Enthralled (21 page)

"You're the only woman
I've had in bed who has ever meant anything me," Chazz declared. "And
you'll be the first to sleep in this bed. I had this room prepared especially
for us."

"I'll feel like a lady of
the evening."

Chazz
stared at her, then pressed a button, making part of the wall slide back to
reveal a closet. "To me you are virginal, my love, untouched, unspoiled,
and sweeter than honey. When you marry me, it will be the happiest day of my
life." He looked back at the closet. "Here are your clothes. "
He pointed to built-in drawers. "Here is lingerie of all kinds." He
smiled at her. "I think it would be a waste of time to wear a nightie but
suit yourself. I'm going to shower. I'll use the one that connects to my room.
You can use this one." He pushed open a door to reveal a gold and cream
tiled bath, then disappeared through another door.

Teel
stared at the spot where Chazz had been for long minutes. Had he really said
that to her? That she would make him happy when she married him?
Oh God, Chazz, please love
me, for I will love you all my days, and I haven't the courage to tell you that
I won't marry you. I want it too much.

Coming out of her reverie,
Teel hustled into the bathroom after grabbing a silk robe from the closet.
"Eeeek!" she exclaimed at the enormity of the pool-sized bathtub. Its
cream-colored tiles were repeated in the large shower cubicle. Everything but
the wooden sauna was colored the muted cream, which shone with a quiet luster.
Thick towels hung from several racks. Myriad soaps and shampoos filled the
built-in shelves.

All at once jealousy streaked
through Teel at the thought of all the women who had used this bathroom. But
she shook her head, telling herself not to be silly. If Chazz said no other
woman had used it, no other woman had. He would always tell her the truth. It
was his way.

Teel showered and shampooed
her hair, knowing she wouldn't have time in the morning. It would take awhile
for her hair to dry, but at least it would be done. She dried herself in fluffy
bathsheets and rubbed her hair with a smaller towel.

When she returned to the
bedroom, she found Chazz in bed, reading some papers, half glasses propped on
his nose. "I didn't know you wore glasses."

"Yes, for reading."
He smiled at her and pushed the papers into a neat pile before shutting them
into a briefcase. He swung around on the bed, putting his feet on the floor and
the briefcase next to the night table. "Are you coming to me, or shall I
come to you?" He removed his glasses and set them on the night table, not
once taking his eyes from her.

Teel looked at him, mute,
still holding the towel on her head.

"I'll dry that for you,
love." Chazz walked over to her and took the towel from her hand. He
rubbed gently for a few moments, then got a hairdryer from the bathroom. He
blew her hair back and forth with the warm air, rubbing her head with his free
hand.

The soporific effect stayed
with her when he brushed her hair free of tangles, led her to the bed, and
removed her robe. She blinked up at him, aware of his stillness.

"Your body is
perfect," he whispered. "But I also know that if it were marked with
scars it would still be perfect to me." He looked down into her eyes and
smiled.

"You're blushing, love.
Don't be shy with me. I'll always want to look at you."

"I'm not used to
it."

"I'm glad of that,"
he chuckled into her neck, his hand running up her thigh to her waist.

"Will we live here?"
Teel asked.

His laugh tickled her skin
with warm breath. "Stalling, love? You know we intend to live in Selby so
that you'll be near your work. I'll commute. We'll use the apartment when we
want to stay in New York for one reason or another. All right?"
"Yes." Teel sighed, immediately forgetting what he had just said. Her
body was warming to the feel of his body pressed against it. "I wear half
glasses too." She slurred the words, her fingers picking at the short hair
on his neck.

"Do you?" Chazz's
body curved over hers, his mouth edging down her cheek. "Teel!" His
breath grew ragged as his mouth took hold of one soft breast.
"Darling!" He swung her up in his arms, his face still as he looked
down at her. "You're the loveliest woman I've ever known."

"You're not
so bad yourself." Teel's voice quavered as she felt the bed sink under his
weight. "I love your hair with that little wave," she crooned, her
fingers threading through the strands, feeling an electric tingle on her skin
when a shudder passed through his body.

"God, Teel, you tear me
apart." Chazz's eyes turned a darker gold, his passion building.
"
i
need you," he murmured hoarsely.

She curved her
body close to his, loving the velvet feel of skin against skin, warmth against
warmth.

His hands convulsed on her
body as his face moved down her, loving her.

Her stomach contracted as his
mouth touched her. Her hands clenched on him as a volcano of feeling erupted
within her. Her veins and arteries were lava, and she panted raggedly. Her
heart was pounding erratically.

"I've never felt this
way," she gasped into Chazz's shoulder. "I feel as though I were
dying."

"Love me, angel, love
me." Chazz's voice broke as he lifted himself over her, his body light yet
pinning her, demanding yet giving.

A ringing sounded
in Teel's ears. She seemed incapable of getting enough air into her lungs. Her
body began to pulsate with a new rhythm as Chazz took her, claimed her, and
joined with her. She felt as if she were breaking free and floating out of the
atmosphere as the power built between them. "Chazz!" She didn't
recognize the hoarse voice as her own.

They crested together, holding
each other so tightly that Teel's bones felt fused to his.

The planets and stars before
her eyes faded slowly. She was glad that Chazz continued to keep her in his
strong grip. She had the feeling that her body would fall apart if he released
her.

"Love?" Chazz leaned
back from her. "I didn't hurt you, did I?" He wiped tears from her
cheeks.

She shook her head, unable to
speak. She saw him clearly in the glow of the lamp, a pale, urgent look on his
face that she had never seen before. "You always think of making love in
the darkness," Teel said dreamily, her finger traveling down his cheek.
"It's nice with the light on, isn't it?"

"Yes." Chazz's face
softened as he smiled down at her. "It is most enjoyable in the light.
Looking at your body excites me more than anything." He grinned as her
cheeks grew hot. "Still blushing? Will you be doing that when you're an
old married lady?"

Teel yawned, covering her
mouth with her hand, and nodded. "Probably. You say the most outrageous
things." Her eyes fluttered shut, and she smiled to herself when Chazz
folded her close. She fell asleep feeling utterly relaxed and at peace.

Twice more in the night Chazz
woke her, and each time Teel was eager for his lovemaking, each time surprised
that he could bring her up to heaven with his touch.

At last she curled her body
into him quite naturally, murmuring, "I'll be a dishrag in the
morning." His chuckle was the last thing she heard before a black velvet
sleep claimed her.

When she opened her eyes, sun
was streaming through the windows. She sensed it was late even before Chazz
poked his head around the door of the bathroom.

"Sorry, love,
it's my fault. I should have left a call with Darby or Mrs. Pritchett. We were
both dead to the world." His chin was covered with shaving cream.
"Come and take a shower." He smiled to see her gripping the sheet
under her chin.

"I'll use the other
bathroom," Teel said.

Chazz paused in his shaving,
his smile slow, making the cream on his face part in an upward curve. "All
right this time, but after we're married, we'll be showering together."

Teel's pulse rate soared, her
hands trembling as they clutched the sheet.

"Maybe."

"Absolutely."
Chazz's head disappeared from the doorway.

Grabbing the robe
that Chazz had discarded the night before in such cavalier fashion, Teel
sprinted for the bathroom that connected with Chazz's bedroom.

After her shower Teel wrapped
herself in a bath sheet, cursing her lack of foresight in not bringing clothes
with her to put on in the bathroom. When she opened the door to get some, she
found Chazz standing there, her lingerie in his hand.

"Thought you
might need these." He chuckled as he handed her the small bundle. "Of
course, I'd prefer that you came out here to dress..."

"No." Teel shut the
door in his face, smiling when she heard his laugh.

She hurried into the undies
and stockings, twisted her hair in a loose knot on her neck, and did her makeup
right there, impressed with the array of cosmetics. Back in the bedroom,
wrapped in her robe, Teel quickly inspected the closetful of clothes, choosing
a deep green suit in a silky wool material and a silk blouse with very thin
green and pink stripes on an ecru background. She found low-heeled black pumps
in soft kid and a matching bag.

For the first time she noticed
the glow in her face, the elusive smile that played around her mouth, the sparkle
deep in her eyes. She bit her lip and closed her eyes, but she couldn't mask
the warmth that was spreading through her. She was happy.

"Hey, lady." Chazz's
voice rose from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready."

Teel was emptying the contents
of her clutch evening bag into the day bag just as Chazz re-entered the
bedroom. He stopped and hitched his shoulder against the doorjamb. "Is
this what I'll have to do every morning? Get your lovely rear in gear?"

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm
always punctual," Teel retorted lifting her chin in the air as she tried
to sail past him.

One strong arm hooked around
her waist and pulled her against a long, hard body. "First, my kiss."

Teel opened her mouth to scold
him, then changed her mind and stretched up on tiptoe to fix her mouth to his.

"There," she told
him, a little out of breath, watching his eyes turn dark with desire.

"Ummm, you taste
good."

Chazz made as though to pull
her more fully into his arms, but Teel ducked away from him and sprinted down
the stairs, calling over her shoulder, "It's late. Hurry up." She
laughed when he cursed. She felt as if her feet were touching ground at every
other step as she waltzed into the breakfast room and caroled, "Good
morning, Mrs. Pritchett."

"Good morning,
miss." The older woman smiled at her indulgently. "You look happy
this morning."

Teel felt the blood rushing to
her face, but she smiled more widely. "I am, thank you." She looked
past Mrs. Pritchett to the sideboard, her mouth beginning to water at the sight
of eggs and ham, kippers and croissants, and silver-dollar-sized hot cakes.
Holding a plate in one hand, she paused before the food and sniffed
appreciatively of the coffee Mrs. Pritchett was pouring from the silver pot.

A hand reached in front of her
and scooped egg and ham onto her plate. "Toast or hot cakes, love? The jam
is homemade."

"I can't decide."
Teel assumed a stricken expression as she gazed from Chazz to her plate.
"I can't imagine why I'm so hungry."

"I can." He leaned
over and whispered, "Lovemaking is the next best exercise to
swimming."

"Hogwash," Teel
exclaimed, looking sideways to see if Mrs. Pritchett had heard him and feeling
relieved when she saw that the older woman had returned to the kitchen.
"You shouldn't talk like that in front of Mrs. Pritchett," she
scolded as he set the plates on the table next to each other and held out her
chair for her.

Chazz shrugged, watching Teel
as he took his seat. "She didn't hear me." He lifted a forkful of egg
from his plate and fed it to her, smiling when she, "ahhhhhed" her
enjoyment. Even though they were rushed, they took time to enjoy their meal.

Suddenly Teel clamped a hand
to her mouth. "I should have called Nancy."

"I told your office you
would be a little late," Chazz informed Teel, wiping her chin with his napkin.

"Thank you." Teel
felt shy. "I suppose she'll question me unmercifully." She sighed,
lifting one shoulder in a fatalistic shrug, not really feeling uncomfortable.

"Ignore them all."
Chazz went with her when she returned to the bedroom to brush her teeth and get
her bag. "We'll be married soon," he added.

"There are a
few more things to do first." Teel gulped. Her voice sounded thin and
unsteady.

"Hurry it up then,"
Chazz told her. "I'm not waiting forever. I want to get married now."

"Yes," Teel capitulated,
absolutely certain for the first time that she was going to marry Chazz Herman.
The thought filled her with a quiet, steady happiness, a calm that entered
every part of her body.