Pendelton Manor (19 page)

Sophie’s disappointment at finding no trace of Sammy was so acute she didn’t at first notice Adrian standing by the kitchen island, his arms crossed over his chest, an angry scowl on his face until his cold voice got her attention as she slipped off her jacket.

“Where the fuck have you been?” Adrian snarled as relief at seeing her back safe and sound lost out to the anger consuming him over the worry she had given him.

“Adrian? What’s wrong?” Sophie’s sorrow over Sammy’s disappearance worked to bring her grief over Emily’s loss to the surface and she knew she wasn’t operating on all cylinders as she tried to fathom why he was so angry with her.

The grief etched on her face just fueled his anger, an irrational anger aimed at the injustice of her losing her precious little girl and his wife’s betrayal that had led to her premature death, leaving him to find justice for a woman he wasn’t even sure deserved it. An anger that had grown as his worry for her confirmed his feelings were now involved in this relationship whether he wanted them to be or not.

“What’s wrong?” he asked softly as he backed her toward the counter and pinned her there with his arms braced behind her, caging her in. “Did I or did I not tell you specifically not to be out after dark? Didn’t I warn you how treacherous the cliffs can be if you’re not familiar with them?”

Looking up into his angry face and jet-black eyes, Sophie felt arousal unfurl slowly. For the past few hours she had searched high and low for Sammy while trying not to give in to the grief that her loss was pushing to the surface while she lectured herself on this is what happens when you allow yourself to care too much. By the time she realized she was too far from the manor to get back before dark, she did remember Adrian’s warning and took her time and stayed as far away from the cliff’s edge that she could and still find her way back.

“I’m sorry, Adrian. I was looking for Sammy and time got away from me…”

“Are you telling me you risked your life looking for that damn cat?” he asked incredulously, his cock stiffening with the need to exert control over this woman who had scared the hell out of him. “Damn it, Sophie, she’s not worth you getting hurt, or worse.”

“I was careful and I’ve just been so worried. I’m sorry.”

Obviously she had no clue of the worry she had caused him or the very real danger of the landscape around here at night, and maybe that was unfair because he had given her little reason to think he would worry over her, but fair or not, he wasn’t about to let her blunder slide. Turning her to face the counter, he bent over her back, letting her feel the rigid length of his cock against her ass as he growled in her ear, “Damn you, I was worried about you, and that just fucking pisses me off.”

Sophie shuddered under him and when his hand moved to undo the snap of her jeans and lower the zipper, she didn’t try to stop him. She hadn’t meant to worry him, and knowing how badly he fought against getting involved with anyone, especially her, she knew what was driving his actions.

“Adrian, please,” she whispered back as he shoved her jeans and panties to her knees, kicked her feet apart and bent her over even further until her ass was sticking out. How much she wanted him at that moment took her by surprise, but the lust filling her, the need to feel his cock stretching her again, filling the emptiness she always seemed to carry with her, was something she had come to expect whenever she was near him, and especially when he had her bent over bare assed in preparation for whatever he had in mind to dole out.

“Take me, Adrian, fuck me, please.” She wanted, needed that temporary loss of control that made her forget everything except the pleasure he could give her.

“Oh, not yet, sweet Sophie.” Adrian pulled his belt from his jeans and with one arm braced across her shoulders holding her down over the counter, he snapped it across her ass.

Sophie cried out at the first slash, the first startling burst of pain, the fire that erupted in her pussy that threatened to consumer her. Gasping, she accepted the next blow, moaning, she arched for the third and whimpering, she embraced for the fourth. Pain spread across her buttocks as he landed each stroke in a different spot, heat enveloped her entire backside as it throbbed and swelled and pleasure burst throughout her body as he showed her how much he didn’t want to care about her.

“Adrian, I’m sorry,” she wept, sorry for more than worrying him as he landed one more stroke before dropping the belt and she heard the distinct sound of him unzipping and releasing his cock. Without turning around, she pictured how her buttocks looked, red and puffy, bent over, her pussy swollen, wet and ready for him as she anticipated the feel of his heavy erection filling the emptiness that never seemed to leave her.

Adrian caressed her warm cheeks with one hand, gripped her hip with the other and sank his cock into her welcoming pussy in one smooth thrust. Her apology rang with pain, a pain he knew he couldn’t completely assuage. “So am I, Sophie, so am I.” Grabbing on to her hips with both hands, he took her with deep, hard strokes, ramming into her over and over, his grip so tight he knew she might have bruises there tomorrow.

Sophie welcomed his rough possession, welcomed each hard thrust, each jarring jerk, each climax inducing plunge until waves of pleasure so racking and intense they shook her from head to toe and sent her into the vortex where she felt nothing but the bright consuming ecstasy.

Her keening cries coming from his jackhammer thrusts spurred him on, and Adrian allowed his climax to erupt, join hers as he closed his eyes and let the pleasure he got from her tight sheath and small body consume him.

Sophie bit her lip as he slowly pulled his spent cock from her still spasming pussy, struggled to keep from begging him not to leave her yet and fought against the return of the emptiness that he had filled for too short a time. Rising, she pulled up her pants without looking at him then said tremulously, “I’m sorry, Adrian,” before leaving the kitchen.

“Sophie,” Adrian called to her then waited until she turned to face him. Her face held the flush of recent pleasure but her eyes were already clouded with the pain of loss. Hardening his resolve, he said, “I’ll look for Sammy, but don’t disobey me again. In case no one’s mentioned it, stay out of the lighthouse. It too isn’t safe.”

Relieved that he wasn’t giving up on finding the cat, she nodded and went upstairs to wonder what his attitude was going to be tomorrow.

Sophie went into town the next morning, but was back early since neither Nora nor Rachel could take the time to break for lunch. Business was booming, mostly because of the new apparel Rachel had brought back with her from her last buying trip when she had accompanied Ash out of town, and they had to strike while it was hot they told her with regret before making her promise she’d go for a swim with them before dinner that night. Sophie often found herself wondering about their relationships with the guys, why Rachel had been with Ash both on their trip and when they returned, when she obviously had deep feelings for James and why Nora seemed happy to take any of them even though she was in love with Adam. But whenever those stray musings popped into her head, she didn’t spend time mulling over them since one, it was none of her business and two, they all seemed content, if not happy, with the way things were.

Since the afternoon was cloudy and cool, Sophie holed up in her room and buried her nose in her new library book and soon lost track of time until Nora knocked on her door demanding she get her butt downstairs for their swim.

“I’ll meet you down there,” she called out, surprised at how fast the afternoon had gone. Donning her modest one-piece suit, she skipped downstairs, the house as quiet as it had been all day. She had no idea where the guys all were but was glad she could relax with Nora and Rachel before they showed up with the pizza. Since she had no idea how Adrian would greet her or if he would even be there tonight, let alone want to be with her again, she anticipated dinner being tense and not nearly as pleasant as last week.

As it turned out, she was only too pleased to be wrong. After both Nora and Rachel had cajoled her into swimming nude, she spent a very enjoyable hour with them, the warm water and light exercise soothing and relaxing, the playful teasing between the three of them fun. Surprisingly, their time in the solarium was innocent of any sexual play and when Nora caught Sophie eyeing them speculatively, she laughed and splashed her, quipping, “We’re saving ourselves for later.” By the time they got out and were drying off, all four guys could be heard coming in, calling for them to come get it or do without.

“Oh no you don’t, girlfriend,” Rachel stated emphatically when Sophie lifted her bra and panties off the lounge. “Give me those.” Snatching the undergarments from her hands, she tossed them into the pool.

“Rachel! Now I have to take the time to go upstairs to replace those,” Sophie complained in irritation. “Why’d you do that?”

“Because you’ll make Adrian’s eyes pop out of their sockets as well as threaten that iron clad composure of his if you walk into the kitchen dressed in that skirt and blouse and nothing else. Now, admit it, wouldn’t you like to see that?”

It only took a moment to imagine Adrian’s reaction and for her to agree with Rachel. As embarrassing as she found getting dressed sans underwear, the erotic feel of being naked under such little clothing was well worth it. “Thanks, Rachel,” she told her as she zipped up the skirt and saw that they had also tossed their underwear in the pool. “Are we going to leave those there?” She pointed to the floating bras and panties.

“Why not?” Nora answered with a cheeky grin. “The guys’ll get a rise out of seeing them, literally.”

Sophie felt mellow and relaxed when she entered the kitchen, vowing not to let herself become disappointed or troubled if Adrian rebuffed her, but the look he sent her was anything but cold. On the contrary, the look he pinned her with warmed her like the first spring breeze heralding the thaw of the winter’s cold. She returned his smile as he beckoned her to sit next to him and as she moved to the table, she could feel her body responding to the heated promise in his unwavering gaze. Warm air wafted up under her skirt to caress the bare folds of her sex as well as the tender skin of her buttocks. Her nipples puckered, drawing his gaze, and she’d like to take credit for the lust he made no effort to hide, but the fact was he had been anything but distant when he first laid on hers.

Adrian didn’t have a good day, but he had vowed not to let on to Sophie why he was both upset and angry tonight, mainly because it would upset her but also because she was in no way to blame for his mood. In fact, he had been hoping she would play a significant role in improving it.

After spending the morning looking everywhere he could think of for Sammy, he had about given up when he spotted her small grey body beneath some bushes at least a mile from the manor, where she had apparently crawled into to die. From the sight and the amount of vomit by her mouth, it seemed she had gotten into something poisonous, but since he couldn’t think of anything indigenous to the area that would harm her in such a way, his suspicious nature had reared its ugly head. Apparently he had been fonder of Nicole’s pet than he had thought as he had found gathering up the small body and putting her in a plastic bag very difficult, pulling at emotions he had been denying ever since Sophie set foot in his home. His first thought had been the effect Sammy’s death would have on Sophie, making him quickly decide to keep it from her, at least until he got the necropsy report back from the vet. His second thought had been how he would deal with it if the report came back indicating she had been deliberately poisoned. Until he knew for sure, he was going to keep a closer eye on his cousins, regardless of the risk in losing whatever tenuous hold he had left on their close bond.

The sight of Sophie walking towards him dressed in a denim skirt and a peasant blouse, her bare breasts easily visible through the white cotton, her legs and feet bare and her eyes filled with desire and undisguised need glued to his, was more than enough to table his roller coaster thoughts and emotions. Tonight was for pleasure, for both of them, and he refused to let recent happenings mar it.

Adrian simply couldn’t resist pulling her against him, one hand fisted in her hair the other clutching her ass and holding her hips against his so she could feel his hard cock as he took her mouth in a no holds barred kiss. Her lips opened automatically, welcoming him inside as her tongue dueled with his, her peaked nipples stabbing into his chest. Unable to resist, he slid his hand under her skirt, surprised and elated to find nothing but bare, soft flesh.

Sophie moaned into his mouth as he kneaded her buttocks, completely oblivious of the others in the room. By the time he released her mouth, she was more than ready and willing to give him what he obviously wanted.

“I bet I have Nora and Rachel to thank for your easy access. Very naughty, Sophie, naughty and sexy,” he drawled in a deep voice that sent additional shivers down her spine.

“Yes, you do, but as you guys so loudly put it ten minutes ago, come and get it or do without,” Rachel said as she grabbed the first piece of pizza.

Reluctantly releasing Sophie, Adrian looked at Rachel with a raised brow. “I’ll assume you’re talking about the food and heed your advice.”

Sophie took a seat, her face flaming as they all grinned at her, her stomach growling in response to the Italian aroma and her fired up senses screaming for her to hurry up.Chapter Ten

Adrian wasted no time stripping Sophie when they entered the den an hour later, the sight of her nipples through the sheer top and the thought of her naked under that short skirt spurring him on. “What?” he asked as he pulled her blouse off while she stood there looking at the changes in the room with a stunned expression.

“When did you guys do all this?” Waving her arm, she indicated the shoved aside furniture and the large, floor covering mat taking up the majority of the space.

“It doesn’t take long. The mat rolls up and is stored in the hall closet. Now, get out of that skirt and drop to your hands and knees.” He didn’t wait to see if she obeyed before striding to the cabinet and retrieving the leather spanker and a tube of lubricant. When he turned back towards her, his cock hardened even further at the sight of her looking up at him from the floor, her dangling breasts tipped with rock hard nipples, her thick, wavy caramel hair falling around her face and shoulders, her blue eyes locked on him with a need that he swore mirrored his own.