Viridis - A Steampunk Romance (22 page)

She shifted so she could kiss him, a slow and sweet
kiss, full of promise. Pulling back a little, she said, “Thank
you.”

“For what?” His eyebrow perked up in question.

“For being understanding enough to forgive Gavin. I
think he’s been pretty hard on himself regarding the matter. He’d
be devastated to lose your friendship.”

“Perhaps, but I think it’d depend on whether or not
he got you in exchange, aye?” He smiled at her, but only for a
moment. He needed her to know he was serious about what he was
about to tell her. “And let me make myself clear, Phoebe. There are
to be no more secrets between us. No lies and no truths left
unsaid, aye?”

Phoebe nodded. “You have my promise.”

“And you have mine.” He linked his fingers with
hers. He knew it would be difficult to tell her what he was about
to, but it had to be done. “Listen, love, if ever anything happens
to me—” he put a finger to her lips, to stop her protests. “We have
uncertain times ahead of us, Phoebe. The Cause may end up in
revolution before long, and if that happens, it’s going to get
bloody and dangerous. I’ll need to know you’re safe and taken care
of. I spoke to Gavin about it. He’s to take care of you and make
sure you’re safe. Maybe get you to the continent, or perhaps to
Scotland now that they’re a sovereign nation. Out of London, at the
very least.”

She sat up, her anger and indignation mottling her
delicate skin red in the light of the coming dawn. “I’m not
leaving, Seth. I will not go! If there’s to be a revolution,
they’ll need as many people as they can get. I’m not going to have
you shuffling me off like some frail and feeble-minded female.”

He tried to reason with her. “Phoebe, love, do you
know what they do to traitors? I’ll tell you, since the last thing
I’d ever think you is frail or feeble-minded, aye?” He reached out
and took her hand in his, running his thumb across the ring he’d
placed on her finger. “They are hung, my love, but not from a
height as to be merciful enough to snap their neck. Instead they
slowly suffocate, dangling at the end of a rope as they struggle
for air, their eyes popping as the blood bursts the vessels, their
bowels letting loose in the final throws of a death— a death that
can sometimes take over a quarter of an hour to come. Just be glad
they no longer draw and quarter traitors, though I would not put it
past them to reinstate the practice if a revolution breaks
out.”

When he looked up at her, it was to find she was
white as a sheet, trying to keep herself upright, her body swaying.
He reached out and pulled her into the safety of his arms, holding
her tight. He would not, however, be able to keep her there
indefinitely, and needed to know she would be safe if anything
should happen.

“I need you to understand the gravity of the
situation. I will not have you come to harm if I can prevent
it.”

Her jaw was set in stubbornness. “So hanging is a
perfectly acceptable end for yourself, then?”

Frustrated, he said, “We’re talking of a revolution,
with blood and death, the numbers not in our favor. By virtue of
the fact that you’ve already contributed to the Cause, you would be
tried for high treason if the revolution fails. I’ll see you safe,
Phoebe, and you’ll not win on this account.”

“You cannot make me go, Seth.”

“In a few days time, I’ll be able to do just that.
Or will you disobey me as your husband?”

“Hmph! I did not know I was
agreeing
to
obey.” Her arms crossed in defiance. Again, he’d taken the wrong
approach with her, yet this time he did not care.

He cursed, his own anger getting the better of him.
He grabbed her arms and refrained from shaking her until her teeth
rattled and she finally saw sense. “Phoebe, by the gods, if I need
to gag and bind you to get you safely out of London, I’ll do just
that!”

She struggled to free herself from his grip and it
was like holding onto a hellcat. “I swear to you, Seth, I’ll cut
your liver out if you do! I will not go and leave you behind.”

Their struggles had freed the tie on her shift,
leaving her breasts exposed, her hair loosened in a wild mass of
mahogany curls. She looked, in all her fury, like a goddess of
wrath getting ready to devour his soul, a soul he would gladly
offer up to her in sacrifice.

He kissed her full on the lips, not able to help
himself from doing so, and half hoping it would quell some of her
anger. He felt her struggles lessen and she softened in his arms,
his kiss slowing until he pulled away. Expecting some of her anger
to have dissipated, it caught him off guard when sheer reflexes
caught the hand whistling towards his head.

Still holding onto her hand, he gave her a sly smile
at having foiled her attack, her anger now compounded by
frustration, as she released a scream of indignation through
gritted teeth. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Phoebe, love. What are
we doing here?”

“Ugh! Let go of me, Seth or, by the gods, I’ll—”

He cut off her threat with another kiss, his cock
now hard as her body rubbed against him, trying to get free. They
fell back onto the bed in their struggles, Phoebe landing on top of
him. Getting an elbow free from his grasp, she landed the point of
it in is his ribs, the weight of her body giving it the force it
would otherwise lack. The air shot out of his lungs with a groan,
and Phoebe immediately sat up, a look of fear on her face.

“Seth? Are you all right?”

He seized the opportunity, and with a swift move,
reversed their positions so that he was now laying on top her, her
hands pinned to the mattress, her body writhing to get free as her
shift rode up over her hips in the process.

Ignoring the precariousness of their situation and
her curses, he tried to reason with her. “Phoebe, could you please
calm down. You’re going to do yourself an injury.”

“If you don’t let go of me, Seth, I swear I’ll
scream.” Phoebe glared at him and he did not doubt her threat. He
had visions of Gavin bursting into the room and happily planting a
dirk in his back. But with her firm body squirming to get free from
under him, millions of years of evolution had his hips grinding
against hers in search of the slick heat between her legs. It took
all the self-control he had to keep from thrusting into her, his
hard length pulsing with need.

He bent his head to hers, his breath now ragged, his
words but a whisper. “Phoebe… I love you so.”

She rose up to meet him, her mouth now hungry on
his. Still not quite ready to fully believe in her surrender, he
kept hold of her wrists, though he was happy enough to lose himself
in her kiss. Her hips tilted towards him, seeking him out, her legs
easing open to take him in.

No longer able to hold back, he buried himself to
the hilt, her body tight around him as he filled her. By the gods,
she was so slick and hot with want, he felt any semblance of
self-control vanish, Phoebe his only thought as he took her, his
need far too great to take things slow.

Her legs wrapped around him to pull him in even
deeper, her hips rising to meet his every thrust. A moan escaped
from her lips, muffled by his greedy kisses, her body tensing under
him as his onslaught continued, her hands now struggling to get
free. Shifting both her wrists into his one hand, he let the other
run down the length of her body, pausing momentarily to tease a
nipple erect through the sheer fabric of her shift, before
continuing its journey to scoop her perfectly rounded bottom,
enabling him to sink his cock even deeper.

Her body shuddered under his assault, a scream on
her lips as her orgasm tore through her, yet he could do little but
pause for just a heartbeat before continuing, his own need now
teetering on the edge. He flipped them over with one swift move,
landing her on top of him, his hard length never leaving the warm
sheath of her body.

“Like that, is it?” she asked. Mischief tugged at
the corner of her mouth, as he now offered himself up to her
mercies, his body prone. She sat up, bracing her weight on her
knees as she lifted herself up along his shaft, oh so slowly,
stopping only when she got to the very top. Her hips shifted to and
fro, before slipping back down his length in one quick go only to
start their torturously slow ascent once again.

His cock, rock hard and ready to burst, pulsed in
desperation. “Phoebe, my love, your going to be the death of
me.”

He reached up to grab her hips, needing to bury
himself fully, but she swatted his hands away. “Don’t you dare,
Seth Elliott. You’ll not spill your seed until I tell you. Do you
hear me?”

He bit his lip and nodded, not sure he’d be able to
keep up his end of the bargain. Her hair was a tangled mass, her
shift barely on as it fell precariously off her shoulder, her skin
luminescent in the predawn light.

Phoebe continued to torment him, changing the pace
or shifting to keep him guessing and driving him further insane,
gently raking her nails down his chest, pausing to pinch his
nipples erect. She left him lightheaded, all his blood having
drained south, his heart sputtering as it threatened to stop
working altogether.

“Phoebe…” He pleaded with her, knowing he could not
take much more. Her pace mercifully started to quicken, and he sat
up, clamping an arm around her waist to press her body to his as
she continued to ride him.

He kissed her hard, his desperation palpable, his
self-control slipping with each additional thrust until she finally
spoke the words he needed to hear.

“Now, my love.”

Chapter Thirty One

After dropping Phoebe off, Seth and Gavin returned
to Seth’s home in companionable silence. They headed into the
drawing room where Gavin poured them a drink while he got a fire
going. Seth took the offered glass and then sank into one of the
chairs by the fireplace.

Gavin looked at him, the corners of his mouth just
starting to curl. “You look exhausted,
mo charaid
. ‘Twas a
rough night, aye?”

“I reckon you could say that. Though it had its
benefits.”

Gavin laughed. “I dinna doubt it.” He sipped his
drink, then said, “Look, it’s been grand spending time with yerself
and Phoebe, but dinna feel like ye need to be dragging me around
with ye. I’m ne’er at a loss to find something to keep myself
occupied.”

“Nonsense. I enjoy what little time we get when
you’re in town, as does Phoebe. Who knows when I’ll next see you,
aye? Besides, you’d be getting yourself into far too much trouble
otherwise, and Phoebe would have my hide if anything happened to
during one of your adventures and me not there to save you.”

Gavin looked down at his drink playing with the
glass, before finally speaking. “I’m sorry about the entire
situation,
mo charaid
. I’d ne’er want to come between the
two of ye. Just thought ye had a right to ken the truth— especially
with the wedding and me marrying ye, though the truth is I was out
of line from the start.”

Seth knew Gavin was taking it hard. “No worries.
It’s in the past and I had no claim at the time. But that was the
past, and I have a rightful claim now, aye?”

“Aye. It’s nae something I’ll be forgetting.” He
looked back at his drink for a moment longer before bringing the
glass to his lips and throwing back the rest.

“Listen, Moore and Clarke have something brewing and
I don’t know when it will all come to a head. If they’re having you
transport weapons, then a revolution is closer than I previously
thought. I wish I knew what Moore and Clarke were up to, but it’s
hard to know.”

“Aye. They keep things to themselves, but ‘tis
likely the reason they’ve stayed alive this long. The SS would have
killed the Cause by now if it werena for the two of them.”

Seth ran a hand down his face. “I know I’ve asked
you to take Phoebe as far from here as possible if something should
happen, and when I first thought to ask, I did not think she would
protest o’er much.” He paused to shake his head. “I’m afraid I was
mistaken.”

Gavin laughed. “Based on the sounds coming through
the wall, I’m half surprised she didn’t have your guts for
garters.”

“Truth of the matter is, I do not think she’ll make
it any easier for you,
mo charaid
. Regardless, I need to
know that you’ll be successful in seeing her safe— that you won’t
let her bully or charm her way out of it.”

“I’ll not fail ye.” He then smirked. “I may not
survive it, but I’ll see her safe first.” A knock at the door
interrupted their conversation.

Seth got up to answer and was surprised to find
William on his doorstep. “Inspector. I’d not been expecting you.
Please come in.” They headed to the sitting room. “Have a seat. Can
I get you a drink?” Seth’s gut clenched. The inspector looked stiff
and formal, his face grim. It was not difficult to guess why.

“No. Thank you. I’m afraid my business here is not
pleasant. You’ll pardon me,” he bowed his head in Gavin’s
direction, “but this may be something you want to discuss in
private.”

Seth shook his head. “No worries, Inspector. Feel
free to speak your mind.”

William took the offered seat, and ran a hand down a
tired face before speaking. “Do you know Lord Victor Fenwick?”
William’s eyes were now locked on Seth’s.

Victor. He scoffed as he gave his head a shake. “I
have met him on a few occasions, though I cannot say I’ve ever been
in his company for more than a few minutes. What is this regarding,
Inspector?”

William sighed. “Lord Fenwick has accused you of
attempting to murder him. Would you know anything about this?”

Seth’s eyebrows shot up in question, his voice still
calm. “I know that if I had wanted the man dead, he’d not still be
breathing.”

William sat forward, looking like he’d aged another
ten years. “Is he the one who hurt Lady Hughes?”