Been Loving You Too Long (21 page)

“Vincent, you’re killing me,” she groaned.
 
“I need you.”

With one last nip at her fingers, he withdrew them from his mouth and looked at her for a long moment.
 
“It dawns on me that you should be punished for your bad behavior the other day.”

“For touching myself?”

“No,” he answered.
 
“For leaving me in the state that I was in—for making me so hard and so desperate for you that I had to stroke my cock in the shower, thinking of your body when I came.”
 
He noted the shiver as she processed what he’d just said.
 

“I want to see you do that,” she whispered, appearing shocked at her own request.
 

“Soon,” he promised.
 
“But first, your punishment... How long has it been since you’ve been spanked, Ophelia?”

She shuddered, her eyes darkening and her nipples puckering even more tightly.
 
“I don’t know about this.”

He did.
 
Her body did, even if the rest of her was hesitant.
 
“Do you trust me not to hurt you anymore than you want me to?”

“Physically, yes,” she replied.
 

The caveat was an important one and he understood only too well.
 
She trusted him with her body but not her heart.
 
On that, they were in perfect accord.
 

Reaching up to loosen his tie, he dragged it free, and after seating himself on the bed, pulled her hands into his lap.
 
She didn’t protest as he looped the necktie around her wrists.
 
He didn’t secure her to the bed.
 
She wasn’t quite ready for that and he didn’t want to push her too far—too soon.

With the knot secure, he used it to haul her up, until her bound hands were pressed into the valley between her breasts and all of her was pressed against him.
 
Taking her mouth, he kissed her gently, molding his lips to hers for just a moment, before tugging her down and across his lap.
 

The lush curves of her bottom, skin that was so soft and oh so white, beckoned his hand.
 
He cupped his hand over one cheek, caressing it gently, only to draw back and deliver a stinging blow.

Pausing, he waited for the heat of that slap to sink into her, to fan the flames that burned elsewhere.
 
When she squirmed against his lip, he knew it’d worked.
 
“Is that enough punishment, or do you feel that you deserve more?”

~~****~~

Ophelia’s face was on fire, burning with a combination of embarrassment and desire.
 
He was offering her an out, a way to end the experience.
 
But she didn’t want it to end.
 
Yes, it had hurt, but that single blow of his hard palm against her behind had sparked her desire, sending it ratcheting to new heights.
 
“I don’t think it’s enough,” she replied, her voice soft and breathless.
 
“It was very naughty of me to leave you suffering.”

“Very naughty,” he agreed, and brought his palm down on the other cheek.
 

The force of the blow had pressed her against his hard thighs, creating a delicious friction over her clit.
 
Clutching at the sheet with her bound hands, she moaned loudly, biting her lip to keep from begging him to do it again.
 
But she realized he knew it already.
 
Everything he was doing to her was intentional.
 
When he parted her thighs just a bit, it increased the pressure on her clit to the point that it was almost unbearable.
 

Another smack, this one slightly offset from the ones before and the heat blossomed anew.
 
Again and again, his palm connected with her bare behind, and each time she couldn’t stop the shuddering moan or the pleasure that washed through her.

Then, the spanking stopped, and his fingers were trailing between her thighs, through the damp curls, lightly caressing her slit.
 

Lifting her hips, she moved against his hand, pleading for more.
 
“Please, Vincent!”

~~****~~

Vincent moved her back onto the bed, making sure that she stayed on her stomach.
 
He didn’t even have to direct her.
 
She immediately moved onto her knees, lifting her hips toward him.
 

His cock was so hard that even the slightest touch was an agony, and his balls ached.
 
He didn’t bother to remove his clothes, just opened his pants and groaned with relief when his cock sprang free.
 
Positioning himself behind her, he nudged his cock at her entrance, groaning at the damp heat of her.
 
“You feel so fucking good,” he growled.
 

“I need you inside me,” she cried, her bound hands clutching at the bedding as she thrust her hips against him.
 

Unable to restrain himself, Vincent didn’t try to be gentle.
 
He gripped her hips roughly and slammed into her.
 
Every muscle in his body tensed as he fought back the need to come.
 
The heat of her body clenching around him, the harsh sounds of damp flesh coming together and the musky scent of her desire were too much.
 
He plunged into her again, sinking into her soft flesh with a shattered groan.

Hooking one arm around her waist, he curled his fingers against her clit, creating a counter rhythm to his thrusts that left her sobbing and gasping.
 
When the tremors started, the quivering low in her belly and the trembling of her thighs, he increased his tempo and the force of his thrusts.

He wanted to just lose himself inside her.
 
Her body drew taut beneath him as the walls of her sex rippled around his cock, and he was well and truly lost.
 
Another shallow thrust, and his body tensed to the point he thought his muscles would snap.
 
He pressed deeper, holding her tightly to him as the first rush shuddered through him.
 

~~****~~

Ophelia shivered beneath Vincent’s weight.
 
She could feel his cock inside her, the hot rush that followed each spasm as he jerked against her.
 
They were both covered in sweat, both of them completely sated.
 
She’d never done anything in her life like the things she’d just done with him.
 
The one thing she was certain of in that moment was that she wanted more.
 

She whimpered in protest when he withdrew from her.
 
Her flesh was so tender, so sensitive, even that slight movement was too much. Then, he was kissing her shoulder, her neck, his hand skimming over her hip and soothing her.
 

When he released the tie that still bound her wrists, she was stunned to realize she had simply forgotten it.
 
She’d been so caught up in what he was doing to her that it had simply slipped her mind.
 
Smiling, she leaned against him, loving the feel of his hard body against her. “Well, if that’s what I get for misbehaving, I’m going to have to do it more often,” she declared, still breathless.
 

He smiled against her ear.
 
“That’s only the beginning.”

Ophelia shivered, and then smiled as he pulled the blanket up to cover her.
 
Those were the gestures, she thought.
 
As amazing as the sex was, it was those little things that would make her miss him when it was all over.
 
Trying not to think about that, she settled back against him.
 
“I think I’m not nearly the good girl we all thought I was.”

He chuckled and tugged her closer, tucking her against him, savoring the softness.
 
“Good or bad, Ophelia...I’m happy to be here with you right now.”

That was enough, she thought, and let her eyes drift close, savoring the warmth and heat of him and the knowledge that, for the moment at least, they were in a good place.
 

CHAPTER TEN

It was evening when Ophelia woke.
 
Spending the afternoon in bed, napping with Vincent after her first shocking and unbearably hot foray into bondage and spanking, had been decadent.
 

Stretching, she felt twinges in places that were vivid reminders of everything they’d done.
 
She was also alone.
 
Vincent was nowhere to be found.
 
Pushing back the covers, Ophelia rose and donned her robe.
 

Their interrupted lunch was catching up with her and she was starved.
 
As she made her way down the stairs, she could hear a muffled voice from the kitchen.
 
Moving towards it, she found her husband, paused in the act of making sandwiches, speaking into his cell phone.
 

It was such a surreal thing to say.
 
Vincent was her husband.
 
Pushing that thought aside, electing to simply not deal with all it implied, she instead savored the very enjoyable sight of him.
 
He’d donned a pair of jeans and nothing else.
 
Bare chested, she could see the rippling of the muscles across his back as he moved.
 

“When are you leaving?” he asked.
 

Ophelia noted the concern in his voice.
 
Whoever was on the other end of the phone was someone that he cared deeply about it.
 
She assumed that it was either Kaitlyn of Justin, but there was a part of her, just for a split second, that wondered if it wasn’t someone else.

Recalling Claude’s comment about Melina Tate, she realized she’d never asked Vincent if there had been any one else in his life.
 
It was a painful thought, burning inside her.
 

“Be careful,” he said.
 
“If you need anything—Screw the will, Kaitlyn.
 
If you need help, ask for help.
 
This is bullshit.”

Relieved to know that it was his sister and not someone else that had prompted the warmth and concern in his voice, Ophelia moved deeper into the kitchen.
 

Some noise she made or perhaps some sixth sense he possessed alerted him to her presence and he turned toward her as he concluded the call.
 

“What’s happening with Kaitlyn?” she asked.
 

“She’s apparently going to Kentucky to be a farm hand,” he said drolly.
 

Ophelia blinked—then blinked again.
 
“Kaitlyn?”

“One of the stipulations of Thomas’ will. Kaitlyn will spend three months working on a farm with rescued animals and underprivileged children.
 
During that time, she will get a small stipend to support herself and her housing will be provided by the farm.
 
She can’t touch her money, or any of mine or Justin’s.”

“Oh, no.
 
No.
 
That’s not going to go well at all... Kaitlyn isn’t the farming type.
 
Does she even like animals—or kids?”

~~****~~

Vincent shrugged.
 
He realized that there were a lot of things he didn’t know about his sister.
 
That was his own fault, he knew.
 
Those were things he’d never bothered to talk to Kaitlyn about.
  
He didn’t know if she wanted a husband or family, if she was interested in anything in life, beyond the socialite lifestyle she’d become accustomed to.
 
“I have no idea. I’m not sure she does either.
 
Maybe this will be good for her.”

“I hope so—I think Kaitlyn isn’t a very happy person.
 
A change of scenery, a chance to evaluate her priorities, might be good for her.”

He nodded.
 
Kaitlyn did need those things, but still he worried.

“A farm in Kentucky—oh, my God!
 
Thomas is sending her to his ex,” Ophelia exclaimed.

“What?”

“Thomas told me about a woman he dated once, when he was very young—he almost married her, but then he couldn’t go through with it, so he told her everything.
 
They remained friends though.
 
She even came to the funeral.”

“I don’t remember,” he admitted honestly.
 
“Big chunks of that day are just a blur to me.”

“That’s understandable. It wasn’t an easy thing to get through.”

Deciding to change the subject, he asked, “Are you hungry?
 
I realized we never finished our lunch when I woke up with my stomach growling.”

“Are you sure it was your stomach and not mine?”

He chuckled.
 
“You’d never do anything so unladylike,” he teased.
 
“Unless, of course, I told you to.”

Ophelia visibly shivered.
 
“Behave—I’m too hungry for whatever it is you have in mind right now.”

“Fine.
 
But after I feed you, we’re going to revisit
that
.”

“Actually, I want to talk about something else. I’ve been thinking about the things going on with Claude, the suspicions.
 
Vincent, what will you do if he’s done something horrible?
 
If he exposes the terms of the will, it could create a backlash financially for the company.
 
That kind of publicity could be very damaging.”

Turning back to the sandwiches he’d been making, Vincent finished them quickly and put them on plates.
 
“I don’t know.
 
On the one hand, if he’s jeopardized the company, I want him to pay for it.
 
On the other, he is family.
 
And you’re right.
 
He does know things that we can’t afford to have as public knowledge.
 
It’s far more convoluted than I like for things to be.”

“How convoluted are things with Melina Tate?” she asked and immediately hated herself for it.
 

Vincent turned to look at her quizzically, before shaking his head.
 
“There is nothing between Melina Tate and me. I took her to dinner one time.
 
Only dinner.
 
It was the most boring hour of my life.
 
She simpered at me, and kept batting her eyelashes.
 
I thought maybe her contacts were bothering her.”

“You’re making that up.
 
I’ve seen her at Thomas’ parties.
 
She’s lovely.”

“She is lovely—but she isn’t you.
 
And frankly, I haven’t looked at another woman without comparing her to you in years.”

“What are we really doing here?
 
You say things like that and I don’t even know how to respond!”

“I didn’t realize a response was required.
 
I’m telling you that because it’s the truth.
 
I don’t know what we’re doing here anymore than you do.
 
This isn’t a place I ever expected to be.” His answer was honest, but it shed no light on the situation for either of them.
 
“I’m so damned mad at Thomas for doing this to us.
 
That isn’t about you—not at all.
 
I don’t like being manipulated and what he did is the granddaddy of them all.”

“I don’t like it any better than you do—and don’t get me started on Ruby’s role in all of this. I’m just scared, Vincent.”

Taking her hands in his, he pulled her close.
 
“What are you afraid of?”

“I’m afraid of getting hurt.
 
I’m afraid that a year from now, we’re going to part ways, and my whole life will be turned upside down.
 
This isn’t just about you and me.
 
It’s about this house which feels like my home—it’s about Justin and Kaitlyn, because even as bitchy as she is, you all and Ruby are the only family I’ve ever known.”

“If,” he said, emphasizing the word, “We decide to part ways, nothing else will change.
 
This will still be the home you grew up in and Justin will always adore you and Kaitlyn will always snap at you but then jump to your defense when anyone else tries. “

“
If
?
 
I thought marriage was the last thing in the world you ever wanted,” she challenged.

“I’m discovering that it has its merits, but we’ve got time to figure all this out later.
 
One day at a time.
 
One long, endless, blissful night at a time.
 
Okay? Now, we’re going to eat these sandwiches before we both starve to death.”

Smiling, and looking marginally reassured at least for the moment, Ophelia nodded.
 
“We’re definitely going to eat—you’re going to need your strength.”

“You’re going to be the death of me...I’m an old man, Ophelia.”

“How about if I do all the work this time?” she asked, looking at him over her shoulder.
 

It was a classic come hither pose, and it set his blood on fire.
 
She had no idea how sexy she was how irresistible he found her.
 
But he’d discovered her secret.
 
Ophelia might be a good girl on the outside, but in her most secret desires, she was far naughtier than even she realized.

It was a side of her that he was eager to explore.
 
But there was nothing about her that didn’t arouse some kind of response in him.
 
He craved her body, but he also craved her company.
 
Waking up beside her, talking with her in the night before sleep claimed them, even sharing a meal with her.
 

She was becoming a dangerous obsession for him, and he knew that he had to be careful.
 
Could he rein it in?
 
Could he actually have her in his life and manage the dark possessiveness that she evoked in him?
 
It was a question that tormented him.
 
When he finally managed to answer, he did so flippantly, “If its work, then we’re doing it wrong.”

“Feed me,” she demanded.
 
“Then, we’ll find out.”

“Outside,” he urged.
 
“Let’s eat by the pool.”

~~****~~

Ophelia sighed and picked up the plates.
 
She desperately wanted to believe that he meant what he’d said about being attracted to her alone.
 
Melina was pretty and slim, with a perfect, tiny figure and a classy, elegant look.
 
Thinking of her own retro style, Ophelia knew she’d gone that route simply because it suited the figure she had rather than trying to wear the more modern silhouettes.

She reminded herself that Vincent seemed to enjoy her curves, but doubts about her figure had always plagued her.
  
Pushing all that and the
year end
worry aside, she headed out while he grabbed drinks for them.

It was late October, but still unseasonably warm, and with the sun just beginning to set, it was a good night to be outdoors. Just as she set their plates on the table, the lights came on in the pool and music began to pour from the discreetly placed speakers.
 

Not just any music, she thought, recognizing the soulful, bluesy baritone of Otis Redding.
 
When Vincent appeared, she faced him with her hands on her hips.
 
“If I didn’t know better, and if you hadn’t already done it so successfully, I’d say you were trying to seduce me.”

He smiled as he moved toward her. “It dawned on me that we’ve never danced together.”