Falling Into Place (10 page)

“Liz,” he whispered, following her. “I’ll be
gentle.”

* * * *

Liz almost froze at the sincere promise
Robert had uttered. One brief glimpse into her past flashed through
her mind before she forced it back.

Robert’s hands wrapped around her waist,
pulling her flush against his body. Hard muscle from their
workouts, soft skin, and the light hair on his body felt like
heaven against her.

His lips grazed her ear. “You are exquisite,
Liz. You feel like fine silk.” He trailed light kisses down her
throat as he laid her back on the bed, his body sliding against
hers, sending shivers down her spine.

There was only Robert and the way he
lovingly touched her. The whole world slid away as his hands
trailed up her body to cup her breasts.

Her head fell back as his mouth left a damp
trail of sensation to one pink tip. His tongue circled the
sensitized bud before closing over it.

“Robert,” she gasped as he gently sucked.
Sensation flowed through her, and her hips rocked against his
thigh. Another wave of pleasure swept through her at the friction.
“Please,” she whimpered.

“Liz,” he groaned. “I’ve wanted to taste you
for as long as I can remember. Please let me.”

“Taste?” she squeaked as he licked his way
to her other nipple. She ground her throbbing heat against his
thigh, his length a hot brand against her hip.

He sucked, and gently nipped her taut peak.
“Calm down, I don’t want to hurt you.”

She was already aching for him. He nibbled a
trail down her ribs and her hand tangled in his hair, trying to
pull his mouth back to hers.

He chuckled against her belly. “Trust me,
please.”

“I need you,” she whined, her hips restless
as she tried to rub against him, but he was crawling down her body.
His hands pushed her thighs open.

For one second, fear flashed through her,
but then his lips grazed over her inner thigh and she calmed,
forgetting every reason she should be nervous. His nose brushed
against her slick folds and her head fell back on a groan.

“You smell delicious.”

“You’re crazy,” she whimpered.

She felt his tongue against her bead of
nerves. “Robert,” she cried.

He looked up her body, his eyes locking on
hers. “Am I hurting you?”

She shook her head.

“Should I stop?”

“No,” she gasped and then he teased her with
the tip of his tongue as his finger edged her entrance. So slowly,
he pushed into her. Her inner walls clamped down on him, but she
was so wet his finger glided into her.

“Please, more,” she whimpered as he
withdrew. “Please.”

He pushed back into her, sucking and licking
at the top of her sex. And then he slid another finger into her,
stretching her as he worked her body.

The pleasure built until she couldn’t see as
it washed over her. She lay there, an incoherent blissed out lump
on the bed.

* * * *

Robert could taste her desire on his tongue.
From what he had managed to get out of Preston, he’d brought her
over the edge. He was so sure he was going to hurt her the first
time, but he hadn’t.

He climbed back up her body and looked down
into her desire filled eyes. His length throbbed against her heated
core. He wanted to drive into her until he was buried, but he
waited for her to really look at him.

“Liz, love, tell me I didn’t hurt you.” That
was the last thing he ever wanted to do.

She shook her head, her hand coming up to
tangle in his hair as she brought his mouth to hers. This time her
tongue slid against his.

When she let him go, she whispered, “Make
love to me, Robert.”

He reached between them, grasping his
length. He rubbed his crown against her heat. She shifted into him
until his tip glided into her and she closed over him.

“More,” she whispered, her nails digging
into his cheek as she pulled him deeper.

He barely held onto his control as he slid
deep inside her. Nothing had ever felt as good as being inside her.
For a moment, he couldn’t move as he lay his forehead against
hers.

Then she did something, gripping him like a
vice and he groaned. “Oh, Liz, I’m close.”

“Then take me. I’m yours,” she whispered as
she stared into his eyes.

He meshed his mouth over hers, tasting her
as he moved inside her. Her hips met his every thrust. Before he
knew it she was calling his name like a prayer as he thrust harder,
faster. Then the whole world went supernova as pleasure shot
through his entire body. He collapsed on Liz.

Her arms wound around him, her lips sucking
his ear as he tried to breathe.

* * * *

Liz woke up screaming. Robert sat in the
middle of her bed cradling her as he rocked back and forth. “Shh,
Liz. It’s only a nightmare.”

She tried to catch her breath.

Preston came through the door looking
panicked. He saw the state of their dress and turned away. “Please,
tell me everything is all right. I heard the screams and had to
check.”

“Nightmares,” Liz whispered. She was
trembling, trying to shake off the memories of Sinclair. “Sorry I
woke you.”

“You’re okay?” Preston asked.

“Yeah.” She lay her head against Robert’s
chest, taking comfort in the way he held her so tenderly. “Go back
to bed.”

“Okay, sorry.” He shut the door behind
him.

“You okay, Liz?” Robert whispered.

“Am now.”

“You haven’t had one of those nightmares in
a long time.”

“Sorry,” she answered lamely.

“Want to talk about it?”

She was off his lap, pulling on a nightgown
then. “No. I don’t. It’s an old nightmare, best left in the
past.”

His arms wrapped around her waist. “Tell me
how to make the nightmares go away.”

“You can’t,” she whispered. That was the
last thing she ever wanted to talk to Robert about. He would never
understand. How could he?

“Talk to me, Liz. Let me in,” he
pleaded.

She pulled away from him and moved to the
window to stare out. “I can’t. Not about that.” She felt tears
burning her eyes but she blinked them back.

“I want to take away the pain, the fear. I
want to be the one you turn to when you’re afraid.” He was
pleading, and it broke her heart. She hadn’t thought about her last
night in his uncle’s estate in so long, and now here she was, ready
to shatter.

“Robert, please don’t ask me again. I hate
saying no, but I can’t. I just can’t.” Her voice broke.

“All right.” His hand squeezed her shoulder.
“Should I stay? Or do you want me to leave?”

“You need your sleep. You should go.” She
couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t have nightmares. In fact, she was
sure they would be back.

He kissed her shoulder, chasing some of the
horror of her memories away. “I want to hold you, to keep you
safe.”

“I’d like that.” She whispered before
crawling into bed. Robert curled up behind her, pulling her into
the line of his body.

“I’m here for you whenever you want to
talk.” He brought the covers over them and held her close.

She turned over, burying her face against
his chest. A part of her wanted to tell him everything, confess her
sins, but she was terrified he wouldn’t understand.

He tipped her face up and wiped away the
tear that escaped. “Liz, whatever it is, I’m not letting you
go.”

Wanting to believe, needing to believe, she
kissed him softly before settling in to close her eyes.

Robert woke early. Liz was curled against
him, sleeping peacefully. Today was the day. He wanted to make her
his forever.

After placing a kiss on her temple, he
slipped out of bed. His clothes were still lying on the floor in a
pile. Gritting his teeth, he gathered his things and popped into
his room.

He knew the questions were coming as soon as
Preston saw him. He didn’t have a clue what to say either. He
quickly got dressed. Before he left his room, he took the ring from
his dresser and placed it in his pocket.

Preston sat at the counter with a cup of
coffee. His brow arched. “You stayed with her all night?”

“I’m not discussing it.”

“I thought you had hurt her when she
screamed. Scared the hell out of me,” Preston told him.

Robert shook his head as he dropped into the
seat beside him. “She has nightmares. It was the first time in a
long time that she woke that frightened.”

“Some nightmare.” Preston looked up at the
ceiling and let out a breath. “Whatever happened before your dad
brought her in was bad. It took her a long time to get to a point
where she actually trusted you, let alone me.”

“I think she trusted you first,” Robert
muttered.

Preston shook his head and spun in his seat
to face him. “You are both so blind. She trusted you, she didn’t
trust her own feelings. You were always the perfect gentleman, and
she expected the worst from you.”

“When did you figure all of this out?”

He shrugged, a hint of a smile on his face.
“I don’t know. Pretty fast. She could laugh with me because I
didn’t make her nervous.”

“I’ve never pushed her. I’ve been nothing
but patient, and will always be.” He pushed his hand into his
pocket and closed his eyes. He wanted to make her his, but what if
it was too fast? What if last night was too soon?

“I know that. I think she knows that. Hell,
Tremaine hasn’t punched your teeth in yet, which speaks volumes.”
Preston winked. “Good luck with your plan. You’re going to need
it.”

Preston stood and strolled out the door.

Conflicted, he set out to make breakfast. It
was all he could do to keep from waking her. Regardless of how she
answered, he had to make his intentions known. One day she would be
his, and he would be hers.

* * * *

The door opened, pulling Liz from sleep. She
rolled over to find Robert carrying a tray in. Breakfast smelled
divine.

“Mmm, why are you so good to me?” she
murmured.

“Because, love, you deserve it.” He sat down
beside her, placing the tray over her lap. “Did you sleep well?” He
knew she had after she finally went back to sleep.

Her eyes lit up and she nodded. “I did,
thanks to you.”

Robert turned to sit beside her. “I hope you
don’t mind that I made you breakfast.”

She leaned her head on his shoulder and took
his hand. “I don’t. It’s awfully sweet. I just…,” she sighed. “It’s
perfect.”

“Eat. I had my breakfast while I was
cooking.” Which wasn’t much. He was too nervous.

Her eyes kept sliding over to him as she
ate, her left hand playing with the sheet every time she met his
gaze. “What?” she finally whispered.

“Sorry, I’ll be right back. Please, finish
eating and meet me in the living room.”

Her brows drew together but she nodded.

He was going to make a mess of this, but he
had to do it right. Robert squeezed her hand before leaving her to
finish. Too nervous to sit, he started straightening things up.

It seemed to take forever, but finally she
came out in a pencil skirt and fitted top. She looked incredible,
if a little uncomfortable. Her hands smoothed down the skirt and a
frown marred her face.

“Why can’t I wear pants? They’re so much
more comfortable,” she muttered.

Robert grinned. He didn’t care what she
wore. He took two steps and stopped in front of her as he dropped
to his knee.

Her mouth fell open and her breath
caught.

“Elizandra, please be my wife.”

Her head moved back and forth as she backed
away. “Robert, why?” She whispered.

He rose to his feet and gently took her face
in his hands. “I love you and will until my dying breath.”

“Your family.” She looked devastated.
“They’ll never accept me.”

“You’re wrong. My father already gave his
blessing.”

“Your mother must not know then.” She pulled
out of his grasp and walked away. “Why now? Why so soon? We just
became enforcers, why mess that up already?”

“We don’t have to change our plans. I just
want the world to know you’re my wife.”

“I can’t. I’m sorry, I can’t.”

He reached for her, but she ran out the
door. He slumped into the seat, and tried to figure out what to do
to fix this mess.

* * * *

Liz ran to Tremaine’s. She hurried up the
stairs and pounded on the door. She didn’t care if he was sleeping,
she needed to talk to someone who wouldn’t laugh at her for turning
down the one thing she wanted more than anything.

“Damn it, Tremaine, open up,” she
yelled.

She heard him running through the house, and
the door swung open. He stood there in a towel, water dripping down
his body and she looked away. “I need to talk. I can wait.”

“Not outside, you can’t. Come in here, I’ll
be right back.” He turned and started down the hall. Liz stepped
inside and shut the door behind her. Then she moved to his
bookshelves.

She wanted more than anything to feel normal
and deserving of everything Robert had offered her, but she felt
dirty and tainted by her past.

He’d been so gentle and loving, afraid he
might hurt her, and she couldn’t even tell him that her virginity
had been ripped from her years before.

She slammed her hand on the wall and fought
back a wave of tears.

“Liz, what’s wrong?” Tremaine’s voice was
quiet but reinforced by steel. “Did Robert hurt you? I’ll strangle
that boy with his own intestines.”

She whirled around and shouted. “No, don’t
you dare touch him. That’s not what this is about.”

His eyes closed, his shoulders slumping as
he took a deep breath. “Then what is it, because you look like
someone ripped your heart out.”