Lessons of Love (22 page)

“
Oh that would be wonderful. She would probably swoon from shock. Perhaps you could whisper in her ear that you forbid me to wear any clothes around the house and take me in the parlor, kitchen, and stables.”
Cole
laughed at her wo
rds, elated with her scandalous talk. Her face glowed with happiness and beauty, and
Cole
once again wondered what he had do
ne to deserve her in his life.

“
That, my dear, would cause all our female guests to fain
t dead away.”

“
Take me downstairs,
Cole
. I c
an
’
t wait to see the
ballroom and all our guests.”

“
Patience my love, there is someth
ing else I wish to give you.”

Jolie
’
s eyebrows rose in shocked surprise. The necklace was exquisite, did he truly have another gift for her? Her beautiful lips turned upw
ard in a smile and her eyes rounded in wonder as
Cole
pulled a small square box from his waistcoat pocket. He slowly opened it to reveal a gold band with five diamonds. The four smaller ones flanked the circular center stone which sparkled with a brillianc
e all its own.
Cole
reached for her hand and slipped the ring on her finger abov
e her plain gold wedding band.

“
Oh
Cole
. It
’
s ... it
’
s... oh
Cole
.”
Jolie
turned her hand back and forth, eyes shining with happiness as she gazed at the beautiful ring tha
t no
w adorned her ring finger.

“
It
’
s a symbol of how I feel for you, love. You deserve a true wedding ring. The one you have is ... well nothing from that day seems real or good enough anymore. Everything has changed, I have changed. I want everyone to know th
is marriage is real, and how much you mean to me. The band is inscribed for you love. It says
‘
My heart
’
s love,
Jolie
’.”

Jolie
threw herself into
Cole
’
s arms. He caught her and spun her around, thrilled at her happiness. She pulled his head down and kissed
him passionately, all the love in her heart spilling for
th as her heart sang with joy.

“
I ... I love you
Cole
.”
Jolie
’
s words were whispered, but
Cole
’
s heart heard them loud and clear. He crushed her to him thrilled by her declaration of love. His arms s
hook as he held her, overwhelmed by the emotions
raging inside him. She loved him;
truly loved him and he would never
do anything to drive her away.

Cole
broke the kiss and
Jolie
looked up at him expectantly. “
Jolie
I.. Oh
Jolie
.”
He held her close once mo
re hoping his embrace would show her how he felt. He wanted to say the words, but he couldn
’
t, not yet. He had spent his life denying love because of a painful past, a
nd they simply wouldn
’
t come.

When they separated,
Cole
gazed into her eyes, and he saw
that
Jolie
’
s held the pain of rejection. She thought he didn
’
t love her. She tried to back away but
Cole
wouldn
’
t let her. “
Give me just a little more time, my love. Those words don
’
t come easy for me. You must know that I care about you deeply. Please,
Jo
lie
.”

Jolie
looked down and gave a little nod. She then took a deep breath and faced him again with a small smile on her face. The night was young and they had an evening of dancing before them. She did know that
Cole
cared for her. He showed her in the li
ttle things he did for her every day and in the passionate way he made love to her each night. She would give him the time he needed, they had th
eir whole lives ahead of them.

“
I know that
Cole
. Take me downstairs, I want the world to see how ha
ppy I am wi
th my new husband.”

“
Then let
’
s be off, love, our guests are waiting and I can
’
t wait to hold you in my
arms and dance the night away.”

Jolie
took his outstretched arm and stood on her tip toes to plant a kiss on his cheek, then reached up and traced his s
trong masculine jaw line and curled her fingers in his hair.
Cole
looked down at her, smiling with intense pleasure at her little gestures of intimacy, then turned and led her out the door.
 

Twelve

Jolie
and
Cole
paused at the top of the long winding st
aircase to take in the multitude of sights below. The chandeliers gleamed, their crystals lit by hundreds of candles. The polished marble floor reflected the light of the sparkling prisms and the colors of the women
’
s dresses as they moved about. The huge
doors to the ballroom had been thrown wide, and from their vantage point at the top of the steps, one could see the grand entryway and the glistening room beyond. Huge vases of flowers, their vividness and sweet perfume adding to the wonder of the magnifi
c
ent hall below, had been placed in every alcove and on each banquet table. Everywhere
Jolie
looked she could see beauty, color, and vibrance. The whole scene took her breath away and
Cole
smiled with pleasure when he saw her
eyes sparkle with excitement.

“
It
’
s simply lovely,
Cole
. Like a fairytale castle.”

“
It
’
s all for you, love. How could I celebrate my wedding to my beloved bride with anything but the best? Are you ready to go downstairs and meet
our guests?”

Jolie
nodded and
Cole
placed his arm possess
ively around her waist. He wanted every man to know that
Jolie
belonged to him and him alo
ne. They could look at his wife;
and even lust after her as he was sure they would, but not one finger was to be laid upon her that wasn
’
t completely proper.
Cole
kne
w his wife would be expected to dance with their guests, but if he saw one hand slip below her waist or one arm pul
l her even a fraction too close;
he would intervene immediately regardless of the
gossip it would cause.

The movement in the hall and ballro
om ceased as they descended the stairs, all eyes turning to watch the stunning couple whom they
’
d heard so many titillating rumors about. Many of those present had come because they were intrigued by the shocking tales, anxious to see the sc
andalous pair f
or themselves.

The glow of happiness on
Jolie
’
s face was unmistakable, as was the flush of passion. The men held their breath as
Cole
led her forward, eyes passing over her face and down to the milky white mounds of her breasts, straining against the conf
ines of her gown.
Cole
met each gaze with a stern one of his own, when the
‘
gentlemen
’
finally managed to stop drooling over
Jolie
and look up at him. One young man, close to
Jolie
’
s age, actually had the audacity to raise his eyebrows at
Cole
’
s cold stare
. He came forward with a c
ocky grin to greet the couple.

“
Good evening Monsieur.
Jolie
you look absolutely stunning. Married life seems to agree with you. I do hope I
’
ll be allowed a dance this evening. Monsieur, your wife is
truly a bewitching creature.”

Cole
’
s eyes flashed anger as the man
’
s piercing gaze once again swept over
Jolie
’
s body, pausing to admire the swell of her breasts, tiny waist, and shapely hips. If a man
’
s eyes were indeed capable of undressing someone, this daring rogue
’
s would have had
Jolie
naked in seconds.

Jolie
had to hold up her fan to hide her smirk.
Cole
had wanted to display her charms and this was the exact reaction he should have expected. Did he honestly think their male guests would be content to look from afar and not try t
o take advantage o
f her during a dance or two?

She had known Nicholas since they were children, and his reputation of being a charmer and a rake was well known.
Jolie
couldn
’
t pass up the opportunity to give
Cole
something to think about. It seemed jealou
sy filled her husband at the moment, not the delight he expected to feel when the other men lusted after her. Perhaps he would find that having men drool over her wasn
’
t as pleasurable as
he
’
d thought it would be.

She snapped her fan shut, letting it dangl
e from her wrist, and dipped low, holding her hand out towards the man who was disrobing her with his eyes. Those same eyes nearly popped out of Nicholas
’
head at the expanse of bosom reve
aled by her sweeping curtsey.

“
Of course I shall dance with you, Ni
cholas. How could I refuse? You will be the first on my dance card, after my husband of course.”
Cole
growled and
Jolie
looked up at him with innocent eyes, fighting back a smile of triumph. He lifted her from her curtsy and gripped her waist tight, but sh
e ignored him. If he wanted the men to desire and ogle her, he
was damn well going to get it.

Nicholas took her outstretched hand and turned it over, planting a kiss on her palm as he bowed.
Jolie
smiled and fluttered her lashes
coyly;
new at this game but
knowing she was winning none the less.
Cole
pulled
Jolie
a step back, jaw clenched in anger as the man
’
s gaze settled on
Jolie
’
s breasts once more. “
I believe we have other guests to see to, my dear.”
Cole
steered her away from the presumptuous rake,
blue
eyes fierce and stormy.

“
Must you flirt so shamelessly,
Jolie
?”

“
I have no idea what you mean,
Cole
.”

“
He looked as though he wanted to bed you then and there, and very well would have if I hadn
’
t been standing next to you.”

“
I thought you wanted other m
en to desire me,
Cole
.”
Jolie
tried to look innocent as she stared up at
Cole
, wide eyed, mouth turned down in a little pout,
but he would have none of it.

“
There is a big difference between desiring you
,
and acting on the urge to bed you.
You aren
’
t to da
nce with him.”

“
I can and I will.”
She gave a little frown of displ
easure. “
It will be expected.”

“
Jolie
, do not defy me on this. I should think your bottom was still tender from your spanking this morning. Do I need to tell you what will happen
if you go
against my wishes?”