Hold Your Breath 01 - Stone Devil Duke

by K. J. Jackson

  “The leader—he is the key to this mess. I need to know exactly why he wants you dead. You said you witnessed something that marked you for disposal. What was it? When did this start? The real story.”

  Almost instantly, Aggie’s crossed arms softened, her whole body eased into calm, and a controlled mask slipped onto her face as her eyes went to the water in front of her. That she suddenly gained control of every nuance in her body was telling.

  Devin braced himself.

  “It started a year ago, the moment I saw my father murdered by these men.” Her voice sat above the water, eerily even, not a flicker of emotion breaking through.

  Shock sent Devin’s eyes wide. He had no idea she witnessed her father’s murder. He also realized he had neglected to ask her days ago what the terrible incident was that she had witnessed.

  Outrage sent waves through his body, threatening to take him over, but he stifled it for Aggie’s sake.

  “Aggs, what happened?”

  Aggie looked up, startled. “You are not angry with me for not telling you sooner?”

  He shook his head. “Tell me.”

  Her eyes moved back down, fixating on the water. “We were traveling into London, Papa and I. We were at the bottom of a hill, through a line of woods. We had been through there a thousand times. Shots stopped our carriage. They killed our driver and footman immediately. I do not even know why Papa was carrying so many pistols that day. He rarely did. But he put one into my hand, and took the other two. He told me to run and hide in the woods. Then he jumped out. I pleaded with him not to go. He knew I was an excellent shot. He knew I could have helped. But he jumped.”

  Her voice stayed incredibly flat.

  “Three bullets went into him before he could even raise his arms. He died in front of me.”

  “Aggs—”

  Her palm, but not her eyes, came up, stopping him. Devin went silent.

  “I jumped from the carriage to go to him. That is when I saw them all. The four surrounded me, and their leader stayed back on his horse, partway up the hill. None of them had bothered to cover their faces. And the leader…” Her voice gave the slightest quiver as she closed her eyes. “He had the most evil eyes.”

  She fell silent.

  Devin paused, exhaling his held breath. “How did you escape?”

  “I didn’t. I did nothing. I did not even grab the pistol when I jumped from the carriage. Worthless.”

  Devin could see under the water her hands had balled into tight fists, straining against her upper arms.

  “The carriage that came over the crest of the hill was the only thing that saved me. They disappeared into the woods.”

  Aggie took a deep breath, her chest rising above the water.

  It grated him to have to continue, but Devin steeled himself. “Had your father acted strangely before your trip? Was there any reason he should have been afraid? Business deal gone bad, maybe?”

  Eyes still closed, Aggie shook her head. “No. But I knew very little of his business dealings. Jason had always been by his side with the investments. I have been lost in all his paperwork.”

  “Was the leader with the other men on the other occasions they tried to kill you?”

  “Not the first time, but the second time he was there. After they came to our house, I decided to go after them.” Aggie opened her eyes and gave a sad half-smile to Devin. “And that, you know all about.”

  “Did you see anything at all that would identify him? A unique button, watch, pin—anything?”

  She shook her head.

  Devin stared at Aggie. She had told the entire story with as much emotion as reading a stagecoach schedule. Not even the slightest glimmer of a tear showed in her eyes.

  “Aggie, have you ever grieved for you father?”

  Hard resolve flickered into her green eyes. “No, and I will not until my family is safe, justice has been served, and death is not coming for me.”

  Devin moved forward in the water, his hands searching for her knees that had curled into her body. He needed to wrap her into such a cocoon of safety that she would never have to think these thoughts or visit these memories again.

  “There is no need for you to worry about this last man, Aggie. I will take care of it,” Devin said as he squeezed her knees, letting every drop of raw determination reverberate in his words.

  The calm gone, her body had shifted into a tight coil, and something deep and grave that Devin couldn’t identify invaded her face at his words.

  “Devin, there is one other thing you need to know. What I did in London, how I went after the four—I did it with a lack of fear. I was afraid for my family, but not for me. Nothing could ever compare to the fear I felt the day my father was murdered. So facing the four killers didn’t frighten me.”

  Aggie paused, and Devin could see she had to choke the last words out.

  “But Devin, this fifth man, the leader…I am afraid.” She drew a quivering breath, her rigid body shaking, sending rippling waves along the water. “And I am so tired of being afraid.”

  The sheer vulnerability she let escape in that second rammed into his chest. Hell. He had failed her. Failed her by not killing that bastard. And now she was terrified.

  Details. He needed damn details to find the leader. But he also needed Aggie not to look like she did right now. Now was not the time to push—details could wait. Now was the time to remove that tension from her. He had to. She needed to be safe. Needed to feel safe. Mere vows were not enough.

  His hands left her legs, and he reached around her, drawing her body into his. She let him, and the shaking lessened, but didn’t cease. She needed more.

  A hand on her back, he clasped her harder into him. His mouth went to her ear, voice gentle. “I cannot take away the fear, Aggs, not in this moment. But I can make you forget. Let me do that.”

  Heartbeats passed. Then her forehead rubbed against his chest in the smallest nod.

  “Good…good. Just concentrate on my touch. My hands on you.” Devin slipped his fingers up her spine to her neck and tilted her head. “My mouth on you.”

  He started lightly behind her ear, lips taking in the wet beads, and slowly moved downward along her slick skin. She responded immediately, her shoulder leaning into his chest even as she opened her neck more fully to him. A heated moan rose from her throat just as the shaking yielded to his touch.

  She untangled the hold she had on herself, her hands moving to grip his solid arms, digging into the straining muscles.

  He had her now. And he wasn’t about to let go.

  Devin moved to her mouth, tongue touching hers, and it was all he could do to not push her back against the tub and take her, but it was too soon. She would still be sore. He squashed his own throbbing need and concentrated on moving his fingers along her skin, bringing to life nerves that begged to be unleashed.

  It was fire, and she was quick to reciprocate, fingers dancing along his body, tongue thrusting back at his. His fingers went into her hair and he pulled her head to the side, gaining access to his next attack on her neck.

  Low, guttural groans escaped from deep within Aggie’s chest, and both of her legs found their way to wrapping around Devin’s waist.

  Aggie’s hands went about his neck, burying into dark hair. “Yes. Please. Take it away. Please…” Her voice trailed off as her legs clamped and her hips moved forward.

  Her body, so tight when he first grabbed her, was now as pliable as a rag doll. Only her legs and her hands strained, but that was only to get her body closer to his. It was what Devin had wanted to accomplish. And now he wanted her to have more.

  He trailed his thumb slowly in a line from her neck to the slope of her breasts, letting the nerves prick the skin. He moved downward, caressing her right nipple, twirling it between his fingers. It only prompted her to tilt her head back further, opening all the more to him.

  His lips found her neck again as he pushed her body backward to the edge of the tub. Reaching it, he s
lipped his hands under her thighs and lifted her, setting her on the lip of the tub, her weight carried by the wide teak ledge.

  Hazy confusion set across Aggie’s face. “What? We are stopping?”

  “No.” Devin gave her a lascivious smile. “No, we have only just started.”

  “What?”

  Devin grabbed her knees, pushing her legs apart. Her hands dropped behind her, holding herself upright on the ledge.

  He bent to her inner thigh, her skin dripping, and began to taste, to tease his way up her leg.

  “Oh, God…” One hand pushed at his shoulders. “Devin, this…”

  Devin didn’t look up, and he kept his lips on her thigh. “Let me do this, Aggs. Just close your eyes and concentrate on my touch.”

  His fingers preceded his mouth to her core, readying her, and when he reached her to begin to taste, he heard an audible gulp. Lips not leaving her, he glanced up just in time to see her head tilt back, trembling. He pulled her left leg inward, draping it over his shoulder.

  “Hell, Devin.” Aggie’s palms slipped on the wood, and she clunked down hard onto her elbows.

  Hand still manipulating, Devin pulled up, chuckling. The clunk hadn’t stopped her writhing. The heel of her foot dug into his back, demanding, bringing him into her again. Devin obliged.

  Faster, he attacked, hungry for the screams she failed to control. Her other leg came over his shoulder, and Aggie jerked up, hands diving into his hair. Half for support, half begging, she clutched him.

  He continued his onslaught, both tongue and fingers searching the deepest parts of her. Faster and faster he plied her, hard against her struggle for relief, until her body seized, thrusting against him, scream at her lips.

  She collapsed on him.

  Devin wrapped his hands up Aggie’s back and pulled her down into the water. He moved backward to lean against the wall of the tub, Aggie limp atop him.

  He tightened his arm across her back, and she snuggled closer with a sigh. Every trace of rigidness had disappeared from her body. Devin congratulated himself on achieving that. And if he had to keep her constantly in bed—or bath—to keep her from worry, well, there were worse fates.

  Minutes skimmed by, and sure she had fallen asleep, Devin untangled his fingers from her hair and started to move.

  “That was…” Her voice, purring into his chest, surprised him.

  “Yes?”

  She propped her chin on the center of his chest to look up at him. “Amazing. Can I do that to you?”

  Devin laughed. “You can do anything you want to me, Aggs.” He brushed a lock of hair from her forehead. “But not right now. Right now I am carrying you over to bed before you pass out on me and we are stuck in here.”

  ~~~

  The screams sent him running up the stairs. Sleep had eluded him, so he had left Aggie in bed and gone down to Killian’s study. He wanted to go over one of the initial reports he had on activities of the band of four.

  There had to be something he was missing about their connection to the leader. Maybe he had to go further back in history with them. Where they came from, how they knew each other. He had already made plans to send one of the extra guards he had hired to accompany them, back into London with more direct instructions for his team of five runners. They were still investigating, attempting to find the leader. They were smart, and probably already digging into pasts, but Devin wasn’t leaving it up to assumption.

  The screams, screeching, blood-curdling, in a pitch like nothing he had ever heard before, shot him out of the carved wooden chair and sprinting up the stairs.

  Wearing only pants and wishing he had a knife in hand, he busted into the room he always used at Killian’s home, battle-cocked to fight whoever was attacking Aggie.

  Searching the dark corners of the room, Devin saw no movement. Frantic, he focused on Aggie in the stream of moonlight coming through the open window, only to see her still in bed, still lying down, still screeching. A chill went to his bones as he watched her writhe, sheets flying.

  Rushing to her, he hoped against hope she wasn’t injured. Damn his idiocy in leaving her alone. Untangling her limbs from the sheets, he caught her face in full-out scream, eyes closed, and realized she was asleep.

  He clamped down on her shoulders, pinning her to the bed. The screams got louder and she pitched violently, trying to free herself from his hands.

  “Aggie. Wake up. Wake up.” Devin’s face hovered over hers. He wasn’t sure she could hear him through her own shrieking.

  “Aggie. Stop. You’re safe. Aggie. Wake up.”

  A quick gasp of air, and Aggie’s eyes flew open as she jerked up against his hold.

  Panic flooded her face, then confusion, then she collapsed back into the bed, panting, as her face fell. “I was screaming, wasn’t I?”

  “Like someone had cut your arm off.”

  Devin thought he saw her cringe at his words, but then she closed her eyes, tilting her head back up against the pillow.

  “I am so embarrassed that you saw that.” She opened her eyes to look at him. “I am sorry I woke you up.”

  “I wasn’t asleep, I was downstairs. No apologizing. Now tell me.”

  “Tell you what?”

  “Tell me what is going on in your mind.”

  She closed her eyes again, shaking her head, wedging it deeper into the pillow. “I dream. I cannot control my dreams when I am overly tired.”

  “You are not going to tell me, are you?”

  “No.” She said quickly, jumping on the option he inadvertently offered up.

  Devin sighed and removed his hands from her shoulders. He pulled the sheet over her. “Fine. Back to sleep for you. But I am asking again in the morning.”

  Standing, the surprise hand gripping his wrist stopped his exit. He looked down at her, only to see remnants of her earlier terrorized face still etched around her eyes. She hid it well. She always hid it well, but Devin was starting to see right through the mask she usually held in place.

  “I hoped…can you stay? Please? You here…I fell asleep so easily before.”

  Devin’s chest tightened. Hell yes, he could stay.

  He dropped his pants and slid under the sheet next to Aggie, fitting her body solidly into his. Pushing her hair back, she put her ear on his chest and heaved a breath.

  Within a minute she was back asleep.

  { Chapter 12 }

  On the bed, Aggie laid a fresh chemise, stays, stockings, a pleated shirt, and a deep wine colored traveling skirt and jacket that she knew warmed the color of her face. The military-styled braided accents and sleek lines would accent her shape, and for that, she was grateful. After what Devin had done to her body last night—things she had never imagined possible—she wasn’t above keeping a constant reminder of her curves in front of him. She would let him have free rein on her body at any time he saw fit. And she hoped he would see fit a lot.

  Not bothering with a maid, she dressed, and found she couldn’t deny the haunting emptiness in the spot where she usually strapped a pistol to her thigh. She silently chastised herself again for letting her guard down. She would just have to ask Devin for a pistol once they got to Stonewell, despite the fact she guessed it would irk his pride. Pricked pride or not, she knew the best person to protect herself, was herself.

  “After you fell back asleep, you said ‘panther’ in your sleep,” Devin said as he sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his Hessians. “It was better than the screaming, but strange. Why ‘panther?’”

  Aggie stopped mid-motion in packing her bag and turned to him. “I did?”

  “Yes. It was oddest thing a woman has ever said in bed with me.”

  Aggie laughed. “I do not know if I want to hear what the second oddest thing was. But I guess ‘panther’ is odd. It is actually nothing—give me a chance to dig this out.” She turned back to her bag, hands diving deep into the contents. Pulling out a dark blue ball of cloth, she unwrapped the edges of the fabric to reveal the o
nly trinket she insisted on bringing with her everywhere, a wooden sculpture of a panther, no bigger than her hand. “My brother sent it.”

  She couldn’t help her light mood from swinging to mournful as she held up the black wood piece for Devin. “Jason was always sending items home from his travels for the crown. This is the last thing he sent. A few days after we received it, we got word that he was missing. Most thought he was dead. Father did not believe it though, and neither did mother, although that was when she started to withdraw. But father never found any evidence either way, save for the fact that he believed the panther was sent after the date Jason went missing.”

  “How would he know that?”

  “Father hired several investigators,” Aggie sat heavily on the bed next to Devin, “and they traced the panther back to a courier who was supposedly given it two days after Jason was reported missing.”

  “Do you believe he is alive? I think our discussion the other day about your brother fits into that ‘omitting information’ arena.”

  Aggie looked down at the panther. “I do. I have to. Until I have proof that he is not, I will believe he is alive. I have been doing everything I can to try to hold the estate together until he returns. Including—” Aggie cut herself off.

  “Good try,” Devin said. “You need to finish that sentence.”

  Aggie sighed. She may as well tell him, because the man was going to figure it out soon enough anyway. “Jason has been gone for so long—years—and the solicitors were beginning to question whether he is alive. No matter how much I insisted on his good health, they kept pressuring me. So I manufactured a message from him several months ago as proof that he is still alive.”

  Devin smiled, and Aggie wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or not.

  “How did you do that?”

  “I arranged to have a letter come in on a ship from the continent. Jason and I were very close, and I am pretty good at forging his handwriting.” She shrugged. “It quelled the swell of questions that were beginning to surface. At least for now. People get antsy when a title is involved.”