Captive in the Storm

Chapter 21

"Chris I have to go home," I said before taking a sip of my café au lait.

"You're home here, now, with me."

I glanced around to make sure we were alone. At this time of the day, sunlight coming through the floor to ceiling windows and garden doors bathed the breakfast room adjacent to the kitchen. It led to a lovely balcony where breakfast could be taken in the summer.

"I can't just drop out of my life and stay here to have crazy good sex with you all the time!"

"Why not?" A smile slowly traced on his lips. Certainly, he was enjoying the same x-rated movie that was now playing in my mind.

"Don't tempt me!" I said, my temperature increasing a few degrees. "We have a board meeting tomorrow, remember? I have a pile of reports to read and so do you. You're coming or you'll be on the phone as usual?"

I took a bite of my omelet, enjoying the combination of mushrooms, spinach and Swiss cheese with pancetta and shallots that Mrs Lancaster had concocted us. Heaven!

"McAllister has confirmed his presence, I suppose." Oh Shit, here we go.

Julian McAllister was the CEO of one of the country's main labor union pension funds. He was, by anyone's standard, an obnoxious chauvinist pig, but also one of our biggest shareholders.

"Yeah, he wouldn't miss an occasion to treat me like a preschool girl, especially in front of an audience."

"Asshole."

"Definitely, but think how happy you'll make him if you come back in the business!"

He suddenly looked uncomfortable, his eyes fixed outside.

"Ally, are you sure that's what you want, I mean, I know what I want. I want you with me all the time, but..."

"I'm not sure of anything anymore." I sighed. "I came here yesterday, hoping that you'd come back and do that hotel project with me, like we used to do in the beginning. I miss working with you."

"I miss that too."

"So will you consider it?" I asked, hopeful.

"I'd love to."

A veil of sadness suddenly clouded his beautiful eyes.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"You know why I had to stay away, right?"

I instantly felt bad. My eyes darted to my unfinished plate, all appetite gone.

"I just thought you were too busy here, with the renovations, but now I understand that it was because of me."

"It's not all your fault, Ally," he said in almost a whisper. "Maybe it was both our fault. I should have fought for you. I should have taken you to my dungeon two years ago and made you mine."

My eyes locked to his, looking for answers.

"Why didn't you do it?" All I needed was one simple word.

He sighed. "Because I didn't want to risk losing you completely. You seemed so sure of yourself. You cut me off like I was a piece of junk, just when I was about to... nevermind."

He pushed to his feet and took his plate to the adjacent kitchen.

"Chris?" What was he about to do? I suddenly remembered him mentioning the M word earlier this morning... Shit! Was he really going to propose?

I stood and followed him in a hurry. I hadn't taken more than ten steps when I saw him coming back to the breakfast room.

"I'm sorry," he said engulfing me in his arms. "I overreacted."

"I'm sorry too." I wrapped my arms around him and hugged tight, resting my head against his strong chest. "We're gonna have to stop living in the past if we want to make it."

His fingers tangled in my hair and his mouth searched for mine.

"I love you," he whispered before our lips touched. He traced my bottom lip with his tongue, sending an electric charge through my whole body as he entered my mouth, slowly recreating the delicious sensation of the lovemaking we'd done earlier. Mmmmm

I opened for him and he took the invitation, deepening our kiss as his hand moved down my back to take a firm hold of my behind and press me to him. The bulge in his jeans was already evident and I moaned in appreciation, running my hands all over his chest and wrapping my arms around his neck. He lifted me from the ground with one arm, as if I was as light as a feather and we moved to the kitchen. I was lost in him, savoring his tongue gently stroking mine and the knowledge that I was able to do that to his body. I became aware that he had sat me on a hard surface.

"How about we start over and just forget what happened before?" he said, running his open mouth along my jaw, letting out short hot breathes that made squirm.

"When you kiss me like that, I forget everything."

"And I happen to know that you're not wearing any panties," he said with that carnal tone that instantly made me wet. Not that I wasn't from the moment his tongue brushed my lips. His hand sneaked between my legs, under my skirt. I looked around, conscious that we were not alone in the castle.

"Not here," I whispered. "I don't want Mrs Lancaster to catch us while we're christening the kitchen island." Just then, I realized that the island was probably not at his first display of naughtiness. "Well, I meant for my part..."

His blue eyes, dark with desire bore into mine and I felt the world tilt under me.

"You're the only one I wanna fuck in this kitchen, baby, don't sweat it." His hand sneaked higher, parting my thighs and my breath caught. "But for now, how about I take you downstairs, where no one will hear you scream?"