Chapter Eleven

It was funny how you could think you wanted something so badly and then when you had it, you realized it wasn’t what you really needed. Maybe Isabella was slowly losing her sanity. She wasn’t sure. All she knew was she was creeping to the bathroom door and listening for any sound from Robert.

He’d been gone for five nights, and she had missed him desperately. She’d found out he had a separate sleeping chamber from her and that information had crushed her very soul. She wasn’t sure why she was surprised. She’d suspected as much when he wasn’t at her side night after night.

But it did surprise her that she was trying to spy on him. Luckily he wasn’t a prince who liked to have twenty-four-hour guards with him, therefore it wasn’t difficult to sneak into his room.

She’d heard from a servant he’d had a bad day, and she felt an intense need to comfort him. She didn’t understand why. He obviously didn’t feel the need to give her comfort in her times of need. And besides, it wasn’t as if he needed her sympathy — he had an entire kingdom to give him that.

Beneath the closed bathroom door there was the slightest shadow, dancing. She wasn’t sure if he was in there or not. She leaned in to see if she could hear anything and got too close, instantly hitting her forehead on the solid wood, causing an ache, and making a sound that was far too loud for the silent room.

“Do you think you’re being sneaky?” The words came from behind the bathroom door, and they didn’t sound happy.

Isabella froze; she’d been caught. Maybe if she was completely still and silent he’d assume he was hearing things. She froze where she was, barely allowing herself to breathe.

“Open the damn door,” Robert called out. This time the irritation was very clear.

She could turn and run away but that might make him chase her. He’d shown her he had no problem with doing that. And considering the man was most likely naked in the bathroom, she didn’t think a chase would be wise. No, she had no fear of him attacking her. She was far more afraid of her own reaction to his wet and naked body. Her need for him was overwhelming and all-consuming. She couldn’t get enough. It had been five days since his last touch, and she was feeling vulnerable and needy, a combination she didn’t want to feel.

With a deep breath, Isabella turned the doorknob and stepped inside the darkened room. Her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting quickly, and she found him lying back in the tub, his body covered by only water. There was a half empty glass of amber liquid he seemed uninterested in. His eyes were glued to her as she stepped forward.

Making sure she looked no farther than his face, Isabella came a bit too close to Robert. This pull to be near him terrified her, but it was something she didn’t want to fight.

“Why do you look so angry?” she asked. She wanted to know where he’d been, but she didn’t want him to know she’d noticed his absence. His eyes narrowed a little as they caressed her face in a possessive manner. A shiver ran through her. Though he might be attempting to appear relaxed, she saw the tension in his arms. If she allowed herself to look lower, she was sure she’d see the same stiffness in the rest of his body.

“I’ve been away on business, serving my country, and I expected you to be waiting for me,” he began with a glare. A small flutter of pleasure filled her, knowing he’d been away from home and not avoiding her. Why couldn’t he have shared that information with her? It would have been so much easier on her pride. He continued and his next words weren’t pleasant at all. “I was told upon my return that you were out by the gardens in the fading light, laughing with a guard who was reported to be quite smitten with you.”

Isabella was shocked at the jealousy she heard in his tone. This was something entirely new in their tumultuous relationship. It took her several moments to figure out what he was talking about.

“Do you mean Triad?” she asked with hesitation.

“I’m so pleased you’re on a first name basis,” Robert snapped.

Isabella didn’t know what to think as Robert scowled at her. She needed to explain the situation, not because she had done anything wrong, but because she didn’t want to get a kind man in trouble. She wondered if a person could be locked in the dungeon for daring to speak with the mistress of the prince. She winced at that thought. She didn’t think of herself as dirty, but a mistress to her was nothing special. Sadly, she knew she was nothing more than that to this man, and yet she still allowed him to freely take her body anytime he wanted. She needed him that much.

“I fell in the garden while he was doing his rounds. He found me lying there and helped me to my feet. Then we walked and spoke for a while about the gardens and his family. Nothing inappropriate happened,” she told Robert. She felt anger stir inside her. He’d been gone without explanation, and he should be telling her what he’d been up to.

“I have done nothing to make you think you deserve the right to an explanation. You are the one who captured me. You are the one who wouldn’t allow me to leave. And you are the one with the problem. I’m simply explaining the situation because I don’t want you taking out your irrational anger on a good man.” She finished her words as she moved closer to him. How dare he question her.

Robert glared, and her fury increased even further. Before she had a chance to second-guess herself, she was lifting a bottle of soap and throwing it at him. It hit the tub with a loud splash, causing water to hit his face and her summer dress.

His eyes widened before an evil glint appeared. Isabella knew it was time to retreat. She spun on her feet and took a single step before he grabbed her arm and tugged . . . hard.

Her balance was upended and Isabella fell backward over the edge of the tub, landing with a messy splash right onto his naked lap where it was more than obvious how hard he already was.

“Robert!” she cried out as her dress was instantly plastered to her body. She flailed in her attempt to keep her head above water. She wiggled against him but his solid arm held her tight. She wasn’t going anywhere unless he decided it. That was pretty much the sum of their entire relationship.

“If you don’t stop thrashing against me, I’m not going to be accountable for my actions,” Robert said with a groan and he pushed his hips up, his erection resting in the curve of her butt.

The all-consuming anger instantly began to fade as desire took its place. Isabella didn’t understand how this man could have this much control over her, how she could be so furious with him one second and then feel an intense need for him the next. She didn’t like the feeling, the loss of herself. But she also couldn’t stop it from happening.

Her white dress was soaked and her body wasn’t at all hidden from him. With a groan his gaze drifted down her chest and then he lifted her, turning her around so she was facing him and his mouth descended, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking it hard through the wet material. A cry of pleasure ripped from her as desire pooled in her core.

Robert was nearly frantic as he switched from breast to breast, sucking and nibbling on her peaked nipples. She wanted the material gone. She couldn’t remember what they’d been arguing about. Her body was pressed tightly against him, and she knew she wasn’t going anywhere.

Robert lifted his head, and they gazed into each other’s eyes. She reached up to him, initiating the kiss herself. Time stopped as they fed off of each other, both too hungry to remember what they’d been fighting about. She pulled his tongue into her mouth and reveled when he gasped at the sensation.

Pleasure rushed through her as his hand cupped her tender breasts, his fingers squeezing her nipples before he rubbed his thumb over her sensitive flesh to soothe away the ache.

When he broke away from her lips she whimpered until his mouth trailed down her neck, and he took her nipple into his mouth once more. Her head fell back, to give him better access, and she opened herself fully to him.

His fingers trailed beneath her soaked gown, climbing higher until they slipped beneath the elastic of her panties and rubbed her where she needed his touch the most. He didn’t disappoint her as he slipped inside her slick folds and stroked the most sensitive area. Within seconds she was falling apart as an orgasm overtook her.

While she was still shaking, Robert ripped her panties away and held her over him, pulling her down as he thrust upward. She cried out as he buried himself deep, sending entirely new waves of perfect sensation through her.

They moved together, the water sloshing out of the tub, but neither of them noticed or cared. Isabella’s head fell back as she squeezed him tight and yelled out his name when another orgasm ripped through her. This time Robert cradled her close, his own body shaking with the intensity of his release.

She fell against him as the water cooled around them. This was what she had been longing for, the moment right after intense pleasure where she felt closer to him than any other time, where she knew his guard was completely down. If she could freeze this moment she’d never leave his arms again.

Maybe . . . maybe there was hope . . .

Isabella closed her eyes and a tear fell. He’d never know her pain as she swept it away with a splash of water. As sure as she knew her love for this man was real, she also knew it was time for her to move on. She knew she needed more than to be a mistress, and unfortunately that’s all she could be. But at least she’d had a perfect goodbye. She kissed his neck and rested. Tomorrow would come much sooner than she was ready for. Tonight she’d show him with her body and soul how much he meant to her.

If she could walk away feeling as if he’d think of her once in a while, then she’d carry him in her dreams, and she’d share him with their child when the day came. Until then all she would have of him was their child and memories. She wouldn’t take anything else.

They made love again when he carried her to his bed, an urgency unlike any he’d shown before, making them sink together in a tangle of limbs. It was like they both knew the end was near, and neither of them were ready for it. It might be nothing more than a wish on Isabella’s part, but it helped her hold on to these last few hours.

Sometimes all a person had left was hope.