Part Time Marriage (16 page)

Elexa listened agreeably to his reply and then rejoined the general conversation which, thankfully, was back with Sarah and her fiance.

Elexa stayed talking with the two of them for quite some while, until they adjourned to the drawing-room. But the whole of the time she could not lose the feeling that something had upset Noah. He was as calm as ever, as polite and affable as ever to his family, clearly great friends with his father-but still that feeling persisted.

She was in the middle of laughing at some absurd story Scott Wheeler was telling her when she caught Noah's sharp glance on her. She was still endeavouring to decipher what, if anything, that sharp look meant and, amusing though Scott was, quite ready to go home, when the party began to break up.

But, when Elexa was ready to make her goodbyes, she was the one to be upset when, before she could so much as thank her hostess for a wonderful meal, her hostess was beaming. `You seemed a little light on luggage, Elexa. If there's anything you need, just ask.' She smiled. `If you're comfortable this time, you might stay longer next time.' `We're not-' Staying, Elexa would have said, given the chance.

`Often free,' Noah cut in smoothly. `But we'll make a note of it,' he added, and smiled, said a general goodnight to everyone-and took Elexa firmly by her upper arm and steered her to the stairs.

Elexa had been extremely well brought up but knew, without being taught, that it was just not done to make a scene when you were a guest in someone else's home. However it was touch andgo in the next couple of seconds that she did not shake Noah's hand from her and march straight to the front door.

By the time they reached the room-Noah's old room-Elexa was seething. Though she did not have to shake his hand from her, because the moment the door was closed Noah took his hand from her and, from the sudden angry glint in his eyes, Elexa guessed that he was as furious as she. Though what he thought he had to be furious about, she couldn't fathom.

Whatever, she wasn't waiting for him to tell her, but pitched straight in. `You knew we were staying!' she accused hotly. `I specifically said that we weren't!' he grated.

Much good that had done! `You could have got us out of it. When you-'

`Why should I?"

'Stop butting in!' she ordered. `Why shouldn't you?"

'What's the matter? Want the chaste little bed all to yourself?"

'You're sleeping in that chair!' she hissed, pointing to a quite well-padded bedroom chair-which looked for all its padding as if it might be hell round about three in the morning.

`Where else?' he grunted.

`Good,' she sniffed, and, that established, she charged into the bathroom and closed the door with a determined click. She was still fuming, but as she noticed that in between now and the last time she had been there Mrs Peverelle had had fresh toothbrushes and toothpaste put in the bathroom, so some of Elexa's anger started to fade. Ruth Peverelle dearly loved her son and didn't see nearly enough of him. Wasn't it only natural that she would want him to stay?

Elexa went slowly back into the bedroom. Noah did not seem to have moved, but was standing more or less where had had last seen him. `Why are you so mad at me?' she asked.

`You were mad at me first,' he replied, looking stern again, though-and she wasn't so very sure-she had an idea he was notso annoyed with her as he had been.

`You sound ten years old,' she accused.

`So what did I do? You were all uptight with me earlier.'

`When?' `When I came to take you down to dinner,' he reminded her.

`W-'She broke off, remembered, and suddenly felt forced into honesty. 'I'd been having a silent argument with you,' she confessed.

He looked intrigued. `I don't appear to have come off best.'

It all seemed so ridiculous now, but honesty would out. `The argument went along the lines of- Who did you think you were, being happy to be married to me-for a day? That's what you said when you dropped me off at my place after Rory's wedding. By the time you came up for me tonight I was in a We'lldivorce- any-time- you-like-pally kind of mood.'

She felt stupid confessing that, and about the ten-year-old she had accused him of being. But she was little short of amazed when, after staring at her for long, silent mirthless seconds, Noah suddenly burst out laughing. `Oh, Elexa Aston-Peverelle, did I mention that I had never, ever met anyone like you?"

'So,' she murmured, loving him to the roots of her being, but striving not to let it show, `I shouldn't have let it tweak my pride?' `And I shouldn't have objected that you all but gave Scott Wheeler your telephone number.'

Elexa stared at him in astonishment. `I did no such thing!' she protested, it occurring to her for one heart stopping moment that Noah might have been jealous!

`You told him where you work.'

`Anyone could have told him that.' Suddenly she was aghast. `Did I miss the signs?' Noah didn't answer. `You don't think... ?He wouldn't... ?'All at once she saw that it was nothing to do with jealousy but the pride Noah had too. Noah had been annoyed that she, missing whatever signals Scott Wheeler had been sending, had laughed and chatted with him, and had believed, in front of his nearest and dearest, and had been angry in that belief, that his wife was giving some other man leave to contact her.

`I do, and he will,' Noah answered her unfinished questions. `What are you going to do when he gives you a call on Monday?' She smiled, and then laughed, and as Noah's glance went from her eyes to her mouth, and then back again to her laughing eyes, she answered, `Well, naturally, I shall refer him to my husband.' Her laughter, her smile, started to fade as Noah stilled and then just stood staring at her. `What?' she asked. `What's wrong?'

Noah seemed to give himself a mental shake. `Nothing,' he replied, and was smiling. `Other than you're one rather delightful lady.'

Her breath caught, not only at his words but at the warmth in them. But steady on here, she cautioned, and found another smile. `You're still sleeping in that chair,' she informed him.

His smile had gone into hiding. `I-want to hold you,' he said.

Her heart leapt-she wished he would. `Not a good idea,' she answered, fighting with all she had the urge to run to him.

`You're right, of course,' he agreed-butcame a step nearer.

It was her cue to take a step back, but she was hungry for his arms about her, and found she had taken a step forward. Then he was reaching for her and, shyly, unprotesting, she went into his arms.

As he had said he wanted to, he just held her quietly to him, held her quietly against his heart. It was bliss, wonderful, heart-easing bliss, to be there in the strong circle of his arms. She placed her arms around his waist, loving him so much, breathing in his warmth, and rested her head against his chest.

How long they stood like that, just wrapped in each other's arms, she had no idea, no sensation of time. It was just too, too perfect. Soon, it would end. Soon, she knew, Noah would step back from her and let her go.

Pride struggled to get a hold. He mustn't know how she felt about him. She stirred in his hold and raised her head to look at him. Now he would let go of her.

But first he bent his head and placed a gentle kiss to the side of her face-and she didn't want him to take his arms from around her. `That was-um-nice,' she said huskily, and wanted to ask for another.

Then found that she had no need to ask because, whether he read the request in her eyes she had no idea, but Noah smiled, a gentle smile, and placed his warm mouth tenderly against the other side of her face. She wanted to tell him that was nice too, but rather gathered he knew she had no objections because his head came down again, and this time he placed a gentle kiss on her waiting lips.

`You're a very heady woman,' he murmured softly against her mouth.

If she was heady, she didn't know what that made him! She wanted another kiss and, pride or nopride, she didn't seem to have the power to resist. Their lips met again, gentle still, but his hold on her was firming.

He kissed her again, and she gloried in his kisses. When Noah pulled her that little bit closer to him, she involuntarily pressed nearer to him.

She heard a small sound of wanting escape him, and was glad, because she wanted him too and had to swallow hard when he placed his hands in the blonde thickness of her hair, burying his head in her hair, kissing her neck, her throat.

Then his lips found hers again, parted them, tasting their sweetness, and his hands caressed down to her spine, one hand caressing round to her right breast. `Oh, Noah,' she whispered shakily. And with what little intelligence she had left, `W-we shouldn't be doing this,' she reminded him, knowing that he knew as well as she that this wasn't her fertile time-and that they had no excuse for kissing each other.

`We shouldn't?'

'It's not in the charter,' she whispered.

`I know,' he admitted, and shrugged out of his jacket in order to get that bit closer to her.

Again he kissed her, drawing a very fireFrom her. She wanted to cry his name again, hut his lips had taken charge of hers once more. She felt the tender touch of feather light kisses over her face, then felt his sensitive fingers busy with the zip of her dress.

Slowly he moved her dress from one shoulder, tracing tender kisses over her silken skin. A tinge, a mere tinge of shyness caused her to clutch at him when her dress fell from her shoulders, but he held her to him until that moment had passed. The next time he kissed her she seemed to slip her arms out of her dress without knowing it, the same way she stepped out of it and allowed Noah to scoop it up and place it over a chair and she was in his arms again, receiving and giving as their lips met.

'Th-this should stop,' she mentioned huskily, having never stood in front of a man in her underwearbefore, and suddenly taken by more shyness.

For answer, Noah smiled down at her. `Tell me to stop, and I will,' he replied.

Oh, she couldn't bear that. `That's a rotten thing to say!' she admonished huskily- and he laughed, a wonderful joyous laugh.

`My darling,' he breathed, and, kissing her, he gathered her against him.

Willingly she pressed into him, new sensations,even more fiery sensations taking her as she felt his hands on the firmness of her behind.

She loved him, she wanted him, wanted to feel his skin against her skin. In a sudden fever of wanting to know his skin once more, she raised her hands to his shirt buttons-his tie, along with her tights, had gone some minutes before. Gloriously they kissed, and as Noah allowed her the freedom to remove his shirt, so she allowed him the freedom to remove her bra. `Sweet love,' he breathed, his words, his touch, thrilling her as he pressed her throbbing naked breasts into his broad naked chest.

More minutes passed as, with his hands again on her behind, he pulled her against him, passion soaring as he kissed her breasts, taking one hardened pink peak into his mouth, kissing, tasting, nibbling-and as fire rocketed through her, Elexa wanted to do the same to his.

She stroked the dark hair on his chest, caressed his chest and, when she could, caught his nipples in turn gently in her teeth. She was on fire for him, as she knew he was for her, and she reached up and kissed him, and when at last Noah broke that kiss, it was to draw hack to gaze his fill at her naked breasts.

`You're so very beautiful, my darling,' he murmured. `I just have to kiss your delicate skin.' So saying, and starting first with the sweetness of her lips, he tenderly kissed her throat, her breasts, and, removing her last remaining garment of clothing as he went, proceeded to kiss her belly and her thighs, causing her to gasp in pleasure.

Then she was in his arms again and his mouth was over hers and he was lifting her, carrying her over to the bed and pulling back the covers, was gently laying her down.

He left her briefly to put out the light, and she urgently wanted him back with her again. So urgently, eagerly wanting him back with her that as he reached for her, so she reached for him.

He gathered her in his arms once more and lay down with her, and as their legs entwined she knew that he had removed the remainder of his own clothing, his skin burning against her skin as they pressed naked together.

`Noah!' She cried his name as, his touch exploring, growing more and more intimate, he took her to still yet more new heart stopping unexpected heights. `Noah! Noah!' She wanted him beyond bearing.

'Shh, my darling,' he soothed her, but she guessed he knew how much on fire she was for him, because lingeringly he deeply kissed her, passion leading him too as she arched yet nearer to him. As she abandoned herself to the utter joy of soon being as one with himshe almost screamed out, in the storm of her need for him, that she loved him. She did not know why she didn't. All her other inhibitions had gone. CHAPTER EIGHT

'YOU'VE gone all dreamy eyed again.' Idris coming into her office unexpectedly onMonday, caught her out.

She dealt with his query speedily and efficiently, but the moment he had gone she was back again in the wonderland of Noah's lovemaking on Saturday. She had never experienced anything like it. Only now, now that she knew what true passion was like, was she able to realise how very much Noah had been keeping himself reined in the other two times they had made love.

She loved him all the more because, out of consideration for her innocent body, he had been so gentle with her and had taken time to... Hastily Elexa pulled herself together and got on with some work; this would never do! But her time with Noah on Saturday had been so incredibly shattering, within a very short time, she was again marvelling with wonder things about herself she had never dreamed existed. She recalled the feeling of utter liberation when, Noah's touch doing mind-bending things to her, her hands of their own accord had wandered off to rove, to explore, to caress and stroke his superb body.She had obeyed the overwhelming need to feel his skin and been encouraged by his passionate reaction to her sensitive searchings. The passionate joy they had found together still astonished her. She had eagerly clung to Noah, crying his name, wanting more-more of his kisses, more of his ardent caresses, more of his endearments.