The Games We Play

Gently he took her hands and sat her on the edge of the bed, kneeling on the floor in front of her. "I want you Bella. I always did. Why do you think I asked your father to arrange our betrothal? You infected my mind until I thought I would go mad with thoughts of you."

She laid her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry I mocked you when you said you loved me. I was so scared of losing my freedom. It was vital to me that I have my independence. But I was wrong. I was so lonely when you left that I realized that independence didn't matter to me. You did. I loved you so much. . ." she broke off, tears falling down her cheeks in a flood, her hands flying up to cover her face. "How can you forgive me? I mocked your love. I didn't tell you about Hope. I really messed up."

"I can forgive you Bella, because I love you. Just like I know that you'll forgive me for leaving, because you love me too. Please say you do Bella. I couldn't bear it if you didn't." He reached up and pulled her hands away from her face then wiped the streaks of tears from her cheeks.

"I love you, Nicholas," she said. "But is it enough. So much has happened, I wouldn't even know where to start to become a family."

"Where are the children?"

"Mrs. Scollard is taking care of them. I needed some time to plan the menu for the week and look at the house expenses, so she offered to look after them until I had finished my duties as mistress of the house."

"Then I know the perfect way to start over," he said with a rakish smile, his hand moving slowly up under her skirts, over her pantaloons, to the opening in them at the apex of her thighs. She gasped when he reached inside and began stroking her, his thumb rubbing over the bud of her desire, arousing her slowly. His fingers stroked the petals of her womanhood and gently persuaded them to open, allowing his fingers to slip inside her.

He wasn't surprised to find her hot and wet. His fingers slid unerringly into her and he watched as her eyes glazed over and her head tipped back, her hips lifting into his hand."You're right," she gasped. "This is the best way to start over," she said, not wanting to deny him after so long. She was only human and she had been without him for so long. Just watching her arousal made him as hard as stone.

Deftly he extracted his hand from her pantaloons and she groaned with frustration of unfulfilled pleasure. "Don't deny me, Bella," he rasped in her ear as he undid the front of his breeches, his shaft springing out, fully aroused. "I can't go slowly, not this time," he said as he pulled her to the very edge of the bed, positioning himself at the portal of her body.

"I don't want you to," she gasped, waiting for the feel of his first thrust into her.

He made love to her like a savage, driving himself into her with a hammering need and a frenzied hunger he could neither curb nor fathom. He shouted her name when he climaxed, flooding her with his seed even as he absorbed her exquisite spasms of completion.

Afterward he gathered her in his arms, anchoring her to him to keep their bodies intimately joined, and laid down with her on the bed, her legs still wrapped about he waist. He had been more overcome by what had just happened than by anything else he'd faced in his life. The melding of their passion with the emotional words that had preceded it was more than he could fathom.

He took slow, steadying breaths, his heart racing - and not only from the unimaginable intensity of his climax. He looked at his wife who lay beside him. She looked deliciously content, a smug smile teasing her lips.

"What are you thinking about wife?" he asked.

"I was thinking that this was a perfect start to our new life." She opened her clear amber eyes and stared into his evergreen ones. "I love you," she whispered. "No matter what happened, no matter what I said, I never stopped. I should have realized it long ago. I wouldn't have compromised myself with you if I hadn't fallen in love with you at Amelia's gathering. I wouldn't have let you take me to your estate that night if I hadn't loved you."

"We have a lot to get through, but that doesn't matter right now. What matters is that I love you too. We were meant to be together and we have to learn to trust each other completely, whatever comes our way."

Isabella leaned over and kissed him deeply, parting his lips with her tongue. Then she pulled away, not wanting to start something they couldn't finish. It was the middle of the day and the children would need to be fed soon. "We need to rise, Nicholas. We have company and the children will soon need to be coddled and fed."

"I wish we didn't," he sighed, before pulling out of her and fastening his breeches once more. She got up off the bed and smoothed down her skirts, hiding the evidence of their recent lovemaking.

"Come husband, we'll have the whole night to wile away and I expect to do so in your bed."

"When I first took you, I never expected to create a monster, starved for the hardness of a man inside you."

"Not any man. Only you," she replied, taking his hand, planting a quick kiss on his lips, then leading him down the hall to the nursery. They walked past the main stairway and Emma, Gavin, and Marcus happened through at the same moment.

They looked up to see Isabella smiling, her face aglow with merriment, at her husband, who smiled broadly back. Their eyes were locked on each other, neither noticing the audience below. Their love was palpable and Emma sighed turning to face Gavin and Marcus. "You see. All they needed was a little push in the right direction, a push toward each other."

"So they did, Emma. So they did," Gavin commented, thrilled for his friend.

"You know, now that they've made up, we've no more entertainment. Unless. . ." Marcus said, looking Emma in the eye.

"Unless what?" she asked cautiously.

"Unless you and Sutcliffe can provide us with some," he chided her, enjoying how her cheeks blushed.

"You are reprehensible," she said, turning to go to her room.

"M'dear, tell me something I don't know," he chuckled, his laughter trailing after her as she quickly strolled from the front hall.