A very wicked christmas, p.6
A Very Wicked Christmas, page 6
It was as if the late Mrs. Cabot might return at any moment.
The thought made Amy decidedly uncomfortable and chilled her heart. Mr. Cabot had not packed away any of his wife’s possessions. He was still grieving for the woman he had loved and lost so suddenly. She faced him quickly, noting that Mrs. Cabot’s possessions existed only on one side of the room. Amy liked the view of Mr. Cabot’s possessions so much better. She felt less an intruder facing that direction.
She moved toward Cabot quickly and stopped at his side.
He peered into her face, the warm light in his eyes slowly fading as their eyes held. “Is something the matter?”
“No.” Amy brought her hands to his cravat and frowned at the complicated knot. How to untie it defeated her. “What is this knot called?”
“A Cabot. It is my own design.” He lifted his chin and began to untie it. “So are you well versed in knotting too?”
“No.” She concentrated on the twisting’s and turning’s of the complicated knot until it gave way. “I only know how to unravel them.”
Amy stretched the long length of cloth and then laid it over a chairback close to the fire. She wriggled a little in the warmth the fire cast on her skin. Fires were wonderful creations. She’d never take them for granted again.
She jumped as Harper grasped her hips from behind.
“Stay there.” He made short work of removing her gown and then, after another rustle of fabric, fell to his knees behind her. “Hold on to the mantel if need be.”
His lips brushed the top of her bottom, and then he slowly moved lower, kissing her cheeks and thighs lightly as he went. He eased his fingers around her inner thighs and applied pressure until she parted her legs.
He rested his face against her side. “You are so soft and lovely to touch.”
Amy squirmed as he probed between her legs and then penetrated her sex with his fingers. She was not used to such attention but soon moaned at everything he did. He worked his fingers in and out of her sheath until she was panting, gripping the mantel for support as her bones turned to water. He was doing it again, driving her toward a pleasure only he’d shown her. His touch was setting her nerves on fire, but she knew his cock would feel so much better.
“Sir, please.”
“Please what, Miss Mellish?”
Amy threw her head back, allowing her long hair to brush her bottom. She widened her stance. “Please be inside me.”
He thrust into her with his fingers and then pushed a little deeper until she moaned. “I am inside you.”
“Not like that.” She groaned as he teased forward to her clitoris and circled the spot. “I want you.”
“What do you want, and be precise now,” he said, a hint of laughter in his tone.
She blushed. “I want your cock inside me. I want you to be wicked with me.”
“That is exactly what I hoped you’d say.” He embraced her from behind, and the hard length of his erection branded her bottom. He had removed his clothes at some point without her realizing he was naked too. She turned to view him, curious about what else the darkness of last night had concealed.
Harper was generously proportioned—wide shoulders, narrow hips, thick of cock but not so big as to hurt her. Seed wept from the tip, and Amy licked her lips, anticipating another pleasure she was sure he would like to receive from her.
Harper caught her up in his arms and carried her toward the bed before she could fall to her knees and take him into her mouth. He eased her down on his side of the mattress, parted her legs, and then settled over her.
Amy pressed her hands to his chest, prepared for the first thrust and the ones to come. He did not move. “Sir?”
Instead of sliding into her body immediately, he touched her all over—her hips, her thighs, her breasts, which he cupped and kissed until she was breathless. When he did ease into her body, she was desperate for release.
“Oh, my dear lady,” he whispered. “You feel so very good around me.”
Amy blushed and wrapped her arms about his neck, holding on to him as he began to move in earnest. Being loved by Mr. Cabot was no chore, no imposition. She could not be paid for accepting such beautiful feelings.
Amy kissed him, teased his tongue with hers, and wrapped her fingers about the back of his neck to hold him close.
It seemed that every time with Harper was like the first time she had made love to him. She slid her hands up and down his sides, pulling him deeper into her body, harder against her skin. Making love was lovely, a fine dance with only their desire making music.
Amy brought her knees up to his chest and then slipped one over his shoulder. The higher angle of thrust brought a moan tumbling from his lips. He glanced down at where they joined. “Damn, but that is an incredible view.”
He slowed his thrusts, and Amy craned her neck to see them join. She ached anew as his wet length slid out.
“Come back,” she whispered and was rewarded with his slow return. The shocking thrill, the glide of his flesh into hers, was beyond her experience. Amy closed her eyes as he repeated the slow penetration.
Cabot rotated his hips, moving his cock in a slow circle inside her body. Amy grasped his arms as she was assailed by a riot of sensations she could not deny. She dug her fingers into his firm flesh even as her body came apart from the sudden change in friction. She shrieked as pleasure spiked and kept her eyes closed as Harper pounded her body only to groan a moment later, spilling his seed inside her body.
She opened her eyes slowly and met his. Her heart flipped at his warm expression.
He cupped her face and then kissed her soundly. “Glorious.”
“Indeed,” she whispered, meaning his passions. There seemed no end to Harper’s desire and no barrier to sharing new and exciting experiences with him.
Lust like this had no price. Amy could not accept payment for what they shared in this bed, in this place of business. Not when she was the one who was receiving so much more pleasure than she was giving out. It was supposed to be a business arrangement between them but taking money would cheapen what she felt when they were together.
Chapter Nine
Harper woke suddenly and completely, memories of last night’s passionate hours clear and arousing. He reached for Amy as she rose stealthily from his warm bed. “Sneaking away again?”
“I hate partings,” she whispered. However, she settled on the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh and made no further move to leave him.
He scooted across the bed to capture her. “Then stay here today. The snow is falling thick outside.”
He had no idea if that was true or not, but it was his only excuse for selfishness. She should not be outside in the elements. Not alone. She needed shelter, and Harper was keen to keep her warm and comfortable.
Amy glanced at the window and her face fell. “That is terrible news.”
“Is it really an imposition?” He smiled at her and teased her arm. Last night had been more than pleasurable. More satisfying than the night before. He wanted a chance to feel that way again, but only with Amy. If she was willing to remain as his guest and lover. “Stay here. Stay warm and don’t go out.”
There was also the danger of a killer who had not been caught to worry about. He had managed to pass along Amy’s halting description yesterday without saying where he had gathered the information from. He hoped they caught the man soon.
He would mention the threat the killer posed only if she was determined to leave. He could not bear to see her shake in fear again.
She drew in a sharp breath and glanced around. He believed her tempted. Who wouldn’t be prepared to stay in when the winter devils were howling around the eaves? “Well, if you want me, I can certainly keep you entertained.”
“Pleasure will have to wait until tonight. As much as I would like to remain abed with you, I have the shop to run still, and your clever idea to put into motion,” he reminded her. “Aside from the start of the season, this is the busiest time of year for the shop. You would not believe the excuses women use to explain the purchase of twenty yards of lace and silk to match.”
“Oh, I can indeed imagine. My mother barely slept at this time of year, finishing gowns for the wealthiest ladies of our town. They probably wore them for just a few hours too.” She nibbled on her lip. “If you will not need me for pleasure, do you have anything for me to do for the day? A bath, a warm bed, and so much food must be repaid in kind. I must earn my keep.”
He shifted closer to her and ran his hand up her spine. She sighed with pleasure. He loved that she reacted to every touch as if it was the best feeling she had ever experienced. “I had considered it a fair trade.”
“You are too easy on me, sir. A few shillings worth of pleasure hardly compares for all you have done for me. It is I who owes you for all your kindness and the roof over my head. I have not been so wanted for months.”
He frowned at the mention of the manner she earned her living and released her. It irritated him that other men had taken their pleasure with her and never considered her needs too. She was too good for that sordid use. Too gentle to have fallen so far with no one to protect her. Perhaps he could… He leaned against the headboard as the rest of that thought vanished before he could grasp it.
Besides, what had he done but use her as other men had before him?
Except, she had not taken a penny in coin for the pleasure her body had brought him. Indeed, their negotiations tended to fall by the wayside as soon as they touched. But there was also the satisfaction of her company to consider, and that was beyond any price he could name. Amy was bright, curious, and quite intelligent. An easy companion to share the evening with.
She had beaten back his loneliness with her sweet kisses and shared confidences. Having a woman to care for had lightened his heart to a considerable degree. “I have some shirts that are missing buttons. Perhaps, if it is not too much trouble, you might mend them?”
“Gladly. Might I do anything else for you before you start your workday?” She slid onto the bed and peeled the warm bedclothes away from his body. Since he had slept naked, she noticed his aroused state immediately. “A personal service, perhaps?”
He gasped as she took him in hand, and when her mouth closed around the head of his cock and she tongued his slit, his hips jerked off the bed. He came fully erect almost as soon as her head bobbed up and down.
Perhaps he would have to start work late that day.
It had been an age since a woman had done this to him, even his wife had avoided the task in the past few years. Amy, however, was both attentive and vigorous in stirring his passions. He’d no idea she would want to do this. She moved onto her knees and her pert bottom wiggled in the air as she lavished him with every scrap of her attention. She sucked, her thin cheeks hollowing, and forced him very deep indeed. His heart almost stopped when she swallowed. He cupped her face as she massaged his cock head with the back of her throat.
“Dear God. That feels incredible,” he whispered. “Where did you learn? No, do not answer that. I don’t need to know.”
Amy chuckled around him.
He grasped the nightgown he had slipped her into last night before exhaustion had claimed them and exposed her pale bottom. Amy wiggled just a little closer, offering her skin to his wandering hands. He stroked over her rear, skimming the tips of his fingers over her quim and back up again. She was delightfully moist as he probed her entrance, and he was eager to bring her pleasure too. As he pushed his fingers deep and twisted them, scissoring in the way she had liked last night, Amy hummed around his erection. Harper almost lost control and spilled down her throat there and then.
Only an intense need to hold her in his arms as he came prevented that.
Harper removed her mouth from his length and brought her pouting red lips to his. He kissed her deeply and hungrily, amused by her obvious disappointment at his interference. Amy came to rest over his body, restlessly rubbing against him. He sucked her tongue and then plundered her mouth with his own. Her thin limbs slid over his in a heady dance of sensation. He had missed morning trysts, though the feel of Amy was muted by her prim nightgown.
He removed it completely so she was as naked as he and pulled her hard against him.
After a second thought he sat up, wrapping her legs around his waist and stroking along her spine while he suppressed his arousal. Amy might be tiny, but she was so very vivid and alert to his needs and appetites. To think he had almost hesitated to invite her into his home. He could not get enough of touching her and hearing her moan when he did.
She twisted up and brought him into her body.
Harper curled his arms around her back and rested his hands on her shoulders as he pressed her fully down until she could take no more. He held her close for a moment, loving the feeling of being connected again to another human soul whose desire for him was so patently obvious.
He eased back to play with her breast, catching her eye as he thumbed her nipple. “This is what you missed yesterday morning. We should start all our days together like this.”
Amy moaned her agreement and shifted on his length. He lowered his hand to her quim and stroked the hard nubbin at the apex of her thighs.
She moaned loudly. “Oh, sir. Yes!”
He kissed her neck and then scraped his teeth over her pale flesh as he continued to tease her. “Harper,” he whispered. “Call me Harper when we are abed.”
“Harper, oh please do not stop touching me like that,” she whispered as she writhed and squirmed, pushing into his teasing fingers, sliding his cock up and down her soaked passage. It was plain to see that she loved everything he did to her and saw no reason to hide her enjoyment.
Neither did he.
When she cried out, Harper rolled Amy onto her back and moved over her. He lifted her legs up onto his shoulders and drove into her again and again. Beneath him, Amy smiled with a dreamy quality, and he was incapable of looking away. He pounded her pussy until his balls drew up and he shot his seed deep inside with a hoarse shout.
At that moment, the bed gave an alarming groan and pitched against the wall.
Amy stared at him and then covered her mouth. “You broke the bed,” she announced in a muffled voice.
He was breathing hard from his release but had energy enough to laugh. He had never done such a thing before, but he was not the only one to blame. He checked they were in no danger of complete collapse, then cupped her cheek. “We broke the bed. I wasn’t the only one in it, so you must take a share of the blame.”
She fought a grin to whisper, “I’m sorry.”
“False contrition if ever I’ve seen it.” He brushed his fingers over her temple and smoothed her dark hair over the white pillow. She was so lovely that for a moment his heart gave a queer lurch. He licked his lips. “Don’t be sorry. Being loved is the best way to start the day in my opinion.”
It was true; loving a woman was all he had ever wanted. And he had Amy for the moment. A woman he thought he might like to keep entirely for himself no matter how inappropriate the situation.
He would have to carefully consider how to keep a lover secret from his employees and sister. They each had an annoying habit of concerning themselves with Harper’s love life. He did not want Amy scared away under any circumstances. Not when they had only just begun to explore their mutual desire.
Chapter Ten
Amy peeked through the gap in the doorway between Mr. Cabot’s private residence and the bustling haberdashery. She was bored and restless; she had not seen Mr. Cabot’s face for over an hour since he had disappeared into the far room with a haughty-looking woman and had closed the door. The room held his best fabrics and undoubtedly he was being his usual attentive self.
That idea was entirely bothersome.
She eased the door open a tiny bit more to observe the pair of gentlemen drinking coffee and munching on ginger biscuits in the bay windows. Her idea seemed to be working, but she was not sure if her suggestion was adding to Mr. Cabot’s sales.
Noticing the plate of ginger biscuits had fallen to just one again, she carefully closed the door and turned to the worktable to prepare a fresh plate for Mr. Cabot to collect the moment he noticed it was needed. When it was done, she sat down again and worried at her lower lip, considering how she might be more helpful.
She was not used to being idle. Even as poor as she had been, Amy had made sure never to linger too long in any one place.
The shirts he had asked to be mended were done long ago. She had found a gentlemen’s magazine on his night table but had found little in it to interest her. She had crept downstairs to the kitchen and found a full wicker basket of food for Mr. Cabot that must have been delivered during her brief exploration of the upper floor. She had set the table and laid out his luncheon in readiness. However, she had no idea how to attract his attention short of bursting in where a woman of her sort was not wanted.
She went back to her spot by the door. The clock struck the hour of one o’clock, and the older employee, Mr. Hunter, moved toward the front door. Whenever Amy had risked peeking into the shop, she had taken the time to study both men unobserved. Hunter was not as warm as Mr. Cabot but knew his yards and muslins and lace very well indeed. He turned every inquiry into a sale of something. He was liked but not flirted with as often as the ladies did with Mr. Cabot or Mr. Pelaw.
The younger man was the complete opposite of Hunter, politely completing purchases for his customers, offering up a sweet treat wrapped in festive paper as they left with a warm smile. A good portion of the women he served were falling in love with him already. The other half would be convinced soon enough given how sweet his manners. His handsome face was indeed a growing attraction for those patronizing Cabot’s Haberdashery.
Amy, however, was more interested in Mr. Cabot—Harper—and the many and varied ways he could express his feelings without words. His tone of voice and posture spoke so loudly of his state of mind. Whether it be gentle persuasion to purchase or debate over a conflict of two choices, he was always kind and perceptive. He presented his interest with an intimacy that had caused more than one lady to smile intently at his retreating back.
