Bartered (The Encounter #1)(47)

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 f*uk 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.