The Mistress (31 page)

39

THE QUEEN

N
ora clung to Søren as he carried her up the stairs. They didn’t speak. What was there to say? Everything they needed to say to each other they’d said in that room where they knelt facing each other with death at their backs. They needed no words, needed nothing but each other, and since they had each other, they wanted for nothing.

Søren sat her gently on the edge of the bed while he went into the bathroom and turned on the bathtub faucet. She was covered in blood, in dirt, in two days of sweat and fear. She couldn’t wait to get clean again, to get out of these clothes she’d been wearing for what felt like a year now. A long hot bath sounded like heaven and she knew it would be heaven because Søren was there.

As the water filled the bathtub, Søren came back to her and helped her undress. He didn’t wrinkle his nose at how badly she smelled. He didn’t comment on her wounds, even the huge blackening bruise on her side from where she’d been brutally kicked. To talk about it would make it matter and now nothing mattered except the beautiful truth that she was alive and safe, he was alive and safe and they were together.

He led her to the bathtub and she sank into the water slowly, gingerly, and winced as the heat seeped into her wounded skin.

Søren knelt at the side of the bathtub and pulled her hair loose and helped her lay back into the water. When she rose up again she saw water on his face.

“Sorry, sir,” she said, picking up a towel. “I didn’t mean to splash you.”

He rested his forehead against hers.

“You didn’t.”

Part Six

PROMOTION

40

THE QUEEN

T
he day Søren and Kingsley saved her was the best day of her life. And like all her best days, Nora spent it entirely in bed. The day after she woke up to an empty bed and a note from Søren on his pillow that simply read “Running.”

She smiled at the note. Running. Of course he was. Grace brought her breakfast and they spent a good hour catching up. She’d liked Grace from the moment she’d met her all those months ago at her house—liked her so much that it made it impossible for Nora to put up any kind of fight for Zach. Of course he belonged with Grace. She knew it the second she saw that beautiful scared, brave Welsh redhead standing on her porch. Nora offered to help Grace with the breakfast dishes but Grace told her to stay in bed—Søren’s orders.

A few hours later Søren returned from his long run and brought her lunch. He spent a good hour after lunch massaging the unbruised parts of her body. Two days cuffed and tied up in weird positions had left her more sore than she’d ever been in her life. And for a woman like her, who’d lived the life she’d lived, that was saying something.

At dinnertime, Grace showed up again with more food.

“I’m loving this room service,” Nora said as Grace handed her a mug of tea. “But I feel like I’m being quarantined. I don’t think ‘kidnap victim’ is an illness that’s catching.”

“Your priest has ordered all of us to leave you alone.” Grace blushed a little and Nora narrowed her eyes at her. “I don’t think any of us are brave enough to countermand his orders.”

“Countermand away. He went for another run.”

Grace sat on the bed next to Nora’s hip.

“Another one? Didn’t he go running this morning?”

Nora nodded. “Yeah. He’s feeling a bit pent-up.”

“Pent-up?”

As she sipped at her tea, Nora tried to figure out a way of putting the matter to Grace delicately. Then she remembered she was Nora Sutherlin and didn’t ever put anything delicately.

“I mean, he’s horny.”

Grace nearly choked on her tea. She coughed to clear her throat.

“What? Priests get horny, too,” Nora reminded her. “He’s a sadist so that complicates the whole sex thing. I’m a wreck. He’ll be giving me the kid glove treatment for weeks. Kingsley’s a wreck. He needs stitches, but Søren says he won’t hold still long enough to let anyone take care of him. When Søren gets like this, and he can’t punish someone else, he punishes himself. Hence the running. We need to get him a sub.”

“A sub? You mean—”

“A submissive. Kink is like Søren’s lithium. It’s a mood stabilizer for a lot of people. Half my clients came to me for medical reasons—not sexual. Without kink Søren gets...difficult.”

“Difficult?”

“Cranky. Grumpy. Surly. Pick a synonym for
bitchy
.”

“Fascinating. So he needs a submissive to play with?”

“If by ‘play with’ you mean ‘beat the shit out of,’ yes. Wish you could order a sub and get one delivered. The people, not the sandwiches.”

“I can’t imagine anyone would charge him a single pence for the privilege of spending the night with him.”

“Not for him, no. Søren practically has to beat the subs off with a stick. And he does sometimes.”

“I can certainly see why.”

Nora narrowed her eyes at Grace. Grace seemed to notice the scrutiny as a blush started on the center of her pale, freckled cheeks and spread to her ears.

“You have a crush on my priest,” Nora said.

“What? No. Of course not.”

“You totally do.”

“Nora, I’m married.”

“You’re human. Don’t deny it. I’m not the jealous type. Kind of the opposite actually. More the ‘either let me watch or give me all the details after’ type.”

Nora fell silent as Grace looked away and stared out the window and down the road. Was she waiting for Søren to return? Probably.

“He got to you, didn’t he?”

Grace shook her head. “I told you—I’m happily married and that’s the end of the discussion.”

“Grace, I was kidnapped and held at gunpoint. I could have died. You can at least answer my question.”

“You’re playing the ‘I was kidnapped’ card?”

“Yes, and I will keep playing it as long as I can.”

“That’s not fair.”

“Do you want to see the soccer-ball-size bruise on my side from where I got kicked?”

Nora raised her eyebrow at Grace and waited.

“Spit it out, Red.”

“Your priest is magnificent beyond words and I’m a poet. I should have the words. I...
rejoice
is the only word I can come up with, knowing he’s real and he’s on this earth. He has a holiness to him that I feel in my spirit, in my soul. He went to die for you, and that is a great and mighty thing. I feel scattered around him and yet blessed. If he sat on a throne, I would sit at his feet. This feeling isn’t even romantic or sexual. It’s simply...” She paused and raised her empty hands. She’d run out of words. Nora knew the feeling. “And, Nora...I don’t even like blonds.”

“Really? I love me some blonds.”

“You must think I’m mad.”

“Believe it or not, I completely understand.”

“I’ll never hear the end of this from Zachary. I’ll be teased for this crush until the day I die.”

“You’re going to tell Zach?”

“We try to tell each other everything. In fact...he told me while I was in the States I could be as wild as I wanted to be as long as I was careful and didn’t give him any details the next day. I told him I was jealous of all the fun he got to have in your world. He said I could have my turn.”

“Oh, you’re having your turn all right before Zach knocks you up and you get boring again.”

“I don’t think—”

Nora started to shush Grace’s objections but a soft knock on the door interrupted her train of thought.

“This conversation isn’t over.” Nora pointed at Grace. “You wait right here. I’ve only just begun to interrogate you about what sick sordid things you and Blondie have been up to while I was languishing in captivity. If there’re no pics, I’m going to be pissed.”

Nora opened the door and saw Wesley standing across the threshold. Her heart plummeted just at the sight of him looking so humble and nervous.

“Hey, stranger,” she said, closing the door behind her and slipping into the hall. She couldn’t stop herself from wrapping her arms around him. He held her close, held her tight, and when she winced from the pain she whispered, “Don’t let go.”

“I’ll hold you as long as you want me to.”

Forever.
She only thought the word and didn’t say it. She’d missed these arms, this comfort.

“I’ve been going crazy waiting for a chance to talk to you. Søren—”

“I know.” Nora sighed as she pulled back to look at him. “He’s keeping everybody away so I can rest. But you’re you so you get to skip the rope line.”

“That’s good to know. I’m feeling a little shut out here, and then I remember what you went through—”

“Wes, you’re allowed to have feelings about this situation. Just the same way as I’m allowed to milk it for all it’s worth for sympathy points and cookies and stuff.”

“You want cookies?”

“I think they would help with the healing process.”

“I’ll bake you some cookies.”

“Please don’t. I feel shitty enough about you as it is.”

“Why?”

“The ring?” Nora crossed her arms across her chest. “The engagement ring...I lost it.”

“I don’t think you lost it.” Did he know she’d traded his priceless family heirloom for a square of white linen? “I think she took it. Didn’t she?”

Nora swallowed hard. She couldn’t tell him the truth. A lie was far more merciful.

“Something like that.”

“It’s okay.” Wesley dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled the ring out. “We took it back.”

“Holy shit.” Nora stared at the diamond glinting on the palm of his hand.

She’d been in such shock after Søren and Kingsley had come for her that she hadn’t even thought to try to find Wesley’s ring. She had the maniturgium tucked inside her shirt. The ring she’d given up as dead and buried with Marie-Laure.

Wesley raised his hand and rubbed his forehead ruefully.

“Kingsley brought it to me. I don’t like having a reason to like that man. Now I have tons of them.”

“Tons?”

“Yeah. Tons. The ring, you being alive and standing in front of me—that’s pretty much all the reasons I need. The ring made us even. You being safe sent us into infinity.”

“I can’t believe...” Her voice trailed off. Yes, she could believe. From out of so much hell had emerged so much heaven. She could believe anything right now. “I’m so glad King got it back to you.”

“He’s an interesting guy, that Kingsley. Going to make an interesting father.”

“Wait...you know?”

“Yeah. He told me his girlfriend is pregnant.”

“What?” Nora almost fainted. “Juliette’s pregnant?”

“Yeah, wasn’t that what you were talking about?”

Nora shook her head, struck utterly dumb. Marie-Laure had told her about Kingsley’s bastard, who was in his twenties and living somewhere in France. And now Juliette was pregnant? Something welled up in Nora, a fearful sort of joy. It rose in her high and fast and came bubbling out of her in holy laughter.

“Nora?”

“I’m sorry,” she said, holding on to her bruised and battered side. Laughing was excruciating but she couldn’t stop doing it. It would hurt worse not to laugh. “Kingsley...everything...life is good. Life is weird and wonderful and terrifying and good.”

“You’re alive. It doesn’t get better than that.”

Her laughter finally died and she stepped forward to rest her head on the center of Wesley’s chest. She raised her head and rose on her toes, intending to kiss him. But he moved his head and her lips met only his cheek.

“Wes?”

“Nora...we should talk. I’ve been thinking about things, about this ring, about us—you know, since we got you back. Kingsley gave it back to me, and I’ll admit I was relieved. Didn’t know how to explain to Mom and Dad we’d lost the family’s most precious heirloom. Then I thought, why am I happy he gave it back to me? Why am I not pissed that he gave it to me instead of you?”

“That’s a good question.”

“I’d hated Søren for a long time, hated that world you lived in. And now that I’ve gotten to know him, and I know you’re safe with him, and I don’t hate him anymore...”

“What are you saying?”

“I think half of me being in love with you came from how much I wanted to keep you from him. The thing is...I think S&M is weird. I don’t get it and I never will. I don’t know why the hell I would ever want to tie up a woman in bed. How is she going to touch me if her hands are tied up?”

“That’s a fair question.”

“And I don’t want to share the woman in my life with another guy. I don’t. I want to love her completely and I want her to love me completely.”

“I don’t blame you. Lot of people feel that way.”

“And I want kids.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“And I’d like to sleep with a woman who wasn’t comparing me to all the other older and more experienced guys she’s been with so I’m not thinking the entire time that I’m not measuring up. I think I deserve that.”

“All that and more.”

“My point is...I don’t understand your world, and I never will. But you’re happy there. You’re safe. And the more I think about it the more I realize that you and I are too different to be together forever. I do love you and you’re my best friend but—”

“Wes...” Nora took a step back. Then another. She stared at Wesley with wide eyes. “You’re dumping me, aren’t you?”

“It’s not that.” Wes put his hand on his chest.

He seemed to lose the ability to speak for a moment. Nora felt something in her throat, something like a rock, and she couldn’t seem to swallow it.

“I love you,” he whispered. “You have no idea how much. And I love you enough to know you’ll be happier with him. As much as that hurts to admit, it would hurt worse keeping you and knowing the whole time you belong somewhere else. I was...” He stopped and raised his hand and closed his eyes. “I was going to pay every penny I had to get you back. Every penny my parents had. Every penny I could beg, borrow or steal. And he...he went to pay with his life.”

Nora couldn’t speak at all. She could do nothing but wrap her arms around Wesley and hold him tight to her, hold him one more time.

“I know you love him,” he whispered into her hair, “and you always will.”

“I know I love you...and I always will.”

“I love you, too. You crazy, weird, wild woman, I love you. But...”

“I know. I do know. It’s the right thing. You’re absolutely right.”

“He’ll be good to you.”

“He always has been.”

“And you’re safe with him.”

“I always have been.”

“I get that now.”

Nora pulled Wesley even closer. It hurt her bruised body to cling to him so hard but she had to. She had no choice, and by now, she was used to this kind of pain.

“You’re going to find the most amazing girl,” Nora said as she leaned her head against his heart. “A girl who adores you and loves you and sees all the good I see in you. And she’ll be as vanilla as the day is long.”

“God, I hope so.”

“And she’ll be your best friend and your partner and she’ll help you run that big damn farm of yours.”

“I like this girl already.”

“And she’ll be smart and strong, but sweet, too. She won’t have my rough edges. She won’t keep riding crops in her closet.”

“Just in the stables.”

“And she’ll be so beautiful...”

“Crazy long legs?”

“If you want.”

“I want.”

“Long legs, it is, then. You and Legs will be so damn happy together it’ll hurt to look at you.”

“I don’t want you to hurt,” Wesley said, his voice breaking a little as he buried his head into her shoulder. “Never again.”

“A little pain never killed anybody,” she said. “And you know me, I only like it when it hurts a little.”

“Right. It is you, after all.”

“So what now?” She looked up at him, at those big brown eyes with the flecks of gold around the irises and all the innocence that even a week with her in his bed hadn’t made a dent in.