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  You and me both, Nicholas couldn't help thinking.

  "But I'll never stop thanking God that He's let me become a part of your lives..."

  It was the most poignantly sweet thing anyone had ever told him, but before he could even figure out what to say, her stomach rumbled out another warning, and color burst in her cheeks once again.

  "I am so sorry!"

  I'm not, Nicholas thought, unable to help feeling that he had somehow been granted a reprieve just before things could get too complicated.

  "I swear it's not always like this. It's just that I hadn't any time to eat after the flight..."

  The miserable look on her face was too adorable to ignore, and he found himself pushing her against the wall, his mouth swooping down in a kiss that effectively turned her gasp of surprise into a moan. He indulged himself with one last kiss as his fingers squeezed the now-familiar fullness of her breast.

  "Nicholas."

  He managed to find the strength to pull away before things completely got out of control. As he let Tabitha slide to her feet, he saw the way her dark eyes begged for more, and a strained chuckle escaped him. "Stop looking at me like that."

  He gave her bare ass a light slap, and she half-gasped, half-giggled, unable to believe how much her life had changed in so short a time. One week ago, she had been quietly crying her heart out, feeling dirty and violated. And now...she was in this beautiful room, married to an equally beautiful man, and said beautiful man had just landed a playful slap on her bottom.

  It was just too impossibly wonderful!

  Nicholas was bemused when he saw Tabitha's hands suddenly lift to her cheeks. "Tabitha?"

  Hands still on her cheeks, she confessed, "I feel like I need to pinch myself. Life's just been too incredibly amazing—-"

  Nicholas put one and one together, and he drawled, "Did you come up with that just because—-" A smirk unfolded over his lips. "I slapped your butt?"

  Bee froze. It was one thing to feel that way, but it was another thing to admit it out loud, and she found herself verbally grasping for straws. "I...um...err..."

  The deep, sexy timbre of his laugh had her making a face, but even so the thought of refusing didn't even enter her mind as Nicholas took her hand and tugged her close towards him.

  "I'll slap your ass as many times as you want later," he promised huskily.

  "Nicholas!"

  "But first, we need to get you fed."

  Taking her to the en-suite bathroom, he pulled out a shirt from one of the drawers and turned to her, saying simply, "Up."

  Even as Bee made a face at being made to feel like a child, she nevertheless did as ordered and raised her arms so he could slid his shirt over her.

  Nicholas stepped back to observe his handiwork and immediately regretted his choice. While her slender body was easily lost under his shirt, her breasts were large enough to have the fabric stretch tautly over her breasts.

  So damn sexy.

  He saw her nipples pebble against the thin layer of cotton, and the sight proved impossible to resist. Hauling her to him, he bent down and drew one cotton-covered nipple in and suckled hungrily.

  She let out a whimper, and the sound had him giving her nipple a final, playful bite before he forced himself to let go once more.

  Bee could feel herself reddening anew the wet, telltale mark his kiss had left on her shirt. "W-What if people see—-"

  "No one will see," he soothed. "This whole wing's mine."

  Bee wondered if she had heard him right, but in the end, all she said was, "If you're really sure..."

  "The first thing you should know about me," he murmured, "is how possessive I can get." As he spoke, his hand palmed her breast as if to emphasize his point, and his eyes glinted at the way her body automatically pressed closer to him. "There's no fucking way in hell I'd let any other man see you like this."

  "I s-see." With his hand still holding her breast, her voice came out a little breathless, and the sound had him smirking.

  How arrogant he was, she couldn't help musing, but for some reason, Bee also knew she wouldn't want him in any other way.

  By the time they finally made it to the kitchen, even Nicholas was feeling a little hungry and after explicitly ordering Tabitha to stay put on one of the counter stools and let him serve her, he went to work, frying up some bacon and making each of them a Spanish omelette.

  And throughout it, he felt her fascinated gaze following him wherever he went, and when he finally set the plated dishes on the counter, he watched her entire face light up with a radiant smile.

  Beautiful.

  The thought came out of the fucking blue, and the raw force of attraction that followed right after had him sucking his breath.

  She was too goddamn beautiful, and if he wasn't careful, he might end up forgetting that their marriage was nothing but a sham.

  Chapter Six

  Contrary to Nicholas' initial plans, it was well after dinner, and they were back in his bed, her tiny body curled in his arms, when he finally got her to speak of his past, and she somehow managed to make him do the same.

  She told him everything, starting from the very beginning, when her world was small enough to be perfect, and all the way to the end, when she learned how life could so drastically change in a blink of an eye.

  Hearing her voice shake as she told him of how her former boss had almost raped her had Nicholas yanking her close and tucking her head under his chin to keep her from accidentally glimpsing the cold rage in his eyes.

  "I'll never let anyone hurt you again. I promise you that." And he meant to keep his word, regardless of how things would turn out in the future. He also meant to teach the asshole a lesson, but this one he kept to himself. He had a feeling that if Tabitha knew of his plans, she would only ask him to stop and let things be.

  He felt her stir in his arms, and when he glanced down, she asked him hesitantly, "What about you? In all the months Danny and I had been exchanging emails, he's only spoken of his life since he started living with you. He never—-" Tabitha paused to cast him an uncertain look. "If you don't want to talk about it, I totally understand—-"

  Nicholas' lips twisted in an ironic smile. "Would you still wish to hear it, even if there's nothing good to speak of?"

  "I want to know everything about you," she said simply.

  The smile remained on his lips, but this time it no longer reached his eyes. "So be it then." A stoic mask settled on his face as Nicholas' mind reluctantly drifted back to the past.

  He had been fifteen then, and like all boys in that age, he had been foolish, brash, and reckless. And with parents that saw no wrong in giving in to his every wish, Nicholas had believed the whole world was his to conquer.

  When a girl two years older than him told Nicholas he had gotten her pregnant, he had told her carelessly he would pay her whatever was needed as long as she didn't make the mistake of cramping his style.

  When Carly had readily agreed, he had taken her acquiescence at face value, and because she had not pressured him at all to get involved, Nicholas had found himself actually enjoying all the perks of being a dad without having to suffer the lows.

  He was able to spoil little Daniel when he wanted, have his baby boy visit him during weekends and then get Carly to take him back when he had other plans. It was an ideal setup, and it had never occurred to him to question the status quo until he had impulsively decided to drive up to Carly's house. He had intended to surprise Daniel with a visit, but he had been the one who ended up stunned.

  Carly's three-story mansion, which she was only able to afford because of his monthly paychecks, appeared to have served as a lavish playground for the rich and famous. It was where the junkies went whenever they needed a private haven to indulge their vices, and for those with highly particular sexual appetites, the mansion also functioned as a bordello, with Carly willingly procuring the necessary participants for the right price.

  And on the night he had visited, he ha
d caught Carly just about to hand over their own son - their baby boy - to an aging old sheikh in exchange of a hundred million dollars.

  "She swore to me that Danny had never been involved before that night," Nicholas said harshly. "But even though the FBI and the investigators I had hired corroborated her story, a part of me couldn't stop thinking that she had to be lying. That everyone was lying, and I was too late—-"

  Tears falling down her cheeks, Bee threw her arms around him, whispering, "I'm so sorry."

  "I had nightmares about it for years," Nicholas said tonelessly. "And I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for what happened."

  She tightened her hold around his neck. "I'm so sorry, Nicholas." And now, the words that Danny occasionally and fleetingly mentioned, words that used to puzzle her - they all made sense to her now.

  I'm not saying my dad's uncool or anything, but he takes most things seriously.

  Sometimes, I get the feeling he's still punishing himself.

  He doesn't find it easy to trust people, so you need to be patient with him.

  Bee bit her lip hard, but it was no use, her tears only falling faster as she found herself unable to stop imagining the way he must've felt, seeing his seven-year-old son almost lose his innocence in the hands of a pedophile.

  She ached to help him, but she didn't even know where or how to start, and never had she felt more painfully insecure than she did at that very moment. She was nothing but a high school dropout, with not even looks or a nice job to speak of. She didn't even have any experience to speak of, something that would at least allow her to connect to Nicholas as another parent.

  Bee felt Nicholas brush his lips against the top of her head. "No more tears, sweetheart. It's all in the past now."

  "I just wish..." Her voice caught. "I just wish I knew how to help you." Because the more she thought about it, the more terrified she was...

  Could it be possible Danny had made a mistake in choosing her?

  Chapter Seven

  "Good morning, h-husband."

  Nicholas opened his eyes at the giddy, breathless sound of Tabitha's voice. She was on her knees on the bed, wearing his shirt, and her dark hair cascading down one slim shoulder. He saw right away that she was obviously tickled pink to call him the H-word...and equally made obvious by her pink cheeks was how she had mustered all her courage to actually say the word out loud.

  Bee let out a gasp when Nicholas, in one sudden move, had reversed their positions, and she found herself lying on her back while her husband - oh my gosh, this man was her husband - loomed over her with a rakish smirk.

  "Good morning, wife." He half-expected himself to choke on the word, but instead it rolled smoothly down his tongue like he had always been destined to say it. To her.

  He watched her lips part in surprise at the words, and then her face blossomed with a smile that threatened to make his heart do something stupid like skip a fucking beat.

  This was getting out of hand, dammit.

  But somehow he couldn't make himself regret it.

  Bee let out another gasp when Nicholas (her husband, her mind kept chanting) swept her up in his arms and off the bed.

  "Where are we going—-oh."

  He had carried her to the en-suite bathroom, and instead of lowering Bee to the floor, Nicholas had deposited her right in the middle of his enormous wooden barrel bathtub.

  Did that mean they were about to share a bath together?

  The thought had a series of racy scenarios immediately popping up in her mind, and Bee's cheeks heated up. Some of her favorite mail order romances included this exact scene, too, and oh, if even just one of those things were to take place...

  When Nicholas turned to face Tabitha, he caught her with her hands on her flushed cheeks mid-pinch, and he laughed. "I wonder what has you excited now," he murmured wickedly.

  Bee pinched her cheeks harder (oh dear God, how could this unbelievably beautiful and incredibly exciting man be her husband?), and when she saw him start untying the drawstrings of his sweatpants, she had a feeling she might end up pinching herself to death.

  And three...two...one...

  A fully naked and visibly aroused Nicholas now stood in front of her, and Bee bit back a whimper. While last night had mostly been a sensual blur, with Bee too nervous and excited to fully take in the finer details of Nicholas' nude form, today was a whole new ballgame, with sunlight streaming from the window illuminating every bare inch of his masculinity in golden clarity.

  Rugged cowboy angel indeed, she thought dizzily.

  Sleek and muscular all over, he seemed too sexy to be real, and when her gaze finally fell to his engorged manhood, Bee could only gulp, unable to believe something that long and thick could've fit inside of-—

  A tiny involuntary squeak slipped past her lips when Nicholas stepped inside the tub to join her.

  "Take your shirt off."

  The huskily spoken command sent Bee's senses reeling, and her fingers seemed to move on its own volition as she reached for the hem. In seconds, the shirt laid discarded next to his sweatpants, and she barely had time to register the hungry look in his green eyes before he was kneeling down in the water, and his mouth had landed right between her legs.

  "Aaaaaaaaah."

  She made a clumsy grab for his shoulders, needing something to hold on to as her knees threatened to give out at the shattering feel of his lips nuzzling her folds.

  Oh God.

  His lips trailed up.

  Oh.

  Tongue laving her clit—-

  God.

  Teeth nipping the tiny, quivering nub—-

  Ooooooooh Goooooooood.

  And then he was sucking on it hard, and it was just too much. It took only five seconds, maybe even three; all she knew was that Nicholas eating her clit was like a bullet train ride to heaven.

  "Nicholas." She sobbed his name out as her orgasm sent her spiraling, and it just went on and on and on that she was barely aware of Nicholas using the handheld spray to clean her up before getting the tub filled.

  A leisurely bath followed, with Nicholas settling her between his thighs before shampooing her hair and leaving her body wet for an altogether different reason with his soapy caresses.

  And later, much, much later, with Nicholas lying against the back of the tub, while she rested against his chest, she heard him say casually, "I'll have your things transferred to my room today."

  Water splashed as Tabitha turned in his arms, dark eyes curiously peering up at him as she asked, "Why did you have them sent elsewhere in the first place?"

  Because I didn't think I'd let my cock overrule my brain, and I'd end up taking you to bed and fulfilling the first condition of our marriage.

  But out loud, all Nicholas said was, "I didn't want you to think I was taking anything for granted."

  A dismayed expression crossed her face. "I should be the one worried about that," she said glumly. "And I am, actually. Because no matter how I look at it, you're the one who seem to be getting the shorter end of the stick with this marriage—-"

  "You really think so?" Nicholas asked gravely.

  She nodded.

  "Because you think I'm the world's sexiest husband?"

  With the words still uttered in the same grave tone, it took her another moment before she realized he was teasing, and she was unable to suppress her smile. "I'm serious—-"

  "So am I," he countered. "I see the way you look at me."

  Bree turned red.

  "Just one look," he said huskily, "and your body immediately reacts."

  "W-What—-"

  "Like this..." His gaze fell to her already aroused nipples, and she gasped as he tweaked one between his fingers. "And this..." His other hand delved under the water to rub her clit, and she moaned. A moment later, and almost half of the water splashed out as he suddenly had her half hanging over the side of the tub.

  "Nicholas—-"

  His thick cock pumped into her from behind.

>   Oh my God.

  She hurriedly grabbed the sides of the tub as he started fucking her, hard enough to have her gasping as her breasts swayed in the air.

  His breath suddenly tickled her ear, and she whimpered.

  "Does this feel like I'm unsatisfied with our marriage?" Nicholas whispered.

  His hips started pumping faster against her.

  "Does it?"

  She started seeing stars, and when his cock slammed back into her, deep enough that she felt he had reached all the way to her womb, she could only cry out, her pleasure reaching its zenith. Behind her, she dimly heard him growl, his orgasm following right after hers, and the feel of his seed filling her had Bee letting out another cry.

  It was almost half past ten by the time they finally came out of his room, and Nicholas couldn't stop smirking when he saw the way she was walking.

  "It's not funny," she half-wailed. The soreness between her legs had her waddling like a duck, and anyone who saw her now was sure to guess why.

  "I'm sorry—-"

  Appalled that her words had him thinking she was blaming him, she said quickly, "It's fine—-"

  "I'm so big."

  Oh.

  Her glower had him laughing again.

  "God, you are so conceited—-ah!" He had her up in his arms again, and she quickly protested, "There's no need—-"

  He cut her off by sucking on her lower lip, and her toes curled at the sensation.

  I really do have the world's sexiest husband.

  As they descended the stairs, Nicholas felt her head rest against his chest while her fingers played with the top button of his shirt.

  "I guess Hearts' Match had it right," he heard her mumble almost as if speaking to herself.

  "Right about what?" They reached the foot of the stairs as he spoke, and Nicholas reluctantly let her go when she started wriggling insistently in his arms.

  "The consummation clause," she told him. "It didn't seem right at first. It felt like we'd be moving too fast too soon, but..."

  Tabitha smiled up at him, and Nicholas thought, God, she was beautiful.