The sharp tone of Robert's voice surprised Cora and she did stop momentarily, looking up at him incredulously.
She was right, he was nothing like the men back at home, for they wouldn't bother trying to trick her into staying when they already had some other woman drinking wine in their house! She considered slapping him, but that just seemed overly dramatic. She was already standing on his townhouse steps, nearing tears, as another woman looked on with a rather self satisfied smirk. She didn't need to put on a show for anyone.
She couldn't bring herself to say anything else. Looking up into Robert's eyes she could see Robert, the Robert she thought she knew, but it just made no sense. Nothing was the way it was supposed to be. He was supposed to be sitting in a dark room crying about losing her, not talking and laughing with his ex girlfriend over drinks.
It made her stomach turn, looking at them standing there. She stood frozen at the bottom of his stairs watching as the woman approached him from behind and put a hand on his shoulder. He turned around much quicker than she expected and muttered something under his breath that she couldn't quite make out. What she did hear him say was "I'd like you to go," followed by oddly strained laughter from the woman in response.
Just as she turned around one last time, ready to run back to her hotel as quickly as she could, she heard him shout, "It won't ever be you!" Followed by some horribly unladylike profanities from the woman. A slamming door came next and that was the last sound she heard before she was far enough down the street to be out of range.
Cora was lost in thought for a solid block before realizing she was utterly lost. She had taken a cab over and now in the dark of night she seemed to be completely turned around. Nothing looked the way she remembered it, and the street names did not even sound familiar.
She suddenly felt nervous, unprotected, and as if she perhaps should have taken her mother's advice to go home. She heard loud footsteps in the distance behind her and tried to quicken her pace, hoping it was someone out for a late night run and that she was not about to be mugged, or something.
It wasn't until the steps got considerably louder that she realized someone was calling her name. Turning around, she saw Robert running toward her at full speed, a determined look in his eyes. He caught up to her a second later and nearly knocked her over with the embrace he grasped her with.
He was out of breath and she could feel the heat radiating out from his chest. But he held her close and her waning protests fell on deaf ears. He kissed her forehead before letting her go, instead resting his hands on her shoulders. "I can't…" he paused, catching his breath, "I can't let you go…not again."
His expression was so gentle and he said the words she wanted him so badly to say. But he was not about to get off that easily; she wouldn't be made a fool of by anyone, and certainly not by Robert. She carefully extricated his hands from her shoulders and looked at him seriously, studying his face for any sign of untruth. She wanted to say something profound and something that would make him feel as badly as she did but, "you had another woman in there," was all she could whisper.
His expression was pained and he nodded slowly. "Yes, I did. I don't deserve it, but if you would give me just one chance to explain?" He held out his hand in question and waited for her response.
Robert took Cora's coat and led her into the sitting room. Their walk back had been silent, though she had let him hold her hand all the way to his house.
She took a seat on the settee and looked wearily at the bottle of wine and glasses that were still resting on the table. "Might you clear that away?" She asked, raising one eyebrow in question.
"Of course." Robert took the glasses and bottle without question and a moment later she heard the thump of glass as it hit the trash bin in the kitchen. He reappeared several minutes later with two large mugs of coffee. Offering one to her, he sat beside her and put his on the table.
"I thought you only drank tea?"
Robert smiled and shook his head. "Well, my mama did always say that sweet tea was best for nerves, but I've been hooked on that coffee you bought."
"And I make you nervous?" Cora replied softly, looking up from her coffee at him.
"No, of course you don't." Robert replied immediately, reaching for her hand. "I want to explain and what I need to explain, well, that makes me nervous."
"I'm listening."
And so he explained. He explained how the night at Jalouse he intended to approach her as a potential investor but was thrown off when she seemed interested in him. Explained how he took her to lunch still intending to invite her to the investors meeting. Explained how during lunch he realized she was the first woman who had ever been completely honest with him, and how he realized over the coming days the only thing he wanted was for her to be a part of his life. And then he sat a bit closer and lowered his voice; he began to tell her about his mother and the papers she gave him to sign, about going to Rosamund's flat to drink and about Jane showing up with wine shortly before she did. He took her other hand and held them as he spoke, making silent promises that if she gave him another chance, he'd try never to put them in this situation again.
When he finished he leaned in to kiss her, hoping to seal his words over with a gesture of affection. Cora held her hand to his chest, though, holding him at bay.
"Robert, how do I know that I can trust you?" She shrugged her shoulders and edged over a bit on the settee.
Robert looked utterly bewildered. "How can you trust me? Cora, I've just laid myself bare, told you every minute detail. How can you not trust me?" He stood, frowning and pacing before her.
Cora stood as well and felt herself getting upset again. "I've only know you for a little more than a week, Robert Crawley. For all I know you're a pathological liar! I came over here only to find you with some other woman. How do I know it won't happen again a month from now?" She threw her hands up in exasperation and turned away, looking out the window.
"I didn't ask her to come here! I haven't spoken to her in months! She just showed up here. Cora, I only want you." Robert approached her from behind and let his hands rest on her hips, his chin on her shoulder. "I only want you," he repeated.
"Did you sleep with her?" Cora asked, still looking out the window. Her voice was low but she felt it crack under the pain of her words.
Robert's grip on her waist loosened. "No. But I thought about it…and I kissed her."
"Damn it, Robert." Cora shifted out of his arms and turned to face him. "And if I hadn't shown up here?" Her voice was higher now and she was clutching her arms around herself tightly.
"Cora, I don't know what to say! I've told you everything that happened. Yes, she was here and I kissed her. Would I have slept with her? I don't know." He was pacing again now and shaking his head. "Can I promise that I would have sent her away? No. But it doesn't matter!" He shouted, louder than he intended.
"How can you say it doesn't matter?" Cora cried out, incredulously. "It matters a great deal!"
"No, she doesn't matter, nothing else matters! Cora, I only want you!" She stood staring at him and so he approached before continuing. "I won't lie to you and I won't make any promises that I can't keep. But I promise you, Cora, if you stay, there will be no one else. I will do everything I can to make this work."
Very carefully, he took her into his arms again but made no attempt to kiss her. Cora looked up at him, appraising his words and fighting the urge to believe every one of them. But looking into his eyes, she knew it was all over. She was completely head over heels for him. She was hopelessly besotted. "Just you and I?" she whispered, cupping his face and brushing a stray lock of hair away from his forehead.
He nodded and lowered his head, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss. Cora leaned into him and wrapped her arms around him tightly. "Just you and I," he confirmed between kisses. "Just you and I."
Very quickly their embrace turned from one of comfort to a more frenzied and impassioned coupling. She wanted him in a way that overwhelmed her; a way that felt new, but with Robert felt safe.
Cora felt her back hit the sofa much quicker than she expected. Robert was on top of her in an instant and was pulling at the buttons on her blouse, his lips already latched at her neck. Her soft moans of pleasure seemed to encourage him and a few seconds later she felt the fabric tearing apart and his hands on her bare skin.
"Sorry," he murmured with a mischievous grin. Cora wrapped her legs around him in response and reached down for his belt buckle as he pulled his shirt up over his head. Soon they were in similar states of undress and Cora felt breathless as his tongue slipped into her mouth and his arousal pressed insistently against her.
She moved ever so slightly, adjusting herself on the settee, and felt Robert do the same. Just as she arched her back up toward him, hoping he would understand her wordless gesture, she felt Robert's weight shift again, accidently propelling them both to the floor below.
It took a surprisingly short time for them to recover from the tumble and for Robert to crawl back over her, grinning at their new location. This time he settled between her legs and nudged her knees apart, looking up to see her nod consent before thrusting into her and letting out a moan, muffled against her chest. Her bare skin was warm against his skin and she tried to take her time, letting her hands run up and down the smooth hollow of his back and strong cords of muscle along his arms. She wanted the imprint on her memory, wanted to savor the feeling. She wanted to record the husky tone of his voice as he said her name and the shudder of his body when she reached down to touch him as he moved inside her.
His lips found the base of her throat and sucked gently before letting his tongue tease the pebbled skin trailing down to her breasts. She moved methodically beneath him, her hips arching in tandem with his thrusts, and when he took her breast into his mouth, teeth grazing her nipple, she cried out something unintelligible that only made him go faster.
She felt breathless, drunk on the taste of his skin and on the murmured words that flowed between them. The pace quickened between her legs and he rested his arms on her sides to steady himself, muttering what sounded like good lord and oh, God, Cora over and over. His lips found hers again and drew her in; sucking on her lower lip until she groaned again, Cora could tell he was trying to draw it out and make it last.
Their limbs felt helplessly tangled together and if it weren't for the carpet beneath her, she would have been lost in an abstract sea of sensory pleasure. His fingers and lips seemed to be everywhere, running over every inch of her body as they moved together. Robert's thrusts turned to a more insistent rhythm and before long she felt a surge of pleasure wash over her, her body arching forward to meet Robert's as she climaxed.
Her head was fuzzy and her body tingled all over but she was vaguely aware of Robert's slowed movements above her as he finished, too, a moment later. He continued to thrust slowly against her, not wanting to break their connection or move away just yet. When he finally did collapse atop her, their perspiring skin met again and he peppered kisses against her flushed cheeks.
Robert rolled beside her and took her into his arms. Too hot to move anywhere else or even speak, Cora purred her pleasure against his throat and ran her fingers through the thick curls of his hair. He shifted down slightly until his head was rested against her chest, making it easier for her to continue her lazy passes through his hair. Her fingers twisted and twined the locks and she heard him release a soothing breath, obviously relaxed by her touch.
They stayed like that for untold minutes until the chill in the room finally nipped at her skin. Shivering for a different reason, Cora let her body press against Robert's until he too felt the cool air and suggested they relocate to the bedroom. In what she could only describe as a gesture of adorably masculine intent, he swooped her up into his arms and carried her off, kissing her soundly as they left the room.
They came together again in the comfort of the bedroom, leaving exhausted bodies and entangled sheets in their wake. The room was dark save for the glow of the lamp on the nightstand and they huddled together in the middle of the bed, wrapped in Robert's duvet.
Cora's eyes grew heavy and knew she was nearing sleep, when Robert's soft voice broke the peaceful stillness of the room.
"May I ask you something?" He whispered, pressing a kiss to her bare shoulder. The tone of his voice gave her pause and she shifted until her face was level with his.
She smiled and kissed his lips, wishing it would put him to sleep. She didn't want any more questions, only sleep. "What is it?" She replied cautiously.
His hand reached out and she let him take her hand, trying to focus on the way his fingers drew circles into her palms instead of the serious look in his eyes.
"You can tell me no, but I wonder if maybe…"
"Robert," she grinned and slapped him teasingly on the arm, "I'm tired, we can go again in the morning."
"No, no that isn't what I wanted to ask—" He paused and searched her expression once more. "I thought in the morning we could go to the hotel to get your things and bring them back here…"
"I can have someone send over one of my bags," she agreed, yawning sleepily into the pillow.
"I mean all of your bags. You could stay here, with me." Robert sat up and looked down at their hands, studying them intently as he waited for some sort of response.
"You want me to stay with you? To live here, while I'm in London?" Cora knew her face had contorted to some version of a surprised expression and the nervousness reflected in Robert's face was so sweet it made her want to giggle.
Robert nodded empathetically. "I don't want you to go, you make me so very happy and it will save us so much in taxi fare!"
Cora laughed at his reply and swung her arms loosely around his neck. "I'd like that, very much…so long as you don't tell my mother—" her peel of laughter halted midsentence and she fell silent, realizing her slip.
Robert released his hold on her and leaned back, tilting his head in question and frowning ever so slightly. "You never talk about your family," he replied, as if only just realizing it.
Cora turned out of his embrace, or at least tried to, but found herself trapped under his gaze. "You're not the only one who lives with the burden of familial expectation, Robert," she said quietly, bunching the sheet up around her chest.
He nodded, though she only saw him in the corner of her eye, and reached for her again. Neither spoke for several minutes. Robert's fingers drew delicate patterns on her arm and his nail scraped gently against her skin. He was gathering his thoughts, she realized later.
"It's why you thought the papers were right…why you assumed the worst." His tone was not accusatory but it still rallied her defenses nevertheless.
She fought the urge to say something biting, and chose her words carefully. "I assumed the worst because you didn't give me a reason to believe anything else."
"No I didn't, you're right. But Cora, we'd spent almost every moment together…I just—it seems like there are things I'm missing, some element you haven't told me."
Serendipitously, Cora's jumbled thoughts and explanations were interrupted by a faint sound from the hallway. "That's my phone." Cora stood, wrapping one of the sheets around her, and darted out of the room to take the call.
As soon as she saw her mother's name flashing across the screen she wanted to run back to the warmth of Robert's bed, and his embrace. But returning so quickly would mean a continuation of their conversation—something she did not foresee going well.
"Hello, Mother," she whispered slowly.
"Cora Levinson! Where are you? I've called your hotel suite a hundred times only to finally be told you'd gone out late this evening."
"I'm out. I'm…with a friend."
"Good Lord, Cora. You're with that boy, aren't you?"
"…Yes."
"Have you listened to anything I've taught you? Cora, how could you be so damn stupid? This isn't some romance story, it's not going to end well and by the time you realize that it's going to cost a lot of money and time to fix the mess."
Cora laughed, the only reaction she could muster in response to the hysterics. "You don't know what you're talking about. It's not the same, Mother."
"Do you think this is funny, Cora?"
"Yes, yes I do." Cora rolled her eyes, contemplating what it would take to smash her phone into a million tiny pieces.
"Well not everyone shares your sense of humor. End this silliness, Cora."
"Mother, it's late, I have to go."
"Cora don't you hang up on—"
"—Goodnight, Mother."
Cora padded back to the bedroom where she found Robert sitting up, holding a pint of ice cream with two spoons sticking out of it. He smiled and pulled the sheet back, nodding at the empty space beside him. "Want some?" He held a spoon out as she slid back into bed.
"Sure," Cora replied. She took the proffered spoon and held it for a moment, looking at the man beside her. He was sweet and so very kind. Despite his missteps and failings, he was making an effort; he was trying. It wouldn't work if she could not manage to do the same. Their flaws, though separated by cultures and the nuance of family, were similar. If anyone was going to understand, it might be him.
"It was my mother on the phone," she offered, setting down the unused spoon. "She doesn't know you, but she doesn't like you."
Robert frowned and set the ice cream on the nightstand. "Well I'm very charming, perhaps once she meets me—"
"No," Cora shook her head. "It won't matter. You aren't part of the plan."
"Ah, so you've been given a plan, too, then?" His eyes flashed a recognition that she had never seen before and it felt safe to tell him, safe to let him into the place she very seldom visited herself.
"It isn't my plan, it's my mother's. You see, before I came to London I had this boyfriend. We met two summers ago at a party in Newport. I had never seen him around before and when he asked me to dinner I thought he was interested. By the next summer we were inseparable. His family owned one of the other large manufacturing companies in the US and so it just seemed meant to be, somehow. Until I realized it was a little too meant to be. I heard him talking on the phone one morning. He said once he proposed, the deal would finally be done and his parents would let him take over as CEO. He wanted my money, my share of the company stocks and my eventual joint ownership of my father's business." Cora swiped at her eyes and brushed away several tears that only made her embarrassed. She hated that it still had the ability to affect her in such a way.
"I'm so sorry," Robert replied, leaning over to kiss her cheek.
"No, no it's alright," Cora said quickly, wiping her eyes once more. "Well, I packed my things up that morning and told him to take his deal and shove it. I told him a few other things, but that doesn't really matter," she smiled, recollecting the profanities she had thrown at him. "I went straight to my mother's house to tell her…she had known all along. It was her that invited him to the party, she who suggested he pursue me. She said she was only doing what was best for the family, but I couldn't listen to any more lies. I tried to move on, tried to make sense of it all but my entire life didn't seem my own anymore…"
"…And so you came to London." Robert finished.
Cora nodded. "Yes, a month later I left for London. And then I met you."
Robert nodded as well and pulled her against him. She relaxed in his embrace and he knew by the slight rise and fall of her shoulders that she was crying. They didn't need to say anything else. He didn't need to say anything else, not tonight at least. Her reaction to him made perfect sense now, and he only wished that he'd been smart enough to suspect something sooner.
He knew he would have to prove himself several times over. He didn't deserve her trust yet and his lie had been far too similar to the life she left behind. It would take time and honestly and countless conversations.
But all that could wait. For just the night, it could wait.
