Isobel," I said the second I got inside her bedroom without knocking, "it's good to see you back." Beaming, I let my eyes rove over her
beautiful face and body, needing assurance that she was safe and unharmed. She was putting her computer aside and hadn't said a word. My curiosity was piqued at her odd behavior. "Aren't you going to come here and greet me properly?" I slowly strode over to her, resolving her lack of response for exhaustion.
Once I got to her on the other side of the bed where she was sitting and waiting, I immediately kissed her forehead before cradling her cheek to kiss her on the lips. Her intoxicating scent filled my nostrils, and I instantly felt a wave of calmness wash over me.
"You've been gone for far too long. How is your mother? I hope she is well and safe." I searched her eyes and was taken aback to see hers stare back at me full of trouble and hesitation. "Is something the matter?"
She shook her head before licking her lips and looking away. "My mum will eventually get better. Thanks for
OGUH
EVIF-YTNEWT RETPAHC
asking."
I frowned as I gazed upon her, knowing very well that
my instincts couldn't be far off when they were telling me that something was amiss. "Is there something you want to tell me, Isobel?" My voice may be soft, but I was on edge, hoping she wasn't hiding anything from me.
She made a wan smile. "I'm just tired..." she trailed off. "I didn't get much sleep once I got there, so I'm beyond exhausted."
I nodded, worried. "Of course. Have you had dinner?" It was half past eight, and from what I had been told, she hadn't had a nibble of food since she'd flown in two hours ago. I would've gone home to welcome her back immediately, but I had barely flown in myself from Switzerland after some business. I had immediately come straight to see her, bound with excitement and expectation. I definitely hadn't been picturing her as cold and distant. Weary and exhausted? Yes, of course. But standoffish? No. Especially not after how things had been between us before she'd left.
She declined my invitation for dinner, excusing herself to the bathroom to shower while I stared after her, pondering what had gone wrong.
Listening to her movements in the bathroom, I looked about her room for about five minutes before deciding to leave her be. Perhaps we could talk again in an hour or so. Maybe she'd feel better then.
Finally getting up to leave her room, I strode towards the other wing on the opposite side of the villa to my
bedroom to change. All the while, I thought of our cold and detached exchange in her bedroom.
Entering my domain, I headed straight to my walk-in closet before taking my clothes off to shower before dinner. I wasn't particularly hungry; however, I felt I needed to give her space even though all I wanted was to spend the entire night with her in her bed... naked... while we caught up on events. I wanted to hear what had happened on her trip in Athens, amongst other things.
After a quick shower, I went downstairs to work whilst having dinner, biding time until I felt she'd had enough time of her own before facing me again.
The intended one hour wait became two as I was consumed by the current project I was working on. I took a moment to breathe and gather my thoughts, feeling slightly euphoric at the thought of tasting her again tonight. After a week without her here and with no distractions to speak of, my mind—whenever not occupied with work—had continuously wandered towards her, wondering how she was doing in Athens.
There were times when I wanted to simply call her and ask her myself, but I also wanted her to have some privacy since her mother was ill and she probably couldn't be bothered. I thought that, if she truly wanted to talk, she would've easily called me. However, after her quick message stating that she had arrived and was fine, nothing had come from her. From then on, I had counted the days until she was back here with me, in my house where I could see her whenever I wanted.
Sherry and Chantel were back from their vacations and the two had moved in to the hotel because I had made a vow to myself that I would concentrate solely on Isobel, and I meant to keep that promise. The ladies, of course, were baffled with the immediate change of living arrangements, yet I wasn't one to fully disclose my life, even to my past lovers. I meant to speak to them once I'd had a discussion with Isobel before letting them both go with a hefty parting present.
Leaving my library, I pictured her in bed, dressed in one of those silky, short, slip-on nightdresses with nothing underneath. She knew I went berserk whenever she did that. And since she and I hadn't seen each other in a while, I was hoping she'd be more than eager to participate tonight in what I had hungered for.
Striding towards her room, each step that got me closer to my destination made me feel nervous all of a sudden. I wasn't sure why, but her unwelcoming response had been so unexpected that it somehow pained me a little.
Not bothering to knock on her door, I let myself inside and found her on the bed with her laptop, just as I had found her earlier. When she saw me enter, she immediately shut it off and placed it on the side table before giving me a pained smile.
"Hey, I was wondering where you've been."
Maybe it was the fake smile that I had just witnessed or her odd attitude, but I surely didn't buy the fact that she was "wondering" where I'd been. Had she meant it, she could've easily found me downstairs, but she hadn't.
"I've been in the library this whole time, working as I nibbled on dinner.
"So, tell me about your trip," I stated as I slowly took my clothes off. She watched me with hesitation, as if she wanted to look yet didn't deem it suitable, which was another point that got me confused. She had seen me naked countless times; what had changed to make her shy and reluctant like she had been in the very beginning?
"Very quiet. My father wasn't there when I landed, thank goodness for that." She sounded relieved, although something was bothering her.
Knowing myself, I'd wait until I fully had an idea of what was causing her to act this way before confronting her about it. Maybe it was just the stress of it all, but something nagged at me, and I simply couldn't place what it was.
Shrugging off the rest of my clothing, I slid into bed with her before I automatically pulled her freshly scented body towards me. Spooning her, my cock immediately nestled against her pert bottom. My nose indulged in her smell as I kissed along the back of her neck and shoulder blade.
"I couldn't get you out of my head, ma belle." My hand sought the end of her silk nightdress before my hand reached farther down her body, needing more of her. "Take this off, I want to see," I rasped out with urgency, hoping I'd calm the hell down and savor her slowly, like a decadent dessert that needed to be relished with each bite, tasting every aspect of its phenomenal flavor.
She made a soft gasp when I hastily took off the dress. Then my lips lunged and clasped on her nipple, biting and
tasting her with gusto.
"Hugo..." she rasped out, seeming like she wanted to
stop me, yet she moaned with each touch I granted her. "Relax, ma chérie. I promise to make it good for you." My lips trailed along her jawline as I slowly situated myself in between her legs, desperate to feel the heat of her warmth, to feel the slickness of her moisture as I slid along her slit. My hunger felt like it was eating me alive. I wanted
her so much that it borderlined on being painful.
The hunger surely dissipated the moment my eyes caught something on the base of her neck. It was faint, but it was an obvious mark—a mark that lovers leave on a woman's skin when marking their territory. The fainting color around it told me that this hickey wasn't fresh, but for
her to even have one was beyond baffling.
Pausing, I tried to breathe in through my nostril;
however, the lacerating pain of betrayal immediately got to me. Therefore, I slowly made a grunting sound before rolling back to my side of the bed.
The moment my head hit the pillow, my lips pressed together as my arm covered my shut eyes, needing to think, needing to make sense of things.
It couldn't have been some random man, I thought with alacrity. Isobel wouldn't dare violate our contract unless it was someone she couldn't resist—this man being her ex and only lover, Damen Zabat.
"Hugo?" Her voice was a small whisper, hearing her say my name only adding to the intensity of her betrayal.
So young and so innocent. How easily she had been swayed by the man she loved.
Did she fuck him, too? I thought as I tasted acid on my tongue. God, I hoped not.
"Sleep well, ma belle. I'm sorry that I even tried tonight." Not wanting to talk any longer, I pushed my feelings aside and pulled her body towards me once more. This time, I meant nothing sexual but to have her close as we slept the night away, just like before. Before she acted upon her passions.
I could get past this. However, if I ever found out that she had gone beyond the usual kissing and petting, this was over for good.
Betrayals didn't bide well with me, even if the woman in question was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid my eyes upon, or that she made me feel senseless and helpless to the point of being pathetic. Even in my pursuit of passions, that, too, had a limit.