Burned by Passion (15 page)

Kira huffed. “You asked me to marry you out of some mistaken sense of duty and we both know it. But who am I to refuse? I’m pregnant with your baby. So I have to get used to the idea that I’m stuck with you and you’re stuck with me, but don’t expect me to like it.”

“Oh you’ll more than like it,” Blake said, eyes narrowing as he tugged her hard against him and crushed his lips over hers.

Their first kiss after so long and it almost ripped her apart. Switched her inside out and turned her brain into a ticking time bomb. The taste of his tongue lashing against hers sent a laser shot straight between her legs and Kira felt like she’d been celibate a year, not just a few months.

Blake drew back and her knees were trembling. She opened her eyes slowly to find that same look of fire and ice in his eyes that told her he wasn’t backing down and would keep up the pressure until she imploded in surrender.

“One day Kira; I’ll make you stop denying your heart what it’s wanted all along,” Blake vowed, smudging his thumb into her now swollen bottom lip. Still flipped out by the kiss, Kira couldn’t reply as Blake smiled darkly and then led her out to join his father on the patio where lunch was to be served.

Chapter Fourteen

Brittany Manson was sure she was seeing things as she read the headlines in the society section of one of the major newspapers.

“
Bretton Carter’s son Blake weds Kira Taylor
.”

She hadn’t wanted to believe it. Even when she’d seen the obvious signs; Blake totally cooling off from her right from the start and his strange fixation for his father’s secretary. Brittany would never have imagined he had any serious interest in that black mousy nobody.

She kept staring at the newspaper as the lines blurred into each other.

“Small wedding attended by close family and friends. Couple now off to London, England for the honeymoon.”

Brittany virtually wanted to gag as she flung the offending paper away. It was utterly galling to realize she’d been beaten by a mere secretary! What on earth Blake could see in Kira was beyond Brittany’s comprehension. Yes, the girl might be pretty and have an appealing air of innocence about her that some men might find intriguing. But she was a
nobody,
Brittany repeated to herself as she sneered at the photograph of the smiling couple at the top of the page. She’d never seen Blake look so happy, gazing down at Kira’s shyly downcast gaze in the wedding photo. Brittany vengefully ripped the paper to shreds, over and over and then flung the pieces in the direction of the trashcan.

She slumped back in her chair heaving fuming breaths. How could Blake choose that tart over me? Looked like there was no accounting for taste, she thought with another of her sneers. And then she groaned when she realized all her friends would be laughing their heads off at her now; especially after the way Brittany had been boasting to everyone who cared to listen about her conquest of Blake Carter.

She’d been so sure about him. He’d never actually encouraged her attentions but she’d simply assumed he was a passive type who enjoyed it when the woman made all the moves. And there was no move she didn’t try to make on him but he just never seemed ready to bite.

And now she knew why. Somehow, that black slut had managed to not only get Blake to fall in love with her but she was also going to have his baby. How long had their twisted little affair been going on without Brittany suspecting?

She’d schemed her way into getting closer to the Carter family; convincing her parents to invite Blake and his father over for many dinners; even going back and forth between Bretton and her father under pretext of work but mainly to see more of Blake. Was she wrong in thinking that because he’d followed her around elementary school like a puppy dog, there might be a chance with him?

Not that any of it mattered now. Blake was well and truly married and on his way to being a father. Her perfect master plan was all in shambles around her.

Well, those two weren’t going to get away with making a fool of her this way, Brittany vowed, her blue eyes narrowing, scheming. She could have any man she wanted; she’d always had a long line of worthy admirers vying for her favors. But she’d wanted Blake. He’d been so different from the slobbering men she was used to. He’d been a real man, someone who could make her succumb to him in the best – and worst – way.

But he had made his choice and it wasn’t me, thought Brittany angrily. And now she was going to see to it that he regretted it.

***

Kira stood at the hotel window, gazing across the beautiful view of Kensington Park in London. Everything seemed so different here, thought Kira with a deep sigh of delight; the age-old buildings and the diverse people moving through the streets. Even the pigeons in the square looked different from those back home.

Kira turned away from the window and found Blake standing across at the other end of the room, his eyes on her. How long had he been watching her? She felt so self-conscious now that she was almost four months pregnant with a bulge that was hard to miss. The gleam in his eye whenever Blake looked at her gave her butterflies and sometimes she forgot the simple act of drawing breath.

She’d been glad for the simple wedding ceremony. Luckily the press didn’t know the exact date so it was a private affair. Seeing Mr. Carter’s proud face as he’d walked her down the aisle to join Blake easily made up for all the turmoil and doubts she felt. She’d always been a loner and hadn’t had any real friends so her guests were mostly co-workers, nice people she’d always gotten along with and who were genuinely happy for her.

It had been Blake’s idea that they spend their honeymoon in England. He’d said he wanted her to see parts of his home, to learn more about him. Kira had never traveled out of the U.S. before. In fact, she’d never flown either and the experience had been exciting, more so than she’d imagined even with the clouds of worry hanging over her still.

She worried if she’d done the right thing; and especially about if she could keep her escalating emotions in check where Blake was concerned. The nicer he was to her; the more attentive, caring and loving, it ate at her insides and made her terrified she’d be defenseless if he ever chose to make his strike.

Kira had grumbled about the need for a honeymoon in the first place. “I told you, Blake; this isn’t going to be some-”

“Fairy tale ending; yes, I remember,” Blake had said dryly. But his eyes were burning coals as he’d added, “You keep saying you’re doing this only because of the baby. Well then, we’re going to do it right. There’ll be the honeymoon and you can bet we’re going to be married in more than name only. We’ll work at this marriage, Kira. With both of us knowing it’s all for the baby.”

She’d stared up at him with seething anger, sure he was laughing at her. But in her heart she knew he was right. But how far was she willing to play along with his plans? He’d once complained about his dad having control issues but she could see Blake was not so far different himself. She knew he would make her bend to his will and a part of her shivered at the idea of how it would feel to finally let him.

So she’d come with him to London, and loved every moment of it. It was strange and new to her but it was also amazing and beautiful. She’d never known how much she’d been missing until Blake took her sightseeing and they visited all those wonderful spots. Despite herself, it felt great spending time with him because he was so intelligent, witty and attentive to her every interest. He also knew how to have fun and make her laugh when she least expected it. He was pulling out all the stops to win her over and the thought warmed her even as she berated herself for being so susceptible.

Kira remembered their first night there. Once they’d arrived in the elegant and romantic hotel with its beautifully historic building, she’d been breathless. It was ancient, but had been restored with great taste, with modern touches that added convenience and aesthetic.

From what she’d read about the place it was an old Grand Victorian mansion dating back as far as the late 1800’s. The antiques were fascinating masterpieces and it was like spending the night in a museum. Each room in the suite had charm and character. She found the service was impeccable too and Kira had her first taste of ‘high tea’ which was very formal and delicious. Everything was seen to down to the smallest details and only that morning she’d eaten the best eggs Benedict she’d ever tasted.

It was all old-fashioned service from a bygone era; quite discreet and helpful without being fawning. It was perfect for a honeymoon and Kira couldn’t help wishing this was for real and not something he’d practically had to force her into. This wasn’t about love or romance, she told herself. Having a honeymoon and staying at such a romantic hotel only seemed to dig in that fact even more.

After a week Kira felt like she never wanted them to leave. That night, they had dinner in the fabulous dining room which had a touch of grandeur and lots of character. Kira had enjoyed each course; everything had been sublime, as usual and when they both returned to their room, she’d been glowing from the good food and enjoyable evening.

But now her delighted haze faded as she turned from the window and saw Blake watching her. The physical distance between them didn’t matter; as always when she felt his desire it made everything compress around them. Kira already felt the walls closing in, making her sway on her feet slightly.

She wouldn’t let him get to her; not tonight. Before the honeymoon trip she’d made him promise not to try anything. He’d assured her that he knew she needed more time but that he fully intended that they’d be man and wife in every sense of the word. Kira secretly commended him for his self-control so far but she was also frightened of what would happen if his control ever snapped. Seeing the darkening gleam in his eyes, Kira suddenly decided to escape to the bathroom and blurted out that she needed a warm bath before bed.

She didn’t wait for his response but went quickly to the bathroom and closed the door behind her with a sigh of relief.

Chapter Fifteen

When Kira scurried from the room like the devil was after her, Blake couldn’t help but swear. He should’ve known better than to stand there gaping at her like some horny schoolboy.

Not that anyone could blame him. Kira looked more and more delectable by the day. Tonight she’d worn a gorgeous jersey dress in flattering grey that had gently accentuated her swelling stomach. A pregnant Kira could send a red-blooded man’s libido straight out the stratosphere and as usual, she hadn’t a clue the effect she had, especially on him.

He could hear her in the bathroom now. It was an old building; the walls were pretty thin and besides, when it came to Kira his senses were all the more accentuated. He’d become attuned to everything about her; her voice; the scent of her skin and the way she ate and laughed. He loved everything about his beautiful, sexy wife and it ached that they still had that huge wall between them.

Blake heard the sound of splashing water and tried not to think about her naked body in the tub. He pushed his hair back from his forehead, sighing raggedly. It was torture. Being this close to her all the time and having to stay in control. He thought he could handle it; being in the same tight space day and night, always with the knowledge that Kira was just within reach and yet, still beyond his grasp.

Now there she was, a few feet away, naked, soap suds clinging to her beautiful brown skin and the water scented and steamy. Blake tried to tell himself that he had enough self-control to put it all out of his mind – but evidently, he didn’t. Not really.

Every little sound she made seemed to shoot straight to his cock. She was obviously luxuriating in the heated water and the bath oils, and Blake only needed to close his eyes to see the image of her heavy, firm breasts half-deep in the water. Their taut, dark nipples made stiff by the temperature, and droplets falling from her like they were worshipping her body the way his lips and hands wanted to do. Damn! It drove him steadily insane.

He would give anything on earth to join her but knew that was impossible. He had to respect her wishes about sex and he also had to prove to her that he had the control to keep that out of the picture until he felt she was ready.

Feeling like an idiot for eavesdropping on his bathing wife like he was a pervert, Blake shook his head and started to change out of his clothes. He would have to settle for a very cold shower tonight; he’d been having plenty of them since their ‘romantic’ honeymoon began.

It took a while for him to notice that she seemed to be taking far too long in there. And he couldn’t hear her making any more sounds. Puzzled, Blake went to the bathroom door to knock and ask if she was okay, when he heard her hesitantly call his name.

“Kira,” he called back, frowning with worry. “Is there something wrong?”

“I…uh…no,” she said in a small voice he had to strain to catch. “But I just realized we’ve run out of towels in here. Could you please um…”

“Stay put and I’ll get you one,” he said, hiding the amusement from his tone. He found some extra ones folded in the closet, picked out the largest one and then went back to the bathroom door, this time not bothering to knock before he entered.

When Blake walked in, Kira sunk deeper into the water of the large bathtub. Blake smiled. The steamy room was filled with a heavenly scent of roses. Kira’s freshly washed skin looked creamy in the gentle lights, and the sight of her rounded shoulders and the tops of her breasts above the level of the water was breathtaking. She looked indescribably lovely, her curls pinned in a messy bun high on her head and her eyes big and brown as they stared at him with a shy gaze. Blake realized he was bare-chested, having shrugged out of his shirt before she called for him.

He liked the way she was looking at his bared torso but didn’t let it give him any ideas. He couldn’t stand it if she turned cold on him again.