My Wife, My Rules – 3. chapter

Tess sat on the battlements, her back resting against the trunk of a tree, reading. From there she could see the entire courtyard of the ruins, yet she remained hidden well enough that no one below could spot her. It was not her favorite place. Her original spot offered a better view. But there she would have been too exposed. And since Aiden had begun to show up, she could no longer risk that. Most days she arrived before him. She did not wish to be caught by surprise.

She had been there a good while already when he finally appeared. His footsteps could be heard from far off. Tess set her book aside and watched him in silence. Usually he sat at once and began jotting something down. Not today. He remained standing in the middle of the courtyard.

“Tess?” he called out, looking around at the tops of the surrounding walls.

“Kitty? Where are you?”

His voice was very kind as he called to her. Without thinking, she rose from where she had been sitting.

“Hello!” she answered.

He turned toward her and smiled with satisfaction.

“Hello,” he replied, softly and with pleasure.

“Come to me, beautiful kitty!” he coaxed her down in a quiet voice.

The name pleased her. She smiled, yet did not move. She only shook her head slightly.

“Come,” he urged kindly. “I will not hurt you.”

Then he suddenly smirked and added,

“You know, you are not mine.”

Tess laughed too, amused.

“Come,” he continued. “Like yesterday, all right?”

He stepped back a few paces deeper into the courtyard. “I will stand wherever you wish, all right?”

She hesitated. She had not planned to go to him that day, but his calm, inviting voice was wearing her down. And his willingness not to press her eroded her resolve.

“Would here work?” he asked. He did not offer her the choice of whether to come down or not. He only wanted to maneuver her into agreeing to his position at some point. When she would not answer, he moved a few more yards from the entrance.

“As you say, all right? Choose, and I will not move afterward.”

She remained silent, a little disapproving and a little confused, and so he took a few more steps.

“How about here?” he tried again.

At last she could not bring herself to keep thwarting his effort and nodded.

He smiled, pleased.

“Good. Then come to me. I will not move from here.”

She obeyed, and soon stood at the edge of the paved space.

That day she wore a pale green dress, her hair nearly loose as before. Gentle, fragile, unadorned.

“You are beautiful!” Aiden said again, and indeed made no attempt to shorten the several yards between them.

She smiled modestly, then looked away and began to blush.

It surprised him.

“Beauty, you must have heard compliments like that thousands of times in your life!”

She shook her head.

“No one has ever said it to me.”

“I cannot believe that,” he replied. He did not wish to accuse her of lying, but he truly could not believe it.

After a moment’s thought, Tess nodded in acknowledgment.

“I know that I look pretty. Men of my…” she stopped in the middle of the sentence, searching for the words.

“Well, no one has ever said it to me.”

He could not take his eyes from her. She stood straight, beautiful and gentle. She barely moved, yet somehow he could feel the nervousness coming from her. Or was it fear? Definitely of him. He knew it, and he was resolved to teach her, at any cost, that she did not have to be afraid of him. That she could trust him. He felt as though he were taming a wild cat. He wished to lure her to him, yet knew one tiny mistake would send her turning and disappearing.

“I would gladly tell you that for the rest of my life. If you were interested,” he added more quietly.

She smiled.

“So that you could beat me?” she teased.

It shocked him. He needed a second to respond.

“I never said it that way!” he defended himself. Yet he would not lie. “It is true that I have no problem spanking a woman. But I cannot imagine,” his gaze passed over her slender body and frightened expression, “what such a fragile creature as you would have to do for me to resort to such a thing.”

Tess watched him in silence as he spoke.

“And I certainly would not do harsher things to you right from the beginning,” Aiden continued. “First I would let you grow accustomed to me, gently, little by little. I would be extremely careful with you.”

Tess shook her head and, to his disappointment, took a step back.

“This conversation is pointless.”

“You don’t like me?” he asked.

“That is not what this is about.”

He knew she liked him. But something frightened her.

“Introduce me to your parents, kitty,” he suggested carefully.

Again she shook her head and backed away.

“Only introduce me. Leave the rest to me. I will take care of you,” he asked gently.

Tess turned and decisively walked away.

“You wouldn’t want me,” she said.

“I will not allow you to leave!” he shouted. When she heard that, she was frightened and immediately broke into a run. Aiden stood helplessly still, knowing he must not move for any reason, no matter how difficult it was. In panic, Tess glanced back at him over her shoulder without slowing, then suddenly realized he had not moved at all and stopped after all.

“You won’t allow me?” she asked, not understanding.

“Today there is nothing I can do,” he shrugged. “I promised you I would not move if you came down. You came down. I will not move. You may always rely on my word.”

She did not smile, but he saw that she brightened a little, and the worst of her fear faded from her face.

“I don’t want to frighten you, kitty. But I don’t want to lose you either. This is a small town. It cannot be difficult to learn who you are.”

To his surprise, this did not frighten her.

“It won’t be,” she agreed. Then she turned and left.

Aiden watched with displeasure as she disappeared from sight.

So be it, he thought. I’ll arrange that invitation to visit as quickly as possible, and later I’ll try to find out what I can at the inn. I’ll find her, and then we’ll see what comes next.