Darkness In The Flames (12 page)

“And Mr. Adrian’s returned too, Mrs. Edgeworth. So you’ll be dining with them both. Won’t that be nice?” Mrs. Tooting beamed as she spread Katherine’s only wearable gown on the bed. “This one cleaned up real well, Ma’am. The color’s not what I would’ve suggested for you—if you’ll forgive my saying so—but at least it’s your own.”

As Katherine allowed Mrs. Tooting and a maid to lace her into the gown, she agreed. The brown bombazine was sturdy but unattractive, and the style did little to accentuate Katherine’s generous curves, all but hiding them beneath a modest collar.

But it was, as Mrs. Tooting had correctly pointed out, her
own
. And if she secretly yearned for a diaphanous silk dress that clung immodestly to all the right places, she kept such yearnings to herself.

Securely tucked behind the façade of respectability as represented by an amazingly unattractive outfit, Katherine descended the staircase that evening with a becoming flush on her cheeks. She told herself it was from the exertion of bathing and dressing.

She knew she lied. It was from the prospect of seeing
him
again.

And perhaps finding out whether that certain something between them was real or just a fantasy borne of laudanum and delirium.

If the latter were
true
…Katherine bit her lip as she crossed the hall to the dining room.

A servant opened the doors and ushered her into the snug parlor where an informal dinner was being served. Sir Sidney Chesswell rose with a welcoming smile, but Katherine’s gaze was immediately diverted to the figure standing behind one chair.

They exchanged a glance, black eyes meeting blue ones in a collision so abrupt Katherine wouldn’t have been surprised to hear a crash accompany it.

Her question was answered. It was no dream, no creation of an injured or disordered mind.

Adrian Chesswell was real, as real as her immediate attraction to him. As real as the blush that crept from her breasts to her neck, and as real as the heat flowering between her thighs.

His gaze swept over her and returned to her face as if taking his own visual inventory. She couldn’t help but notice his body stirring behind the tight fabric of his evening trousers.

There
was
something between the two of them.

It was undeniable, it was hot, it could well be dangerous and it would probably lead to places Katherine had no business going.

But it was there. And Katherine wanted it.

She shoved all pretense aside and admitted the devastating truth. She wanted
him
.

*~*~*~*

Adrian’s thoughts were fractured as he sensed the desire rise inside Kat. Their gazes sought each other like magnets finding true north, and he could damn near taste her on his lips.

Her pulse fluttered above the collar of her hideous gown, and had it not been for the politely restraining presence of his father, Adrian would probably have stripped her and taken her on top of the dining table, cutlery be damned. He’d have done so with her full cooperation, too. He just
knew
it.

His need exploded within him, sending bolts of hunger to his cock and a stain of embarrassment to his face as he realized his arousal was obvious.

Hurriedly he took his seat, thankful for the arrival of their light repast.

Sidney was saying something—his Kat was answering, but Adrian knew not the subject under discussion, nor the day, nor the time. His food could have been sawdust and twigs, rather than the light broth of vegetables and herbs he found tolerable, and St. Chesswell itself could have disintegrated around him. He would not have cared.

If this was truly “love”, as his father believed, then Adrian almost wished it away. It consumed him, turning him into a besotted creature with a passion for the scent of his prey—the red-headed charmer who managed to control her own impulses with decorum and composure.

Then she moved to accept more wine and Adrian caught a whiff of her—she was aroused, readying herself for his possession, and he all but snarled his eagerness.

The last few days he’d buried himself deep within the earth around St. Chesswell, enjoying his hobby of exploring the caves, and finding quiet solace away from the people—and his Kat.

She’d healed, her color and the brightness in her eyes was proof of that. Had she forgotten him? Or worse—found a fear inside herself that would taint their interactions from now on?

Adrian found his guts unclenching as the answer to both those questions was an obvious and resounding
“no”
. She sipped her wine, ate—or rather nibbled—at her food and deliberately avoided looking at him unless it was absolutely necessary.

She was every bit as aware of him as he was of her, and finally Sir Sidney bowed to the undercurrents even he could feel swirling across the table.

“Well, this has been delightful, Mrs. Edgeworth. And I’m glad you forgive us our light repast—neither Adrian nor I find these enormous dinners to our taste. In fact, it’s my opinion they are deleterious to one’s health.” Sidney nodded decisively.

“Very true, Sir Sidney. I couldn’t agree more.” Katherine slid her plate away from her. She had eaten little, noted Adrian, yet she did not seem hungry. For food anyway.

“I will ask you to also forgive our lack of formality in ignoring the customary port and cigars. At this time I usually return to my scientific inquiries and Adrian…” He smiled up at his son. “Adrian does whatever he wishes after dinner.”

Adrian smiled back and stood. “It occurs to me that our guest might enjoy a view of the Chyne, Father. The rain has cleared and we finally have a good moon—full tonight, I believe?”

Sidney nodded. “Oh yes. So it is—I had nearly forgotten. Do go with Adrian, Mrs. Edgeworth. I think you’ll find the sight to your liking.”

Katherine rose and shook out her skirts. “I confess I’d be very interested to see the Chyne, Sir Sidney. Mrs. Tooting has told me of your legends and I’d love to see it for myself.”

Adrian bit down on his lust and extended a gracious arm. “Very well, Ma’am. If you’d care to accompany me?”

She laid her fingertips on his sleeve and glanced once more at Sir Sidney.

He made scooting motions with his fingers. “Go, children. Enjoy. I must away to my laboratory.” He paused. “Adrian. Did you take your elixir?”

Adrian glanced over his shoulder to catch a quizzical look on his father’s face. “Yes, Father.”

Sidney appeared relieved. “Good. Run along then.”

“Your father is most concerned about your health, Mr. Chesswell.” Katherine’s voice was cool as she voiced the casual comment. They walked through St. Chesswell arm-in-arm, as if they were nothing more than a gentleman and a lady enjoying an after-dinner stroll.

Adrian knew how wrong that assumption was. “You will have already been told of my…my unfortunate ailment?”

“Indeed yes. You have my sympathies.”

“Thank you.” Adrian inclined his head. “Although none are really needed. I find I can enjoy most common pleasures just as well at night as during the day. My vision has, perhaps, become slightly more enhanced thanks to my nocturnal habits, but other than that…”

He led Katherine through more rooms until they reached two glass doors opening onto a stone balcony. Stepping outside, he led her to the low balustrade and waved his hand in a suitably dramatic gesture. “Behold, Mrs. Edgeworth.” The view overlooked the coastline, which marked the southern boundary of the Chesswell estate.

“There, Ma’am. D’you see it?” He paused dramatically as the moon emerged from behind a cloud and shed its soft brilliance down over the countryside. “
St. Chesswell’s Chyne.
”

His voice was rich with pride, he knew, since this was truly a magnificent sight. The soft turf was ripped apart as if by a giant’s scythe, the valley thus created making an enormous gash in an otherwise pristine landscape.

The darkness of the rift was interrupted by the gleam of white chalky veins that protruded from the sides of the Chyne like the ribs of some ancient skeleton. Adrian knew that water burbled softly along the floor, around boulders bigger than small houses, but such revelations were not visible from where the two of them presently stood.

Katherine seemed spellbound. “Oh my.” Her whisper was breathy, her eyes wide as she scanned the unusual feature before her. “This is magnificent.”

She licked her lips and Adrian’s vision blurred red as every iota of his being turned to this woman and hungered. His gums ached with the need to release his fangs and his very soul ached with the need to restrain them.

He dragged his gaze back to the moonlit scene before them with an effort. “It is quite a sight, isn’t it?”

So mundane, so idiotic—so far from what he wanted to say. “
I need you beneath me. I need to strip you of that godawful dress, fuck you senseless and limp, drink your cries and your sweat and then do it all over again
.”

“Yes.”

Adrian blinked for a moment as his wits struggled to replay their verbal conversation and establish exactly
what
Kat was agreeing to.
Ah yes. The Chyne
. “We don’t know exactly how old it is, of course, since it’s continually eroding in response to the elements. It was probably much sharper and higher in St. Chesswell’s day.”

“Where did he live, do you know?” Kat’s gaze wandered over the irregular terrain.

Adrian pointed. “At the far end. There’s a natural rise that would have offered protection, and we found a few stones that were rough hewn and laid out in a clearly man-made arrangement. It’s the most logical place, too.” He chuckled. “To be very honest, we have no idea where the fellow lived. We just took what we found and improvised.” He glanced at Katherine. “You must admit it makes for a good legend.”

She laughed back. “Such honesty is refreshing, Mr. Chesswell. I find myself wondering exactly how many of our local legends have been…
adjusted
to fit their surroundings.”

She glanced back at the Chyne. “And yes to your other comment too.”

“Pardon?”

“
Yes.”
She took a deep breath. “I hear your desires, Mr. Chesswell. I do not understand any of this. I do not understand why you were a part of a dream for me and I you. Nor do I understand how it is that I can hear your thoughts now and again. But I can. Not so much in words as in colors.”

She remained unmoving, her face turned to the moonlight and the ocean. “You are thinking passionately crimson thoughts. Things are happening which are strange and unusual. I should be frightened of you, but I am not. I feel quite a different emotion…” For the first time her voice stumbled.

Adrian reached for her, his hand not quite touching her hair. “What emotion is that, my Kat?”

“Don’t you know?” Finally she turned her face to his and let him see her eyes. The fierce heat behind the blue gaze stunned him.

“Yes, Kat, I know.”

Now there was no holding him back. Adrian took Katherine in his arms, squeezing her roughly against his body, running his hands over her back from her buttocks to the nape of her neck, devouring her with his touch.

She gasped and leaned into him. “You are driving me insane.”

“Yes, Kat, I know.” He repeated the words, grasping a handful of her ripe bottom and kneading it, smiling a little as her legs parted involuntarily in response to his touch.

“
Adrian
…” She breathed his name.

“Tell me what you want…”

“I don’t
need
to tell you, do I?” She closed her eyes and Adrian’s body took a blast from the heat her mind radiated.

This…this
link
between them was stunning in its intensity. “No, Kat. You don’t need to tell me.” Adrian pressed his cock against Katherine, an already-rigid length of flesh that ached for her, swelling rapidly at the chance to find and plunder her sweetness.

She moaned. “God, yes. More. Show me that there is something to this whole business, something more than pain and unpleasantness.”

Adrian caught a glimpse of images he could not fathom. Darkness, distaste, fumbling hands and sudden discomfort. He jerked a little, realizing he was seeing some of his Kat’s thoughts.

Oh
God
, no wonder she was confused by him. She had no idea what sexual pleasures awaited her. She was no virgin, but she was sensually unawakened.

“Show me that I am truly a woman? Not just a…a…
receptacle
…”

Adrian eased himself apart from her a little and cradled her cheek. “Is that what you’ve come to believe? That a woman is only a receptacle for a man’s seed?”

She nodded, keeping her eyelids tight shut. “Yes. My dream with you was the first time I…”

“The first time you realized what passion could be? The first time you were touched in the right way? The first time…you let go?”

Kat nodded again. “Yes. Yes to everything. And it wasn’t
real
…” The last word was a cry from her soul.

Adrian slid his arms around her once more and lifted her from her feet, cradling her close to his body as they stood in the moonlight.

“This time, my Kat, this time it
will
be real.”

Chapter Eleven

Katherine believed him.

What she couldn’t believe was how easily she’d confessed her deepest longings, her most concealed insecurities, and how easily she’d fallen into his embrace.

It was as if she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life, poised on the brink of something enormous, something so devastatingly wonderful that only the right man would do.

Adrian Chesswell was the right man.

The feel of his arms banding around her body pushed away her past and cleared the mists of unhappiness like a breeze from the ocean so near to them. The look in his eyes as their darkness reflected the moonlight sent bolts of heat and brilliance through her limbs to her pussy, where moisture welled and pooled in readiness for him.