“You draw the line, Annalise, wherever you want it. The real question is—” he snatched a quick kiss that had Isabella giggling “—what will you do when one of us steps over it?”
Dinner that night passed on wings, filled with laughter and delicious food, while the conversation flowed with surprising ease. It wasn’t until afterward that time slowed and stuttered. Much to Jack’s amusement, Annalise did her best to drag the evening out. Still dressed in their wedding finery—at Isabella’s insistence—they played games until bedtime, at which point Mrs. Walters came to collect his niece.
There was a moment of concern when she protested being escorted to bed, but Annalise stepped in with surprising firmness, and Isabella gave them a reluctant hug and kiss before retiring. The instant they were alone, Jack scooped his bride into his arms and carried her to their bedroom.
“This isn’t necessary,” she protested.
“Indulge me. It’s not every day a man marries.”
“Jack, please.”
“I intend to please you.”
He shouldered open the door to the master suite and stepped across the threshold before gently setting his bride on her feet. She stood, unmoving, examining her surrounds with a combination of curiosity and nervousness. He tried to see the room through her eyes.
The furnishings were sturdy pieces with clean, simple lines, stained to a deep golden sheen. They weren’t overwhelmingly masculine, yet they were a bit stark. The candles helped, giving the room a warm, welcoming glow. Sara had provided a few romantic touches of her own by scattering a pathway of ivory and blush pink rose petals from the doorway to the bed, as well as across the duvet covering the mattress. Two crystal flutes stood at the ready alongside a bottle of champagne that rested in a bucket of ice. He studied the scene with an uncertainty he’d never experienced in the business world, concerned about Annalise’s reaction.
For more years than Jack could count, he’d lived in an emotional wasteland. His father had been a cold bastard and still was, and he treated his son as little more than a commodity.
His mother had left him, though he didn’t doubt it had been against her will. Not that it had changed those lonely years of his childhood. And Joanne … God, how he missed her. He’d survived her loss, of course. Barely. But ever since his parents’ divorce, he’d learned to keep tight control over all aspects of his life. To hold people at a distance. He had no intention of ever being deserted, physically or emotionally, again.
As though sensing the dark direction of his thoughts, Annalise offered him a tentative smile. “This is lovely,” she said. “Like something out of a fairy tale.”
With the gift of one simple smile, warmth flooded through him and the cold and dark faded. This was his wife. His woman. It didn’t matter how or why they’d come to exchange those vows. In this moment, they belonged together and he’d do whatever necessary to make this night one she never forgot.
“I’m glad you like it.” He gestured toward the champagne. “Would you care for a glass?”
“I don’t drink,” she confessed.
He tilted his head to one side. Interesting, considering Derek’s report. “Not at all?”
Her mouth twisted. “I had a small run-in with alcohol when I was sixteen. It didn’t agree with me.”
“This might be a good time to confess that I already know about the incident.”
She froze. “How is that possible?” she asked carefully.
“I have an excellent PI. I had you checked out after I hired you. I believe he referred to it as a youthful indiscretion.” He attempted to interpret her reaction to his confession with only limited success. “Are you angry that I had you investigated?”
She drew a cautious breath. “I guess that depends on why you did it.”
He didn’t hesitate. “I did it to make sure you were a safe and trustworthy person to have around Isabella.”
She seemed to breathe a little easier. “Yes, of course. Since we’re now married, I assume I checked out?”
“With that one exception.” He still couldn’t get a read on her and it puzzled him. “Did you want to talk about it?”
She shrugged and wandered across the room to the bow window that overlooked the courtyard where they’d been married. Her gown rustled in the silence of the room. She perched on the edge of the window seat, her skirts settling around her in a graceful arc. Moonlight cascaded through the beveled panes and bathed her in silver, while leaving her expression in shadow.
“There’s not much to tell. I got drunk.”
“It happens to most of us at one point or another. That’s when we learn there’s a reason for our current drinking laws.” He approached her the way he would a wounded animal, slowly and with utmost caution. “Is there more to it than that?”
She sat without moving and simply stared at him. “To be honest, I don’t remember a lot about that night.”
A hideous suspicion took hold. “Did someone take advantage of you?” he asked sharply. “Were you drugged?”
“Not exactly. At least, I don’t think so,” she whispered. “But I did lose my virginity.”
Fury consumed him. “You were taken advantage of. What sort of bastard—”
She stopped him with a quick shake of her head. “He was no more capable of making rational decisions than I was. Trust me, he paid a steep price for it.”
“I gather your father found out?” Jack guessed.
“And his. It … wasn’t pretty.”
“I can imagine.” It explained so much about her, especially her need to keep herself under such tight control. He closed the remaining distance between them and sat beside her, taking her hand in his. Her fingers were like ice. “Why are you telling me all this, Annalise?”
“Because you should know that I haven’t had any alcohol since that night.” She lifted her chin and met his gaze with a directness that sliced straight through to his soul. “And I haven’t been with anyone sexually since then, either.”
The air burned in his lungs and he slowly exhaled.
“Never?”
“No.”
“Because of one youthful mistake?”
She hesitated, as though considering the matter. “It didn’t seem … wise. Plus, I’ve never really been tempted.” Her eyes burned in the darkness. “Until now.”