The Billionaire's Bargain (11 page)

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Mark
asked.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” He stopped to
talk with his friend. He knew Tess wouldn’t hear the conversation.

“She’s different from the others,
Duncan. I already see a change in you.”

He ran his fingers through his hair.
Duncan
knew
there was something going on between Tess and
himself
.
What, he didn’t know. “She’s different, but like all the other she has her own
price.”

“You’re falling for her,
Duncan
. I can see this.”
Mark followed him round to his side of the car.

“I don’t do love, Mark. You know
that.”

“Don’t hurt her.”

Duncan
ignored him getting in the car and
starting it up.

He pulled away from the curb as she waved to their guests. His hands
were shaking from the words Mark had spoken. He knew she was different, and he
refused to believe he was falling in love with her.

“Where are we going?” Her voice was soft within the confines of the car.
Duncan
wondered
if he had imagined her speaking to him. He took a quick glance to make sure
she’d spoken.

“My country house,” he said when he noticed she was waiting for him.
With another quick glance he saw her nod then look out the window. Darkness was
falling. He knew she’d struggle to see anything outside. He needed to talk but
remained silent.

Silence filled the drive leaving
Duncan
even more riled and annoyed. He needed to talk to her. The more he heard her
voice the easier it was to calm down. After what Mark had said, he needed to
feel calm. By the time he made it to his country house he was in a foul mood.
Tess didn’t seem to notice as he snapped at anyone who crossed his path. The
few drivers on the road got more of his anger than anyone else. He pulled up
outside his home. She didn’t say a word as she opened the door.
Duncan
ground his teeth
together to stop himself from snapping at her.

Even at this late hour his two staff were up and awaiting his
arrival.
 

Both were attentive towards Tess. They ignored him completely. Everyone
seemed to love her on sight. What was it about her that everyone loved? Even
Mark thought she was a brilliant person, a perfect match for him. He knew she
was different from all of his other women. Were the others really that
bad?
 

Her father was a thief and a criminal. How good could she be?

Duncan
knew it was his own foul mood
causing him to lash out at her character.

“Will you show Tess to her room?” He cut off his house keeper’s cheery
conversation. The sooner she was settled the better he’d feel. His housekeeper
glared at him but took Tess by the hand giving her a welcoming smile. The
moment his housekeeper and Tess were making their way upstairs he got an
approving nod out of Gerald.

Gerald was the one who kept his house in pristine condition when he was
away on business.
Duncan
nodded back, happy that Gerald approved of his choice of wife. He went to his
study to have a very strong whisky. He finally loosened the tie that had caused
him problems all day. He released the top buttons of his shirt as well. He
finally owned the first part of his father’s estate. His step-mother would
receive a surprise eviction notice within the week, and his mother could go and
claim her rightful place. Everything was coming together. He was satisfied with
the way today had gone. Except for the episode he’d had with Tess, the day had
gone smoothly.
Duncan
sat behind his mahogany desk, booting up his computer to check for any
important notices.
 

Several of his emails were from business associates congratulating him
on his big day. One was from his secretary informing him of his honeymoon
arrangements. She informed him his honeymoon would be starting that weekend
along with all the necessary arrangements he’d need. The final email came from
his head of security. He’d requested two weeks ago on the day he met Tess for
them to find out anything on his future wife. The information was attached in a
file for him to peruse. It looked like they had finally found some information
on his wife.
Duncan
opened the secure file attached to the email. There were a few security options
for him. The moment he downloaded the file, he opened it straight away. He
didn’t want to lose any more time finding out about his wife.

Some stuff he already knew like her being a librarian. It hadn’t taken
long for the press to find her and make work impossible for her.
 

If it hadn’t been for his desperation to have her as well as his
father’s will, he’d have waited until she’d been fully investigated before
putting his ring on her finger.

She’d signed all necessary prenuptial agreements without any concern to
what she got out of the arrangement.
 

When she’d signed the forms relinquishing all rights to his fortune it
had surprised him. Other women would have bargained for more out of it whereas
Tess appeared to look forward to her freedom more than a credit card.
Duncan
was starting to
see a whole other side to her. Her father had painted a very negative picture
about her family. She was smashing all of his preconceived opinions about her.

Or are you hoping she’s different
from all the others?

Duncan
cut off all thought about his own
feelings. He was tired of feeling in deep waters when it came to Tess. He
didn’t need any more reminders of their time together.

He scanned through the short document as quickly as possible. There were
no names as to who her mother was. Erik Williams kept all details of her
maternal side a secret. His security couldn’t find a single thing on the woman
who’d given birth to Tess. He wondered what it would have been like growing up
without a parent. His mother wasn’t the best person—or mother—in the world, but
she was still his mother. Tess’s mother remained a mystery.
 
According to the details his security team
had managed to dig up, Tess had never been married or even had a long standing
boyfriend. She lived in an apartment, which he’d seen, in a reasonable area.
The crime rate was reasonable considering her meagre income. She was a
librarian up until a week ago. From all accounts of the people they’d talked
to, Tess kept to herself. No friends and nothing of any great importance. The
document was in fact useless.

Duncan
leaned back in his chair staring at
the photos they’d attached. Some were taken of her in her school uniform. She
looked sad in most of the photos. He noticed she always stood on her own.

Her work had to stop. The press would have a field day if he let his
wife work. She’d stay at home, keep house, do her nails, or whatever a woman of
leisure did.

Her lack of boyfriend and life would have to wait until morning. The day
had taken its toll on him. He needed his rest. The anger he’d felt when he’d
first gotten home had disappeared. Tess didn’t deserve his anger. The more he
found out about her, the more he realised she really was an innocent in all
this.
 

Duncan
closed down his computer then took
the final swig of his whisky. He stood up and stretched out all his muscles. He
was pleased Gerald approved his choice of wife. It was strange considering the
man hadn’t met her yet. Introductions would be taken care of in the morning.

He turned away from his desk. There was nothing in that file to help him
understand what Tess was like. He felt at a disadvantage. The only thing he
knew about his wife was that she was extremely beautiful and her father had
stolen money from him. Most of his women left a paper trail a mile long. Tess paid
her taxes and spent most of her time alone. He didn’t get it. He had to be
missing something. There was no way she was that perfect. He’d been around in
the world too long to think otherwise.

Duncan
made his way up to his bedroom not
even bothering to knock on the door. He expected his house keeper to put Tess
in a guest bedroom. They hadn’t gotten the chance to talk about sharing a room.
He walked right in to see his wife drying her naked body on his towel.

His body went instantly alert. The blood went straight to his groin with
a speed that shocked him. Within seconds he was fully erect. He winced. His
arousal, quick to come, had caused him pain as his shaft tightened within the
confines of his pants. Tess seemed frozen, not able to do anything. She looked
fucking gorgeous. No matter what he had imagined the reality of her body was so
much better. A chill must have swept across her. Her nipples were red, poking
out. He noticed the large buds tighten as his gaze swept from the top of her
head to her toes. She was perfection. Moments later she began to cover herself
frantically. When the bath towel wouldn’t cooperate she charged into the
en-suite bathroom. She slammed and locked the door behind her.

Duncan
swiped a hand across his face. His
wife had run from him. She was so beautiful. He ached to possess her. All of
his imagination wasn’t close to the truth of the beauty of her body, the flush
in her cheeks and the weight of her breasts. He wanted his hands on her. She
had a body to die for.

He took a few deep breaths. There
was no way he was letting her run from him. Tess was his wife, and he was going
to make this marriage real between them. The passion they shared wasn’t
something they could ignore. He walked to the bathroom door. Running his hands
through his hair
Duncan
tried to gain his composure. The last thing he’d expected to see was his wife
naked.

Get a grip of yourself.

You’re doing this for your mother.

Are you really?

Duncan
knocked on the door.

****

He’s seen me naked
.

Duncan James, multi-millionaire businessman, has seen me naked.

Tess closed her eyes cringing at
what he must think. No man had seen her naked before. She sat on the toilet
shaking from her nerves. Never before had a man’s eyes caressed her naked skin.
Duncan
hadn’t
looked away. His gaze had roamed her body like a caress. How could a woman get
turned on by a look? She’d read about it in books, but they were fantasy,
weren’t they? She noticed his pants where his cock thickened.
Duncan
hadn’t turned away from her in
revulsion. She glanced down at her body and saw her nipples tighten to
unbearable points. They were swollen. Her body felt like she had molten lava
inside her skin instead of blood.

Tess shouldn’t have noticed his
physical response, but how could she not? Everything about the man who was now
her husband forced her to take notice. Her heart skipped a beat whenever he was
near.

His cock was huge. He’d gotten hard for you.
No one
else.
Duncan
wanted you.

She shook her head refusing to
believe it. Her blush heated her cheeks. It would be too easy for her to forget
about herself when he’d looked at her with so much passion.

Tonight was her wedding night. Many
years ago a man would claim his wife on this night. Her virginity marked on the
sheets for him to hang from his tower. She covered her cheeks at the thought of
his possession. Would this be the night she finally lost her virginity?

Her virginity had been part of her for so long. She thought she’d die
with it still intact.

She would never be able to tell him of her lack of experience.
Duncan
was used to women
who knew what they were doing. All she knew was the stuff she’d read in books
or watched late one night in an erotic movie on the television. Her virgin
state had become precious to her. She’d made a vow when she was younger while
all the other girls in her class were giving it up that she’d wait for the
right man to give it to. When she’d gotten older and meeting people became
harder, she’d become resigned to having no one.

Now,
Duncan
was taking over making her feel things she’d never thought possible for her. If
her own father couldn’t love her, how could anyone else?
 

He knocked on the bathroom door. “Tess, open up.” She heard him pace
outside the door. He kept stopping as he spoke. “Come on, Tess. Let’s talk
about this. You’re my wife.” His voice went through the wood for her to hear.
“Go away.” Tess wasn’t ready to deal with him. It was her wedding night, and
she was telling her husband to go away. The whole situation was ridiculous. She
shouldn’t be hiding in the bathroom. There was nothing for her to be
embarrassed about. The housekeeper had placed her in this room thinking their
marriage was a real one.