Brides & Bargains. Maureen Child

and your trivial facts.”

      When she playfully pushed at his shoulder, he swept his hand through the water and splashed her again. The battle then commenced, each trying to best the other with liquid bombs until they were both winded with laughter.

      Nasira could not recall how much time had passed since they had acted with such wild abandon. How long it had been since they had shared so much laughter. She felt so connected with him, yet somewhat cautious. They still had quite a bit to resolve.

      “I believe it is time to retreat,” she said, but before she could evade Sebastian, he reached out and pulled her to him.

      “Isn’t this much better than arguing?” he asked as he guided them farther into the creek until the water lapped at her waistline.

      Unable to resist her sexy, damp, shirtless husband, she draped her arms around his neck. “I suppose it is somewhat better.” And welcome. And wonderful.

      He feathered a kiss across her cheek. “This is the part I remember about Tahiti.”

      “Only we were not fully dressed, although at least you had the foresight to remove your shirt today. I highly doubt I will ever be able to get the swampy scent out of my blouse.”

      “We could simply remove your blouse now.”

      When he reached for the buttons, she wagged a finger at him. “Now, now. We have an agreement. Conversation first.”

      He managed to slip open the first button and parted the placket. “What would you like to discuss?” he asked as he traced the top of her bra with a fingertip.

      A topic that would ruin the mood. “Nothing at the moment. We should return to the stable with the horses since your mount seems rather restless.”

      He glanced at the stallion now pawing the ground. “Could I at least kiss you before we leave?”

      “You usually do not ask permission.”

      “I’m only following the rules, per your request.”

      That alone should earn him a reward. “I suppose a small kiss would be all right.”

      Clearly her husband did not know the meaning of small, as if she expected him to give her anything less than a thorough kiss. Yet when he lowered his lips to hers, she found the gesture to be more tender than deep. Soft and somewhat restrained...in the beginning. And then the passion took hold. A passion she could not fight. Yet if she did not stop him now, she might not be able to stop at all.

      As unwise as it seemed, at that moment she simply did not care to resist him.

       Five

      Before Nasira could prepare, Sebastian opened her blouse completely, unfastened her bra and lowered it enough to pay attention to her breasts. He knew precisely how to use his tongue to bring her to the point of no return. He used the pull of his mouth to great effect, causing her to tremble slightly. She clasped his head to follow his movements as he shifted from one breast to the other and closed her eyes to immerse herself in the feelings. In spite of the voice telling her to resist, she felt needy and powerless and completely under his control as he worked the clasp on her jeans, slid the zipper down and slipped his hand into her panties. And suddenly her no-sex vow went the way of the prairie wind.

      Somewhere in the recesses of her mind, she knew she should tell him to stop and regain control. “Sebastian,” was all she could manage in a winded voice that she barely recognized.

      He raised his head and whispered in her ear, “Remember Tahiti.”

      She could barely remember her name in light of Sebastian’s intemperate strokes between her thighs. Yet Sebastian seemed bent on teasing her into oblivion, slowing his sensual caressing as if he wanted to prolong the process. She wanted to hold off the release, and oh how she tried, but her body would no longer allow it.

      In a matter of moments, she feared her legs would no longer support her as she bordered on a climax. As if her husband could sense her predicament, he tightened his grasp on her, yet he did not let up until the orgasm began to build and build. He simply told her in a low, sensual tone how she felt, what he wished to do to her. What he would do to her when the time was right.

      Nasira stopped thinking, practically stopped breathing as she let the heady sensations take over. She rode the release wave after wave until it had subsided. And then came the regret and remorse.

      “You promised me,” she said as soon as she recovered her voice.

      He redid her jeans and bra then buttoned her blouse. “I apologize but I could not help myself. You’re very alluring when you’re wet. In every sense of the word. And you have to take into account that I presently require nothing in return, therefore it’s not exactly sex.”

      “Good grief, Sebastian, that is semantics. We were not playing tiddlywinks.”

      “Definitely not. No squidgers were involved.”

      A litany of choice words ran through her brain, yet she could only think of one ridiculous provincial phrase. “Bite me, Buck.”

      He had the gall to grin. “We will explore that after dinner, Beauty.”

      “You are...you are...such a—”

      “Skilled lover?”

      “Plank,” she said, repeating the slang she had learned in London.

      “I’ve been called worse than a jackass,” he said as he took her by the shoulders, turned her around and patted her bottom. “Let’s go, old girl, before Cappy labels us horse thieves and sends out the guard.”

      She trudged out of the creek, squeezed the water from the bottom of her blouse and twisted her hair into a braid. After they had donned their boots and Sebastian had put on his shirt, they mounted the horses and started back to the stable in silence.

      “Are you angry with me, Sira?”

      Was she? “I am not happy that I’ve been so weak.”

      “You’re not weak, sweetheart. You’re a woman and you have needs.”

      She thought back to Fiona’s declaration earlier. “You are correct. I do have needs. I simply do not care for you using that as a distraction from our real problems.”

      “First, you’re miffed because I haven’t paid enough attention to you, as you pointed out so succinctly before you left London. Now that I am attempting to make up for lost time, you no longer want my consideration. Which is it, Sira? Hands on or hands off?”

      She wanted to scream from frustration. “Ignoring me isn’t only about withholding lovemaking, Sebastian.”

      “Forgive me for facilitating your orgasm. All three of them, if my memory serves me correctly. Should you require another, you’ll have to ask.”

      Nasira glanced at Sebastian to see if he appeared as angry as he sounded. “I will not be asking until I am assured we are on the right path to mending our marriage.”

      “That is your call.”

      Without warning, Sebastian took off again and this time, she immediately followed. Yet the gelding was not as fast as the stallion and her husband arrived a few paces ahead of her. After Sebastian dismounted and headed into the barn, she soon followed suit and led the Gus inside.

      When Sebastian did not afford her a glance, Nasira tied the gelding to the stall’s railing and faced him. “I know you are upset with me, but—”

      “Upset?” He loosened the girth strap, pulled the saddled off and turned toward her. “Why would I be upset when my wife seems bent on rejecting my attempts to recapture some intimacy?”

      She bristled at his hypocrisy. “Now you understand how I have felt the past six months.”

      He