His Marriage Trap (13 page)

“You couldn’t stay? Why not?” he asked and knew she must be aware of the hurt that had sounded in his voice.

“Because we’ve never even had a proper discussion about our marriage and I don’t think that I can just jump in to this without working some things out,” she informed him and he frowned.

“What needs working out?” he asked curiously and she sighed.

“Well for one thing we don’t communicate enough. I have no idea about anything in your life outside the house and you have no idea about mine,” she said and he frowned as he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I know about your life outside the house,” he reminded her and she shook her head.

“You know what a report told you. But you don’t know why I do the things I do or what it is I actually do,” she told him and it was his turn to sigh.

“So tell me. Why do you do the things you do? What is it you do?” he asked and she smiled up at him.

“Do you really want to know?” she responded and he smiled back at her.

“I want to know everything about you,” he answered. It was the right answer and Gabby realised that if she really wanted the marriage she had always wanted then she would have to start opening up to Nik instead of hiding everything and burying her feelings.

“You have to try to understand though instead of just getting angry,” she warned.

“I promise to try to understand,” he assured her and Gabby realised that would have to be good enough. It was more than she had hoped for.

“You look tired,” she said as she ran a finger lightly over the shadows beneath his eyes.

“I’ve been searching everywhere for my wife. I haven’t had time for sleep,” he said and she sighed as she bit nervously at her lower lip.

“You should have something to eat and have a rest,” she told him and he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.

“I can rest anytime but I want to figure out what I did that drove you away and fix it,” he said firmly which made Gabby smile.

“I promise that our problems will still be there to fix after you’ve eaten and rested,” she assured him. She was worried about him. He really did look like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days and it made her feel guilty for leading him on this merry chase.

She refused to take no for an answer and Nik was helpless as he was dragged back inside and firmly seated at a table. Gabby quickly fixed him something to eat and she was aware of his eyes on her the entire time. There wasn’t really a lot in so he had to make do with a couple of sandwiches but the look he sent her made her feel like she’d just presented him with a gourmet meal.

“This looks delicious,” he assured her before tucking in to the sandwich with a soft sound of appreciation. Gabby sat opposite him at the small table and sipped slowly at the cup of coffee she had made herself. She felt strangely awkward and didn’t know what to say. It felt like in an instant everything between them had changed.

She had always been attracted to Nik but they hadn’t been in the same emotional place before and she wasn’t sure that it would be so easy to open up to him and reveal all her fears.

She was startled out of her thoughts when Nik’s large hand covered her own and he gently stroked his thumb across her knuckles as he regarded her with concern in his gaze.

“Are you alright?” he asked and she sent him a faint smile.

“I’m scared Nik,” she admitted and he pushed his empty plate away as he regarded her thoughtfully while continuing to stroke her knuckles soothingly.

“What are you scared of? Me?” he asked and she shook her head.

“I’m scared of opening up and letting you see all of me,” she said which made his brows furrow in thought.

“You want me to go first? Cos I’ve got to say I have never been as scared as when I realised you had left me,” he confessed and she stared at him in astonishment. Gabby had never known Nik to be scared of anything and especially not something as trivial as her leaving.

“I didn’t even think that you would notice I’d left,” she confessed and he laughed at that.

“How could I not notice when the brightest thing in my world left me?” he said while she stared at him incredulously.

“You don’t have to make stuff up,” she said which made him laugh again.

“You don’t even see it do you? You are amazing and funny and beautiful. Like nobody I have ever met before. Whenever you’re not around everything is just that little bit duller,” he told her and she stared at him in disbelief. How could he really be feeling like that?

“I told you, you don’t have to make things up,” she said quietly and was unprepared for how fast he moved. One minute he was sat at the table and the next he was right in front of her framing her face with his hands.

“I swear to you honey that I’m not making any of this up,” he told her before he placed a gentle kiss upon her lips.

“It can’t be true,” she said sadly and he frowned.

“Why can’t it?”

“Because if it was true then you wouldn’t need anyone else,” she explained but he looked even more confused.

“I have never needed anyone else but you,” he said in what was meant to be a soothing tone but it had the opposite effect and Gabby jerked away from him as she wrapped her arms around her middle.

“If that’s true then why have you had everyone else but me?” she asked and Nik froze in place.

“What do you mean?” he questioned.

“I mean all those women who have slept with you while we’ve been married!”

“Honey, I swear to you that I haven’t slept with any woman but you since we got married.”

“Don’t lie to me Nik. This isn’t going to work if we keep lying to each other,” she warned him and he looked furious.

“I’m not lying. I swear to you that I haven’t slept with anyone else. I don’t understand where you got the impression that I had,” he said and she winced.

“The lie would have worked a lot better if I didn’t know for a fact that you’d cheated on me,” she said and he looked even angrier that she was questioning his word.

“And how exactly would you know that I’d cheated on you?” he asked.

“Because I caught you,” she said and he looked confused.

“Impossible. The only way you could have caught me was if I was really cheating on you and I haven’t touched another woman since we married,” he growled.

“Just give it up,” she urged and he narrowed his eyes on her.

“Explain what you think you saw or heard,” he demanded and she sighed but at his glare she finally explained. She told him all about Callie and the more she told him the darker his expression got.

“You obviously prefer her,” Gabby said when only silence met her. Nik lifted his gaze to her and anger leaked out from every inch of his body.

“There is nothing going on between Callie and me,” he said. Gabby wanted to believe him but she had gone too long believing the other woman that she wasn’t sure what was real and what was a lie anymore.

“I want to believe you,” she confessed.

“But she has you believing that up is down and down is up? I swear to you that nothing has ever gone on between Callie and me. I thought that you were just being insecure but now I see that she was really trying to turn you against me,” he said which made Gabby suddenly uncertain about who to trust.

“I don’t understand why she would say those things if they weren’t true.”

“Because she’s obviously a messed up person but she won’t have the chance to make you doubt me again,” he promised.

Gabby found that she really did want to believe him and she didn’t hesitate when he pulled her in to his arms and captured her lips with his own. He had a way of making her feel special and as though she was the only person who mattered to him. For once she actually believed that it could be true. She allowed herself to believe that she really was that important to him that he had travelled all over just because he couldn’t live without her.

“Wait,” she said as she pulled away.

“You okay?” Nik asked in concern and she offered a smile.

“I’m fine. I just need to know that this isn’t a quick fix.”

“A quick fix?” Nik questioned and Gabby blushed under his scrutiny.

“I don’t want one night together to be the band aid on our relationship. I want us to actually work things out and have a real marriage,” she explained and he relaxed slightly.

“Honey, I don’t want a quick solution. I’m all in where you’re concerned. You want a long discussion? I want that too. I don’t want us to go back to being distant with each other. I want us to share everything and to make a go of having a real marriage,” he assured her. Gabby couldn’t help the smile that crossed her face at his assurance. She wanted to be his wife in all senses of the word and she wanted him to want her for the person she was and not because a will forced him in to it.

“I’m all in too,” she promised and completed that statement by removing her dress and baring herself to his eyes. All she had worn underneath was a pair of skimpy knickers and she smiled when she realised that Nik couldn’t take his eyes off her. She would never have been so daring before but now she felt like she could actually trust him and she wanted to be closer to him.

“You are just so beautiful,” Nik breathed and she couldn’t help the blush that caused. She had never seen herself as desirable before until she had seen the look in Nik’s eyes when he gazed upon her.

“You are the only person that I have ever trusted with my heart so be gentle,” she said and he smiled down at her.

“I will treasure your heart forever. And I will spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me,” he promised as he gathered her in to his arms and carried her back towards the bedroom.

He placed her gently down on the bed and removed her knickers but then could only stare at her for a few moments. He didn’t know how he’d gotten so lucky but she was absolute perfection and he couldn’t help himself from drinking her in like a man deprived.

“So beautiful,” he murmured before he lowered his head. He simply couldn’t help himself from tasting her smooth skin. He didn’t want this to be a quick moment of passion. He wanted to savour the moment and prove to Gabby that he treasured her and only her. He had never been great with words but he knew that he could show her what she meant to him by putting her needs ahead of his.

He laid her gently across the bed and used his hands and lips to discover every part of her as he kissed and stroked his way down her writhing body. She was just so soft and beautiful. She smelled like strawberries and vanilla but looked like every fantasy he had ever had.

Moving lower he forced her thighs apart and smiled at the sight of his goal. Leaning closer he blew softly across her centre delighting in the shiver that swept through her entire body. He used his tongue to torment and tease her as he opened her up further to him. She was so wet for him and he couldn’t help himself from tasting every wet inch of her. He could feel her body twitching against him as he drove her to the brink of madness while eliciting moans and gasps from her. He kept up his torture as he licked and sucked until he felt the start of her release begin to take hold and then she exploded and screamed out his name as the pleasure took her.

When she came back to herself she fought not to be embarrassed by what had just occurred. She felt like she should be embarrassed considering that she was naked and he was still fully dressed and yet surprisingly she didn’t. Maybe it was because it was Nik and she wanted to give him every part of herself but she didn’t feel as embarrassed as she thought she should. In fact she wanted to return the favour. But she barely even had chance to undo his zipper and dip her hand in to trousers to claim her prize when he caught her wrist and removed it from his trousers.

“Is something wrong?” Gabby asked. Had she done something wrong?

“No. It’s just that I…” he trailed off and she frowned at him.

“It’s just that what?”

“I didn’t do that so you’d feel obligated to do the same to me. I did it because I wanted you to know that I love you,” he said and Gabby felt a warm glow inside her.

“You love me?” she asked barely believing her and he kissed her.

“Of course I love you.”

“I love you too,” she assured him and he grinned at that confirmation.

Before he could stop her again Gabby pressed herself against him and captured his mouth as she kissed him to within an inch of his life. She could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against her and he didn’t protest when she pulled away and divested him of his clothes.

“On the bed,” he growled and Gabby immediately obeyed. Nik climbed up behind her and draped his body over hers with his chest to her back. He brushed aside her hair and placed gentle kisses along her neck as he made her shiver.

“You ready for me, baby?” he asked softly and she gasped as his hand reached round to tweak one nipple.

“More,” she breathed and he was happy to oblige.

He positioned her just the way he wanted her before sliding in to her, enjoying the soft sounds she made. He continued to gently caress her and place kisses wherever he could reach. She couldn’t help the moans that escaped her as he began to move inside her. His thrusts reached a frantic pace and sensations assailed them both. His hand reached around her and his fingers tweaked her clit. It was the final straw and she fell over the edge as her orgasm came upon her in such a swift burst of pleasure that she could barely breathe or even make a whimper as she helplessly rode wave after wave. She was dimly aware of his cock jerking within her as he rode the orgasm right along with her.