A Woman Worth Marrying Chapter 8

He watched as her back remained rigid and he walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He felt her stiffen and he smiled at her reaction. He felt the tremble from her body and then he turned her around slowly. Her eyes were huge,with fear, with excitement, he couldn't quite tell. She was staring at him with her big eyes and in a way, willing him to remove her dress. His fingers slipped underneath her shoulder sleeves and pulled them down revealing the clevage he'd been secretly eyeing for so long. Then he reached behind her and started to undo the buttons, one by one, his fingers caressing her skin as he exposed her. He never left her eyes and she stood there, frozen, and panting hard. When he was done with the buttons, he took the shoulder sleeves and slowly peeled the wet dress off of her body, down her slender shoulders, past the swell of her hips, and then he let it drop to a pool at her feet. His eyes slowly grazed the long legs, the v where her hips joined together, and then past her belly back to her eyes where she was staring at him.

“You're beautiful,” he whispered. “More beautiful than I had imagined.”

She didn't answer him; he didn't expect her to. He came to her and when he reached out a finger to touch her, she sucked in a breath. He smiled and then he picked her up into his arms and she let out a soft squeal. He liked that sound; it tickled the inner soul of his male parts. He marched her over to the tub and set her in. Then he poured in the warm water around her and she covered herself with her hands. He bent down, grabbed the rag, and removed her hands.

“Don't ever cover yourself. You're beautiful,” he said. “I'm going to wash you.”

She raised her brows. “I thought you were going to get in here with me?”

“Disappointed, are we?” he asked as her face turned scarlet. “Don't worry, sweetheart, I will. First, I want to wash you.”

He dipped the rag into the water and began to wash the dirt away from her body, slowly and never keeping his eyes off of hers. She looked away, shy, and he smiled as he continued washing her. He ran the rag up and down her legs, making sure his fingers brushed across her skin.

“Why'd you go without me?” she asked quietly.

He turned her chin around so she was looking at him. “I didn't realize you wanted to go. I'm sorry, Annabelle. Besides, you were asleep and seeing as how you've been lacking sleep, I thought I'd let you sleep in. If I'd known you would run off, I'd have tied you next to me.”

She blushed and lowered her gaze for a moment. “I didn't run off. I went walking.”

“You scared me to death when I came back and Mia said you were gone since breakfast. And when I found you, seeing you that way, the worse entered my mind. Do you know how many deaths I've died?”

She stared at him and then she swallowed hard. “Why would you die a thousand deaths for me?”

“Because you're my wife.”

“Am I? I thought I was your wife in name only.”

He ran a finger along her chin. “Maybe, but you're still my wife. I protect what is mine. You should pound that into that pretty head of yours. I don't let anything happen to what is mine.”

She looked away as he brushed his fingers across her chest. He watched as her body quivered to his touch and then he dropped the rag between her legs. She turned around and stared at him with wide open eyes. He smiled and then he reached in between her legs, allowing his hands to touch the inside of her thighs as he grabbed the rag.

“Now, I'm going to join you,” he said.

“You can't. The water will overflow,” she warned.

Laughing, he said, “Do you think that will stop me?”

He stood up and she turned away as he got into the tub, behind her. The water sloshed over as he pulled her into his arms and held her against his chest. He felt her heart beat pound against her chest and he slowly kissed her temple.

“Why are you being so nice to me? You hardly know me,” she whispered.

“Because I made a promise to God that I would protect you and I intend to.”

“But we're not in love.”

“True, but that doesn't stop me from doing what is right. You've been handed to me and I accepted you. I said I would protect you and I would. Don't you ever leave like that again. You scared me so bad, a feeling I don't like feeling.”

She didn't answer and then he felt her shoulders shaking. He pushed her away and turned her face toward him. Her cheeks were stained with tears and he frowned as he wiped them away with his thumbs.

“What's wrong? If you're that uncomfortable, I'll get out,” he said.

“No,” she answered quickly. “It's not you.”

He pulled her back into his arms and held her. “Tell me.”

She sniffed and then she laid her hands on top of his. “I miss everything about my life. I feel as if I've been dealt a bad hand and I don't know how to get rid of it. You're amazing, yes, you are, but I am scared that I will be left alone in the future. When I woke up and you were gone, I don't know, something hit me so deep and so hard, so fast, that I felt...unwanted.”

He pushed her away again and then turned her around so they were facing each other. He cupped her chin and shook his head. “Don't say that. You're never unwanted. True, we have been dealt a hand that we're both unsure of. But I promised to take care of you and I will do my part. Don't feel that way because I don't want you feeling like that. I'm sorry that I left without you. I thought I was doing the right thing. I promise that from now on, I'll be sure to take you with me wherever I go.”

She wiped her eyes and he caught her hands. He kissed her knuckles and she gasped lightly. Then taking the courage he found in his heart, he leaned toward her and kissed her deeply. Every part of his being responded and he felt as if he was made of jello. No one had ever made him feel this way and he was fighting against himself to not take her right here. When he pulled away and saw her swollen lips, he grabbed her and slammed her against his chest.

“God, you're making me feel as if I'm walking on dangerous grounds. But I like it,” he whispered.

“Me too,” she replied.

“Come on, let's get out of this water before you get sick.”