her hot, trembling, lust-addled body.
For a moment she truly thought he was going to do it, but at the last second his scowl deepened and he drew away from her mouth, moving his head downwards. She nearly shouted out in frustration.
Until she felt his mouth on her neck.
His lips were firm and warm on her skin. Sparks of pure joy radiated out from where they pressed against her and twists of pleasure wound through the rest of her body, pooling heavily in the yearning space between her legs.
Releasing her captured arms, he moved his hands down to find the hem of the T-shirt she was wearing and slid it up her body, groaning low in his throat as he realised she wasn't wearing any underwear. Pulling away from her for a moment, he ripped the T-shirt up over her head and flung it away from them, returning quickly to cover one of her nipples with his mouth, biting down gently on the swollen bud, causing her to push her pelvis up off the bed towards him as her whole body responded to the erotic bite.
Moving her hands to grasp his shoulders, she was shocked when he abruptly stopped teasing her breast with his teeth and pulled her hands off him, pushing them back down against the bed again.
'No,' he growled, clearly unwilling for her to lead things at all.
He wanted her totally at his mercy. The thought only increased the insistent ache in her.
While she found it frustrating not to get involved, she wasn't about to make him stop. So she left her arms where he'd pushed them, biting her lip as he moved on to give the same attention to her other breast before making his way down her belly with firm licks and kisses.
He skirted the place she most wanted his mouth and she heard herself give deep, involuntary groans as he kissed down her thighs, then back up, to skim over the aching centre of her and drop kisses against her hipbones. Moving further down the bed, he slid his hands under the backs of her thighs and pushed up, positioning her legs so they sat crooked over his shoulders.
He paused for what felt like days, his mouth hovering over the place she wanted his attention, his breath hot on her skin.
She lost her cool. 'Dammit, Theo, if you don't get your mouth on me right now, I'm going to go crazy,' she yelped, surprising herself with the force of the demand.
He didn't give in right away, just let her squirm beneath him - until finally, finally, he rewarded her with a long, firm lick against the neediest part of her. The relief was exquisite - like diving into a cool pool of water on a stiflingly hot day - and she shouted out in triumph, her shout soon turning to pants of ecstasy as he continued to lick and suck her.
He brought his hands into play, catching a sweet spot with his fingers that increased the intensity of the sensation, heightening the heady pressure that rapidly built inside her, closer and closer, until he finally took her over the edge. She screwed her face up as the orgasm hit, racking her body with the most intense waves of pleasure she'd ever experienced, and she heard low, guttural moans that she barely recognised as her own coming from deep in her throat.
Once the aftermath of pleasure had finally receded, she lay staring up at the ceiling, her mouth open in shock and awe as she tried to process what had just happened.
Theo had moved away from her and was now lying on his back in the bed next to her, staring upwards too.
Rolling onto her side, she reached out to touch his chest. But he caught her hand and gently but firmly pushed it away.
'Why, Theo? Why won't you let me touch you? I want to make you feel good too,' she whispered, the sting of the rejection making her voice ragged.
'Because I don't want you to.' His voice was curt, but she was pretty sure she heard an underlying shake to it.
'But why not?'
'I don't want to talk about it, Emily. Leave it alone.'
'What happened to you?' she asked, reaching out a hand to touch his shoulder.
He shrugged her off, moving closer to the edge of the bed, away from her.
'I said I don't want to talk about it. Go to sleep,' he said, turning over so his back was to her.
Staring at his rigid body, she flashed back to those moments when he'd hovered his mouth over hers, giving her palpitations at the awareness that she might finally be allowed to kiss him. In those few fuzzy seconds, she'd hoped she'd somehow broken through his wall of steel, but then he'd moved away, denying her the pleasure of his surrender.
It was exhausting, dealing with his yo-yo-ing changes of mind.
An overwhelming tiredness overtook her and she yawned. Amazingly, it seemed that even the mystery of his constant rejection wasn't enough to keep her awake right at that moment.
Pulling the covers up over her head, she curled her knees into her chest, still acutely aware of the aftershocks of her orgasm that warmed her body and let her thoughts drift away.
She'd figure it out in the morning.
Theo woke early the next day, with Emily's hair tickling his nose. She'd somehow managed to wriggle next to him in the night, and was tucked inside the scoop of his body, her shapely backside pressed against his bent thighs.
After he'd been sure she'd fallen asleep last night, he'd got up and taken a freezing cold shower, only managing to take the edge off his fierce burning need to bury himself inside her and have done with it. But he knew if he took a step over the line he'd drawn for himself that would be it - there'd be no going back.
Not that he hadn't already nudged right up to it by going down on her, but he figured if he kept her satisfied, he'd be able to get through this thing unscathed. And it hadn't exactly been an arduous chore. She had an incredible body - one he'd enjoyed kissing and licking and feeling squirm beneath him immensely.
There was still something about her that made him jumpy, though; he sensed a deeply buried secret which she used her overwhelming personality to hide. Something dark, hidden deep. There had to be. No one could be that upbeat and carefree for real. She had to be masking something.
Not that he cared enough to find out what it was.
Getting up, being careful not to wake her, he got dressed and made his way downstairs.
He found his mother already in the kitchen, reading the papers and drinking weak tea.
'Good morning, Theo,' she said, looking up from what she was reading to give him an assessing glance. 'You look as though you haven't slept all night.'
Was that a glint of mischief in her eyes? Surely not. His mother didn't have the verve for mischief.
'I'm fine,' he said, going over to the counter to set up the coffee-maker.
When he turned back, she was watching him with a discerning look in her eye. She got up gracefully from the table and walked over to where he was standing.
'I'm going for a walk and I may not be back before Emily leaves. Would you tell her that I've made my decision?' she said, pausing for effect.
'Yes, of course,' he said, to fill the irritating nerve-filled gap she'd left.
'I'd be happy for her friend to hold her wedding reception here,' she said, placing a hand onto his shoulder in an uncharacteristic show of affection.
It took him a moment to get over the shock of her touching him before he was able to respond. 'She'll be delighted.'
'Good - good. Thank you, darling. See you later for lunch,' she said, before sweeping out of the room.
He stood there, staring at the empty kitchen, feeling a strange mixture of relief and something else he couldn't quite place. Disappointment, perhaps? Because his mother's agreement spelt the end of Emily's need to be here, and he didn't quite know how to feel about that any more.
He wanted to get back to work without constantly being distracted by the thought of her, but he also accepted that she'd be leaving a niggling hole behind once she was gone from his life.
Clearly, he'd got a little too reliant on the anticipation of Emily turning up to disrupt his day with her forthright teasing and game playing.
It was time to release her from their agreement.