The Touch Of The Outcast

by Amalia Altman

  “Was she?” Julian asked in a tight voice. “She doesn’t—she doesn’t look like it, my lord.”

  “She cleans up well,” Lord Bishop said, holding Elise tighter even as he ate with his free hand.

  “Indeed,” said Julian. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Elise, who was watching him the same way. She looked dazzling, and despite himself he found himself looking at her mouth, at the decadent red curve of her lips. “It’s nice to meet you, Elise.”

  “You as well, my lord,” Elise said.

  “So what made you decide you wanted to look at the painting now, Lord Ashton?” the man asked.

  Julian pulled his eyes away from Elise, looking at Lord Bishop.

  “I’m redecorating my library and thought it would be an excellent addition,” Julian said. “I hope you’re still willing to part with it?”

  “If the price is right, my lord,” the big man said. Julian saw Elise tense in her chair and his eyes glanced downward to see that Lord Bishop’s hand was on her leg under the table. Julian couldn’t see what he was doing, but it filled him with an anger that was impossible for him to control.

  “Lord Bishop,” Julian said sharply. “Your—um, new pet is very beautiful. But I would appreciate if you kept your hands off of her while I am in your presence.”

  Lord Bishop stared at Julian for a moment with a challenging look on his face, then grinned. Julian felt relief pass through him when the man lifted his hand to the table.

  “I never took you for a prudish man, Lord Ashton,” the man said, chuckling.

  “My apologies, my lord,” Julian said, though it killed him to have to bow and scrape to this man. “It’s just—“

  The man waved him off. “No need to explain. Some men don’t have the balls for it.”

  “Right,” Julian said, chewing on his lip. “Is it time to see the painting? I’m afraid that it’s been quite a long day and I’d like to retire within the hour.”

  “Of course,” said Lord Bishop. He looked at Elise. “Elise, would you show Lord Ashton to the sitting room? I’ll be there shortly.”

  “Yes, my lord,” Elise said obediently, standing up. She met Julian’s eye and he followed her from the dining room through the hall, silent until they went up the stairs and into a room on the third floor. She opened the door and let him in, then shut it behind them, looking up at his face with wide, intense eyes.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, her voice trembling.

  “I came to find you,” Julian said. “I heard you came here after you went to the brothel.”

  “You went to the brothel?”

  “I went to look for you. They told me you were here. I had to come.”

  “Why?” she asked, peering at him, her lovely green eyes glowing with heat. He stared at her, drinking her in, wanting to breathe her deep and never let her go again. He didn’t answer, instead reaching for her, taking her arm in his hand and pulling her against him. He lifted his hand to her cheek, prepared to pull her face to his when the door opened and they pulled abruptly apart. For a moment, Julian thought he saw a hint of suspicion in Lord Bishop’s eye, but it passed quickly as he crossed the room to the painting.

  “You can go to bed, Elise,” the man said, waving her off as if she were nothing. She glanced at Julian, then nodded.

  “Good night, my lords,” she said, holding his eye for a moment before she disappeared. He looked after her, listening for her footsteps until he heard them overhead. He tried to note where she was going before he turned back to Lord Bishop, who was looking at him expectantly.

  “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  “She is,” Julian agreed, stepping closer to the painting. Lord Bishop leaned into Julian, his breath hot and foul on his cheek.

  “She’s a wildcat in bed. Fights like an animal.”

  Julian didn’t speak, couldn’t speak.

  “You don’t find one like that every day,” Lord Bishop went on. “If you’re ever interested in finding a girl like that, let me know. They had some fine ones at the brothel I picked her up at.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” was all Julian said, his voice stiff. He hoped that his hatred and disdain for the man didn’t show in his eyes—every word Lord Bishop said filled Julian with revulsion. He wanted nothing more than to hit the man, but he knew that wasn’t how he was going to get Elise to come home with him.

  “I’ll give you the night to think over the painting. In the morning, if you want, I’ll have it packaged up for you and sent to your estate.”

  “Very good, thank you,” Julian said. He followed Lord Bishop out of the sitting room then and into the hallway. Lord Bishop led Julian to his room and said good night, and a few minutes later Julian heard a door close down the hall.

  Chapter 14

  Elise was in bed when there was a knock on the door. Her heart started to pound in her chest and she swallowed, standing up and creeping across the floor. She opened it a crack, expecting to see Lord Bishop and his massive form ready to crawl into bed with her. She shuddered at the thought, but was surprised when she saw Julian on the other side. He met her eye as soon as she opened the door and she froze, captivated by his stare.

  “My lord—“ she said, but was cut off when he put his hands to her face and pulled her to him, taking her mouth in a soft kiss. The images that flooded her mind took her breath away—her own body, naked, spread on the bed with him on top of her. He kissed her again, then again, backing her into the room and shutting the door softly behind him.

  “Elise,” he said, but she cut him off, kissing him again so that she could see more of his fantasies. In his mind he was deep inside of her, so deep and good that she could almost feel it as he slipped his tongue into her mouth, wrapping his arms around her waist. She pressed her body against his, tasting him as in his head he pinned her hands above beside her and watched her face as he rode against her. Elise had never seen images so vivid, so sensual, and she closed her eyes and whimpered as his imagination drove his hips harder into hers. She molded against him and his hands traveled over her waist and upwards, wrapping around the back of her neck.

  “What are you doing?” she asked him, breathing against his lips, her heart pounding frantically in her chest. “What is this?”

  “Come home with me,” he said, kissing her again, bringing a soft sigh from her lips.

  “I can’t,” she said, though she wanted nothing more than to do just that. She thought of the evil in his house, all of his wicked secrets, how dangerous it was just being around him, and she shook her head. “That house—“

  “Is empty and haunted with you there. Evil. I never felt it before you left and now it’s everywhere.”

  She looked up into his eyes, drinking him in, the lines of his handsome face. She had missed him terribly, not just the way he made her feel hot, but the way he made her laugh as well.

  “I won’t be your whore,” she said. “I’m nobody’s whore.”

  “I’m not asking you for that. I just want you to come back. You can be a maid, if you want.”

  Elise raised her eyebrows. “Is that what you want, my lord?”

  He didn’t answer her, but studied her face.

  “Lord Bishop, has he hurt you?”

  Elise looked away from him, hiding her eyes.

  “He hasn’t—he hasn’t forced me yet,” she said softly. “But I think he will soon.”

  Julian’s jaw grew tense, his lips pressing into a thin line.

  “We’re leaving now,” he said, walking around the room and gathering her things. Elise watched him, her heart racing.

  “We can’t just leave, my lord,” she said. “Lord Bishop—“

  “He’s a sot. A pig,” Julian spat. “If he lays another hand on you, I will break his neck.”

  The words sent a shiver through Elise’s spine with their ferocity. Looking at his face, she could tell that he meant every one o
f them.

  “Shouldn’t we tell him?”

  “No,” said Julian firmly. Elise took the bag from him and started to put her things in, wrapping up a few of the dresses that Lord Bishop had gifted to her on her first day at his estate. She had known then what she was in for and regretted coming with him immediately; when she’d agreed to move to his estate, she had been under the impression that he’d wanted a maid, but when she’d arrived there, he’d made it very clear that he’d wanted something else from her entirely. The thought made Elise shudder, and Julian noticed, because he paused what he was doing and kissed her softly again. This time, his thoughts were more gentle, tender, imagining himself with his face buried in her neck, kissing the skin there. Elise wished that he would really do so, that she could feel his mouth there as he took her, b. But she knew it was a bad idea to get any closer to him than a kiss.; Elise didn’t know what she wanted from Lord Ashton, but she knew that she was in no place to become intimate with him, however much she might like to.

  “Are you ready?” he asked when she put her bag over her shoulder. She nodded at him, but paused before they got to the door, looking down over her body.

  “Do you think I should change?” she asked. His lips quirked into a small smile.

  “I actually rather like what you’re wearing,” he said. Elise blushed, following him out the door. It was dark in the house, almost too dark to see, but she took Julian’s hand and followed him out the house, shutting the door behind them. He cursed when they got outside and she looked at him, alarmed.

  “What is it?” she asked.

  “I don’t know where their stables are,” he said. “Do you?”

  “Yes,” Elise said.

  “Is Lovely there?”

  She looked at him sadly. “I had to leave her behind.”

  “At the brothel?”

  Elise nodded. “Lord Bishop wouldn’t take her.”

  Julian took her hand, squeezing it. “We’ll get her back.”

  Elise didn’t think so, but she didn’t say anything. She was too nervous. She looked over her shoulder at the mansion, shivering when she thought of Lord Bishop inside, of the possibility that he could wake up any moment. She didn’t think that he’d be able to stop her from leaving, but Elise had seen the look in Lord Bishop’s eyes before that told her he wouldn’t hesitate to fight Lord Ashton if he thought it meant he could keep Elise as his pet.

  They got to the stables and got Julian’s horse, then found the carriage house close -by. Julian hooked the horse up expertly and they climbed onto the curricle. They were barely on board when he sent the horses galloping forward, carrying them quickly along the estate until they were far onto the road. He slowed the horse to a trot and looked over at her, studying her face. He looked radiant in the moonlight as she looked back at him.

  “Did he hurt you in other ways, Elise?”

  “He grabbed me,” she told him softly. “He—he made me undress for him. But he didn’t touch me.”

  Julian took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

  “I shouldn’t have let you go,” he said.

  Elise snorted and he looked at her, grinning.

  “You think you could have stopped me?” she asked.

  “I could have pinned you down,” he said. His voice was soft, dangerous and sensual.

  “I don’t think that would have worked,” she said. “I’m much stronger than I look, my lord.”

  “You think you could overpower me then?” Julian asked, a look of amusement on his face.

  Elise nodded.

  “Without a doubt,” she said. “You’re nothing but a mere man.”

  “Now you’re challenging my manhood,” Julian said. “I might have to prove you wrong.”

  “By pinning me down?”

  He nodded. “If you try to run from me again.”

  “That depends on your intentions, my lord,” Elise said. “If I go back to the estate as your maid, will you expect me to allow you into my bed?”

  Julian stared at her, then at her mouth. He leaned in to kiss her, sucking on her bottom lip. Elise allowed it, reveling in the feeling of his soft, full mouth against hers. His thoughts passed through her head like a caress, his mind fixated on her skin, how soft it was, the color of it against his fingers.

  “I don’t expect anything from you.”

  She didn’t say anything, but bit her lip. Part of her had hoped that he’d said yes. It would have made things simpler going back, knowing that her sole purpose there was to warm his bed. Going back as his maid, she didn’t know what he wanted from her, whether his kisses meant anything or if they were just relief for his building desire.

  Elise found herself dozing on his shoulder, and didn’t wake up until he moved gently away from her.

  “Elise,” he said softly, taking her hand and leading her down from the curricle.

  “Are we home?” she asked sleepily. She blinked, looking around, but everything in her mind seemed to be foggy.

  “We’re at an inn,” he said, leading her inside. It was noisy and crowded, the front room filled with people who were drinking and laughing together. The noise threatened to overwhelm Elise, who felt tense and exhausted, ready to get to bed. She stood there looking around, and Lord Ashton took her hand as he talked to a barmaid about renting a room. He led her upstairs then and opened a door, pushing it open to reveal a small, cozy room with a fire already lit. It felt warm and made Elise feel even drowsier, and she yawned as she laid down in bed. Julian looked down at her face, lowered his mouth to kiss her before standing up. She took his hand before he walked away.

  “Aren’t you coming to bed with me, my lord?” she asked. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than just that, to rest her head on his chest and have him hold her through the night. He stared at her, studying her face.

  “I think you need some rest,” he said. “And I think that we have some things to talk about before we share a bed.”

  Elise looked into his eyes, saw that he was being sincere. It made something stir in her stomach, a lightness that filled her with air.

  “Good night, Elise,” he said to her when she nodded, settling back into the bed.

  “Good night, my lord,” she said, watching him as he left the room.

  Chapter 15

  Julian awoke early in the morning, just before the sun came up. His body was alert the moment he opened his eyes. He thought of Elise, of the night before, of finally kissing her over and over. A smile came to his lips just remembering the way that she’d tasted, sweet and pure and perfect. Julian got out of bed and got ready quickly, then went downstairs and fetched a tray of food for Elise. He brought it up to her, going inside to see her sleeping in bed, her cheek pressed to the pillow. She was glowing in the sunshine, her pale skin illuminated in a way that was almost ethereal. Julian wished that he could wake her up with kisses, place them all over her beautiful skin while he stripped her naked and looked over her whole body.

  Elise stirred as he watched her, as if she could feel his eyes in her sleep. Her lids fluttered open and her eyes focused on him. When they did, a sweet smile passed over her lips.

  “Good morning, my lord,” she said softly, sitting up in bed as he carried the tray over to her. He set it down gently next to her in bed and she looked up at him, lifting her eyebrows.

  “Are you my servant today?” she asked in a teasing voice.

  “Don’t get used to it,” he said, but grinned at her. He wondered if it was appropriate to lean in and kiss her or if the night before had been his only chance. It was possible she had only allowed him to do so because she was caught up in the feelings that their reunion had brought up in her. He had seen that much in her eyes, at least, the heat that reflected his own.

  “How is Nikola?” Elise asked as she started to eat. “I meant to ask last night.”

  Julian looked at her grimly and her face fell, knowing the answer before h
e even spoke it.

  “She’s not doing well, I’m afraid,” Julian said, nearly choking on the words. “The doctor still isn’t sure she’ll make it. She’s not young anymore. Potts has been there most days.”

  Elise bit her lip. “How is Potts?”

  “He’s not doing well. He’s a wreck. I’ve never seen him like that before.”

  “Have they always been together?” Elise asked.

  “Yes,” said Julian. Potts and Nikola had been in love for longer than Julian had been alive, and had always been an example to him as to what love was supposed to look like. They were warm and kind toward each other, always laughing, and it was part of the reason Julian had known that his wife hadn’t been the one that he was supposed to be with; he couldn’t bring himself to look at her the way that Potts looked at Nikola, no matter how hard he’d tried to feel something for her. “Always.”

  Elise stared at him, a look of sympathy passing over her features. He hated that look, and yet it warmed him from the inside out. He didn’t want to see sympathy on her face—he wanted to see desire there, love and need. Julian found himself leaning toward her as she sipped her juice, and when she put it down he brushed his lips over hers. He could taste the fresh citrus on her lips when he took her bottom one between his and sucked on it gently, then released her. He felt her exhale deeply. It seemed like each time he kissed her, she lost her breath, got so caught up in the feeling of it that she forgot she needed air or anything else but his touch. He loved that about her, and it made him crave to do it again and again.

  Elise smiled when he leaned in to kiss her again, pulling away and taking a sip of her juice.

  “Do I have time to have a bath before we leave?” she asked him. “I’m dying to get clean.”

  “I don’t think we should,” Julian said, looking at her regretfully. He would have loved to allow her a bath and anything else she could have wanted, but there was a worry in the back of his mind that Lord Bishop would come after them, and he wanted to be at his own home when he faced the man. “We need to get home as quickly as possible.”