by Myles, Jill
So she clasped Belle's hand. "This will just involve a little deception ahead of time. You'll have to pretend like I'm marrying him until the wedding arrives. And I'll pretend too. Do you think you can do that?"
Belle nodded and gave Pippa an exaggerated wink. "We'll be very good at pretending.
You've already been perfect at it, Pippy."
That startled her. Did Belle know that she wasn't the real Pippa? "What do you mean?"
"Why, pretending to like him," Belle said with wide eyes. "He's revolting to look upon but you're able to hide it remarkably well. I have to commend you on that."
Pippa gritted her teeth. "I'm not pretending. I genuinely like him, Belle. You will too, once you realize what a good man he is. Just trust me."
"If you say so," Belle said skeptically.
9So, later that day, Pippa returned to Duncan's chambers. And she told him she would marry him. The look of joy on his face nearly made her weep, as did the tender way he cupped her cheeks in his paws and lightly kissed her mouth. He told her that she'd made him the happiest of men.
She felt like the biggest asshole alive—or dead.
9
CHAPTER SEVEN
"I don't know how you did it," the teapot told Pippa, "But you, my girl, turned this train-wreck around. I'm astonished. I'm shocked. I…hey, can you scratch my nose again?"
Pippa absently scratched the base of the teapot's spout. "I feel like such an awful person, Muffin. He was so happy at the thought of marrying me. He's going to be so betrayed when he finds out that it's not truly me after all."
"He's a man and Belle's gorgeous, so he'll get over it fast. Don't you worry about a thing, honey," the teapot told her, giving a little bounce on the serving tray and making the dishes rattle. "This is all working out according to plan."
"Great." Pippa tried to smile and failed. "So what happens with me once they're married and starting on the happy ever after?"
"Well, you have a few choices," Muffin said cheerfully. "The fairy godmother ranks are always looking for more capable candidates. And since you've done such a bang-up job on this case, I'd put in a good word for you."
"Thanks, I think." She didn't feel as if she were doing a great job. If anything, she felt like she'd done nothing but make things worse since she'd gotten there. "What are my other options?"
"Well, if not that, we'll consider witness protection."
"Witness protection?"
“You know, new name, new face, the works. Blank slate and all that. It’s what’s easiest for everyone involved. You can’t go back to your old existence because, for everyone you knew, the Pippa they used to know is long gone.”
That did not sound appealing in the slightest. "So I don't get to go back to anything familiar?"
"Nope. It's a fresh start no matter which way you go."
Pippa sighed, thinking of Duncan. She wanted to stay here with him…but perhaps it was for the best if he was going to be happily married to Belle. That would drive a knife into her heart each and every day she had to witness it. Happiness for him…but misery for her. "Let me think about it a few days, Muffin."
9"Take your time, sweetie," the teapot said, and her voice was strangely gentle. "But keep scratching."
~~***~~
The wedding was scheduled for a week out. That would give the castle enough time to prepare for the event, for their father and the village priest to arrive, and for her dress to be made.
The castle seamstresses (women with the heads of birds) measured her for the dress and sewed the pieces together, and every night, she and Belle would sneak into the rooms and let the seams out at the bust, so Belle could actually squeeze into it. Seeing as how Belle was quite a bit more ample in the chest area than Pippa, they decided that they would bind Belle's breasts on the wedding day to ensure that everything fit.
As the days passed, Belle and Pippa spent their time with Duncan in his chambers. Pippa and Duncan played chess together and chatted as if nothing were amiss. Duncan was quietly affectionate with her, though he gave Belle annoyed looks from time to time that told Pippa that he regretted her sister's presence. She couldn't tell Belle to leave, though. Not if it meant that Duncan would sweep Pippa into his arms and kiss her senseless.
Pippa wanted that more than anything, but she couldn't. Not if she was going to keep her resolve. So she dragged Belle everywhere with her, and Belle was quite happy to go, since she knew it would keep her husband-to-be apart from her sister. She amused herself with sewing, instead, as Pippa played chess with Duncan, and they talked about anything and everything.
Even when she was present, Belle ignored Duncan, and that made Pippa's heart ache as she thought of their marriage. Would it change after she was gone? Or would Belle continue to pursue her own happiness at Duncan's expense?
It wasn't her problem anymore, Pippa told herself. She couldn't think about things like that.
She had to concentrate on the future.
~~***~~
The night before the wedding, Pippa couldn't sleep. While Belle snored next to her and mumbled in her dreams, Pippa stared at the ceiling in misery.
9Tomorrow, she'd be gone. Tomorrow, she was going to betray the man she loved, a good man that wanted nothing more than to marry the woman he'd come to love. The woman who wasn't who he thought she was. She wasn't the real Pippa. She was a fake from another time and place.
All of this felt so incredibly wrong that it kept her up at night.
When Belle rolled over and smacked Pippa in the face with a sleep-sweaty hand, she decided to get up from the bed and go for a walk. Maybe some fresh air would clear her thoughts. At the very least, maybe a brisk walk would make her tired enough to fall asleep.
So she got up from bed and paced the dark halls of the castle. It felt muggy and warm inside, and she desperately wanted to feel a breeze, so Pippa headed out to the gardens. The air there was slightly better, the chill damp of the evening refreshing. The grass was wet with dew and she'd forgotten her shoes, lost in thought, so she gathered the long skirts of her flowing chemise in her hands and held it above her knees as she walked, idly pacing the grass.
A noise crackled in the brush behind her. Pippa went cold, thinking of the gigantic rat in the gardens. Who knew what else wandered out here at night? She paused and glanced around.
The beast emerged from the shadows, stalking toward her.
Pippa exhaled in relief, shoulders sagging at the sight of him. "You scared me."
"I should scare you," he said protectively, moving to her side. "It's dangerous to be out here at night." His words were stern but his fingers tenderly brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes.
"What do you do out here, sweet Pippa?"
She gave a small shrug. "I couldn't sleep."
"Thinking of tomorrow?" Duncan moved closer to her, his large, bulky figure a comfort.
"Thinking of nothing but that," she admitted. Though probably not for the same reasons as you.
"Tomorrow will be my greatest joy," Duncan told her, his hand sliding to her waist in a possessive caress. "I will finally marry the woman I love and then…" He paused, stopped.
"And then what?" she asked innocently, though she knew. He had to marry for love to break the curse. And since he'd never mentioned the curse to her, she assumed he was under the same crazy rule that she was - no mentions of the curse.
Of course, that brought another crazy worry to her mind. He loved Pippa, but Belle didn't love anyone but herself. Would that mean he'd still be cursed after tomorrow? It was a wretched 9thought, but she pushed it aside. She had to trust in the process. Muffin said that Belle and the beast had to get together for things to work correctly. She had to assume that meant that Belle would fall in love with him and the curse would be broken. Somehow.
Duncan brushed her cheek with the backs of his fingers, his yellow eyes glittering in the moonlight. "This has been the longest week of my existence. It seems we have not had a moment alone together since you accep
ted my proposal."
"No," she admitted with a faint smile. "Belle has been chaperoning. She wants us to wait for our wedding night." The words stuck in her throat.
He was going to have a wedding night with Belle.
Oh god, she was going to break down and cry if she thought about that much more.
"Ah, the wedding night," he murmured, moving closer to her. His large, clawed hand cupped her cheek and tilted her face up to his. "I admit I have thought of nothing but that night to come as well."
She leaned into his touch, her eyes sad. "I wish we didn't have to wait until tomorrow night."
Tomorrow, when he'd be all Belle's and not hers anymore.
His thumb stroked her cheek. "Then let us not wait, sweet Pippa. Will you…" he cleared his throat, his voice strangely gruff. "Will you come to my bed tonight and be with me?"
Her eyes widened and she stared up at him. If she went to his bed tonight…
It changed nothing. He'd still marry Belle tomorrow. She'd still be written out of the fairy tale tomorrow. She'd never see him again. "It'd be incredibly selfish of me," she admitted in a soft voice.
"I do not mind if you are selfish," he murmured, leaning close. She closed her eyes as he leaned in to kiss her, and she felt his lips press to her forehead in a tender caress.
"You would think less of me come tomorrow." When he found out the truth.
"I could never think less of you." He kissed her closed eyelids, tenderly kissed her nose. "Let me love you tonight, Pippa. I ache for you."
Oh god, she wanted this so badly. Torn by temptation, she hesitated in his arms. Would it truly be so terrible if she slept with him? Belle would be mad, but she wouldn't see Belle after tomorrow, would she? Belle would be here in the enchanted castle, and Pippa would be gone.
Muffin would be mad…but would it matter? Not as long as Belle married him.
9And Duncan would feel utterly betrayed by her. But in time, maybe he'd understand why she had to do it.
Because she loved him. Completely and utterly loved him, and she wanted—no, needed—
this one night with him to carry with her as a memory.
When he kissed her cheek with feather-light touches, she turned her face so the next brush of his lips was over her mouth. "Take me to your bed and make love to me, Duncan," Pippa told him in a soft voice.
He groaned and hugged her close, his big hand stroking her hair. "I love you, my Pippa."
The words of love rose in her throat but she bit them back. That would just be rubbing salt into the wound. She snuggled close to him and simply enjoyed his embrace, letting her touch say everything that her throat would not.
Duncan leaned in, and then his arm went around the back of her knees, and he hefted Pippa into the air, carrying her as if she weighed nothing. She gasped and clung to his shoulders, surprised at his strength as he strode through the gardens. "I can walk," she protested.
"Aye, but this way you cannot change your mind," he said, and she caught amusement in his voice.
Pippa laughed and tucked her head against his shoulder as he carried her up the stairs and back into the keep. They moved through the winding halls, and Duncan's steps led to his bedroom chamber. He set Pippa down at the doorway and hesitated.
"If you wish to return to your chamber tonight…I will understand," he told her, yellow eyes watching her face.
She shook her head. "There's nowhere I'd rather be tonight than with you," she told him, and it was the truth. She needed this night with him.
Duncan opened his door and led her inside. His room had been redecorated, she noticed.
Fine, embroidered banners hung from the walls. The couches had been reupholstered in a new fabric, and the bed was covered in soft new linens. She looked at him in surprise.
"It was to be a wedding present to you," he said in that gruff voice that told her he was feeling shy. "I was going to cover the bed with rose petals and lay your naked body upon it."
"You can still do that," she said in a soft voice, her throat aching with tenderness. "Just save it for tomorrow."
10"I will." He looked over at her and uncertainty rippled across his lion's face. "Would you…like the lights out? I know this form is not pleasing to look upon."
She shook her head, stepping closer to him. "You're handsome and desirable to me," she told him, and it was the truth. She could see him as nothing besides but this proud, lion-headed creature who stared at her with such longing and such passion. Her fingers went to the tie at the neck of her chemise and she pulled the bow free, letting the neck gape and slide about her shoulders, baring them. She wore nothing under the chemise, and already she could feel her sex dampening with excitement. She wanted this—wanted him—so badly.
His gaze moved up and down her body, the look in his eyes akin to wonder. One paw
reached for her, and then he hesitated, staring down at his own hand. "I wish I was a regular man…for you."
"You're perfect for me," Pippa told him, and tugged the nightgown off her shoulders. It fell to a pool on the floor. She stepped out of it, toward him.
Duncan groaned at the sight of her. "You're so beautiful." When she stepped closer, he held her away from him. "Let me look my fill at you."
She paused and waited for him, feeling a bit self-conscious. She didn't have the best figure in the world—as Belle liked to remind her, her breasts weren't large and her hips were probably rounder than she liked. But in his eyes, she was gorgeous, and she preened under the shining appreciation she saw in them. Her hand went to her hair and she pulled the tie free, letting the dark length of it sweep over her shoulder. "What do you think?"
"I think you are magnificent," he murmured in a husky voice, and reached for her again.
Then, his gaze went to her face. "May I touch you?"
"Touch me anywhere you like," she told him, stepping closer. "I am yours to play with."
"You should not say such things to a man starving with love," Duncan told her, his paw moving to her bare shoulder and brushing her hair aside. The touch was incredibly chaste, and she suspected he was testing her reaction to his touch more than anything else.
"I mean it," Pippa told him. "Touch me anywhere. Taste me anywhere. Tonight, I am yours."
And she took the paw resting on her shoulder and placed it on the swell of her breast.
He groaned.
10Her nipple immediately hardened under the touch, and she made a small sound of pleasure in the back of her throat. Though his hand looked like a paw, it felt like a warm male touch to her, the fingers strong, the palm wide. He stroked the curve of her breast. "Your skin is so soft."
She arched into his hand, moving forward a bit more until her hands went to his belt. "I like it when you touch me, Duncan."
"Aye?"
"Yeah," she breathed. "Your fingers on my skin feel incredible. Like you've never seen anything better."
"I haven't." His fingers circled her breast lightly again, then traced the outline of her nipple.
She moaned.
His fingertips played with her nipple, teasing the small peak into a hard, aching point. His thumb brushed over it, and then he circled it again, the movements teasing. His other paw went to her other breast, and then they were both cupped in loving, warm hands and pleasure rippled through her body.
"May I…taste you?"
Just the fact that he asked sent an erotic ripple through her body. She nodded, feeling weak at the thought of his mouth on her skin.
He paused in front of her, and then leaned down, his shaggy mane dragging over her skin in an odd, yet arousing motion. His hand still cupping the one breast, he leaned in and took the tip of the other in his mouth. A sharp cry of pleasure escaped her, and her fingers went to his mane, tangling in the coarse strands there as he nuzzled and tested her skin. "So sweet," Duncan murmured in a husky voice. His mouth tongued her nipple and then lightly sucked at the tip. "So beautiful."
Her fingers plucked at his mane, and then dragge
d over his shoulders as he continued to work her small breasts, teasing one with his fingers and suckling on the other. After a moment, he switched, determined to give each breast the attention it deserved. When both peaks were throbbing and wet from his mouth, he looked up at her, catlike eyes glazed with passion.
"You're still dressed," she whispered. "I want to see you naked."
"Later," he told her. "I would taste all of you first." And he nuzzled at her breast again. "Kiss all of you."
She moaned at the thought and nodded. "Then I want to explore you."
10"I want you in my bed," he told her, and he lifted her into his arms again.
Pippa felt feather-light in his arms. She clung to him as he carried her over to his enormous bed and laid her down atop of the covers. She watched him, eyes full of longing and trust as he lay down next to her on the bed. His hand skimmed over her breast again; now that she was laid out before him, he could touch and explore at his leisure. He caressed her breasts again, coaxing the nipples and watching her as she moaned and writhed in response. His large hand slid to her stomach, gliding over the softly rounded curve of it. And then his hand moved lower, his gaze on her face.
"I remember touching you during that game," he murmured to her, hand caressing her mound. "I thought I would never experience anything better than that day, but it seems I am wrong."
She smiled at him. "I loved it too, but I'm sad we only had seven minutes."
"This time, we shall have all night," he promised her, and laid his big hand over her sex. She moaned in response, her legs automatically falling open at his touch. Duncan stroked her mound, his touch cautious at first, and then it grew more exploratory. Now that he had the time to touch her at his leisure, he was in no rush. His fingers carefully explored every fold of her petals, traced her opening, and slid along her slick channel until he rediscovered her clit. When her hands fisted in the blankets above her head at that touch, he gave a low groan of his own pleasure. "I remember how you moaned when I touched you here."
"Yes," she breathed.
"And I remember that you liked it when I did this," he told her, stroking two fingers over her clit and rolling the small bud between his fingers.