He groaned in frustration and slid from the bed, leaving her reclining alone on the rumpled sheets. She raised her hands above her head and stretched watched him stride over to the door of the summerhouse and look out at the night sky, his naked body only lit by the eerie glow of the full moon. He would churn things over in his mind for a while before he agreed. It was the way he was. Far better that than the aggressiveness her father was showing lately.
Her gaze slid over his body, a sense of warmth flowed through her. She never imagined he could make her so happy and content. Her palms itched to go to him and soothe the unease inside him but she waited, knowing he had to work things out in his own way to accept it.
“It’s still about him though, isn’t it?” He didn’t turn to look at her and she could imagine the pain on his beautiful face as he referred to the man he thought was competition for her love.
She schooled her voice, keeping the frustration she felt to herself. “No, you have it wrong. I’ve already told you, darling. I only want you. You have to believe me.” They’d been over this before but still he worried he would lose her to someone ‘more suitable.’
He had backbone and didn’t care about her wealth; that alone was a magnet for her. “I’ve seen you with him. I know you slept with him and he’s all over you still. Touching you, sidling up to you all the time. He flaunts his position every chance he gets.”
“Sweetheart, please.” She stood up, allowed the sheet fall from her body, her nipples puckering in the slight chill. “I have to keep up the pretence or Papa will start to wonder about me and you have to admit, Ernest is useful in that way. Very convenient. Papa doesn’t need to know anything about us yet, you know he will fight me. That is one battle I don’t wish to take on right now.” She moved over and leaned against his back, put her arms around his waist, breathed in the musky scent of his skin. “He’s already showing more than enough signs of instability. Dr Harman has been called in. I’ve spoken to him.”
“He won’t commit him. Your father still has too much pull in the community.”
She knew there was a slither of truth in the statement but she’d already taken that into account by slowly easing the people that mattered onto her side. “It’s a matter of timing. Small comments here and there will set the scene for the day the good doctor sees the real Papa in action in all his twisted glory. Apart from the staff, Father Roberts witnessed one major meltdown, which will help my cause if I have to take this to court to gain control. Plus, Papa has decided to withdraw his support to the church. That will give the good father cause for concern too considering Mama started the donations when she was very young.” She kissed his shoulder, felt him tremble under her lips. “You know how the dear father likes to stay in everyone’s good books? With the money he used to get from the estate, if he knows I’m going to be holding the purse strings, I’m fairly certain he’ll do whatever I ask.”
“And your other lover?” He tensed at the words and Wilz dropped her hands down to his stomach, her fingers following the ridges in his muscles.
“He needs the cover as much as I need him. It’s over between us, I promise you. Besides, I need him to keep the spotlight off us. If Papa found out, he’d crucify me.”
He lifted her face up to his. Ever so gently he kissed her lips, tasting, teasing. Wilz cupped his buttocks and held him close as his mouth took possession of hers, demanding more from him.
She was desperate for him to believe her and give her the support she needed to work through the process of taking the estate from her father’s control. It was for the best despite the guilt nipping at her heels. Wilz captured his hand in hers and drew him back to the bed. “Come and talk to me, tell me how much you love me.”
When he was comfortable, she lay her head on his chest, listened to his heart beating. “I need you to trust me on this, darling.” She toyed with the dark hairs snaking down his chest, running her fingers over his skin.
“I can support us. I’ve told you that and we have somewhere to go. We won’t be homeless.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer, kissing the top of her head. He sighed and she felt the air leave his lungs, his frustration evident.
“I know you can and I hate to make you unhappy over this but you have to understand. This is my home, my legacy. If Mama were alive, she would agree with me. Too many people rely on us for their income, their livelihood.” She bit her bottom lip, worried it with her teeth. How could she make him understand without pushing him away?
“Last month he put the rents up. Unnecessary and mean but there was no talking to him about it. Can you imagine what he could do if I wasn’t here to act as buffer between him and the farmers? There’d be a riot and we both know who would win in the end. Papa would cut off his nose to spite his face and kick everyone off of their leases. You know he’s capable of it. Besides, I grew up with these people, they’re like family to me.”
Her lover stroked her hair, running his hand down over her cheek before cupping her chin. With a gentle touch that belied his size, her ran his thumb over her lips. “Yes, sadly I do know what he’s like.”
She lifted herself onto her
