The Ties That Bind (6 page)

James stirred as something tightened around his wrist. He could flex his fingers but found he couldn't move his arm. Relaxed from his night of passion, it took him a moment to realize his wrists were tied together with one of Arabella's stockings.

"Arabella, what are you doing?"

He tried to slip his wrist out of the silken cuff. Tom growled something unintelligible as he too fought the improvised bonds. The other end of the stocking was tied to the bed post.

His wife stood beside the bed, his pistol held firmly in both her hands. She'd put her dress back on but neglected to fasten it. Her long black hair streamed over her shoulders. She looked magnificent. If it hadn't been for the gun James would've dragged her straight back into bed. She gestured at James.

"How long have you known him?"

"Tom? Since we attended
Eton
together, why?"

Her mouth tightened. James gave the pistol a surreptitious glance. Had she loaded the damned thing?

"Does she know how to fire that, Tom?"

"Unfortunately, she does. I taught her this summer."

James fought a strange desire to laugh as Arabella glared at him.

"I should've realized something was wrong when you allowed Tom to make love to me!"

Tom shrugged. "I don't make love to you, Bella, I leave that to James. I've just taught you how to enjoy yourself in bed."

"You are as bad as he is. How dare you take advantage of me like that?"

James kept his tone even. "He did what I asked of him. He kept an eye on you, managed the estate and offered whatever it took to keep you happy."

"And primed and ready to spread my legs for you if you ever came back."

"I always intended to return." He fought a curse as the pistol wavered away from Tom and back toward him. "I wanted you to forget our wedding night and understand that making love can be a wonderful experience."

"And yet you sent your best friend to teach me that. Why not teach me yourself. Were you simply too busy?'

James clenched his teeth. "Because your father refused to allow me near you!" What else do you think would keep me away from the woman I love?" From the shocked look on her face he realized he was shouting.
 
In an effort to gain control, he took a deep breath. "He wanted nothing more from me than my title."

She shook her head, her lips trembling as if she couldn't bear to hear him speak.
 
He strained forward to reach her, felt the silk bite into his wrists.

"Damnation, Arabella, just before I came to your bed on our wedding night, he informed me that you already had a lover. He showed me letters the man had written to you. He insisted you had no interest in me at all and were an accomplice to his plans!"

"It's true, Bella. Your father boasted to me about what he'd done to keep you apart. He wasn't ashamed of it." Tom cleared his throat and cast James an apologetic look. "James won't tell you this himself, but your father also threatened to tell the
ton
about John's suicide if James didn't leave you."

James' hands fisted as he remembered how Meldon had trapped him so neatly. His desire for his wife was shattered by loyalty to his dead brother and the devastating news that Arabella had been playing him for a fool.
  

Arabella's throat worked as she tried to swallow. "Why? Why did he hate me so much?" A single tear trickled down her cheek.

"Perhaps he was jealous because he realized we were falling in love with each other. Perhaps he wanted to keep you under his control. I don't know. I only know that I ruined the best night of my life by believing his lies."

"You didn't think I was a virgin did you?"

James held her gaze. "That's no excuse for the way I behaved. And to make it worse, I stupidly believed that sending Tom to you in my absence might make things better." He looked away from her. Studied the rumpled bed sheets, made himself breathe the heavy scent of sex, convinced he'd never have the opportunity again.

A soft click announced that Arabella had set the gun on the table. James looked at his wife. Was she going to leave him? He steeled himself against her anger, or even worse, her absence.

"I do love you, James, despite everything you have done to me." She turned to Tom. "And I suppose if I forgive James, then I have to forgive you too."

James felt tears prick at his throat and hastily swallowed them. "I love you, Arabella." He held up his bound wrists. "We still have a lot to discuss. I have a knife in my other coat pocket if you wish to untie us."

She shook her head as she considered them. James' cock came to instant attention.

"Perhaps I'd better take this opportunity to compare you and Tom before I release you." She smiled as Tom sat up straight and winked at him. "Release is such a nice word isn't it?"

James sighed as she flicked his cock with her fingertip and resigned himself to an interesting morning. He suspected he and Tom would be exhausted before Arabella finished expressing her disapproval with them. In truth, he didn't care if Arabella insisted on leading him around by the cock for the rest of their married life as long as she was the only one who ever held the other end of his leash.
 

*****The End*****

About the Author

Kate Pearce was born into a large family of girls in
England
, and spent much of her childhood living very happily in a dream world. Despite being told that she really needed to ‘get with the program’, she graduated from the University College of Wales with an honors degree in history.

After graduation, real life did intervene and she ended up working in finance which was not the greatest career choice for a would-be writer!

A move to the
USA
finally allowed her to fulfill her dreams and sit down and write that novel. Along with being a voracious reader, Kate loves trail riding with her family, ‘western style’ in the regional parks of
Northern California

Kate writes in several different romance sub-genres under different names. She is a member of RWA and is published by Kensington Aphrodisia, Ellora’s Cave and Virgin Black Lace/Cheek.

For more information about Kate, please visit her website at
www.katepearce.com
.