Gilded Hearts (The Shadow Guild Series) (14 page)

Piper could feel his body shake. His eyes appeared to darken, and his body swayed toward hers. Annie’s voice tittered in her head, making her wish she could shut the tart up.
You don’t really want that, girl. Then you won’t know what to do when he kisses you.

“He won’t.” She spoke the words before she could stop.

“I won’t what?”

Turning her face away, she concentrated on the room beyond him. “We should start a fire. It will get cold here once the sun sets.”

“I won’t what, Pip?” He crowded her against the wall, the sheer size of his body blocking everything else and forcing her attention to him.

Her heart pounded in her chest to the point of being painful. She struggled to breathe and control the tremors shaking her body. She was far from scared of Samuel and what he might do. If anything, Piper was terrified he would leave her alone and she’d remain ignorant of the pleasures that could pass between a man and woman.

“There are many things I won’t do,” Samuel said softly as he leaned on one arm to rest against the wall above her head. “Many, many things. But I have the feeling what Annie is whispering in your head might be of interest to me.”

Piper licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. “Kiss me. She said you were going to kiss me.”

That’s not all he’ll do to you, pet.

“A kiss?” He chuckled and his warm breath washed across her cheek. “Such a tame suggestion from a woman I suspect could put us both to shame with her imagination, let alone her experience.”

“I said you wouldn’t.” Piper knew she should look away and break this spell they both seemed to be under. But there was nothing that could tear her away. “You wouldn’t kiss me.”

“No? I wonder why you would think such a thing?”

Samuel lowered his face so their lips were only a few inches apart. She tried to hold eye contact, but he was too close. Letting her eyes fall shut, Piper was forced to rely on her other senses to guide her.

“Do you want me to kiss you, Pip? I will, you know. I would have on the streets if it hadn’t been for that fool. I would have kissed you in the full light of day, letting everyone know that you’re mine.”

Her stomach fluttered as she curled her fingers around the heavy wool lapels of his greatcoat. Her voice refused to work, even as she felt him come closer.

“Have you been kissed before?” He rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip, his fingers bumping against her chin. “I bet you haven’t. No matter how much Dennison looks at you like he might consume you whole. He’s never dared, has he? Answer me.”

“No.” She shivered, unexpectedly aroused by the steel in his voice. “I’ve never kissed anyone.”

“Good.”

The gentle brush of skin against skin was shockingly pleasant. There was no way she could mistake his lips for his thumb or any other foolish notion she might have imagined. She gasped as he slid his tongue over her lips, pushing it inside when she finally gave him access.

Piper knew this was wrong. Everything about this was not what it should be. She might not be a proper society lady, but neither was she Annie. Still, she couldn’t stop herself from winding her arm around his neck, or pressing her breasts to rub her nipples against him.

“I’ve wanted to do that to you for a long time.” His words were whispered against her lips. “I dreamed about what you tasted like. How your skin would feel as I stripped you bare.”

She slid her hands across his chest, feeling his heat and the pounding of his heart. Memories of what he looked like came to her, now informed with the experience time gave her. “I missed your touch.”

He circled her throat with his hands, thumbs caressing the hollow and grazing across her collarbone. She tipped her head back, giving him full access, knowing he could feel her desire and growing desperation.

Lips found her skin, as he kissed and nipped at her. He crowded her against the wall, so she felt every inch of him against her. Long gone was the boy who’d fled the Archives, and in his place was a man, hardened by the world. Piper wanted him. Wanted this so badly the end was inevitable.

Samuel groaned and ground his erect cock against her hip. “I want you. I’ve wanted you for so long.” Sucking her earlobe, he teased the flesh with his tongue. “The only thing I wanted for myself. Ever. You.”

“Yes.”

He pulled back, his eyes dark with lust and his skin flushed. “Pip?”

“Yes. I want you. This. I’ve always wanted you too.”

Joy. That was the only way she’d ever be able to describe it. Unadulterated joy burst through Samuel and bled into her soul. She could feel it in the way he scooped her up in his arms and clutched her tight to his chest. The pleasure he felt as he gently laid her on the bed.

He rose above her, still secure in his greatcoat, and stared. This was what she’d been missing, this natural connection they shared that kept her going. When he’d gone, all she’d had was her duty, but no longer. Now she had him.

“Are you certain? I’m not sure I can stop this once we begin.”

Of course she had doubts, fears. Piper had no idea what she was doing, beyond the whispered encouragements from a dead woman in her head. She didn’t trust her body to understand what was happening, let alone appreciate the pleasure it was about to give her.

All Piper knew was she wanted Samuel more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life. With her eyes locked onto his, she smiled. “I let you slip from my life once, I’m not about to do it again.” She licked her lips, sat up, and turned her back to him. “Help me. I want to be yours.”

“Yes.”

And she was done for.

Samuel’s hands shook as he began to open the simple lacing on the back of Piper’s gown. The girls of the Archives wore the most unflattering of frocks while growing up in the guild. But Piper was a fully grown woman who’d risen to the rank of full archivist. Her clothing was allowed to take on a slightly more fashionable look.

Not that he cared. The only thing he wanted was to tear it from her body, finally baring her to his sight. Naked flesh beneath his hands, his mouth on her skin as she moaned beneath him.

“Sam.” Her voice was nearly a sigh as she arched her back like a cat, into his touch.

It took little effort to open the few bindings enough for her frock to slip down her arms. The shift beneath covered little of her skin, giving him a target too tempting to resist. He brushed his lips against the bare back of her shoulder, close to the nape of her neck. Her desire was amplified in his brain, stoking his higher until he grew too hot.

“You’re so soft.” He fought the temptation to bite down, mark her so any man who dared look would know she was his. His woman—her man.

His hands worked her free from the frock until it lay pooled around her waist. The heat from his greatcoat was reaching unbearable proportions, but he didn’t want to pull away to free himself. Even a second parted was too much.

“I’m so hard for you.” He licked her skin, and reached around to cup her breasts. “Do you know what that means?”

He knew Piper was an innocent from the pretty way she blushed when he’d get close to her. But she was a creature who thrived on knowledge, and with Annie stuck in her head, he had no doubt the breadth of her understanding would likely shock him.

“Y-your… cock is erect.”

Stretching his leg out beside her on the bed, he was able to thrust his groin against her ass. “That’s right. I imagine with Annie’s thoughts in there you know what I can do with it.”

She nodded and groaned when he pinched her nipples. “She’s whispering to me. Telling me… so many things. It’s… it’s…”

“What does she want you to do?”

This time, Piper’s blush covered her neck down to the tops of her still covered breasts. “She wants me to get naked and lie on my back.”

“That seems very mundane for a prostitute.”

Piper hesitated, her body freezing for a moment before she shuddered again. “She wants you to get naked as well. I could let you—”

“Let me what? Tell me Pip, what can I do to you?”

“I could suck on your cock.” The words came out in a hushed rush of air.

The confines of his pants were suddenly too restricting for him. “I need to get up. To get undressed. Don’t move.” She did as he asked, but she turned enough to watch him.

Samuel didn’t put on a performance. With economical moves, he slipped his greatcoat from his arms and tossed it to the chair beside the bed. His fingers had steadied enough from earlier to make short work of the buttons of his waistcoat and shirt. He left his wrist strap on, not wanting to lose it. The braces slipped easily from his shoulders to pool at his waist, giving his trousers enough give to quickly fall to the floor.

With each article of clothing he removed, Piper’s eyes grew wider. When he finally pulled his boots free and kicked his trousers to the side, she was breathing so deeply, he thought she might faint.

“Lie down.” He kept his voice soft, hoping she could hear his eagerness but not his fear.

This was a terrible idea. They were in danger of being caught by the Guild Masters. Dennison could arrive at a moment’s notice. Hell, Jack the Ripper could burst through the door at this point. But none of those prospects could dissuade him.

Piper turned and stretched out on the bed. Her brown hair was a stark contrast to the white of the linen beneath her. Still in his trousers, Samuel sat on the edge of the bed, much as he had back at the Archives. This time he did what he’d been itching to do then.

Reaching down he found the first of the hair pins that held the mass of curls in place. One by one he removed them, giving him access to her long locks. She was beautiful like this, flushed and aroused, all for him.

“I want to see you.” He fingered the shoulder of her shift, teasingly tugging. “Can I?”

She nodded, but made no move to help him. He held her gaze as he freed the tiny buttons in the front, slowly exposing the pale skin beneath. He let the tips of his fingers graze the hot skin between her breasts, enjoying her soft gasps of surprise. When the buttons were undone and there was nothing left but to pull the fabric free, he paused. Hands hovering in place, he telegraphed his intent, giving her one final chance to object. She merely turned her head to the side, her gaze locked onto his.

“Oh, Pip.”

The creamy expanse of her breasts filled his sight. Dark nipples beaded in the chilly air, begging him to lean in and suck on them. Wanting to savor this moment, burn the sight forever into his memory, Samuel waited. He thumbed the sensitive peaks, enjoying the mewls of pleasure slipping from her.

“It’s only the beginning for us.” He rolled one tip between his fingers. “I’m going to make you feel things you never have before. You’re mine.”

She nodded frantically against the pillow. “Please, Sam.”

Samuel could feel the pressure of Piper’s emotions, the memories from the machine pressing down, threatening to break the peace that had finally descended upon him. There was something niggling at him, squirming around in the recesses of his memory, and it took concentration he currently lacked to keep everything where it should be.

Piper looked up at him with those beautiful brown eyes and smiled.

He was here, with Pip naked and writhing in his bed, why the hell was he paying attention to anything but her? Stretched out beside her, he found her lips once more. She was soft, sweet. Her tongue dipped into his mouth, exploring. Deepening the kiss, he caressed her breasts once more.

“Do you like that?”

Piper gasped.

“So sensitive.” His restraint was slipping, and with it the ability to prolong things. Christ, he’d wanted her for so long and now that he had her it was overwhelming. “I want to taste you.”

This time Piper’s groan was accompanied with the gentle bucking of her hips.

“I want to kiss and lick every inch of your body.” He suckled her nipples, ran his tongue across the underside of her breasts. Nipped at her side as he worked his way lower.

Samuel spent several minutes kissing her stomach, licking around her belly button, scratching his nails across the unmarked expanse. He was the only man ever to do this with her, the only one to see her with the flush of passion across her skin.

He teased the thatch of hair between her legs with his fingers. The treasure he sought was close now, still waiting for him to claim. She closed her eyes for a moment, turning her head as his fingers dipped closer to her clit. When her mouth fell open and her hips bucked up, Samuel knew he wasn’t able to hold back any longer. He needed her. Now.

Pressing his face closer, he spread her lips to reveal her clit. Perfect in every way possible. Leaning in, he flicked his tongue across the engorged flesh, reveling in the taste. Her gasp had him pull back, knowing the teasing would drive her mad, wanting to push her there.

“Sam,” Pip muttered, turning back to face him with wide, serious eyes. “Please.”

Please Sam.

Sammy.

There was something in her expression, the tone of her voice that broke a barrier in Samuel’s mind. She began to frown, but Samuel couldn’t see her anymore. Pleading, begging for something that he could never have. A connection, a touch from another person.

Life.

I’m so alone. Why won’t you talk to me, Sammy?

Tubes and wires, blackness seeping into his blood through his veins. Cold steel and hot steam pummeling against him, unrelentingly. Why was he the one to go? It wasn’t fair. Rage, a bitter poison in his mouth, making the blackness thick like ink.

They can’t keep me here forever. I’ll get away and then I’ll make them pay.

Samuel jerked his hand away, and scrambled from the bed. Blinking madly, he tried to fight off the encroaching gloom of his mind, swallow down his anger. What the hell?

Running. He wasn’t even sure of the direction any longer, but he knew this was his only chance. Run, fast, before they caught him. Get out. He had to get out.

Samuel fell, tripping over his own feet, and landed in a heap on the unkempt floor. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Barely managing in time, he got to his knees before the vomit left him.

“Don’t fucking turn your back on me! You don’t need them, don’t need her. I’ve always been here for you. Look at me!”

“No.”

He’d lived through so much here, accepted the abuses because he thought there were worse things on the outside. But there was nothing worse than this. Everything. Every single nightmare was real. The monsters did exist, and they were coming to get him.

“Sam?” Piper pushed herself up onto her forearms.

“Madness.” Samuel muttered before he crossed the room, naked in the growing dark.

“Sam, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

Wires and darkness. More images from the bloody Archives machine? It couldn’t be real. Not even that last night in the deepest recesses beneath the Archives—his final failed attempt to find John before he’d fled—had he seen anything close to the picture that filled his mind now. The night he’d discovered a set of tunnels he’d never explored before, and wandered lost until his torch flickered out.

Samuel told himself it had all been a nightmare, the whole dark journey and every demented image that lingered in his brain. And he was almost a man, far too old to be frightened by nightmares once the sun came up.

He’d been convinced then that the Archives were alive. Nothing he’d experienced since had changed that opinion. But what he saw now was no ghost in a machine, no wispy archived extraction run amok. It felt like a memory, a clear one.
Like it was only yesterday
.

Why was it calling to him now, working its way up from the darkness he’d long thought buried?

Turning his head so he could see Piper, he forced his gaze to stay on hers. “It’s so angry. He’s so… angry.”

Piper had stopped dressing, fear and confusion battling for dominance inside her. It was impossible not to notice the pale skin of her shoulder, or the swell of her breast as it disappeared beneath the bunches of fabric she clutched to her chest. She was beautiful and intelligent, but there was something else there too. Not darkness, but certainly a touch of gray threaded through her personality. If anyone could understand…

Pressing his back to the wall needing the support, he let his gaze fall to rest on the bunch of white linen around her legs.

“When I was being… when the machine reached out to me, I think it was trying to communicate.”

“That’s impossible.” She shuffled forward on the bed until her legs dangled over the edge. “I don’t care what they say; it’s not alive.”

“You don’t know that.”

“It’s a
machine
, Sam. I don’t pretend to understand how it works, but it’s nothing more than wires and circuits.”

And black and dark and pain and please dear God someone pull me out of here.

“You should dress. I wouldn’t want anyone to think you’ve done anything inappropriate.”

“Sam—”

“I need time. I can’t… I just can’t right now.”

Ignoring the twist in his gut, Samuel turned his head away. Despite everything, he still wanted her. But the darkness called to him, begging him to embrace it and become one. He wouldn’t put her at risk of being pulled along.

He cared for her too much.

“You bastard.” Her voice cracked, but she shed no tears. “You bloody bastard.”

Dear God, what had he done? “Pip, I’m—”

“You think this was a game? Something I’d casually do because it was you? ‘Oh, Pipsqueak, I missed you. Have relations with me, love’?”

His rejection of her, her reaction to it, hurt him like a piercing blade, slicing through skin and tendon and bone until it tore at his core. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Sorry?” Her pained laugh turned his stomach. “No, I’m the one who’s sorry. I thought things had changed. I see I was wrong.”

No.
“You don’t understand—”

“I understand perfectly fine. Now, if you don’t mind, please look away.” She stood up, holding the sheet to her chest, her expression as stony and distant as it was the night of their reunion. “I would appreciate the privacy so I can dress.”

Her hair spilled across her shoulders to cover her back. Its length kissed her waist as she smoothed down her dress and righted her corset. In the blink of an eye, he’d lost the one thing he’d coveted for years. Gathering his own clothing, he moved to the far side of the room and dressed.

“Do I look presentable?” She’d tucked her hair back into a loose bun at the base of her neck.

Piper’s self-reliance had always been an attraction for him. The way she could pull herself up from any situation to simply keep going. Never before had he been on the receiving end of her ire. It was a cold place to be.