The Perfect Wife Page 2

  She might not be aware of her preference for Tony, but Mark saw it. She would end up regretting it if she had married him instead of Tony. Maybe not today. Maybe not even tomorrow. But somewhere in the future, she would think of Tony and wish she had given up the money in order to be with him. Because, in the end, money was a poor substitute for love.

  Natalie, however, loved him for who he was, and he loved her in return. There would be no regrets in the far off future about this marriage.

  Still kissing her, he brought his hands to the buttons on the front of her dress and undid them. He had to force himself to slow down because the dress had belonged to her mother, but it was hard to do when his hands were brushing her breasts. They were softer than he had expected them to be. This was going to be better than anything he imagined.

  His mouth left hers, and he began kissing her neck. She sighed and leaned into him, letting him know she wanted him to continue. Good. She’d forgotten about the client he had made up.

  He slipped his hands through the opening of her dress. The chemise underneath did little to dissuade him from making a thorough examination of her body. Through the thin fabric, he could make out her hardened nipples. He traced them with his thumbs before cupping her breasts in his hands.

  She moaned and tightened her hold on him, an action which only strengthened his growing arousal. She was exquisite. He couldn’t have asked for a better lover. Already, she was showing great enthusiasm for what was to come.

  His hands went to her shoulders, and he slid the dress and chemise down to her waist and then moved them lower until the items fell to the floor at her feet. She was still wearing her bloomers and drawers, but he’d get to those in a minute. Right now, he was still fascinated with her breasts.

  He left a trail of kisses from her neck to her right breast. It looked even better than he thought it would. He cupped it in his palm and traced the nipple with his tongue. Since she seemed to like it, he did it again, this time following the action up by bringing the nipple into his mouth and lightly sucking it.

  She let out a sigh and ran her hands over his shoulders, and, to his pleasure, she squeezed them to convey her enjoyment over his actions. He continued exploring her breasts, first going to one and then going to another, until the baser part of him pressed him to get more intimate with her.

  He straightened up and removed his clothes and then the rest of hers. Afterwards, feeling a bit playful, he said, “Wait here.”

  He hurried over to the bed so he could pull back the blanket and sheet. He’d already had another pillow added to his bed as soon as he met her. He knew it’d only be a matter of time before he would bring her here and make her his wife.

  And he had every intention of sharing this bed with her. Just because she had her own bed, it didn’t mean she was ever going to use it. Everyone else who possessed enough wealth had a bedroom for the husband and another one for the wife, so when he had this house built, he’d done the same.

  At the time, he thought he might end up sleeping in a separate room from his wife since most marriages were done for some advantage. Whether it was financial gain or social advancement, he’d quickly learned that love didn’t always factor into the equation. But as soon as he met Natalie, he knew she was the one meant for him, and he knew he’d get to have the kind of loving marriage his parents did.

  He returned to Natalie and swept her up in his arms. She let out a startled chuckle. Grinning, he gave her a quick kiss then carried her to the bed.

  Once he was settled beside her, he brought his mouth back to hers and deepened the kiss while he continued his intimate exploration of her body. He traced her breasts again then let his hand go to the curve of her hip. She was wonderful. Warm…soft…curvy… He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of the thrill of sharing his bed with her. Bringing his hand even lower, he finally felt the patch of dark blonde curls that marked her entrance.

  Since she moaned and parted her legs, he figured that was an invitation for him to deepen his exploration and slid a finger into her. This time, he moaned with her. Yes, she was definitely wonderful. So wonderful, in fact, that he couldn’t imagine a time he’d felt anything more exquisite.

  He slid another finger into her, doing his best to memorize the heated wetness in her core. He stroked her, his fingers moving in and out of her. The more he moved them, the slicker she got. After some time, he established a rhythm, noting that, in doing so, she was rocking her hips faster.

  Soon, very soon, he would be inside her. Her flesh would be wrapped around his penis, pulling him deeper into her, just as it was now doing with his fingers. Without a doubt, going inside her was going to be the best experience of his entire life. What they were doing right now was only a foretaste of what was to come, and that was amazing enough as it was.

  Excited, he ended the kiss so he could get a good look at her. She was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Her eyes were closed, her lips parted, her moans getting louder than before, her breasts jiggling ever so nicely as she continued rocking her hips in rhythm to the thrusting of his fingers, and then there was the very lovely way her legs were parted.

  He glanced back at her face, and he noticed that her expression was a mixture of pleasure and pain. She called out for him to keep going. Unaware he’d stopped moving his fingers, he quickly resumed his thrusting. She gasped and lifted her hips as she gripped the sheet beneath her.

  “Yes,” he whispered, excited about where this was going. “Don’t stop, Natalie.”

  More than anything, he wanted to give her pleasure from this moment, and it seemed to him that she was on the brink of getting there. His gaze swept down her body again. His erection grew harder, and he had to practice surprising restraint so he didn’t pull his fingers out of her and plunge into her. He closed his eyes and focused on one of his business plans. He had to. As much as he was relishing this moment, he was going to lose control if he didn’t rein in his enthusiasm.

  Letting out a cry, Natalie stilled. He opened his eyes and saw that she had reached the peak of pleasure. Her back was arched, and her flesh contracted around his fingers. She was so beautiful. He didn’t think it was possible, but she was more beautiful now than she’d been before.

  When her body relaxed, he shifted so that he was above her. He couldn’t hold off on entering her anymore. He needed her, and he needed her now. Taking one more look at those lovely parted legs, he guided himself into her, surprised by the slight barrier he encountered. He pressed through it, and she tensed.

  He peered down at her. “Natalie, are you alright?”

  She waited for a moment, shifted her hips so that he was deeper into her, and urged him to move inside her. He hesitated. Not because he wanted to hesitate. Really, he didn’t. She felt incredible. But he didn’t want to hurt her.

  She wrapped her legs around his waist then rocked her hips against him, a silent message for him to continue making love to her. He slid partly out of her and then back in, careful as he did so. When she let out a contented sigh, he relaxed and repeated the movement. And soon, he was lost in the sheer bliss of being with her.

  Before long, he approached the climax. He got in one more thrust then released his seed into her. This felt good. So very good. Nothing he’d ever gone through had prepared him for this moment, and all at once, he knew he could never have done this with someone he didn’t love. It was much too intimate…much too personal. Right now, he’d never felt closer to anyone than he did with Natalie. And surprisingly, though he felt vulnerable, he also felt safe. It seemed to be a contradiction, but with Natalie, he really was safe in baring his entire heart and soul.

  After the peak subsided, he collapsed on top of her. “I love you so much,” he whispered.

  Stroking his back, she murmured, “I love you, too.”

  He rolled onto his back and brought her into his arms so that her head rested on his shoulder. He couldn’t recall a time when he’d been more relaxed. He kissed the top of her head and smiled. “Th
is has been the perfect day, don’t you think?”

  She chuckled. “You should only say that if your meeting with the client goes well.”

  Meeting with the client? It took him a moment to remember the excuse he’d given her in order to explain why he’d whisked her out of the church right after they were officially husband and wife. By now, everyone was probably talking about the fiasco he’d created by making Velma think she was marrying him.

  “We should check the time,” Natalie said. “I don’t want you to be late for your meeting.”

  He supposed he was committed to the lie. That was one of the problems with lying. Once the lie was stated, he was obligated to see it through.

  So he had to leave. He just wasn’t sure where he was going to go. Sighing, he decided he would take a stroll through town. That way, he would be out, and if anyone he knew happened to see him, he could say he was on his way to meet a client. Then, no one would be the wiser.

  He gave Natalie a lingering kiss then whispered, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  She smiled. “I hope your meeting goes well.”

  “I’m sure it will.” After he gave her one more kiss, he slid out of bed so he could get dressed.

  Chapter Three

  Mark strolled through several residential neighborhoods then went to the businesses. He figured he might as well check on the progress of the new hotel he and his father were in charge of building. From the looks of it, it was halfway done. That was good. It was always good when things were ahead of schedule.

  When he returned home, the butler opened the door and said, “Your father wishes to have a word with you. He’s in the den. He says the matter is urgent.”

  Mark hid his disappointment. He had hoped he could get right back to Natalie, but he was going to have to confront his father first. His father, undoubtedly, would want to know why Velma thought she was marrying the wrong twin.

  “Where’s my wife?” Mark asked.

  “Upstairs in her bedroom,” the butler replied.

  Well, that was good. She was probably putting her things away. That was much better than being down here. She didn’t need to be bothered with the details of what his father had to tell him.

  Mark handed the butler his hat and nodded. “Thank you.”

  Mark left the entryway and went down the hall that led to his den. He entered the room then closed the door. There was no need for anyone to overhear them.

  His father stood up from a chair and came over to him. “How long did you expect to get away with making everyone think Tony was you?”

  “Knowing our family, I guessed it would spread through the entire church within five minutes. That’s why I hurried on out of there as soon as the vows were done.”

  His father stared at him for a long moment then shook his head. “Don’t you care that you lied to Tony and Velma?”

  “It was to their benefit that I lied.”

  His father arched an eyebrow in disbelief.

  “It’s true,” Mark insisted. “They’re in love with each other. It’s just that Velma doesn’t realize it yet.”

  “Don’t you feel just a little bit guilty for what you did?”

  “Yes, but it was necessary. Deep down, Velma wants to be with Tony. You saw how well they got along at Uncle Owen’s place. Tony couldn’t take his eyes off of her, and she kept on talking about how hard Tony worked.”

  His father crossed his arms. “You’re not that foolish. You know Velma was lifting Tony up in order to get Natalie to take an interest in him. Your mother and I could tell that both Natalie and Velma wanted to be with you.”

  Mark sighed and went over to his desk where he poured himself a cup of tea from the teapot the butler had brought in. “Well, since I couldn’t marry both of them, I had to make a choice.” He glanced at his father. “Could you and Mother also tell that Velma’s main interest in me was my money?”

  His father winced and uncrossed his arms.

  “So you did notice,” Mark said. “When you and Mother arrived in Omaha, you didn’t have anything but the clothes on your back. If I had been in that situation, Velma never would have wanted to marry me. Natalie, on the other hand, wanted to be with me for who I am.” He finished pouring the tea and turned to face his father. “I want the kind of marriage you and Mother have. I don’t care if Velma grew up knowing how to impress wealthy business people. It’s not worth giving up a marriage based on love to have the perfect wife.”

  “When you put it that way, I supposed I can’t be upset with you.”

  “Thank you.” Mark took a sip of his tea, glad his father had understood his predicament.

  “But that doesn’t excuse what you did to your brother.” His father walked over to him. “Tony was really hurt when he found out Velma wanted to marry you.”

  “He loves Velma.”

  “I know he does, which is why it was hard to watch when Velma realized she had married Tony instead of you. She wasn’t the least bit happy about it.”

  “She will be. She and Tony will make a good match. You know I have a good sense about people. I can figure out difficult clients. Velma’s not much different. Just like those clients, she keeps telling herself what she should want, that was getting in the way of what’s truly good for her. Trust me. She wants to be with Tony. She’s just afraid of living on a farm.”

  “You’re afraid of living on a farm, too. I remember how squeamish you got whenever you were asked to help your grandfather when you were a child. Tony would jump right in and take care of the animals, and you looked as if you were going to faint or throw up.”

  “I don’t care how many times a person goes into a barn, it’s impossible to get used to the smell.”

  “Which is why your grandfather would bring the milking cow out of the barn for you.”

  Mark shuddered. “Touching a cow’s teat isn’t natural.” Even to this day, he couldn’t forget how gross it’d been. He’d rather spend the rest of his life dealing with irritable clients than to suffer through the process of milking another cow.

  His father chuckled. “This is why you joined the family business instead of going your own way. I should have known Tony would want his own farm when he got excited about helping your grandfather out.”

  “Tony’s always been strange.”

  “He probably thinks you’re strange.” After a moment, his father continued, “You and Tony rarely agree on things, but it’s been that way ever since you were children. I just hope in this case, you’re right about Velma really liking him. I want to see both you and Tony happy in your marriages.”

  “Tony will be happy. Maybe not right away, but he will be.”

  Though his father didn’t seem fully convinced, he nodded. “Alright. I suppose I should let you get back to your bride.”

  Mark finished his tea and hurried to walk his father to the entryway. “Everything will be fine. By tomorrow, this whole thing could be settled. Then we’ll have a good laugh about it.”

  “You’re the most optimistic person I’ve ever come across, and that’s saying something since your uncle Tom sees the good in everything. For both your sake and Tony’s sake, I hope you’re right.”

  After his father left, Mark hurried back up the stairs. To his surprise, Natalie wasn’t in his bed. He didn’t know why he expected her to be there. Obviously, she couldn’t be expected to stay there all day. Still, he felt a slight wave of disappointment go over him. It would have been nice if he could have slipped back in beside her and make love to her again. Now that he knew how fun it was, he could think of little else.

  He went to the door connecting his bedroom with hers. She was wearing a different dress than her wedding gown, and she was putting her things away. Well, it made sense that she would be doing this. He had left her all by herself. Plus, she probably figured this was something she was expected to do.

  “Didn’t the maid offer to put your things away?” he asked as he stepped further into the room.

  She gl
anced over at him and gave him a smile that warmed his heart. “The maid did make the offer, but I can do it myself.” She picked up a couple of shirtwaists from her trunk and hung them in the armoire next to the clothes he’d bought before they married. “It looks like some of my wardrobe was already here before this morning.”

  “As soon as I knew I’d be marrying you, I had a few dresses and gowns sent here.”

  “What’s the difference between dresses and gowns?”

  “Dresses are for daytime wear. The gowns are for the evenings.”

  Her eyebrows furrowed. “You wear more than one outfit a day?”

  He nodded. “I go with two. Usually, I’ll wear something when I’m out with clients, and then I’ll change into something more comfortable when I get home. Unless there’s a dinner party. In that case, I put on one of my best suits. The same is true for church. I’ll wear one of my best suits there, and when I return here, I’ll put on more comfortable clothing.” He went to the armoire. “You have matching hats and boots on the shelves.” He gestured to the top and bottom shelves. “Don’t worry. You can purchase more dresses and gowns. I figured this would get you started.”

  “Get me started?”

  “A woman with your money needs to have a variety of clothes.”

  She took a deep breath and released it. “I have to admit that I’m a little overwhelmed by all of the dresses and gowns, but they certainly are beautiful.”

  He smiled, pleased she liked them. “Thank you.”

  “And this room is, too, though I don’t know how I’ll ever use everything here.”

  He glanced at the writing desk, the handful of small tables, the vanity, the dresser, the armoire, and the settee by the bay window. His room was similar, and he’d managed to find a use for every bit of furniture. He had to remind himself that she had grown up in a small three-bedroom house on a farm. She’d had to share her room with two sisters while her parents and two brothers took the other two rooms. She probably didn’t have much of anything. Even her trunk wasn’t all that big.