Rule's Property(25)

He was only seconds away from losing it when he felt his phone vibrate. Taking a deep breath, he opened the text message.

Garrett needs me in Texas. I'm about to board a flight now.

Twin emotions grabbed Nick by the throat. One: he was going to murder his brother. Two: he didn't know exactly what the second emotion was, but it felt a hell of a lot like relief. Even though he detested it when Courtney travelled, traveling for the Rule Corporation was a hell of a better reason than running from him and what he'd seduced her into the night before.

He keyed in a reply, even though it was nowhere near what he really wanted to say. Be careful and let me know when you land safely.

Her answer came swiftly. k.

Nick stared at the single letter. K? k? That was it? What the fuck? Where was his 'I love you'? And why the hell couldn't he key the words in and tell her first?

Jesus Christ, this was going to be even more difficult than he'd thought.





Chapter Nine





Nick knew exactly when Courtney would be back and he had everything planned out perfectly. The weeks she'd been gone had been hell and right now, if she wouldn't wear his ring, then he had one mission in mind: seducing her into consummating their marriage vows. His cock hardened as he thought back to their last time together. Seduction had worked before, it had to work again.

He couldn't stand it any longer. Their marriage had to be consummated.

When the elevator opened into the penthouse and Courtney walked through the door, Nick felt the atmosphere ignite. He'd been sitting on the sofa like a caged tiger, deliberately barefoot and wearing only jeans, listening to the droning sound of the television while watching the door for her arrival.

As she entered the room, she glanced at him, her eyes taking in his bare chest, before quickly looking away again. "Hey," she mumbled.

Feeling tension so strong it was about to snap, Nick stood to his feet and walked over to her, collecting her suitcase and taking it straight through to his suite of rooms.

"Nick--"

"Yeah?" he asked with a hint of challenge, knowing she was trailing slowing behind him. Moving just inside the room, he dropped the case inside his door and turning, he grabbed her hand and pulled her in with him, pinning her up against the wall.











Courtney tried to breathe evenly and remain in control, but it was impossible when Nick was her competition.

He was physically stronger than she was, possibly smarter than she was, he was definitely more skilled at this cat and mouse game they seemed to be playing. As he held her pinned to the wall, the weeks of separation they'd suffered through didn't help the situation. She wanted him. She needed him. She was still utterly confused, but there was one thing she wasn't confused about. She wanted him as badly as he wanted her. She always would.

His hands released her from their hold, but only to strip the clothes from her body with rough, agitated movements. Panting softly, she let him have his way because it was what she wanted too. When she was completely naked, his mouth reached down for hers and his hand landed on her breast with complete possession. Kissing her with a ruthless intent that she never tried to fight, his hands ran up and down her naked body. His masculinity was an addiction she couldn't fight; she began to sink under his spell.

His hand slid from her breast but his mouth stayed on hers, and she barely had enough sense to realize that he was shoving his jeans down and off. He came back to her, spreading her legs, but then suddenly changed direction and picked her up, carried her to his bed and dropped her to the center. Following her down, he pushed between her thighs. Her hands slid over his torso, feeling his washboard abs. Anticipation slithered down her spine and she felt damp heat pool between her thighs.

His touch was intoxicating, an enticing compulsion she knew she'd never learn to overcome, no matter what happened between them. She pushed every unnecessary thought from her mind as she kissed him back. Her hand slid down and found his erection, harder and stronger than she'd ever known it to be. Was that just her imagination?

He lifted his mouth away and she opened her eyes to find him looking at her with unapologetic, masculine demand. His legs forced hers wider. "I want inside you. Right now, right this instant, my gorgeous little wife."

Courtney sucked in a breath and froze underneath him. It was 'my wife' that did it. Damn it, why the reminder now? She couldn't be his wife, could she? "Nick . . . I . . . I'm not your wife," she whispered.

"What?" He made a grab at her hands and pulled them over her head. Holding them with one of his, he reached down and brought the head of his erection to her wet opening.

He held still there, and at her silence, he demanded, "Explain that."

God, he felt so good. Fighting herself was so much harder than fighting him. "I think we should get it annulled--"

He let out a bitter laugh. "You're asking me to stop again? I'm not buying it this time." With the tip of his penis exactly where it was supposed to go, he reached down and began stroking her clit. "I guess you don't want me to do this either, right?"

Courtney's eyes rolled to the back of her head as he massaged her in the one place she needed it the most. When she focused again, she could clearly see the look of restraint on his face and how much it was costing him. She tried to ignore his magical fingers and whispered, "If we have sex, we can't get an annulment."

"We aren't getting a fucking annulment," he hissed. "That's ridiculous and archaic."

"Maybe so. But it's true. If we have sex, the marriage can't be annulled."

As he continued to hold himself over her, a drop of sweat slid down his temple. "I don't want an annulment." He paused for a moment and Courtney had to wonder what he was thinking. When he spoke, he said the last thing she expected. "If you want out, we'll have to get a divorce, okay?"

Courtney worked her bottom lip between her teeth.

When she didn't answer, he continued to touch her with his maddening, skilful fingers. "Deal, baby?" he asked, as if he were dying to be inside of her.

His fingers became unrelenting and she needed him inside, so very desperately. She took a deep breath. "Deal."

The very second she said the word, he slammed inside her.

Courtney sucked in a breath and felt the reverberations all along her spine. God, it had been so long. She'd missed this so much. He pulled out, made an adjustment to her thighs and surged back inside. Stars hit her from all sides. He stared into her eyes as he continued to thrust. It had been good before; it had been good every time between them. But there was something about this time, something that made it special, and then Courtney realized that they were consummating their marriage.

She was his wife now. For real and for true.

Maybe not forever, but for right now at least.

She couldn't claim she didn't love him, and he wouldn't claim he didn't love her. Forgetting for the moment the angst she knew wasn't behind them yet, she let herself go and reveled in her need for him.

Nick was her perfect lover. He knew her body and he knew the exact spot she needed him to hit. He went for it, pushing all the way inside and holding himself there. He brought one hand down and found her clit again, and with a surge of delight, she rocked against him as his strokes became more powerful by the second.

He surged to his knees and brought her with him, forcing her to sink onto him, impaling her so deeply that she gasped. Nothing had every felt better. He lifted her at the buttocks, and she held him at the shoulders. He stroked into her again, three, four, five times until with a great roar from his throat, he began to come.

She slid into ecstasy and followed him over the edge.











Courtney woke up slowly the next morning, having slept deeply, her mind and body replete. The night before came back to her and she let the memory of their lovemaking sink in as she came fully awake, wondering if Nick was in the bed with her. She opened her eyes and tried to focus. Her arms were wrapped tightly around a pillow and she was lying on her stomach.

Lifting her torso up and looking around, she found herself alone, Nick obviously missing from the room. She sighed, tossed the pillow aside and did a double take when she noticed her left hand.

Her wedding band and engagement ring were once again on her finger.

She hadn't felt him put them there, and she didn't know how she felt about him taking the liberty. But the fact that what they'd done last night had made her his wife? Nothing but tingles all over.

She sighed again. If only she could just go with the flow.

And then it kind of hit her. Why couldn't she go with the flow? The marriage was consummated now; there was no question of an annulment. Granted, there were a few other reasons in the twenty-first century where an annulment was allowed; and although Courtney certainly agreed that Nick's touch made her insane, she didn't think an insanity plea would fly.

Getting out of bed, she peeled off the rings and carefully placed them on the bedside table. She wasn't going to give in that easily; Nick still deserved everything she couldn't give him; thinking about children was like an open would in her heart, and she for sure wasn't ready to tell the family yet. Going through to the shower, she wondered what the day would bring.











Nick glanced inside his--their bedroom when he heard the shower running. Walking fully into the room, he stood still and inhaled the sweet, lingering scent of Courtney. His wife. He let the inner peace of knowing she was here, at least for now, travel down and settle in his system.